The Great Hunt

Bors! Remember who he is? Here's the hints you could find in that prologue is you didn't already know:

He refers to Aes Sedai as "witches"

He is currently working in Tarabon/Almoth Plain (so you could look out for people in this book that are in that area)

He mentions the "Dome of Truth"

He has a Whitecloak symbol on his cloak.

So, he is obvi a Whitecloak working in Tarabon/Almoth Plain.

Ba'alzmon mentions "those who have landed at Toman Head" - this is the Seanchan, in their initial attempted invasion.

Bors also sees a whole heap of random (but relevant to the story) images. I assume they aren't supposed to mean anything in particular, but maybe Balzy was putting subconcious instructions into Bors head about these visions, so if he ever came across any of these things he could help in darkfriend plots. But I don't really know.

The air becoming solid and pushing Rand - the first "bubble of evil" I think

One of the Amyrlin's titles is "Watches of the Seals" - except they have no idea where the seals are lol

Siuan can see ta'vaeren. Even though she just gazed across the crowd, she definitely saw Rand. She just pretended not to notice.

Masema was one of the guards at the first gate. Uno was mentioned. Remember them?

Slapdown by Rand. But really just being a sooky - "oooh, I have to get away from people or I might hurt them" lol

Egwene notices that the people in the dungeons (including the guards) are becoming more dark and troubled. This is just the effect of being close to Fain all the time. And worse if Fain is actually able to talk to them. It comes from the "Mordeth/Shadar Logoth" part of Fain, corrupting them.

Liandrin - Blacky. Is a very important Blacky for the first few books. Then Moggy takes over her plans.

Verin. Alanna. And Leanne, of course, the Keeper.

They mention false Dragons all over the place. The one in Saldaea is Mazrim Taim.

While talking to Lady Amalisa, Liandrin goes suddenly from being a sour puss, to being all friendly. She obviously just came up with a plot (which you see soon), but I'm not sure what happened, or what was said to make her come up with it.

There is mention of fighting on Almoth Plain and Toman Head. This is the Seanchan's first invasion. They are trying to keep word of their presence from spreading, so no one knows much about what's going on there yet.

They say they "called the winds to speed our vessels up the river, and even turned the currents". But in a later book, when Elayne meets the Sea Folk, she goes on about how Sedai don't really know how to do weather stuff.

But I guess Siuan also talks about their weather-work would cause flooding and other unwanted side effects. Maybe Sedai just don't know how to do it safely, so don't try very often.

Elaida went with Elayne, Gawyn and Galad to Tar Valon. Why. Because she wanted the Red Ajah to be credited with bringing Elayne in. And try to get her to join Reds.

Moiraine and Siuan's secret plan is so controvertial because they are going to knowingly let a man who can channel run free. Until it is certain he is Dragon, pretty much everyone will think that's really bad. And even if they know he is Dragon, most Sedai would still disagree with letting him go his own way.

Moiraine and Siuan talk about what bad stuff could happen. Siuan knows she could be booted out and stilled. "But it will not come to Siuan" Moiraine says. Lul - lies.

"An Amyrlin who has been pulled down cannot be allowed to wander about loose; she might be seen as a martyr, become a rallying point for opposition" - yep, she would, hehe.

I'm not sure what everyone's problem with Moiraine is already. Maybe it's just that she keeps running off from the tower on secret trips and missions. Something about her actions make other Sedai want her to pulled into line.

"Let whosoever sounds me think not of glory, but only of salvation" - salvation, yep, that's exactly what happens - Mat blows it only because the boys are stuck in the middle of a battle with no way out - and Olver blows it because he needs saving from the trollocs.

Ok, there is an explanation here of why Moiraine wants the Horn to go to Illian. So they can use it have Illian follow Rand.

Moiraine thinks she "cannot tell Siuan everything, and cannot risk letting you know I am holding anything back". I'm not sure what things she is keeping from Siuan.

"I am Einor Saren, second in command to Jaichim Carridin". Einor is not Bors.

Liandrin talks funny - that is her Tarabon accent.

Liandrin's "special trick" is a small form of compulsion.

I assume we kind out exactly who came into the dungeon to free Fain. But I've forgotten. There's a few options.

Also previously - Rand tried to get out of the Keep when the Sedai all arrived, but all the gates were guarded and there was an order that no one leave.

In this chapter we again saw Rand starting to channel without knowing it:

The void formed inside him before he even realized he had thought of it, but it could not hold out the pain. Dimly he sensed light and warmth somewhere in the distance. It flickered queasily, but the light was warm, and he was cold. Distant beyond knowing, but somehow just within reach. Light, so cold. I have to reach . . . what? She’s killing me. I have to reach it, or she’ll kill me. Desperately he stretched toward the light.

