Shaidar Haran Theory

[Minuend]

The name Shaidar Haran is first introduced to us in the prologue to LOC, and by the end of the prologue, his role is made clear: the rein in the forsaken. As the series go on, we see him get control of most of the surviving forsaken, strengthening this viewpoint. But fades are born and raised just as any other creature, and Shaidar Haran is no newborn when we meet him in the LOC prologue, so he has been around for a while. The question is: Have we seen him before this prologue? Well we've seen plenty of fades and unfortunately they are too busy trying to kill our heroes to introduce themselves by name. Hence, we shall have to identify him by his characteristics. Luckily Shaidar Haran has several characteristics which we are told all other fades do not possess.
Physically, Shaidar Haran is much larger than all other fades:

LOC(prologue)(Demandred’s point of view)
Every Myrddraal was the height of a tall man, a sinuous imitation of a man, as alike as though cast in one mold. This one stood head and shoulders taller.

This height difference could be due to many things. His height may grow as he gains more power(or as the Dark One gains more power). Or, if as many believe, Shaidar Haran is a fade which was born with the ability to channel, then his genetics may be different enough from the usual fades so as to explain his larger stature. Or the height could be just an illusion created with the True Power(assuming for the moment that what we are seeing is True Power) as we see in:

COT(Ch 21)(Alviarin’s point of view)
“Do you think Hand of the Shadow is just a name?” The Myrddrall’s voice no longer grated. Hollow, it seemed to boom down caverens from some unimaginable distance. The creature grew as it spoke, swelling in size till it’s head brushed the ceiling, over two spans up.

From this quote we know that Shaidar Haran can alter how tall he appears and that he uses this specifically for the purpose of installing fear into others. Could his apparent tallness that the forsaken all take note of just be a True Power illusion used to drive more fear into them? If so, then a pre-LOC Shaidar Haran appearance may not show the same height. Also, if his height is caused by his increasing powers or by the Dark One, then he may not be so large before LOC. Some believe that he grows with the Dark One’s increasing ability to touch the world, as the seals decay. In any case, in our search for an early Shaidar Haran, we shall keep in mind that he may not be as large as later described.

Another characteristic that Shaidar Haran has, which other fades lack, is a sense of humour and with it, the ability to laugh and smile.

BWB(Ch7)
Where trollocs have a vile and violent sense of humor, Myrddraal have none.

Where most Myrddraal are the height of a tall man, Shaidar Haran stands taller by several feet, towering head and shoulders above man and Halfman alike. It's demeanor is one of arrogance, rather then servitude, even to the point of commanding Forsaken, and it has evinced a dark sense of humour, something previously unknown among Myrddraal.

LOC(prologue)(Osan’gar’s point of view)
Osangar would have thought the Myrddraal's bloodless lips twitched in a smile, except that was impossible, here or anywhere. Even trollocs had a sense of humour, if a vile a violent one, but not Myrddraal.
…
A futile attack, of course. The Myrddraal did not even shift its stance. Casually it caught her by the throat, raised her straight-armed till her feet left the floor. The screech became a gurgle, and she grabbed the Halfman's wrist with both hands. With her dangling in its grasp, it turned that eyeless stare to Osan'gar. "You have not been severed, but you will not channel until you are told you may. And you will never strike at me. I am Shaidar Haran." Osan'gar tried to swallow, but his mouth was dust. Surely the creature had nothing to do with whatever had been done to him. Myrddraal had powers of a sort, but not that. Yet it knew. He had never liked Halfmen. He had helped make the Trollocs, blending human and animal stock— he was proud of that, of the skill involved, the difficulty— but these occasional throwback offspring made him uneasy at the best of times.
…
The halfman did smile then. It was like seeing death smile.

Note this shows that Osan’gar is Aginor reincarnated, Aginor being who created many shadowspawn including Trollocs which are where baby fades come from. So he is perhaps the most knowledgable about fades.

