The Seven Striped-Lass

[aunt_pol]

Well we know RJ didn't write every word of any chapter, did he? Feels like Brandon's Mat, to me, but hugely better than TGS.

 

Yeah, Sid, I'd say it'd be Birgitte - she'd prob have a few ideers to take the slithery fecker on, too.

[cortezthekiller]

Also, this is an interesting page on Brandon's site:

 

"Pages currently available for Towers of Midnight in Sample Chapters"

 

Perhaps we are in for more! ;)

[cortezthekiller]

Also, I didn't see this mentioned, but this being chapter 8 confirms that the chapter names we unlocked are not in order, in case there was still doubt out there.

[Luckers]

So I think this makes it very likely that Blood in the Air is a Mat chapter, and likely Chapter Nine.

 

Other things I noticed--one, a break in the clouds. Excellent. Two, the Shadow has invaded the Borderlands. Interesting.

 

Also, I agree that Elayne must be either out of the city or incapacitated in some way or else she would have summonded Mat.

[ravenfier]

just had a thought, Elyane snuck out and hid in Mat's tent to speek with him and thats where she gave birth, hence the smell of blood, lol.

 

Eyalne- "Hi Mat hope you dont mind me using your second favorite coat to wrap my babes in..... Man i need a bath." muhahahahahaha

[Hotncold]

A thought.. Verin reveals Black Sisters in his camp. Doubt it, but it's a thought...

 

Yea, I had the same thought on a reread of CoT. Tuon and Selucia snap adams around the necks of Teslyn, Joline, and Edsina. Tuon specifically says to Edsina, you have a dark taint upon you, nevertheless you will learn to be a good damane through service to the Empire. Seems to maybe foreshadow that Edsina's of the Black Ajah.

 

And as far as the Great Hunt overall and the quality of the partial chapter it unlocked, Brandon hit a home run. Its outta the park folks, a game ending grand slam.

[Hotncold]

I don't remember Mat being so boob crazy but whatever, I guess Marriage really has changed him up. I did love him complaining about his coat.

 

I knew I liked Teslyn for a good reason, it is rather momentous to actually get a freaking THANK YOU from someone. Geez.

 

Yea, the reading of Mat belaboring over every woman he saw got old fast.

[GB]

good chapter :)

 

and Mat looking for woman for everyone else, was funny :) one for Vanin, one for Talmanes

 

but yes the Elayne part is strange.

 

Could be related to her relief somehow?

 

Could be that the BA sister in Camelyn have attempted something?

[Luckers]

What's with the stories of Aes Sedai giving birth to an army of babies?

[Deadsy]

What's with the stories of Aes Sedai giving birth to an army of babies?

 

I assumed it was because of the 1000 novices, and then it was warped beyond recognition.

 

 

Is anyone else happy just to have Caemlyn as a setting? Maybe I'm a nerd but it feels like "home." I'm a sucker for reunions and the two big ones happened there. I just like having the characters there. Except when it's Elayne by herself.

[MikeRiley]

What's with the stories of Aes Sedai giving birth to an army of babies?

 

This would probably be wild rumor about the Younglings.

 

It might not be the gholam that was around Mat's tent. Lots of blood has me remembering Herid Fel's death and we still don't know who killed him. Some theories did say the gholam did it, though. Maybe a darkhound?

 

Also, reading this chapter it got me wondering what Robert Jordan thought of all the plot debating that goes on. There are a lot of wild theories out there that come from the smallest things in the books and it seems exactly like the rumors that are always spreading around in the series. I know if I was him, knowing the whole plot from book 1 to book 14 and beyond, I'd be having a great time reading the debates.

[Random Man]

Anyone else notice the timeline seems a bit out of whack? According to Brandon, Verin killed herself 30 days after giving the letter to Mat. Yet in "The Seven-striped Lass," there's already rumors in Caemlyn of the reunited Tower, the Seanchan attack, and a Shadowspawn invasion out of the Blight that had only been in the preparation stages in TGS. But Mat's still within the 30-day restriction Verin gave him. Something's not quite right here.

[Luckers]

The Younglings make no sense though--they've been around for books and books. If they were enough to cause these rumours then they would have appeared after Siuan was deposed, or Dumai's Well's.

 

The Novices may do it, rumours of 'grandmother' Aes Sedai, twisted... but I still don't see how that would be armies.

 

 

Another thought, it occurs to me that rumours of invasion in the borderlands could be the skewed results of Trolloc assaults on Ebou Dar.

[Random Man]

I'm still not sure if I buy your theory Terez...

It's not for sale. ;) Feel free to bet against it, though...funnily enough, I offer that all the time, and no one has taken me up on it yet.

I'll take your bet against it, what's your wager? I suppose I can offer writing a parody novella post-ToM on the plot of your choice. If you ever read The Blue in the Tower of Benji, you've got an idea of its worth. Which isn't a whole lot. But you've got to put up something in return. I'll take a bad bet, but I want a chance of walking away with something.

 

To be clear, my bet is against your theory that Gawyn kills Rand. Those are the terms. If Rand is physically killed by Gawyn, I'll pay up.

[Random Man]

The Younglings make no sense though--they've been around for books and books. If they were enough to cause these rumours then they would have appeared after Siuan was deposed, or Dumai's Well's.

 

The Novices may do it, rumours of 'grandmother' Aes Sedai, twisted... but I still don't see how that would be armies.

 

 

Another thought, it occurs to me that rumours of invasion in the borderlands could be the skewed results of Trolloc assaults on Ebou Dar.