Verin has most of her prophecy explanation correct:

Lanfear is free and looking to make new Dragon to make him her lover.

The second verse about "the man who can channel choosing a road" - that probs just means that he has to choose to accept that he must be the one to save the world. And avoid getting turned to the shadow. So it might ultimately be about Rand's enlightenment on top of the mountain in book 12.

Luc and Isam is about Slayer - "the Shadow's Hound"

And the last verse is about the Seanchan, as Verin said.

Moiraine is shocked that Verin is actually more aware of the world than she seems. This happens a number of times throughout the series - different people noticing her briefly being very different to her normal distracted self. Obvi that is true, and she it usually just faking her demenour so she can go about her secret personal mission.

I wonder what Verin first noticed "20 years ago" that gave her a clue to Dragon. That is the same time that Moiraine and Siuan started searching. So did the blackies. It's possible that Verin found out about Dragon through the Black Ajah, and is just making up a story about she worked it out herself.

Perrin thinks Leane is lying. Obvi she is not, since she is not Blackie.

Moiraine tells about how her search eventually took her to Two Rivers where she found the boys.

This is the best explanation we ever get. Remember she started off looking through her lists of people that applied for the free money for having a baby near Tar Valon. Rand would never have been on that list, because Tam just found him and took him home.

Egwene says that Moiraine "would have left me a headache for being foolish if she could have Healed the rest and not that, but she couldn’t." - Aes Sedai these days only know one type of Healing, which is a really general Healing that just repairs everything back to how it should be.

Later in the Series, Nynaeve works out better (but more complicated) ways to Heal, which target specific things.

Later in the Series, Nynaeve works out better (but more complicated) ways to Heal, which target specific things.

Ingtar's helmet has "a cresent moon above his brow, points up" - this is like the helmet Lan is always drawn with on the book covers, even though he doesn't ever wear a helmet.

Lan tells Rand "I've only time for one last lesson, the hardest" - about how he may need sacrifice his opponent striking him in order to win a fight. This is now Lan defeats Demo in the last book. He says this quote to himself just before he does it.

The Amyrlin wants to know what's going on in Arad Doman/Almoth Plain. Which is that the Seanchan have arrived.

Siuan says that the Heroes will "come to whoever blows it, …they are bount to the Horn, not to the Light". This is incorrect. Mat worries about this in book 14 when the Horn is missing, and then when he hears it blowing - wondering which side blew it. But then Hawkwing appears and says "You were told wrong - we would never fight for the Shadow"

Was the arrow shot at Rand or the Amyrlin? Who knows. It's never made clear. We do find out that it was shot by a gray man though. So I'm going to say it was Rand as the target.

Hurin! The sniffer. He's cool. He's in a lot of this book, and then comes back in book 12 - but you didn't remember him when you got to there last time.

There is "something even worse" with the trollocs and darkfriends. Fain, obvi.

There are other false dragons popping up. One in Murandy, that has been captured. One near Tear that is being chased through 'Haddon Mirk' (a forest) by the military. One in Saldaea (Mazrim).

The name of the inn - "Easing the Badger" - was, for some reason, the subject of much discussion among fans who tried to work out what it meant lol

The guy who sold Domon the carving of a man holding a sword said "if you hold it long enough you start to feel warm", but no one else can feel it. The thing is probably an angreal or ter'angreal, and the guy who sold it was probably able to channel (but didn't know, obvi).

Domon says he will eventually go to Toman Head. Because everyone does in this book lol.

Domon is right about what the Darkfriends want - his Seal!

Ingtar says that no one knows why the Aiel first gave the tree of life sapling to Cairhien several hunder years ago. This was because the Cairhienin's ancestors helped the Aiel when no one else would during their distant past, before they were warriors. Rand sees this in the flashback ter'angreal in Rhuidean.

Rand is putting together info about his past. Everyone thinks he is Aiel, so maybe he is.

Ingtar "stared down the trail they followed as if his hope of the Light lay at the end of it". Yes. RAFO.

There is a woman in white in the building who disappears. It is Lanfear!

Rand feels the power again (without really knowing): "Frantically Rand sought the void. The flame seemed to get in the way, the queasy light fluttering in time with his convulsive swallows, but he pushed on until he had wrapped himself in emptiness. The queasiness pulsed in the void with him, though. Not outside, for once, but inside."

The quesiness is the taint.

