Bayle Domon's role in The Great Hunt

[GleemanFan]

Hi friends. 

Im listening to the audiobook while I drive, so I seldom miss some details in the story. Sorry if there's misspellings on people or place's names.

Please keep you answers spoiler free. I just finished The Great Hunt. 

 

¿What's Domon's role in this book?

 

I was puzzled by his appearance in chapter 9. It almost seemed out of place.

 

He is payed generously by some mysterious guy to carry a sealed letter over to ... I cant remember where, with a promise of more money upon arrival. But when he opens it, the letter says he is to be robbed, taken prisioner and killed. And what puzzled me most was who signed the letter.. am I remembering correctly? was it the king of Cairhien? 

 

What would a king have against a ship's captain? Is it a daes-dae-mar thing?

 

Then we´re shown that he is carrying a piece of heartstone.. why is this relevant? I think its a broken seal, right?

 

I think Jordan uses this character to tell us about the Seanchan and their ways... right? 

 

At the last chapters he plots to leave Falme along with Ninaeve/Min/Egwene, but they don´t make it to the ship. So... whats the point? Was it just a plot device to keep you focused on their escape?

[threadnecromancer]

To some extent his narrative role is to ensure we have some understanding of the Seanchan and what they are doing.

 

The plot to escape Falme is necessary because, well the girls need a plan to escape in order to launch an escape attempt after all.

As to why Doman was being hunted, the reason is I believe established in the book so I will tell you.

 

Domon collected ancient artefacts, and one artefact in particular was of interest to the Darkfriends, Galldrian did not actually sign the letter, an excellent forger did.

[GleemanFan]

Thank you ThreadNecromancer!

 

I just wanted to confirm my impressions. 

 

What was this artifact? The heartstone fragments?

[Sabio]

Domon had a seal to the DO prison.

[mb]

another member asked about his role in this book; I think several years ago.  that member was at some early chapter of the book at the time.

in that thread I told that his role in the book comes towards the end.

 

 

do not remember anywhere telling who wrote/signed the letter.

 

why was he hunted?  I recall the books giving only speculation; the Seal.

as far as I recall, that Seal and the other were whole before their last on-screen scene.  Moiraine found them broken.

[GleemanFan]

How did Domon come about this seal tho?

[Mik]

How did Domon come about this seal tho?

He had bought it because he collected ancient / AoL items.

It was one of his more recent trophies IIRC.

[szilard]

So... whats the point? Was it just a plot device to keep you focused on their escape?

[Orderofolde]

Domon was in possession of one of the DO's seals, and an object that some men said felt warm when they held it which we can believe to be an angreal of sorts attuned to a male channeler.  Dark Friends would be after the seal though.  Domon in his thoughts recalled buying it from a man who had a shop near the docks in Saldea iirc, who had sold it for far less than he had expected to pay for a piece of heartstone.  Domon's thoughts on the man not being able to afford a piece of heartstone which was why the man hadn't sold it as such nor would have been crazy enough to make such a claim.  We can deduce that the dark friends tracked the seal down to the man who sold it to the shop keeper, and from there to Domon.

 

My thoughts on the matter is that Demandred or Ishy/Moridin (Depending on the version you believe or RJ intended, the whole Taimandred theory, or later as was confirmed in later books as being Moridin who was Taim's patron forsaken) was looking for a seal to place a tracker on to give to Taim in order for Taim to give it to Rand, knowing that Rand already had some seals and that Rand would put it there with the others he had, and at a later time they could be tracked down and replaced with the fakes.  It was obvious by Taim's reaction that he fully knew what the seal was when he gave it to Rand at their first meeting and Rand in his madness nearly broke it.  After all, Taim was allowed to escape Aes Sedai custody by the help of one of the Forsaken and was in their camp when he meets Rand.      

[threadnecromancer]

SPOILERS FOR GLEEMANFAN SO DON"T READ:

Given what we now know of Taimendred, what was up with Taim?

 

Was there an original person (who could channel) who died?

If so, how was Demandred able to trick Rand, was he just wearing a True Power mask of mirrors?

[Orderofolde]

SPOILERS FOR GLEEMANFAN SO DON"T READ:

 

Given what we now know of Taimendred, what was up with Taim?

 

Was there an original person (who could channel) who died?

 

If so, how was Demandred able to trick Rand, was he just wearing a True Power mask of mirrors?

Mask of mirrors was widely used by the forsaken.  Remember the closer to the person the illusion was, the easier to maintain.  Of course we have some far out illusions the forsaken use to mask their appearance, especially the female forsaken like what Elayne later uses with the captured dark friends.  Taim when he WAS Taimandred could probably have used the TP, but due to the risks he likely just inverted the MOM weave.  I do not believe Demandred would have been killed and reincarnated into a new body entirely off scene, though when he went to Shara due to the caste system there and him not being marked as a channeler and as old as he was could have gotten him ensnared in a trap, finding himself in an Ayyad village where everyone channels.  Maybe that accounts for his impossible ability with the power later on shrugging aside so many attacks and attempts to shield him aside from the amount of the power he wielded from the circle.    

[Sabio]

Yeah as we have seen the MOM isn't  that hard and easy to simply invert the weave..  Asmo and Lanfear in the waste or Mas in the tower.  Semi only got exposed as  using  her inverted weave for her MOM thanks to CAs and her  trinkets.  So my guess pretty standard to use MOM then hide the weave. If for instance Masdidn't invert the weave people would of been wondering  why she was holding  the power all the time.   We can guess they weren't using the TP since before the last battle access to the TP was  rarely given out and was a symbol of the DO's  favor.  They were also scared of using it too much since it becmae addictive.  So needing it to maintain your disguise would of been  a good  way to end  up starting  to go mad.  The main thing is to pick a new image or someone not  well know or with few friends. The Demandred would only need to trick Bashere since he would of been the only person who knew what Taim looked like but didn't know him very well.  My guess  is while in Shara that Demandred was using nothing but the TP.