5000 farmers that don't belong on fields of merrilor

[Gordar]

Am I the only one who thinks that those 5000 farmers, who look as if they don't belong, are in fact darkfriends, dreadlords and asha'man trained by Taim? If you think they're something else, would you like to share your idea?

 

5000 normal darkfriend farmers, most of whom don't even have a sword, probably aren't going to do much damage to the forces gathered there. I also doubt that 5000 untrained farmers are going to be of much help to the gathered forces, even if they serve the light, and to mention them just to be able to describe how 5000 farmers are slaughtered, ripped to pieces, eaten alive, etc. in the next book would be a bit weird.

[jwood01]

Sometimes farmers are just farmers. I do not expect them to be darkfriends. And I wouldn't dismiss 5000 farmers in WoT so quickly.... if they are anything like farmers from the Two Rivers, I would not want to fight them. Give them some pole-axes, bows, or some slings and they will certainly add to the armies of the light.

 

Also, if the farmers are from the borderlands, they probably have more experience killing Trollocs than any of the professional soldiers from the southlands.

[GYLD]

They're just farmers. Between the opening scene of the prologue in TGS and Apples First, it's quite clear that men and women all across Randland are being drawn to the Last Battle. This is just the result of that.

[Ataxia]

If Moridin had access to 5000 ashaman the world would already be destroyed

[Jimvzyl]

TGS and ToM prologues point to individual farmers grouping together and moving towards the Last Battle. Drawn to Rand.

 

We've been through so many towns in this book, many of which barely graze the borders of the ruling nations. I'm guessing Sanderson wants to show how- this is not a battle fought between armies and the shadow, but rather - humanity and the shadow. There's no excuse to sit out the Last Battle :)

[Blackhoof]

even if The Big Bang Theory is on?

 

 

i shall have to tape it

[OptimusPrime]

Nah, I didnt think they were Darkfriends at all. Remember the farmer who saw the black storm coming, and that guy told him to make a weapon out of his farming tools? The guy that told him to do that didnt sound like a Darkfriend. I imagined that guy to be in those farmers at FoM

 

I definitely dont think they were Darkfriends, just people pulled by Rand.

[WhiskyJack]

Probably they will join Perrin's army.

[Aliriel]

even if The Big Bang Theory is on?

 

 

i shall have to tape it

 

Damn those TV networks always putting the best shows on at the worst possible times!... Can I borrow it after you've watched it? My DVR spit the dummy and wont record anymore.

 

A.

[Jay Aldridge]

Nah, I didnt think they were Darkfriends at all. Remember the farmer who saw the black storm coming, and that guy told him to make a weapon out of his farming tools? The guy that told him to do that didnt sound like a Darkfriend. I imagined that guy to be in those farmers at FoM

 

I definitely dont think they were Darkfriends, just people pulled by Rand.

 

Thats my favorite prologue or them all. That blacksmith was so matter-of-fact about it all, it was kinda freaky. I think people like him make up the bulk of the farmers.

[mb]

A portion of the farmers might be darkfriends, but it seems certain that Renald Fanwar isn't.

And the guys that talk to him about going to north likely are not either.

 

About the Ashamen; all Ashamen seem to currently live at the Black Tower right now. Light sided channelers I guess would have different camps on the Field than Light sided non-channelers.

 

Dreadlords, Moridin and Demandred are the only saidin Forsaken left to train/gather the saidin ones. Most Dark sided forces I guess would camp in the Blight.

[Gordar]

Could this thread please be closed or merged with the followng thread?

 

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/59217-the-farmers-at-the-field-of-merrilor/

 

TIA

[Haggis]

Give them pikes and have them stand in front of archers or channelers and ta-da their useful. All they have to do is wait for trollocs to charge them.

[Thor]

they can help foraging >_> far more useful than standing in frontline.

[jwood01]

@Thor Borderland farmers may have more experience fighting trollocs than soldiers from Tear and Ilian.

[TheAngryDruid]

Though I can't say for certain, I thought it was pretty obvious those 5,000 were farmers from around Dragonmount, probably led by Almen Bunt (name?) as a result of apples first.

 

If they were from the Two Rivers, they wouldn't be camped there, they'd be with Perrin. And since Rand really hasn't been there that long (only a day or two), there really isn't time for them to get there via Rand's pull. It only makes sense unless they started before time (i.e. a month ago during the prologue).

[randsc]

They're not Darkfriends. They're the people, like Blunt and the Borderland smith, who are being drawn to the Dragon to fight in the last battle.

 

I predict there are going to end up being more than 5000 of them. A lot more. A whole lot more. And they may have something to do with upsetting Egwene's apple cart, since she seems to have made the mistake of believing that gathering kings, queens and lords is the same thing as gathering support.

[Suttree]

They're not Darkfriends. They're the people, like Blunt and the Borderland smith, who are being drawn to the Dragon to fight in the last battle.

 

I predict there are going to end up being more than 5000 of them. A lot more. A whole lot more. And they may have something to do with upsetting Egwene's apple cart, since she seems to have made the mistake of believing that gathering kings, queens and lords is the same thing as gathering support.

 

This.

 

I never understood why some people didn't link this together.

[Zhipp]

I thought they were all just normal farmers. Farmers in the WoT universe = Spartans. 5000 is a huge force, they'll strike a massive, lethal blow the the forces of the shadow on their own. All 'dem "actual" soldiers at tFOM? Yeah, might as well pack up and go home, 'cause the farmers have arrived.