Moghedien

Author: Estyrien al'Halien

moh-GHEH-dee-ehn

General

Moghedien was called Lillen Moiral during the Age of Legends; her work obviously wasn't important enough for her to earn a third name (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6). She was named Moghedien because it was the name of a deadly spider in the Age of Legends which hid in corners and trapped it's victims in a web. (TFoH, Ch. 14). Moghedien did not chose this name for herself, instead was given it by those she had betrayed, (TGH, Ch. 7), though it is well suited to her character. She has two obvious disguises in the Third Age. First as Gyldin, a servant in the house in Tanchico in which the Black Ajah stay. (TSR, Ch. 38) She then poses as Marigan, a refugee from Amador who was once the equivalent of a Wisdom there. (TFoH, Ch. 49)

Moghedien has dark hair that is shoulder length, dark eyes and smooth skin. She is handsome and does not have the ageless look about her. (TSR, Ch. 36) This is also the appearance she takes for Gyldin, which is why Liandrin is doubtful of Moghedien at first. (TFoH, Ch. 18) However, as Marigan, she has a weary, blunt face and looks as though she has lost a lot of weight. This is different to her other appearance as Nynaeve guesses from what Moghedien tells her that she was a swindler. (LoC, Prologue)

Lillen pledged her soul to the Dark One before the War of the Shadow. However, she managed to keep this a secret for many years and managed to infiltrate Lews Therin's command-and-staff structure. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6) She managed to cause many disasters during the War and killed thousands of people; she was often ignored because she was seen as too unimportant. (ACoS, Ch. 25) She was finally revealed as shadowsworn by Teadra (Birgitte). (TFoH, Ch. 25) Lillen only narrowly escaped and only managed this by damaging the public transport, which killed thousands of people. Certainly after this, and possibly before, she ran a very successful spy ring that specialised in sabotage. This certainly meant that she caused the deaths of as many people as any general in battle, though her targets were more often civilians than not. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6)

Timeline

• Age of Legends: Lillen was roughly 200 years old when the Bore was created, fairly young for an Aes Sedai. (TSR, Ch. 54)

• War of the Shadow: Lillen is revealed to serve the Dark One by Teadra (Birgitte). (TFoH, Ch. 25)

• War of the Shadow: Moghedien is bound with the other Forsaken when the Bore is sealed by Lews Therin and his Companions. (TDR, Ch. 36)

• Moghedien wakes after over 3000 years and begins to search for information about the Age of Legends and of the time that elapsed after it. (TSR, Ch. 54)

• Moghedien travels to Tanchico in search of the male a'dam. (TSR, Ch. 54)

• Moghedien battles with Nynaeve al'Meara and loses, only narrowly escaping being stilled. (TSR, Ch. 54)

• Moghedien reveals herself to the thirteen Black Ajah outside of the Tower and sets them all tasks to do. (TFoH, Ch. 18)

• Moghedien arrives in Salidar, disguised as Marigan, after travelling there with Nynaeve and Elayne. (TFoH, Ch. 50)

• Moghedien is trapped by Nynaeve in Tel'aran'rhiod when Nynaeve uses an a'dam and is forced to help Nynaeve and Elayne. (TFoH, Ch. 54)

• Moghedien is freed of the a'dam by Aran'gar, Halima, and is summoned to the Pit of Doom. (ACoS, Ch. 25)

• Moghedien is sent to Shadar Logoth by Moridin to try to prevent Rand al'Thor and Nynaeve al'Meara from cleansing the Taint. (WH, Ch. 35)

• Moghedien attends a meeting with Moridin of all the Forsaken. Arang’gar notes how subservient she is and that she shivers when Moridin touches something. He reasons he will be able to control her if he can dispose of Moridin (KoD, Ch. 3).

• Moghedien and Cyndane are travelling, organising darkfriends and trying to kill Mat and Perrin (TGS, Prologue).
• At some point after three months in control, Moridin gives her her cour'souvra (AMoL, Prologue)
• She attends a meeting of the surviving Forsaken where she meets Hessalam and is told that Mazrim Taim is now the Chosen M'Hael (AMoL, Prologue).
• Moridin tells her she is to assist Demandred by watching over one of the Armies facing the Shadow in the Last Battle (AMoL, Prologue)
• She disguises herself as a so'jhin and likely introduces Nata to Mat (AMoL, Ch. 19)
• She controls Abaldar Yulan through Compulsion and has him argue against Mat (AMoL, Ch. 37)
• Min identifies her and she is forced to flee when she reveals herself (AMoL, Ch. 37).
• After Demandred's death, she is granted full access to the True Power (AMoL, Ch. 43)
• She uses the Mask of Mirrors to disguise herself as him (AMoL, Ch. 43)
• She kills a Sharan monk who realizes, and is accepted by the remaining Sharans (AMoL, Ch. 43)
• Talmanes opens a gateway behind her and fires the Dragons through it (AMoL, Ch. 43)
• She survives the battle but is taken as damane by a sul'dam named Shanan (AMoL, Epilogue).

