Theoryland Chronicles

Members :Eclipse : The Mat Pawn

My Ber is Moi theory took me hours to collect the notes I'd taken and turn them into a nice write up. This one took me days. Without further ado, The Mat Pawn Theory.

* all pages are paperback except for Winter’s Heart

I’ll begin by asking you all the same question I asked my matron. "Who is the one we NEVER (all the way through I might add; not just The Eye) get to see into their dreams?" Rand we see every time and know that he continues to deny Ba’alzamon. Perrin has the protection of the Wolfdream (Moiraine even agrees with this), plus, we have access to his dreams, and he freely admits to his dreams and what happens in them.

Mat. His are the only dreams we know nothing about. I’ll say this plainly. Ba’alzamon got ahold of him in the first book. Here’s what put the idea in my mind.

The Eye of the World-

Pg. 760 Ba’alzamon is bragging to Rand about Jain Farstrider going to the Ogier (a story told by Loial) and about the Aiel woman living to pass on the story of blinding the Eye (a story told to Perrin by the Tuatha’an; pg 375). The only scene where BOTH of those stories get told is on page 640-641, and the only people listening to the stories that Ba’alzamon has access to are the boys (as per Moiraine’s explanation on pg 643). Something more about Ishamael’s “confessions,” it seems rather odd that for the past twenty or so years, these two were the only machinations of his relating to the “blinding the Eye.” And if he had more (or others?), what made him pick the very two (the only two) that Rand would know of himself?

Pages 642, 643 are also significant for Moiraine’s stunning declaration, if she actually knows what she’s talking about. “Yield even for an instant, and he will have a string tied to your heart, a string you may never be able to cut. Surrender, and you will be his. Deny him, and his power fails.” But, before this, Mat wakes up screaming that Ba’alzamon took his eyes (pg 494). Mat, at this time, was weak willed under the influence of the dagger. This may or may not be the instance where Mat permitted influence. I have an idea about how the link is made, and it could have been during this very dream, but it probably happened some other time (I’ll refer back to this later). This time, I think, is just Jordan attempting a facade of relative normalcy for Mat. It really would have stood out if we heard absolutely nothing about Mat’s dreams.

However, all we do is hear, barely, about two of them (the second being when he touched his statue in Tel’aran’rhiod on pg. 656, but that is after Moiraine’s denial advice), and never see anything as with the other two boys. In Perrin’s dream (pg 409) where Ba’alzamon "claims" him, he flings his hand out, and a raven spears into his left eye. In Rand’s dreams (there were two) where Ba’alzamon "claims" him, Rand gets a fireball in the face (pg 494) and a raven plucks out his eye (pg 527). But for both of the boys we get to see the dream sequences. Not so for Mat’s "claiming." Not only this, but Mat also makes a point of hiding them/what happens IN them. Any way or when the link was made, this is how Ishamael is keeping so informed ( one of the big ways), and Mat 1) won’t admit it, or 2) doesn’t realize/remember his error.

One thing more from the first book that solidified my belief:

Pg. 761 “And you fool, don’t even know them (Darkfriends) all, neither those ahead, nor those behind, nor those by your side.” Ba’alzamon is telling Rand there’s a traitor in his midst.

Ba’alzamon can’t lie ALL the time, and the best lies are always laced with the truth. It’s what makes them so hard to spot. Mat is, through Ishamael’s Tel’aran’rhiod manipulations, the Dark One’s unwilling/unknowing pawn. Truthfully, I don’t think Mat even knows/believes he is truly attached to the Dark One, at least, not after his Healing. Before the Healing, I think he may suspect something. Also, there is almost no way Moridin is going to admit this and give the secret away until the proper moment (when RJ feels like giving himself another pat on the back because he dropped another bomb on his readers).

