The Tower of "G" something

[Igrift]

 

    Just some random thoughts I had, first one was about the Tower of Gengie (spelling?)  We don't know a whole lot about it, but its still kinda cool.  A doorway into the realm of the Snakes and Foxes.  So is this basically a back door into their realm?  Because the twisted door Ter-angreals each only take you to either the Foxes or Snakes, I assumed they were sepperate realms.  But Brigette said the tower took you to both, do they live in the same realm?  I guess we will find out more in the next book.  Also, do you think its kinda weird that no one has ever seen the tower before, being so close to the Two Rivers, like you think it would have been stumbled apon......you know? like a tower just hanging out in the middle of know where..

 

It would be pretty cool if Mat got them to fight for him against the Shadow!

[Guest durram laddel cham]

It's the same realm I think

Also few people know it is an opening to the finnworld, Birgitte only knows it because of her past life.

[Majsju]

It's spelled Ghenjei.

 

I think the tower is the main entrance. That the twisted doors are ter'angreal strongly suggests they are made after the finn realms were discovered. Perhaps as a way to enforce the rules we've seen a bit of. Or to make it possible to visit the finns of your choice. It is a bit hard to even guess when we know so extremely little about the tower.

Also, back in the days the tower was far more known. Most of the people whose memories Mat now possess came from people who entered through the tower.

 

And I don't see it as weird that so few have seen the tower these days. it may be somewhat close from a pure geographical point of view, but that is from the perspective of a 20th century person from our world, where traveling several kilometers can be done in minutes.

People in the Two Rivers would most likely not travel very much. A bunch may have made it to Baerlon, a few really adventurous as far as Whitebridge. But they would have taken the road from Baerlon to Whitebridge. I don't think it is a coincidence that the one person they found traveling the river was a smuggler, who would want to avoid too much attention. Moiraine and the gang were supposed to take the road as well, it was only because they were forced way off, and then got separated at SL, that Rand and Mat came even close.

[xander]

I am wondering if the kid that Mat has taken care of for so long will somehow factor in at the tower?  Doesn't he always want to play the "Snakes and Foxes" game?  Even though its just a game, it must somehow be related to the real tower.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[aevogt]

Also, we must remember that the tower is visible from the Arinelle, 10 days by riverboat (probably about 400 miles) north of Whitebridge which puts it probably the same distance from Baerlon. 

 

Based on the big map on the Tor site, the river is at least 10 days from the road, based onthe fact the it was 10 days (a week) from Emonds field to Baerlon and it looks to be roughly equidistant on the map.  Couple that with the fact that, since villages between Baerlon and Whitebridge are apparently few and far between, it's probably no one lives within 10 days (200 miles on foot) of the Tower. Much to far to walk for no reason, unless you already knew it was there.

 

It was something of a coincidence that the boys, Rand and Mat on Bayle Domon's boat and Perrin in TAR, even encountered it.

[sombrastewart]

I am wondering if the kid that Mat has taken care of for so long will somehow factor in at the tower?  Doesn't he always want to play the "Snakes and Foxes" game?  Even though its just a game, it must somehow be related to the real tower.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

Yes.  You can't win at Snakes and Foxes unless you cheat.  I've been waiting for Mat to storm in there and kick some Finn tail since I read about Aludra's matches... erm, strikers.

[Guest Dreadlord]

They do see the Tower of Ghenjie in EotW Im sure of it

[aevogt]

Yes, after they escape Shadar Logoth and Thom, Rand and Mat hitch a ride on Bayle Domon's riverboat as he is on his way to illian from Saldea down the river Arinelle

[Paviel]

Also, we must remember that the tower is visible from the Arinelle, 10 days by riverboat (probably about 400 miles) north of Whitebridge which puts it probably the same distance from Baerlon.

 

Ten days "at the rate we go", which was quite slow.

 

Of course, I have no idea how fast a riverboat can go downstream... and why would it use a sail anyway? Isn't the river's current more reliable than the wind?

[BrainFireBob]

Speculation is that the "web" of the board game reflects the reality of the Finns- one of their worlds was all angles and curves, one of them was all straight lines. Most probably, the geography of their world is a spiderweb. Since the game maintains you must go from center to edge and back, one would guess that if you entered the Tower into the realm of the Snakes, you must exit via the world of the Foxes- and that the only interstices between the two are the center, and the outside "edge" of the web.

[cheyjade]

Of course, I have no idea how fast a riverboat can go downstream... and why would it use a sail anyway? Isn't the river's current more reliable than the wind?

 

They were running from Trollocs. They wanted every scrap of speed they could eke out of the boat. Current+Oars+Sails=Faster than just drifting downstream.

 

(did they use oars? i ferget..)

[aevogt]

As the veteran of many, many boat trips down the mighty, mighty Susquehanna River as a teenager (insert sarcasm here, I know I did) a float trip gets about 20 miles in daylight.  The Aarkansas river here in Colorado (don't ask) flows much much faster but it's hardly a river you'd use for trade unless you couldn't avoid it.

 

The General Clinton Canoe Regatta (on that same river from my misspent youth) requires two paddlers to go 70 miles and if those two paddlers in good shape and have put in the hours training, they can do it in 8-10 hours with the water low (and therefore sloooow) and as few as 5 or 6 if the water is high and frisky.  River travel is not fast but as you never have to feed or rest a ship (as you would a horse) it's faster thatn land travel.

 

Since water is water everywhere you go, it's not unreasonable to assume they were making 35 to 45 miles a day using the sweeps, sails, and current, as well as continuing to travel at night. 

 

You can back this up a little by Jorin's (Sea Folk Windfinder) assertion that 10 days to from Tear to Tanchico is as fast as a water craft (Sea Folk Raker) can go.  That's using the Power to speed the ship to something like 300 miles a day, or roughly 12.5 miles per hour.  Assuming 3000 miles to (Graceland) Tanchico, which is probably pretty close.