The Storm is Coming #24: The Many Directions the Winds Blow

We are publishing tonight all the entries of our little 'Listen to the Wind" challenge, in which we asked readers to share with us 10 predictions about The Gathering Storm.

We complete these entries with the Blog team's own predictions.


Thanks to everyone who participated, it what a lot of fun reading all your predictions. We'll see how we all did tomorrow and in the next days!
We will proclaim the winner(s) around November first.



This post can contain prologue, chapters 1 and 2 spoilers..

Click here to expand the rest of this post

The Blog Team

What the Winds told Linda

• 1. Lelaine makes a serious play to become Amyrlin and has a group promoting her. She uses Halima being Forsaken to discredit Egwene. Lelaine hears of Egwene’s incarceration, trial or imminent execution and is able to get votes. There is some ambiguity as to whether she replaces Egwene or not. Some Aes Sedai accept Lelaine, others remain faithful to Egwene.


• 2. Tuon puts forward the plans to attack the White Tower. The new name she is considering is a variant of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth which is her parallel.
  
  It is becoming known now that sul’dam can learn to channel and there are murmurings against Tuon because of this (and against sul'dam in general).


• 3. The Seanchan discover they can frighten Aes Sedai damane into attacking in battle by making them fear for their lives if they don’t obey their sul’dam. The Seanchan attack the rebels first. The rebels are collared and forced to attack the White Tower. The Seanchan aim to land a force on the roof of the White Tower.


• 4. Elaida and the Hall are wrangling. Senior Reds worry over the threat of a fourth Oath. Pevara hears about it from the ferrets and tells Tsutama and Silviana also tells Tsutama. The second dinner at which Egwene must attend Elaida goes even worse than the first. This one is interrupted by other Aes Sedai.


• 5. Egwene meets Meidani and gives orders. The ferrets eventually tell the Black Ajah hunters about Egwene.
  
  Egwene is brought before the Hall. The Black Ajah misrepresent what Egwene says and urge her execution because Egwene’s dreams are too great a risk and the rebels are electing Lelaine anyway. Egwene is condemned to beheading for treason – punishment for revealing the existence of the 13th depository, and for attempting to be Amyrlin (false Amyrlin).
  
  Tylee, who wants to fight the Shadow and not Aes Sedai, is in the force that attacks from the roof of the White Tower and is the Seanchan who saves Egwene.


• 6. Rand’s sword was Lews Therin’s. Elza arranges Semirhage’s escape and is killed. There won’t be a truce with Seanchan in this book due to: Falendre not telling Tuon what Rand said until near the end of the book; Tuon taking on the Seeker’s suspicions about Suroth being in league with Aes Sedai and being determined to see justice done re Artur Hawkwing; and Graendal managing to derail peace attempts in Arad Doman.
  
  Graendal is exposed and captured but persuades Rand she is indispensable to his mental health.


• 7. Perrin and Faile have a huge domestic. They are hostile to each other for quite a while because each believes the other unfaithful.
  
  As she has long wanted to do, Faile shaves Berelain bald for stalking Perrin. This has repercussions since the Seanchan catch up with them and a bald head is for the Imperial Family only and Berelain is a Paedrag. Some Seanchan will accept Berelain as a ruler rather than a potential channeller like Tuon.


• 8. Berelain falls for Galad when his group meets up with Perrin.


• 9. Mat goes upriver by boat to near the Tower of Ghenjei. Verin meets up with Mat and talks to Setalle Anan. Mat, Noal and Thom enter the Tower and are promptly captured. Most of Mat’s forces go toward Caemlyn.


• 10. Aran’gar dies when collared with an a’dam.

What the Winds told Dominic

• 1. The matter of Cadsuane's honour debt to Sorilea is gonna come into play. Sorilea gambled on Cadsuane's honour, decided Cadsuane was honourable. She put her in her debt on purpose. In TGS, Sorilea is gonna call this debt - ask a favour of Cadsuane, and it's gonna be over something that puts Cadsuane in a delicate position. It's not something she will be pleased to give/agree to, but if she refuses she's finished with Sorilea, and could gain an implicable enemy. She will honour the debt, at some cost.


