Malkier
In the show: After they sleep together, Lan wakes up to Nynaeve staring out his window. She asked him why the people he visited earlier referred to him as “daishan.” Lan reveals that it is a title given to the future kings of Malkier. Unfortunately, his kingdom was consumed by the encroaching Blight long ago.
On the night Malkier was overrun by darkness, Lan’s family was slaughtered, but one of his father’s armsmen smuggled him out of the city. Lan was brought to Fal Dara and grew up as a king without a kingdom.
In the books: Lord Agelmar tells a more detailed version of the story Lan tells Nynaeve. The mighty nation of Malkier was ruled by King al’Akir Mandragoran. The King’s brother, Lain, had a wife with a jealous desire for power. She convinced her husband to charge into the Blight, a disastrous move that severely weakened Malkier.
The now-widowed wife, Breyan, blamed the king and worked against him, pulling Malkier into chaos. Trolloc hordes slaughtered the defenseless nation, but the King and Queen sent their baby son away to safety. Growing up, Lan learned the stories and how Malkier was consumed by the Blight, forever damning him to be a king without a kingdom.
Machin Shin
In the show: Machin Shin terrorizes the heroes in the Ways. Looking like a swarm of bats, Machin Shin tries to consume them all, but Moiraine and Nynaeve hold it back. Each person hears different whispers from Machin Shin that targets their vulnerabilities.
In the books: The Black Wind known as Machin Shin is a malevolent evil in the Ways, capable of stealing the soul from anyone it comes into contact with. The larger the group traveling the Ways, the more likely Machin Shin will appear. When it comes close, it takes the form of blood-curdling chants and haunting cries devouring the mind and the soul. Its origin is unknown, although there are many theories.
"Something left from the Time of Madness, perhaps, or even from the War of the Shadow, the War of Power. Something hiding in the Ways so long it can no longer get out. No one, not even among the Ogier, knows how far the Ways run, or how deep. It could even be something of the Ways themselves. As Loial said, the Ways are living things, and all living things have parasites. Perhaps even a creature of the corruption itself, something born of the decay. Something that hates life and light."
Amazon’s The Wheel of Time drops the last episode of the first season next week. It’s titled, “The Eye of the World.”
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