We don't even know, if all people in the palace were drones (and also Rand couldn't know). For example, Ituralde also visited Graendal in her palace once, and wasn't a drone. Such visitors might have been in the palace, when Rand destroyed it. But in the end, Rand doesn't care about such collateral damage, because he wants Graendal.
LTT, who should know believes that Graendal would never be willing to let someone serve her who was not a drone. Though I admit that you are correct about the possibility of visitors. I would say however that the odds are in favor that Rand killed only drones.
But even if someone innocent died, well, that is tragic yes. But this is war and the unfortunately reality is that in war, people die. What if when Rand created that shadowspawn blasting weave in the Stone, a trolloc was standing too close to an innocent and the innocent was killed in the blast. Does that mean Rand should have done nothing and just let the trollocs all run loose rather than take the chance that he MIGHT kill someone with friendly fire.
From the PoV of Rand (and Min&Nynaeve), it was highly likely that only Graendal was alive there. And Graendal had to die. The chance had to be taken. And it is likely that by doing so, by killing Graendal (presumably), he saved a lot of people who would otherwise have been killed or mindraped by her in the future. Possibly many thousands.
What Rand did here was really not that different from what he did when he killed Rahvin and was flinging fire around. Or when he attacked Dashiva&co after they blew his room. He had no way of being 100% certain that bystanders would not be caught in the act, but he did his best, with the knowledge he had, to make sure they were not. Just as he did here.
But Min and Nynaeve seemed to act as though he deliberately set out to commit mass murder here when that is clearly not the case. So while we cannot know for sure, I repeat, Graendal was likely the only living person to die.
If you don't act in war because of some minute chance that there might be innocents in the way, you will never be able to do anything at all and you will lose the war.
War sucks.

The point is that the incident with Graendal's palace seems like the catalyst for Rand losing the rest of all restraints (and humanity) to use balefire on a large scale. After he destroyed the palace, the next big thing he considers is balefiring all the Seanchan bulwarks, although the Seanchan are common enemies and Rand is aware that innocent people might die as well.
But why? Why would this incident be a turning point rather than when he channeled the TP. As I have tried to argue, while harsh, what Rand did here was not the horrific evil that it was portraid as.
Seems more likely to me that the moment Rand touched TP, he started going crazy and that what happened here had nothing to do with the scenes later at Far Madding and Ebou Dar.
Doubt that Min is such aware of the mechanics of rebirth and balefire. However, her thoughts imply that she thinks a balefire death is final.
Herid Fel was since he knew that the wheel kept turning and the souls kept being reborn and the DO was sealed and released and sealed and so on.
Min has been studying his books to the point that she has figured out much of what Fel knew. Seems strange that she would not realise that if balefire destroyed souls, after a few turnings there would be none left.
Rand the psycho?
- 06/01/2010 02:53:30 AM
1859 Views
I cannot follow your assumptions.
- 06/01/2010 04:07:33 AM
1272 Views
Re: I cannot follow your assumptions.
- 06/01/2010 04:59:12 AM
1106 Views
Wait!
- 06/01/2010 05:10:33 AM
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Re: Wait!
- 06/01/2010 05:20:02 AM
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Re: Wait!
- 06/01/2010 05:58:00 AM
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Re: Wait!
- 06/01/2010 11:46:13 AM
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Re: Wait!
- 06/01/2010 03:55:01 PM
1055 Views
I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 06/01/2010 07:30:56 AM
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Re: I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 06/01/2010 03:32:24 PM
1051 Views
Re: I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 06/01/2010 09:52:47 PM
1158 Views
Re: I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 06/01/2010 11:19:56 PM
1080 Views
Re: I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 07/01/2010 12:21:50 AM
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Re: I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 07/01/2010 12:56:26 AM
1059 Views
Re: I doubt he meant 'in one go' as a single stream of balefire.
- 07/01/2010 01:46:16 AM
1124 Views
Of course, I agree with you, esp since I just put forth the idea you support earlier in the thread.
- 11/01/2010 04:58:26 PM
1563 Views
Rand crossed a line
- 06/01/2010 02:36:42 PM
1155 Views
Doesn't Balefire remove your thread from the Pattern permanently?
- 06/01/2010 02:55:38 PM
1155 Views
No, RJ stated balefired people can be reborn. *NM*
- 06/01/2010 03:26:00 PM
557 Views
But not in this turning of the Wheel. So they'd miss out on MANY lifetimes.
