Previously - Geofram Bornhald led his Legion against the Seanchan (and the Heroes of the Horn, oops). Jaret Byar was ordered to stand aside and report on the outcome of the battle to Pedron.
Before arriving in Falme, they saw Perrin (who they know from Book 1)
There was a cloud fight. Everyone on Toman Head saw Rand fight Balzo lol
After this sign, people all across Tarabon, Arad Doman, and Almoth Plain (which is between those two countries) have declared for Rand. Others do not believe and fight against them. Those declared for Rand are becoming known as "Dragonsworn"
Pedron's plan for the Children of the Light was to have the Whitecloaks conquer Almoth Plain and make their own nation under their control. This was what the Questioners (led by Jaichim Carridin - BORS) and Geofram were supposed to be helping to do.
Fai/Mordeth tried to become advisor to the Seanchan by offering their leader the Horn. That's what Mordeth does - advises peeps to turn them all to his evil corrupted ways.
"His charge broke them" Byar said about Borhnhald's charge against the Seanchan. Yeah, nah, the Heroes defeated the Seanchan, not your men, soz.
Pedron thinks the "Aes Sedai" on Toman Head were there to support Rand. Actually, it was just damane.
Pedron's new plan is to encourage the Dragonsworn, let them run riot for a while, then send Whitecloaks in to save the lands, and take control of several countries.
"Ordeith"/Fain/Mordeth has found another powerful person to advise and try to corrupt.
"Perhaps I must make plans for this Two Rivers". Yup. Book 4.
Previously - BORS was talking to Pedron, and got new orders to go and encourage the Dragonsworn to violence and chaos.
"I like to keep a watch on all those who serve me" - this myrddraal is a first version of Shaidar Haran. He is not yet as big and powerful as what he will be later (as Darky is not yet free enough to make him that powerful).
Other evidence is that it laughs - normal myrddraal don't laugh. Also, Robert Jordan said it was Shaidar v1.0.
Even darkfriends are confused by their orders to sometimes kill Rand and sometimes try to capture him.
Previously - Moiraine, the boys, Min, Loial and the Shienarans left Falme together.
The girls and Verin are returning to Tar Valon, along with Mat who will be healed of the dagger. Hurin is also with them, he will be returning to Fal Dara.
The Shienarans are now ardent followers of Rand.
Leya says she "just… knew" to come here to find Moiraine. I don't know if she's just being secretive, or what. Presumably Moiraine just sent for her (and her other messengers as well) somehow, or arranged in advance where she would be if there was news.
Previously - Leya, a messenger for Moiraine has arrived at the camp of the Dragon. Hey, how ya doin?
The camp has been in place, hiding in the Mountains for several months since Book 2 finished.
Dragonsworn have become a thing in Arad Doman and on Almoth Plain
"some of the old stories call them [Ogier] fierce, and implacable as enemies" - yup, the Seanchan have a special military unit made up of Ogier. Some of the person guards of the Empress/Royal Family.
"Masema, who saw ill in everything, and whose eyes now shone with utter devotion" lol prophet
Rand talks about dreams. Dreams become a more significant part of the story in this book. Not just having Balzo appear in them.
Previously - Rand channeled an earthquake lol
The Shienarans are now ardent followers of Rand. Especially Masema.
Min foresaw the death of Leya, Moiraine's messenger.
The Great Hunt for the Horn set out from Illian a few months ago, from Illian.
Pedron has sent Whitecloaks to Almoth Plain to stir up the Dragonsworn. He plans to then "save" those places from the Dragonsworn to take control of those places.
Bors was ordered by Pedron to lead this mission (stirring up the Dragonsworn), but is also ordered by Darky to kill Rand.
There are Soulless (Grey Men) killing people who look like Rand among the Draongsworn. Lucky the real Rand is hidden in the mountains.
Previously - everyone is hanging out in the moutains, waiting for Moiraine to decide what to do next.
Last book, CLOUD FIGHT. Rand stabbed Balzo in the chest (and melted Tam's sword)
Lanfear and Ishy in Perrin's dream at the start. Lanfear still raving about glory and whatever.
Ishy is wearing his black velvet with white lace, as he liked to as Morry as well.
After that in the dream, the place with bridges and ramps and whatever - that is the Ways. It is not pitch-dark in telrod because there is normal light everywhere in telrod by default.
The three men Perrin sees arguing in the Ways are:
Tall, dark, sliver in his black hair: Rahvin.
Older man with close cropped white hair: Be'lal (he is in Tear, Moiraine balefires him later)
Other man who blows them all up (lol): Ishy.
Perrin then ends up in the Heart of the Stone in Tear, where Calandor is.
Twisted Ones - wolf name for Trollocs.
Previously - "The Twisted Ones come"
Leya - the tinker messenger that came to Moiraine. Min saw that she would die.
Min's viewings always come true. You cannot prevent them.
Few people know about Perrin's wolf connection. I think only Moiraine, Lan and Eggy (who was with him when he discovered it with Elyas)
"Her only apparent weapon was a switch, but where she slashed a Trolloc, a line of flame grew on its flesh" - I'm not sure why Moiraine bothers using a dagger. Just make fireballs lol
Perrin's first experience with wanting to give up on being a man and go be a wolf lol
"It was a sign. A sign to confirm our faith." Masema says about the wolves coming. He's totes turning following Rand into almost a religion.
Rand says he "felt them coming" - just like Moiraine (a channeller) and Lan (a power of the bond) can feel shadowspawn. Being able to do this is a thing that is mentioned a lot in the first books, but then kind of disappears later.
Previously - trollocs attacked the camp.
Earlier, Rand made an earthquake
Masema is totes obsessed with Rand, and following Rand.
Perrin dreamed of the Heart of the Stone and Calandor.
At the end of the last book, while Min was tending to Rand after cloud fight, Lanfear appeared to her, and revealed who she really was, and told Min to look after Rand for her.
"We must spread the word" - Masema says. Yup, that's what he does.
"There are the Forsaken to be accounted for" Moiraine says. Correct. They are all free now (not that she knows that yet)
"The weakest of the stronger than the ten strongest Aes Sedai living today" Moiraine says about the Forsaken. Not really true - they are stronger than almost everyone today, true. But not THAT powerful. They do have waaaay more knowledge that today's peeps though.
Perrin says that he knows his life is bound to Rand (from the Portal Stone lives). That sounds a bit strange because Rand's visions never mentioed Perrin. But maybe that's because all of Rand's lives were of him NOT defating Darky. Maybe Perrin saw that when Rand does live as the Dragon Reborn, Perrin must be there to help out.
"Can’t you tell us what to expect once in a while, instead of explaining after it happens?" lol so true of so many things in these books
Moiraine sends the Shienarans to Jehannah (in Ghealdan). And that's where Masema starts spreading the word of God, and where we next see him when the girls go there while trying to find Salidar in Book 5
"Wait there until I send word" - haha, which will be never.
"The Stone of Tear will never fall till the People of the Dragon come - have you given us a new name Moiraine?" - nope, the People Of The Dragon are the Aiel.
