A Thread for Small Questions XI

[Yellow Dog]

My apologies if this has been addressed before, but I just finished re-reading AFFC and I'm very curious about who betrayed Arriane Martell and her conspirators. It may not have been revealed at all (at least not before ADWD), but I wondered if there were any clues I may have missed, or failing that any good theories. Thanks in advance!

My guess - based on some commenters insisting he is the biggest douchebag in the series - is that the betrayer is Darkstar. He did it to give himself the opportunity to kill Myrcella and start a war with the Lannisters and Tyrells. Only a lucky movement of a horse reduced the killing blow to slicing off her ear and laying her cheek open.

[Alais]

Darkstar is a Dayne of High Hermitage, which is a branch of House Dayne, but not the Daynes of Starfall. According to the Wiki.

Starfall was the home of Ashara Dayne and Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, who have both been mentioned many times.

[sheriffkiller]

What is dragonglass?

[zmflavius]

What is dragonglass?

Obsidian

[serbrc]

Why did Stannis attack up the Blackwater (an amphibious landing right under the walls of the city where the defenders could shoot down at him) rather than landing a little further up the coast in the Crownlands and marching south?

[sheriffkiller]

You are talking about the battle at the end of aCoK right? If so I believe the answer is....

He attacked on foot and from the sea as well. He did have the superior fleet and seemed to have the battle won until the Lannisters released the wildfire. Their (Tyrion's mostly) strategy was if they can take out all of Stannis' fleet it didn't matter if their whole navy went down as well. Still Stannis was winning until Renly's Ghost showed up.

I GOT A QUESTION

Do the Duncan and Egg stories tie directly into the plot of A Song of Fire and Ice, or they are set in the same world but for the most part irrelevant to the plot of the series? I am reading the ASOIAF books right now and I can't take my eyes of the pages, I do plan on reading Duncan and Egg later on, but I won't be missing anything important if I read the 5 ASOIAF books first and read those later, right?

[sheriffkiller]

I got a suggestion also. For anyone who has a question try to read as much as possible before asking the question. Often I have something I'm not sure of but GRRM often goes back and clarifies earlier plot lines. I'm sure he realizes that the story is of epic proportions and it is easy for a reader to forget some things so he usually, through repetition, will make sure the reader knows exactly what's going on. For example the dragonglass question I asked was answered just a few chapters later, if I read ahead a bit before asking I wouldn't have to ask.

[zmflavius]

Do the Duncan and Egg stories tie directly into the plot of A Song of Fire and Ice, or they are set in the same world but for the most part irrelevant to the plot of the series? I am reading the ASOIAF books right now and I can't take my eyes of the pages, I do plan on reading Duncan and Egg later on, but I won't be missing anything important if I read the 5 ASOIAF books first and read those later, right?

The Dunk & Egg series are prequels so to speak, but they're so far removed from the main series (nearly a century earlier) that at the present moment, they don't seem likely to have any effect. Of course, we do know a deal about their eventual fates from the main series, and it's probable that there will be some tie-in at the end of the D&E series. In any case, feel free to read them separately or together.

[Buckwheat]

Where was Luwin during Robert's rebellion? In the beginning of AGOT (where Ned, Cat and Luwin are in Ned's and Cat's bedroom), Cat says that he was present at the birhts of all her children, but Robb was born in Riverrun, not in Winterfell. Are the maesters not bound to one castle, meaning Luwin was supposed to be at Winterfell the whole time? I cannot see Catelyn not remembering who was there while her son was being born.

[Galen M]

Where was Luwin during Robert's rebellion? In the beginning of AGOT (where Ned, Cat and Luwin are in Ned's and Cat's bedroom), Cat says that he was present at the birhts of all her children, but Robb was born in Riverrun, not in Winterfell. Are the maesters not bound to one castle, meaning Luwin was supposed to be at Winterfell the whole time? I cannot see Catelyn not remembering who was there while her son was being born.

hmm, good catch; never realized that before

[Nuto]

In Game of Thrones, Bran VII, Bran is in Maester Luwin's tower and he see shadow maps, does anyone know what shadow maps are?

