Syrio Forel

[mormont]

Not if Syrio became Jaqen.

Or if he became Mance Rayder, or Lady Oakheart, or if he was Varys all along. Which, as you and I have firmly established in previous discussions, is just about as likely and just about as possible (i.e., not at all).

[Mad Monkey]

Or if he became Mance Rayder, or Lady Oakheart, or if he was Varys all along. Which, as you and I have firmly established in previous discussions, is just about as likely and just about as possible (i.e., not at all).

You... uh... you guys actually discussed whether or not Syrio was Lady Oakheart, Mance Rayder, AND Varys? Really?

Wouldn't it be crazy if, at the end of the series, Dany is about to sit on the Iron Throne when all of a sudden Varys burst in, flanked by every character who has ever died in the books and orchestrates a Disney-esque song-and-fance routine.

"I have created an elite a cappella group the likes of which this land has never seen!"

[mormont]

You... uh... you guys actually discussed whether or not Syrio was Lady Oakheart, Mance Rayder, AND Varys? Really?

Something like that. :P

[Horza]

I know.

How Mormont can entertain all these ridiculous candidates while passing over the blinding obviousness of Syrio being Xaro Xhoan Daxos I will never understand.

[Mad Monkey]

Something like that. :P

I don't believe you. What was the thread called?

How Mormont can entertain all these ridiculous candidates while passing over the blinding obviousness of Syrio being Xaro Xhoan Daxos I will never understand.

At least they're both from the same part of the world (Foreignstan). But Lady Oakheart?! I'm not even sure who that is.

[Cereal Forel]

I actually just got through the part of aGoT where Syrio fights Trant and the Lannisters. I agree that he might have died, and I agree that he has essentially finished his usefulness in Arya's story arc (thus far), but I don't agree that someone like Syrio who is potentially the most bad ass swordsman in the series (going by first-hand accounts in the story), who disarmed 5 armed guards with a wooden sword, would fall easily to someone like Trant. It seemed like Arya left the room at a time when the fight could have gone either way. Trant hadn't landed a single blow.

His story was left a little too open-ended for me to completely accept that he died. Maybe he did, or maybe he'll play a part in forthcoming novels. Who knows? Arya is currently in his homeland, after all.

[feardeathbywater]

And from deep left field: Suppose Syrio WAS a Faceless Man, but not the same one that posed as Jaqen H'gar. Arya flees, Syrio assassinates Trant, replaces him and disposes of the body.

[Horza]

Why?

[Mandurang]

Why?

Easy one. In order to be close enough to the king so that, when he assassinates him, he can assume his shape and rule the Seven Kingdoms. If he hasn't already.

[Horza]

Well... the difficulties inherent in killing the king, disposing of his body and assuming his likeness aside there's also the Faceless Men showing absolutely no interest in such and not being all that good at impersonating the people whose likeness they assume. Not my definition of easy.

Seriously, why do people want the Faceless Men to do boring, un-FMlike stuff? Aren't they mysterious enough without putting them behind every character in the story?

[Mad Monkey]

Wait, how do we know that Faceless Man are bad at impersonations?

[Horza]

Did I say they were?

[Mad Monkey]

I thought you were implying that they weren't good at impersonating people, but I guess I misread that somehow. Anyway, I don't remember where we have an example of them doing anything like that. There was the faceless man who replaced Jaqen, but I'm not sure if that was an original creation or an impersonation of someone who actually existed, and the man who replaced Pate, whose impersonation was too brief for us to really know how good he was.

[Horza]

Actually in that brief moment we do find out he's not that good:

"I'm Pate, like the Pig Boy"

Dead giveaway that he isn't Pate to anyone who actually knew him. He's either getting away with it because Marwyn and co are wise to him or (much more likely) Pate was such a nebbish that no one really noticed.

[Mad Monkey]

Ha ha, what a dumbass! Maybe "Jaqen" didn't have enough personality traits to work with.

[Horza]

I think it was more that he didn't have enough time to observe Pate fully, I'm guessing because he realised the guy was close to chucking in the towel. It does suggest that Jaqen is lucky that Pate is so well placed and yet anonymous enough that his drinking buddies don't notice/care enough about his change in personality.

[Errant Bard]

Considering Marwyn and co admit him in their presence, that he actually was the only one in the glass candle room with Marwyn before Sam entered, and that, most of all, they let him stay when Sam told his story, I submit that they know. Because there is no way they would associate with the failure that was Pate before in this way, and because it makes so much more sense for "Pate" to be talking to Marwyn if he's the one giving him pointers on, or at least discussing, magic and plans about the magical stuff happening now. And so his slip "like the pig boy" could be interpreted as just him taking the piss out of Pate in earshot of people who can get the joke.

[CFdS]

At least they're both from the same part of the world (Foreignstan). But Lady Oakheart?! I'm not even sure who that is.

I think the BwB lodged for a night at her hall. She talked to Arya about the joys of needlework, so she really might be the First Sword of Bravoos...

[Errant Bard]

That was Lady Smallwood iirc. Oakheart is the name of that kingsguard, whose house is apparently on the south-western side of the Reach, seeing how they have been feuding with Daynes for a long time.

[CFdS]

That may be. But there was something with oaks. Was the place maybe named Oakhall?