Merrilor: A Big, Fat Red Herring

[csarmi]

"The question worries me, also, but I have no answers. The Ways are closed, and there has not been an Aes Sedai powerful enough to Travel since the Time of Madness. Unless one of the Forsaken is loose-the Light send it is not so, yet or ever - there is still no one who can. In any case, I do not think all the Forsaken together could move a thousand Trollocs.

 

This shows she realls doesn't have a clue. Moving a thousand troops is possible. Moving a thousand Trollocs that way isn't, however, because Shadowspawn cannot travel. As for the Ways being closed... Not to mention the Portal Stones.

 

"I will see you in the morning." Gathering the Power into him, life and death in swirling layers, he made a hole in the air taller than he was, opening into blackness that made the moonlight seem day. A gateway, Asmodean called it. -

 

"What is that?" Moiraine gasped.

 

Another gem. Skimming and Travelling ard different. She's clueless.

[FarShainMael]

She was clueless about gateways up to that point.. then she saw it done. With saidin admittedly, so she could not see he weaves; but that was how Eg got her clues about Travelling, asking Rand about it. She now has the opportunity to put it all together. Especially since, having seen Rand do it, she has something to ask the finns about.

 

I hope she does, I'd like to see that party arrive back at Caemlyn ahead of time:

 

Moiraine: 'Why are we hanging around?'

 

Mat: 'We're waiting for a Gateway.'

 

Moiraine: 'Let me see if I can do that..'

[Luckers]

She saw a hole in the air. She never got the description, nor did she work with reality the way Egwene did in her dreaming, which was the stepping stone.

 

This goes beyond stretching for straws. If Mat needs a gateway, there are other ways--Elayne or one of Perrin's Asha'men checking in at pre-planned times every day, for instance.

[FarShainMael]

OK, I think it's possible; you don't; fair enough. RAFO, I suppose.

[Xcorpyo001]

He seems to be saying that Mat ain't the only person she told.

Alanna! It's Alanna!

 

 

Rand also received a letter from an AS when he visited the WT. That AS said that he only accepted to deliver the message since she believe he will never come to 'visit' the WT on it's own So Rand probably knows about the attack(or probably other attacks as well), and will play thing to suit his needs.

 

A major part of the armies of Randland are at one place, that the FoM can be used as a command post and people can just use gategates to quickly transport troops where needed.

I think that alongside that huge Trolloc raid on Caemlyn, the Seachan will also attack the WT.

There is also the boiling conflict in the BT, and the Dreamspike that can or can't also extend over Caemlyn, doing thing really hard to control there.

Lan somehow managed to time his raid on the Blight very close to these other battles, so they'll have to send him some reinforcements as well.

And let's not forget that there is a matter of weeks(at most) before the DO can break the last seals himself and escape, while the majority of the Light armies are committed to dealing with all these problems.

 

 

Dealing with Caemlyn will be a real pain, especially if there are a bunch of AS that will try to lead the fight there, even if the pathetic show of force and battle tactics when only 300 Seachan managed to wreak havoc in the very heart of the AS power base will probably lead them to conclude that maybe there are other people more capable of leading the fight.

Mat has memories from the Trolloc Wars, and he actually managed to assault Caemlyn(or close to that) in some of those memories, memories that can be very useful especially if they can't use gateways and they have to bring troops from outside the walls, in a Trolloc controlled city.

Ituralde is the only Randland general that used troops+channellers to deal with Trollocs, especially in urban warfare, which will be exactly the case with Caemlyn.

Rand also has several decades of memories of fighting trollocs and dreadlords, and will be very useful here.

Brigitte may also have memories about fighting trollocs, but she never was in command, and she can't manage to free herself from Elayne's control, which may hinder her control of the situation.

 

I think Logain and his loyal Ashaman and the AS there will manage to fight Tain, and they will drive him off if not actually kill the guy. The AS will walk the grounds of the BT, but as saviors, not conquerors.

Perrin will be the only one sleeping through the attack, so he can go and take the dreamspike and bring it to Tar Valon again, to save Eg behind again, by cutting off the waygates the Seachan will use to invade Tar Valon.