Here is the part from that chapter:

Maester Luwin’s turret was so cluttered that it seemed to Bran a wonder that he ever found anything. Tottering piles of books covered tables and chairs, rows of stoppered jars lined the shelves, candle stubs and puddles of dried wax dotted the furniture, the bronze Myrish lens tube sat on a tripod by the terrace door, star charts hung from the walls, shadow maps lay scattered among the rushes, papers, quills, and pots of inks were everywhere, and all of it was spotted with droppings from the ravens in the rafters.

[-colten-]

when jaime gets tyrion out of his cell, why does tyrion tell jaime he killed joff?

[zmflavius]

In Game of Thrones, Bran VII, Bran is in Maester Luwin's tower and he see shadow maps, does anyone know what shadow maps are?

Here is the part from that chapter:

Maester Luwin’s turret was so cluttered that it seemed to Bran a wonder that he ever found anything. Tottering piles of books covered tables and chairs, rows of stoppered jars lined the shelves, candle stubs and puddles of dried wax dotted the furniture, the bronze Myrish lens tube sat on a tripod by the terrace door, star charts hung from the walls, shadow maps lay scattered among the rushes, papers, quills, and pots of inks were everywhere, and all of it was spotted with droppings from the ravens in the rafters.

I think it means shadows of maps. Not sure though.

when jaime gets tyrion out of his cell, why does tyrion tell jaime he killed joff?

Essentially as a giant "fuck you, world."

[Watcher on the Walls]

Any thoughts on why Melisandre would see Stannis in the flames as Azor Ahai when clearly it's going to turn out to be someone else? Is it just because GRRM certainly doesn't want us to know until the end and he had to give us someone? But someone so completely wrong? I assume Stannis will lead her to the true person....eventually.

[ThisOneIsMulticolorWorm]

we know stark children are wargs..Bran wants to fly, is it possible that Bran, Arya, and Rikkon could take the dragons body too, are dragons exceptions

GRRM got this question during a talk, and was cagey in his response. I would assume that we will see that happen, or at least someone might try. But given that there has been discussion of animals forcing wargs off, or fighting their presence, then I wonder if it wouldn't be functionally impossible given dragons' revolt against any kind of control. That talk is available at:

[ThisOneIsMulticolorWorm]

Any thoughts on why Melisandre would see Stannis in the flames as Azor Ahai when clearly it's going to turn out to be someone else? Is it just because GRRM certainly doesn't want us to know until the end and he had to give us someone? But someone so completely wrong? I assume Stannis will lead her to the true person....eventually.

I think that, as much as anything, is illustrating the difficulty with prophecy - she saw signs that pointed to Stannis, especially knowing the prophecy, but that doesn't mean that she couldn't have misread the signs.

And she does indeed misread signs in the fires in the books. Why not this one as well?

[ThisOneIsMulticolorWorm]

Where was Luwin during Robert's rebellion? In the beginning of AGOT (where Ned, Cat and Luwin are in Ned's and Cat's bedroom), Cat says that he was present at the birhts of all her children, but Robb was born in Riverrun, not in Winterfell. Are the maesters not bound to one castle, meaning Luwin was supposed to be at Winterfell the whole time? I cannot see Catelyn not remembering who was there while her son was being born.

That's a terrific question. I wonder if Luwin didn't travel south with Ned when he went wed Cat? And remained at Riverrun as there was no point in traveling to war with Ned, particularly when the new Lady of Winterfell and its heir had need of him? Is that possible?

[ThisOneIsMulticolorWorm]

It could be like Bran's crow dream where he sees into the north. They could be so obviously different from a normal dream that you just know. Does he ever share that one with Jojen? I don't remember Jojen ever saying that Bran has the greensight.

Spoiler below contains info from ADWD

I don't think Bran is a greenseer in that sort of way - rather it was the Crow who sought out Bran and came to him in his dreams. The question I have is, how did The Crow know to find Bran? If anybody has an answer to that one, I'd be much obliged.

[Nuto]

I think it means shadows of maps. Not sure though.

Maybe, but I don't know how shadows can be "scattered among the rushes".

[zmflavius]

Maybe, but I don't know how shadows can be "scattered among the rushes".

Shadow distortion?

I mean, I can think of a number of other possibilities for what "shadow maps" are, and Luwin's disdain for all things magical seems to remove the possibility of most of them.