Tam al'Thor
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
| [[Image:]] | |
| Tamlin al'Thor | |
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| Died | |
| Race | Andoran |
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| Affiliation | |
| Gender | Male |
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| Hair | Gray |
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| First Mentioned | |
| First Appeared | TEOTW 1 |
Tamlin al'Thor is the adopted father of Rand al'Thor. His wife was Kari al'Thor. He has a thick chest, a lined face, and his hair is now completely gray. He lives on a farm in the Westwood near Emond's Field, where he raised Rand from a baby.
[edit] History
At an early age, Tam al'Thor left the Two Rivers, where he grew up, and joined the army of Illian, eventually joining the Companions. While employed there, he fought through the Whitecloak War, two wars with Tear, and the Aiel War. During this time, he was able to rise in rank to Second Captain of the Companions. He became a blademaster, and also married a red-haired woman from Caemlyn, Kari al'Thor. He also somehow procured a power-wrought blade with a heron mark, a rare item indeed.
Near the end of the Aiel War, Tam found a baby alone on the slopes of Dragonmount. The mother was dead, and remembering his wife's desire for a child, he adopted him. He returned to the Two Rivers with his wife and the baby, whom he named Rand. There he settled on an outlying farm.
Kari al'Thor died before she could see her son grow up, and Tam never remarried, despite the best efforts of the Women's Circle.
During Rand's childhood, Tam taught him the trick of "the flame and the void", known as ko'di, or Oneness, to improve his archery skills. This concentration technique later helped Rand focus his combat skills, and to incidentally control the One Power. He joined the Emond's Field Village Council, and was known to be a respectable, thoughtful, council member. At an annual sheep-shearing, he told the children of the village the story of the War of Power and the Dragon.
In 998 NE, after a particularly hard winter, many interesting things happened to the isolated community. First, surprising visitors, a supposed noblewoman and her guard, actually an Aes Sedai and her Warder, who served to entertain the public at large by their very presence. Tam recognized her for what she was, though it is not known if he let this on to the council. Second, an expected visitor, the gleeman Thom Merrilin, who had been hired to perform after Winternight, on Bel Tine.
These happy events were marred somewhat by strange news from the outside world, from the peddler Padan Fain. Fain told of a false Dragon, Logain, who had just been captured after many battles, and - despite the fact the war was over and the man captured - panic set in among the villagers. Tam supported a plan to arrange patrols, believing it would calm heads and control improbable influxes of refugees. These precautions were extraordinarily wise, though not for those reasons which had been established.
For a Trolloc army had assembled in the Two Rivers, at the behest of Ishamael, and they were hunting for the Dragon Reborn. On Winternight, the army attacked Emond's Field, and specifically the homes of three candidates, all ta'veren, including that of Tam and his adopted son.
Tam had sensed the danger, however. When Trollocs literally came to his doorstep, Tam was prepared, armed with his old heron-mark blade. He fought bravely, with all of his skill, but he was old and had never fought Trollocs before, and he was cut down.
His son rescued a wounded, feverish, babbling Tam, and dragged him all the way back to the village to see the Wisdom Nynaeve al'Meara. In his feverish state, babbling to people who were not present, Tam had accidentally told Rand everything - Laman's Pride, about the Aiel War, and the circumstances surrounding his adoption.
Tam suffered a brush with death when the tainted Trolloc blade wounded him. Nynaeve could not do anything, and he only survived due to Healing from Moiraine Damodred, the Aes Sedai who had arrived the previous day, and aided the Two Rivers folk in their fight against the Trollocs.
The following day, Tam woke to find out that his son was leaving with the Aes Sedai. He took this stoically, and gifted Rand with his heron-mark blade.
He would later travel to Tar Valon with Abell Cauthon to find out what happened, though they were rebuffed. When the Trollocs returned under the command of Padan Fain, and Whitecloaks came to the 'aid' of the village, Tam went into hiding in the woods along with Abell. When Perrin Aybara returned to the Two Rivers, Tam met with him. Tam aided Perrin in his war effort against the Trollocs, and led the forces at the south in the last defence. In this time, he also trained Aram in the ways of the sword.
When Mazrim Taim came to the Two Rivers to recruit Asha'man, he told Tam that Rand was the Dragon Reborn. This resulted in Tam's hair turning completely gray.
He brought two thousand Two Rivers archers to aid Perrin in his efforts against the Shaido. In the battle of Malden, Tam al'Thor was Perrin's First Captain.