• 2. Davram Bashere dies in this book. He will get involved first with "Lady Basene.


• 3. The importance of Berelain sur Paendrag's ancestry, and why the Wheel saddled her with Perrin, will start becoming apparent, but full resolution of this will wait for a future book.


• 4. Moridin will give Aran'gar as pet to Graendal as a reward, or condone/overlook the fact she did made her a pet.


• 5. Sheriam's blackmailer will be revealed as Lelaine Akashi


• 6. The key to finding Mesaana is the ter'angreal she gave Alviarin that Alviarin now carries on her.


• 7. The Shadow was forewarned (by the time of the visit to the BT in the KOD epilogue) of the bonding of Asha'man by the Red Ajah by Javindrah.


• Gawyn will confront Gareth Bryne and Siuan, and the two will survive by being/coming together, fulfilling Min's Viewing.


• 8. Robert Jordan's blog post about the Iceman/Remover of obstacles and the ties between his experiences and the character of Rand will become quite apparent through the themes of this book.


• 9. Lan Mandragoran is a "main character" who doesn't appear in this book.


• 10. The Seanchan woman with a changing face and a sword on her back is not (exclusively) a single woman but represent a group (too). The sword on the back is symbolic of Hawkwing's sword Justice.

From Our Readers

What the Winds told RabidWombat

• 1. Elayne will appear in the book and have approximately 2 chapters


• 2. Someone close to Rand will die or come extremely close to dying


• 3. Aviendha will get pregnant.


• 4. The Forsaken chapter icon will be used twice.


• 5. There will be at least one person on the darkside being killed by another person on the darkside.


• 6. Egwene will form an 'alliance' of sort with the BA hunters.


• 7. Trollocs and Myrddraal will appear in more then one part of the book.


• 8. Rand will make a peace with the Seanchen by uniting the West with the South and dividing the wetlands. A full alliance between all sides will not happen in this book.


• 9. Taim will not have a major appearance in this book.


• 10. Morgase will be re-united with Galad.

What the Winds told Tenesmus

• 1. The forty Two Rivers men Taim took to the Black Tower will make an appearance. They will be critical to the upcoming Black Tower Civil War. Logain will be ordered by Rand to gather all the Ashaman who are not blindly loyal to Taim. This will be in prepartaion for an all out assault on the Black Tower. (This will be set up for Towers of Midnight resolution)


• 2. Elaida will plummet from the top of the White Tower. A fitting end to her arc. (pun intended). A major action sequence wil take place in Elaida's quarters on the roof of the WT. The Seanchan will use the "forkroot in the water supply" trick to first attack and collar many Rebel Aes Sedai. The Tower Aes Sedai (Elaida) will arrogantly think that the Seanchan are helping to break the seige. Egwene will vehmently disagree, and be sentenced to be executed for treason. The Seanchan will then use the newly collared Rebel sisters to begin their main attack on the White Tower. Gawyn will be the one to get Egwene out of the dungeon, and she will force him down a path he does not want to go. Gawyn will be crippled by indecision for most of the book. He will miss oportunities to make an impact by metaphorically sitting on his hands.


• 3. Graendal will kill, or cause the death of.... Cadsuane. Alivia will end up with her ornaments. Regardless of whether or not Cads is killed, the important thing she teaches Rand and all the Ashaman is that they need to behave as Servants to mankind, not rougish vigillantees, to unite the world and win the last battle. This is what leads Rand to kneel to both Tuon and Elayne. Graendal will also kill Semirhage(like she did Asmo). Rand will kill and or still Graendal. Graendal's death will be jaw-droppingly, excessively brutal and will make at least one person empty their stomach on screen.


