{ADWD SPOILERS} What do we know now that we didn't pre-ADWD?

[evanesco75]

I devoured the book and was so immersed I didn't really pause and wonder about this too much. I was more caught up in specific moments with each POV.

So...

We know Barristan Selmy loved Ashara Dayne, who had a stillborn girl with a Stark (Selmy seems sure it was Ned, of course).

We know Brienne survived: how or for how long, no idea.

We know Aerys had a hot nut for Joanna Lannister. Implications debatable.

We know a dragon can only have 1 rider: that despite all 3 being her children, Dany can only ever ride one, and that one's Drogon (I approve since he was always the most bad-ass).

We know the 3 eyed Crow is Bloodraven.

We know where Rickon is.

We know Arya isn't permanently blind, and that she did indeed kill Daeron (where's Avenging Arya Fan?) :)

We know Melisandre isn't pure evil (her concern for Devan Seaworth's life) or all-powerful (Alys as Arya).

Have hints of:

Jon being Azor Ahai.

Varys truly working for the Realm

Still don't know:

Jon's parentage. Yet again, we heard about Rhaegar loving Lyanna, not whether it was mutual.

Others?

[Horza]

I devoured the book and was so immersed I didn't really pause and wonder about this too much. I was more caught up in specific moments with each POV.

So...

We know Barristan Selmy loved Ashara Dayne, who had a stillborn girl with a Stark (Selmy seems sure it was Ned, of course).

We know Brienne survived: how or for how long, no idea.

We know Aerys had a hot nut for Joanna Lannister. Implications debatable.

We know a dragon can only have 1 rider: that despite all 3 being her children, Dany can only ever ride one, and that one's Drogon (I approve since he was always the most bad-ass).

We know the 3 eyed Crow is Bloodraven.

We know where Rickon is.

We know Arya isn't permanently blind, and that she did indeed kill Daeron (where's Avenging Arya Fan?) :)

We know Melisandre isn't pure evil (her concern for Devan Seaworth's life) or all-powerful (Alys as Arya).

It's been apparent there are limitations on Mel's powers for some time in my book.

Have hints of:

Jon being Azor Ahai.

Varys truly working for the Realm

Uh, where are you getting the latter from? The bit where he killed two men because they were working too well at keeping Lannister, Tyrell and Martell from fighting each other so that his preferred candidate's army had a better chance sorta suggests the opposite to me.

Still don't know:

Jon's parentage. Yet again, we heard about Rhaegar loving Lyanna, not whether it was mutual.

Others?

We know Davos wasn't killed.

We know Loras was maimed. (Alas poor Grand Tyrell Conspiracy Theory, I knew him well)

I also regard the Epilogue as lending some vague support to Varys Planted/Drugged Shae.

[Joey Geko]

We know now that Dick Crabb' royal ancestor was a faceless man. In comparing his tale of the Whispers, it bears a striking resemblance to the scene we see of the lower sanctum from Arya.

The cave with heads whispering secrets and knowledge sounds an awful lot like e rows of skin masks containing the memories of the dead they once belonged to.

This, of course, means that SF /= JH, but that SF = Clarence Crabb.

The last one is a joke, but the similarities are interesting.

[evanesco75]

I took Vary's extolling of 'Aegon's' virtues to a dying man as sort of an indicator that he did care, I suppose. Right man to rule and all. Of course, it might not be that simple.

I wish we'd seen a glimpse of Loras or Margaery. If he's still alive, he may well survive.

There are also hints of Daario Nahaaris being dead (six corpses). Along with Dany's bloodrider (Aggo?) and the Unsullied Hero. Could be a fake-out.

[The Scabbard Of the Morning]

We know how the faceless man change their faces.

We know they aren't allowed to kill people they know (explains why the people on Arya boat all made her remember their names).

We know Manderly is a Stark loyalist, as are the mountain clans.

We learns the Red Priests have some fire based healing powers.

[Coals]

Ashara Dayne was pregant during Roberts Rebellion, probably by a Stark, but the child was a still-born girl

Cersei is alot "harder" than shes been given credit for (that walk from the sept :stunned: ) but very very mad, and thats likely been fed by Varys

[Datepalm]

We know how the faceless man change their faces.

We know they aren't allowed to kill people they know (explains why the people on Arya boat all made her remember their names).

Am I the only one who found that faintly comical? "Ok, secret faceless man dude, you shall kill the prince!", "Sorry, no can do, we had a nice chat about the weather over drinks once. The 42nd Annual Baraavos Import-Export Conference, back in '93, I think. You do it."

[Kalbear]

No, it means that she has to lie well if they order her to do so, or she has to disobey orders to do so.

