FA Prophecies

[Armande]

A couple of years ago, Asc and I were talking about prophecies in the WOT. It was one of the cooler elements of RJ's world building, giving hints to plot points or character arcs. We wanted to bring something like that to FA. I sent an email to many pcs asking if there was any prophetic imagery that they wanted to associate with their pcs. Many responded, but of course, I didn't keep track of who sent what. Moreover, many came from now inactive pcs.

So I am putting together a new list. This list will be for any prophetic character to use. For example, if Xander meets your pc, he might see elements from this list (should Nox decide to go that route.) Dreamers (like Thal) or Valeriya also may see some of them too. 

And wolfkin might be able see visions like Perrin did. The sky opened up and he saw images of his friends or others. He's the only wolfkin we got a POV from. But it could have been Taveren too. Asc will need to weigh in here.

Currently, the active potentially prophetic pcs are:

• Valeriya (Scryer)
  
• Thalia Minton (Dreamer)
  
• Xander (Min Auras)
  
• Tenzin Dolma (Wolfkin)
  
• Sierra Lupita (Wolflin)
  
• Tristan Úlfarsson (Wolfkin)
  
• Elyse Andersen (Wolfkin)
  
• Calvin Johnson (Wolfkin)
  
• Rowan Finnegan (Prophet)
  
• Vena Shah (Prophet)
  

I will keep this list updated as needed.

Here are the prophecies so far. (I can pm the original list to you if you want to see if you recognize anything you wrote.) Keep in mind, we just need the character(s) the prophecy is associated with. You don't have to explain what they mean, especially if they refer to plot points in the future that you want people to RAFO. If you want to, though, that's fine.

To kick things off:

1. Twin serpents, identical battling, each other's tail in their mouths- Regus, Ascendancy
   
2. A living man in front of a tomb, seeking help from the dead- Regus
   
3. A man and woman amid ancient towering trees, blue and green eyes staring at something in their hands.- Regus, Valeriya
   

[Jay Carpenter]

Wolfkin have prophetic powers?

[Armande]

Perrin saw visions in telarhanriod regularly. Wot gave us no other wolfkin povs, so I dont know if that was unique to Perrin or not. So just hedging bets. Asc can decide if fa wolfkin can. If she says no, Ill remove it.

Perrins dreams

Related note. Rowan has been shown w abilities from her tarot and stuff. Not visions. Still this imagery might help when she casts her cards.

[Thalia]

Dreamwalking and Dreaming seem to be connected but separate skills. The Talent of Dreaming is described as the interpretation of the dreams rather than the dreaming itself. I think all the dreamwalking Wise Ones were encouraged to record their dreams, but we also know from Egwene's training that a dreamer must decipher the truth of their own dreams; that part can't be taught. 

So I would guess that anyone who is able to enter TAR is also able to dream. But knowing which ones are prophetic and the accuracy of understanding what they might mean is the talent part.

It might be true of wolfkin that some are able to interpret dreams and some aren't. Since Dreaming appears connected to being able to enter TAR (I don't think we saw any Dreamers who couldn't also Dreamwalk?) I don't see why they couldn't. Whether they understand what they see is probably a personal character choice.

I read somewhere that all Perrin's visions tended to relate to current events, which might also be of interest to the discussion.

Can someone clarify whether Perrin's dreams were actual dreams, or if they were things he saw while in TAR?

Also, you missed Calvin from the list.

Oh, and Vena. She's PPC so might not count, and to date has not actually made an Foretellings so technically isn't "active".

[Armande]

Perrin saw visions while wandering in Tel'aran'rhiod. They sky would open up. Explicit example here (since I don't have the books with me, I have to rely on quotes I can find online.) Hopper is never able to see what Perrin sees.

He turned away and another darkness opened in the sky. He saw sheep, suddenly, running in a flock toward the woods. Wolves chased them, and a terrible beast waited in the woods, unseen. He was there, in that dream, he sensed. But who was he chasing, and why? Something looked wrong with those wolves.

