darkfriend recruitment...

[natural1dave]

As I'm re-reading the books and reading different theories, something has come up that bothers me: How do we get all of these darkfriends?

I know some can be turned, and some of the weaker minds scared or intimidated into recruitment. But take someone like Mazrim Taim or an Aes Sedai. If he wasn't a DF from the beginning, how does he become one (again, if not turned against his will)?

He can't exactly approach a Forsaken. If I'm Demandred and I see Rand's right hand man coming at me I'm annihilating him. If I'm just a regular old DF I'm still steering clear of Taim or an AS, or anyone really, because if exposed they are killed.

So I could see some people 'bumbling' into the DF world, but wouldn't most people just be DF wannabes just because you really have no idea who to trust?

[Terez]

TOR Questions of the Week, February 2005-July 2005 (http://www.wotmania.net/faqtopic.asp?ID=184)

Week 4 Question: How exactly does one become a Darkfriend? How does the recruiting structure for the Black Ajah work? Being Mistress of Novices, was Merean particularly active in recruiting?

Robert Jordan Answers: By and large, each cell of Darkfriends recruits people it thinks are likely candidates, though they need to do so very carefully, studying them, sounding them out slowly. Darkfriends are always on the lookout for new members, since they feel very much like an oppressed minority and want to increase their numbers. Once a move to recruit is made, though, either it succeeds or the failed candidate dies.

For someone seeking actively to become a Darkfriend, generally one begins by trying to attract the attention of those who already are Darkfriends. One fairly safe way is to let comments drop that indicate that you don't think the Light is all it's cracked up to be, that praying to the Creator seems useless etc. If this comes to the wrong ears, you might be in varying degrees of trouble depending on what country you are in and who it is that overhears, but you are unlikely to get worse than a flogging from the authorities and possibly only a stern warning to watch your talk from somebody in a tavern, perhaps accompanied by a clout on the ear. Although someone might decide to slip a knife into you in some rougher areas of some towns. It's only relatively safe. By the by, claiming not to believe in the Creator is a good way to avoid recruitment by the Darkfriends. After all, if there is no Creator, how can the Dark One be imprisoned, and if he isn't, then why hasn't he taken over and rewarded the faithful? One of the fastest ways to attract attention is to show yourself willing to kill to advance yourself or simply for gain. That doesn't mean that every strongarm who's willing to slit a throat to steal a purse is a Darkfriend. Some of those might well be horrified by the suggestion. This method has its drawbacks, of course, since if you attract the attention of the authorities first, you are very likely to end up with a noose around your neck or a trip to the headsman's block.

In the White Tower, Black sisters watch novices and Accepted closely for any indication that they might be leaning toward the Shadow or susceptible to the promises of the Shadow. They also watch other sisters, since people do change. Not every Black sister was recruited on the day she gained the shawl nor soon after. Merean had a fine position for watching novices and Accepted, but many sisters teach. Some do little else, but others take turns at it for various periods, so Merean was not necessarily the primary recruiter during her time as Mistress of Novices, not even among those in her charge.

Lord of Chaos book tour Fall 1994, Seattle - Tony Zbaraschuk reporting (http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/Tony_Zbaraschuk_Seattle_Signing_Report_2004)

Q: How does the Black Ajah recruit new members?
RJ: Very carefully. You have to understand that EVERY Ajah recruits carefully and subtly. Generally, after all those years as novice and Accepted, your teachers know your character and personality VERY well, and you are guided to the Ajah where you fit. The Black Ajah watches too. And recruitment is a one-shot offer: they offer, and you can accept or die. There are a lot of ways to die that wouldn't lead to any suspicion; for instance, it's pretty easy to kill yourself experimenting with the One Power. Who would think that such a death wasn't accidental?
Q: [I mentioned Katerine Sedai, 17 years Aes Sedai, 12 years Black.]
RJ: One thing they do, for instance, is watch new Aes Sedai. Sometimes women get past the final tests and then discover that they [I]don't have anywhere near as much power and freedom as they thought they would have.
This database (http://www.theoryland.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=372) is good for questions like that. And easy to use too. :)

[natural1dave]

very nice, thanks.

my next question then is: has there ever been an instance of people infiltrating the dark side and spying?

