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2.4.4: Jain Farstrider: Where is he now?

Jain seems to have a cult following among the Jordanites. "Jain lives!" they proclaim. So, as promised, here is a list of all the suspects inthe "who is Jain in disguise" contest.

In [Guide: 15, The World after the Breaking, 147], we have something about the last time Jain was seen alive: "No one knows if anything lies north of the Blasted Lands other than the frozen ice of the northern ocean. Jain Farstrider was said to have willingly traveled there; however, whatever knowledge he gained was lost when he vanished within its trackless depths."

One clue we have as to possible Jain suspects is his age. Malkier fell a little less than 50 years before TEOTW (say 45-50 years), according to Lord Agelmar [TEOTW: 47, More Tales of the Wheel, 595]. At the time, Jain was a young man, say between 17 and 20. Thus, at the start of TEOTW, Jain would be 62-70 years old--pretty long in the tooth.

Who do people think Jain is? Most of these ideas are loony:

1. Elyas Machera: Both Elyas and Jain are Borderlanders, and Elyas is pretty old. However, this is unlikely for several reasons. For one thing, there is no mention of Jain ever having been a Warder, and we know that Elyas was one. Secondly, there is lots of evidence that Ishy messed with Jain's brain quite a bit. Elyas is a Wolfbrother, which seems to offer some protection against that sort of thing, and if Elyas was touched by the DO, it's likely that the wolves would reject him.
2. Tam al'Thor: Not very likely, since the ages don't match. (I would put Tam at 50, tops, probably younger. He's definitely not older than 60.) Plus, RJ has said that Tam spent his time away from the 2 Rivers in Illian, which precludes his running around the Borderlands and the Blight. At a signing in Atlanta, RJ said that Tam and Rand were originally the same character-- a soldier come home to a small town. This pretty much precludes his being Farstrider, no?
3. Bayle Domon, because he seems to be very well traveled. However, the ages match even less than for Tam. Plus, Bayle definitely do be an Illianer. We've had Bayle-POVs, and there is no indication that he is anybody other than who he seems-- a very unfortunate ship captain.
4. Graendal's old man in wrinkled coat. (This might also be the Domani king she displaced, or that famous general she has working for her, or the barrel man.)
5. Barrel Man: The befuddled old guy we see spying on Carridin in [ACOS: 17, The Triumph of Logic, 318]. He, at least, seems to have the appropriate mental state. (See section 2.2.3.)

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