"If you meet… the most beautiful woman you've ever seen - run!" Min is talking about Lanfear
The prophecies that are mentioned:
"He shall slay his people with the sword of peace" - he will reveal to the Aiel their secret past as peeps sworn to peace.
"He shall bind the Nine Moons to serve him" - in Book 14, he convinces Tuon to fight alongside them (with Mat's help)
"Heal the wounds of madness and cutting of hope" - I assum this means cleansing the taint
Stuff about breaking chains and putting into chains - could be anything
Min's viewings:
An Aielman in a cage - Perrin meets Gaul for the first time in this book, freeing him from a cage.
A Tuatha'an with a sword - Aram
A falcon and a hawk - Faile vs Berelain
Previously - Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and Loial are off after Rand.
Min has been sent to Tar Valon to report to Siuan for Moiraine.
The Shienarans have been left in Jehannah to wait.
More previously - Moiraine told Lan about how his bond will be passed to Myrelle if Moiraine dies (or if she goes through a doorway ter'angreal which melts and traps her there)
No noteds here
Previously - Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and Loial are off after Rand.
They are now close to the border with Amadicia, the country that the Whitecloaks have their headquarters.
There are people declaring for and against Rand all across Tarabon and Arad Doman and Almoth Plain - thanks to cloud fight!
"Perrin's nose caught another odor, one he could not identify, a faint trail that raised the hair on the back of his neck with its vileness" - he is smelling a Gray Man.
Noam - Perrin frees him and he goes and spends his life living as a wolf. This is the real start of Perrin's panic about "becoming a wolf and not being able to control it" or whatevs. But he never really had anything to worry about, Noam chose to become wolf because his life sucked.
In Book 13, Perrin discovers that a wolf called "Boundless" is actually Noam.
Previously - Noam, a real wolf man, was freed by Perrin to go live his life as a wolf.
Perrin and co are chasing Rand, who is on his way to Tear to try to get Calandor.
In Book 1 - Hopper was killed by Whitecloaks when they threatened Egwene and Perrin.
Perrin recently had a weird dream which Balzo and Lanfear were both in.
In Perrin's dreams:
The first man he sees is shocked that Perrin doesn't know him, calls Perrin a peasant, and then has his skin ripped off. He is no one, just a lord of some kind who dreamed himself into telrod. He won't wake up.
The woman is Lanfear. Perrin recognises her from a previous dream.
The description of how Lanfear's room vanishes sounds like a gateway closing. Maybe she was standing there with a gateway open between wherever she was and wherever Perrin was, and then let it close to get away from him.
The wolves warn Perrin of things that are "worse than the Neverborn" (worse than myrddraal) - I assume they mean the Forsaken.
Rand shoots the Darkhound with balefire. The first time anyone is seen using it in the books.
Previously - While Rand and friends hid in the Mountains after cloud fight, the girls returned to Tar Valon.
Verin, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve are going. Mat went with them to be healed of the dagger. Hurin also went with them, but just because it's on the way back home to Fal Dara. People don't know about Hurin's sniffing ability.
Eggy and Galad were a bit excited about each other when they first met.
When Elayne and her brothers travelled to Tar Valon, they were followed by a group of Whitecloaks led by Eamon Valda. Bornhald Jr (Dain) was with that group. They are still hanging out near Tar Valon.
Egwene's dream was: "Rand, running towards something, but running away from something too" - obvi, he's running towards Calandor, and away from Darkhounds and darkfriends.
The Whitecloaks say that "Morgase no longer has so much love for the witches" - she's a bit upset at them for losing her daughter lol
The girls are back at Tar Valon. They used the power to scare off some Whitecloaks.
Egwene caught Min lying with Rand keeping him warm lul
More rumours getting stories mixed up - a false dragon in command of the Seanchan who destroyed the Whitecloaks with the help of Aes Sedai. Meh, all the bits are right, but not put together correctly.
Hurin will return to the Borderlands to tell the King and Lord Agelmar what happened in Falme. His message is what sets the rulers of the Borderlands off on their quest south to find Rand (which lasts for many books before he eventually sees them in Book 13!)
Theodrin and Faolain - two Accepted that never like Eggy. But she raises them to full Sedai when she becomes Amyrlin, and they end up being her allies and little spies.
Eggy thinks Faolain will definitely choose Red Ajah.Wrong, she chooses Blue.
Previously - the girls are back in the White Tower, and are in trouble for running away. And for trying to blow up Whitecloaks lol
Verin is the only other Sedai that knows about Siuan and Moiraine's plans to let the Dragon roam free.
No noteds here
Previously - the girls are back in the White Tower, and are in trouble for running away. And for trying to blow up Whitecloaks lol
Dain Bornhald told the girls about how Morgase doesn't like the Sedai at the moment.
The ter'angreal that the Blackies took with them:
They took 26 altogether. 13 of them (one each) are for getting into telrod.
3 more are sleep-related, but use unknown.
A hedgehog, which they use as a trap later in this book, trying to capture Moiraine.
A balefire rod.
A set of dice - this affect luck in some way - or, according to Robert Jordan's notes, it "imitates the effect of a ta'veren". You can make of that what you like. It is never used in the books.
The people in the books don't know what all of these do though. The Blackies took them because they were ordered to (probs by Be'lal who is setting his trap in Tear).
The rest of the ter'angreal they took are never mentioned exactly, and their use is not known by anyone. Probably even RJ - he was probs just going to make them do something if he ever needed a use for them as he made up the story as he went along.
Previously - the girls have been told of Liandrin and the Black Ajah, and told to keep quiet or else they may be associated with Liandrin.
They are being punished severely for running away. Elayne has been sent away for the next bit.
Siuan lists Sedai that she should be able to trust: Leane, correct. Sheriam, WRONG, BLACKIE! Verin, kind-of-wrong, she's a good Blackie. Moiraine, correct. Well, 50 percent is ok lol
Previously - Siuan has set Nynaeve and Eggy to look for clues to other Blackies in the Tower.
Last book, on the boat to Tar Valon, Siuan gave the girls a channelling lesson. Nynaeve got a bit cranky and Siuan tied her up with air.
"Liandrin would not have tried to put us out of the way unless she thought we were a threat" - she was presumably just taking orders from someone higher up in the Darky heirarchy. And probs getting rid of the girls just because they had a link to Dragon.
Egwene wonders why Nynaeve is so keen to learn to be Sedai. It's because she wants "revenge" on Moiraine for ruining their lives lol. Not really sure what she ever planned to do.
The grey man was killed by Slayer. Even though he has never appeared in the books before. He is able to step in and out of telrod at will, so he just hangs out where he needs to be and pops into the real world then pops out again. Even better than travelling with gateways I say
Previously - Eggy and Nynaeve are to look for evidence of other Blackies. Then they were attacked by a Gray Man.
The girls have only just returned to the Tower, so haven't really seen anyone yet. Also, no one knows where they went, because they don't want to be associated with Liandrin.
Eggy and Galad were a bit excited about each other when they first met.
Elayne tells the story of the Queen who rode into the middle of a battle to force her army to fight harder just to protect her. Elayne does this exact thing during the Last Battle - except she goes in swinging a sword which she knows she is totes unco with.
