Asmodean
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Joar Addam Nessosin also known as Asmodean (ahs-MOH-dee-an), was a famed composer of music during the Age of Legends. He was the weakest of all male Forsaken.
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[edit] Appearance
Appearing to be in his middle years, he is tall and handsome with dark deep set eyes and dark hair.
[edit] History
During his childhood, he showed great promise as a musician, but he never fulfilled his potential. Asmodean turned to the Shadow during the Collapse for the opportunity to take revenge on every musician said to be better than him and for immortality, which would allow him create music forever. In a jealous display of power, he had the Age's greatest artists maimed and rendered incapable of performing their art, then releasing them.
He was the weakest of all male Forsaken. During the War of Power, he never never led an army; rather, he served effectively as a governor of conquered areas.
Along with the other twelve most powerful of the Chosen, he attended a meeting with the Dark One in Shayol Ghul on the fateful day that Lews Therin Telamon and the Hundred Companions sealed the Bore, trapping the Chosen in a dreamless sleep for 3,000 years.
[edit] Release
After his release from the Bore, Asmodean allied with Lanfear. She disguised as a peddler and he as a gleeman called "Jasin Natael", they travelled with a train of Darkfriend peddlers in the Aiel Waste to follow Rand al'Thor and Taardad Aiel to Alcair Dal.
During this time, he approached Mat Cauthon to learn more about the reincarnated Dragon, pretending to research for composing the tales of the Dragon Reborn. He later creates counterfeit dragons on Couladin's forearms to create enough chaos to allow him to reach Rhuidean unnoticed so he can obtain the ter'angreal used to access the male Choedan Kal.
Rand did notice, and followed him to Rhuidean. They battled, both drawing on saidin through the sa'angreal, but Rand won by drawing a fractional amount extra through the fat man angreal. Rand severed Asmodean's link to the Dark One, leaving him exposed to the taint on saidin. Lanfear then shielded Asmodean so that he could only channel "a trickle", and instructed him to train Rand in the Power (ironically, Asmodean's attempt on Rand's life at Rhuidean eventually kept Rand from being killed by ignorance of the Power).
[edit] With the Dragon Reborn
Continuing to disguise himself as Jasin Natael, he trained Rand diligently and without signs of treachery, and as time passed it seemed he might genuinely want to join the side of the Light. Asmodean was known among the Forsaken for his habit of throwing his lot in with whomever he thought would win, which perhaps explains why the Forsaken did not attempt to rescue him.
While crossing over the Spine of the World near Kinslayer's dagger, Asmodean lamented about his home city of Shorelle as they passed what looked like crumbling docks in the high passes of the Spine of the World. Because he was sealed in the Bore before the Breaking of the World, it is believed that Asmodean has no known knowledge of precisely where Shorelle would have been located.
[edit] Death
During the skirmish with Rahvin in Caemlyn, Rahvin killed Asmodean, Mat Cauthon and Aviendha amongst others. When Rand finally killed Rahvin using a very powerful blast of balefire, he undid the Forsaken's earlier attack, bringing Asmodean, Mat and Aviendha back to life.
However, for Asmodean, this was only a temporary respite. In search of refreshments, he was killed by an unknown assailant with whom he was supposedly acquainted at the end of The Fires of Heaven. The death of Asmodean has been one of the most discussed unresolved plotlines of the series as the murderer has not yet been revealed. See Who killed Asmodean?.