ACOS(Ch25)(Moghidien’s point of view)
Shaidar Haran chuckled, a rasp of dried cracked leather. That was another difference with this Myrddraal. Far more cruel than Trollocs, who were merely bloodthirsty, Myrddraal were cold and dispassionate in it. Shaidar Haran often showed amusement though.

APOD(Ch12)(Graendal’s point of view)
"Should I call you Great Master, or would you prefer another title? I would not feel comfortable addressing even the Great Lord's hand as I would him."
Shockingly, the Myrddraal laughed. It sounded like ice crumbling. Myrddraal never laughed.

So, it seems that if we see a fade smile or laugh, then there is a good chance its our friend Shaidar Haran.

Another way in which Shaidar Haran differs from other fades is the powers he has. We’ve seen him do some neat tricks so far: spear burning in ACOS(Ch 40), a dead black globe in APOD(Ch12), as well as being able to block darkfriends (including mostly forsaken) from embracing the One Power in several instances.


COT(Ch 21)(Alviarin’s point of view)
Alviarin fell over in shock at the tall shape of a man in sinuous black armor, all overlapping plates like the scales of a snake, standing in front of one window. It was not a man, though. That bloodless face had no eyes, just smooth dead white skin where they should have been. She had encountered Myrddraal before, in the service of the Dark Lord, and even managed to meet their eyeless gazes without giving way to the terror those stares engendered, but this one made her scrabble back across the floor until her back jarred a leg of the table. Lurks were alike as two raindrops, tall and lean and identical, but this one stood a head taller, and fear seemed to radiate from it, soaking into her bones. Unthinking, she reached for the Source. And nearly screamed. The Source was gone! She was not shielded; there was simply nothing there for her to embrace! The Myrddraal looked at her and smiled. Lurks never smiled. Never.

That last quote nicely shows all this distinctions we’ve made so far.

These abilities of Shaidar Haran are most likely his using the True Power. If not, then they are just some gift from the Dark One, or perhaps some inborn ability that Shaidar Haran has, though other fades lack. In any case, it reasons that his abilities grow over time(as do all of the characters), and may not be as pronounced in earlier encounters.

[Minuend]

Now, to the potential earlier encounters.

TeotW(Ch 17)(Rand’s point of view)
As he came out of the kitchen, drinking, a shape in dull black started toward him down the length of the hall, raising pale hands to toss back the dark cowl that had hidden the face beneath. The cloak hung motionless as the figure moved, and the face...A man's face, but pasty white, like a slug under a rock, and eyeless. From oily black hair to puffy cheeks was as smooth as an eggshell. Rand choked, spraying milk.
"You are one of them, boy," the Fade said, a hoarse whisper like a file softly drawn across bone.
Dropping the mug, Rand backed away. He wanted to run, but it was all he could do to make his feet take one halting step at a time. He could not break free of that eyeless face; his gaze was held, and his stomach curdled. He tried to shout for help. to scream; his throat was like stone. Every ragged breath hurt. The Fade glided closer, in no hurry. Its strides had a sinuous, deadly grace, like a viper, the resemblance emphasized by the overlapping black plates of armor down its chest. Thin, blood- less lips curved in a cruel smile, made more mocking by the smooth, pale skin where exes should have been. The voice made Bornhald's seem warm and soft. "Where are the others? I know they are here. Speak, boy, and I will let you live."
Rand's back struck wood; a wall or a door-he could not make himself look around to see
which. Now that his feet had stopped, he could not make them start again. He shivered, watching the Myrddraal slither nearer. His shaking grew harder with every slow stride. "Speak, I say, or -" From above came a quick clatter of boots, from the stairs up the ball, and the Myrddraal cut off, whirling. The cloak hung still. For an instant the Fade's head tilted, as if that eyeless gaze could pierce the wooden wall. A sword appeared in a dead-white hand, blade as black as the cloak. The light in the hall seemed to grow dimmer in the presence of that blade. The pounding of boots grew louder, and the Fade spun back to Rand, an almost boneless movement. The black blade rose; narrow lips peeled back in a rictus snarl. Trembling, Rand knew he was going to die. Midnight steel flashed at his head...and stopped.
"You belong to the Great Lord of the Dark." The breathy grating of that voice sounded like fingernails scratched across a slate. "You are his."
Spinning in a black blur, the Fade darted down the hall away from Rand. The shadows at the end of the hall reached out and embraced it, and it was gone.