It will be good if the DO will throw a Trolloc raid in the mix, via the Ways and those stones connected to other worlds, and the damane will have to unite with the As to survive the onslaught(not very likely, but I'm a very optimistic person)

 

 

I really really really hope that Demandred or somebody else is in control of those Shara people and that freakish red veiled Aiel with the filed teeth is a Shara warrior, and they will attack the Randland in force, and some of the troops from the PoM will have to be dispatched to deal with them(probably the Aiel or the Seachan, if they wrestle that problem after Rand manages to bring down the hammer and forge the Dragon's Peace). They have a lot of female channellers(they breed them), so they'll really put a wrench in everybody's plans.

[Terez]

He seems to be saying that Mat ain't the only person she told.

Alanna! It's Alanna!

Rand also received a letter from an AS when he visited the WT. That AS said that he only accepted to deliver the message since she believe he will never come to 'visit' the WT on it's own So Rand probably knows about the attack(or probably other attacks as well), and will play thing to suit his needs.

If that was the case, why would he go to sleep while it was being attacked? I doubt his letter mentioned it, or Galad's letter.

[FarShainMael]

Yes. Why not?

[Terez]

Who are you talking to now?

[FarShainMael]

You, and anyone else who's watching. I agree that the attack was probably not mentioned in either Rand's letter or Galad's; what I'm wondering is why it wasn't. Does anyone have any ideas about that?

[Terez]

Well, that depends on who gave Galad his letter. She had no reason to believe that he would be anywhere near Andor when the time came. I'm guessing her redundancy was a letter given to someone inside the city.

[MasterAblar]

Well, that depends on who gave Galad his letter. She had no reason to believe that he would be anywhere near Andor when the time came. I'm guessing her redundancy was a letter given to someone inside the city.

 

Who do we know (or highly suspect) got a letter from Verin? Rand, Galad, Mat, Alanna...

Anyone else that we know of?

[mackoY-kun]

After joining with Perrin, they went to Whitebridge. Then at white bridge Perrin sent Supply cart to Caemlyn to get supplies. I think people believe that during that supply trip, Galad went to see Elayne in Caemlyn and somehow got the letter with the red seal after returning to white bridge. Perrin is the one who sees the letter with the red seal.

 

Nearby, he could see Galad Damodred walking toward them, Berelain—as always lately—at his side. It appeared

that Morgase had sent a messenger for him. Galad was tucking something into his pocket. A small letter, it

appeared, with a red seal. Where had he gotten that? He looked troubled, though his expression lightened as he

arrived. He didn't seem surprised by the news of the marriage; he had a nod for Perrin and a hug for his mother,

then a stern-eyed—but cordial—greeting for Tallanvor.

 

Note that this is during the return trip of the supply carts, that is why I "think" that he had been in Caemlyn, but that's not a certainty.

[David Selig]

Galad went to see Elayne after this scene you quoted, not before. So he had the letter before that.

[Sharaman]

There were tons of people moving in both directions through the Gate to Caemlyn and Perrin's Camp.

The letter may have been carried to Galad from somebody in Caemlyn.

Or, he may have gone to Caemlyn and checked out the status of his own personal retainers/ friends and returned without seeing Elayne.

 

Galad made reference earlier to his own estates in Andor - they're not in Caemlyn but he must have people to manage them and perhaps, an business agent in Caemlyn. He may have wanted to catch up with his own retainers, and check out the situation in Andor before deciding to contact Elayne. He's not a fool even if he's a loony.

 

Galad has also spent time in the WT and the AS with their Game of Houses obsession would have marked him down as a possible player in both Andor and Carhein.

Verin could quite easily know about Galad's personal fortune and retainers. It can't be a secret anyway, since it's inherited. She could well have left a letter with one of his retainers.

It is also possible that somebody else, entirely unconnected uses similar red seals

[Terez]

Well, that depends on who gave Galad his letter. She had no reason to believe that he would be anywhere near Andor when the time came. I'm guessing her redundancy was a letter given to someone inside the city.

Who do we know (or highly suspect) got a letter from Verin? Rand, Galad, Mat, Alanna...

Anyone else that we know of?

No, but she had a bag full of them.