Previously - the girls are worried about Mat and want to try healing him themselves.
They think the Sedai plan to let him die. Siuan did consider the possibility, because that would leave the Horn free for someone else to blow. (Maybe she knows Little Chit is meant to blow it LOL)
Then Elaida came into their room.
Elaida says she has "invested too much time" to see Elayne fail. Many years ago (when Rand's mum was still daughter-heir) Elaida had a foretelling that the royal family of Andor was the key to winning the last battle. So she has attached herself to the Andor royals. Pity the foretelling actually meant Rand's mum and therefore Rand, so she's with the wrong version of the Royal Family.
Elaida is also interested in what Siuan said to the girls, and in Rand. She suspects Siuan is up to something.
The seven people who know about the Grey Man are: The 3 girls, 2 men who were brought in to remove the body, Sheriam and Siuan.
Mat is to be Healed.
Previously - Liandrin and 12 other blackies raided the ter'angreal storerooms, killed some peeps and fled the Tower.
Vora's sa'angreal, which Siuan uses to help Heal Mat - this is the same one Egwene uses in books 12 and 14 (to fight the Seanchan and in the Last Battle)
Mat's old tongue exactly:
"Muad'drin tia dar allende caba'drin rhadiem!" - Footmen prepare to pass cavalry forward!
"Los Valdar Cuebiyari! Los! Carai an Caldazar! Al Caldazar!" - Forward the Heart Guard! Forward! For the Honor of the Red Eagle! The Red Eagle!
"Mia ayende, Aes Sedai! Caballein misain ye! Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye! Mia ayende!" - Release me, Aes Sedai! I am a free man, Aes Sedai! I am no Aes Sedai meat! Release me!
Previously - Mat was Healed. During the process he was speaking the Old Tongue and remembering old battles.
Among Mat's scattered memories are "a beautiful woman" and "a well-dressed man who spoke to him like a father giving sage advice" - I wonder if these are Lanfear and Balzo? I can't think of who else they would be.
Mat remembers old battles. I wonder if this was originally going to be how Mat got his old memories and became a great general - just from "The Old Blood" of Manetheran - and then RJ changed his mind and made the Snakes give him the memories instead.
Previously - Mat woke up, and now someone has come into his room.
Mat thinks Lanfear is familiar. I don't think Mat has even met Lanfear before, except maybe in dreams. I can't remember now.
"I wanted to see all of you" Lanfear says - and encourage them all to seek glory lol
She uses the phrase "so-called Aes Sedai" - this is said a few times during the series by Forsaken. They don't think the present-dat Sedai are worthy of the title compared to them and other that were Sedai back in the Age of Legends.
I wonder in Siuan would have worked out who Lanfear was if Mat had told about her.
"I am no hero. I do what I have to do, but I am no hero" - Mat is always claiming he is not a hero, no matter what he does.
"It will work as well for the Shadow as for the Light" - this is said a few times during the books. But no one really knows for sure, and it turns out that it's not true.
Previously - the girls are to look for evidence of Black Ajah in the tower
Liandrin and her group fled the Tower with a bunch of ter'angreal, most of which are dream or sleep related.
On her way to Verin's quarters, Egwene sees "a flash of white ahead, perhaps a novice or servant" - or perhaps Lanfear!
"Heart of the Dark. Ba’alzamon. Name hidden within name shrouded by name. Secret buried within secret cloaked by secret. Betrayer of Hope. Ishamael betrays all hope. Truth burns and sears. Hope fails before truth. A lie is our shield. Who can stand against the Heart of the Dark? Who can face the Betrayer of Hope? Soul of shadow, Soul of the Shadow, he is—"
The next bit is possibly supposed to say something like "he is not bound, as the Forsaken should be"
This bit of text is supposed to hint that Ba'alzamon is actually Ishy. Egwene works this out later combining this text with some observations from Moiraine.
Verin explains all about other worlds but how there is only 1 Creator and 1 Darky. And says confusing things about how if he's free in one he is free in all, and if he's sealed in one he is sealed all. Which doesn't really make sense if you think about it.
In Book 14, the areas close to (and in) Shayol Ghul, things happen to show that all the worlds are coming together. So that Rand is fighting Darky and sealing the bore in all the worlds at once. So that's how that works lol
Verin then says that telrod is around all of these possible worlds. So maybe that's why you can make all sorts of things happen in telrod just by thinking it - because those things would exist in some possible world somewhere, and telrod is somehow related to ALL those worlds, so anything can happen there.
Or am I thinking about this too much?
Verin didn't give Egwene all the info about telrod and the ter'angreal that she had. She is under competing orders from Siuan (give Eggy info about the Black Sister) and the Darkies (don't give her the info). She has to obey Siuan as much as she can, or else she will reveal she is blacky.
In Book 12, when Verin reveals her secrets she says this about the current situation:
"You did very well with the previous tidbits I gave you. That was quite the interesting situation. The Amyrlin commanded that I give you information to hunt the Black sisters who fled the Tower, so I had to comply, even though the leadership of the Black was frustrated by the order. I wasn’t supposed to give you the dreaming ter’angreal, you know. But I’ve always had a feeling about you."
Previously - Verin gave Eggy a dream ter'angreal, and info about the Black Ajah that left the tower with Liandrin.
Now she is to be tested for Accepted.
Apparently "the Amyrlin commanded" that Eggy and Elayne be raised now. I guess to make sure they have more freedom to start looking or Blacky clues straight away
"She should not be given this chance [to refuse to take the test]" Elaida says. lol - Sedai, who are great sticklers for ceremony and doing everything the way it has always been done - except when there's a personal grudge involved lul
There is "some sort of resonance" - this is proof that the Accepted Testing ter'angreal uses telrod somehow. The resonance comes from the other ter'angreal being in the room among Eggy's things.
Egwene's daughter is called "Joiya" - this is one of the Black Ajah's names. Coincidence I think.
In the second scenario, Trollocs are attacking Caemlyn. This happens in book 14. Maybe this scenario comes up because the testing ter'angreal is dream-related, and Eggy sometimes has dreams that are prophectic. So she has this future-truth scenario.
Rand says "they can Turn me" - this is the first time this is mentioned ever. And it never happens in the books until book 13/14 when Taim and friends start doing it to people in the Black Tower. This is the thing where you get 13 channellers weaving through 13 myrddraal to Turn someone to the Shadow.
Rand also says "If madness has me, I cannot fight them [the attempt to Turn him]". This is also true - the more mentally strong someone is the longer and harder it will be to Turn them. Logain is very difficult to Turn.
Egwene has another possibly prophetic scenario the third time. She is Amyrlin, she has never held the oath rod, and she has a Keeper that looks like Sheriam (who will be her actual Keeper)
Her Keeper is called Beldeine. This is the name of a real Sedai of the Green Ajah who does look like Sheriam (they are both from Saldaea). She is one of the rebel Sedai that swears fealty to Rand after he is rescued from the kidnap box.