TGH(prologue)(Carridin=Bors point of view)
The man who called himself Bors felt his lips drawing back over his teeth, half snarl and
half, he was shamed to admit even to himself, fear. It had its face uncovered. Its pasty pale face, a man's face, but eyeless as an egg, like a maggot in a grave.
The smooth white face swiveled, regarding them all one by one, it seemed. A visible shiver ran through them under that eyeless look. Thin, bloodless lips quirked in what might almost have been a smile as, one by one, the masked ones tried to press back into the crowd, milling to avoid that gaze. The Myrddraal's look shaped them into a semicircle facing the door.
The man who called himself Bors swallowed. There will come a day, Halfman. When the
Great Lord of the Dark comes again, he will choose his new Dreadlords, and you will cower before them. You will cower before men. Before me! Why doesn't it speak? Stop staring at me, and speak!
"Your Master comes." The Myrddraal's voice rasped like a dry snake skin crumbling. "To
your bellies, worms! Grovel, lest his brilliance blind and burn you!"

TGH(Ch6)(Rand’s point of view)
Then he came to a crossing of corridors, and to his left was the tail end of a fight. Six
top-knotted men lay bleeding and still, and a seventh was dying. The Myrddraal gave its sword an extra twist as it pulled the blade free of the man's belly, and the soldier screamed as he dropped his sword and fell. The Fade moved with viperous grace, the serpent illusion heightened by the armor of black, overlapping plates that covered its chest. It turned, and that pale, eyeless face studied Rand. It started toward him, smiling a bloodless smile, not hurrying. It had no need to hurry for one man alone.
He felt rooted where he stood; his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. The look of the
Eyeless is fear. That was what they said along the Border. His hands shook as he raised his sword. He never even thought of assuming the void. Light, it just killed seven armed soldiers together. Light, what am I going to do. Light!
Abruptly the Myrddraal stopped, its smile gone.
"This one is mine, Rand." Rand gave a start as Ingtar stepped up beside him, dark and stocky in a yellow feastday coat, sword held in both hands. Ingtar's dark eyes never left the Fade's face; if the Shienaran felt the fear of that gaze, he gave no sign. "Try yourself on a Trolloc or two," he said softly, "before you face one of these."
"I was coming down to see if Egwene is safe. She was going to the dungeon to visit Fain,
and-" "Then go see to her. "
Rand swallowed. "We'll take it together, Ingtar."
"You aren't ready for this. Go see to your girl. Go! You want Trollocs to find her
unprotected?"
For a moment Rand hung there, undecided. The Fade had raised its sword, for Ingtar. A silent snarl twisted Ingtar's mouth, but Rand knew it was not fear. And Egwene could be alone in the dungeon with Fain, or worse. Still he felt ashamed as he ran for the stairs that led underground.
He knew a Fade's look could make any man afraid, but Ingtar had conquered the dread. His stomach still felt knotted.

And later on we hear:
Rand: "The Fade...you killed it?"
Ingtar: "No!"....."It's out of the keep by now, along with the rest of what we could not kill"

TDR(prologue)(Carridin’s=Bor’s point of view)
It was a man in form, no larger than most, but there the resemblance ended. Dead black
clothes and cloak, hardly seeming to stir as it moved, made its maggot-white skin appear ever paler. And it had no eyes. That eyeless gaze filled Carridin with fear, as it had filled thousands before.
“Wha. . . .” Carridin stopped to work moisture back into his mouth, to try bringing his voice back down to its normal register. “What are you doing here?” It still sounded shrill.
The Halfman’s bloodless lips quirked in a smile. “Where there is shadow, there may I go.”
Its voice sounded like a snake rustling through dead leaves. “I like to keep a watch on all those who serve me.” ”
…
“I serve the Great Lord of the Dark, as you
do. We both serve.”
“If you wish to see it so.” The Myrddraal laughed, a sound that made Carridin’s bones shiver.