[Terez]

No, not that we know of.

[natural1dave]

that could be an interesting twist for the last book...if a DF turns out to be good. but from the top of my head i can't think of any prospects.

asmodean is the only DF that i remember that seemed to have a shred of good in him and he's long gone.

[Terez]

heh...Delana had at least a shred of good. In her first point of view, she thinks about how she wishes she could do something for Siuan, who used to be a good friend.

[natural1dave]

you know...luc/isam might be a possible candidate. might pull a darth vader at some point...

[Marie Curie 7]

asmodean is the only DF that i remember that seemed to have a shred of good in him and he's long gone.
Oh, I doubt that Asmodean had any good in him...he was just making do with a situation that he had no choice over.

The Fires of Heaven
Chapter 56 - The Threads Burn
Tucking his harp under his arm, Asmodean drifted away from Mat and Aviendha. He enjoyed playing, but not for a pair who did not listen, much less appreciate. He was not sure what had happened that morning, and not sure he wanted to be sure. Too many Aiel had expressed surprise at seeing him, had claimed they had seen him dead; he did not want details. There was a long gash down the wall in front of him. He knew what made that sharp edge, that surface as slick as ice, smoother than any hand could have polished in a hundred years.

Idly – but with a shiver, too – he wondered whether being reborn in this fashion made him a new man. He did not think so. Immortality was gone. That was a gift of the Great Lord; he used that name in his head, whatever al'Thor demanded on his tongue. That was proof enough that he was himself. Immortality gone – he knew it must be imagination, yet sometimes he thought he could feel time dragging at him, pulling him toward a grave he had never thought to meet – and drawing the little of saidinhe could was like drinking sewage. He was hardly sorry Lanfear was dead. Rahvin neither, but Lanfear especially, for what she had done to him. He would laugh when each of the others died, too, and most for the last. It was not that he had been reborn as a new man at all, but he would cling to that tuft of grass on the cliff's brink as long as he could. The roots would give way eventually, the long fall would come, but until then he was still alive.

No to mention the fact that he blinded or maimed all the artists that were his rivals before he went over to the dark side...

[Weird Harold]

that could be an interesting twist for the last book...if a DF turns out to be good. but from the top of my head i can't think of any prospects.

asmodean is the only DF that i remember that seemed to have a shred of good in him and he's long gone.
Ingtar redeemed himself at the end, so that's another DF with a shred of "good" in the makeup.

Given the way DF's deal with people they approach who turn them down, I'd be surprised if there was much infiltration going on.

[natural1dave]

Ingtar redeemed himself at the end, so that's another DF with a shred of "good" in the makeup.

Given the way DF's deal with people they approach who turn them down, I'd be surprised if there was much infiltration going on.

I actually think it would be the other way around. Say you get approached and you have no desire to be a DF, but you know death is the other option, what would you do? I would say sure and then do what I could to secretly undermine their cause. Doesn't matter if you get caught as you die anyway...

[Weird Harold]

I actually think it would be the other way around. Say you get approached and you have no desire to be a DF, but you know death is the other option, what would you do? I would say sure and then do what I could to secretly undermine their cause. Doesn't matter if you get caught as you die anyway...
But that's not "infiltration."

Infiltration would be someone seeking them out and trying to pass the recruitment process without giving themselves away.

[4Alethinos]

If there are any channelers, they will put you under compulsion and put you to the question, as it were. If there are no channelers, they will put you to a test that will involve some irredeemable act and add herbal truth telling drugs to the mix, if there are any.

Of course, the noble side of the Light would never be so practical. :(

"Spying is filthy work. Necessary, but filthy." :eek:

[Terez]

Yeah, you can't infiltrate the Black Ajah for certain because they use the Oath Rod, and they can pull you into a circle against your will. I imagine there are similar practices among regular Darkfriends but they probably aren't quite as effective.