Remember Ingtar's story about Hawkwing winning a great battle against a trolloc army - it will be mentioned more later.

About the repeating visions in the house:

Rand channels again: "It penetrated the void, mocking the emptiness, encasing him in ice. Desperately he reached for the flickering light. His stomach twisted, but the light was warm. Warm. Hot. He was hot."

He then cuts through "Cobwebs made of steel. Moonbeams carved from stone." without knowing exactly how.

This description makes it sound a lot like it is weaves of saidar causing the visions. Therefore it was Lanfear.

But Robert Jordan later said it was visions set up by Fain (who apparently has the power to make visions like that, which is dumb). Fain was trying to trap Rand forever in a repeating loop of visions.

Fain is shown to do something similar in Book 9 - he makes a vision of the asha'man Rand is searching for. To me, this seems like it was originally supposed to be Lanfear that made the visions (we know she is around), then RJ changed his mind. Then he did the Fain-vision in book 9 just to prove that Fain has that dumb power.

Fain does have the power to defeat myrddraal though. And nail them to doors lol.

Rand, Loial and Uno are camped next to an odd-looking stone. Rand goes to sleep with "the void surrounding him, flickering with an uneasy glow" - lul - RAFO

Lol, Fain cannot open the chest the Horn is in. SAD.

He can feel where Rand is, except when he does "his vanishing trick" - this must be when Rand is using the void (presumably it's something to do with the power)

Alviarin - Elaida's keeper in the future (and blacky!) is one of those who teaches Egwene and Nynaeve.

Alanna "showed too much interest in Rand, Perrin and Mat. Especially Rand". Because she wants to bond him lol

Anaiya says "Oh, it's you" LOL

Moiraine, Verin and Liandrin are all gone! Where are they all?? RAFO.

Tomas (Verin's warder) is very worried. Probably not just because his Aes Sedai is gone - but also because she is a renegade Blacky, and he's probably worried she's been found out. And if she has, he will probably be in some strife as well. Note he is a former darkfriend who is like Verin, working to to make amends for his past misdeeds by helping Verin.

Egwene's dream is a combination of telrod and future-vision dreaming. She sees Ba'alzamon who is "surprised to see her", but then also just sees premonitions of things. In particular, it is a dream indicating that the Forsaken (Ishy and Lanfear) are after Rand.

Anaiya says that if Egwene was a Dreamer "that would be a finger in the Reds' eye" - because the Blue Ajah found Egwene, and it would annoy the Reds if they found someone as great as Eggy might actually be.

Rand actually tries to channel and knows what he is trying to do - first time he's ever done that - while trying to get them back. He feels the taint for the first time.

Hurin can still smell the Darkfriends - but they are not in this other world. Someone gives an explanation as to how he can smell them later (but it's not very good lol)

Rand says that "If they [the stones] are older than the Age of Legends, maybe the people who built them didn’t use the Power" - possibly. The Age of Legends is supposed to be the first age where there was channelling. Or maybe the stones are from an age so old that it is all the way around the wheel and back to this age again. Or something - who knows.

Verin says straight out: "Moiraine sent me"… LIES!

This was one of the main things people noted when making theories about Verin back in the day. Because later on, Moiraine says straight out that she "didn't send Verin". So one of them was obvi lying.

Verin talks about seeing lots of flies in the village on the dead myrddraal. Rand also saw lots of flies in the weird visions in the house in that village. I assume there is some kind of connection (but don't know what). There shouldn't be any/many flies around this part of the world - too cold.

Another example in this chapter of Verin dropping her vague demenour:

Suddenly her eyes narrowed, and the absent manner vanished like smoke. "Where is Rand al’Thor?"

I've never noticed so many examples of this before this time reading.

Loial says that the land was glad for a weapon to be made. This world has no life. There are giant streaks of permanently burned ground, like giant brush strokes, across the land - all running east-west. There are thin straight streaks of cloud appearing in the sky.

No one knows what the things in this world are (and RJ never said), but there are some theories in the separate section below, after the next chapter.

Ba'alzamon claims to know everything about Rand from all turnings of the wheel. This is a lie (or just him being insane). But is maybe something that Darky himself could know.

I assume the encounter with Ba'alzamon was in telrod. But not totally sure.

We know who the woman is, right? (well, you wouldn't the first time you read. But you should know this second time!)

She wants to team up with Rand and lead him to "greatness". She goes on about that a lot lol

Grolm! These are one of the weird Seanchan creatures. Either the creatures have migrated here in this world, or the Seanchan originally got the creatures by coming to other worlds and catching them.

