Ishamael's Partial Imprisonment

[Tehmpus]

I don't know who you are addressing with this question, but I'm going to answer it for you. Ishamael was never near the edge of the prison (like Aginor and Balthamel). He was solidly trapped in with the others. That's why the whole "partial trapped" discussion is interesting. I'm saying that as a hero of the horn or servant of the wheel, periodically the Wheel itself would "spin out" Ishamael for various tasks required for the proper turning of fate. It didn't matter that Ishamael was fully imprisoned because the Wheel itself needed him and was able to get him out of jail periodically.

 

[Axis m'Troutilas]

The wheel is about the only thing which makes sense to have done it, as they always say, the wheel weaves as the wheel wills, and ishy is one of its favorite tools.

I doubt Ishy could have organized it himself.

It's about the only thing I can think of that would have the power to bypass the seal.

I mean consider if Ishy had been locked up right away with everyone else.

He wouldn't have healed LTT of his madness, LTT wouldn't have been grief stricken over killing his family, and he wouldn't have blown his brains out with the power and created dragonmount.

Right from the start that is a BIG deviation from way the Wheel probably wants things to go, let alone all the other things in history which wouldn't have happened with Ishy sealed up and unable to be pulled out. We'd be looking at a very different world in that case.

Moiraine puts it well

"Ta'veren." Loial rubbed behind a pointed ear with one blunt finger and gave a little shrug. "Elder Haman always said I never listened, but sometimes I did. Sometimes, I listened. You know how the Pattern is woven, of course?"
"I never really thought about it," he said slowly. "It just is."
"Um, yes, well. Not exactly. You see, the Wheel of Time weaves the Pattern of the Ages, and the threads it uses are lives. It is not fixed, the Pattern, not always. If a man tries to change the direction of his life and the Pattern has room for it, the Wheel just weaves on and takes it in. There is always room for small changes, but sometimes the Pattern simply won't accept a big change, no matter how hard you try. You understand?"
Rand nodded. "I could live on the farm or in Emond's Field, and that would be a small change. If I wanted to be a king, though ..." He laughed, and Loial gave a grin that almost split his face in two. His teeth were white, and as broad as chisels.
"Yes, that's it. But sometimes the change chooses you, or the Wheel chooses it for you. And sometimes the Wheel bends a life-thread, or several threads, in such a way that all the surrounding threads are forced to swirl around it, and those force other threads, and those still others, and on and on. That first bending to make the Web, that is ta'veren, and there is nothing you can do to change it, not until the Pattern itself changes. The Web – ta'maral'ailen, it's called – can last for weeks, or for years. It can take in a town, or even the whole Pattern. Artur Hawkwing was ta'veren. So was Lews Therin Kinslayer, for that matter, I suppose." He let out a booming chuckle. "Elder Haman would be proud of me. He always droned on, and the books about traveling were much more interesting, but I did listen sometimes."

I'd say the Wheels plans for Ishy are bigger than him cooling his heals in the prison, so it just goes ahead and pulls him out.