What Mission Did Verin Give Alanna

[Sharaman]

Verin knows about the dark prophesy. She knows who Luc is, she knows who Isam is. She knows something about TAR. She might be able to put it together.

[GYLD]

Slayer was the Shadow's tool long before the Forsaken were active.

 

From chapter 22 of Winter's Heart,

 

Few save the Chosen knew how to reach him, and none of the men among those few could channel, or would have dared trying to command him. His services were always begged, except by the Great Lord himself, and more recently the Chosen...

 

Since he does not exclude women who could channel, it's quite possible Verin would know of Slayer without even reading the Dark Prophecy.

[Luckers]

Question:

How would Verin know about Slayer ? She's been good at digging information on the BA, ok, but it seems Slayer is a Forsaken-only tool, and a precious one. Why would Messaana even hint at the existence of such a creature in front of Verin ? Or, is there some info about other BA (Alviarin ?) knowing about Slayer ?

 

 

Verin already knows enough--she knows of the prophecy about Luc and Isam, she met Luc and heard the Trollocs shouting 'ISAM', and remarked that it was interesting. That provides more than enough for her to begin an investigation--and from there, as GYLD showed, Slayer is known amongst Darkfriends, if not widely. And as Verin said--she can be very methodical.

[OptimusPrime]

I reckon Verin told Alanna that someone was going to ask for Rands bond, and that she should give it when asked.

[Mats Spare Hat]

Pff...Isn't it obvious? I thought everyone knew she sent her to pick up an order of spring rolls from P.F. Changs.

 

 

...

[DPT24]

Considering how unexpected the contents of Verin's letter to Mat was, I'm not sure how close we'll get with Galad's and Alanna's.

[OptimusPrime]

Considering how unexpected the contents of Verin's letter to Mat was, I'm not sure how close we'll get with Galad's and Alanna's.

 

Thing is, Alanna is quite an important character on the sly what with her bond to Rand, she is the expendable one. Plus she doesnt have a reason to ignore/avoid/be paranoid of the letter like Mat did.

 

I hope we do learn about Alannas.

[Narus]

I originally posted this in the thread on Alanna's bond to Rand, but it's not really about that topic so I moved it here.

 

Here is a thought. What if Verin sent Alanna after Slayer? After all, Slayer was the one thing Verin had left undone, the one element of the Shadow she was kept from opposing. Alanna, meanwhile, is the one Aes Sedai that would recognise Luc, and Slayer probably lives somewhere in the Blight (I'm presuming that Verin hunted down this information--she is quite methodical and note the conversation between them about Luc's made-up last name sounding like it was from the Borderlands).

 

In addition it'd explain why Brandon and RJ didn't simply have Perrin kill him--if anyone has a greater claim to ending Slayer, it's the woman who first discovered his existence in tGH. The woman forced to put up with his presence in tSR.

i have a feeling that Allana is just one of the black sisters Verin didn't catch.

[Sharaman]

I originally posted this in the thread on Alanna's bond to Rand, but it's not really about that topic so I moved it here.

 

Here is a thought. What if Verin sent Alanna after Slayer? After all, Slayer was the one thing Verin had left undone, the one element of the Shadow she was kept from opposing. Alanna, meanwhile, is the one Aes Sedai that would recognise Luc, and Slayer probably lives somewhere in the Blight (I'm presuming that Verin hunted down this information--she is quite methodical and note the conversation between them about Luc's made-up last name sounding like it was from the Borderlands).

 

In addition it'd explain why Brandon and RJ didn't simply have Perrin kill him--if anyone has a greater claim to ending Slayer, it's the woman who first discovered his existence in tGH. The woman forced to put up with his presence in tSR.

i have a feeling that Allana is just one of the black sisters Verin didn't catch.

 

Very very small chance specifically with these two. Verin-Alanna spent many months together on their own in the Two Rivers and afterwards. The BA has signals to discreetly check for other members - read the section in LoC, where Katerine Alruddin thinks of learning about Galina's affiliations. Verin would have checked if Alanna was BA.

[Narus]

I originally posted this in the thread on Alanna's bond to Rand, but it's not really about that topic so I moved it here.