• 4. Galad and Morgase will reunite. Berelain will go ga-ga over Galad. Berelain or Morgase will intercede and save Perrin's life, as Dain and Jaret rage when they run into Perrin. Galad, Morgase, Lini, et al will take Berelain and the Mayener Winged Guards and Travel back to Caemlyn to support Elayne. Perrin's Group will also run into Mat's Band. Mat will not be with the Band. Perrin will learn of Mat's, Thom's and Noal's journey to the Tower of Ghenji from Olver. Faile will quasi-adopt Olver. Perrin will have memories of the Tower of Ghenji from his Slayer encounters. Perrin's group will merge with the Band and begin a trek to the Tower of Ghenji.


• 5. Loial will make a stirring speech on the Stump, rallying the Ogier to Rand. He will read from his notes kept in the "capacious" pockets of his Ogier coat. Sometime after, the Dark One's touch will cast all of Randland into darkness.


• 6. Multiple Tuon POV's discussing: meeting Rand, attacking the White Tower, learning that suldam can channel, that Trollocs and Foresaken are not myths and the Seanchan political fallout of her marriage to Mat. Tuon will either drink forkroot tea or be collared briefly


• 7. The Asmo murder mystery will be resolved. Graendal accidently ran into Asmo and killed him while she was looking for angreal, stasis boxes, etc in Caemlyn after Rahvin died.


• 8. One of the women (Aviendha most lilkey) will do what Rand won't do and get something useful out of Semihrage behind his back. (A parallel to another wife doing what her husband wouldn't do...)


• 9. Mat's Tower of Ghehji storyline will not be resolved. The gholam will follow Mat to the Tower. This story arc will be the final POV/chapter cliffhanger of TGS(This wil be set up for Towers of Midnight resolution)


• 10. The Black Ajah hunters will get their hands on Egwene. Egwene will get her hands on an Oath rod. Alviarin will get her hands on the BA hunters

What the Winds told Hurinsmells

• 1 - Rand and Avi will get it on again


• 2 - Slayer will kill Lady Shiane or Daved Hanlon


• 3 - Messana's identity in the White Tower will become known to readers


• 4 - We will get a POV from an Asha'man, other than Logain or Taim


• 5 - Berelain will apologise to Faile when Faile finds out that she let people believe she slept with Perrin


• 6 - Siuan will kiss Gareth Bryne "on screen"


• 7 - Gawyn will hear about Egwene being captive in the White Tower and about Elayne's pending coronation as Queen of Andor and be torn about which one to go to.


• 8 - Elayne's coronation will not happen in tGS


• 9 - Padan Fain will have a confrontation with Slayer, both will survive


• 10 - The gholam will make another appearance "on screen"

What the Winds told Egonian

• 1. Based on Perin's original idea of capturing the Channellers in Aiel camp,
  Tuon is going to contaminate the river with forkroot, before staging an attack on Tar Valon.


• 2. The whiteclocks lead by Galad are going to join Perin's group. And Galad will identify Morgase, and fall in love with Berelain, Ofcourse for
  saving and protecting Morgase Elayne will have to give up claims over the two rivers.


• 3. The new and more powerful weapons of the DO will be revealed in greater detail: More forsaken( male and female) + The thing that the Blight
  truely is will be revealed a Weapon/Creature of mass destruction.


• 4. Rand will recognise Tuon the moment he see her from Mat's visions, and will treat her with respect. He will successfully form a coalition with her,
  allowing her to keep the custom of adam and a promise that she will stage no more attacks untill the final battle is over and even might unit forces if required later.
  Egewene will be extremely displeased about this and about Tuon having a pardon for her attack on Tar Valon.


• 5. There will be some more insight about what is happening in Shara and new players will be involved.


• 6. Gawyn and Gyreth (+ who ever is incharge of the Tower gaurds) together are going to save the day for Tower,
  and a quite a few more aes sadai will be captured by the seanchan.


• 7. Tam and Rand will reunite towards end.


• 8. Another one of the forsaken will attack Rand


• 9. Either the ways will be cleaned or one of the Gholum will be killed or a Lan POV will be there.


