Verin's Gamble

[Sharaman]

It's likely that Rand's letter did contain news about kidnapped monarchs.

We don't know if it may have contained something else.

[Winespring Patron]

Your wish has been answered. See BS's reddit discussion from yesterday: Terez has conveniently listed all of the WoT related QnA's on his blog. BS's answer was along the lines of

 

1) Verin does not know Mat as well as she thought

 

2) She included "redundancies" i.e., alternative plans. i take this to mean that, as you hypothesized Dreggs, other people got letters as well. Alanna is a likely possibility.

 

I had thought explanation 1) was the more likely answer, complications with her Black Ajah oaths seemed to have logic conflicts; ie. if she was afraid that someone might read it too early how could she even write it in the first place? How does one put treasonous words down on paper that circumvent oaths that are specifically designed to prevent Darkside "leaks"?

 

I hope these "redundancies" kick in before Caemlyn is in ashes, I trust Talmanes assessment of the situation. He no doubt saw a number of Cairhienin villages and towns burning during the civil war, even if he is not old enough to remember the capital buring in the original Aiel War.

 

Another potential catastrophe is the loss or capture of the Dragons. If Trollocs are too dumb to realize their significance the Fades commanding them will understand they represent a potential threat and will likely try to get some of the weapons back to Darkside "experts" or the Forsaken. If there is a Darkfriend in Mat's or Elayne's inner circle the Fades might know exactly where the storage place is and make it a priority target of the invasion (or raid?). Bronze has a much lower melting point then steel so there is still a danger of them being damaged even if the powder is not stored nearby, I can't see Aludra making that mistake given her long experience working with explosives.

[Dreggs Morlock]

The Gathering Storm Book Tour, Scottsdale Public Library, Phoenix Arizona 16 November 2009 - kcf reporting

 

Q: You mention that Shaidar Haran has quite a few limitations on his power. Can you give us a few concrete examples of these limitations?

A: Shaidar Haran needs a minion to most of his work for him. Elza was essential to Shaidar Haran in getting things done.

 

This lead to lots of discussion about swearing to the Shadow – basically, it’s a very bad idea and you forfeit some very basic protections when you do. Shaidar Haran has special power over those that swear to the Dark One, and the Forsaken in particular. I asked about Alviarin’s special mark, and he said Shaidar Haran has similar power over her. The implication is that there are lots of ramifications for swearing to the Dark One. Brandon mentioned that this makes Verin all the more remarkable.

 

I think that if Verin was a Black Double Agent, Brandon would not have said this. If the Shadow was behind her contacting Egwene, it would not be all that impressive; in fact, nothing Verin did would be worth of note in THIS particular conversation.

[JeffWeissberg]

It was Tiana Noselle, of the Grey Ajah. She was the Mistress of Novices in Salidar.

 

Though I don't know if the letter can actually be from Verin.

Verin died in tGS, before the Tower was reunited. I suppose it could be possible that she made a visit to the rebels before going to see Egwene, IMO it seems unlikely. Why give it to Tiana?

 

This is interesting. I always assumed the letter was from Verin, has there been any discussion/evidence that it might be from someone else? IIRC Tiana mentioned something about how she never thought he would show up, so the letter could have been in her possession for a while. But it is suspicious to think that Verin would show up at the SAS camp in the middle of the siege...

 

I just read the scene in WH where Verin was contemplating killing Cads and was relieved that she could finally trust her. I can't imagine her being truly Black at this point...

[yoniy0]

I think that if Verin was a Black Double Agent, Brandon would not have said this.

Hmm, I agree, although to be sure we have to hear Brandon's exact words. Some meanings get lost in paraphrasing.

[Dreggs Morlock]

Most Black Ajah are extremely selfish, and dying for the cause is completely out of character. In fact, Ishy is pretty much the only character I've seen where it would not surprise me if he gave his life for the DO. The rest expect compensation.

 

With so many "mysteries" left to be uncovered, I am willing to take Verin at face value. Sometimes, a plot tie up is just a plot tie up, with nothing else to be said.