one word....Asmodean..... ;-)

[Guest cwestervelt]

This too is circular logic. You want it to be a male channeler' date=' so you invent ways for it to be a male channeler. Deciding arbitrarily which weaves Rand can detect and which he cannot.[/quote']

 

However, the weaves were not decided arbitrarily. We know for a FACT that gateways require a lot of the power as it is stated several places in the books (only the stronger channelers can draw enough power to open a gateway). Asmodean's floating a cup to Rand used only very little power as it was simple (akin to the tricks that novices and students learn at the Towers, which by their nature of being some of the first things learned, are easy).

 

The question comes, then, to where balefire falls on the spectrum. I do not believe it requires a lot of strength, I seem to recall reading that somewhere, but I could be wrong. Either we know it takes relatively little power OR we have no idea how much power it takes. We know Moiraine could use it, but she's pretty strong. We know that all the main channelers can use it, as well as the Forsaken, but all of them are strong. However, since it is a forbidden weave, we lack in examples of people using it. It isn't that a weak AS can't use balefire, it is that they don't know how and wouldn't use it even if they did.

 

JRJ assumes, as I do, that it takes only a little power. This is no different than assuming it takes a lot of power. We seem to lack information on the required power for balefire, and thus we can assume anything we want about it.

 

As for Sammael, he couldn't have done it. As I said not 20 posts ago, he has a POV scene where he is quivering with rage over how he wishes Asmodean hadn't run off or he'd kill him with his own hands. Even if you think Sammael is just acting that way (out of character for him, and he's bad at it anyway according to Graendal), the two servant theory is DEFINATELY out of the question because why would he be lieing to Graendal about he and Graendal going and killing Asmodean?

 

We don't know where on the spectrum balefire falls, but we have evidence that allows us to come to a reasonable conclusion.

 

1) Channelling large amounts of the power is tiring

2) Channelling for prolonged periods of time is tiring

3) Rand just went through a major fight with Rahvin and should have been at least somewhat tired

4) He follows that fight with a lot of low level balefire against the Myrddraal and Trollocs

 

If, after all of the Channelling he had already done, to be able to fire off balefire at the Myrddraal and Trollocs the way he was indicates that the balefire he was using against them wasn't requiring much strength. If it had required very much power, Rand wouldn't have been able to keep it up as long as he did. As a result, if it does not require much power to be effective, it cannot be detected from very far off.

[Graendals favourite]

I noticed rereading WH an interesting hint from RJ, concerning an ambush. In Far Madding, Rand runs after Rochaid, who stops behind a corner and waits for Rand to come. He however taunts Rand as part of his and Kisman's plan of sandwitching Rand, though in actuality Rochaid wanted to kill Rand himself. Rand makes a mental note, that that taunt kills Rochaid-- he should have had his sword drawn already and started fighting when Rand took the corner.

 

The same applies with Asmo. While Asmo is more surprised than Rand, well so is the to-be-killer. The ball-game is even. It isn't phycally possible for a non-channeller to be near enough, and arrows for example aren't fast enough to kill a channeller. If the non-channeller were to have been near enough, he'd have to have been IN the doorway, the door having just opened, and Asmo also couldn't have entered then him filling the doorway.

 

Also, it isn't as if the to-be-killer who was surprised didn't have a chance to decide what to do. Even surprised one doesn't just lash out at everything-- the killer waited until he recognised Asmodean and Asmodean recognised him. In that time the killer would realise he does not know who else is coming through the door besides Asmo. You don't immediately assume, of someone suddenly coming in through a door, that he is alone. It would be very plausible to think that Rand and Asmo were walking together, Asmo being his teacher. I can't see a Forsaken attacking Rand at that point, in a place they did not choose to attack Rand in.

[Graendals favourite]

The point of that being, that thus the killer wasn't surprised. Thus it had to be an ambush, the only way for someone to have performed it required a woman travelling, so it was Graendal because Semirhage or Mesaana were not likely.

