Faceless Man can't kill people they know?

[Give Cersei some LOVE]

it isn't necessarily Rhlorr he owes it to. And yes he would have went into a killing spree if he was saved from the burning town, although I would have doubt Arya could have saved a whole town burning.

[FanTasy]

Well that portion is odd for other reasons - Jaqen is presumably in the middle of a mission in Westeros...yet he would have jettisoned the mission if Arya had agreed to head East with him? Or that he would take her with him while he finished the current mission? Seems to imply that at the time of being saved, Jaqen was between missions, and the Oldtown mission arose after this time.

Also, why did Jaqen give Arya *three* deaths for the fire god? If she has saved him from a burning town instead, would he have owed her a 1000 deaths? Considering he had no apparent ties to the other two thugs, I'm not sure how he owes the fire god for them. Unless he is a more rigorous fire worshipper than is typical for FM and this debt has more to do with R'hllor than the FM?

Just re-read that bit, I get the impression he is not between missions, when she asks him to stay "I have promises to keep" .

he also says that if she wants to learn she has to come with him " Far and away, across the narrow sea" .

This is a bit odd if it is suspected he has some unfinished business at Pyke and later in Oldtown.

Three lives not given to the fire god, he ows her three lives.

What is a bit strange is that he claims responsibility for the lifes of Rorge and Biter and considers it his debt to pay that they didn't die.

Why would he be in Arya's debt for these lifes ... unless he felt responsibility for Rorge and Biter being in that cage to begin with.

[Give Cersei some LOVE]

All men must die. The two thugs didn't die. Yes they are that serious about dying.

Some may argue he could have killed those two right away, but the FM are not Black Widow super spies/assasins. He needed Biter/Rorge to be able to survive the coming weeks.

[FanTasy]

All men must die. The two thugs didn't die. Yes they are that serious about dying.

Jaqen managed to wriggle out of his own death when she named him as the third life ... if he had walked into a fire after Arya named him he would have paid the debt to the fire god, wouldn't he?

What I still find a bit odd is that three lifes who were meant to end in the flames were replaced with three deaths that were not ' adressed' at the fire god.

Neither of the replacements died in the flames, although there was some 'burning' going on because of the hot weasel soup.

[mcb]

Jaqen managed to wriggle out of his own death when she named him as the third life ... if he had walked into a fire after Arya named him he would have paid the debt to the fire god, wouldn't he?

What I still find a bit odd is that three lifes who were meant to end in the flames were replaced with three deaths that were not ' adressed' at the fire god.

Neither of the replacements died in the flames, although there was some 'burning' going on because of the hot weasel soup.

I think fire was pretty much irrelevant detail, the Faceless Men never seemed too hung up on specific ways men die (unlike, let's say, Melisandre). It was the Grim Reaper that got robbed, and he had to get his three one way or another.

[themick]

Arya only wanted to save Jaqen. She didnt care about biter or rorge.

To save jaqen she had to save the other two.

Therefore Jaqen is responsible for the "Gods" losing out on 3 deaths. Thus he gives Arya 3 deaths.

Also, this is a personal debt between her and him. That is why she can name anyone and isnt required to pay half her income or whatever else. She didnt hire a FM her "friend" repaid a debt.

[three-eyed monkey]

As I've said on a similar thread, I don't buy the 'between missions' or 'new orders' idea. How would Jaqen get new orders? My understanding is that contracts are given out at the House of Black and White. I can't see how they would know Jaqen's exact location when he was at Harrenhal. Even if they did know I can't see them sending a raven to Harrenhal with orders/contract maked FAO Jaqen H'ghar. I think it's more plausible that he got his contract in Braavos, sailed to KL, ended up in the Black Cells for some reason, said he'd take the black just to get out, and moved on to Oldtown once his debt was paid.

Back to the OP. It is interesting that Jaqen says he'd kill anyone Arya named, including his father if he was not already dead. This does seem to contradict what we learn about the FM later in ADwD. As themick^^^ pointed out, this is a debt, not a contract, so maybe the normal rules don't apply.

[acermaniac]

As I've said on a similar thread, I don't buy the 'between missions' or 'new orders' idea. How would Jaqen get new orders? My understanding is that contracts are given out at the House of Black and White. I can't see how they would know Jaqen's exact location when he was at Harrenhal. Even if they did know I can't see them sending a raven to Harrenhal with orders/contract maked FAO Jaqen H'ghar. I think it's more plausible that he got his contract in Braavos, sailed to KL, ended up in the Black Cells for some reason, said he'd take the black just to get out, and moved on to Oldtown once his debt was paid.

For an organisation as big and powerful as the faceless men. It seems likely they would have bases or hideouts all over the world. At the least, they should have spies and intel gatherers in all the major capitals.

[Jayce]

They kill to "answer prayers"

Interesting how Arya's rote of names before she beds is often referred to as a prayer.

Will they kill for her prayers?

What is the price if they do?

Maybe she is the price and once she passes in becoming an FM (if she does) they will kill her list for her.

[Jayce]

Do you mean because it's the Red God? That's because he was saved from fire, and since they believe in the Many-Faced God, being saved from fire is taking away three deaths from the MFG's fire aspect, R'hllor.

Or do you mean because just generally the whole "three lives for something" doesn't fit with what we know of the FM? That can be explained by any number of things from some kind of FM loophole to just some personal thing for Jaqen.

Yes I mean because its the Red God, yes we can assume that the Red God is the fiery face of the Many Faced God but this is an assumption without solid back up (as far as I know).

It can all be explained by something, but just based on what we have read of Jaqen versus what we have read of Arya's training I don't think Jaqen's behaviour fits very well.

As someone else said regarding Jaqen telling Arya he can find her in Braavos, this certainly implies that he is tied to the temple and thus the FM.

[Le Cygne]

Jaqen is a walking talking contradiction.

The three deaths thing has never made much sense to me on a FM level.

Suppose he comes across someone in a burning building. Does he not save them, because then he would have to kill some other person? If he feels that strongly, why did he let Arya save him in the first place?

Why was he so upset when she said Jaqen? Even more than when he was about to die in a fire, she said. He took it extremely personally. Why didn't he just glamor into someone else and say, Jaqen is dead?

And he was grooving on his appearance. He took the time to wash and scent his hair. Everyone noticed him, Arya who called him handsome, the giggling admiring girls, the attendant pouring water over his naked body who wouldn't go away (Arya waited!)

He was really touchy feely too, touching her lips, kissing her hair, kneeling to explain what went down when she was confused. He wasn't exactly keeping an emotional distance, he was acting more brotherly, like Jon Snow, than cold blooded assassin.

[Nagisa Furukawa]

Yes I mean because its the Red God, yes we can assume that the Red God is the fiery face of the Many Faced God but this is an assumption without solid back up (as far as I know).

Well, no, there's no evidence that the Red God is specifically part of it, but A Feast for Crows makes it clear that the Many-Faced God is ALL the gods of all the religions from Bakkalon to the Stranger of the Seven. It'd be weirder, honestly, if for some reason, they didn't include R'hllor. The whole point of the MFG is that everyone from all religions believe in the same deity in different forms and given the Red God's constant association with fire, it's not at all a stretch for a guy who believes in all gods who was saved from a fiery death to attribute those deaths to the aspect associated with fire.

[Le Cygne]

Seeing some more, when he told her he had to go, it was "sadly", and before he changed he said, "My time is done.". Then when she asked how did he change to the new face, he compared it to "taking a new name".

Another thing, on the show he says to Arya essentially, learn to be a faceless man and kill your enemies. I want to just look at the books, but that's out there.