"The Great Purge" is mentioned by Amyrlin-Eggy. Apparently it was an event that removed all Blackies. In book 12/13, Eggy does this by using the oath rod to make everyone re-swear.
"Elaida is her bitterest rival" - lol also true in the future. Also the fact that Elaida boots out the current Amyrlin to become the Seat herself.
"Gyldan" is the name of a Blacky. This is not a real Sedai, but Moggy uses the name "Gyldin" when she takes over Liandrin's group of Blackies in a later book.
Previously - Egwene finished her test for Accepted.
"Turning" people was mentioned during one of the test scenarios.
In all three scenarios, Egwene abandoned Rand is different situations (one where he was her husband in Two Rivers and he was going mad), one where he was trapped in rubble with shadowspawn coming for him, and one where he was to be gentled by Elaida.
The ter'angreal was playing up during the test because Eggy secretly has another dream ter'angreal in the room, along with papers describing Liandrin's Blackies.
Egwene thinks she was Green Ajah in her 'future' scenario, because her Keeper was raised from the Green.
Elayne was also tested on the same night as Eggy.
I think Alanna just asks for pennance because she is odd. There's no suspicious things she's trying to do.
"I couldn't help him, Nynaeve. I just left him there" - Nynaeve can relate to this. She abandoned Lan in one of her tests
Previously - Mat was healed. Then he was visited by Lanfear and by Siuan/Leane.
He eats a lot lol
He has lots of holes in his memory of times since he first got the dagger.
He is not allowed to leave Tar Valon until Siuan says so.
Else Grinwell is a novice in the Tower. Mat knows her, from when he and Rand stayed at their farm in Book 1.
Else acts weird - because it's not actually her!! She stays away so he cannot touch her and reveal the illusion!
Gawyn and Galad are both ORLY good with the sword. But Galad is the best.
"You can rest till I finish my pipe. But rest fast; I am almost in the dottle." - I love how there's just random things about pipes every now and then, because RJ loved pipes. And collected them.
Mat already thinks he has luck and uses the phrase "Time to toss the dice" - even before he finds out how lucky he really is.
Previously - Verin gave the girls a dream ter'angreal and a list of info about Liandrin's Blackies.
The girls are all still being punished for "running away" by being on kitchen duty all the time.
Eggy and Elayne were tested for Accepted, and passed.
Eggy had a daughter called Joiya in one of her tests.
Eggy found out about channelers being able to be Turned to the Shadow
Alanna demanded pennance for her failure to control the testing ter'angreal properly while Eggy was in there
Else (who was not actually Else) saw Mat in the Tower grounds.
"Did Verin give us rubbish on purpose?" - no, but she held some info back because she is blacky and under orders not to reveal all.
Did you follow Elayne's logic about the Blackies? And how she knows there must be more of them in the Tower.
Fake Else is back. It is actually Lanfear.
Egwene dreams of the Seanchan attacking the White Tower. Truth, in the future.
She also dreams of "Whitecloaks binding her father's hands" - truth in Book 4.
"Rand, reaching for a sword that seemed to be made of crystal, never seeing the fine net dropping over him." - this is him getting Calandor (obvi) and Be'lal having a trap laid for him when he takes it.
"Rand kneeling in a chamber where a parched wind blew dust across the floor, and creatures like the one on the Dragon banner, but much smaller, floated on that wind, and settled into his skin." - when he gets the Dragon tattoos in Rhuidean.
"Rand walking down into a great hole in a black mountain, a hole filled with a reddish glare as from vast fires below" - off to the fight Darky in Book 14.
"Rand him confronting Seanchan" - he fights them several times and then confronts them to make a truce.
Perrin with the hawk and falcon (just like Min's viewing) - Faile and Berelain
Perrin with a beard. lol he grows a beard.
Perrin leading a huge pack of wolves - yup he leads the wolves in the Last Battle
"Mat and Seanchan" - yep, well, he becomes their Prince
"Mat, placing his own left eye on a balance scale" - hehe yup
Previously - Else (actually Lanfear in disguise) came and told the girls where to find the belongings of the Blackies that ran off with Liandrin.
During her time with the Seanchan, Eggy discovered that she is skilled with Earth and metals with the One Power
Did the Blackies really leave lots of clues about them going to Tear? Or did Lanfear set it up so they would go there?
Previously - Lanfear (as Else) led the girls to a storeroom containing clues that Liandrin and friends went to Tear.
Elaida has shown that she is interested in Rand. She knows Siuan is up to something, and is trying to work out what.
Liandrin took the girls to Falme to be collared. So the Black Ajah already know the girls should be gotten rid of. They may still be a target for those left in the Tower.
Perrin sometimes finds himself in Wolf Dream - which is just telrod.
Eggy knows about Perrin's wolf power, but very few others do.
When Eggy sees Perrin and Rand, it is actually them in telrod.
"Take me where I need to be" - Eggy tries to get telrod to show her what she needs. This is a technique that others use several times in the future. For example this is how they find that the Bowl of the Winds exists.
I'm pretty sure Eggy didn't know that the 'need' thing was something you could do - she was just hoping telrod would be useful.
Silvie - lol - that's totes Lanfear.
"All of them pretending to serve the Great Lord, and all the while plotting and planning to regain what they lost. Each one thinking he or she is the only one plotting. Ishamael is a fool!" - she makes out that she's talking about the High Lords of Tear, but she's actually talking about the other Forsaken
I assume the person who comes to stare at Calandor is either Rand or Be'lal
"I just thought of someone who’d be happy to carry Elayne’s letter for her. Happy to leave Tar Valon, too. In fact, I’d bet on it." - bet on it - get it? lol
Previously - The girls are going to go chasing the Black Ajah to Tear. Elayne is going to send a letter to her mother. Nynaeve knows someone who can take the letter for her.
The girls are being punished for running away (with Liandrin) by being made to work the kitchens every day.
Siuan gave the girls two copies of a letter that says they are on official business of the Tower - basically giving them authority to do whatever they want.
Mat has been visited by Selene (Lanfear) in the Tower while he was recovering.
Mat isn't sure why the Amyrlin wants him to stay. They know he blew the Horn (because Verin told her), and want to keep him for that.
Previously - the girls were attacked by a Gray Man in the Tower. Sheriam was there when they found the Gray Man, dead (killed by Slayer, but no one even knows about him yet)
Egwene has the dream ter'angreal and notes from Verin about the Blackies. They were among her clothes when she did her Accepted test, and she wonders if anyone found them and looked at them while she was being tested.
Fake Else Grinwell (Lanfear in disguise) told the girls where to find the Black Ajah's belongings.
If you wonder what they're talking about in the very first sentence of this chapter: Look at this article lol
Siuan says that "only two more powerful [sa'angreal] were made" than Callandor. She might be talking about the two giant statues. But actually, the sa'angreal that Demo uses in the Last Battle is also more powerful than Callandor. I doubt Siuan knows about it though.
Siuan makes "Mistress of the Kitchens" a formal title. This probably helps Laras to like Siuan more, and therefore helps her escape later on after she is deposed and stilled.