[Bob T Dwarf]

Taim? Again' date=' we haven't met him yet, so he can't be a better suspect than any of the others we haven't met.[/quote']

 

Of course he can be a better suspect.

 

How? We haven't met him. We know nothing about him. We only begin to learn about him and what kind of person he is long after the killing. There is nothing in The Fires of Heaven that would lead us to suspect him, and as has been pointed out several times in this thread, Jordan has said we have all the clues needed to identify the killer at the time of the crime.

 

Taim fails every test.

[JRJ]

How? We haven't met him. We know nothing about him.

 

Wrong. We actually have 20+ references to Mazrim Taim' date=' very comparible to Graendal. We also know enough about him to suspect him a powerful darkfriend, and Bashere places him in Andor in the same chapter that Asmodean is murdered.

 

So we do know something about him.

 

Besides, if we saw him kill Asmodean, then there would be nothing left to learn about Taim from LOC to KOD. If we had known then that Taim was a Darkfriend who knew the Chosen, then there would be no mystery at all to his character and motivations. Even now, people doubt that Taim is a proven Darkfriend.

 

We only begin to learn about him and what kind of person he is long after the killing.

 

Sorry, but there are plenty of mentions prior to Asmodean's death. We know that he is a False Dragon. We know that Saldaea was hit with more Trollocs than normal at the same time. We know Joiya stated that the Black Ajah planned to break him free (and that Moi sent 3 notes to the WT that were never recieved about that plan). We know that 2 Aes Sedai died during Taim's escape. We know that he is a strong channeler comparible enough to pose as Rand. We know Taim was in Andor prior to the murder.

 

We know plenty to make him a suspect prior to the killing, and it's only a matter of connecting the dots.

 

There is nothing in The Fires of Heaven that would lead us to suspect him,

 

Outside the fact that he is a powerful channeler, in Andor, a false Dragon, a potential darkfriend, and had been chased by Bashere who had just visited a wine closet?

 

Hey, if you want everything spelled out for you with flaming red arrows...

 

Jordan has said we have all the clues needed to identify the killer at the time of the crime.

 

That is of course, if you can recognize those clues.

 

Taim fails every test.

 

Every test huh? Like the opportunity test that so many give Lanfear a pass on? Or how about the means test, because a Traveling / Balefiring Graendal could have gotten away with it, right?

 

Do you have any real objections to Taim besides the fact that you don't find it obvious Bob? Or can you come up with solid in-book evidence that Taim couldn't have commited the dead?

[Guest Majsju]

Regarding Taim,

Do we have any strong reason to believe he's a DF? No, being a false dragon doesn't make you a DF. The rumoured BA plot (that maight just as well have been a lie) doesn't mean he has to be a DF, he could just as well be manipulated through his own hunger for power, turned through the already planted trick 13 AS + 13 Myrdraal...

 

Even if we had known Taim to be a DF, would we had strong reason to believe that

 

#1 Asmo had met him? No, we have absolutely no idea what Asmo has been up to before he met Rand in the Waste. It's not like the forsaken sit around the campfire with the DF yearbook to memorize the faces of all known DF's in the world.

 

#2 Taim had been trusted with a knowledge not even the forsaken had, namely that Asmo had indeed betrayed them to join Rand? The other forsaken base their knowledge on what Lanfear told them, which is not exactly hard evidence. And all of a sudden a df from this age, the age both the DO and the forsaken consider inferiour, should be trusted with that knowledge, and given the order to kill the betrayer?

 

There's also the beginning of LOC. Taim shows up at the gates. Which means that he first would have sneaked in, happened to see Asmo, somehow been able to run ahead of Asdmo to hide behind the right door, killed Asmo, and then sneaked back outside, waited for a few dyas, and then walked back to introduce himself at the gates...

 

No, Taim did not do it.

[Bob T Dwarf]

Indeed. Taim doesn't even arrive at the palace gates until 18+ days after Asmo is murdered.