[GonzoTheGreat]

That leaves the male channelers as a target for infiltration. They can't link, they aren't bothered by any Oath Rod that is known to still exist, and they're probably quite capable of protecting themselves against things that non-channelers would succumb to.
On the other hand, Taim's training accidents suggest that such infiltration isn't really all that fool proof. So I would guess that there are ways of weeding out fakes from the male Dreadlords, even if we haven't seen how they do it.

[Terez]

They can't link, they aren't bothered by any Oath Rod that is known to still exist
While it's true that the Asha'man don't mess with binders, I just wanted to point out that I see no reason to buy Sammael's claim that the existing ones only work on women.

On the other hand, Taim's training accidents suggest that such infiltration isn't really all that fool proof.
All that really suggests, beyond actual training accidents, is that recruiting isn't fool proof. Men are approached about becoming Darkfriends, and balk, and then get killed.

[GonzoTheGreat]

All that really suggests, beyond actual training accidents, is that recruiting isn't fool proof. Men are approached about becoming Darkfriends, and balk, and then get killed.
Not quite. Suppose that a couple of the ones that had been approached had been upstanding enough not to want to be Darkfriends, yet smart enough not to say "you'll have to kill me first". Then I would have expected at least one of them to search out Rand and tell him "the M'Hael is a Darkfriend who is recruiting others to the DO's cause". Yet not a single one of them has done this. That suggests strongly that Taim is indeed capable somehow of making sure of the loyalty of his followers.

[Terez]

Oh, I'm sure he's got means, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your scenario is a likely one. There are all sorts of ways to gague a person's reaction to the proposition other than by what they say.

[Marie Curie 7]

The Black Ajah has sort of been infiltrated, since the hunters have bound Talene to report what she knows about the Black Ajah. And that's definitely the only way the Black Ajah ever would have been infiltrated, since most Aes Sedai refused to even consider their existence. :)

[Terez]

Well, it hasn't really because Talene had to go into hiding. Because she knew they would pull her into a circle against her will. :p

[Marie Curie 7]

Well, I meant that until Talene had to go into hiding, she had to tell the Ajah hunters everything she knew. They wouldn't have even known about the Supreme Council and all that if it weren't for the information they got from Talene.

[Terez]

This is true, but then again, there are safeguards that prevented Talene from telling them too much - she just didn't KNOW that much. She was only able to give them the names of three other Black Ajah, and some of the information she gave them was incorrect (such as Elaida being Black) because members are generally kept in the dark. The Hunters are at a dead end because of those safeguards, and the only way they can get past those safeguards is to get Alviarin.

[Uno]

I don't know that all Darkfriends are necessarily monsters ready to kill without a second thought, though. You'll all remember the Darkfriends Fain hooked up with near Caemlyn, and the woman "who had thought her oaths were just dabbling in wickedness until Padain Fain appeared on her doorstep." (LOC, 408) People like her may have joined up because they wanted to perform a minor act of rebellion against the unfair world at large, or because they wanted to be part of something forbidden and secret for the sheer excitement of it. Until the Shadow calls on you to actually act the role of a Darkfriend, and you find out what that really implies, you could probably lead a pretty mundane life, without ever actually hurting, or even seriously thinking of hurting, anyone at all.

Besides, killing people is dangerous, as the temporal authorities tend to frown upon that kind of thing, and whereas a person like Hadnan Kadere was ready to kill his own sister when she figured out what he was, I'm not sure that your average DF is necessarily a killer.

[Terez]

I don't know that all Darkfriends are necessarily monsters ready to kill without a second thought, though.
They aren't - RJ has made it clear that there are no purely evil or purely good people in his books.

(LOC, 408)
You know, page numbers are pretty worthless when everyone has different editions. :D

Besides, killing people is dangerous, as the temporal authorities tend to frown upon that kind of thing, and whereas a person like Hadnan Kadere was ready to kill his own sister when she figured out what he was, I'm not sure that your average DF is necessarily a killer.
Yeah, I doubt Paitr ever killed anyone...but killing people is probably one of the only ways you can move up in the Darkfriend ranks.