The trollocs defeated Hawkwing, and then went on to take over the whole continent. But then also wiped themselves out, because there was nothing else to kill.

The streaks in the sky look like airplane trails, so maybe there is advanced technology.

Maybe made by Darkys after the trollocs wiped everyone else out. Or maybe the trollocs victory forced humans to invent new technology to win the war against the Shadow. And then the humans wiped themselves out! (our future lol)

The streaks of burned ground could be from satellite laser weapons or something, firing down on the ground (like painting the ground from above)

Because Hawkwing lived 1000 years ago, that's HEAPS of time for people to have come up with advanced tech if something changed in the past. It's like in the real world from the year 1000 to now!!

The land wants a weapon to be made - implying that there is much evil in this world. Perhaps from a darky take-over after the trollocs won, or perhaps from the human's turning to self-destructive wars.

Hurin also says there is the smell of violence everywhere. Clearly this is a world where there was lots of fighting, killing, war, and desctruction of some kind.

Given there are Grolm here, it's also possible that the Seanchan were involved in this continent earlier that in the main world. Maybe it was THEM that did the advanced technology and wiped out everyone (human and/or trollocs) on this continent.

The Seanchan are definitely more into making advances than all the lame conservative peeps in this land. They invented a'dam, for example. Also, in Avi's visions of the Aiel future, we see the Seanchan (who took over the world) making advanced tech, like torches, guns and railways.

"Selene" is impressed with Rand's subconcious knowledge. "All of us here, and all of our horses. And you do not even know what you did. Remarkable." - I guess this is some evidence to her that he has some Lews knowledge hiding away in there. That's what she wants - she's in love with Lews.

Hurin says he can smell violence everywhere in that world - "Even on you, my Lady" lol, well that's not surprising really.

No noteds here

Did you notice the word "Moridin" in the Horn of Valere inscription:

"Tia mi aven Moridin isainde vadin" - word-for-word it translates as - "To my call, death isn't [a] barrier"

"Her touch made his skin tingle" - maybe she was using the power for something. And maybe Rand was sensing her channel, because men can feel a tingle when a woman nearby is holding the power.

Rand doesn't know what he's doing, but feels some kind of connection to the giant statue and it makes him want to hold the power. Obvi because it is the giant sa'angreal, and he's never experienced holding lots of power before.

I have no idea why it made him go all Aiel and say the "Till shade is gone, etc" quote.

Selene was "genuinely worried, perhaps even afraid". Truth. She knows what the statue is, and knows that it is extremely dangerous to use without going through the little statue "access key". And even if it wasn't dangerous to Rand himself, who knows what Rand would accidentally do if he held as much power as the statue would let him.

"You could have killed yourself, killed…" - killed everyone lol

There is no way Candevwin, a soldier, would not know Gareth Bryne's name - Gareth is totes famous. He was defintely just testing if Rand was telling the truth about who he was.

Lol, Lanfear avoids answering any questions by making the serving lady drop the lantern.

And then she travels out of her room, so no one sees her leave.

Daes Dae'mar - the great game. Lol. Your fav game. After Hanabi.

Lan says "Never once have you used my bond to compel me. I thought you more than disapproved of that". It is possible for Sedai to use the bond to make Warders do what they want (to some extent).

Lan says "Never once have you used my bond to compel me. I thought you more than disapproved of that". It is possible for Sedai to use the bond to make Warders do what they want (to some extent).

The prophecy about "Five ride forth and four return. Above the watchers shall he proclaim himself":

That happens in this book… and you know what "above" means lol

They discuss how few men who can channel are found. The ability to channel is being bred out of humans because Sedai rarely have kids. And channelling men obvi don't either.

The Seanchan have that problem too, since damane are not allowed to have kids - in fact, they are considered so low in society that people who are attracted to them are thought of as like people who are into beastiality lol

Moiraine thinks she has found "an answer to a question she didn't ask" - I think this may be about Fain having been merged with Mordeth in Shadar Logoth. Up until now, he has kept that info from everyone. Moiraine maybe just realised that Fain stole the dagger, and was acting all sneaky and Mordeth-like, and now she realises why. Next time we see Moiraine, she talks about this part of Fain's story for the first time, so that's probs it.

In the third test, Lan and Nynaeve have a Sedai (advisor or something) called "Sharina". There is an old granny who becomes a novice with the rebels later who has that name. Nynaeve recognises her then, and wonders if these future visions are somewhat true.

Nynaeve isn't supposed to remember the real world while she's in here, but in the third vision with Lan she seems to know it's not real, and even lists all the things happening in the real world that she has to get back to (Rand channelling, revenge on Moiraine, Egwene in the Tower…)

The ter'angreal is obviously something to do with telrod. Probably it takes the person into telrod:

Nynaeve is able to bring things into being just by thinking of them. The thorns in her hands are because she thought of them being there "She made the thorns sharp and cruel, wishing they could pierce her flesh"

And she brings the doorway back after it disappers, just by thinking of it.

Obviously, none of the Sedai know about telrod, they just know how to make the ter'angreal do what it does.

CHIT! Second appearance of this word in Wheel. Actually, it's the first, because the only other one we've read so far was in New Spring (which was actually published later).

So congratulations to Else Grinwell for being the first to be called a Chit. And to Elayne for being first to use it.

Min has "sadness or regret" in her eyes when Egwene mentions Rand. She already knows that Min herself and two others will be Rand's women. She doesn't know who the others are, but that Egwene is not one of them.

Min sees "a white flame" around Egwene. Amyrlin Seat.

An "a servered hand" around Elayne. This might be Rand's hand, or Galad's. Galad gets his chopped off by Demo when he tries to sword-fight him in the final book.

"How did Elaida know what Moiraine had summoned her [Min]?" - hmm, I don't know the answer to this.

No noteds here

The prophecies - "twice and twice shall he be marked"

He's got one heron burned into his hand already. He gets the second one during cloud fight.

He gets 2 dragons in Rhuidean - one to say he a clan chief, two to say he is the car'a'carn.

"Twice dawns the day when his blood is shed" - just as Rand is about to go into Shayol Ghul in the final book, there is an eclipse. So there are "2 dawns" that day. Dumb.

Thom does not want to get involved in the Great Game. But he's just been visited by a mysterious Lord (Rand). Anyone could have noted this.

"One who would be great must always be calm" she says. Potato.

"Sometimes," Selene said quietly, "if you are very still, no one can see you at all" - LOL, or if you use the power to hide you and your friends.

Aludra. I wonder if she got the idea for cannons from Rand using the firework like one in this chapter. Or maybe she had the idea before.

Every time Rand doesn't want to do what Selene suggests, he suddenly notices how pretty she smells or how soft her skin is. I assume she's using some subtle compulsion.

LOL, then she just vanishes again. But is able to write a note. Surely Rand would be suspicious of her by now.

I'm not sure why the wolves make such a big deal about Rand killing some trollocs, and give him a name. Unless they have some kind of "prophecy" (or whatever the wolf-equivalent is) about him, like everyone else seems to.

Urien talks about there being "pipers" to play to tune to dance to (i.e. to go into battle). But I don't think this phrase is ever used again by an Aiel. They don't have pipers.

He also recognises that Verin is like Wise Ones because "the years do not touch the Wise Ones in the same way as other women". This implies they have the "ageless" look and he recognises it in Verin. This is not true - the 'ageless' appearance comes from using the oath rod. Non-sedai channelers just age slower, they look much younger than they are but do not have the same look as Sedai.

Anyway, aside from this mistake… Verin then looks excited, because Sedai don't know about Aiel channelers.

They also know nothing of Rhuidean. This is an Aiel secret, really.

Urien also mentions the "sin" for which they were sent to the Waste. But only Clan Cheifs and Wise Ones know what it is. This is about how they (a) failed the Aes Sedai after the breaking by not being able to look after the angreals and stuff they were sent off with, and (b) for breaking their vow against violence, as the Aiel of the Age of Legends used to have.

Urein's prophecy:
He will be marked - with Dragons and Herons
He will come from the west, but be of our blood - yep
He will go to Rhuidean - yep, book 4
and lead us out of the Three-fold Land - yep, book 5.

The Seanchan call themselves "Those Who Come Before" aka "Forerunners". They are the initial invasion to claim the land, before the massive arrival of thousands of regular Seanchan peeps to populate the land (called "The Return"). Which happens in book 9 or 10.

Bornhald is rebelling - he is going to go check out the Seanchan, because helping questioners find "darkfriends" is dumb lol

"In every coastal town it was different" - the Seanchan are not ONLY on Toman Head, that's just where the main force is. They have also visited other towns up and down the coast, preparing people for their arrival.

Young women are being "examined" - to see if they should be collared, obvi.

Egeanin! Domon's future woman. Leilwin Shipless!

"They watched for the wrong things and forgot what they should have remembered" - The Watchers Over The Waves were correct about Hawkwing's armies returning, but obvi they had something wrong. You don't find out any more about this. But obvi the Seanchan didn't like something about them.

Turak tells Egeanin: "You man shed the name Egeanin for a higher one" - LOL, or you'll be demoted and get a porn name.

Hmm, Turak has Domon's seal… but he also has another one!

I love the bit where Rand sees Candevwin and the guy is like "Sorry, I don't anyone of that name" - just sums up how dumb the Cairhienin attempts at intrigue and secrecy is lol

Barthanes is a Damodred. He is on the family tree.

I wonder how suspicious Verin is of "Selene" knowing about portal stones and being able to use them. Or maybe she knows Rand used it.

The game of Stones is used as, like, a metaphor for someone's abilities in real life. Or something like that.

People who are good at politics, or sneaky intrigue, or battle tactics, are always shown as being good at Stones.

Ingtar "played with a slashing, daring style" while Perrin "played doggedly, giving ground reluctantly" - so their style of play is also reflective of their personality.

Political rulers are always shown to be good at Stones. As are battle commanders. Also people like Thom, who are good at sneaky sneaky Great Game things.

Mat says he just wants the dagger, and not the Horn because "I'm not going to be fighting in the Last Battle" - LOL, nah, you're just going to be the leader of the entire world's armies against the Trollocs.

Verin says the giant statue was "to be a weapon" when it was created. That's not actually true - it was made to be used to seal up the bore. But that plan ended u pbeing abandoned when the Shadow found out about them.

Barthanes "looked warily at Verin, though". Does he know that is she a fellow-darkfriend? Or does he think she may be there as a regular Sedai who has found him out?

Similarly, when Verin and Barthanes are privately talking, are they talking Darkfriend-issues?

I never noticed this before - Aiel and Elayne's family have a similar appearance (light skin, orange/red/light hair). So Rand gets confused for both things.

And then he says "I'm not Aiel, Lord Barthanes, and I'm not of the royal line, either" - LOL. Just like Mat isn't going to fight in the Last Battle.

Hmmm, Thom being seen talking to Rand - this isn't going to help his chances of "Not getting involved in the great game again" lol

Verin and Barthanes are privately talking, are they talking Darkfriend-issues? Maybe Verin is trying to get info about the Horn from him using the fact that she is a Blacky to convince him to share.

They wonder how and why the Black Wind is doing what it is doing. It says Rand's name, and tries to get out of the Ways. Verin says "no one can constrain the Black Wind to do anything".

It is true - Fain is not controlling the wind. It caught Fain the first time he went through the Ways, and tried to eat his soul. But instead, Fain's soul corrupted the Wind, and now it shares one of Fain's traits: it has a desire to seek out Rand.

Rand threw fire at the Wind, but Hurin thought it was the Wind trying to attack them with fireballs. I like that bit.

Barthanes says Fain has "certain claims on me that I cannot ignore". I assume that just means that Fain is higher-ranking in the world of Darkfriends, so he must obey him.

"Barthanes seemed shocked at the directness of his own questions" - ta'veren

Fain threatens to hurt Emond's Field. Yup, he gets around to that in a few books time.

"I am lost" - Ingtar REALLY wants to find the Horn!

The man says "there has been a woman, a lady, I have seen more than once while asking after him [Rand]" - they want to know who Selene is as well. I bet they'd wish they didn't if they found out lol.

Barthanes was "torn to pieces in his bedchamber" - even though it doesn't appear in the story until book 7, this could have been done by the gholam. This is not confirmed, but is possible. Or it might have just been Lanfear. Or it might have been the King's goons - although probably a bit outrageous for a simple assassination.

The King would have heard that Rand went to Barthanes place, and talked to Thom. I guess he would therefore assume that Rand and Thom are both Barthanes' allies, and go after them.

"I'm only an old gleeman, who could I possibly be dangerous to?" lul

Seanchan hairstyles. The higher up you are, the more hair you shave off. High ranking servants shave one half of their head, so they can been seen as high ranking, but identified as servants rather than nobles.

Also, more laquered fingernails indicates rank. Number of fingers done on each hand:
Empress: 5
Heir to the throne: 4
Other Royal Family members: 3
High Blood: 2 (e.g. Turak)
Low Blood: 1

This is the first time I've really realised what Fain's actual plan is. He is part-Mordeth, so he wants to become an advisor to someone important and corrupt them and use them for his own benefit. And who better to advise that the leader of an army that looks like they might be strong enough to conquer the whole world, with their chained channelers and strange beasts.

So Fain brings him the Horn to try to gain his trust and get close to him.

Fain continues this plot of "advising important people for his own means" later, when he gets into Pedron's ear and gets him to send Whitecloaks to the Two Rivers.