Previously - Mat is to carry Elayne's letter to Caemlyn. He has one of the letters from Siuan saying he is on official Tower business, which will let him get out of the city, even though he shouldn't be allowed to.
Mat is upset about being described as having "The Dark One's luck" - because he's not sure where his luck has come from. Maybe he is cursed by something evil still, giving him the luck. Nah, it's just him being ta'veren.
The "ordinary-looking man" Mat killed is a Gray Man. Mat assumed he was just someone trying to rob his money.
Previously - Mat has gone to an inn to get away from the dead body in the street. The man he just pushed off the bridge. Gray Man. But Mat thinks is was just a thief.
In book 2, Thom killed the King of Cairhien.
Thom says he "suspects more than is healthy, but knows nothing" about Rand. He and Rand had a conversation in Book 2 (in Cairhien) about Thom's nephew. Thom worked out from that about Rand being able to channel.
"There’s always a balance, you know. Good and evil. Light and Shadow. We would not be human if there wasn’t a balance." - this Thom quote is a summary of one of the overall main points of this whole series. Balance between things, and the ability for people to choose to be good or evil - in book 14, the reason Rand decides not to kill Darky is that without the existence of Darky, people would have no choice in life, and would just be "good zombies".
Robert Jordan even had that idea as part of the ending to the books before he even started writing - it was always supposed to be an important point of the ending of the books.
Previously - Thom will accompany Mat to Caemlyn. Because he thinks it is the worst place he could go to lol
Siuan has made sure Mat is known by necessary people to stop Mat leaving Tar Valon.
Also previously - when Rand passed through one of the villages, everyone got married.
Egwene came across Rand in telrod.
High Lord Samon. Obvi he is someone important. lul.
This captain rants about him, and Thom has never heard of him.
The guys in the boat say "The Great Lord take me!" - therefore they are darkfriends, not just brigands, and not just thieves after Mat's money.
"The living say it, and the dead" - many people have told Rand he is Dragon/Lews. I assume "the dead" that said it to him were the Heroes of the Horn - Artur Hawkwing said it when the Horn was blown.
"Hand pushing Egwene and Nynaeve and Elayne into cages, snaring them in nets" - this is them being caught in the trap of the Blackies and Be'lal in Tear.
Previously - Perrin, Moiraine, Lan and Loial continue to follow Rand. They previously left Jarra, a village where there were many weddings, and Noam the Wolf-Man
Perrin had telrod dreams with Hopper in them, and Eggy came across him while she was in telrod as well.
In Jarra, Perrin picked up a strange smell - something wrong and evil - it was the smell of a Gray Man (although Perrin doesn't know that)
The Great Hunt for the Horn set out from Illian a few months ago, from Illian.
Min saw "an Aielman in a cage" as an important point in Perrin's life.
The sulphurous smell that Perrin detects - that is Darkhounds. That is different from the Gray Man smell earlier.
Lan uses the name Andra. He used this before in Book 1. Must be he default fake-name. It's an abbreviation of his surname mANDRAgoran.
Min's viewing is truth - here, where there is an Aielman in a cage, Perrin is about to meet 2 people who will be very important to him:
The woman staring at him at the end is one of them. The Aiel himself is the other.
Previously - Perrin and co arrived at a village where there is a caged Aiel, and some Hunters of the Horn telling tales about how great they are.
Perrin is suspicious of a woman in the common room looking at him.
Perrin is afraid of his dreams now, so tries not to sleep.
Orban and Gann - the two hunters who captured the Aiel.
Furlan - the innkeeper.
Moiraine has heard that at the time when Rand was proclaimed Dragon (cloud fight!) the other false dragons in the world were brought down. Now that the true Dragon has appeared, others are not needed by the pattern.
In book 2 - Perrin and friends met Urien, an Aiel, while chasing Fain. Urien and the Aiel said they were looking for He Who Comes With The Dawn.
Moiraine is not sure how Rand is staying ahead of them. Me neither. He is not using any tricks. Moiraine's only explanation is that he has "the blood of long walkers and strong runners [Aiel]".
Perrin tells Gaul that he is a blacksmith. Blacksmiths are honoured by the Aiel - it is a grave breach of your honour to attack a Blacksmith. It would be almost as bad as fighting a Wise One.
Also, Gaul is obvi not worried about the usual ji'e'toh rules against his wetlander opponents. To be captured in battle is the worst loss you can suffer as an Aiel, and usually results in the captured warrior becoming gai'shain. But Gaul is all like "meh, I'm just gonna leave"
Previously - Perrin freed Gaul and they killed a bunch of Whitecloaks.
The woman who was watching Perrin saw this happen. Now they must leave the village ASAP!
Min's viewing and Egwene's dreams show Perrin with a hawk and a falcon (Faile and Berelain)
No noteds here
Previously - Perrin and co ran from the village where Perrin killed a bunch of Whitecloaks.
They are now on a boat, sailing downriver towards Illian.
Faile/Zarine/Mandarb (lol) followed them. She knows Moiraine and Lan are an Aes Sedai and Warder.
Perrin has not slept much for a while, as he is afraid of his dreams. And of becoming a wolf-man.
Rand has been attacked many times in his dreams by enemies disguised as his friends and other people he knows.
"Three thousand years and more of whispering in ears and pulling the strings of throned puppets like an Aes Sedai" - Lanfear says to Ishy. She is talking about his plots he has carried out during his times free of the bore.
"Do you serve yourself now, Lanfear?" - yup, pretty much, that's what she does.
Rand kills a woman. A rarity. This is before he developed his aversion to it.
There was an extra unseen man in the group that attacked him. Gray Man, obvi.
Previously - the girls are to leave Tar Valon and go to Tear after the Black Ajah.
We never saw them leave, but in this chapter they are on a boat heading downriver.
Egwene has been trying telrod, hoping it will give them some helpful info. But she doesn't really know how to use telrod yet.
When she first went to the Heart of the Stone in telrod, she met old lady Silvie (one of Lanfear's many disguises)
There is civil war in Cairhien as the houses fight for the throne, because the old King was murdered. Lul.
No noteds here
…but Egwene had a lot of dreams.
Rand holding a sword that blazed like the sun - Callandor, obvi.
Rand on a huge Stones board, the black and white stones as big as boulders and him dodging the monstrous hands that moved them - this is just all the different factions in the world trying to manipulate things in their favour. Darkfriends, monarchs, Sedai, whoever - and Rand having to deal with them all.
Perrin stepping over the edge of a cliff saying "It must be done. I must learn to fly before I reach the bottom" - I think this is about Perrin (later on, in the last few books) deciding that he has to learn Wolf Dream and learn to control the wolf in him. And he has no choice but to just go ahead and do it, and hope he can learn quickly enough.
Min, springing a steel trap but somehow walking through it without so much as seeing it - when Perrin and co went off after Rand, Moiraine sent Min back to the Tower to report to Siuan. Min's return to the Tower gives Elaida more information about what Siuan is up to, and leads to her claiming Amyrlin for herself. But Min escapes Tar Valon (with Siuan) unharmed.
Mat with dice spinning around him - obvi
Mat being followed by a man who was not there - Gray Man. They're everywhere in this book.