[Uno]

That's why you've got to be pretty careful with recruitment. I don't know exactly how each Darkfriend circle works, but I imagine it's got one or more leaders that actually know what they're part of (at least to some extent), and a varying number of followers that don't really know that much. It's got to be the true insiders that make the decision actually to invite someone to become a DF, because people like Paitr wouldn't be ready to slit the throat of the potential candidate if her or she recoiled in terror at the very notion of swearing to the Shadow. Of course, all DFs, no matter how serious they are, know that actual exposure would be disastrous, as the authorities (perhaps unfairly in the mind of your average DF) treat them as vermin to be eradicated.

[Terez]

Well, the situation of Paitr's own exposition was pretty dumb...they were chanting catechisms to the Dark One inside the Fortress of the Light...

[SauceyBlueConfetti]

Siuan's involvement in the dark side could be switched, she may be able to switch back and use her knowledge of evil for good and redeem herself by being the infiltrator.

Min too.


:p

[Terez]

Loony theory alert!

[SauceyBlueConfetti]

let's get the board going for goodness sake.

I still think that events in New Spring show she could have been turned AFTER entering the White Tower. And RJ himself in the comments above indicates sisters are brought into the Black Ajah AFTER they are raised...so why not?

[Terez]

Oh come on T...let's get the board going for goodness sake.
You say that as if I am not already dedicated to this board. :p

I still think that events in New Spring show she could have been turned AFTER entering the White Tower. And RJ himself in the comments above indicates sisters are brought into the Black Ajah AFTER they are raised...so why not?
Because we have points of view from Siuan, such as this very recent one:

TITLE - Knife of Dreams
CHAPTER: 1 - When Last Sounds

The abrupt stink of burning sulphur made her eyes water, and she was grateful for it. Egwene might be able to don and doff sleep like a pair of stockings, but the same was not true for her. Sleep had been hard enough to come by after she finally made herself lie down. Once the news had reached her from the riverbank, she had been sure she never would sleep short of utter exhaustion. She had offered prayers for Leane, but all of their hopes rested on Egwene’s shoulders, and all of their hopes seemed gutted and hung up to dry. Well, she had exhausted herself with nerves and worry and pacing. Now there was hope again, and she did not dare let her leaden eyelids close for fear she would sink back into slumber and not wake till midday, if then. The ferocious wind abated, but people’s shouts and horses’ cries did not.
Why would a Darkfriend pray to the Light for Leane?

Also, her thoughts confirm in other points of view that she was only able to lie after she was stilled, which means that she was bound by the Oaths before she was stilled:

TITLE - The Fires of Heaven
CHAPTER: 11 - The Nine Horse Hitch

An advantage to having been stilled, she told herself. She had met women who would pay any price to lose fifteen or twenty years; some might even consider her price a fair bargain. She often found herself listing such advantages, perhaps trying to convince herself they were real. Freed from the Three Oaths, she could lie at need, for one thing. And her own father would not have recognized her. She did not really look as she had as a young woman; the changes maturity had made were still there, but softened into youth. Coldly objective, she thought she might be somewhat prettier than she had been as a girl; pretty was the best that had ever been said of her. Handsome had been the more usual compliment. She could not connect that face to her, to Siuan Sanche. Only inside was she still the same; her mind yet held all its knowledge. There, in her head, she was still herself.
Siuan is not at Darkfriend. :p

[SauceyBlueConfetti]

Why would a Darkfriend pray to the Light for Leane?


where does it say she was praying to the LIGHT?

:p

[Terez]

What kind of idiot would pray to the Dark One? :p

[SauceyBlueConfetti]

where do we have the clear cut list of Oaths the Black Ajah take?

If Siuan was DF prior to being raised to AS, how do we know the Black Oaths would conflict with the new ones?
We assume they do, because the BA hunters remove the Dark Oaths and then have sister's re-swear the Aes Sedai Oaths to make sure they cannot get around them in anyway. But that is just an assumption on our part based on the hunter's assumptions. And if she became BA after being raised to a sister, again, what conflicts are we 100% certain of??

