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Text File | 1995-04-27 | 12KB | 243 lines

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Hi,

This is Ken Kofman, sending out yet another _As The Wheel Turns_
posting.  I suppose I should put some sort of copyright notice
on this, so here goes:

Copyright, Ken Kofman (c) 1994.  All rights reserved except for
those that Tor and Robert Jordan deserve, and except that anyone
who wants to copy this material may do so, so long it remains
unaltered, including this notice, and so long as no fees of
any kind are charged for its use.

In other words, enjoy it, show it to all your friends, be inspired
to run your own game, but since I'm not making any money off of
this, you shouldn't either.

I hope I did that right.

Anyway,

KenK        [e-mail]

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The Nine Rods of Dominion

One to come and one to go
One above and one below
One a friend and one a foe
One to hide and one to know.

Creation

Nine Rods rule over all
Eight Ajah preserve and fall
Seven Ages of the Wheel
Six Bound to serve the dead
Five Flows create the Weave
Four Peoples born to live
Three Supports of all the worlds
Two Powers never to be whole
One Dragon on the winds of Time.

Summary of Session 2 of _As the Wheel Turns_  30-6-94

And so, it happened as the Aes Sedai Kareina had Foretold.
With words of steel did Elaida Sedai of the Red Ajah bind Suldan
into the service of Randy Carter, and Suldan did obey with
alacrity, for few dare the fiery wrath of Elaida Sedai.  Tsari,
too, an experience warrior who had accompanied Kareina Sedai
until she met her doom, he too threw in his lot with Randy
Carter from beyond this world, from that Mirror of the Wheel
called Earth, or America by some.  For he had originally
come to this place by Kareina Sedai's word and command, and so
would he continue, for the echo of her words endured in his
mind, even if she herself were no more.  And even Jennifer,
having finished sharing loud words with Elaida Sedai said little,
but gave over the ancient tome _The Nine Rods of Dominion_ into
Randy Carter's hands to do with it as she will.  Selene also
did ask permission to join with Randy Carter on her journey,
for Selene felt a bond of companionship with her fellow travellers,
and had developed a deep bond of friendship with Kareina Sedai.
She did not claim ability at arms or with the Power, but she
claimed a small amount of knowledge learned in the great
libraries of Cairhien.  She spoke deprecatingly of her abilities,
yet even a minor scholar from Cairhien could draw on vast amounts
of lore, perhaps even useful knowledge, though certainly less
than a full Aes Sedai, trained in the White Tower of Tar Valon.

Then did Randy Carter look upon the world anew, and she did not
like that which she saw, for the eyes of all were upon her in
expectation, waiting upon the grave decisions bequeathed to her
by Kareina Sedai of the Green Ajah, as promised by one who can
never lie, even in death.  Randy Carter opened the book, and
began to read, soon losing herself amidst a new world of knowledge,
a wondrous world of a different time, if not a different place.
Elaida Sedai left her guidance in the margins, allowing Randy
Carter and those who read with her to traverse a sea of knowledge
more vast than even a great scholar could encompass in a month
of diligent effort.

Randy Carter looked up from the wondrous tome, to find the day
nearly gone in what surely seemed the blink of an eye.  No work
of Power this, or of Talents beyond this day and Age, but only
the magic of knowledge, magic that the Brown Ajah holds as dear
as saidar itself.  Those few hours were but a glimpse into that
other world, yet much was learned about the Rods of Dominion,
that they had great power, that they could control all aspects
of this world and worlds beyond, the great and the small, perhaps
even the Creator himself.  It is said that the Nine Rods were
disbursed among the nations near the time of the Breaking, and
that one was preserved, perhaps even used in storied Manetheren,
now lost.  So did Elaida Sedai believe, and the great and ancient
tome did lend that theory verisimilitudinous credibility.

Of many great and wondrous things did that book contain within
its bindings, too many to mention.  Yet one particular wonder
took hold of Randy Carter and brought her forth from idle
contemplation of what to do given that a person must do something,
for there was a personal account of a journey to a fabulous
city, a city of dream, a city that the people of Earth call
unknown Kadath.  The account was short, yet was it in accord
with the very first pages of a book written on the world of
Earth.  Both accounts contained the selfsame words, save only
in a few instances where there were differences.

And so, Randy Carter read, until the sun had set far below the
horizon and there was no more light to be had.  Only then did
she set the book aside, and think about sleep.  Close to her
did she keep the ter'angreal, last parting gift of Kareina Sedai,
for it was the greatest wish of Randy Carter to Dream to visit
tel'aran'rhiod, the world of Dreams, and know it for truth.  And
to set eyes on the fabled city of Unknown Kadath was as much as
she had ever hoped from life.

Yet even as Randy Carter prepared to sleep and dream, did Tsari
grimly stand watch that no enemy or agent of the Dark One could
approach the camp unawares.  Selene also remained awake, and
allowed Tsari to engage her in idle conversation about the stars.
For the unimaginable beauty of Selene did captivate Tsari, as it
does all men, and her kind manner and gentle voice.  According
to legend, Selene said, women and men did sail among the stars
above, and marvelled at the sort of wondrous people who could
do such wondrous deeds.  Yet Tsari was less impressed, for he
did not find reason to travel amongst the stars, when neither
he nor Selene knew their purpose or use.  But surely, if he
could, he would gift the stars to Selene.  Selene graciously
acknowledged the compliment, and thereupon took to her blankets.