 

And when he arrives he is so travel worn he appears to be years older than his actual age. Jordan's own words are that he'd been "rode hard and put up wet."

 

We can be pretty sure that the Aiel would have searched the palace before haring off after the remaining Trollocs and Myrrdraal, so the killer is unlikely to have been one of Rahvin's toadies who might have been known to Asmo. Any of those who hadn't run for the hills when Rand stormed in would be dead, or prisoner. In short, it couldn't be someone who was there prior to Rand's attack and who had been hiding since. It almost certainly has to be someone who arrived after the palace was vacated and Rand, Aviendha, Mat, Asmo, Enaila, and Somara moved in.

[son omerc]

A quick question for adherents of Moiraine being the killer. How does she circumvent the 3 Oaths? We saw that against Belal she drew his attention before attacking, presumably so she would feel "in danger". I have seen numerous arguments that the Oaths don't apply to Shadowspawn, and therefore known Shadowsworn such as the Forsaken, but Moiraine can't be 100% sure that Belal is Belal or even Asmodean is Asmodean. She hints in her letter to Rand that she knows, but would she be sure enough without an aggressive move by Asmo/Nateal to attack without warning? The passage in which Asmo dies does not even hint at an aggressive move, neither do we have a hint of confrontation in which Moiraine unmasks Nateal. As far as Asmo/Nateal knows Moiraine thinks him a simple gleeman.

[JRJ]

We can be pretty sure that the Aiel would have searched the palace before haring off after the remaining Trollocs and Myrrdraal' date=' so the killer is unlikely to have been one of Rahvin's toadies who might have been known to Asmo. Any of those who hadn't run for the hills when Rand stormed in would be dead, or prisoner. In short, it couldn't be someone who was there prior to Rand's attack and who had been hiding since. It almost certainly has to be someone who arrived after the palace was vacated and Rand, Aviendha, Mat, Asmo, Enaila, and Somara moved in.[/quote']

 

Rand was not there to wipe out Rahvin's Toadies. There is no evidence of any such command being issued, and there certainly is no implication. The Aiel certainly would kill any Darkfriend who would fight with the Shadowspawn, but they were not weeding people out. How do you explain the Aiel even being able to do so, since they can barely tell one Wetlander from another?

 

I don't buy your premise at all. Lord Elegar, a darkfriend we learn about in TFOH prologue is still in Caemlyn when Mazrim Taim returns. All of Rahvin's pet Ladys were still there, willing to fight for whatever the Dragon would give.

 

So I don't see this idea that the Aiel somehow went room by room, to see if any 'toadies' were hiding. And even if those Aiel did, I very much believe their bodies could also go mysteriously disappearing as well.

 

Regarding Taim' date='

Do we have any strong reason to believe he's a DF? No, being a false dragon doesn't make you a DF. The rumoured BA plot (that maight just as well have been a lie) doesn't mean he has to be a DF, he could just as well be manipulated through his own hunger for power, turned through the already planted trick 13 AS + 13 Myrdraal...[/quote']

I think there is more than enough evidence to point to him being a DF for TFOH. It doesn't have to be conclusive at that point as Jordan has said, but you should be able to figure it out.

 

To add to your list, I would say there is also the high concentrations of Trollocs in Saldaea at the same time as Taim being a False Dragon. His escape predicted by Joiya's comments make them seem more than hollow. Not to mention we later find out that Moiraine's letters concerning Joiya's comments turn out to never reach the White Tower. Which seems to me to suggest that the Black Ajah filtered out comments on Mazrim Taim.

 

It might not seem like much, but i think there is more than enough of a pattern to see RJ's fingerprints.

[Bob T Dwarf]

The order of events is:

 

He takes one step and stops, the blood draining from his face. "You? No!"

 

So, as he takes that step he sees someone he both knows and fears. He would have no reason to be afraid at the sight of Moiraine.

 

The other possibility is the blood drains from his face not from fear, but because he's just received a mortal wound.