Last note before moving on, I think the link, whatever it may be, is to the Dark One, not to Ishamael directly. Ishamael has access to it whenever and for however long he chooses, but the link itself, I believe, is to his master. The reason for this is both of them (I think) die later in the story. This would mean nothing to the Great Lord of the Dark, but a link solely to Ishamael might not have survived either death. That being said, I also believe the link is personal to the one forging it. This is Ishamael’s link from the Dark One to Mat. Just like possibly Lanfear tried to make a personal link of her own with Perrin later, and like Graendal may have done with Jain Farstrider, should he turn out to be Noal Charin, who turns out to be the rumple coated man in Graendal’s lair that we glimpse twice before.


The Great Hunt-

One of the more popular questions (and cons to my theory) is that we the reader have too many of Mat’s Points of View (POV) for there to be a link to the Dark One. This is absolutely false; I paid particular attention to this. Not until after his Healing from the dagger do we get his POV, and that is a book away from where I’m at in my theory. But, I have two very good answers for why, later on, we don’t see him thinking even the smallest bit about a possible link to the Dark One.

First, I believe he is not aware of it after his Healing. He doesn’t seem the least bit suspicious. However, as I will show in this section, something along this line has him spooked.

Reason number one is because of the Healing itself. After that, and there are just too many references to quote pages here (I expect EVERYBODY to remember this), he has gaping holes in his memory that wipe out just about everything from Baerlon to the time he wakes up after the Healing. I don’t remember a specific moment that he mentions he can remember up to, but it’s roughly around Baerlon. Even still, should he remember everything about Baerlon, it won’t change my theory (this will also be referenced later). Reason number two is a quote from Ba’alzamon.

xxvi - “Some commands are too important to be known, even by he who carries them out.” Ba’alzamon to Bors after sending visions through his brain. Same with Mat possibly. I’m not saying that he was at the Dark Friend Social, but that this may have happened at some point (in the dream), and it is one of the many memories that he forgot and had a past life (not his own, as per Jordan’s own clarification) filled over. However, the commands, whatever they may have been, may still exist. What I’m saying here is that 1) Ishamael forged a link (from the Dark One) to Mat, 2) sometime later he may have put some small commands to him in this same fashion without explaining it to Mat, and 3) after the Healing, Mat doesn’t remember it.
Mat’s POV or no, we see that Ishamael is capable of putting things in a person’s mind without them being aware of what those things are, and the Healing pretty much removed the section of Mat’s life spanning from Baerlon to his Healing (that span is at least two books; also according to the horse’s own mouth, Mat did lose memories from even before Baerlon). Moving along...

Pg. 35 Loial goes on and on about the Wheel and how it controls ta’veren no matter how they try to break free. Mat goes crazy and shouts for him to stop (calls him Big Mouth). This is during Mat’s “suspicious mode.” Granted, Moiraine lightened his corruption load, but he’s tainted, period. Loial’s words mirror Ishamael’s to Rand in Tel’aran’rhiod. As I said above, I think Mat is worried that Ba’alzamon may have a tie to him at this time, and hearing this from Loial causes his outburst.

Pg. 81 “You! Not who I expected.” Fain when getting freed. Fain’s words indicate someone he knows set him free, which would not be Liandrin or Alviarin, and Ingtar only mentions the Gray Man as his orders at his death scene; he wasn’t told what purpose the Gray Man was for. This could be Mat following hidden commands implanted by Ishamael during a dream. As we see later, Mat makes no statement (and we get no POV) involving him in the scenario other than he took a blow to the head. I will make no further guess work here, just that it’s a possibility.

Pg. 243 “The Aes Sedai called Moiraine told you who you are, did she not? Did she lie? Or is she one of mine?” This is Ishamael admitting he has someone in the very close group, but he hints that Moiraine may be the one simply to get Rand to distrust the Aes Sedai. Who knows anything about Rand? Nynaeve, Egwene, Rand, Moiraine, Lan, Siuan, and Verin. Who knows he’s the Dragon Reborn? Verin, Moiraine, Lan, Siuan, and the boys BECAUSE, on Pg. 193 Rand tells Mat and Perrin (only), “Moiraine told me I’m the Dragon Reborn.” This pretty much speaks for itself. Ishamael tells Rand that he knows who told him what he was. Only Moiraine and the three boys know who told him.