[Minuend]

So we have four separate encounters in which we see a smiling fade. In the encounter with Bors in TDR prologue, the fade also laughs, adding further suspicion. Also in this encounter, Bors makes note of the fades height, thinking that it is no taller than most men. That is, it is not the height of a tall man, and so does not fit the usual height requirements of a fade. So whoever this fade is, he doesn’t seem to be quite full grown yet. Could this be a young Shaidar Haran, perhaps sent into duty earlier than most because of the Dark Ones special attention?

Well, besides the smiling and laughter drawing our attention, let us discuss how the behaviour fits with that of Shaidar Haran. Well, from LOC and onwards, we see Shaidar Haran and Moridin working to rein in all the forsaken. In the first few books, there weren’t many forsaken free so the two would instead be focused on getting all of the darkfriends on task. This is what we see taking place in TGH prologue, the smiling fade and Ishamael are there to show these people that now is the time to serve, issuing private orders. During this, Bors notices the smiling fade trembling with what he perceived as hatred at the image of the three. In TDR prologue, smiley makes a house call for Bors to make sure he follows orders, again performing a similar role to Shaidar Haran. The orders he gives are for Bors to kill Rand Al’Thor.

In the second smiley incident in TGH, Rand runs into smiley in a hallway on his way to go the dungeon where Fain was kept. Ingtar gets Rand to leave so that he can take care of the fade. Ingtar, being a darkfriend lets the fade go on its way. Ingtar reveals his crime to Rand later(Ch46), that he let in the darkfriend who shot the arrow at Rand in Ch9. Did smiley just give him that order in the hallway? Or did he receive it during the meeting in the prologue. In either case, Ishamael and Shaidar Haran seem to have it out for Rand from the beginning of TGH. Is this because they both failed in their tasks in TeotW?

Let us get to TeotW. Even back here I believe the two were working together for the Dark Ones purposes, which in this case was to turn the Dragon to their cause or at least to stop him from using the eye of the world. Unfortunately they didn’t yet know which of the three was the Dragon. Ishamael worked on them from ter’aran’rhiod, while smiley pursued them in the real world. In TeotW encounter between Rand and smiley I gave above, smiley only interest is in where the other taveren were. His task is clearly to get a hold of the three, or at least keep track of them(note that one of the main purposes of the darkfriend meeting in TGH prologue is to help track the taveren). Unfortunately, most of the early encounters with the fades, in particular the ones the three see in the Two Rivers, are hooded so that they cannot even see the face, let alone a smile. I suspect it was smiley back there that the three saw, but we cannot say for certain. We do know that fades aren’t very personable, yet the trolloc Rand encountered said that the fade wanted to talk with him. In the end, we know they failed in stopping the Dragon from using the eye of the world, and to compound they’re failure, when Ishamael confronts Rand, whom he finally has learned is the Dragon, Rand cuts Ishamael’s cord to the Dark One.

After smileys failure in TeotW, he has grown a hatred for Rand that we saw in the other three quotes. And we have seen Ishamael get angrier with Rand over the first three books, climaxing with when Rand finally kills him. After this, when Rand takes off for the Aiel waste, we don’t see another smiling fade until Shaidar Haran’s debut in the LOC prologue. While in the waste, Rand cuts Asmodeans bonds to the Dark One, and makes him his teacher. With Ishamael gone, to whom shall fall the responsibility of making an example of this rogue forsaken. Well, how about the second in command at that darkfriend meeting, our good friend smiley. Here’s the scene when Asmodean is killed.