• 10. Min will solve(or come close to solving or reveal she has already solved) the puzzle Rand's unsolved questions from the books she is reading

What the Winds told A Crazed Duck(Waddle 2120)

• 1. Egwene will become a Darkfriend (or will be revealed to be one).


• 2. Padan Fain/Mordeth/Ordeith (whatever he calls himself) will inveigle himself into Elayne's inner circle.


• 3. Rand will not get his truce with the Seanchon this book, I think there needs to be at least one more battle with Mat & the Seanchon before the truce occurs, but Mat doesn't have time to have that battle until the next book.


• 4. The tower sisters who are going to bond Ashaman (and then the Ashaman themselves) will be brought into the Hunt for the Black Ajah by Pevara. Only verified non-black ajah sisters will bond Ashaman warders.


• 5. The Black Tower conflict between Logain and Taim will be resolved. Taim will lose since the majority of Logain's faction have Aes Sedai as warders, or have been bonded by Aes Sedai. Taim will take the survivors from his Darkfriend Faction (most will survive) and flee.


• 6. The Tower Schism is resolved with neither Elaida or Egwene as Amyrlin. Logain is elected Amyrlin of the combined Towers.


• 7. Shaidar Haran frees Semiharge (sp?) by carrying her away in that myyrdraal walking through shadows thing.


• 8. The Borderland Rulers will meet with Rand and will not be happy with the result.


• 9. Trollocs Pour out of the Blight.


• 10. Verin meets up with Mat before he enters the Tower of Ghenjei (without the Horn of Valere). There is some clue to what Mat intends to do in the Prophecies of the Dragon.

What the Winds told Nero (beside to burn any city, that is!)

• 1. Graendal will come after one of Rand's gals. Specifically: Avienda, who will win the confrontation.


• 2. Rand will set Rodel Ituralde as his steward in Arad Doman.


• 3. Rand will make a truce with Tuon, he will recognize her from the ta'veren connection images.


• 4. Gawyn will see Gareth Bryne.


• 5. Forsaken will die in TGS. No more than 2.


• 6. Semirage will give information to Rand’s crew. Specifically: that Mesaana is in the White Tower.


• 7. The stedding will have a key role in the Mat/ gholam, story arc, in which the gholam will die.


• 8. We will see Padan Fain onscreen in the second half of the book.


• 9. The Elayne story arc will be absent from this book.


• 10. We will get a Verin point of view, she will go to the TV area (rebel camp counts).

What the Winds told SteelBlaidd

• Rand will begin relearning Laughter and tears by the end of this book (there is not time for him to heal before TG if he doesn't start now.)
  a. One of the triggers for his regaining is humanity will be learning about Elayne's pregnancy.
  b. This will lead to him talking about killing Illyena, and dealing with that guilt will be a major step toward his re-balancing.
  c. (Really Loony)He will ask that his daughter be named Illyena.


• Aviendha and Min will spend some significant time getting to know each other("I will not share him with a woman I cannot love as a first-sister"-LoC ch40).
  a. This will include some hand talk, knife trick, and fighting lessons and maybe some explanation of his relationship with the Maidens
  b. It's going to be three to a bed, at least occasionally, though Min should be able to hit up Nyn for a sleeping potion if she wants to give R and A some private time ;)


• Aviendha's possession of the dream ring will make communication between Rand and Egwene possible. there will be at least one visit with Nyn, one with Cadsuane and one with Rand himself


• Egwene will be able to get Medani to tell her about the BA hunters and
  a. begin coordinating a hunt in the SAS camp
  b. convert the BA hunters to her camp
  c. discover Alviarin


• Merrilile will arrive in the SAS camp with Taalan to be entered in the Novice books. This will cause a great uproar especially when she starts teaching windfinder weaves.


• Rand will finally meet Tuon after the appropriate Mourning period and after she has taken a new name as Empress. The Sul'dam tasked to deliver the message to her is going to drag her feet as long as she can.The Trollock attack on Tylee will help speed negotiations.


