Here is the first edition of Our Loony Ideas for ACoS. My apologies for taking so long with this. Not that many people submitted this time; how will our ideas rule the world if people don't submit? Enjoy, and always remember our motto: I of course have zero evidence for this, but since when has that stopped any of us? (David Wren-Hardin) Benedict Walmisley Gaidal Cain is dead-dead -- Moghedien has killed him to make Birgitte 'weep forever'. Birgitte has been ripped from the Horn for ever. Taim will turn out to be Demandred, but be lured back to light. Courtenay Footman Mesaana is the architect for the palace Elaida is building. Daniel Turney The bad weather isn't an effect of the dark one but is, in fact, caused by the last green man dying. When Nynaeve and Elayne use the bowl, they won't change the weather, but instead, they will create a new Nym! Dennis Higbee Shaidar Haran is actually Lanfear's soul. The 'dar' in Shaidar denotes female, and thus, Lanfear. Osan'gar is hiding out the Black Tower, but not as a channeler. Like Hamila, he is in a non-threating position where it is possible to wield much influence with Taim, who leads the BT. He's Henre Haslin, the master of Sword, and the M'hael nonsense originated with him. Hawk Callandor will be drawn out by someone else, but not by channeling, but by simply digging it out. They will take it Rand for the Last Battle. The reason that Alanna was asking Egwene and Nynaeve about Rand, Perrin, and Mat during the trip to the White Tower was that Verin needed a confidant and someone who could help her out, so she told Alanna. The reason why Verin told Perrin to beware of Alanna in tSR was because Perrin (and the rest of them) tend to do the opposite of what you tell them, so by telling him that, Perrin would probably trust/talk with Alanna more than he would otherwise. Jay Pasquantonio wrote: Mazrim Taim is Demandred. He will be turned to the Light in the following manner: Min will uncover crucial and convincing evidence that Taim is Demandred (not a viewing, but possibly related to one). She will tell Rand, who will secretly collect the leaders of the Asha'man to reveal this. They will feel betrayed, despite their loyalty to MT. Rand, the leaders of the Asha'man, and their ("Warder"-bound wives) will confront Taim, and in the ensuing tangle, they will turn him (13 Asha'man channeling through their "Warders"). Demandred's conversion is eased by the fact that he was originally turned by the Shadow in the Age of Legends, and is a good guy at heart. Jeffrey R. Naujok When Elayne, using info from Egwene, sends Thom to recover some of the angreals from the Rhudiean wagons, Thom recovers Moiraine's amulet from the fire ravaged wagon in Cairhein. He realizes the only way to bring her back from the dead is to call her back as a "Hero of Legends" [from ACoS] using the Horn of Valere. He will proceed to the White Tower to retrieve the Horn and sound it for Moiraine's Salvation. Karl-Johan Noren Ingtar has become a Hero of the Horn. The reason a Myrddraal is born as a Myrddraal and not as a run-of-the-mill Trolloc is that it has the channeling gene. Birgitte will become Elayne's First Prince of the Sword. Mack Crockett Mat will kill Moghedian after a Nynaeve/Moghedian fight where Moghedian wins. Lan will fight his cousin (Isam) in a very interesting sword fight. Moiraine will return from the dead as one of the heroes of the Horn (albeit a very little known one). Mazrim Taim is not Demandred, Dashiva is (that's why he keeps laughing at something). Michael Gonzalez Mat inadvertently rescues Lanfear, while rescuing Moiraine. Lanfear turns out to be the (prophesied) Daughter of the Nine Moons, and Mat ends up marrying her. Rob Strong Mat will be so in love with tDotNM, that his loyalties will be confused and he will become her general once he has won her trust and make life hell for Rand, until he finally comes to his senses and persuades the Seanchan to join with Rand. Egwene will be so impertinent with Rand when they meet (thus fulfilling Elaida's Foretelling about the Dragon Reborn knowing the Amyrlin's anger) that he will declare war on her and all but destroy the SAS. After doing so, Rand is horrified at what he has done, and goes into hiding as a peasant, thus fulfilling Min's viewing of him in a beggar's cloak. Semirhage's charge is Egwene, because Semirhage is Meri, Egwene's exceedingly unpleasant maid. Steve Monahan wrote: All of the Aiel will die. The remnant of a remnant refers to the Tinkers. The Tinkers will be the only Aiel to survive TG. Steven Cooper The woman with the silver-and-shadow disguise Alviarin is talking to in the COS prologue is NOT actually Mesaana at all -- Alviarin just thinks she is. I think she's really Moiraine *and* Lanfear -- merged into one entity a la Luc & Isam, as a result of their adventures in Eelfinnland. Timothy Bruening While Nynaeve and Lan are still in or near Ebou Dar, Myrelle will die. Nynaeve will Bond Lan as her Warder to save his life. The Ta'veren abilities of Rand, Mat, and Perrin explain why no one ever mentioned Cadsuane (a legendary, 295 year old AS) within ear or eye shot of Robert Jordan's pen, typewriter, or computer. Elaida has assigned Seaine to root out traitors in the Tower. Elaida will plant evidence against Alviarin, while Alviarin will plant evidence against Elaida. When Rand learns of the Seanchan invasion, he will decide to have Mat blow the Horn of Valere to bring back Artur Hawkwing, then order Hawkwing to order the Seanchan to surrender, since the Seanchan are descended from armies Hawkwing sent across the Aryth Ocean. The major obstacles to this plan are that the Horn is in the Tower (controlled by Elaida) and Mat is in Seanchan occupied Ebou Dar.