 

Here is a thought. What if Verin sent Alanna after Slayer? After all, Slayer was the one thing Verin had left undone, the one element of the Shadow she was kept from opposing. Alanna, meanwhile, is the one Aes Sedai that would recognise Luc, and Slayer probably lives somewhere in the Blight (I'm presuming that Verin hunted down this information--she is quite methodical and note the conversation between them about Luc's made-up last name sounding like it was from the Borderlands).

 

In addition it'd explain why Brandon and RJ didn't simply have Perrin kill him--if anyone has a greater claim to ending Slayer, it's the woman who first discovered his existence in tGH. The woman forced to put up with his presence in tSR.

i have a feeling that Allana is just one of the black sisters Verin didn't catch.

 

Very very small chance specifically with these two. Verin-Alanna spent many months together on their own in the Two Rivers and afterwards. The BA has signals to discreetly check for other members - read the section in LoC, where Katerine Alruddin thinks of learning about Galina's affiliations. Verin would have checked if Alanna was BA.

if Verin looks for signals with out announcing that she's black as well than you might be right. i don't think she would reveal her self as BA through those signals just to find out if someone else was black. she's better than that as far as i'm concerned. i just find it a bit peculiar that she goes poof just when rand get's his head straight.

on the other hand, maybe she got knocked on the head by moradin and dragged off to BT to be a plaything for some merdral (not sure how to spell that, i listened to all the books on audio) and gets to be used against Rand at the final battle.

[Southpaw89]

Alanna is probably off sleeping around with Logain

[Hopefire]

My suspicion is that Verin convinced Alanna to finish what she started. Right now, my leading theory is that Alanna has gone to the Blight, and joined the Black Ajah massing there with Trollocs and Fades and such. It's quite possible that Verin's true loyalties are still unknown to the Black Ajah - while Egwene did make a statement about it, if I recall it was to the Hall, and none of the Black Ajah who could have potentially heard it made it out. So, the only ones who could have heard how things went down are dead. The only possible exception is Messana, but who knows what she deigned to pass along.

 

Anyhow, if Alanna shows up with the "go team Shadow!" banner flying and "Verin Sedai recruited me" she should get a spot in the roster. This puts her in a position to pull off a betrayal of the Shadow at a critical moment.

[yoniy0]

if I recall it was to the Hall, and none of the Black Ajah who could have potentially heard it made it out. So, the only ones who could have heard how things went down are dead.

Sheriam and Moria are dead, true enough, but they did make it out. For all we know they could've shouted about it all the way to their execution. Not to mention, the DO seems to have some ability with the souls of his servants.

 

Anyhow, if Alanna shows up with the "go team Shadow!" banner flying and "Verin Sedai recruited me"

Ah, but it really isn't as simple as that. They have hierarchy, a structure. Someone would have to decide which Heart to put her in, someone who's permitted to know she's Black. That must mean that the ruling council do the recruiting, or at least have to approve them. Not to mention the ceremonies, including the making of the Oaths.

[Bluedust9]

I always felt Alanna was the backup plan for Verin in case something ever happened to her, an apprentice of sorts.

[Pandemonium]

I personally don't know if we can figure out what Alanna's mission is. Alanna is almost as mysterious as Verin herself. For example, why did Verin choose to go to the Two Rivers with Alanna out of all Aes Sedai? It almost certainly had something to do with Verin catching wind of Slayer's plan to bring trollocs to the Two Rivers. Verin always did everything very purposefully. I would say Luckers is probably right. Slayer is probably one of Verin's bigger projects. Verin probably knows more about Slayer than anyone besides Moridin and the Great Lord himself. Verin must have known that Slayer had a huge role to play in the Last Battle. Possibly something to do with 'his blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul' or something like that.

I wonder if Verin was able to piece together that Luc and Rand are related yet. Based on Galad's letter and his reaction, I would imagine that Verin has figured this out. Verin probably knows pretty much everything.

 

Alanna is part of Verin's bigger plan, but Sanderson has purposely decided to shield us to the full extend of what Verin was planning. Besides the final confrontation at Shayol Ghul, Verin's plan is one of the things I am most excited about in AMoL.

[Edynol]

Sheriam and Moria are dead, true enough, but they did make it out. For all we know they could've shouted about it all the way to their execution. Not to mention, the DO seems to have some ability with the souls of his servants.