[Guest Egwene]

son o'merc... very good question! If the oath does not apply to shadowspawn and she overheard Rand and Asmo talking than I think that would have been enough. However, I wish I had a better argument!!

 

JRJ I agree with you that there must have been Darkfriends still hiding in the city. Though the palace is a slightly different matter. That would have been searched thouroughly. However, short of heat seeking equipment, I doubt they could guarantee 100% that noone was hiding.

 

Taim... he is a darkfriend in my books. I don't think he knew about Dashiva though. But I believe he has strong connections to the BA. And as they are closely watched by Mesaana, I think he may be acting on her behalf.

 

One thing though that always catches my attention... RJ says 'Demandred is not acting as Taim'. If an Aes Sedai phrased it like that, I would be suspecting that Demandred IS Taim and that there never was a Taim other than Demandred. Thus it isn't acting.

[ronoc/booms]

regarding demandred IS Taim;

i think that is unlikely. it would mean demandred would have been relesed long before the other forsaken, and we already know that Balthemane and Aginor were the first forsaken free apart from ishy. and i think that he wouldn't pose as a false dragon unless in was some master plan, he was positive would work greatly in his favour. remember demandred hated Lews Therin, i don't think he'd want to pose as him reborn.

[Thor]

i thought taimandred was long dead? :shock:

[Bob T Dwarf]

regarding demandred IS Taim;

i think that is unlikely. it would mean demandred would have been relesed long before the other forsaken' date=' and we already know that Balthemane and Aginor were the first forsaken free apart from ishy. and i think that he wouldn't pose as a false dragon unless in was some master plan, he was positive would work greatly in his favour. remember demandred hated Lews Therin, i don't think he'd want to pose as him reborn.

[/quote']

 

We know that Aginor and Balthamel are among the first Forsaken that we meet. We know nothing about the order in which they awakened and became active. Anath/Semirhage was in place as Tuon's Truthspeaker before tEotW started. Sammael may have been active for some time by then, as well.

 

Demandred is perfectly willing to do whatever creates the most chaos. False Dragons are good for doing that.

 

Jordan's entire statement is:

Yes. Demandred has never posed as Mazrim Taim. All right, those of who fell over from the shock of a simple, straightforward answer can get up off the floor now. Sometimes, simple and straightforward can be the most devious of all, as any student of Aes Sedai will tell you. <Maniacal laughter from the shadows!>

[Guest Egwene]

Thanks for the quote Bob. I couldn't remember the exact wording off hand. The way RJ phrased that just always makes me wonder if he isn't toying with us on this one as well....

[Mad Season]

I was thinking about the Taim theory and I don't think he could have murdered Asmodean. Even accepting Taim is a DF and knows what Asmordean looks like. From what I can remember Lanfear (and Rand) are the only ones who know about Asmodeans shield? If this is the case why would anyone else send Taim to kill Asmodean? Asmodean may not be as strong as Ishamael but I think he would at least equal Taim, and he has all the knowledge of the Age of Legends to help him. Taim couldn't have expected to win a fight versus a Forsaken unless he had been told by someone Asmodean was shielded. If Lanfear was the only one who knew about Asmodean being shielded, then Asmodean would have had to know Taim was working for Lanfear. Or else he would not have been scared of a DF who had no idea Asmodean couldn't defend himself. I find it hard to believe Lanfear told Asmodean that she controlled Taim, the Forsaken don't seem to willingly share their plots with each other.

 

Balefire would be the only weapon Taim could hope to use and beat an unshielded Forsaken. But I don't remember any DFs other than the Forsaken knowing this weave. And again it doesn't seem to fit a Forsaken's character to teach their underlings all their knowledge, and a weave which would just as easily be used against them as Asmodean.

