Chapter 50 - Meetings at the Eye

Description

At the Eye of the World, beneath an ancient arch marked with the Aes Sedai symbol, Moiraine leads the companions into a vast underground chamber containing a seemingly bottomless pool of pure, male saidin. After revealing its purpose as a desperate creation by ancient Aes Sedai to aid in a time of great need, they emerge only to confront two of the Forsaken - Aginor and Balthamel - who have broken free from their prison. In the ensuing confrontation, the Green Man sacrifices himself to destroy Balthamel in a surge of natural growth, transforming into a mighty oak upon his death. Meanwhile, Moiraine engages Aginor in battle, using her powers to create a maelstrom of fire, but the Forsaken proves too powerful, walking through her flames and forcing the companions to flee as Moiraine’s screams echo behind them.

Characters

  1. Rand al'Thor - Follows the Green Man while wrestling with internal doubts about being called 'Child of the Dragon', protects Egwene from Aginor's attention, and engages in desperate confrontation with the Forsaken.
  2. Mat Cauthon, Matrim - Flees from Aginor with the others and attempts to defend Nynaeve with the Shadar Logoth dagger.
  3. Nynaeve al'Meara - Gets captured and tormented by Balthamel before being tossed aside like a rag, lies unconscious on the oak's roots.
  4. Egwene - Attempts to channel against Aginor, gets pushed to safety by Rand, and flees into the trees.
  5. Lady Moiraine, Mistress Alys, Moiraine Sedai - Confronts Aginor with her power, creates a chasm of flame to hold him back, and begins screaming as her efforts fail.
  6. Lan, Elyas Machera - Attempts to defend the group from Aginor, gets thrown against the stone arch by the Forsaken's power.
  7. Perrin Aybara - Flees from Aginor with his axe drawn, attempts to fight despite the futility, and gets thrown back by the Forsaken's power.
  8. Loial, son of Arent son of Halan - Expresses fear of the Forsaken and flees into the trees when ordered.
  9. The Green Man - Confronts the Forsaken to defend his domain, engages in mortal combat with Balthamel, and sacrifices himself to become a mighty oak tree while defeating his opponent.
  10. Aginor - Appears as an ancient withered Forsaken, demonstrates overwhelming power against the group, and pursues them while shrugging off Moiraine's attacks.
  11. Balthamel - Appears as a leather-masked Forsaken, tortures Nynaeve, and dies in combat with the Green Man when consumed by rapidly growing fungi and plants.

Takeaways

  1. The companions discover the Eye of the World, a vast pool containing the pure essence of male-channeled Power created by ancient Aes Sedai who sacrificed themselves to make it.
  2. Two of the Forsaken, Aginor and Balthamel, appear and reveal they have broken free from their prison, leading to a violent confrontation where Balthamel is killed by the Green Man, who dies in the process.
  3. Moiraine attempts to stop Aginor with a powerful display of the One Power, but he proves strong enough to walk through her flames, causing her to scream as the chapter ends.
  4. The Green Man's death transforms him into a massive oak tree, marking his grave and providing a resting place for the injured Nynaeve.
  5. Rand demonstrates his growing protective nature toward Egwene, forcing her to flee when she attempts to use her untrained Power against the Forsaken.