The Others invasion

[Gordias]

Hah.

I don't think they'll be an "invasion". The Others seem perfectly content with their hunting; if the Wall comes down, they'll spread South sure, but the issues surrounding the Others are highly confused and we don't know anything about them other than vague hearsay from an old crone, three violent encounters and brief lore vomit from Sam. In fact, rather than an "invasion" of the Others I imagine we'll be getting a different side of them come tWoW; a look into why they exist and how they contribute to the messed up seasons in ASoIaF, when Jon goes north to the Lands of Always Winter (and we'll see why GRRM described them as the "Sidhe made of Ice").

I think we'll also be getting a much deeper look at the Red Lot and just what they're up to. Victarion having fire made flesh, Moqorro's creepiness, Dany's nearness to Valyria the conflict with Volantis; things are boiling and bubbling at the extremities of GRRM's world, and the Others aren't the only emerging worry.

[Arya2ndFace]

I'm thinking about half-way into the book; around the point of the RW in ASoS. I think the second part of the book will involve an awful lot of people getting killed as they flee the Others. Stannis' forces (along with a united Nothern Front) will have retaken Winterfell but will have to retreat and form up at Moat Cailin to defend against the invasion, while everyone south of them gets their shit together. At some point in time, Howland Reed shows up to reinforce from Greywater Watch along with every single MIA character in the series. He tells Jon the secret of the ToJ and sends him south with a few other plot important people to try to put a halt to the Dance of Dragons v.2 between Aegon and Daenerys so they can focus their forces on defending against the Others. Then Moat Cailin gets overrun in the Epilouge. Maybe Davos' final POV.

I tend to believe Winterfell becomes of utmost importance during the Others' invasion. I do not see the Others being able to enter Winterfell due to its warmth from the natural springs running through the walls. The hidden entrances to Winterfell, which Bran is aware of, can then be used by Jon, through warg communication with Bran, to bring in the dragonglass from Dragonstone to be used as weapons against the Others. both during an assault head-on and also in the Others rear after they have passed Winterfell. Perhaps having Dany fighting the Others from the South while Jon leads an assault from the North, thereby hemming the Others in with no escape.

[Archana The Brown Walker]

The realm needs a catastrophic event like the long night for the game to end. Suppose IF dany does get the throne (and that's a big IF), few players may change, few may remain. A new queen Dany will take over the thrones, but the game will continue as is.

Long night will mean westeros will not remain in the same state. petty rivalries will be irrelevant and it will be a battle for survival. At the end, there may not even be a throne to speak of.

[Ghost's Shadow]

I think the Others will only pop up at the end of the next book (if there's 2 books left), because the fight for Winterfell and the Castle Black (not the entire Wall, just once castle) thing will have to be solved first, not to mention everything that's happening on Dany's end and in the rest of the Realm. You need to leave something for the next book.

Having said that, it'll take a while still for Dany to even show up (unless she only takes a few ships and her and her dragons to Westeros first), so she won't be sitting the Throne next book, or perhaps, depending on where she lands and what the country is fighting at that point, she won't sit the Throne at all.

[The True Queen]

^Keeping in mind there are two books left, I suppose the major fight between the Others and the Realm will take place in the last book, which implies that while we will finally get a concrete glimpse into the Lands of Always Winter in the next one, the Others will not breach too far beyond the Wall. The perspectives we gain on the others predicates the last novel in order for the dissolution of current throne politics to be solidified by/during book seven: I do believe the Wall will come down at 3/4 or the end of the next novel, and when it does, so do many allegiances/alliances. I believe the Others have the horn or are going to wrest it from the hands of the CoF. Considering time is of no importance to our greenseeing friends, perhaps the CoF know that they need to give it up so that the Others can be destroyed.

[The Real Summer Islander]

i think it will happen early during the battle of winterfell. all the fighting and then the wights and white walkers come.

as we know, it tends to get coldest when theyre close.

[thunder_chicken]

It would be nice symmetry to see the Others breach the wall at about the same time Dany arrives in Dorne. I think this will happen at the end of tWoW. I think this would happen at the end of the book.

[Ghost's Shadow]

The coldness Jon feels is the warging into Ghost, not the Others standing next to Bowen and co when they're happily stabbing away at Jon.

Winterfell's cold is probably due to there not being a Stark in Winterfell, as there always should be. Right now there's pretenders sitting there, and Winterfell might just freeze them in their beds.

[Matty-El]

I tend to believe Winterfell becomes of utmost importance during the Others' invasion. I do not see the Others being able to enter Winterfell due to its warmth from the natural springs running through the walls. The hidden entrances to Winterfell, which Bran is aware of, can then be used by Jon, through warg communication with Bran, to bring in the dragonglass from Dragonstone to be used as weapons against the Others. both during an assault head-on and also in the Others rear after they have passed Winterfell. Perhaps having Dany fighting the Others from the South while Jon leads an assault from the North, thereby hemming the Others in with no escape.

