Darkfriend
Encyclopedia
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan
's Wheel of Time
fantasy series, Darkfriends are followers of the Dark One
. Darkfriend in the Old Tongue
is Atha'an Shadar, which translated more directly to "People of the Dark".
Darkfriends may or may not have any true loyalty or allegiance to the Dark One
; some only desire the power and immortality promised, and some of the most powerful Chosen
, such as Lanfear
, have even suggested that they desire to overthrow the Dark One
and take his place.
Being a Darkfriend is considered a crime
throughout the Westlands and presumably also in the Seanchan
Empire, and in many places is a capital offence. Secrecy is therefore a paramount concern among Darkfriends, and they have devised a number of strategies to limit any Darkfriend's knowledge of the identities or plans of his or her fellow Darkfriends. This ensures that even questioning under torture
will produce little useful information to a Darkfriend's captors. To avoid discovery, Darkfriends often commit other, more prosaic crimes, such as Hadnan Kadere, who murdered his sister once she discovered that he was a Darkfriend.
Among Darkfriends, an elaborate system of rank and authority has been established. This hierarchy bears no relation to position or social standing in society. Among Darkfriends, beggars can and do outrank kings and queens. Generally, a higher-ranking Darkfriend has very wide power to give orders and administer punishments to those under his or her command. This power may be extended or circumscribed by others of still higher rank, and so on all the way up to the Chosen.
As the series progressed, and more and more of the Chosen became free, some Darkfriends began receiving direct orders from one or more of the Chosen. Because of the great authority and power of the Chosen, a Darkfriend who is directly instructed by one of the Chosen will typically take those orders very seriously indeed. Failure or disobedience almost always have painful or even fatal consequences, to the Darkfriend himself or to some other person or people he cares about. Because the Chosen work sometimes with and sometimes against one another, a Darkfriend may find himself receiving two conflicting sets of orders; it seems, however, that most Darkfriends try to minimize risk by following their most recent instructions.
Most Darkfriends only follow the Dark One indirectly, as most have never communicated with him directly; very few swore their oaths at Shayol Ghul
. Ba'alzamon, a supposed name for the Dark One, is actually an alias of the Chosen Ishamael
, for example.
Darkfriends refer to the Dark One
as the Great Lord of the Dark, instead of his true name, Shai'tan. Rand al'Thor
asks Lanfear why they do this and she replies, "It would be blasphemy."
in Seanchan armies or as the commanders of the Shadow's armies under the Chosen. The Dreadlords originated in the Trolloc Wars.
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
's Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, the length was increased by increments; at the time of Rigney's death, he expected it to be 12, but it will actually...
fantasy series, Darkfriends are followers of the Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
. Darkfriend in the Old Tongue
Old Tongue
The Old Tongue is a fictional language from Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series. It is depicted as a now-dead language, spoken only by scholars and certain nobles, but still plays a role in the plot of the books.-History:...
is Atha'an Shadar, which translated more directly to "People of the Dark".
Darkfriends may or may not have any true loyalty or allegiance to the Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
; some only desire the power and immortality promised, and some of the most powerful Chosen
Forsaken (Wheel of Time)
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series, the Forsaken are the most powerful and favored servants of the Dark One. They were formerly Aes Sedai, but became corrupted by the desire for power and immortality...
, such as Lanfear
Lanfear
Lanfear is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is one of the Forsaken.-Age of Legends:...
, have even suggested that they desire to overthrow the Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
and take his place.
Being a Darkfriend is considered a crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
throughout the Westlands and presumably also in the Seanchan
Seanchan
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, Seanchan is the name of a continent, the empire that occupies it, and the people that live in the empire...
Empire, and in many places is a capital offence. Secrecy is therefore a paramount concern among Darkfriends, and they have devised a number of strategies to limit any Darkfriend's knowledge of the identities or plans of his or her fellow Darkfriends. This ensures that even questioning under torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
will produce little useful information to a Darkfriend's captors. To avoid discovery, Darkfriends often commit other, more prosaic crimes, such as Hadnan Kadere, who murdered his sister once she discovered that he was a Darkfriend.
Among Darkfriends, an elaborate system of rank and authority has been established. This hierarchy bears no relation to position or social standing in society. Among Darkfriends, beggars can and do outrank kings and queens. Generally, a higher-ranking Darkfriend has very wide power to give orders and administer punishments to those under his or her command. This power may be extended or circumscribed by others of still higher rank, and so on all the way up to the Chosen.
As the series progressed, and more and more of the Chosen became free, some Darkfriends began receiving direct orders from one or more of the Chosen. Because of the great authority and power of the Chosen, a Darkfriend who is directly instructed by one of the Chosen will typically take those orders very seriously indeed. Failure or disobedience almost always have painful or even fatal consequences, to the Darkfriend himself or to some other person or people he cares about. Because the Chosen work sometimes with and sometimes against one another, a Darkfriend may find himself receiving two conflicting sets of orders; it seems, however, that most Darkfriends try to minimize risk by following their most recent instructions.
Most Darkfriends only follow the Dark One indirectly, as most have never communicated with him directly; very few swore their oaths at Shayol Ghul
Shayol Ghul
In the Wheel of Time fantasy novel series, Shayol Ghul is a mountain beyond the Great Blight in the north of the known world. It is the place in the physical world to which the Dark One's prison seems closest...
. Ba'alzamon, a supposed name for the Dark One, is actually an alias of the Chosen Ishamael
Ishamael
Ishamael is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. He is one of the Forsaken...
, for example.
Darkfriends refer to the Dark One
Dark One
The Dark One is a fictional character in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is the main antagonist; bound to its prison at the moment of Creation and partially freed during the Age of Legends , it is the primary source of evil in the series.-Character:In The Wheel of Time books,...
as the Great Lord of the Dark, instead of his true name, Shai'tan. Rand al'Thor
Rand al'Thor
Rand al'Thor, also known as the Dragon Reborn, is the fictional main character and protagonist of The Wheel of Time, a series of fantasy novels by Robert Jordan.Rand al'Thor has many other titles within the series:...
asks Lanfear why they do this and she replies, "It would be blasphemy."
Dreadlords
A Dreadlord is a person who can channel and is in the service of the Dark One. Although they can channel, they are not considered to be "Chosen." Their function is either like the sul'dam and damaneDamane
A damane is a character class from fantasy author Robert Jordan's best-selling Wheel of Time book series.Damane are women born with the spark or ability to channel...
in Seanchan armies or as the commanders of the Shadow's armies under the Chosen. The Dreadlords originated in the Trolloc Wars.