Taim at Dumai's Wells

[Thorum]

A question that was not answered in Lord of Chaos:

 

How did Taim know where Rand was at the time of the fighting at Dumai's Wells?

[WWWwombat]

RJ said he went to see Rand, found him missing and then started gateway hopping along the road to Tar Valon.

[Thorum]

And how would he then know Rand was going to Tar Valon?

The gateways started quite exactly in the middle of Dumai's Wells. No hopping around could ever achieve that. Even with 'only' the area between Cairhien and TV to search. He had 'reason to visit you [Rand] in Cairhien, and ...'. And decided to teleport to Dumai's Wells. That's a direct quote from the end of Lord of Chaos.

[WWWwombat]

And how would he then know Rand was going to Tar Valon?

The gateways started quite exactly in the middle of Dumai's Wells. No hopping around could ever achieve that. Even with 'only' the area between Cairhien and TV to search. He had 'reason to visit you [Rand] in Cairhien, and ...'. And decided to teleport to Dumai's Wells. That's a direct quote from the end of Lord of Chaos.

 

Cuz Taim is paranoid when it comes to Aes Sedai.

[mb]

Another thread discussed how Taim found Rand.

 

Taim knowing the direction, that might be doubtful.

Taim may have gotten word of the White Tower's embassy and might have deduced that they have gone there after not finding them.

Or maybe servants in the Cairhien palace told Taim where Rand went.

 

[Muad Cheade]

Yes. There is another thread. http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,48614.0.html

 

Taimcame to Cairhien. He found out that first the Aes Sedai had left a little bit ago towards Tar Valon, then he found out Rand had supposedly Traveled shortly before the Aes Sedai left and finally the Lord Dragon's right hand man, Lord Dobraine and 500 hundred of his men, 200 Mayener Winged Guards and 6,000 Aiel left in the same direction as the Aes Sedai. It'd be easy to deduce that Rand was captured.

 

He then Traveled on the road until he found the battle underway and Traveled back to the Black Tower to get the Asha'man and the rest is history.

[Syricon]

While Taim know which way to travel is a bit of a stretch to me, its not completely impossible.  Once that is known the rest is not only plausible, but almost certain.

 

Taim, somehow knowing that the Tower AS have taken Rand starts hopping off in that direction.  He’s obviously counting on being able to see the group traveling from some distance away.  Keep in mind it’s quite a large group with the 13 AS, their hangers on and the younglings.  He can probably take three to five mile hops, taking only a moment to look around before moving on.  With this in mind, landing with-in two miles of the Well’s is very easy to imagine.  The Chaos that was going on there would have been visible from perhaps even ten miles away.  Of course he would go closer to investigate.

 

Upon getting a little closer, its not hard to see what was going on, it’s a quick hop back to the black tower, and then back to save Rand.

 

[Leezus]

I think the topic is pretty well covered with Taim's deducing the likelihood of Rand's capture by the Tower's Sisters, and then gateway hopping till he found them. However, it doesn't even take that much explaining, however little and simple it is. If Taim had just made a random gateway from some place he didn't know, it's entirely possible that Rand's being Ta'avaren could have pulled Taim right to him.

 

Speculation based on chance, coincidence or luck are never quite so uncertain as they seem in the Wheel of Time.

[Agitel]

Gateway hopping could work. I doubt the jump into the middle of the frenzy was blind, no doubt he could have scouted first and gone unnoticed.

 

But let's also consider that if Taim is a darkfriend, it's quite possible he knew what was up, or was given orders.

[ghenjei]

Gateway hopping could work. I doubt the jump into the middle of the frenzy was blind, no doubt he could have scouted first and gone unnoticed.

 

But let's also consider that if Taim is a darkfriend, it's quite possible he knew what was up, or was given orders.

 

He probably hopped, saw the battle in the distance, ran back to the Black Tower, gathered the boys, and came back to kick some Shaido / annoying Aes Sedai tail.

 

I think RJ's answer on this closes the file.