[Matty-El]

These 2 posts were supposed to be one. I think all the old castles will become major rallying points. In ACoK Melisandre has to be brought inside storms end to birth her ghost child because he couldn't pass the walls otherwise. I think all the old spell forged castles will offer similar protection against the others. I also tend to agree those that believe that the walkers first attack follows Jon's stabbing. The attack will probably be short and concise like their first attacks beyond the wall. Even when they land people still won't believe its true until they see them. This could give the characters time to tie up their plot lines until the end of TWoW when the attacks have become widely known and accepted as the truth.

[Browncoat]

A semi-related question: who thinks we'll get an Other perspective chapter before this whole thing is finished? Even if it's just a prologue, I'd dig it.

[Jon Sand]

I'm shocked no one thinks the others have already invaded. I think they showed up during Jon's assassination.

- Jon didn't feel the fourth knife only the cold.

- Dead things were already in the water and the trees at Hardhome

- We have already seen Others not far from the wall.

Jon has been temporarily removed from the game so the Others can move past the wall. They move with the cold winds and now that cold has moved south it seems obvious that's where they will go next. "The Winds Of Winter."

I'm with Gannicus in this one. Also, there's a Jon Snow's chapter before the last one that he has a dream:

"Jon was armored in black ice, but his blade burned red in his fist"

I don't know, but maybe, the others are invading after all, and Jon Snow will become a wight.

If, as many believe, he is indeed AA, Mel, or any other will burn him, because that's one way to kill a wight, and Jon Snow will come out of the flames as AA rebirth, with black ice armor and Lightbringer in his hand.

This is unlikely to happen, but either way, I do believe the Others are already attacking.

[three-eyed monkey]

Winter has only begun really. I expect it to get worse than it was at Winterfell or the Wolfswood in Dance, and more wide spread, like all the way to KL perhaps. I think the Wall will come down sometime in Winds, and I think the final battle will take place in Dream, on the Trident or maybe way south, somewhere like the Prince's Pass.

[TheDarkOne]

It's been suggested before that the bravest decision GRRM could make is to let the Others win, and I agree.

Having the so called bad guys wipe everyone out would be the most famous ending to any series ever, and very in the spirit of the events of the books where the bad guys tend to triumph.

[crazibouncer]

The Others have been looking for the horn for the past 8000 years and they have finally found it. That is why they are making moves.

[Ser Smoke-A-Lot]

I'm thinking about half-way into the book; around the point of the RW in ASoS. I think the second part of the book will involve an awful lot of people getting killed as they flee the Others. Stannis' forces (along with a united Nothern Front) will have retaken Winterfell but will have to retreat and form up at Moat Cailin to defend against the invasion, while everyone south of them gets their shit together. At some point in time, Howland Reed shows up to reinforce from Greywater Watch along with every single MIA character in the series. He tells Jon the secret of the ToJ and sends him south with a few other plot important people to try to put a halt to the Dance of Dragons v.2 between Aegon and Daenerys so they can focus their forces on defending against the Others. Then Moat Cailin gets overrun in the Epilouge. Maybe Davos' final POV.

I totally agree with this. If the Winds of Winter ends with anything less than the sense that all hope is lost after the Others have invaded I will be disappointed.

[The Real Summer Islander]

I'm shocked no one thinks the others have already invaded. I think they showed up during Jon's assassination.

- Jon didn't feel the fourth knife only the cold.

- Dead things were already in the water and the trees at Hardhome

- We have already seen Others not far from the wall.

Jon has been temporarily removed from the game so the Others can move past the wall. They move with the cold winds and now that cold has moved south it seems obvious that's where they will go next. "The Winds Of Winter."

I really was thinking this too during jons last chapter.. I bet eastwatch is overrun and they'll appear during the battle of winterfell. I mean they always appear when its coldest and stannis is in the middle of a blizzard.

[KingHodorTargaryen]

I can see the Others getting no farther down than Winterfell. The I have a long theory about Jon King in the North, but long story short, Winterfell should be the place of like last stand until Dany comes. Also, while letting the Others win is an interesting theory, and it would create the polar opposite of Valyria, I find it would destroy GRRM's writing career by having no one buy any of the next books, ASOIAF or otherwise.

[Knight errant]

I tend to believe Winterfell becomes of utmost importance during the Others' invasion. I do not see the Others being able to enter Winterfell due to its warmth from the natural springs running through the walls. The hidden entrances to Winterfell, which Bran is aware of, can then be used by Jon, through warg communication with Bran, to bring in the dragonglass from Dragonstone to be used as weapons against the Others. both during an assault head-on and also in the Others rear after they have passed Winterfell. Perhaps having Dany fighting the Others from the South while Jon leads an assault from the North, thereby hemming the Others in with no escape.

By that logic the dreadfort is also safe as it's built over a volcano (I'm paraphrasing but it is). I think the Others would just spill south and winterfell isn't all that important.

[Ghost's Shadow]

I can see the Others getting no farther down than Winterfell. The I have a long theory about Jon King in the North, but long story short, Winterfell should be the place of like last stand until Dany comes. Also, while letting the Others win is an interesting theory, and it would create the polar opposite of Valyria, I find it would destroy GRRM's writing career by having no one buy any of the next books, ASOIAF or otherwise.

How long have you got? :lol: