[Two Lone Swordsmen Swimming Not Skimming Rar
Laurice Whack
Many moons ago I stayed at a fabulous hotel on the shore of Loch Awe. Taychreggan Hotel had a reputation for fine dining, great service and stunning views. The 300-year-old hotel had started life as a drovers inn, and although it had gone upmarket, it had retained its old world charm.
Thankfully, they came. After a change of owner, general manager and some much needed TLC, the reviews were soon glowing again. So, when GM Michelle Kelso got in touch to invite us to spend a weekend at the hotel, I jumped at the chance to reacquaint myself with Taychreggan Hotel.
The boy shot straight into the water for a paddle, while Mr G and I amused ourselves by skimming stones. When I say skimming, I mean Mr G skimmed stones. I hurled them into the water to sink without a trace, as the skills required for stone skimming continue to elude me.
Taychreggan Hotel is located at the end of a single track road that turns off the A85 near Taynuilt. The seven mile stretch of road has a smattering of houses, a village and a wooded nature reserve (Glen Nant National Nature Reserve) along it.
Inside, the hotel had retained its old world charm, but it was lighter and more stylish than before. An orangery had been added and there were lots of comfy nooks and crannies where guests could curl up with a book, play board games or enjoy a coffee.
Ionus was the first member of the Taychreggan team that we met and he was polite, helpful, friendly and he immediately made us feel relaxed. He made an impression on the boy too after fussing over him and offering him treats.
Our room Etive, was a first floor junior suite with a stunning loch view. It was comfortable, cosy and the country house decor and antique furniture suited the character of the hotel perfectly. The en suite was large and modern with a slipper bath, shower and his and hers sinks. There were quality toiletries from Scottish Fine Soaps, plus robes, slippers and big fluffy towels too.
Some quirky whisky barrel seats outside caught our eye. There were a couple free so we sat down to relax. I planned to go swimming in Loch Awe during our stay, but for now I was content to sit with a perfectly chilled glass of wine and feel the sun on my face.
After breakfast we drove a mile up the road to Kilchrenan Church. The church sits on an elevated position overlooking Kilchrenan village. It dates to the 1770s, but the foundations are thought to be medieval.
With the morning temperature rising, and the boy and I being more suited to icy climes, we decided to keep our walk short to prevent overheating and grumpy moods. At 1 3/4 miles, the Avich Falls Trail was exactly what we were looking for.
The trail started on a gravel track which climbed uphill, passing towering oaks before descending towards a river. Along the way I spotted a woodpecker and lots of butterflies. A beautiful peacock butterfly even stayed still long enough for me to photograph it.
The stone, known locally as the Holy Stone or Slaughter Stone features around 60 cup marks. They were created using a technique known as pecking. Pecking involves striking the same spot repeatedly with a rock until a cup shaped depression is formed.
Once it was inflated, I took the paddleboard into the water and paddled about on my knees. After a while I decided to stand up. I travel for work so often that I rarely get to spend time in the water, trying to master the SUP.
Since I was now soaking wet, it seemed like a good time for a spot of swimming in Loch Awe. I swam backwards and forwards, parallel with the shore and was in my element. I might wobble like a weeble on a SUP but I was back in my comfort zone swimming.
Another amazing blog with your narrative including history, beautiful photography and the amazing wee white dug! The boy is a hit wherever he goes with you. I always look forward to your next adventure!
As always stunning photography, and a joy to share your adventures with friends. And like yourselves am very into the ancient stone carvings, they are magnificent. Your wee white dug is the star of the show, bless him xx
Okay, I will admit that Ishy was probably pissed that Rand had destroyed that army, but I think the idea that Aginor sent Rand is unsupported. Rand was connected to the Eye of the World, and I would suggest that his connection to the Eye had more to do with his sudden transportation than Aginor. Aginor dies and then the Eye takes him to the battle, and then it takes him to Ishamael; that is my theory. Aginor is in his death throes, burning himself out by attempting to pull more one power than Rand, so I don't know why he would suddenly try to use it to transport Rand, when his goal is to overcome Rand.
This is a good find. I'm not sure if I agree that Aginor transported Rand or not, but I hadn't caught the "curse screamed at Aginor" before.
What was Ishy mad at Aginor for, if it wasn't transporting Rand? Or maybe you're right, and it was. Very interesting.
We know that, at least until the eye was drained, it could be found by those who needed it. Maybe here, since Rand was connected to the Eye, he was transported to the place where he, and the Eye's power, were needed - to defeat the army at Tarwin's Gap.
I would then suggest that Ishamael was mad becase Aginor had not succeeded in stopping Rand from getting access to the pure saidin in the Eye.
One thing that has always bothered me about that scene at the eye of the world is that the motivations are all wrong for the Forsaken.
