What was the point

[DemandredFO]

what was the point of Setalle, Slayer, Fain after WH, Naeff, all I can think of at the moment. If we hadn't been told Setalle was the one who is no longer, she wouldn't be on my list, but as an unhealed  AS, I don't see her function. Slayer killed wolves sure but in the end it made absolutely no difference. As for Naeff, we could've had Nyneave heal the madness of any pre-established ashaman.

The most annoying part of slayer to me is we will never know why Gitara sent him to the blight

[Ian Ohlander]

I think Slayer played a role, both as Perrin's dark parallel and the potential danger to Rand. If Perrin hadn't been there (as seen by Min) then Rand would have been in trouble. Why Gitara sent him, I don't know. As for Fain, he drove much of the action for the first movement of the series (books 1-3).

 

But you can add stuff to this topic. There's tons of stuff that was never made clear. Not that I needed everything in a nice pretty bow, But there were elements that seemed pointless to be secretive or cagey about. Lot's of prophecies too. Thinking of Min's viewings of Elayne and the severed hand. And what was the point of the tinker caravan killed in LOC that Mat came across? One tinker had written in blood "Tell the dragon reborn".

[mb]

As far as I recall, the books do not tell who wrote the message.  There were past threads about that topic.

 

madness healing, I take Nynaeve did several off-screen ones after the on-screen one.

 

The Luc half of Slayer was sent; not sure if the Isam half was sent.  One reason seems to be a certain prophecy.

[Cybertrolloc]

Setelle: get people to the Bowl of Wind (Mat and the girls). She was pretty cool, and a good not all Aes Sedai are horrible character.

Slayer: being cool :) Yes, seems a stretch to send Luc to the Blight given what we've seen him do (world in the balance or whatever). Granted that did pave the way for Morgase and her kids, but that seems a stretch too.

Fain post-probably-before-WH: nothing. Was capable of doing a lot of damage so probably needed to be wrapped up. Earlier would have probably been better.

Naeff: So BS wouldn't have to learn to write another RJ character.

[Durinax]

I think sending Luc to the blight was to allow Rands mother to run to the Aiel easier (with no one to chase her down). Or it could be as simple as a misinterpreted prophecy saying Luc had important work to do in the borderlands/blight.

[damandred]

Naeff going to the black tower: no point.

Its the fain thing all over again.

[Goaswerfraiejen]

On Fain: I don't think this is a widely accepted idea by any means, but for a long time now my sense has been that Fain was being set up as something of a failsafe by the Pattern: capable of killing the Dark One if Rand failed to seal him up, but also capable of replacing the Dark One if it died (so's the Pattern wouldn't be broken and whatnot). When he muses to himself, in AMOL, that it will take him some time to establish himself at Shayol Ghul, I read that as a hint of confirmation: it would take a while for the new DO to establish its power, and that time would allow for another Age or two to pass without its direct, open influence.

 

My sense of the Naeff thing is that BS just decided, for whatever reason, not to write it in. Same with Narishma, really.

[Ian Ohlander]

I think sending Luc to the blight was to allow Rands mother to run to the Aiel easier (with no one to chase her down). Or it could be as simple as a misinterpreted prophecy saying Luc had important work to do in the borderlands/blight.

Luc was sent after Tigraine had already been sent into the waste. When Rand's father lost Tigraine (Shaiel) at the Battle of the Shining walls he headed north and was killed by a man who looked so much like Shaiel (Tigraine) that he refused to raise his hand in defense. This was very likely Luc. So unleft is the question of why it was so important that Luc be sent, how did he somehow get fused with Isam and get the ability he had to step in and out of a dream as either himself or Slayer (as they were separate people), and how did he come to serve as the shadow's assasin.

 

Why was it so important that he head north, according to Gitara (that his fame lay in the blight, or whatever she said)? Hard to see what his going did to help the pattern or why it was something that was foretold.

[damandred]

 

 

I think sending Luc to the blight was to allow Rands mother to run to the Aiel easier (with no one to chase her down). Or it could be as simple as a misinterpreted prophecy saying Luc had important work to do in the borderlands/blight.

Luc was sent after Tigraine had already been sent into the waste. When Rand's father lost Tigraine (Shaiel) at the Battle of the Shining walls he headed north and was killed by a man who looked so much like Shaiel (Tigraine) that he refused to raise his hand in defense. This was very likely Luc. So unleft is the question of why it was so important that Luc be sent, how did he somehow get fused with Isam and get the ability he had to step in and out of a dream as either himself or Slayer (as they were separate people), and how did he come to serve as the shadow's assasin.

 

Why was it so important that he head north, according to Gitara (that his fame lay in the blight, or whatever she said)? Hard to see what his going did to help the pattern or why it was something that was foretold.

Perrins battles with slayer helped him become strong in tar, which in turn helped him throw off Lanfears compulsion and save Rand and the Pattern.

[Ian Ohlander]

Slayer was not Luc. Slayer could be (and was) himself in TAR, the Isam personality. So it doesn't seem that he needed to add a Luc soul to somehow share the load. The problem we have no idea how he was made, why, what was the purpose of the merger, and so forth. So in the end, just another unanswered question. I mean, he was mentioned as far back as TGH in the Dark Prophecy. It's would've been nice to know why he merited and/or required such attention from both the light and dark.

[Goaswerfraiejen]

On Luc: Various rumours say Gitara told him he'd find fame, fate, the DR, or the LB if he went North into the blight. He got all of the above, but it wasn't so good for his soul. Presumably, either Gitara didn't understand her Foretelling sufficiently well, or his turning into Slayer was one of the small but necessary steps required in order for things to play out as they did. Not every event required by a deterministic process for a given outcome is exciting, but they're all necessary.

[Vassili]

I always thought Gitara sent Luc to the Blight not because she had a master plan, but because she had a foretelling he had to go there. She was only carrying out the Will of the Pattern. As for why the Pattern wanted Luc to go to the Blight... it could be as simple as the Pattern weaves both good and evil into its designs, but is neither. Or, if we want to believe the Pattern is biased towards the Light, Slayer may have been necessary for Perrin's growth and development. Without him, Perrin might have turned himself in to the Whitecloaks back in book 4 and be dead when Rand needs him later on.