Moghedien

Moghedien
Biographical Information
Nationality	Tarabon
Date of birth	Age of Legends
Current status	Alive
Physical description
Gender	Female
Build	Sturdy
Hair	Shoulder length, dark
Eyes	Large, dark
Chronological and political information
First mentioned	TSR 9
First appeared	TSR 46 (TSR 38 as Gyldin)
Last appeared	AMOL Epilogue
Occupation	Damane
Rank	Chosen

"My way is best. Softly, softly, in the shadows."
   —Moghedien

Moghedien (moh-GHEH-dee-ehn; /moʊˈgɛ.di.ɛn/; Old Tongue: Spider), formerly known as Lillen Moiral, was one of the thirteen Forsaken trapped at Shayol Ghul due to the Dragon's sealing. She considers herself the master of Tel'aran'rhiod

Appearance

Moghedien is handsome with dark shoulder-length hair. She has large, dark eyes and is sturdy. She appears proud, even regal.

Strength

Moghedien has a strength in the One Power of 4(+9), making her the weakest of the Forsaken. Regardless of this fact, there are not many channelers as strong as her, even during the Age of Legends. The Forsaken were, after all, "thirteen of the most powerful wielders of the One Power in an Age filled with powerful wielders." It should also be remembered that the fact that women can weave the One Power more dextrously would compensate for some of the eight male Forsaken's raw strength advantage.

Nynaeve al'Meara was roughly the same strength as her when they battled, although Nynaeve will eventually achieve a strength of 3(+10) and surpass her.

Abilities and Personality

It is Moghedien's prowess in Tel'aran'rhiod that is her most notable asset. According to Birgitte Silverbow, Moghedien could do things in Tel'aran'rhiod far beyond Lanfear. She threatens to make Nynaeve appear as a horse to use her as a mount every time she entered the World of Dreams and turns Birgitte into a little girl. It can also be assumed that Moghedien is a Dreamwalker as she can enter the World of Dreams without needing a ter'angreal or entering in the flesh, as most Forsaken do. Evidence for this is that Elayne and Nynaeve were able to locate her sleeping body in Salidar and Moghedien does not have an extra ter'angreal. She is also skilled enough to spy on the other Forsaken, including Lanfear, undetected, but is able to sense Nynaeve and Birgitte attempting to do the same to her. She has the seperate Talent of being able to manipulate the dreams of others and is surprised that Egwene could escape her trap. She may also have been a Dreamer, although this is not confirmed.

She uses Compulsion to hide her activities and make her lackeys obey - notably on Nynaeve, Elayne, Liandrin and other Darkfriends. She has some skill at this, although it is not undetectable as in the case of Graendal..

Moghedien knows enough of how to make cuendillar for Egwene to have puzzled out the process, although the Forsaken cannot make it herself. Moghedien's own greed motivated her to understand it as it was a prized luxury even during the Age of Legends.

She has no skill at Healing and knows even less of weaves applied to metals eg. Aligning the Matrix.

Moghedien's extreme caution has proven to be her strongest trait. Not only did she survive the competition among the Chosen in the Age of Legends, but she is effectively the "last woman standing" when it comes to those that were active in the Third Age. The other Forsaken were all either killed, permanently or temporarily, or permanently brain-damaged.

History

The investment advisor Lillen Moiral joined The Shadow long before the War of Power even began, hiding her allegiance while conspiring and plotting from the shadows. This later earned her the name Moghedien, a name derived from a small spider discovered during the Age of Legends that lived in hiding, while equipped with a poison that could kill within a matter of seconds.

Moghedien was a relatively young Aes Sedai -roughly 200 years old in the Age of Legends- when the Bore was first created. She was often overlooked by her peers, seen less as a threat and more as a harmless and unimportant individual, though even before pledging her soul to the Dark One there were records of Moghedien violating various ethical laws, belying her outward exterior. This appearance gave ample opportunity, however, making her an ideal candidate for business of spying and sabotage. In fact, it was said that she ran what was perhaps the Shadow's most extensive intelligence network during the War of Power.