• Rand will finally meet Tuon after the appropriate Mourning period and after she has taken a new name as Empress. The Sul'dam tasked to deliver the message to her is going to drag her feet as long as she can.The Trollock attack on Tylee will help speed negotiations.
  The attack on the tower will happen after Egwene has begun to convert The TAS to her but before Elida is deposed and the Tower is reunited, and will result in the BA being cast out


• We will learn who was beating Sheriam (Ar'angar)


• Verin will show up in the middle of the tower conflict, help Gawyn get to Egwene and her 70 year project will be revealed


• Semirhage will be broken, by Rand

What the Winds told Tim

• 1. Mat will not enter the Tower of Ghengei in this book.


• 2. Egwene will be Amyrlin Seat of a unifyied Tower by the end of the book.
  


• 3. Perrin will meet with Galad. The conversations may get quite animated, but it will not come to a fight between the two groups.


• 4. No one currently (as of the end of KoD) in Perrin's group will encounter anyone currently in with Mat or the Band in TGS.


• 5. Loial won't address the Stump in this book.


• 6. Lan will not be seen in the book until the Epilogue.


• 7. Egwene will meet with the Black Ajah hunters and share information with them. She will teach them Traveling in order for them to continue their hunt, working with the Sisters in the 'rebel' camp. They will make a little progress, but Alvairan will learn of them and order the BA to stop them. Things will get hairy and some of the Hunters will die, but in the end they will end up with Alvairan captured. Mesaana's identity will NOT be learned.


• 8. Tuon will meet with Rand, though a treaty will not happen right away. She will still continue with the plans to attack the White Tower, which will happen in this book. In the end the Seanchan will be driven back, but there will be losses on both sides, with some Aes Sedai being taken as damane.


• 9. Rand will work to restore order in Arad Doman, but Graendal will continue to cause chaos. Graendal will use compulsion on Bashere manipulating him to hinder Rand's efforts. He will also give her the Seal to the Dark One's prison he has hidden, which will get broken. Iltrude will continue fighting the Seanchan successfully, against Rand's wishes. In the end, Graendal will die but not by Rand's hands and Rand's inaction will cost him further. Bashere will be killed, as well as someone else close to him. Graendal will be revealed as Asmodean's killer through her own thoughts before she dies, but it will not become known by others. Iltrude will join with Rand and take Bashere's place as one of Rand's main military leaders/advisors.


• 10. Taim will lead his Asha'man followers to start causing attacks in Rand's name. The few Asha'men left in the Black Tower that oppose him (most will be in AD with Rand & Logain) will be killed as 'traitors'.
  

What the Winds told Dida

• 1. Egwene becomes the Amyrlin Seat of a reunited White Tower, by the end of tGS book. She will gain at least 1 Red Sitter vote.


• 2. Verin is shown to be a Black Ajah, as I have been claiming she has been for the years now. Announa will continue the work of the Black Ajah, as well.


• 3. Perrin and Galad's armies to finally met up. Berelain gets to know Galad, Morgase sees her son Galad again finally. Perrin finally learns who Morgase really is, former Queen of Andor.


• 4. Cadsuane will be attacked by Rand, to relieve his growing anger at following somebody else suggestions, directions and orders. Loial foreshadowed this event was in the making in KoD book, too.


• 5. Aes Sedai to be exposed publicly as being tied to the "vileness" period: Elaida, Duhara.


• 6. These Aes Sedai Sitters who are Black Ajah - Velina (White), Andaya (Gray), Shevan (Brown) - will be exposed in tGS.


• 7. Alviarin will be caught and the Black Ajah organizational structure will learned of by the Black Ajah Hunters, Egwene. All of Alviarin's cyphers will be captured by the Black Ajah hunters, thus exposing all the Black Ajahs.


• 8. Unfortunately, I will predict Lord Davram Bashere death in tGS indirectly at the hands of Darkfriends most likely Weiramon. Probably in Arad Doman. Weiramon will be following the orders of Graendal now in Arad Doman. The death of Davram is to be tied to prevent Rand from taking control of Arad Doman, as Verin learned Rand believes he has to do before T'G, according to the Aelfinn (KoD book). Faile will become the next in line for the Broken Crown now.