Mat riding desperately towards something in the distance that he had to reach - Mat will soon discover the girls are in danger and race to Tear to save them.
Mat with an illuminator - Aludra. I think she appears in this book soon.
Men and women breaking out of cages and putting on crowns - the Forsaken being freed and taking control of various lands.
A woman playing with puppets - maybe Graendal with her habit of using crazy compulsion on people and making them her servants and entertainers and whatever in her palace. Not actually sure about this one.
Another dream where the strings on the puppets led to the hands of larger puppets, and their strings led to still greater puppets, on and on until the last strings vanished into unimaginable heights - lol, not really sure here. One idea is that it represents the pattern and the way ta'veren effect other people's lives who in turn affect others, and still others - on and on until you can't even tell that the events of the world are all an effect of something a ta'veren did at some point in the past.
Whitecloaks ravaging the Two Rivers - yup, Book 4.
Previously - the super-girls are off to Tear.
Their boat ran aground, so now they are walking to the next village, on the Cairhien (civil war) side of the river.
Someone popped up in front of them.
Avi says that the girls "have not the look in your faces" - meaning they are not ageless, like Sedai. Then she compares them to Wise Ones. But Wise Ones don't look ageless, because that is a side-effect of the Oath Rod.
Bain and Chiad: "we guard each other's backs, and neither will let a man come to her without the other" - lol Gaul will find this out.
Previously - Avi appeared and got the girls to heal her buddy, Dailin. So Nynaeve did.
They are on the Cairhienin side of the Andor/Cairhien border (river), where it is a bit dangerous because of the civil war causing general unrest and lack of law and order.
But Andor are trying to help by taking control of some of the villages on the Cairhienin side.
Ellisor - the captain of the ship the girls were on but with ran aground and so they got off and walked.
Avi says the Wise Ones didn't want her to come because "she had other duties" - ya, she can channel, she's supposed to start training to be a Wise One also.
"There are sometimes reasons one must give up the spear" - another reference to Avi's training
The Aiel know that Tear and the Stone are in their prophecies, so finding Aes Sedai chasing Darkfriends to Tear while they themselves seek Rand - sounds like a sign!
I love the blatent hint at Rand's mother - "He looks like the pictures I have seen of Tigraine, but she vanished before he was born, and I hardly think she could have been his mother" - lol
The men who cature them said they feed the girls something to keep them asleep. It's not forkroot, because it hasn't stopped them channeling.
Nynaeve uses balefire. Boom. lol.
The Wise One's dreams said Rhuarc must go with those seeking Rand. Probably so Rand would have a high-ranking Aiel following him closely, bringing a whole clan behind him to start with. Without Rhuarc, Rand would have had no significant segment of Aiel behind him when he first goes to Rhuidean and has Couladin opposing him.
"Perhaps we will meet again before the change" - the Aiel know things are going to get a bit ugly around the world once He Who Comes With The Dawn is proclaimed.
Previously - Mat is off down the same river the girls travelled on, but he will get off to go to Caemlyn and deliver Elayne's letter to Morgase.
He and Thom lept aboard Captain Mallia's boat, paid him a bunch of gold to stay in the captain's cabin, then fought off some darkfriends that came aboard to kill them.
Mat thinks the men are after him because of Elayne's letter, he doesn't realise they are darkfriends.
Mat is still super-hungry from the dagger healing.
The Captain is from Tear and likes to rant about how great the High Lord Samon is.
More previously - Rand, Loial and Hurin blew up part of the illuminator's guild in Cairhien while hiding from trollocs. A man named Tammuz got the blame for it.
Did you notice they went past the ship the girls were on? "What about that ship yesterday? The one that was stuck on a mudbank" lul
Mat - claims he's not a hero and doesn't ever want to be again. So many times he claims this, then goes on and keeps saving people.
Previously - Perrin, Moiraine, Lan and Loial (and Zarine!) continue to follow Rand. They have taken a boat down to Illian.
Zarine/Faile knows that Moiraine is Sedai, just because she recognises Sedai faces I guess.
Hopper has been appearing in Perrin's dreams (when he finds himself in telrod - not that he knows what it is)
"Perrin had let himself get into a shouting match with Zarine" lol I wonder if this is why she got to like him.
When Zarine swears to not ask questions to be allowed to tag along, Moiraine says "Done" and touches her head, and Zarine shivers. I think she was making Zarine think that she had done something with the Power to lock in the oath she said. But I don't think she can do that, so probs just tricking her to make her more likely to keep the oath.
Previously - Perrin and co arrived in Illian.
Zarine/Faile has sworn to obey Moiraine and not ask questions so she can tag along with this crew. Perrin is annoyed by her lol
Loial is from Stedding Shangtai, which is way down in the south end of the Spine of the World moutains. Ogier from there built most of Illian.
In some other places they stopped, Perrin smelled something "wrong" - it was a grey man (but he doesn't know that yet!)
The inn is called Easing the Badger. The name was (for some reason) the subject of much discussion with fans who wanted to work out what it meant. Whatevs lol.
Moiraine is scared by what she hears from the innkeeper. The new Lord, Brend, is in many people's dreams. In "strange places, and walking bridges hanging in air" (in the Ways, where Perrin had a telrod dream where he saw some Forsaken meeting).
Moiraine knows what this might mean: Brend is a powerful channeler whose dreams are being shared by others nearby. And this makes her suspicious of who he might be…
Also the King is not getting involved in things as much as normal - this Lord Brend seems to be taking command. He wants war with Tear.
The Ogier probably left the city because they could feel something not right. Something wrong with the place and the people, as noted by Perrin and Loial when they arrive.
Previously - Moiraine is suspicious of what is going in Illian, and has heard of this Lord Brend.
She has gone to investigate, after they were attacked by Grey Men.
Perrin ripped his chair apart and attacked them with a leg lol.
Moiraine and Lan didn't sense the Darkhounds probably because they were warded. Lan knows this may mean a Forsaken sent them.
Perrin's dreams of a man holding a glowing sword he describes as "strange, as if they were not really his dreams at all" - they come from one of the Forsaken (maybe Be'lal in Tear, or Sammy in Illian).
Also in dreams: Mat dicing with Ba'alzamon is just Mat having to deal with Darkfriends and such.
And the girls and the cage is them springing the Black Ajah's trap as they hunt them down. The woman with hair all in braids in that dream is Liandrin.
Boom. Moiraine knows Sammy is Lord Brend. Probably just from finding out more about other people's dreams.
Previously - Moiraine knows Sammy is in Illian (as Lord Brend), and sent darkhounds to see what they were up to. Now they run.
Faile still has the option of leaving them. She doesn't yet know "too much" according to Lan and Moiraine.
Perrin says "anyone who heard one of the Forsaken was loose should already be running for a Sea Folk ship and asking passage to the other side of the Aiel Waste" - LOL, that wouldn't work, that's Shara, that's where Demo is!
I'm not sure why a dead darkhound has to mean a Warder. I'm sure other fighting types could kill one.
Balefire. It is used much in this book.