TFOH
Tuckinghis harp under his arm, Asmodean drifted away from Mat and Aviendha. He
enjoyed playing, but not for a pair who did not listen, much less appreciate. He was not sure what had happened that morning, and not sure he wanted to be sure. Too many Aiel had expressed surprise at seeing him, had claimed they bad seen him dead; he did not want details. There was a long gash down the wall in front of him. He knew what made that sharp edge, that surface as slick as ice, smoother than any hand could have polished in a hundred years.
Idly-but with a shiver, too-be wondered whether being reborn in this fashion made him'a
new man. He did not think so. Immortality was gone. That was a gift of the Great Lord; he used that name in his head, whatever al'Thor demanded on his tongue. That was proof enough that he was himself. Immortality gone- he knew it must be imagination, yet sometimes he thought he could feel time dragging at him, pulling him toward a grave he had never thought to meet-and irawing the little of saidin he could was like drinking iewage.
He was hardly sorry Lanfear was dead. Rahvin either, but Lanfear especially, for what she had done to him. He would laugh when each of the others died, too, md most for the last. It was not that lie had been reborn is a'new man at all, but he would cling to that tuft of grass on the cliff's brink as long as he could. The roots would give way eventually, the long fall would come, but until then he was still alive.
He pulled open a small door, intending to find his way to the pantry. There should be some decent wine. One step, and he stopped, the blood draining from his face.
"You? No!" The word still hung in the air when death took him.

[Minuend]

Shaidar Haran would have no trouble commiting this deed. As we have seen, it is his duty to keep the forsaken in line and he can do so easily by blocking their connection to the One Power. Also the death would be quick if he used one of his fancy tricks with the True Power. Also, with his shadowtravelling ability he could easily dispose of the body. It seems reasonable at this point to bring up the following quote, which shows Shaidar Haran use the shadowtravelling with Moghedien in hand as he delivers her to Moridin in, low and behold, the same palace that the darkfriend meeting in TGH prologue takes place.

ACOS(Ch25)(Moghidien’s point of view)
"Close your eyes," it told her, "and then keep them closed until you are commanded to open them.
Moghidien's eyes snapped shut. One of Shaidar Haran's lessons had been instant obedience. Besides, with her eyes closed, she could try to pretend that she were somewhere else. Whatever was necessary.
Abruptly the hand in her hair rushed her forward, and she screamed in spite of herself. The Myrddraal meant to run her into the wall. Her hands went up for protection and Shaidar Haran released her. She staggared for at least ten steps -but her cell was not ten paces corner to corner. Wood smoke; she smelled a faint touch of wood smoke. She kept her eyelids closed, though. She meant to continue with no more but bruises, and as few bruises as possible, for as long as she could manage.
"You can look now," a deep voice said.
She die, cautiously. The speaker was a tall, broad shouldered yound man in black boots and breeches and a flowing white shirt unlaced at the top, who watched her with startlingly blue eyes from a deep, cushioned armchair in front of a marble fireplace where flames danced along long logs. She stood in a wood-paneled room that might have belonged to a wealthy merchant or noble of moderate rank in his time, the furniture lightly carved and touched with gilt, the rugs woven in red-and-gold arabesques. She did not doubt it was somewhere close be Shayol Ghul, though; it did not have the feel of Tel'aran'rhiod, the only other possibility. Swiveling her head hastily, she drew a deep breath. The Myrddrall was nowhere to be seen.

Thus he can easily get rid of Asmodean’s body. His motive is clear since his actions as smiley earlier on was to keep darkfriends in line. And his later behaviour as Shaidar Haran continues in that vein. With Ishamael temporarily out of the picture, the task falls upon him.

Also, the Dark One is very pleased with Shaidar Haran immediately after Asmodean’s death as seen by his headroom given in the following quote.

