The Scent of Blood

[Luckers]

A thread specifically for the discussion of who may have died/been injured in Mat's tent. Requested by Charlz Guybon.

[Baletickle_to_da_face!]

There, he froze. That scent . . .

 

Blood.

 

It's Elayne.

 

*Cue comic "You have to deliver the babies, Mat!" scene*

[Luckers]

eiww?

[b3arz3rg3r]

We know that it isn't Olver. He has to survive till the end of the book so he can suffer properly according to Jason.

 

My guess would be Lopin.

[Baletickle_to_da_face!]

eiww?

 

Oh sure, if it's another one of Mat's cohorts with his throat ripped out and blood sucked dry we just read on as a matter of course. But if it's the miracle of child birth...it's gotta be ew :p

[Luckers]

eiww?

 

Oh sure, if it's another one of Mat's cohorts with his throat ripped out and blood sucked dry we just read on as a matter of course. But if it's the miracle of child birth...it's gotta be ew :p

 

Yes. No more propogating the species.

 

Also I edited the poll to add Tomas--I reckon its possible Verin left him around to prompt Mat should she not return, and that he has been injured by Darkfriends hunting him.

[b3arz3rg3r]

eiww?

 

Oh sure, if it's another one of Mat's cohorts with his throat ripped out and blood sucked dry we just read on as a matter of course. But if it's the miracle of child birth...it's gotta be ew :p

 

Yes. No more propogating the species.

 

Also I edited the poll to add Tomas--I reckon its possible Verin left him around to prompt Mat should she not return, and that he has been injured by Darkfriends hunting him.

 

You think she was lying when she told Egwene that Tomas was spending his final hour with his family?

[Luckers]

Also I edited the poll to add Tomas--I reckon its possible Verin left him around to prompt Mat should she not return, and that he has been injured by Darkfriends hunting him.

 

You think she was lying when she told Egwene that Tomas was spending his final hour with his family?

 

I think its possible--the way she said it 'spending his last hour' as if he, like her, had to die within an hour of her betrayal, is strange. He was not sworn on the Oath Rod, and she could simply have released the bond--so why did he also have a specified 'hour'?

 

People say he'd be a hunted man--and I'm directly suggesting that's so--but he was a Warder. Hardly a coward. I don't see why he'd go blithely to his death when he could have stayed around to try and follow up on some of Verin's unfinished business.

 

That's what I suggest, that after seeing how stubborn Mat was, she left Tomas in Caemlyn with instructions that had she not returned past a certain date, he was to try and push Mat into opening the letter.

[Stevros]

I think one of theBand's officers would likely give a report to Mat when he gets back to camp in the evening in his tent. I don't think it has to be one of the top two Talmanes or Daerid; so my guess is one of Edorion/Estean/Carlomin/Reimon etc etc

[Hael Me]

There, he froze. That scent . . .

 

Blood.

 

Mat looked into the tent. In a pool of blood on the floor lay a heap of corpses. One was a Trolloc. He recognized Narg from Rand's description. The other was a horse. Could it be Bela, Egwene's old horse? The third one was surely one of the Forsaken, judging from the bloody t-shirt on the dead body that said: "I went to Shayol Ghul and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." The sour face on the corpse and the hook-nosed profile wasn't familiar to Mat...

 

Come on, either is Lopin or some random soldier/sentry. At worst it's Carlomin or Reimon, some guy we haven't seen in a while

[WMTom]

I think it might be Elayne. She is due to give bith anytime now. I do not think the gholam caused the death, he drinks the blood, would there be a heavy scent of blood if he fed? Elayne came to visit Mat (not sure why she came out to his camp) and began her labor pains there. This was my initial thought.

[Luckers]

I think it might be Elayne. She is due to give bith anytime now. I do not think the gholam caused the death, he drinks the blood, would there be a heavy scent of blood if he fed? Elayne came to visit Mat (not sure why she came out to his camp) and began her labor pains there. This was my initial thought.

 

 

Actually Elayne is only four or five months pregnant at this point.

[b3arz3rg3r]

I think it might be Elayne. She is due to give bith anytime now. I do not think the gholam caused the death, he drinks the blood, would there be a heavy scent of blood if he fed? Elayne came to visit Mat (not sure why she came out to his camp) and began her labor pains there. This was my initial thought.

 

 

Actually Elayne is only four or five months pregnant at this point.

 

Perhaps she's about to go through

. Five months is plenty for incubating an alien lifeform which will take over the world.

[dwn]

First of all, I predict that, whoever it is, is severely wounded rather than dead. I also predict it's not one of gholam's victims.

 

My looney vote is for Birgitte, bringing word to Mat of some snare Elayne has gotten caught up in.

 

Some supporting thoughts:

 

1) Mat has been thinking about the gholam for much of the chapter; I think this is to purposely mislead us into thinking an attack is imminent.

 

2) Lacking allies who could Travel, Birgitte would logically seek out Mat for assistance.

 

3) A threat to Elayne is something that would definitely cause Mat to open Verin's letter early.

 

My main counterargument is that, due to the timeline, the previous 7 chapters likely deal heavily with Perrin, so I'm not sure there's room for a serious threat to Elayne to develop.

 

-- dwn

[Ataxia]

Its most likely Lopin but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Tomas. If hes gone on a killing dark friend spree, hes bound to be beat up and bloody.

[Sid]

There, he froze. That scent . . .

 

Blood.

 

Chapter 9

Yet Another Bath

.. and bloody ashes! What kind of scented soap is this? It was the last thing he expected to smell in this camp, much less his own tent.

Stepping under the flap and into the tent he found Elayne Trakand and a half dozen attendants in palace livery with the White Lion of Andor on their chests. How on earth did they get a bloody copper tub into his tent?

