I never really saw his trip there as being either a last ditch effort to turn him, or even gloating....

I think that it was much more along the lines of being an actual suicide mission. Think of it this way....he was just cut off from the Dark One. The 12 other Forsaken, whom he may not have 100% trusted, at least they planned strategy/resource usage together were gone. And he himself is partially captured.

What would you do? Myself, I would take that suicide trip to get LTT. Ishamael had to know they were beaten, but if he could take out LTT, then well...this "round" would be a draw. Ishy already knows that this fight has happened before, and would happen again.

The part that was unexpected was the Taint's effects. I think that his goal completely changed when he saw what LTT had done. Ishy realized that LTT was insane. At that point, turning him to the shadow was pretty much pointless and impossible. LTT was in no condition to do it willingly, and then its not like he was going to capture him and drag him off somewhere for the Dreadlords & Fades to do it by force. And then really, the guy was a loose cannon...

When LTT actually killed himself, the situation just kinda went into the "draw" mode. Ishy didn't even get a bit of revenge by killing LTT, and everything that LTT had done (sealing the Bore, trapping everyone) was still entact.

What's more interesting is how Ishy was quasi-trapped, and then the black cords which connect the male channelers to the Dark One. They protect against the Taint, but obviously that little feature was only evident post-Taint Placement. What else do the black cords do?

~Jeordam