The “Spin the Wheel” series on Tor.com gives readers a chance to choose which entries from the forthcoming The Wheel of Time Companion encyclopedia get revealed before publication!
This week we’ll be revealing three excerpts from the Companion and our first randomly generated pick is: Comment #11 from Green for selecting “mazrim taim past”!
Read the entry for “Mazrim Taim” below, which details some additional shenanigans that Taim got up to on his career path to full-fledged Forsaken. You get the impression that some of these events were chapters, or perhaps even a short story, that Robert Jordan meant to write.
Check this link on Wednesday and Thursday this week for more excerpts from The Wheel of Time Companion! Wednesday’s is a BIG one and Thursday’s is far and away our favorite entry so far.
Mazrim Taim — A false Dragon from Saldaea who nearly managed to take over much of Saldaea and carried battle into Kandor and Arad Doman before he was brought down. Born in 972 NE, he was 6’4″ tall and bore a passing resemblance to Demandred, both physically and in temperament. With a hooked nose and dark eyes like augers, he was a physically powerful man who moved with something of a Warder’s deadly grace, but there was an air of imminent violence about him. He was not a nice man at all. While not a Darkfriend originally, he was always prime material for them, a man far more interested in wealth and power than anything else, willing to do whatever was required to get them. Because it was necessary, of course; he would kill, rob, whatever, but only because it was necessary. Rape was the one crime he abhorred; he willingly killed rapists, and he never did it quickly.
On the day Rand appeared in the sky above Falme, when a vision of that event appeared in the sky above a battle in Saldaea, Taim’s horse reared and threw him, and he was knocked unconscious and captured. He was being carried to Tar Valon for gentling when he was freed, supposedly by his supporters, but actually by Demandred. Aes Sedai were killed both in capturing him and freeing him. Demandred offered Taim a choice, and Taim accepted, going to Rand in Caemlyn with one of the seals on the Dark One’s prison to make sure that Rand would trust him and take him in.
Rand made Taim the leader of the Asha’man; Taim took the title M’Hael. Taim demanded deference from the Asha’man of the sort due a king. He often spent time alone, when no one could bother him; those who tried were turned away, and could be punished harshly. Taim was given secret instructions to recruit in the Two Rivers, which he said he would handle in person. Rand was reluctant about this, but thought that maybe he could trust Asha’man recruited there. Taim made no effort to recruit for the Legion of the Dragon; he recruited openly for Asha’man and nothing else. He talked of Rand being the Dragon Reborn, and said that Rand had sent him. He played up the grand adventure aspects, demonstrated channeling and dismissed the fears of insanity. The Village Councils and the Women’s Circles knew they couldn’t stop him, but talked against him. He managed to recruit some forty-plus men and boys in the Two Rivers. Some of the boys had to run away to go with him. Taim also picked Asha’man with a dark aspect, gave them special lessons and recruited them as Darkfriends.
Using thirteen Myrddraal and thirteen channelers, he Turned other Asha’man and Aes Sedai to the Shadow. Moridin named him a Forsaken; he used the name M’Hael. Taim did a great deal of damage during the Last Battle before being killed by Egwene.
Pic via Kelson and Katie at K-Squared Ramblings
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