For instance, will somebody PLEASE tell me why the eye was so important to Aginor? Remember, this is a guy protected from the taint by his ties to the DO. The saidin in the Eye is no different that saidin he could channel normally. So why does he try to keep it all for himself?
And I don't buy that his goal was simply to drain the eye to get at the Horn or at the Seal. He was replacing his flesh with the saidin, and was specifically jealous that Rand would take *any* of it. So, if his goal was to simply drain the Eye of Saidin, why would he care what Rand channeled, since that would empty the Eye all the quicker?
I can understand the importance of pure saidin available for the DR, and how that pure saidn would have protected the cuendillar seal... but there's no reason that Aginor should be SOOOOOOOOOO protectively jealous of it.
That whole scene just screams to me that RJ was setting up a false ending because he didn't know if the book was going to sell and he didn't know if he was going to have the opportunity to write the second. Even now, if I try to get somebody to start the series, I get them tEotW and tGH. I tell them that they just need to read through the ending of the first book and into the second to understand the scope of the series.
But, back on point, what the hell is going on with the forsaken at the eye?
quote:
For instance, will somebody PLEASE tell me why the eye was so important to Aginor? Remember, this is a guy protected from the taint by his ties to the DO. The saidin in the Eye is no different that saidin he could channel normally. So why does he try to keep it all for himself?
Rubbernilly, that is a very good question. I have been confused by that scene since the first time I read it. It took me until about my fourth reread before I even had a clue what happened there. Which I guess makes sense, because Rand didn't have a clue what happened there, either. But I definitely agree with you, it was written that way because RJ didn't know if he'd be able to write any followup books.
Anyway, I've been puzzling over all the references in TEoTW to the DO wanting to blind the Eye, and even 10 books into the series, that still doesn't make sense to me. All I can think is that maybe there was a Dark Prophecy that if the DO was able to keep Rand from touching the Eye, maybe he could win?
Trying to look back at what the Eye did for Rand, it seems that aside from hiding the horn and banner, it also did serve one other purpose:
I think it drastically sped up Rand's channeling development. After TEoTW, when Rand is first trying to channel, he tries to think of what it felt like at the Eye. Maybe without the Eye, Rand would have stayed like Nynaeve and many other wilders -- not knowing what channeling felt like and really not knowing what it was supposed to feel like when trying to touch it.
Ooh, I just had a thought. Maybe without the Eye, and the clear lesson it gave Rand to what channeling felt like, Rand would have developped a block. Seems entirely likely, since many if not most wilders do have a block.
So I guess the most plausible explanation I can come up with is that Rand's exposure to the Eye drastically helped him later as he struggled to learn how to channel, and possibly also prevented him from building up a block as many wilders do. So Aginor's goal then would be to use up the Eye instead so that Rand would be left fumbling more to control his channeling, and would have a definite disadvantage compared to the DOs minions.
Still doens't explain how Rand got snatched away to Tarwin's Gap, though.
**But I definitely agree with you, it was written that way because RJ didn't know if he'd be able to write any followup books.**
One word: Bull.
RJ had a deal for a multi-volume series, and if you say that came after TEOTW, then why, oh why, are there viewings that arent completed till ACOS, and some that aren't even completed after CoT?!
Maybe Aginor just wanted to feel saidin, without the need of the DO's cords filtering off the taint.
callandor -
you say: bull
and I say: poppycock on your bull.
I am not disputing the fact that he might have had a multi-book contract before tEotW (he was an established author before that). However, he thought at the beginning that he could complete the series in 3 books. So there's no weight to your claim that viewings in tEotW aren't completed until aCoS, since RJ obviously intended, at least in the beginning, that what was covered in aCoS would have been covered inside of 3 books. There is no indication of a long range plan in place from the beginning here.
Now, even though there was a book deal in place doesn't mean that the books would have been guaranteed. Do you think that Tor would have published tGH if tEotW had flopped? Eh... no. So for whatever reason, either from pressure from Tor's uncertainties or from RJ's own, the end of tEotW is a false ending meant to put a cap on the story if the series were to be a "series" of only one book.
As for the explanation of what happened at the Eye, I tend to agree that the best explanation of the events seems to be that Rand's early channeling experience needed to be free of the taint for whatever reason - either because learning to channel with the taint would have hampered Rand or because the early efforts at channeling tended to be when the taint had the worst effects.
But, even then, Rand had channeled 3 or 4 times by this point, hadn't he? The more Rand channels before the scene at the Eye, the less validity that argument has. I think RJ has a LOT of explaining to do.
You know, this is the sort of information that Moiraine could share if and when she returns. Do I think that's going to happen? Nope. I think RJ thinks he explained it as well as he needs to.