"It seems you're a wanted man, Master Cauthon."

Suddenly he was flanked by two women in some very interesting armor. From the way they held their sword and cudgel however, he didn't think his best grin would be appropriate here. He shrugged to make sure he could feel the dagger hanging down his back.

"I see that you're finally responding to my messages, but couldn't you have cleaned up before coming out here? I have to admit it's a little distracting."

"I am told that the Shaido Wise Ones each bathe two and three times a day. I will not be outdone by that trollop Sevanna! My meeting with you and my mid-afternoon bath simply had to be done at the same time. The duties of a Queen keep me much too busy to afford the luxury of avoiding multiple tasks at once. Now, about these pictures that my clerks brought to my attention a few days past..."

He noticed the sapphire necklace she wore with matching earrings! Nothing too good for a bloody queen! and guessed the lot of them could get him an entire team of horses even in this day and age. Wait. A few days?

 

 

 

 

Sometimes inspiration strikes. anywho I'd bet the blood is from his servant, Lopin.

[-ZanMgt- OneNight]

Oh please let it be Elayne!

[yoniy0]

.. and bloody ashes!

ROFLMAO

Genius!

[Luckers]

Lol! Sid that was great.

[Charlz Guybon]

Voted Lopin, though the most interesting answer would probably be Tomas.

[Luckers]

Voted Lopin, though the most interesting answer would probably be Tomas.

 

The more I think about it, the more I like Tomas. Verin originally wanted Mat's oath that he would follow it if she couldn't tend to it herself. She didn't realise he wouldn't promise without knowing what it contained (we see her realise this), which left her in something of a bind. She still hoped to be able to deal with it herself, but she'd likely want to ensure that it would be dealt with should she not be able to.

 

So she leaves Tomas behind with instructions to push should it become apparent that she die--by which I mean, should she not return from the tower.

 

We know she's dead at this point, it would be precisely when she'd want someone to begin to push Mat to open the letter.

[Random Man]

Voted Lopin, though the most interesting answer would probably be Tomas.

 

The more I think about it, the more I like Tomas. Verin originally wanted Mat's oath that he would follow it if she couldn't tend to it herself. She didn't realise he wouldn't promise without knowing what it contained (we see her realise this), which left her in something of a bind. She still hoped to be able to deal with it herself, but she'd likely want to ensure that it would be dealt with should she not be able to.

 

So she leaves Tomas behind with instructions to push should it become apparent that she die--by which I mean, should she not return from the tower.

 

We know she's dead at this point, it would be precisely when she'd want someone to begin to push Mat to open the letter.

Okay, but Verin's not dead yet at this point in Mat's timeline. In fact, she won't be dead for probably another 15 to 20 days. So why would Tomas show up now?

[Luckers]

Voted Lopin, though the most interesting answer would probably be Tomas.

 

The more I think about it, the more I like Tomas. Verin originally wanted Mat's oath that he would follow it if she couldn't tend to it herself. She didn't realise he wouldn't promise without knowing what it contained (we see her realise this), which left her in something of a bind. She still hoped to be able to deal with it herself, but she'd likely want to ensure that it would be dealt with should she not be able to.

 

So she leaves Tomas behind with instructions to push should it become apparent that she die--by which I mean, should she not return from the tower.

 

We know she's dead at this point, it would be precisely when she'd want someone to begin to push Mat to open the letter.

Okay, but Verin's not dead yet at this point in Mat's timeline. In fact, she won't be dead for probably another 15 to 20 days. So why would Tomas show up now?

 

Yes, she is. I don't know what's up specifically with the timelines, but the rumours are too specific. The attack on the White Tower has occured and that means Verin is dead. And yes, I have read Brandon's comments about the timeline and the rumours. Whatever aspects of the rumours aren't correct, it is still after the attack on the the Tower.

[csarmi]

It can't be after the attack on the white tower. That'd mean the timeline is messed up completely and I don't think it's possible to make so huge of a blunder.

There is something with those rumors, however... Something is very wrong here.

[Baletickle_to_da_face!]

It can't be after the attack on the white tower. That'd mean the timeline is messed up completely and I don't think it's possible to make so huge of a blunder.

There is something with those rumors, however... Something is very wrong here.

 

The quote...

 

"News?” Mat said. “No, I’ve heard no news. Rumors though . . . I’ve a brainful of those. Some say the White Tower has been reunified, which is what you’re probably talking about. But I’ve also heard just as many claiming that it is still at war. And that the Amyrlin fought the Last Battle in Rand’s place, and that the Aes Sedai have decided to raise an army of soldiers by giving birth to them, and that flying monsters attacked the White Tower. That last one is probably just stories of raken drifting up from the south. But I think the one about Aes Sedai raising an army of babies holds some water.”

 

Unless you have some pretty strong, specific reason why Verin's death could not have occured yet, I would consider this nearly airtight.

 

While there is always the slightest chance there may be some misdirection on the part of the author going on here, I just don't see it. The Tower is reunified. There was a battle. And there were Raken. And you can go further and say these rumors are obviously convincing the Aes Sedai themselves to finally are heading off for the Tower.

 

Do you actually have any specific reason why the timeline could not be as Luckers is saying?

 

Also, keep in mind that ToM and TGS were written alongside one another to some extent. So it is highly unlikely there is author error involved. We are reading these novels a year apart, but it seems likely that besides whatever filling out he has had to do with ToM's narrative, Brandon, Harriet, and maybe even Jordan himself set these timelines in place as a single narrative. I think TGS gives the false impression of being "out of control" in continuity because we have only seen half of the story....