 

This of course assumes Taim isn't Demandred. But I do have one question about that theory. Rand didn't recognize Lanfear, Ishameal, and Be'lal right? (I'm not sure about the others) But he knew Semirhage when her illusion flickered for just a second. I don't remember reading anything that indicated he knew Semirhage more than Sammael or Lanfear. So I guess he knew Semirhage because Lews Therin's memories are getting clearer as time passes? If this is the case wouldn't he begin to recognize Taim as Demandred? Unless Demandred has a mask up but that seems extremely risky when hes surrounded by Aes Sedia and Asha'man all the time, who would know exactly what was happening if anything went wrong with his illusion. While a normal person may just think they are going crazy/hallucinating if they saw a guy going down the street flicker.

[Amalasan]

Hey Egwene :),

 

At present I'm on book 5 (fires of heaven). I accidently read some parts of the book "The World of The WoT" the little book that tells you much of the historical times in RJ's world, one part in particular spoilt Asmodean's death for me. I'm not even up to that part of book 5 yet! Buuuuuut...it has made me pay more attention of the run up to his death, and I already suspect the Darkfriend Kadere.

 

1) He is right on Asmodean's (Natael's) door/tentstep (currently just outside Cairhien with Rands huge party).

 

2) He has even talked of killing him.

 

3) Killed Isendre, his fellow friend of the dark, very discetely with barely an afterthought.

 

Now, I don't know yet if events to come make me sound completely wrong, so no one tell me anything of such events. Just tell me if I'm talking complete twoddle! (p.s. not read a great deal of this thread for obvious reasons).

[Guest Egwene]

Hello Amalasan... you should run for the hills as fast as you can because there is no way we can avoid dropping spoilers on you!

 

About Kadere...the answer is no, it wasn't him. Maybe having been alerted to Asmo's demise, you might pick up on something we have over looked though. I am happy for you to PM me with any wacky thoughts you might have there and try and answer your questions without spoiling things.

 

You could post a new topic and say in the subject line 'up to and including FoH only please'. There are quite a lot of new people about that haven't read all the books and might welcome a thread like that.

 

So run!!!

 

Obviously... the rest of the forum is relatively safe!! And a lot of fun too!

[Amalasan]

Yeah, I'd say you're totally 100% on the tuck tail n run idea. I started reading some of the other posts on this discussion topic and had to shut my eyes quick and order my head to sift out some of the info I stumbled across from my memory (I think it worked, but I'm struggling to remember if it did for some reason!). DOH.

 

Love the idea of the FoH topic, us part time readers get tucked away to one side and forgotten at times huh?! I'll say you were my inspiration Egwene.

 

I'll hail your way tomorrow on more from the Asmo death I think. Being a UK lass, you should know it's getting late for us.

 

Chow:D

[Guest cwestervelt]

son o'merc: The Three Oaths would not have presented any problems for Moiraine killing Asmodean or any other darkfriend. By RJ's own words, Darkfriends are fair game. Attracting Belal wasn't necessary except to prevent any immediate action being taken by him against Rand.

 

The following is from the Question of the week:

 

Week 21 Question: Just how can an Aes Sedai be a damane? Aren't they bound by the Third Oath: to not use the One Power as a weapon except to defend their lives, their Warder's life, or another sister's life? Wouldn't they be useless as damane to the Seanchan?

 

Robert Jordan Answers: The Aes Sedai captured by the Seanchan are indeed useless as weapons, except against Shadowspawn or Darkfriends, because they are bound by the Three Oaths, and that limits their value considerably since being weapons is a major use for damane. Damane are used for other tasks, however, including finding ores for mining (Egwene was tested for this, remember; it's a very valuable, and fairly rare, ability), for some mining operations where it would be too dangerous or uneconomical to use human miners (bringing ores out of the ground and refining them using the Power), and in some construction projects, especially where something very large or with a need for added strength is envisioned. The first two both require a high ability in Earth, which has faded considerably on "this" side of the Aryth Ocean and to a smaller degree of the other side, but construction projects and others things, such as producing Sky Lights, are well within the abilities of collared Aes Sedai. The Three Oaths don't inhibit them there at all.