 

Remember they kept everyone they outted in a spereate section that was sealed off, then executed them all at once. Not to mention they had probably gagged them with air so they couldn't yell out an alert.

[yoniy0]

Remember they kept everyone they outted in a spereate section that was sealed off, then executed them all at once. Not to mention they had probably gagged them with air so they couldn't yell out an alert.

You are correct that they didn't have contact with another Black before they died (unless one managed to defeat the OR ala Mesaana), but they did with many non-Blacks, and we know from Egwene's PoV that Sheriam was far from silent before her execution. Once the knowledge is widespread, I hazard a guess that the Shadow will catch a sniff of it.

[Ferdawoon]

The most common, the attack on Arafel. WE know that Verin knows about some of the Shadow's military movements (ie- the attack on Caemyln) and has already sent a letter to Mat about it. Evidence looks favourably on Verin knowing something about the particulars of the Borderland invasion and wrote a letter to combat that (just like she did with Mat.)

Well, Rand got a letter in the prologue, and we never know what it says. We do know that he happen to show up just in time to prevent the shadow winning. (cant remember the place..).

That is something that is quite probably that Verin told him in her letter.

[yoniy0]

We do know that he happen to show up just in time to prevent the shadow winning. (cant remember the place..).

That is something that is quite probably that Verin told him in her letter.

I disagree. He did show up in the nick of time at Maradon, but Ituralde has already been waiting for him for days when he did, so...

More importantly, the Borderlands invasion isn't something that would've caught anyone unawares, it was pretty much a given at some point in time. And there's no choke point (ala the Caemlyn Waygate) which Rand could seal to ward it off - the trollocs were coming no matter what. From there on it's just a matter of stalling/defensive maneuvers, and Rand has indeed stationed some forces in the Borderlands to do just that. What more could Verin tell him?

[Sharaman]

Yes Ituralda's Ashaman would have got word to Rand's forces. Quite apart from the fact that Maradon had been evacuated so, any scouts operating elsewhere in Saldaea would know about refugees.

So Verin doesn't have to be a deux ex machina for Maradon.

 

However, she could have tasked Alanna to do something very specific in Arafel (where BTW there is a choke-point in the twin forts) and that might have been triggered by details she knew about the invasion.

Since Alanna is from Arafel and she's up in the Borderlands according to Rand, that's a reasonable guess.

[yoniy0]

Arafel (where BTW there is a choke-point in the twin forts)

That's on the road to Kandor, not to TV, for example. And south is where the trollocs are going, most likely.

[Samhain]

I suppose we will have to wait for the new testament book: The Letters of Verin Sedai to the People of the Dragon.

[Sharaman]

Arafel (where BTW there is a choke-point in the twin forts)

That's on the road to Kandor, not to TV, for example. And south is where the trollocs are going, most likely.

It could be both - if the road comes from the West (Kandor) and then forks with one fork wandering South down into Arafel as well as one fork heading East to Shienar. We're talking mountains here, so it doesn't necessarily have to be a straight road.

I think there's a descriptor that suggests it is a choke point on the road going South as well. Something like "Arafel had stopped the trolloc attacks there many times". Don't have the book so can't tell for sure.

[yoniy0]

It could be both

Yes, now that I read the paragraph again, I think you're right. Kaisel's presence confused my, I guess.

[Asgard Thorin]

I originally posted this in the thread on Alanna's bond to Rand, but it's not really about that topic so I moved it here.

 

Here is a thought. What if Verin sent Alanna after Slayer? After all, Slayer was the one thing Verin had left undone, the one element of the Shadow she was kept from opposing. Alanna, meanwhile, is the one Aes Sedai that would recognise Luc, and Slayer probably lives somewhere in the Blight (I'm presuming that Verin hunted down this information--she is quite methodical and note the conversation between them about Luc's made-up last name sounding like it was from the Borderlands).

 

In addition it'd explain why Brandon and RJ didn't simply have Perrin kill him--if anyone has a greater claim to ending Slayer, it's the woman who first discovered his existence in tGH. The woman forced to put up with his presence in tSR.

 

Hey, Luckers. I think Verin didn't send Alanna anywhere. I think it was a trap, rigged to look like Verin's work. The Shadow knew what was going on as soon as Sheriam's cover was blown (I think).