My lords and ladies,

There is a disgusting truth you must know. Among your number are several servants of the Dark. These foul people have engaged in a nefarious deception to mislead you and make you look like fools. Forthwith shall I name them and evince their deeds.

Why my concealed identity, you ask. I have needed to work in secrecy to expose these darkfriends, and more of their number may yet be undiscovered. For my own safety, and for the efficacy of my work, I must remain anonymous.

Why should you believe the allegations of an anonymous lurker, you ask. Well, don't rely strictly upon my word; I will reprise for you several captured conversations among them. HEAR THE DARKFRIENDS CONDEMN THEMSELVES BY THEIR OWN HANDS!!!

The text the follows is long, but is only the tip of the iceberg, I can assure you. Please, steel yourselves to the pain and bear with me.

First, the true Father of Lies...

    Date:    Wed, 09 Mar 94 00:24:46 EST
    From:    Bill Garrett 
    Subject: Help us (rasfw Jordan fans) with a hoax
    
    After we had all finished eating and turned the full of our energies
    toward discussing Jordan's books, I said, "It would be neat if we made
    up some crazy story about tonight and told it to the rest of the group."
    
    Almost instantly someone responded, "Let's tell them that Robert Jordan
    himself showed up!"  "Yeah, he was in town at a book signing and stopped
    by," added another.  "We can say we invited him, on a lark, and were
    really surprised when he dropped by," suggested a third.
    
    We all think this would be a great idea.  I'll make up a bogus transcript
    of things we asked RJ and his responses to us.  Our goal is to get the
    other rasfw people excited, send them chasing through the books for
    references that don't exist, and generally have them scratching their
    heads about unexpected things RJ said.
Note the blatant admission right in the subject line that this is a hoax. Has he no shame? Now, watch the chief of the Forsaken condemn himself:
    Date:    Tue, 08 Mar 94 19:44:50 EST
    From:    "Chad C. D'Amour Orzel" 
    Subject: Re: Summary of our darkfriend social
    
    First of all, we need to have some sort of goal for this whole hoax-
    basically to get people to waste a whole lot of time chasing after 
    references that don't exist and so forth, and posting this stuff to
    r.a.s.w so we can laugh at them... Implying that 1) Jain Farstrider is
    someone we've met or 2) Gaidal Cain has been reborn would have been
    perfect, except if I see another Cain=Logain post I'm going to mail-
    bomb someone. But something ludicrous like that...
Forsooth, even Very Small Animals can serve the Shadow...
    Date:    Wed, 09 Mar 94 11:35:41 EST
    From:    ghirarde@oraac (Judy Ghirardelli)
    Subject: Re: The Jordan Hoax - draft
    
    Hi Bill and everyone.  I think this was really good - we will have some
    people believe us I think!  Jordan was as evasive as he would have
    really been had he been there.  I too like Joe M's suggestion about
    him being there to talk to Disney.  Over all though, I think it is not
    too unbelievable, and I would probably believe it had I not been there 
    (but then again, I am pretty gullible...)
Three servants of the Shadow so far, but more to come:
    Date:    Wed, 09 Mar 94 16:23:42 EST
    From:    Michael Macchione 
    Subject: Re: The Jordan Hoax - reactions
    
    Fellow Hoaxers,
    
    I'm sorry that I haven't been involved in the set up but it all occured 
    between logins for me.  I think it was hysterical.  I'm about to type up 
    a followup, with a few corrections and comments.  I have a question 
    though, How long are we going to keep this up?
    
    Mike
    Sir MPS
Even some of the less-frequent rasfw posters have been corrupted. Again, note the blatant but casual admissions of complicity.
    Date:    Sat, 12 Mar 94 16:15:27 EST
    From:    Joe Morris 
    Subject: Re: Jordan Hoax: more suckers! 
    
    In case someone's newsfeed is running slow, here's my posting today
    about the Social.  I've included in it a couple of gentle hints about
    hoaxes, phrased as if *Jordan* was hoaxing *us*.
    
    The hints have been added since the time I sent most of this material
    to the group.
    
    I agree with some previous suggestions that we don't want to let this
    run too long.  Maybe we should spring the announcement on St. Paddy's
    Day (next Thursday, 3/17), claiming that it was all in honor of Irish
    blarney?
    
    Joe
THERE'S MORE!! This cadre of darkfriends seemed unsatisfied by their hoax, so they compounded the lies...
    Date:    Fri, 11 Mar 94 17:03:28 EST
    From:    "Chad C. D'Amour Orzel" 
    Subject: Re: Jordan Hoax: more suckers!
    
    OK, just want to run this by the rest of the hoax crew so no-one posts to
    contradict it:
    
    I'm going to write up a list of "remembered" quotes from "RJ" to post to
    r.a.s.w, including:
    
    [...]
I have elided the rest of the foul plans here, for I am sure you already know the outcome: bogus hints about "Is Verin Black?", hints that the series will end soon, statements that Aram is a darkfriend, etc. Watch in these next missives how they laugh at those who were snared by their growing web of deception:
    Date:    Thu, 10 Mar 94 21:56:40 EST
    From:    Bill Garrett 
    Subject: Re: Jordan Hoax: more suckers! 
    
    Mike writes:
    > Has anyone actually sounded skeptical, yet?  It seems as if everyone is 
    > buying it, hook, line and sinker.
    
    They're buying it like $.15 cigars on sale at 6 for a dollar.  ;)
    You can add Viren Shah, Roderick Easton, and David DeLaney to my
    earlier list, alond with any others whose responses haven't come to
    my site yet.
The Father of Lies is not the only one to gloat...
    Date:    Sat, 12 Mar 94 12:19:22 EST
    From:    ghirarde@oraac.gsfc.nasa.gov (Judy Ghirardelli)
    Subject: Re: Jordan Hoax: when to quit
    
    Hi hoaxers.  I just read quickly the news, and I can't believe these
    idiots on the net are so naive!  *I* would not have fallen so hard for
    this one.  A couple of comments :
    
    1) did you see Keith's post?  I was ROTFL - as was my husband.  The
    only one to suggest it was a hoax, yet saying it like he wished it
    were a hoax.
    
    2)  I am *so* glad I am in on this - all those wasted hours I am
    saving my not rereading "what lies hidden" and all the rest.
Finally, I have one last evildoer to expose. That he was in on it should surprise no one.
    Date:    Tue, 15 Mar 94 11:34:52 EST
    From:    
    Subject: JORDAN HOAX SPREADS OUT OF CONTROL
    
    So I sensationalized the subject.  Sue me.
    
    Well, it's now official!  With the recent flood of separate
    newsgroup posts, we've managed to revive _every_ last thread
    from hell.  :-)
    
    We've been dropping hints left and right, and _nobody_ seems
    to be catching on.  For people who spend so much time analyzing
    the exact wording/meaning of quotes from the books, they don't
    seem to be paying much attention to the implications of what
    we say.  A sad commentary on the Jordanposters, is it not?
A sad commentary it is that so many have forsaken the Light, and also a sad commentary that they could beguile so many who try to walk in the Light. They must have twisted the Power to their own ends, for there is surely no way they could achieve such successful deceit unaided. Thank you for surviving with me this far. The light of Truth burns brightly, and on occasion, painfully.