Why was Verin drawn so strongly to Mat?

[Barid Bel Medar]

Now, I am not sure if this is Brandon's attempt at ta'veren, unlike RJ's style or what, but Verin seemed to be drawn to Mat with incredible strength. Usually one logical step would lead to the next, and you would find yourself in a situation, where you took another logical step, which eventually led you to the path you didn't intend to take, but the Pattern forced.

 

With this however, it was more than that, Gateways messed up and the Pattern literally seemed to chase her towards Mat.

 

Given this, if it isn't just Brandon's blunt style of writing, and the letter given to him, and the results that ensued. Mat didn't even open it, and in the end the letter was of any real use, what do you think drew Verin so strongly to Mat? What did the Pattern want to get out of it?

 

The most obvious would be to get him to Caemlyn - and subsequently Moiraine- and get things rolling with the Cannons and have the Band in Caemlyn for the attack. That is probably enough, I suppose, but it just seemed extremely forced, like there was a real sense of urgency.

 

I think that it may have had to do with getting Mat away from Murandy ASAP. If you subscribe to Demandred - Roedran, then it would be simple to see why - Talmanes says that Roedran was nearly ready to turn on the Band before Mat showed up. Even if this is not the case, the strange doings in Murandy are a concern. I would hazard a guess and say that the Pattern obviously wanted Mat in Caemlyn for reasons above, but matters became dire and ta'veren sped the process up a bit to get safely there.

 

What do you guys think caused the massive ta'veren pull?

[Sid]

Frankly, I believe Verin was lying through her teeth to make her letter seem as important as possible to him. To her, it is the most important thing he can be doing with his time. Nobody could know about giving up half the light of the world to save the world. Her intentions were good, but I think the ta'veren pull was just a story. She's seen enough of ta'veren that she thinks it's believable.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Good one, I had not thought of that. It seems reasonable. After all, nobody questioned her further. I'll add that to the poll

[Damer Sedai]

Verin lying was my first instinct as well - Mat fights Aes Sedai influence even harder than Rand, and is twice as irrational when it comes to listening to their advice. Mat being caught up in ta-veren is something he can sympathize with, and if its not Verin forcing the deal on him, but the Pattern.... well, its a better chance of being accepted.

 

But if Verin was telling the truth, it probably had to do with the Band being important in the defense of Camelyn - otherwise it could have be any Chaneller who could travel, only Verin can set the conditions about he and the band staying in Caemelyn - although the list that knows mat personally, his tavereness, and his importance in the pattern isn't that large, Isuppose.

[Maleshub]

Considering the fact that Verin was doing an imitation of a postal service, I don't think her moves in the last weeks or months of her life were arbitrary. She delivered letters all over the map. So my view of Verin's lies to Mat is that they were strained humor.

[thisguy]

It must have been his sense of humor. Some women like a funny guy. ;)

[Maleshub]

It must have been his sense of humor. Some women like a funny guy. ;)

 

Humor is subjective! But whose humor were you referring to? I thought Verin's lies and humor weren't funny.

[thisguy]

It must have been his sense of humor. Some women like a funny guy. ;)

 

Humor is subjective! But whose humor were you referring to? I thought Verin's lies and humor weren't funny.

That's true. I meant Mat. She was attracted to Mat because of his sense of humor. ;)

[Maleshub]

Verin was attracted to the three ta'veren. On her final jaunt, she managed to deliver letters in the area where all three were operating. She sent one to Alanna in Tear, delivered one to Rand in Tar Valon, managed to get one to Galad who was tagging behind Perrin, and managed to get one in Mat's hands. A very remarkable woman!

[thisguy]

Yeah, I'm a Verin fan. Easily one of my favorite Aes Sedai.

[master]

Yeah, I'm a Verin fan. Easily one of my favorite Aes Sedai.

 

 

except for the fact that she's partially responsible for the destruction of caemlyn [nowhere near elayne though], I agree. If she weren't dead I'd say she'd need some serious lessons in minipulation. She should've told mat that he should read the letter, but not that he had to do whatever the letter said. ugh.

[Agitel]

Yeah, I'm a Verin fan. Easily one of my favorite Aes Sedai.

 

 

except for the fact that she's partially responsible for the destruction of caemlyn [nowhere near elayne though], I agree. If she weren't dead I'd say she'd need some serious lessons in minipulation. She should've told mat that he should read the letter, but not that he had to do whatever the letter said. ugh.

 

We could work on the wording, but I'm fairly certain that would have been a violation of the Oaths she was bound under at the time. She had to remain vague. Even if she could do that to some degree, if Mat resisted a lot at first, she really would have been stuck in what she could do to convince him without breaking her Oaths.

[FarShainMael]

She was. That was why she had to kill herself, so that 'in the hour of her death' she could break those oaths - the only time she could do so.

[Barid Bel Medar]

She could have worded it better, but with the restrictions with the Oaths, she was hard pressed, she thought she could trust a bit of luck. Which happened to fail.

[Darksmoon]

I believe that Verin was tied up by ta'veren. Otherwise how would she have known that Mat (Or Perrin since I believe that she was passing out pictures of both) was coming through there?