Moghedien portrait done by Seamas Gallagher

Moghedien joined Lews Therin Telamon as an employee of his staff early into the War of Power, and from her position directed several of the major setbacks for the Light in the early War. Although not a general like the others who aided the Shadow in the War, Moghedien was responsible for scores of civilian deaths simply by her manipulations alone.

One of her plots for bringing down Lews Therin would be foiled by Birgitte Silverbow, then known as Teadra. This made Moghedien swear to take gruesome revenge on the hero, though she had little time to do so. She would barely escape with her life when it was discovered that she was a supporter of the Shadow.

Summoned together with the other twelve most powerful of the Forsaken, Moghedien found herself in the middle of the Hundred Companions' strike at Shayol Ghul led by Lews Therin. Trapped deep within her Lord’s prison, she slept for three thousand years.

Moghedien (from a Japanese translation book cover)

"She hides and takes no risks. She attacks only where she sees weakness, and moves only in shadows. If she fears defeat, she will run; she is not one to fight to the last, even when doing so has the chance of victory. A chance is not good enough for Moghedien. Lanfear always claimed Tel'aran'rhiod for her own, but Moghedien could do things here far beyond Lanfear, though she has not Lanfear's strength in the world of flesh."
   —Birgitte to Nynaeve about Moghedien

Activities

Release

After the Seals Surrounding the Dark One’s prison were weakened considerably during the Third Age, Moghedien was released upon the world again. Immediately she adapted to her new circumstances - fairly easy since her knowledge and power made her all but invincible in a now primitive world. As with all Chosen, she held the Aes Sedai in deep contempt.

Moghedien as Gyldin

For the possibly imaginary Black sister by a similar name, see Gyldan.

Moghedien disguised herself as Gyldin, a Darkfriend merchant's servant, to keep an eye on Liandrin and the other Black sisters in Tanchico. There, she planned to gain possession of the Domination Band to control Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn. She walked into the inn at which Elayne Trakand and Nynaeve al'Meara were staying and compeled them to divulge everything they had discovered on the Black Ajah. When Nynaeve figured out that Moghedien had used Complusion on them, she was furious. Elayne and Nynaeve would thwart Moghedien's plans after a time, and Nynaeve would best the much more experienced Forsaken in a duel of the Power. However, Moghedien managed to slip away from Nynaeve's grasp, true to her characteristically slippery nature.

Moghedien turned up in Amadicia, taking control of Liandrin and company. She struck hard at Liandrin for trying to overstep her authority, shielding Liandrin from the Power with an impossibly complex weave before granting her the tiniest hope that one day, she might find someone able and willing to unravel it. Further, Moghedien used Compulsion to keep Liandrin from taking her own life in despair at her powerless, mundane station, ensuring that she would live on in despair.

The Forsaken Moghedien.

While spying on Rahvin, Sammael, Lanfear, and Graendal, Moghedien found Nynaeve and Birgitte in Tel'aran'rhiod. She trapped them and tortured Nynaeve but was badly wounded by one of Birgitte's arrows. As a counterstrike, she tore Birgitte out of the Dream World where heroes bound to the Wheel wait to be spun out by the Pattern and reborn. Moghedien had her long-sworn revenge, separating Birgitte from her destined lover in this unnatural lifetime and almost killed Birgitte beyond any hope of rebirth.

Captive in Salidar

Moghedien disguised herself again, this time as Marigan. She sailed to Salidar with a group of Taraboner refugees who took shelter under Nynaeve, Elayne, and Birgitte. She was overconfident in Tel'aran'rhiod when Nynaeve slapped a collar on her neck, linking Moghedien to her with an a'dam. Nynaeve then used Moghedien's channeling ability to help Rand defeat Rahvin. Throughout this whole experience, Moghedien was terrified as Nynaeve could feel through the a'dam, understanding why Moghedien liked to attack from the shadows.

While still in the World of Dreams with Moghedien captive by way of the a'dam, Nynaeve worked out that Moghedien knew enough of the happenings in Salidar that the Forsaken must be disguised in Salidar itself. Although the a'dam would disappear when Nynaeve left Tel'aran'rhiod, what happened to a person in the World of Dreams happened in the waking world. Nynaeve dosed Moghedien strongly with forkroot so that, in the real world, Moghedien's ability to channel was blocked, thus dissolving her disguise.