We do not truly know what the Dark Oaths say and Aes Sedai are so snooty they would NEVER ask one another "Hey, are you a dark friend?" Lying is something they manuever around freely, it is considered an art form to work around the truth...that is pointed out over and over and over. So Siuan being tricky and evasive, especially as Amyrlin, is not questioned at all.

Her motives of Egwene being the savior have always been questionable in my mind...it is never clearly outlined WHY she believes Egwene can save them, not that I recall anyway.


Here are the Oaths we know:
Under the Light and by the hope of salvation and rebirth I vow...
I will speak no word that is not true
I will make no weapon for one man to kill another
I will never use the One Power as a weapon accept against Shadowspawn , or in the last extreme of defending my life or that of my Warder or another sister.


First, if you are already a DF, the oath would have no meaning as you are swearing UNDER THE LIGHT.

I will SPEAK no word. You can write it. You can imply it.
Weapon for one MAN to kill another. Nothing about Shadowspawn, Women, Children either way.
Using the OP as a weapon...you could use it as a shield, as a trap, as mind control. I can use it to defend my life, my warder or another sister. My interpretation of defending my life can be far and wide.

[Terez]

where do we have the clear cut list of Oaths the Black Ajah take? We don't, but we know they can lie. Just for the sake of pretending we're having a serious discussion here :D here's a quote that shows they can lie:

TITLE - Knife of Dreams
PROLOGUE - Embers Falling on Dry Grass

The idiot looked at her as though her words had flown over his head without touching his ears. Those eyes were truly unsettling. “Where does she sleep? Her, and everyone else who was captured with her. Show me.”

“I cannot,” she replied levelly. “Gai’shain seldom sleep in the same place two nights running.” With that lie vanished the last chance that she could leave Faile and the others alive. Oh, she had never intended to increase the risk of her own escape by aiding them, but that could always have been explained later by some change in circumstances. She could not hazard the possibility that they might actually escape one day and uncover her direct lie, however. Galina can outright lie. Galina knows that an outright lie would expose her as Black Ajah (which is exactly the conclusion that Faile came to when she heard about it). Galina had not been freed from her Black Ajah Oaths because she still has the ageless face.

If Siuan was DF prior to being raised to AS, how do we know the Black Oaths would conflict with the new ones?
We assume they do, because the BA hunters remove the Dark Oaths and then have sister's re-swear the Aes Sedai Oaths to make sure they cannot get around them in anyway. But that is just an assumption on our part based on the hunter's assumptions. And if she became BA after being raised to a sister, again, what conflicts are we 100% certain of?? We don't just assume that they replace the Three Oaths, we KNOW it - also from Galina's point of view:

TITLE - A Crown of Swords
CHAPTER: 40 - Spears

She would be rescued eventually, of course; she knew that. The Tower would not allow a sister to remain in captivity. Elaida would not allow a Red to be held. Surely Alviarin would send rescue. Someone would, anyone, to save her from these monsters, especially from Therava. She would promise anything for that deliverance. She would even keep those promises. She had been broken free of the Three Oaths on joining the Black Ajah, replacing them with a new trinity, but at that moment she truly believed she would keep her word, if it brought rescue. Any promise, to anyone who would free her. Even a man. I don't know that you were trying to suggest that Black Ajah are still bound by the traditional Three Oaths, but it's obvious they aren't, and that Siuan was.

We do not truly know what the Dark Oaths say and Aes Sedai are so snooty they would NEVER ask one another "Hey, are you a dark friend?" Lying is something they manuever around freely, it is considered an art form to work around the truth...that is pointed out over and over and over. So Siuan being tricky and evasive, especially as Amyrlin, is not questioned at all. We don't know exactly what the Black Ajah's Oaths are, but we do have some pretty good clues as to what they are. The best example comes from Joiya and Amico. After their capture and before their deaths via Slayer, neither was bound by the traditional Three Oaths, since they were released of those Oaths upon becoming Black Ajah, but Joiya was still bound by the Black Ajah's Three Oaths. Amico had been stilled, so she was free of those. Amico is the one that told the truth, while Joiya made up a story, and that's most likely because Joiya was bound by an Oath not to reveal Black Ajah plans.

