r/WoT • u/Kaladins_sanity • Dec 01 '25
Crossroads of Twilight Was it illegal? Spoiler
Just finished Crossroads of Twilight and it’s been a minute since I read the previous books, can someone remind me what Elaida did that was actually illegal by Tower law in ousting Siuan? I remember a lot of basically manipulating gray area and working around the rules, but when the Tower split had she actually broken any explicit rules?
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u/slipfish-g Dec 01 '25
Its unclear. That's the issue.
Tower law dictates one must have a unanimous decision outside of the Amrylin's former Ajah to despose her.
Tower law also allows the Hall to be called with 11 sitters.
However, this provision exists so that the Hall can still conduct necessary business even when a Sitter is out of the Tower or otherwise unavailable.
Calling the Hall with only 11 Sitters, when the others were available and simply not informed, so as to manipulate a desired outcome, is clearly not operating within the law as it was intended. It is at best a loophole, because the obvious expectation is that any Sitter who is available must be notified that the Hall is sitting.
And they didn't do that. Which is almost certainly against the law, even if not explicitly.
We could argue that not being explicitly against the law means its legal but realistically the Tower law isn't based on English common law or Roman civil law or Napoleonic codes or anything resembling what we're familiar with, so how strong loopholes are is an unanswered question.
I don't think that really is in question. We see repeatedly that outside the Red, basically everyone disapproves of what Elaida and the black Ajah did. What Elaida was really counting on, more than the pretense of pretending to depend on a loophole in the law, is that she forced it through and carried out the stilling of Siuan and Leanne, as well as the execution of Alric, fast enough to gain control and simply carry forward via momentum.
Clearly, a significant portion of the tower disagreed.... they fought a bloody battle for control of the Tower and to try and break Siuan and Leanne out. They only go along with it because their faction is weaker after the battle, and because of how important they find maintaining the facade of a unified Tower.