 

Bob: There is no proof that Semirhage was in Seanchan or even out of the bore before the events in The Eye of the World. When we are first introduced to Tuon and Anath, Tuon is thinking about how Anath was her truth speaker for less than two years. We are nearly 2 years from the events that take place in The Eye of the World by this time. The Eye of the World ended with the onset of a late spring. By the end of The Great Hunt we were up to the fall again. The Dragon Reborn starts during the winter time. I'm not sure off hand how much time passes before Rand goes to the Waste, but winter is definitely over by the time he returns. By the time Tuon appears, it is mid to late in the next winter. Semirhage could have been in Seanchan for over 1 1/2 years and still have been released after Aginor and Balthamel.

[JRJ]

Or else [Asmodean] would not have been scared of a DF who had no idea Asmodean couldn't defend himself.

 

I think that underestimates how powerful Mazrim Taim is.

 

"Joiya shrugged' date=' 'As you wish. Let me see. Different words. The false Dragon Mazrim Taim, who was captured in Saldaea, can channel with incredible strength. [b']Perhaps as much as Rand al'Thor, or nearly so, if the reports can be believed.[/b] Before he can be brought to Tar Valon and gentled, Liandrin means to break him free. He will be proclaimed as the Dragon Reborn, his name given as Rand Al'Thor, and then he will be set to destruction on such a scale as the world has no seen shince the War of the Hundred Years."

 

My thinking is that Mazrim Taim, convinced of his own strength, would simply not care if Asmodean was shielded or not. He had carefully followed Bashere to the Wine Pantry so as not to be seen. And when Asmodean walked straight into him, he knew he had gotten too close to Rand. His first instinct, conceal that he was in the Palace, was his ultimate motive.

 

Asmodean was scared (blood draining from face) but seemed surprised by who was in front of him. I think knowing that Taim, a darkfriend who might have found out that Asmodean went over, was strong enough to kill him shielded. Asmodean knew Taim could and would kill him from the moment he saw him.

 

I also think Asmodean was surprised that Taim would be the one to kill him. It wasn't one of his peers, but a 3rd Ager or savage. As in "You are the one that is going to kill me?" The "No" should be self explanitory after that point.

 

And no, I don't think it was Balefire. I'm of the opinion that it was done with a Bar of Fire, ala Taim killing the Grayman. I think a Bar of Fire is a better, quieter weapon when it comes to detection ... since Taim managed to use it before Aviendha or Rand noticed. Both Rand and Aviendha were also nearby in Caemlyn when Asmodean was killed, so I think it compares well. Not to mention, Aviendha's scream did seem to hang in the air after the Grayman's death...

[Bob T Dwarf]

CW -

 

Yes, Anath has been Tuon's Truthspeaker for about two years when we meet her. That is before Tuon lands in Ebou Dar. Anath became her Truthspeaker when her current one mysteriously fell down some stairs and was killed. How strangely convenient.

 

That took some time to setup. It took even more lead time for Semirhage to put herself into position so that the Empress would appoint her to the position over the head of Neferi's trained successor.

 

I figure two and a half years before we meet her would be about right. Each of the other Forsaken seem to take about six months to establish themselves in their positions of power. 2.5 years before Tuon lands in Ebou Dar puts Semirhage in Seanchan before The Eye of the World begins.

[Angel of Death]

And you have to get Sammael into Caemlyn somehow; past Rahvin's Wards and Traps. That is completely out-of-character. Sam doesn't act openly against Rand. He won't risk any encounter with Rand anywhere other than ground he has selected and personally prepared.

 

Further' date=' as shown in Lord of Chaos, he doesn't even know Asmo is dead.

 

Chapter 6 - Threads Woven of Shadow

"...Have you learned where al'Thor is hiding Asmodean? Or anything of Lanfear's whereabouts? Or Moghedien's?"

Sam is out-of-the-loop on this one. All he knows is what he gets from Graendal, and all she passes on is rumors at this point.

 

From the Prologue to Lord of Chaos -

"...You want to know what the Great Lord told me? Very well. But it stays here, held close. Since Sammael chose to stay away, he learns nothing. Nor do the others, whether alive or dead..."

