In that case, every instance of the Forsaken thinking of each other is suspect. Why didn't you make similar statements when Messana compared herself to Semirhage? You'd think she'd done that long ago when they made their alliance. Same with a load of other comparisons.

Not once in that time did Demandred accept Semirhage being essentially sacrificed so that he could keep alive his dream of killing Lews Therin! Here's a guy calmly accepting the capture of his closest and most powerful associate (unless you're saying that Semirhage is weaker than Mesaana?) in the hands of his arch-enemy, knowing that she could reveal all his plans, only so that he could be the one who gets to kill al'Thor!
That is certainly an act that should cause Graendal to reinterpret her evaluation of who among Semirhage and Demandred was stronger in the trio. Anyone with sense would do so.


This isn't about OP strength, it is about personality affecting deadliness. Unless you believe a person's personality is set in stone, or that a person cannot reveal a new facet of their character, your statement makes no sense.

So? Dragon was a position, supreme leader of the Light. Demadred was poised to be that but for LTT due to his accomplishments.
However, Graendal is wondering why none of the Forsaken has gone ahead and killed the same Dragon. She, along with everyone else in the room, has tried to destroy him a million times.
Why is being the Dragon mutually exclusive from being threatened by Semirhage? For god's sake, the real Dragon is scared of her, mentioning her awesome channeling abilities. He does not for one minute feel incredulous that she tried to capture six channelers. Instead, LTT thinks that her reputation as a torturer made people forget that she was a great channeler, implying that he finds nothing odd in her belief that she could capture him and five others.
In light of such knowledge, why shouldn't Graendal consider that Semirhage, with her cooler head, is more threatening than Demandred? Mesaana, who knows both better, says that Demandred does not even dare mock Semirhage over her wearing of black clothes.
All said and done, it is clear both are equally threatening as channelers, and their ultimate deadliness is decided by their personalities.

How is it clear Demandred is the leader?



Ummm... you might want to remember that Graendal met with the trio in a previous book, and they did try to hide the fact that they were a team? All Graendal says is that they tried to hide from her that they were allied, yet made obvious moves which suggested an alliance. Which is hardly silly or surprising.


Oh clearly. I mean the Dark Lord has told her she can never be Nae'blis and she should only be a good servant... right?


What was your estimation of her before? That she couldn't handle Sammael? That was a low enough estimate.

As do we of Semirhage and Graendal herself! Seriously, read the books. All these three, as well as Moridin, of course, have caused some other Forsaken to have kittens.
Graendal herself is perceived by many as a weakling with frivolous ideas, but Demandred acknowledges that she is a gravely dangerous person. Can we now say she is more dangerous than him?
No. The only thing that makes sense is that these six are more or less equal in channeling terms, and what shifts the balance is their personality.
Of the six, Sammael and Lanfear were less subtle and had lesser control over their ambitions. Both died in the hands of their enemy.
Moridin is special in that not only is her quite clever and powerful, he is also the DO's poster boy.
Demandred is powerful, secretive, and very surely the Shadow's foremost general. He is fixated in his aim of killing LTT, and that can be both a blessing and a boon.
Semirhage is seen as an insanely dangerous channeler by everyone, and by simple force of personality, can and does push herself ahead of the crowd.
Graendal combines skilled channeling, strength in the power and an insane gift for compulsion with a very subtle game that completely takes in idiots like Osan'gar and Aran'gar. Others know she's masking her true self, but are still left clueless about what she is upto and what she can do.
None of them seem obviously at a disadvantage, and that is why they haven't been able to easily rid themselves of the others.


Why is this female bias? LTT also thinks of the immense danger of Semirhage, while thinking no such things in his thoughts of Demandred. Did he change his sex while no one noticed? What of Asmodean who is extremely scared of Semirhage? Or Demandred, who doesn't even dare to joke about her clothes? Are they all female too?

Yes, and all this proves is that Graendal's mask does work. For all that she cautions herself about how dangerous Graendal is, and how many people she has toppled, Aran'gar cannot resist trying to manipulate the woman who Moridin thinks is the foremost in the game, who Demandred is extremely wary of! All this shows nothing but that Graendal is very deceptive and that Aran'gar is a great big fool.


And no one ridiculed Semirhage's ability to capture Rand without hurting him. A task that is much harder than killing him. Yet, Semirhage was ordered to try, and everyone is incredulous that she got captured. Demandred himself, in his statement, says that he will kill the woman who kills an opponent he will not face without a sa'angreal. What does that say about who's blustering?

And did you also notice the casual way Moridin asks Graendal to cause great emotional harm to Rand, and how calmly Graendal accepts this insanely risky job? What does that say about both their estimates of how she'd fare against Rand?


Agreed, but neither Semirhage nor Graendal has made idle boasts before either. And Graendal is the only person who was offered the post of Nae'blis apart from Demandred. If she couldn't stand up to him, how would the DO put her above him?


Or maybe you want that to be true so your theories could be correct?


Almost certainly not, since we know she's most likely going to succeed with Rand. I think we'll see her alive till the last book, at least.


His stature was reiterated. He remains an extremely dangerous forsaken operating from the shadows.