Her motives of Egwene being the savior have always been questionable in my mind...it is never clearly outlined WHY she believes Egwene can save them, not that I recall anyway. I think it's fairly clear that she wanted Egwene to be Amyrlin because she couldn't be Amyrlin. So the next best thing for her was to forestall someone like Romanda or Lelaine becoming Amyrlin, choosing instead someone that she had a hope of influencing in some way. Because Siuan has been making all these plans for all these years, mostly to do with Rand, and because the worst part about Elaida becoming Amyrlin was that she could not be trusted to handle him. There are other Aes Sedai that wouldn't be so bad as Elaida, but Siuan wants someone that will listen to her, because she's got what she feels like are good ideas on what should be done. Egwene is the perfect candidate, having been close to Siuan before the split, and a friend of Rand's, and in general a girl with good sense, and a strong will. And not brainwashed by the Tower to dismiss the opinion of someone so weak in the Power and lacking of status among Aes Sedai. Here's a nice quote to demonstrate the truth of that, from Siuan's point of view:

TITLE - Lord of Chaos
CHAPTER: 37 - When Battle Begins

Lelaine made sympathetic noises over her own tea. "You say she was complaining about Romanda?"
Siuan shrugged. "Something about Romanda insisting we stay here instead of marching for Tar Valon, as near as I could make out. Light, the girl has a temper like a fisherbird in mating season. I almost wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her, but of course, she does wear the stole, now. Well, once I finish my lectures I’m done with her. Do you remember...?"

Smiling inside, Siuan watched Lelaine drinking it all in with the tea. Only the first sentence had really been important. The bit about a temper was her own addition, but it might make some of the Sitters walk a little more carefully around Egwene. Besides, she suspected it might be true. She would never be Amyrlin again herself, and she was fairly certain that trying to manipulate Egwene would be as futile as trying to manipulate herself had been, and as painful, yet teaching an Amyrlin to be Amyrlin... She looked forward to that as much as she had anything in a long time. Egwene al’Vere would be an Amyrlin to make thrones tremble. There are some other thoughts from Siuan about Egwene, but those sum it up fairly well.

Here are the Oaths we know:
Under the Light and by the hope of salvation and rebirth I vow...
I will speak no word that is not true
I will make no weapon for one man to kill another
I will never use the One Power as a weapon accept against Shadowspawn , or in the last extreme of defending my life or that of my Warder or another sister.


First, if you are already a DF, the oath would have no meaning as you are swearing UNDER THE LIGHT. That might be true, if it weren't for the fact that speaking a simple promise would be enough to bind on the Oath, and that saying "under the Light" does NOT give the Black Ajah a loophole, from Galina's point of view again:

TITLE - The Path of Daggers
CHAPTER: 11 - Questions and an Oath

"Under the Light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth" – she no longer believed in the Light or a hope of salvation, and there was no need to speak more than a simple promise, but they expected a strong oath – "I swear to obey every Wise One present here in all things, and first among them, Therava and Sevanna." The last hope that this "binder" was something else vanished as Galina felt the oath settle on her, as if she suddenly wore a garment that covered her far too tightly from her scalp to the soles of her feet. Throwing back her head, she screamed. In part that was because it suddenly seemed as if the burning of her skin was being pressed deep into her flesh, but mainly, it was pure despair.
I will SPEAK no word. You can write it. Well, according to Moiraine, you CAN'T write a lie, any more than you can speak one:

TITLE - The Fires of Heaven
CHAPTER: 51 - News Comes to Cairhien

"She must have heard about your swelled head," Egwene said softly. He did not think he had been meant to hear. Shaking her head, she said more loudly, "This doesn't sound like Alviarin at all."