Previously - Mat and Thom are off to Caemlyn. They helped Aludra who gave them some fireworks.
There are no rooms in any inns, beause many people from Caemlyn are fleeing across the river into Andor to escape the civil war there (which Thom caused lol)
On the boat from Tar Valon, they were attacked by darkfriends. The ones who didn't get killed by Mat and Thom fled in their own little boat.
Mat thinks peeps are after him because he carries the letter, and they have sneaky sneaky opened it to see if it says anything interesting. It doesn't
No noteds here
Previoulsy - Mat and Thom are almost at Caemlyn to deliver Elayne's letter.
The Queen's Blessing, where Basel Gill is the innkeeper (and Thom's old mate), is where the crew stayed in Book 1.
Yeah, that was when Rand fell into the palace garden.
Gaebril - Rahvin - causing trouble in Caemlyn. Getting rid of Gareth, hiring all his own men to be guards. Probs mostly darkies, obvi.
"once more, and I’m done with Elayne, and that’s the last of the White Tower for me. Just once more." - lol. Lies.
Previously - Mat is off to deliver Elayne's letter.
When Rand fell into the palace garden in book 1, Tallanvor was the guard who took him to Morgase.
In the conversation, Rahvin is talking about killing the girls (obvi), and the other stuff he says is about Be'lal, in Tear, who wants Callandor.
Mat "indulged himself in a small fancy of being made a lord; surely the man who revealed a plot to murder the Daughter-Heir could expect some such reward." - lol, later on Mat hates Lords and ORLY DOESN'T want to be one.
Gaebril/Rahvin is "most than Rand's height. That's really tall. I didn't realise Rahvin was such a big dude.
I love how Morgase and Gaebril just start blabbing about their political plans right in front of a total stranger messenger.
That is, about Morgase taking the Sun Throne (and Gaebril says "Perhaps I can aid them [the soldiers] in some small way" - lul, yeah by balefiring peeps who oppose you)
"Gaebril was still speaking, and every lord and lady seemed to hang on his words. Morgase was frowning as she listened, yet she nodded as much as any other." - yep, he's got them all under his little compulsion spell.
Previously - Mat delivered the letter, and discovered that Gaebril is sending a man (Comar) to kill the girls.
He had to sneak over the wall, because a guard named Elber (one of Gaebril's men) didn't let Mat in.
Tallanvor says "Sometimes I think she is trying to say something" about Morgase. She is under compulsion, but kind of knows something is wrong with her. We see her fighting against the compulsion later when she decides to run away from Caemlyn (Book 5).
First mention of Dyelin in this chapter, as the next in line for the throne.
In Illian, Perrin and Loial noticed "something wrong" with the place and with the people. Gill notes that people are getting cunning and plotting in Caemlyn recently as well. It seems to be the influence of having a boss darky (i.e. a forsaken) in charge of your city.
And so are the dreams.
Gill also says that Comar left because of a scandal to do with weighted dice, and that he is a great swordsman. Sounds like the perfect guy for Mat to take down, with his luck and his quarterstaff.
Gill talks about how some other dude claimed to have had his bad dream, and takes it as proof that rumours can grow into more than what they started as. Actually - that guy probably DID have the same dream lol.
Previously - the girls are back on their way to Tear after a quick hold-up with some Aiel and myrddraal.
They are trying to get info about the Black Ajah from telrod, but they don't really know how to use it yet.
Hey. How ya doin?
They say the Black Ajah "surely know that we are coming" - well, Lanfear did the setup in the White Tower to give them the info about Tear. And Verin would know. But did either of those people pass the info on? Lanfear likes to work for herself, and Verin is only a reluctant-Blacky.
They notice that the people in Tear seem to have "given up". F their lives. lol. This is the same as in Illian and kind of like Caemlyn. The influence of the Forsaken running things.
Also, peeps having bad dreams here as well.
Egwene wonders what a "Fetch" is - it's another name for a myrddraal.
They say Nynaeve "manipulates people as well as Moiraine" - lol, great, Nynaeve is becoming the woman she hates the most.
Whitecloak putting Master Luhan in the middle of a huge toothed trap for bait - in Book 4, they capture some Two Rivers people to lure Perrin to come rescue them.
Perrin choosing between the axe and hammer - one of his great dilemmas. But he doesn't have the hammer yet.
Mat dicing with the dark one - maybe that he will dice with Lord Comar, who is a darkfriend.
Mat shouting "I'm coming" - because he is lol
Rand sneaking around Callandor while 6 men and 5 women walked, some hunting him and some ignoring him - the Forsaken, all with their own plans, and not working together. As they do.
Rand in a dry dusty chamber getting dragons on his skin - Rhuidean.
Rand confonting a horde of Seanchan - he confronts them several times, either in battle or for truce.
Rand confronting Egwene and the women with her, and one of them was Seanchan - Rand confronting her as Amyrlin in book 13/14 saying he will break the seals. I assume the Seanchan woman is porn-star Shipless, who works with Eggy at the end.
The girls are staying with a Wise Woman (or whatever she's called in Tear), and they had a bit of a cat fight lol
Aihuin (the woman they stay with) is getting a Theif-Taker to help find the blackies.
Juilin! His stick is made of bamboo.
He says he has seen people on the rooftops at night. These are Aiel.
Boom. The Blackies saw Eggy in telrod. SAD. They were all misty in appearance because they are using ter'angreal that aren't as good as the ring Egwene has.
Previously - Mat and Thom are off to Tear to save the girls.
Mat called his race to catch Comar (Gaebril's henchman) a 'wager'.
In the lightning, Mat glimpses the house where the girls are staying (with herbs hanging in the window). Oops, should have gone there lol.
Mat sees Rand. Most of the people here don't know each other are here lol.
And the innkeepers claims to have dreamed of Rand. Probs many people have. Mat does as well at the end. All because Rand is in Tear.
Mat dreams of Be'lal weaving traps for both the girls, and for Moiraine.
Previously - Perrin and co fled Illian, and Sammy's darkhounds. They are now arriving in Tear. Where everyone else already is.
People everywhere are having similar dreams to each other, whever Rand or a Forsaken are around.
The captain of one of the boats Mat was on kept going on about High Lord Samon in Tear, and how awesome he was lul
Juilin said he saw people sneaking around on the roofs in Tear. There are Aiel. They probably came here after hearing of the girls coming here, and connecting it to the prophecies.
Perrin mentions "carbon" in his description of blacksmithing. Pretty sure they wouldn't know about that with their level of technological knowledge.
Moiraine overestimates how powerful the Forsaken are. She previously wondered if Sammy could detect her channeling, and does the same in this chapter with Be'lal. Actually, they would have to set weaves to detect such things, unless Moiraine was very close by or using massive amounts of Power.
But the Forsaken are little known about and have become legends over the years, so it's understandable that people think they are Waaaaay more powerful than everyone and everything.
Loial says "Be'lal is not spoken of very often" - lol, probs because he sucks and can't even survive one book lol.
Previously - Everyone is now in Tear. But they mostly don't know about each other being there.
The girls have Juilin Sandar off looking for the Blackies for them.