First mention of Tuon - she is the daughter most favoured to take the throne next.

"The cannot be more than a day or two behind me" - Fain doesn't know the others aren't coming through the Ways.

"I have often wondered if a grolm could kill a trollocs" - lol they try that in Book 14, and the grolm are pretty good at it.

Entering the Stedding, Rand feels "a dull and distant sense of loss… though he could not imagine of what" - lol, can't channel, obvi!

Perrin has a "look of recognition in his eyes" when they enter. He has been to a Stedding before with Elyas and Egwene, when he killed the Whitecloaks.

The Ogier say the Travelling People "left when the…" - the end of that sentence is "when the Aiel showed up".

Even the Aiel think Rand is an Aiel LOL - they are scandalised that he is carrying a sword.

They get Verin to "touch" the Ogier that went into the Ways. It seems like she is channeling to check him out, but she can't be, because it's a Stedding. So… hmmm, I guess he's just so "empty" that she can feel it by touching? Who knows.

"The Brown Ajah knows many things, and I know how the stones may be used". Lol - both parts of that are true, but she never says that she can use it. She's going to get Rand to do it again.

"I do not think Tarmon Gaidon will pass us by, or leave us in peace" the Ogier says. No, they will think about running off to some other world to get away from it. But then they decide to stay and fight.

Verin reckons she cannot channel enough of the power to work a portal stone. That implies that Rand is already stronger than her, even though he's hardly been channelling for long. That probs shouldn't be right. Rand should start off not-so-strong, and slowly build up.

Verin says that her father used to say "It's time to roll the dice". But that's Mat's phrase later. Just coincidence I guess.

They flicker through different lives because Rand "struggled to hold on to any one symbol" and "a thousand of them darted along the surface of the void". He sends them to a multitude of different worlds as he channels through each of those symbols, unable to focus on the one he wants until the very end.

There's lots of noteds about Rand's other lives. So I put them in a separate section hehe.

In Rand's other lives, everything outside of his control still happens:

There are false Dragons everywhere - the pattern needs a Dragon, but the real one (Rand) never discovers who he is, so the Wheel just keeps making false ones to try to spin the pattern as it is supposed to be.

The Seanchan still invade - but without Rand and friends out in the world, they successfully conquer everywhere.

They even tear down the White Tower, because Eggy isn't there to lead the fightback.

The trollocs still invade from the Blight for the last battle (and wipe out all, including the Seanchan). Again, because Rand and Mat weren't there to rally everyone fight back.

The Last Battle seems to happen at different times though - in one life, it doesn't happen until Rand is old enough to be going grey.

The Two Rivers people, when forced to fight the trollocs: "Some laughed, saying that they had the strange feeling they had done this before." - this might be a reference to Manetheran, how their ancestors all gathered to fight off Trollocs. Or it might be a reference to the actual fighting they have to do with Perrin in Book 4 in the real world.

Egwene dies early in some of the lives - because she doesn't learn to channel, and dies of the sickness that comes from channelling without knowing what you are doing.

Tam gives Rand a letter to get him into the army of Illian. Tam used to be a high-ranking soldier in their army.

Rand goes mad in several lives, obvi. Even if he doesn't know he is channelling, he still does it.

Elayne is unhappy when she marries someone else, because that's not what is supposed to happen.

In one life he "was born, lived and died an Aiel" - seems likely life, if only his mother hadn't gone to fight a war while she was so pregnant.

In one, he marries Else Grinwell (the farmer's daughter that had the hots for him in book 1, and then went to the White Tower).

Some things in some worlds ARE what they are supposed to be, just not everything is right:

Egwene becomes Amyrlin.

He marries Elayne. Or Min.

He proclaims himself the Dragon Reborn.

"I have won again, Lews Therin" - I guess this is Darky talking to Rand as he dies. Seeing as Darky reckons he is Lord of the Grave and can snatch people's souls as they die. I guess.

The main thing Rand gets from that phrase is that he probably really is Lews reborn. It is the same in every life.

Ingtar is obviously shocked by some Darky stuff that he saw in his other lives. He is already super-keen to get the Horn - but after this is freaks out and claims he will "find the Horn of Valere and pull down Shayol Ghul's power. I will!"

Perrin notes that some things are almost always the same in the different lives. Maybe he often loses himself to become wolfy in many lives. Not sure.

I'm always disappointed that more people didn't learn cool things about the future from these other lives. They totally could have, if they thought about it - all the major things that happened in the world that were the same in most lives.

Min wants to go because she wants Rand.