- Towers of Midnight, The Pattern Groans

Definitely a connection to dreaming, though. Perrin also starts dreaming in a similar manner to Egwene.

This dream was fading quickly, in the manner of dreams, yet he remembered being a wolf and smelling. . . . What? Something wolves hated more than they did Myrddraal. Something a wolf knew would kill him. The knowledge he had had in the dream was gone; only vague impressions remained. He had not been in the wolf dream, that reflection of this world where dead wolves lived on and the living could go to consult them. The wolf dream always remained clear in his head after he left, whether he had gone there consciously or not. Yet this dream still seemed real, and somehow urgent.

- Crossroads of Twilight, The Forging of a Hammer

Linda, at the 13th Depository, did a full write up on Perrin's Dreams and Visions

So there is some connection between the Dream World and visions, in one way or another (perhaps because, according to Verin, it resides in between the pattern threads of all the possible worlds. TDR)

Now, whether that is because he is Taveren, we cannot say for sure. RJ never said. I am inclined to think not, given what Thal also mentioned about Aiel Dreamwalkers observing what the saw (The coming of the Car a Carn for instance). I think any wolfkin might be able to see visions in the Dream World. But Asc will have to make the final call.

Min saw auras she didn't understand. Egwene and Perrin too. So it is not necessary to have the pc understand what they see.

I added Calvin and Vena to the list.

[Aiden Finnegan]

Rowan is a Prophet, hasn't explored anything beyond the Tarot yet; but I would say the cards are definitely powered by her Prophet-ness. The only other thing that's been happening outside of the cards is when she encounters another Channeler and 'hears' things.

With Mik, she heard the song he was singing in his head. With Tan Li, she heard a monkey chittering (he is Sun Wukong.) She will hear something when she meets Regus in TVQoGM scene.

I still consider her a newbie with the Prophet status. Her gifts will gradually unfold and expand throughout the story, someday getting to full-on visions. Someday.

[Tristan]

I will have to think on whether or not Tristan has wolf-dream prophetic abilities. I never thought about it before. Anyone want to weigh in on whether Fenrir would have had any such abilities? I have not seen anything in the mythologies to suggest it. Not that means anything, but it is a nice guide.

To me, a wolfkin should not be automatically considered a prophet unless specifically designated? Kind of like a dream walker wouldn't be automatically a dreamer unless designated as such. 

Also, shouldn't @"Rune" be on this list? It seems like there were more old chars but I don't recall all who.

[Nox]

Rune's Furia don't think she's a prophet... Claire is though.

While not a Myth and legend specifically. There seems to be a connection between Dragon Age's mythos:

http://fuckyeahnorsemythology.tumblr.com...comparison

While I wouldn't say he's loki and I didn't finish the article.... It's possible with a smattering of some cross myths Fenrir could have been a dream walker he was a wolf after all and also a dreamer though not specifically stated.... Solas in the game was big in the dream world they.

It's a stretch but an angle to look at.

[Thalia]

Agree that it shouldn't be automatic. Thalia is a dreamer and Soren is not, though both are dreamwalkers. And Tenzin won't be having visions in the wolf-dream either, I don't think. Having the wolves and their knowledge is already a pretty big advantage.

I can't think of anything that would suggest Fenrir was prophetic either. Would having Tristan be a dreamer serve his character?

Ooh, interesting Solas/Loki connection. Can't say I picked up on that when I played it.

ETA: Also, I love how Rowan picks up on past lives stuff.

[Aiden Finnegan]

Heh, I didn't pick up on it either; but I've never been big on Solas other than the Fen'Harel story... He was such an ass. But so is Loki, so there you go.

And I too am in agreeance that it shouldn't be automatic. The door should be open for any wolfkin chars that want to go that route though, provided it makes sense for their story and such. I just made Siobhan and I have no plans to give her visions in the wolfdream; but you never know where things will go.