 

I could see the multitude of new novices being the crux of the rumor. I doubt the rumors of a Trolloc invasion in the Borderlands is from Ebou Dar, since that wasn't exactly a widely-known event, and I doubt information is flowing all that quickly out of Seanchan-controlled lands. But the rumors that really get me are those of the unification of the Tower and the Seanchan attack on Tar Valon. That shouldn't have happened yet, if Mat's still under the 30-day restriction. And if the timeline got screwed up, then it's probably a rumor having to do with an actual Trolloc invasion.

[vasu619]

I am more worried than pissed by Elayne's lack of response. Even if she's being an idiot and has some stupid thing against Mat, she would either invite Thom or have some sense knocked into her by Birgitte. I hope its nothing serious.

[blackmore]

Totally feeling you about Cauthon being off a bit still, but it's still a vast improvement form "...the Dark One's blistering backside...". First thing I thought upon reading was that the chapter was poorly named; however is this only a fragment, or the whole chapter?

[Random Man]

Totally feeling you about Cauthon being off a bit still, but it's still a vast improvement form "...the Dark One's blistering backside...". First thing I thought upon reading was that the chapter was poorly named; however is this only a fragment, or the whole chapter?

 

Hey, I liked "The Dark One's blistering backside." Also, it's my guess that it's the whole chapter, considering the length. But there's no telling.

[FarShainMael]

Yeah, someone's dead in his tent. Unless it's the gholam he's smelling.

 

Nah. No self-respecting gholam would let good food go to waste! ;D

[MikeRiley]

I don't see a problem with the name. I think if they went with Three Inns then we would have known almost from the start of the hunt that it was a scene about a city. We already assumed it was after reading the chapter title, but there was enough room for doubt that some of us were thinking it was about Egwene. That The Seven Striped-Lass was an inn, it was suggested it was a Lugard name, I bet before Caemlyn was visible in the notes nobody had any real idea that would be the scene (beyond wishful thinking that it'd be Mat and his letter, maybe). The chapter titles are meant to be obscure enough that you don't get the next chapter repeatedly spoiled for you as you read the book. Imagine if they were titled "Lan dies" or "Mat saves the girls."

[Random Man]

Yeah, someone's dead in his tent. Unless it's the gholam he's smelling.

 

Nah. No self-respecting gholam would let good food go to waste! ;D

I meant if the gholam was in his tent after feasting on a fresh kill, instead of there being a dead body in it. The idea of the gholam being in the camp right then puts a chill down my spine. But more likely, he's killed and left, since he doesn't seem to be a very bright killer.

[FarShainMael]

The Younglings make no sense though--they've been around for books and books. If they were enough to cause these rumours then they would have appeared after Siuan was deposed, or Dumai's Well's.

 

The Novices may do it, rumours of 'grandmother' Aes Sedai, twisted... but I still don't see how that would be armies.

 

A reference to Egwene's 'army' of novices, that beat off the 'flying monsters', perhaps?

[Luckers]

That seems possible. :)

 

Also, I think the Gholam is too obvious for the source of the blood smell. Tomas maybe, wounded by those hunting him after Verin's betrayal, here to tell Mat that Verin is dead and prompt him to open the letter (I'm referring to my suggestion that Verin saying Tomas spent his last hour with family was a lie based on the fact that Tomas wasn't Aes Sedai, or bound by Oaths, and thus had no need to die when Verin did).

 

After all the letter was a contingency if she died, perhaps seeing how stubborn Mat was being about it, she left Tomas with instructions to prompt him should she die in the Tower.

[Random Man]

That seems possible. :)

 

Also, I think the Gholam is too obvious for the source of the blood smell. Tomas maybe, wounded by those hunting him after Verin's betrayal, here to tell Mat that Verin is dead and prompt him to open the letter (I'm referring to my suggestion that Verin saying Tomas spent his last hour with family was a lie based on the fact that Tomas wasn't Aes Sedai, or bound by Oaths, and thus had no need to die when Verin did).

 

After all the letter was a contingency if she died, perhaps seeing how stubborn Mat was being about it, she left Tomas with instructions to prompt him should she die in the Tower.

That's all well and fine, but Brandon did confirm that Verin killed herself one month after she gave the letter to Mat IIRC. In this new chapter, Mat's still got weeks to wait apparently, yet events that happened a month after his visit from Verin are already popping up as rumors? That doesn't seem right at all. Or did I hallucinate Brandon confirming the timeline? Steve Cooper has 25 days separating Verin giving Mat the letter and confessing to Egwene. That still wouldn't fit with this chapter.

[Luckers]

That seems possible. :)

 

Also, I think the Gholam is too obvious for the source of the blood smell. Tomas maybe, wounded by those hunting him after Verin's betrayal, here to tell Mat that Verin is dead and prompt him to open the letter (I'm referring to my suggestion that Verin saying Tomas spent his last hour with family was a lie based on the fact that Tomas wasn't Aes Sedai, or bound by Oaths, and thus had no need to die when Verin did).

 

After all the letter was a contingency if she died, perhaps seeing how stubborn Mat was being about it, she left Tomas with instructions to prompt him should she die in the Tower.

That's all well and fine, but Brandon did confirm that Verin killed herself one month after she gave the letter to Mat IIRC. In this new chapter, Mat's still got weeks to wait apparently, yet events that happened a month after his visit from Verin are already popping up as rumors? That doesn't seem right at all. Or did I hallucinate Brandon confirming the timeline? Steve Cooper has 25 days separating Verin giving Mat the letter and confessing to Egwene. That still wouldn't fit with this chapter.

 

 

Yeah I'm aware of the time line problems, but statements about when things should be happening fall away besides what is written to happen in the book. If rumours are reaching Caemlyn of the fight in the Tower, then Verin is dead, and Tomas free to act, not having heard from Verin to tell him otherwise.