Battle of Falme

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Falme is a fictional city in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book series.

Falme is located on a peninsula jutting out into the Aryth Ocean. It is possibly the westernmost settlement in the entire Westlands (See Places in the Wheel of Time series for a map). Along with the rest of Almoth Plain, the remnants of the now-extinguished nation of Almost, it has been the subject of a territorial dispute between Arad Doman and Tarabon for hundreds of years. In The Great Hunt the Seanchan Empire attempt to take the city over as part of their return to the mainland. The city is also the site where Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, fights his second battle against the Forsaken Ishamael, in his guise as Ba'alzamon.

Battle of Falme

The Battle of Falme involves the Corenne (or forerunners) of the Seanchan Empire, The Children of the Light and the Heroes of the Horn.

Rand, Mat and Perrin along with a number of Shiernan follow Padan Fain to Falme to recover the Horn of Valere, and also the Shadar Logoth blade which is needed to heal Mat. Ingtar, Hurin, Mat, Perrin and Rand enter the city to recover the chest which holds them, but sneaking into the building where it is kept, Rand gets involved in a fight with the High Lord Turak (leader of the forerunners) a blademaster. Rand kills him and escapes with the chest.

The Whitecloaks, numbering 1000, choose this time to attack, and the heroes are trapped between the Seanchan and the Children. In a last desperate chance, Mat blows the Horn of Valere, summoning forth the heroes of the horn, led by Artur Hawkwing himself, and including Birgitte Silverbow The Children are easily defeated by the damane.

The climax of the book is an epic sword battle between Rand and Ba'alzamon, an image of which appears in the sky, drawing the attention of all. The fight on the ground flows just as their battle does, with Rands forces (Mat, Perrin and the Heroes of the Horn) advancing as he does, and the Seanchan as Ba'alzamon does. In the fight, Rand is unable to penetrate the defense of Ba'alzamon, and is forced to let his enemy strike a blow to his side in order to himself make an offensive lunge which becomes a fatal hit, again seemingly beating his opponent, just like it seemed he had at the end of The Eye of the World. The Heroes of the Horn then overwhelm the Seanchan, who retreat in haste back to their ships and sail away.