Strengths and Talents

Moghedien is strong in the One Power, though not as strong as Lanfear who is the strongest of the female Forsaken. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6) She is equal in strength to Nynaeve (TSR, Ch. 54), who is the strongest Aes Sedai living (TGH, Ch. 4), though not the strongest non-Forsaken (Alivia). (WH, Ch. 35)

Since Moghedien lived during the Age of Legends, she knows a lot about the One Power and its uses, one of the reasons why Nynaeve and Elayne did not turn her in (LoC, Prologue). Moghedien knows Balefire (ACoS, Ch. 30) and Compulsion (TFoH, Ch. 18). She can also Travel, (LoC, Ch. 37), knows the weave for Keeping, (WH, Ch. 12), and helped Egwene figure out the weave for cuendillar (CoT, Ch. 17) She can mask the fact that she can channel (TSR, Ch. 38). However, she knows very little of Healing or of Cloud Dancing, changing the weather (LoC, Prologue). Though Moghedien doesn't always have the ability for Talents and cannot perform the weaves, she knows of many lost Talents such as Aligning the Matrix, Spinning Earthfire and Milking Tears (LoC, Ch. 37).

Moghedien's real talent lies in Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams, despite Lanfear's claim of supremacy (TSR, Ch. 52). Moghedien doesn't dare challenge that claim since Lanfear is far stronger in the One Power than her. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6) Her strength in Tel'aran'rhiod allows her to bind people in Tel'aran'rhiod (TFoH, Ch. 25), and to permanently change the appearance of a person in the World of Dreams (TFoH, Ch. 34).

Relationships

Since the Forsaken are not friendly with each other, it can be assumed that this is the same for Moghedien (TFoH, Ch. 3). In fact, Moghedien hates the other Forsaken because she feels that they hate her for hiding in the shadows while they, for the most part, proclaim the allegiance openly (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6). Moghedien particularly hates Cyndane, Lanfear re-incarnated, because she is given power over Moghedien because of recent mistakes, such as trying to Balefire Nynaeve (TPoD, Ch. 12).

Moghedien hates Nynaeve al'Meara because Nynaeve has beaten her several times, not least in Tel'aran'rhiod where Moghedien is strongest (TSR, Ch. 52; TFoH, Ch. 25). Nynaeve is also as strong as Moghedien in the One Power which is a source of annoyance for Moghedien (TSR, Ch. 54). Moghedien loses one of the seals of the Dark One's prison to Nynaeve which does not help matters (TSR, Ch. 54). The hatred increases when Moghedien is forced to work as a servant in Salidar under the influence of the a'dam Elayne creates (LoC, Prologue). For this, Moghedien hates Elayne and she also hates Egwene for wearing the a'dam bracelet when Nynaeve goes to Ebou Dar (LoC, Ch. 47).

Moghedien hates Birgitte because she revealed her true allegiance and Moghedien promised revenge for that (TFoH, Ch. 25). This revenge was carried out when she ripped Birgitte out of Tel'aran'rhiod, which resulted in Birgitte nearly dying (TFoH, Ch. 34). Birgitte doesn't like Moghedien either and when she is collared, Birgitte punishes Moghedien for being insolent (LoC, Ch. 29).

Moghedien hates those who think less of her for being cautious and those who do not give her enough respect. Moghedien is one to harbour grudges and these people, short of the other Forsaken, are punished for this and/or are killed. (TWoRJTWoT, Ch. 6)

Miscellaneous

• Moghedien well deserves her name because she is a coward, only acting when she is sure of victory. She fears risk and refuses to gamble (TSR, Ch. 52), so much to the extent that the other Forsaken use her as a mark of cowardice (TSR, Ch. 50).

• Moghedien shields Liandrin and uses Compulsion to make sure that she cannot kill herself. The shield is so complex that very few channelers could unravel it (TFoH, Ch. 34).

• Moghedien sends Falion and Ispan to Ebou Dar to search for the Kin's angreal and ter'angreal stash. This results in the death of Ispan, though Falion escapes (ACoS, Ch. 38).

• Moghedien tried to rebel against the a'dam by teaching Nynaeve and Elayne weaves that hurt them; such as the weave that was supposed to detect men channeling, it doesn't exist (LoC, Ch. 8).

• Moghedien is mindtrapped by Moridin for her numerous mistakes, most notably being collared with the a'dam (ACoS, Ch. 25). She is forced to work for Moridin with Cyndane, who is also mindtrapped, and to wear his colours, black and red (TPoD, Ch. 12).

• Moghedien attends, but does not take part in the battle at Shadar Logoth (WH, Ch. 35).

• Egwene claims that Moghedien made a mistake by accepting the a'dam and if she had refused to do so, could have escaped (ToM, Ch. 38).

Quotes

"She hides and takes no risks. She attacks only where she sees weakness, and moves only in shadows. If she fears defeat, she will run; she is not one to fight to the last, even when doing so has the chance of victory. A chance is not good enough for Moghedien. Lanfear always claimed Tel'aran'rhiod for her own, but Moghedien could do things here far beyond Lanfear, though she has not Lanfear's strength in the world of flesh" - Birgitte to Nynaeve about Moghedien. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 52)

"Nynaeve al'Meara, Elayne Trakand, and Birgitte. Those three she would find, and deal with. From the shadow, so that they would not know until late" - Moghedien (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 25).

"'Before you consider anything 'drastic,' said Moghedien, 'remember that I know much that would be useful to you'" - Moghedien to Nynaeve (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 54).

"Moghedien had never been interested in much that could not advance her, preferably by shortcuts" - Nynaeve about Moghedien (Lord of Chaos, Prologue).

"I serve in the shadows, and your enemies never feel my bite until my venom is working. You know how many of your enemies I brought down in the War of Power. From the shadows, unseen, or if seen, ignored because I could not possibly be a threat" - Moghedien to the Dark One (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 25).