LOC(prologue)(Demandred’s point of view)
Jagged spikes jutted from the ceiling, stony teeth ready to snap shut, the Great Lord's teeth to rend the unfaithful or the traitor. Not natural, of course, but effective.
Abruptly, he noticed something. Every time he had made this journey, those spikes had all but brushed the top of his head. Now they cleared the Myrddraal's by two hands or more. That surprised him. Not that the height of the tunnel changed— the strange was ordinary here— but the extra space the Halfman was given. The Great Lord gave his reminders to Myrddraal as well as men. That extra space was a fact to be remembered.

Is this a clue that Shaidar Haran killed Asmodean? Perhaps. Also in this prologue, we find that the Dark One already knows that Asmodean is dead, even though Demandred is the first forsaken we know of speaking to the Dark One after Asmodean’ death.

WHO BETRAYS ME SHALL DIE THE FINAL DEATH. ASMODEAN, TWISTED BY HIS WEAKNESS.

Semirhage seems to think Shaidar Haran may have been involved as is seen in the following.

LOC(Ch6)(Semirhage’s point of view)
Asmodean. A traitor, and so doomed, but he really had vanished, and Shaidar Haran's existance and her own orders here combined to remind her that the Great Lord worked in his own ways toward his own goals.
The Chosen were no more than pieces on the board; they might be Counselors and Spires, but they were still pieces. If the Great Lord moved her here secretly, might he not be moving Moghedien or Lanfear, or even Asmodean? Might Shaidar Haran not be sent to deliver covert commands to Graendal or Sammael? Or for that matter, to Demandred or Mesaana?

As I believe I have presented enough evidence to place Shaidar Haran as a serious suspect in Asmodean’s murder, I shall finish with explaining why Asmodean’s reacted the way he did when he ran into Shaidar Haran in the wine closet.

One step, and he stopped, the blood draining from his face.
"You? No!" The word still hung in the air when death took him.

Whatever/whoever he saw, it scared him enough so that the blood immediately drained from his face. His last words “You? No!” shows a recognition in both who he sees and in what is about to happen. I do not claim that Asmodean had met Shaidar Haran previously, although it is possible. But, he would recognize a fade. And although maybe he wouldn’t be scared of a regular fade, recall that the other forsaken find that Shaidar Haran is able to scare them better than any other fade. When he first sees the fade, he fears it and knows it is here to kill him. But, he is surprised that a fade would be sent to kill him. For a usual fade should be no problem for a forsaken to handle. All one should need to do is wrap it up with the One Power. This is why Asmodean says “You?”, he is confused by the choice of the assassin. But when he realizes that the source is gone from him, he knows he is doomed and shouts “No!”. His reaction at his time of death is the same reaction we see all the forsaken have with Shaidar Haran, a reaction of shock.

To cite another example of such a reaction, we may look to who released Fain during the trouble in Fal Dara(in which we saw smiley)
TGH(Ch5)
Pitch-blackness covered the dungeons whatever the hour, unless someone brought in a
lantern, but Padan Fain sat on the edge of his cot, staring into the dark with a smile on his face.
He could hear the other two prisoners grumbling in their sleep, muttering in nightmares. Padan Fain was waiting for something, something he had been awaiting for a long time. For too long. But not much longer.
The door to the outer guardroom opened, spilling in a flood of light, darkly outlining a figure in the doorway. Fain stood.
"You! Not who I expected." He stretched with a casualness he did not feel. Blood
raced through his veins; he thought he could leap over the keep if he tried. "Surprises for
everyone, eh? Well, come on. The night's getting old, and I want some sleep sometime."
As a lamp came into the cell chamber, Fain raised his head, grinning at something, unseen yet felt, beyond the dungeon's stone ceiling. "It isn't over yet," he whispered. "The battle's never over."