So it was, after some time that Randy Carter fall into a deep
slumber and deeper Dream, and found herself in her home city
of Montreal, a great city beyond any on this world, with
underground passages traversed by the great Metro, taking
people from place to place, almost like the Ways, before they
fell into the dark madness of Machin Shin.  And the traversals
of the Metro did follow a map, and before this map did Randy
Carter stand, and know herself in Dream, in tel'aran'rhiod for
certain.

Yet there was a greater wonder still, for the map of the Metro
did include amongst its many destinations the fabled city
of Unknown Kadath.  Randy Carter studied the map, until she
understood the twistings and turnings of the path she must
travel, and then set forth upon her journey, with the myriad
people returning to their homes from work, for in the city
of Montreal, many people travelled the Metro on wondrous
trains as we might walk along a dusty road.  Four of these
trains did Randy Carter need to traverse before her destination
was attained, for each train a Line, binding many places to
a single train.  Three Transfers must Randy Carter undertake at
the places where two or more Lines did cojoin.

Thus did Randy Carter embark upon her journey.  On the first train
did she co-mingle with her fellow denizens of Montreal, crowded
cheek to jowl upon this train, slowly emerging at their respective
destinations until Randy Carter also forsook this train, one that
she had taken often, for another.  And on this second train did
Randy Carter also meet with people of Montreal, but as the train
travelled onward did the people leave, giving way to solitude
amidst parts of Montreal that Randy Carter would not visit in
the normal course of events.  But Randy Carter was fixed upon
her ultimate goal, and would not be denied.  Yet solitude too
did not long hold sway, for foul Trollocs, creatures of the Dark
One and not of Montreal did enter the car in which Randy Carter
travelled.  Then did Randy Carter know fear, for the Trollocs
did not heed her words, nor did they answer her plaintive speech
asking what they wanted, for Trollocs want only one thing, to
kill, and this they desire above all else, though at times they
can be turned from this desire through a show of force, intimidation,
or the prospect of eating those they did kill.  Randy Carter did
cringe against the wall, as a Trolloc toyed with its meal, tearing
filthy claws through Randy Carter's overcoat and through her skin.

Yet Randy Carter did not die.  For Suldan did come rushing forward
from parts unknown to protect her even in Dream.  Coming from behind
did he slay one of the three loathsome Trollocs, thrusting his
sword into its very heart.  Only a glimmer of intelligence do Trollocs
retain, yet surely enough to turn and face the noble Suldan before
they too fell before his skill.  Then did Randy Carter gain once
again her composure, and raised saidar, to strike down the Trollocs
as she had seen Kareina Sedai of the Green Ajah do more than one
time.  But Randy Carter had forsaken her training, and powerful
though she was, lacked the skill needed to wield and control saidar,
weaving it into Flows powerful enough to do as she wished.  Yet
still she did something, weaving Flows of Air to distract and harass
the Trollocs, allowing Suldan to dispatch them in a brilliant
execution of The Tax Collector Reaps the Harvest, a maneuver used
only in training.

Randy Carter mustered forth whatever skills she had to Heal Suldan
of the wounds he took in her service, for Kareina Sedai had trained her
in weaving Healing flows, and she had even saved the Aes Sedai' life.
But herself, she could not Heal, and thus did she accept Suldan's
ministrations, for he knew how to treat wounds such as these, if
not as well as an Aes Sedai.

Exhausted from her efforts, Randy Carter stepped through the next
transfer, under the faithful protection of Suldan.  And this third
train was ancient, as the people of Earth reckon such things, a
lumbering, smoking thing called a steam locomotive, trailing behind
it equally ancient cars in which people can travel. Yet even as
Randy Carter and Suldan sat down, and the ancient train began to
travel on its Line, also known as Tracks, did the very benches
rise up to assail the valiant Suldan and the weary Randy Carter,
still undeterred from her ultimate goal, of unknown Kadath.  For
these benches were not benches at all, but the infinitely mutable
and horribly foul Shoggoths, not so fearsome as the Myrdraal, but
terrible in their own way, for the human eye verily slides away
from their terrible visage and unspeakable horror, ever shifting
in cold perturbations and queasy transformations.  Slowly did the
Shoggoths rise, no longer bound by blasphemous power, to avenge
themselves on all that lived, and still did Randy Carter and Suldan
live.  In abject terror did Suldan throw himself to the rear, for
unlike Randy Carter, he had not read of such things, yet even she
was gripped in a vise of primordial terror.  In desperation did
Randy Carter surrender to the sweetness of saidar that she may
draw upon its Power to do what she can against the Shoggoths,
against the fading of hope itself, even as a Shoggoth seized
Suldan from behind and began to tear off his fingers, slowly,
one by one, even as he screamed in mad agony.

Had Randy Carter known how to transport herself from this place,
surely she would have done so, yet lacking this knowledge did
she remain.  Weaving Flows of Fire, she immersed one of the
Shoggoths in terrible flames.  Once Kareina Sedai had summoned
lightnings, and balls of incandescent heat, and had even showed
how to wrap even the mightiest in Flows of unyielding Air, yet
Randy Carter had not yielded to the sweet temptation of saidar
for many a week, much less train her skills.  Yet these flames
of desperation were more than enough to kill a man, if not
a Shoggoth, which, grabbing her in its howling pain battered
her against the wall and began to set into her, even as its
companion literally tore Suldan in twain, and even  as Randy
Carter lost consciousness and returned to the waking world.

Suldan slept soundly amongst his blankets.  Selene, Tsari,
all were asleep, save Randy Carter awake, though feeling
faint and dizzy, and blankets soaking in spilt blood.