Moghedien

Back in the waking world, Elayne fashioned a sort of modified a'dam for Moghedien that looked like a necklace and bracelet without the connecting leash. Elayne and Nynaeve then extracted secrets of the One Power and the Age of Legends from her. Posing as Elayne and Nynaeve's servant in Salidar, she taught them some forgotten weaves and Talents of the One Power. Throughout her time collared, anyone who wore the corresponding bracelet could feel Moghedien's constant fear and hatred oozing through the link.

Under Another Master

Moghedien was finally freed from the a'dam by Aran'gar and taken to Shayol Ghul to be first abused by Shaidar Haran and then once more have her will stolen by a mindtrap, held by Moridin, again a slave to someone else's will.

Moghedien from the CCG

Moridin sent Moghedien to track down Falion Bhoda and Ispan Shefar and check on their angreal hunting progress in Ebou Dar. While there, she spotted Nynaeve in a boat and in a rage shot balefire at her, though she missed. Despite hating Nynaeve so much and seeking revenge, Moghedien kept clear of her for the rest of the series.

Moridin then sent Moghedien with Cyndane as messengers to summon Graendal to him. Moghedien participated in the Battle near Shadar Logoth where she hid in the background during the whole exchange. She attended the meeting with the other Chosen in Tel'aran'rhiod, which was made to look like the Ansaline Gardens. There she was told that Rand was not to be harmed and that Matrim Cauthon and Perrin Aybara were to be killed if found.

Moghedien as depicted by the CCG

Moridin gathered the last of the Chosen within one dreamshard of his. Moghedien was given back her cour'souvra with a warning to not fail again. Moridin revealed two unfamiliar-looking Chosen, the male named Mazrim Taim was renamed M'Hael. Moghedien realized that the unfamiliar female Chosen present called Hessalam was actually Graendal in a new body, rendered hideous and deformed for her previous failures. Moghedien would then be placed under Demandred's command. Moridin then demanded that all other plots and plans by the Chosen were to be concluded and that they were to unite as one for the Last Battle against the forces of the Light.

In the Last Battle Mat noticed Moghedien when the army was preparing to join the other forces of the Light. Moghedien spied on Mat directly in the Seanchan command tent disguised as a cute freckled so'jhin, masking her ability to channel. When the army was considering the return to the Field of Merrilor, she was revealed by Min (just as a disguised channeler, not her true identity), based on images around her and forced to channel by a knife Min threw. Then Moghedien fled through a gateway. Later, Moghedien blamed herself for this failure and hoped the Dark One wouldn't punish her.

After Demandred's death, Moghedien took on the Mask of Mirrors and took command of Sharans in his place. Suddenly, she found out that she had been given unlimited access to the True Power and used it to kill an old Sharan to persuade channelers that she was Demandred. She sent Sharan troops to attack defenseless refugees. However, after a short time, her command was destroyed by Talmanes and Dragons. Moghedien survived that and the Last Battle, considering herself the highest Chosen left alive. However, while trying to escape, she was captured by a sul'dam named Shanan who snuck up on Moghedien because Shanan saw she was not wearing an Aes Sedai ring, and walking like she was up to no good. Like all other da'mane, Moghedien was taken back to Ebou Dar. Apparently, she lost access to the True Power after the Dark One was imprisoned.

Etymology and Parallels

Her name likely comes from Mogadon, a brand name of sleeping pills whose phamaceutical name is Nitrazepam. This would be apt considering her mastery of the World of Dreams. Her real name Lillen Moiral iss related to the Moirai, the Greek spinners of fate. Moghedien (the spider) is a master spinner of plots. Her disguise Gyldin possibly came from gilden, an old form of golden or gilded, implying that the surface was misleading. Moghedien's alias "Marigan" derives from the Morrigan ("phantom queen"), an Irish mythological figure whose appearance was a foretelling of battle.