In the Wheel of Time Lanfear shields Asmodean so he is not dangerous, but can still channel a trickle. I don't think something like this is done in the entire series, but it seems quite like normal shielding, only more complicated. I would actually get the feeling it would be easier to break free from a shield like this, than a shield that totally cuts you off from the One Power. I think it is also stated that it was plain old saidar and not the True Power. In Lord of Chaos Rand easily breaks from the shield actively maintained by three Aes Sedai. Is it ever explained how Lanfear managed to shield Asmodean in a way that he was unable to break free?
1 Answer
Lanfear plans to tell everyone Asmodean had betrayed the Forsaken and allow him to teach Rand. By the time he does free himself, he'll have been helping Rand too long to be trusted.
I found the following quote in the Google books page for The Shadow Rising
... She nodded to herself in satisfaction. "Another little present for you, Lews Therin. That shield will allow a trickle through, enough for him to teach. It will dissipate with time, but he'll not be able to challenge you for months, and by that time he will have no choice but to remain with you. He was never very good at breaking through a shield; you must be willing to accept pain, and he never could."
-
1So basically Asmodean feared the pain of breaking through a shield more than he feared the Forsaken and The Dark One?– kuhlCommented Jul 12, 2017 at 20:15
-
3@kuhl Yeah. I guess I always thought of it as like someone scared of needles. They simply CANNOT bring themselves to use one to poke themselves. Even if they know it is for their own good. Besides, it wasn't really that much longer before he was eliminated.– eshierCommented Jul 12, 2017 at 20:18
-
1The other part to remember is that Rand had also severed Asmodeans connection to the Dark One, so he no longer had protection against going mad. That lack of connection would both make other Forsaken more suspicious of him as well as allow him to go mad. I can't find the other quote but there was some connection between how much saidin you channel and how quickly you go mad, so it may have also affected his decision.– PaulCommented Jul 12, 2017 at 21:03