 

I was just pointing out we had met him, i have never thought it was him. I think its Slayer, but then again i thought it was Fain until i heard RJ said it definetly wasn't him.

[Guest cwestervelt]

CW -

 

Yes' date=' Anath has been Tuon's Truthspeaker for about two years when we meet her. That is before Tuon lands in Ebou Dar. Anath became her Truthspeaker when her current one mysteriously fell down some stairs and was killed. How strangely convenient.

 

That took some time to setup. It took even more lead time for Semirhage to put herself into position so that the Empress would appoint her to the position over the head of Neferi's trained successor.

 

I figure two and a half years before we meet her would be about right. Each of the other Forsaken seem to take about six months to establish themselves in their positions of power. 2.5 years before Tuon lands in Ebou Dar puts Semirhage in Seanchan before The Eye of the World begins.[/quote']

 

How do you figure that? Bel'al, Sammael, and Rahvin, all showed up post The Eye of the World and were already in full control or their country of choice be the time the Dragon Reborn occurs. All we are really given is that Rahvin he arrived in Caemlyn and put down the riots while Morgase was at the Tower demanding Elayne's return. This was sometime during the events of The Great Hunt or early in the Dragon Reborn but we are left with several months during which it could have happened. We can't be more specific than that but all indications point to them just suddenly being there. There was nothing that indicated even 1/2 year rise to power.

 

There was no need for, nor is there any indication that time was taken to establish Semirhage's position in Seanchan. The Foresaken have used compulsion from the beginning. The fact that Neferi's "Left Hand" was already trained and ready but was then bypassed in favor of "Anath" almost yells that the Emperess was compelled. There was not set up time taken. It was a rush job that only required the one command from the Emperess once Neferi was taken out of the picture (murdered). At some point in Winter's Heart it is even noted that "Anath" doesn't speak like the Seanchan, so time wasn't even taken for voice lessons.

 

I will restate the "less than two years" as Truthspeaker even though doing so is repeating myself. That should not be interpreted as "about two years" because it doesn't mean that. That could indicate anything. I would say more than 1 year, else Tuon would be thinking "less than one year", but it could easily have been only 1 1/2 year.

[Paradoxic]

Asmodean does not know who Taim is. Asmodean has no reason to fear Taim even if they had met before. The Dark One never ever ordered Asmodean's death according to Robert Jordan so how would Taim know where to go and who to kill? If you want more hard questions to answer, read this: http://www.darkfriends.net/wheel/1_dark/1.1_forsaken1/1.1.6_asmo.html#taim because I don't feel like cut'n'pasting them myself.

 

Regarding the three oaths: This question was discussed in the FAQ as well and they found this quote from Alanna Mosvani, whose Warder Owein was murdered by White Cloaks (she's talking to Perrin): "'Had I been there, I could have defended him, and myself, with the Power... the Children are very nearly as vile as men can be, short of Darkfriends, but they are not Darkfriends, and for that reason they are safe from the Power except in self-defense'" [TSR: 31, Assurances, 347]

 

The FAQ also says "Rand has similar thoughts about Moiraine's inability to help him fight at the Battle of Cairhien: "He had not asked Moiraine - she could not use the One Power as a weapon against the Shaido, not unless they threatened her or he managed to convince her they were all Darkfriends..." [TFOH: 41, The Craft of Kin Tovere, 462]" - http://www.darkfriends.net/wheel/1_dark/1.1_forsaken1/1.1.6_asmo.html#moir

 

I do not believe the 3 oaths are a worry in this situation. The issue would come down to whether the AS truely believes someone is a darkfriend. Now, since simply being a murderer and a liar does not make you a darkfriend, this question is almost always comes out "well, probably not". Only in situations where the AS sees men running with Trollocs could they fully agree that the men are Darkfriends... That and if they are known Forsaken... because I don't think you could really get more darkfriend-ish.