"It is her hand," Moiraine said. "What do you make of it, Rand?"

"I think there's a rift in the Tower, whether Elaida knows it or not. I assume an Aes Sedai can't write a lie more easily than she can speak one?" He did not wait for her nod. "If Alviarin had been less flowery, I might have thought they were working together to pull me in. I can't see Elaida even thinking half of what Alviarin wrote, and I can't see her having a Keeper who could write it, not if she knew." Of course you could try to tear THAT apart with semantics, but at least it's established that the "Under the Light" part gives no loophole, and that all Black Ajah are freed of the traditional Three Oaths upon joining, which reinforces the simple truth that Siuan is not Black Ajah. :D

You can imply it.
Weapon for one MAN to kill another. Nothing about Shadowspawn, Women, Children either way.
Using the OP as a weapon...you could use it as a shield, as a trap, as mind control. I can use it to defend my life, my warder or another sister. My interpretation of defending my life can be far and wide. RJ has made it clear in various interviews that there is a lot of room for movement in the Three Oaths, but perhaps not as much as you're thinking:

RJ's blog 20 January 2006 "IT'S BEEN A WHILE" (http://www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan/?p=31)

The Oath against lying does leave room for sarcasm. It is intent and result that matter. No sister can intentionally speak an untruth either with the intent of passing on false information or with the belief that false information might be passed on. Thus the careful slicing and dicing of words. But if someone were to hold up a piece of white cloth and ask whether it was black or white, someone who had sworn the Three Oaths would be capable of saying that it was black as a matter of sarcasm. But not if, for example, the person asking the question was blind and thus might well take the statement for truth rather than sarcasm.
TOR Questions of the Week, August 2004-January 2005 (http://www.wotmania.net/faqtopic.asp?ID=183)

Week 21 Question: Just how can an Aes Sedai be a damane? Aren't they bound by the Third Oath: to not use the One Power as a weapon except to defend their lives, their Warder's life, or another sister's life? Wouldn't they be useless as damane to the Seanchan?

Robert Jordan Answers: The Aes Sedai captured by the Seanchan are indeed useless as weapons, except against Shadowspawn or Darkfriends, because they are bound by the Three Oaths, and that limits their value considerably since being weapons is a major use for damane. Damane are used for other tasks, however, including finding ores for mining (Egwene was tested for this, remember; it's a very valuable, and fairly rare, ability), for some mining operations where it would be too dangerous or uneconomical to use human miners (bringing ores out of the ground and refining them using the Power), and in some construction projects, especially where something very large or with a need for added strength is envisioned. The first two both require a high ability in Earth, which has faded considerably on "this" side of the Aryth Ocean and to a smaller degree of the other side, but construction projects and others things, such as producing Sky Lights, are well within the abilities of collared Aes Sedai. The Three Oaths don't inhibit them there at all.
Knife of Dreams book tour 30 October 2005 - Seri reporting (http://theoryland.yuku.com/reply/201247/t/another-signing-report.html#reply-201247)

Q: Would an Aes Sedai who has sworn the Three Oaths be able to link into a circle, but not lead it, that would be used to kill someone (not Shadowsworn or attacking)?
RJ: No, an Aes Sedai wouldn't be able to join the circle or participate in any way with anything that was against the Oaths.
DragonCon 4 September 2005 - Emma reporting (http://theoryland.yuku.com/topic/9912)

Question: Quoting from Tamra in New Spring: "You will tell no one about this, not for any reason. If necessary, lie, even to a sister. Gitara died without speaking. Do you understand me?" How is it that Tamra can tell Moiraine and Siuan that Gitara died without speaking, when she knows full well that she did speak?
Jordan: It's simple. It is part of her instructions. There are a lot, thousands of loop holes, about that thou will speak no word that is not true. This is part of her instructions; she is telling them what they are to say. She is not saying something she believes, and thus she was able to say it.
Question: I have a follow up to a question you just answered. Based on the Oaths: if a sister asked them, if they were instructed, as to what they have to say, would they be able to say it after taking the Oaths?
Jordan: After taking the Oaths they would find it hard to say; even with instructions, they might not be able to say it at all, because they know it is a lie. That is the key: you can't knowingly tell a lie.
Wotmania Interview 2004 (http://www.wotmania.com/faqtopic.asp?ID=96)