- 06/01/2010 05:46:04 PM
1055 Views
No, balefire just kills you backwards in time. It is not super-death. *NM*
- 06/01/2010 09:58:18 PM
565 Views
LOL ... super-death!
- 06/01/2010 11:59:31 PM
997 Views
Yes it was.
- 06/01/2010 06:51:15 PM
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Re: Yes it was.
- 06/01/2010 07:16:14 PM
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Re: Yes it was.
- 06/01/2010 08:58:40 PM
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Re: Yes it was.
- 06/01/2010 10:47:11 PM
1080 Views
let me ask the question in a different way
- 06/01/2010 11:26:43 PM
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Re: let me ask the question in a different way
- 06/01/2010 11:40:56 PM
1066 Views
actually that quote supports my thoughts
- 06/01/2010 11:50:40 PM
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Re: actually that quote supports my thoughts
- 07/01/2010 12:10:07 AM
1024 Views
yet it could take him some undetermined amount of time to figure out your dead?
- 07/01/2010 12:34:34 AM
1024 Views
Re: yet it could take him some undetermined amount of time to figure out your dead?
- 07/01/2010 01:13:40 AM
987 Views
Meh. I just think advocating mass-murder is the opposite direction RJ meant for this to take.
- 07/01/2010 12:00:44 AM
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Sigh. What mass murder?
- 07/01/2010 12:15:01 AM
976 Views
In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 03:14:32 PM
1048 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 03:57:43 PM
1065 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 07:13:21 PM
1075 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 07:52:24 PM
1002 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 08:56:43 PM
1084 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 09:26:01 PM
1058 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 09:30:45 PM
971 Views
Personally I'm kind of sick of Rand being the only person killing FS!
- 07/01/2010 09:42:57 PM
1121 Views
Re: In this book Rand was a wimp and a bully.
- 07/01/2010 09:56:02 PM
1100 Views
OK I'm sorry but this gets a huge ROFL :lol:
- 07/01/2010 10:30:19 PM
1107 Views
Yes. Anakin Skywalker all over again
- 06/01/2010 11:01:02 PM
1165 Views
Meh
- 06/01/2010 11:30:24 PM
993 Views
The worst part about his atrocities is his rationalizing them!
- 06/01/2010 11:33:32 PM
991 Views
Re: The worst part about his atrocities is his rationalizing them!
- 06/01/2010 11:50:37 PM
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Re: The worst part about his atrocities is his rationalizing them!
- 06/01/2010 11:55:03 PM
1053 Views
I do have to guiltily say, though, that if Rand had balefired the Seanchan and THEN became good...
- 07/01/2010 12:03:20 AM
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Re: The worst part about his atrocities is his rationalizing them!
- 07/01/2010 12:23:11 AM
983 Views
I don't think Rand or LTT (who has/have) little capacity for Healing
- 07/01/2010 12:52:25 AM
1021 Views
Re: I don't think Rand or LTT (who has/have) little capacity for Healing
- 07/01/2010 01:24:32 AM
1089 Views
Re: I don't think Rand or LTT (who has/have) little capacity for Healing
- 07/01/2010 03:33:52 PM
1007 Views
Re: I don't think Rand or LTT (who has/have) little capacity for Healing
- 07/01/2010 04:28:18 PM
1175 Views
right cause all Generals are so well versed in medical conditions
- 07/01/2010 09:44:09 PM
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- 07/01/2010 09:44:09 PM
1120 Views
Nice way to avoid the argument.
- 07/01/2010 10:00:17 PM
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I'm just done talking in circles. You seem to think that because people
- 07/01/2010 11:53:05 PM
1081 Views
I concede
- 07/01/2010 01:09:11 AM
999 Views
You weren't wrong overall, but there were some serious flaws in your reasoning.
- 07/01/2010 02:43:17 AM
1115 Views
Morals are subjective anyhow,
- 07/01/2010 06:23:09 AM
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Re: Morals are subjective anyhow,
- 07/01/2010 03:23:59 PM
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I have religious beliefs and that is an absurd contention
- 09/01/2010 12:00:02 AM
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You are treating Graendal's "pets" as though they were enemy combatants
- 07/01/2010 03:40:03 PM
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Like I give a damn what a group of professional killers would do.
- 08/01/2010 11:39:11 PM
1006 Views
Graendal captured these people as part of the Shadows offensive, Operation Chaos Rules
- 09/01/2010 12:00:40 AM
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Well, I still liked your first argument. It's a freaking war. The argument ...
- 07/01/2010 07:08:53 PM
1048 Views