The “You? No…” and “You! Not who I expected” seem awfully similar. It seems probable that a fade release Fain. For instance of the other prisoners, one hung himself and the others were crazy with fear when Rand came in. There was obviously Trollocs involved since the guards bodies had been partially consumed and the walls were covered with trolloc messages written in blood. One of the messages was noted by Verin to be of a different hand though, either by a fade or knowledgeable darkfriend. This is what is later translated as the dark prophecy. It could be possible that Liandrin did this releasing of Fain and writing, but I think she would have too much trouble keeping control of the trollocs and I think it would be to obvious an announcement that she is a darkfriend. Note that the trollocs do need to be controlled, since Egwene and Mat were found relatively unharmed when Rand entered the dungeon, not torn apart and eaten as the guards were. So, as I said, it seems probable a fade released Fain. After the fade released Fain, Fain took control of the trollocs gets the dagger from Mat and heads to the strongroom for the horn(or perhaps Liandrin gets the horn for him), while the fade, goes his own way, and, low and behold, a smiling fade runs into Rand in the next Chapter while Rand is heading for the dungeon. It seems reasonable to conclude that Shaidar Haran released Fain and left the dark prophecy. And the similar reactions we have of people to Shaidar Haran seem strangely similar Asmodean’s surprise in his killer.

[Minuend]

I'm too tired to write any more tonight, but please comment on my theory.

[Majsju]

Well, it is a well worked out theory. Though, it has it's weaknesses.

A lot of people believe that not only SH, but every single Myrdraal is born with the genetic ability to channel. That they can't actually channel might be a result of them being offspring of trollocs, so that the animal-genepool prevents that. If that's the case, SH has most likely got his little talents by DO's influence, something the DO is to weak to do in the early books.

I further think that Aginor is wrong when he says that myrdraals can't smile. It might be one of these RJ-mistakes as well. But the point that I want to make is that there is a difference with having no sense of humour, and not being able to smile. If you have a mouth, you have the physical ability to smile. And myrdraals like to put the fear in people, which they probably know that a smile will be helpful in doing. That Aginor thinks it's impossible is probably more based on the fact that SH smiles from amusement, that he proves to have a sense of humour.

The myrdraal in Fal dara...Why would DO send his closest servant to free Fain? The DO isn't exactly fond of that loonie. And, there is a regular myrdraal present at the time, remember the one Fain nails to a wall, and Rand& the others find? The entire attack is very typical for trollocs, and I think SH would have a different modus operandi, because his abilities allows him that.

The myrdraal who talks to Bors is apparently below Ishy in rank. We do know that SH stands directly below the DO, possibly equaled by the Nae'blis. But as far as we know, Ishy isn't Nae'blis at this point.
The myrdraal also wants Rand, something the DO several times has said that he doesn't want. The DO wants Rand to proclaim himself the dragon, and to turn to that dark. Which means that this myrdraal is working for the forsaken, who usually has an agenda of their own.

The extra space SH is granted in Shayol Ghul doesn't necessarily mean that SH has done something to please the DO. It might be as simple as a reminder to the forsaken that their place in rank is not to be taken for granted. Also, it's the first time Demandred meets SH, so naturally the DO wants to show that SH has a special standing.

When Asmodean meets his killer, there's room for a pause between 'You' and 'No'. If it's one of the forsaken, it'd be natural for him to react with a 'you', and the 'no' might come when the forsaken starts channeling. He is after all way to weak to defend himself.

Also, if SH killed Asmodean, it would be the first time he personally went after a forsaken. IF the smiling forsaken were SH, his priamry task in book 1-5 was to keep simple darkfriends reined in, and trying to control the taveren boys. That doesn't fit with RJ's statement that all clues are there, in the first five books.

Nah, good theory, but not good enough to prove anything.

[Minuend]

It's not just Aginor that has never seen a fade smile before. Recall Alviarin's quote"

"The Myrddraal looked at her and smiled. Lurks never smiled. Never."

and moggy's
"Far more cruel than Trollocs, who were merely bloodthirsty, Myrddraal were cold and dispassionate in it."