Min also knows that she will have Rand, and so will Elayne, and so will someone else.

No noteds here

"Perhaps I will be the one who places the collar around your lovely throat" Suroth says to Liandrin. Nah - Suroth ends up finding Liandrin later (after Moggy weaves a crazy shield on her so she can never channel again) and making her a servant.

"It is always her [a damane] fault, even if she does not know why" - hmm, I didn't know the Seanchan played Hanabi!

Renna talks about the fun game of making a man put on a leash and how "sometimes you [the damane] and he would both die screaming". This happens when the man is able to channel (even if he doesn't know it).

This happens because of the way the a'dam works. It creates a link betweek the two (just like two people linking to share use of the One Power) - if one man and one woman want to link, the woman must initiate the link. The a'dam tries to create a link on the man's end (if he has the bracelet on), and it can't be done… so, GHD.

"When one has been a sul’dam long enough,” she told Egwene, “one learns to tell many things about damane even without the bracelet" - lul that's because they learn to recognise channelling because they are able to do it - even though they don't know.

Perrin wonders why Fain brought the Horn to where the Seanchan are - see noted from Chapter 34 Part 2

“That isn’t the way,” Hurin said softly. “Not ‘must.’ What happens, happens.” - I assume he's muttering something about what he saw in his other lives.

There shouldn't be charred impressions of fingers on the chair if Rand and Balzo were in telrod. So maybe this wasn't telrod, maybe Malzo actually came to him that time.

"sul'dam develop an affinity after a while" - see noted from chapter 40. Sul'dam can channel, so they are able to learn how to recognise things about damane channelling.

Egwene is "sure that she can handle much more of the Power now than she could before leaving Tar Valon". Because the Seanchan force her to use the power all the time as a damane, she grows stronger much faster than she would in Tar Valon where they are always super-cautious and teach slowly and don't let anyone channel without supervision.

Min sees "a red-hot iron and an axe" as a vision for Elayne, "but it seemed distant, somewhere in the future". No one is sure what this one means - maybe it's supposed to be something that happens after the books are all done.

Coming soon - cloud fight!

Nynaeve embraces saidar by imagining a "white blossom on a black, thorny branch" lol. Rather than some nice pleasant flower.

Ingtar says "By the Light, it is! I am saved!" when they find the Horn. Intense.

Rand doesn't channel because he thinks the damane could sense it. This is not true. Women cannot detect a man channelling by default. And men can only feel a tingle if a woman does, but only if she is quite nearby. He would have been fine.

Ingtar says he allowed "a pale little man you didn't seem to really notice" into Fal Dara - this was the Gray Man that fired an arrow at Rand/Siuan.

But this doesn't definitely answer the question of "who freed Fain".

It's kind of dumb that Rand vs Ba'alzamon fight is reflected in the Heroes vs Seanchan fight. That kind of implies that the Seanchan are evil. But they're not, they're just peeps from another land come to invade. Like all nations like to do at some point in time.

Rand uses Lan's advice to "sheathe the sword", allowing Balzo to stab him in order to get a killing blow. Lan also uses this vs Demo in the final book.

Except that Balzo still isn't dead.

"I will never serve you, Father of Lies. In a thousand lives, I never have. I know that." - Rand knows that because of all the lives he saw while travelling via Portal Stone. In none of those lives did he ever choose to serve darky.

Artur Hawkwing - he leads the Heroes to fight against his own descendants lol.

Rand now has his second Heron burned into his hand.

"We found Bela" - lol - obvi.

Even Min stares and is entranced by Lanfear's beauty. Obvi she using some bits of compulsion to make people think how amazing she is.

"I did not send Verin" Moiraine says. A direct contradiction with what Verin said earlier. One is obvi lying.

"This time I killed him" lol nope.

"The Black Ajah has revealed itself for the first time in 2000 years". I have no idea how Moiraine (or anyone!) would know that the Black Ajah were founded 2000 years ago!

Robert Jordan has said that the breaking of these 2 seals was the point in time where the rest of the Forsaken were freed.

Ishy was always half free. Aginor and Balthamel were free just from the weakening of the seals. Lanfear was free after one seal broke. All the rest are now out.

"Masema, who hated him. Masema, who looked at him as if seeing a vision of the Light"… "I am your man to the death" His dark eyes shone with fervor…

Prophet in the making.

"Men proclaimed themselves for the Dragon, and other men struck them down and were struck down in turn" - this is the start of the Dragonsworn. People proclaiming for and against Rand after the vision in the sky.

I always like the way the rumours spread - the stories are always not-quite-right, or mixed up with other stories.