Egwene saw the Blackies in telrod, and presumably they saw her too.
High Lord Samon - a new High Lord in Tear, and obvi (to us) a Forsaken.
Juilin says he "had to" tell the Blackies everything. Because Liandrin used a bit of her knowledge of compulsion on him.
Same with when Liandrin says she will "make sure you will always obey me" - she's gonna compulsion the girls so she can deliver some willing captives to Be'lel.
Previously - Mat and Thom are lokoing for the girls. They have been going to random inns in hope of getting lucky.
When they first arrived in Tear, it was night time and stormy. They passed the house where the girls were staying and Mat saw it in a flash of lightning.
"He could feel the dice tumbling inside his head" - the first time Mat has this dice-in-his-head feeling.
Previously - Perrin went and did some blacksmith work.
Everyone who is near a Forsaken, or Rand, in this book is sharing their dreams. That never really happens after this book - I guess they all decide (or realise) that they should shield their dreams.
One of the ter'angreal that the Blackies stole from the Tower was a little Hedgehog.
"The First of Mayene, a guest in the Stone since before the winter, announced today that she will submit to the will of the High Lords" - Moiraine believes this is ta'veren effect. It might be, but it might also be High Lord Forsaken making her do stuff.
I don't know how Perrin can jump into the Hedgehog trap and be all okoe in telrod, but when Faile was caught, she became a prisoner in telrod.
The hedgehog obvi brings you into telrod more than just like a normal Dreamwalker or a normal ter'angreal would. Hopper says that Perrin is "here too strongly!" - this is the same thing he says in later books when Perrin goes there in the flesh (but that's not what he's doing here, his body is still lying on the floor of the inn)
Previously - Everyone is in Tear. Rand to try taking Calandor to see if he is ORLY the Dragon. Perrin/Moiraine to chase Rand. Be'lal to try to take Calandor from Rand. The Black Ajah to work with Be'lal. The girls to chase the Black Ajah. Mat/Thom to save the girls. The Aiel to find He Who Comes With The Dawn.
The girls are prisoners in the Stone after Juilin was compulsion-ed into betraying them. Mat and Juilin are both separately off to save them.
Faile is prisoner in telrod. Perrin is off to save her.
Rand is going to get Calandor. Moiraine is going into the Stone to try to take down Be'lal.
Gaul was with the Aiel. It seems he joined back up with everyone after Perrin freed him from the cage.
The guys guarding the doors where Faile is (one of the times) "did not belong in the Wolf Dream" and "seemed startled at being there". Probs just some Darkies that Be'lal (or Blackies) brought into telrod (maybe with a ter'angreal) just to do the guarding.
Mat fights High Lord Darlin. He is the dude who Rand will eventually make the King of Tear.
"I am not bloody Hero". Yes, Mat, so you keep saying.
Previously - It's all happening in the Stone of Tear. The finale of book 3 continues.
The best swordsman Rand has faced before is Seanchan Lord Turak. (Except for Lan, in practice, of course)
Be'lal's plan is to wait for Rand to take Calandor, then take it from him.
Rand has fought Ba'alzamon twice before - at the Eye of the World, and in the CLOUDS!
Note there is a mixture of action in real world and in telrod in this chapter. Keep track of who is where as the action unfolds. Also note that Rand jumps into telrod part-way through the chapter, through a gateway.
There are some things that don't make a lot of sense happen in this chapter. I'll explain as much as I can in the noteds. And I reckon some of them you won't even notice lol.
Be'lal says he is surprised "that you cared enough to make them [the girls] useful". He must think Rand came to Tear to save them? Whatever he thinks, he is wrong, Rand doesn't even know they are there lol
Rand thinks Balzo is "taking his soul" - I think he's just killing him, but claims to be taking his soul to keep up the appearance of being the Dark One.
There was "a sense of something folding" when Balzo went to telrod. This is 'travelling' with the True Power. As seen more of in the last few books.
The things that Egwene does to the Blackies in telrod, and how they affect them in real life are a bit confusing. It seems to me that Amico (the guard) was half-asleep, so Eggy tying her in air affected her real body too - because I don't think that should work normally.
Also, we know that sheilding someone in telrod DOESN'T affect them in real-life and vice-versa - because Eggy is shielded in her cell but can channel in telrod. But When Amico is shielded in telrod, it affects her in real-life also.
But... the explanation for that is that Eggy didn't just shield Amico, but she actually stilled her lul oops. That totally works in both worlds. Like killing someone.
Anyway - I have never quite followed how it all worked, so I just say it's RJ not really knowing how telrod worked yet so just making stuff up GHD.
After they escaped, Egwene "rummaged in the unconscious woman's pouch" - she took the dream ter'angreal that Amico had. They take a few of the Blackies dream angreals over time and end up with a little collection that the rebel Sedai use in the later books.
The girls are unimpressed at Mat rescuing them. An ongoing source of tension between them until Birgitte forces them to go and thank Mat and apologise for their lack of gratitude (about book 8 I think)
Rand's fight against Balzy was in telrod, in the flesh. The fight that they have is a combination of One Power and of telrod effects.
For example, Balzy turns the air to water, and to stone and to lava (lol), but Rand is able to get rid of those effects - these are presumably telrod effects, not tricks of the One Power. But then there's balefire being thrown around, which is obvi Power.
Calandor is able to deflect balefire, which is a very unusual effect for something to have. But Calandor has a number of unusual properties - for example, it is an angreal that is able to magnify the True Power as well as the One Power.
Rand sees the silly "wires" coming off Balzo again, like he saw with Aginor in book 1. These represented Balzo's connection to Darky that allow him to channel the True Power (which isn't known or relevant until the last book)
After killing Balzo, Rand just POPS back to the real world. No idea how, or why. The only time this ever happens any other time is the ability that Slayer has (and Perrin gets in the last book) to just BING from one world to the other.
Previously - Rand has taken the Sword from the Stone (lol)
Perrin rescued Faile, Mat rescued the girls (but clearly they were going to get out on their own lol)
Earlier in the book - Verin showed Egwene a mysterious old scrap of a document that mentioned Ishamael and Ba'alzamon and a "secret the world could not bear to know" (or something).
Mat thinks about chatting up Bain or Chiad. He should warn Gaul not to try as well lol
There are now 4 seals found (Eye of the World, Domon, Turak, Stone of Tear).
There are 3 still to come: 1 in Tanchico. 1 in Rhuidean. 1 that Taim has and gives to Rand.
Ishy's body rots really fast, according to Mat. The effects of the taint on saidin are sometimes described as causing male channelers to start rotting while they are still alive (yum). So maybe Balzo rotted quickly because Rand cut off his connection to Darky (the dumb black cords), which caused all the taint effects to suddenly catch up with him because he no longer had Darky's protection from it.
Berelain, with her Hawk crown, comes in at the end. Perrin's hawk to go with his falcon.
The fact that Mat has blown the Horn of Valere is just casually mentioned in front of whoever was in the room at the time - I thought this was supposed to be a big secret. Not sure how many people were supposed to be there, but at least Rhuarc was there.