[Skagosi]

She and Jaqen H'ghar (Or any other faceless man) could do a "Strangers on a Train" deal I suppose. I kill your enemies, you kill mine.

I don't think it will work like that though since Arya has been keeping that core Stark part of herself separate all during her training.

[Rhadamanthus]

Ashara Dayne was pregant during Roberts Rebellion, probably by a Stark, but the child was a still-born girl

I've seen people say this a lot, but in fact we don't know that the baby was a girl or even that it was stillborn. We know that Barriston Selmy thinks it was a stillborn girl. I don't recall any text explaining how exactly he knows this. It's entirely within the realm of possibility (especially for this series) that Selmy himself is mistaken.

With that said, I'm still pretty convinced that it was, in fact, a stillborn girl. All I'm saying is that I don't think we can take it as 100% factual.

[WaitingforWylla]

I've seen people say this a lot, but in fact we don't know that the baby was a girl or even that it was stillborn. We know that Barriston Selmy thinks it was a stillborn girl. I don't recall any text explaining how exactly he knows this. It's entirely within the realm of possibility (especially for this series) that Selmy himself is mistaken.

With that said, I'm still pretty convinced that it was, in fact, a stillborn girl. All I'm saying is that I don't think we can take it as 100% factual.

We know that Ashara was somehow 'dishonored' by a Stark (presumably leading to her pregnancy), and that said stark must have been one of the Stark son's, since Rikard was too old for Barristan to think of him as a 'boy'.

We know that Brandon Stark, despite Ned's missing him, was a jerk and possibly a rapist. Ned's father may not have been the most honorable stark in history, either.

We know that, whatever happened with Ashara (and I agree that the stillborn girl is the most likely possibility), it wasn't widely known.

We know that the idea that Wylla was Jon's mother is a relatively widespread story in the realm, but that there are conflicting stories of who, exactly, Wylla is/was.

[alguien]

We know that Brandon Stark, despite Ned's missing him, was a jerk and possibly a rapist. Ned's father may not have been the most honorable stark in history, either.

We certainly don't know this.

We know Brandon had sex with Lady Barbrey and that he liked swordplay. We know Lady Barbrey thought Rickard Stark had "southron" ambitions, which I don't think is bad either.

I don't see how having sex with someone who wanted him makes Brandon dishonorable.

Now, its certainly possible (perhaps even likely) that Brandon was a bit callow and he may have even been the one (instead of Ned) to father a child on Ashara Dayne. I doubt he raped her though, or else Ned would have thought much worse of him.

[Coals]

Barristan speaks alot of they great old days of the kingsguard, when they all knew each others "secrets"

I assume (based on my understanding of the timeline) that Arthur Dayne told him. He, and the other KG at the Tower of Joy only went missing arround the Trident, which was about a year after Harrenhal IIRC. If Ashara was dishonored then, she would have possibly given birth by the time Barristan last saw Arthur Dayne.

[TamTam Rapley]

We know that almost everyone travelling to Dany doesn't reach her.

We know those damned snow storms and sea storms prevent any plot advancement from happening.

We know that damned HBO series is affecting the scale of the series. Everything big (like a battle) is "fade to black'ed" and talked through either a recollection or a letter.

[O'san'gar's Razor]

We know that almost everyone travelling to Dany doesn't reach her.

We know those damned snow storms and sea storms prevent any plot advancement from happening.

We know that damned HBO series is affecting the scale of the series. Everything big (like a battle) is "fade to black'ed" and talked through either a recollection or a letter.

GRRM was skipping major events as early as A Clash of Kings.

[O'san'gar's Razor]

We know where Rickon is.

Wait, where is Rickon?

[Ser Taron Dax]

Wait, where is Rickon?

It has been proposed that

Rickon is on Skagos, due to somebody's (Davos?) line about him being someplace where people eat people.

On an almost totally unrelated subject, is anyone else convinced that

Manderly baked the Freys in the pie?

[rise of the small folk]

We know the 3 eyed Crow is Bloodraven.

Still don't know:

Still don't know who Coldhand was, though we know he's dead.

He was a blackbrother that was killed by wights 'long ago.' Could he still be Benjen if a child of the forest thinks he was killed 'long ago'?

Funny that it took little time for us to learn who the 3 eyed crow was (when first met, he say that he watched Bran with 'a thousand eyes and one') but still don't know Coldhands.

[Rhadamanthus]

GRRM was skipping major events as early as A Clash of Kings.

As early as GOT. Whispering Woods anybody?

[O'san'gar's Razor]

As early as GOT. Whispering Woods anybody?

He either doesn't like writing battle scenes very much or he's making a conscious point about the relative importance of politics and intrigue.