Cold and dispassionate doesn't sound like someone smiling to me.


As to why would the DO want to release Fain. Well, if you remember, Fain was completely on task the first book. He followed Rand just as the DO wished. The DO made him a hound for Rand(ie he can feel Rand's prescense and follow) which is useful for keeping tabs on Rand. The DO is unaware that Fain had been joined with Mordeth at this time, and Fain does not incurr the DO's anger till after, when Fain goes on his "I hate Al'thor" spree.

The incident with the nailing of a fade to the wall occurs several chapters later, and could be some other fade that Fain has collected in his badguy collection. He does seem to pick up new fades every so ofter. Recall in TSR he has one that he is toturing.

Ok, so why would the DO send SH to release Fain. Well, I explained Fain's importance, but there is also the fact that the DO would like to get a hand on the horn, which was the other thing that was removed from Fal Dara. Since there are many channelers around(Moraine, Siuane, ect.) it makes sense to send the fade that can block channelers, just in case.

The fade who talks to Bors is most likely taking orders from Baalzamon, ie Ishy, who says several times that the DO can use Al'thor even if he dies.(I can provide quotes if you wish)

I agree, SH's headroom in LOC doens't prove that he just made the DO very happy, but from what Demi tells us about what the roof means, it seems likely.

As to his reaction to his killer, I think it would be the natural reaction to SH as I explained. And also, SH would have an easier time than any of the forsaken since SH can remove the source from Asmodean, whereas the forsaken could only attempt to block him.

And yes this would be the first time he went after a forsaken, but then again, it is the first time the forsaken stepped far enought out of line.


So, yes, it is not proof that he is the killer, but it is about as strong of a case as we have for anyone being the killer.

[Tinker]

Have all the different theories developed this way lately.
Last I read any of them they sure weren't this well thought out.

I'm not saying that I'm buing it though...

[Min]

Since no one is sure about the killer the theories have to get fairly big to be able to convince others. In this case, most of it is just showing that SH was indeed around in the earlier books, then claiming that he would be the best choice for an assassin.

[Tinker]

Just how did SH know where to find Ashmodean?
Maybee you have explained it above but I'm just to tired to read it again right now.

[Min]

No, your absolutely right, I never explained how he found him.
Frankly, I haven't thought too much on the subject since noone really questions that part.

Since Rand left for Camelyn in a hurry and told very few people, whoever killed him must be able to
1) learn that Rand(and Asmo) are in Camelyn
and
2) be able to get there quickly

SH clearly satisfies 2) with his shadowtravelling.
Most people think that a DF close to Rand must have somehow leaked the information in 1) to the killer. As for who the informant was or how he relayed the info so quick, I can't say for for certain.

But thanks for bringing up the point. I will give it some thought.

[Tinker]

feet...
I realy need to get hold of my books again.
I moved out just a couple of months ago, and my brother is rereading the books so I left them with him.
Must claim them back so I can start rereading, and look things up.

[Min]

A great site for doing WOT research(this is what I mainly used) is: www.photeus.com:8090/~ewot/

For instance, most of my references were found just by looking under Fades
www.photeus.com:8090/~ewot/creatures/fade.html
and under Shaidar Haran
www.photeus.com:8090/~ewot/characters/shaidar_haran.html

[Tinker]

Thanks.
Can be really usefull.

[onisean]

Ok here is my theory on Sh . i think he is the forsaken morianie(sp?) killed with balefire. ok bale fire burns the threads from the pattern the stronger the bale fire the more the thread gets burned . Morianies balefire was weak she said so herself in one of the books. i remember reading somewhere that fades exist a few seconds out of the pattens thats why they show up funny in mirrors. so i think the DO brought belel (i think that was the forsaken )back as a fade . so tahts why SH has diffrents powers and stuff. i know this post is hard to read i'm typing fast as i can so i don't get in trouble. i know the theory seems a bit weak but i don't have time to refeance the books right now . rip my theory apart as you wish