• 9. Mat enters the Tower of Ghenjei with Thom, and Bayle Domon--not Noal.


• 10. Egwene is saved by Gawyn in the White Tower cells. Gawyn learns that his mother Morgase and sister Elayne are alive. Egwene bonds Gawyn too.

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As always you're welcome to leave us your comments (in the forums only as we temporarily disabled the Blog's Comment feature to avoid spoilers), or to come join us in the ongoing discussion of What the Storm Means on our forums.

Ten Predictions for TGS challenge

As we did for the Prologue, you're all invited to share with us your predictions for what will happen in The Gathering Storm in a little challenge.

Here are the rules:

You can enter up to 10 predictions in the challenge. The more you have, the most chances you get to score points. You need to post them in our "Listen to the Wind" sub-forum by starting a thread there. If you don't use material from ch. 1 & 2 or the prologue in your predictions, indicate it in your thread title by (NO TGS Spoilers). If you don't use the released material, you get a 5 bonus point for increased difficulty. Of course, only threads with the mention NO TGS Spoilers are safe to read in that sub-forum for those who chose not to read the advanced material.

Your predictions can be about anything: characters, events, POVs, titles of chapters etc. Anything goes. They can be general or precise. Precise ones are more risky, but score higher.

The challenge closes on October 23rd. Until then, you have the freedom to complete your prediction list or edit it as you wish.

Here's how we calculate points:

Everyone who participated in the Prologue challenge has a bonus five points, plus the points they scored (the results are announced at the bottom of this post).

Everyone who enters the new challenge also gets a bonus five points.

5 points will be awarded for each generally accurate prediction, but one point will then be removed for each inaccurate element in an accurate prediction:

eg: Prediction: Two Wise Ones will die in Arad Doman in the first half of TGS

- If only one WO die, but in Caemlyn in the first half of the book, you will be awarded 5 basic points - 1 for the missing second death - 1 for the wrong location + 2 points for the right timing
Total: 5 points

The more details in a prediction, the more chances to score bonus points. 2 will be awared for each detail that is correct:

eg: Prediction: Two Wise Ones will die in Arad Doman in the first half of TGS

- If two WO die in Arad Doman by mid book you will be awarded 5 points, plus two bonus points for each additional detail that increased difficulty, in this case:

In this case:
5 points +2 for the right number of WO +2 for the right location +2 for the right timing in the book.
Total: 11 points

Everyone reaching 50 points will be given a Wisdom title in the forums for the year. Everyone reaching 25 points will given the Wisdom Apprentice title.

Should anyone reach 75 points, you will be deemed a Foreteller, and impress us very much :)

Good luck to everyone, and thanks to all who've participated so far. The first batch of readers' predictions will be posted on the Blog's main page soon, then updated at the end of each week.

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Prologue Challenge's results:

Now, here are the results (forcibly, this part contains prologue spoilers)

TGS Prologue spoilers - click to expand

Linda and Dominic aren't officially participating, but we didn't do so well anyway ;)

- Linda got one fully accurate prediction (an Aran'gar or Graendal POV), so 10 points
- Dom got nothing at all in his "official three", so 5 points.

And now our readers:

Agent Orange scored highest with two fully accurate predictions out of three, one easy (Ituralde POV) and one quite a bit more difficult (a Masema POV): 15 points. Congrats!

Deadsy and Dan scored nine points, respectively for her prediction of an Ituralde POV (minus 1 point for wrongly predicting something about the Aiel on the plain) and his prediction of a Seanchan POV (minus 1 point for getting wrong that plans for the WT would be discussed).

BobH, Truth Panda, Tim and Reptile all got the 5 points for participation. Like Dominic's, it sounds like your Listening to the Wind Talent might need some fine tuning :P I don't know about you, but for myself I'm considering cheating a bit and using observations of ants and birds too for my 10 predictions list. :)