W: What happens to objects left in Tel'aran'rhiod? Could an Aes Sedai free herself from the Three Oaths in Tel'aran'rhiod by creating an Oath Rod?
RJ: The only way for an object to enter Tel’aran’rhiod would be for it to be carried there by someone who entered physically rather than through a dream state. If left there, it would remain until it was retrieved by someone else who entered physically. And, yes, an Aes Sedai could free herself of the Three Oaths with an Oath Rod created in Tel’aran’rhiod, but remember that relatively few sisters actually have access to the World of Dreams, and for those who do want to remove the Three Oaths – sisters joining the Black Ajah – there is the Oath Rod in the White Tower to serve that purpose.

Balticon XXX April 1996 - Bill Garrett reporting (http://linuxmafia.com/%7Egarrett/jordan/balticon.html)
The Aes Sedai who beat Rand in Lord of Chaos did not necessarily violate the Three Oaths. Jordan explained that the Three Oaths are bound by literal intent and perception. He said that the Aes Sedai could have considered the beatings a just punishment rather than the use of a weapon. He also suggested that not everything that harms you need be considered a weapon. I think he gave the example of a whip used lightly not considered a weapon, versus a whip used to flay skin being considered a weapon. On the subject of the First Oath ("to speak no word that is untrue"), Jordan said that Aes Sedai can say something they believe to be true or something they don't mean literally. As an example of the latter, an Aes Sedai can employ hyperbole and say something like, "I'm going to tie yours ears over your head," when she means to do no such thing.

[Bill Garrett's] Comment: I should also point out that at least two of the women who beat Rand are people we know to belong to the Black Ajah. On page 683hb (in Lord of Chaos), it is said that only Galina, Erian, and Katerine beat Rand more than once. We know that Galina and Katerine are Black Ajah, so they aren't bound by the Oaths anyway. Erian is the Aes Sedai whose two Warders Rand killed, so maybe she found some way to justify her punishment of Rand under the Three Oaths. I don't know who else beat Rand (ie, who beat him only once); the book may say, but I can't find a quote. So, yes there are some loopholes, but not too many. And Siuan is not Black Ajah. :p

[GonzoTheGreat]

And, yes, an Aes Sedai could free herself of the Three Oaths with an Oath Rod created in Tel’aran’rhiod, but remember that relatively few sisters actually have access to the World of Dreams, and for those who do want to remove the Three Oaths – sisters joining the Black Ajah – there is the Oath Rod in the White Tower to serve that purpose.
Alternatively, for those claiming to want to swear the Three Oaths but being unable to, like Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve, there is the option of doing so in TAR. If only they could go there when they wanted, of course.

[Enigma]

Alternatively, for those claiming to want to swear the Three Oaths but being unable to, like Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve, there is the option of doing so in TAR. If only they could go there when they wanted, of course.

Don't the rebels who don't have access to the real oath rod have ter'angreal Elayne made and others have copied that allow access to the World of Dreams.

As far as the oaths the BA swear its a pity we don't know more about them. The prospective BA member must have a lot of mental disciplin. It is implied if not outright confirmed that they can lie but in public they can't appear to lie. Every single conversation they have with anyone who is not a darkfriend or who is not about to die would have to be very carefully worded. No off the cuff remarks that can come back to haunt them years later.

Given in our world that even the most media savy politicians occasionally come out with stupid comments it makes you wonder is the best way to find BA sisters whose who don't say a lot?

[Terez]

Don't the rebels who don't have access to the real oath rod have ter'angreal Elayne made and others have copied that allow access to the World of Dreams. You have been around long enough to know that Gonzo is a smartass, eh? He did, after all, include Egwene in that comment. :p