Pg. 471 “The only thing I’ve sensed is that somebody’s watching me, most of the time.” Mat when asked if he sensed the dagger in Barthane’s manor. This is a personal opinion, but to me, we see Jordan hinting more and more that Ishamael forged a link with him because he’s hidden the forging of the link in the previous book and, we get hammered with Rand making the same claim. Rand, we know, can be felt by Fain, and he can feel when Fain is concentrating on him. For Mat, however, it must be something different. Perrin, I do not recall ever making this claim.

Pg. 534 “Rand, I’d never tell anyone about - about you. I wouldn’t betray you! You have to believe that!” Mat after the Portal stone flickers. As close to a confession from Jordan as we are going to find that Mat is the eyes/ears/pawn of Ba’alzamon. While what we see for Rand is constant failure, and in the real world we expect victory, we can not conclude that what Mat saw was constant betrayal, and so absolute loyalty will follow in the real world. Mat may have betrayed him every time in the “If” worlds, but he may have done it knowingly. He may have betrayed him only some of the times, but those were the memories that hit him hardest. He may have not even betrayed him at all (being unknowingly linked to the Dark One is not the same as actual betrayal), but saw what ever he did as betrayal, and so he will make sure in the real world he does not fail his friend, when truthfully, he doesn’t even know how he “betrayed” his best friend in the “If” worlds. The only thing conclusive I get from this is Jordan’s blunt foreshadowing. We can link Mat, in an “If” world, with betrayal. Knowing or unknowing, it’s there. Also the word “never” is always a neon marker for “place your bets here.”
One more piece of foreshadow: consider Ingtar. A warrior’s warrior against the Shadow, yet... Mat is an almost identical situation. Certain circumstances just prevailed. The Wheel wove the Pattern it needed for its own purposes. In the Old Tongue, “Shi’it ha’p’ins.” Mat’s linked. He’s certainly paranoid at times and seemingly suspicious of his own standing thus far. But I see no evidence that he’s a willing pawn.


The Dragon Reborn-

This is where I came across the method for forging the link between mortals and the Dark One. This is the place to which I am referring from the two points above. Of course this is not the same as the links the Chosen have with the Great Lord. Those require promises and more. This is a basic, run of the mill, garden variety connection.

Pg. 66, 67 Ba’alzamon offers Perrin a drink like he did for Rand in the first book in the Dream (tEotW; pg 203). Perrin declines the drink, and Ba’alzamon’s reaction is the same as it was for Rand. Rage, disappointment, etc. Perrin does this to Lanfear too, right after he does it to Ishamael.

This is Mat’s mistake in The Eye. All three of them had a dream in Baerlon, and I think Ba’alzamon killed a rat for all three of them too. They spoke of the dream together, and it was the same for all three. Whether or not all three were offered a drink, we can only guess, but I believe they all were offered drinks (why not?), and that Perrin, like Rand in the first book, turned down the drink as he does twice more in this book. Mat, on the other hand, we don’t know. Maybe he did drink that very first time, and that is what helped Ishamael keep so many of his underlings hounding them constantly (although I think I remember Moiraine commenting on the dagger being a beacon too). Even still, it was less than two days after Baerlon that the dagger began its influence on Mat (sapping him of his own will), and we know that the dreams for Perrin and Rand continued in those times, so of course Mat was having them too.

In the event that it did happen in Baerlon and he does remember all the way up to Shadar Logoth (but keep in mind, Jordan said he lost memories from every part of his life before the Healing), he doesn’t, after the Healing, make any connection to his drinking from the chalice to being linked with the Dark One. Still, if it actually came later, it doesn’t matter. One thing that sticks out is that after Moiraine instructs them to deny Ba’alzamon, that very night Rand wakes Mat up from fervently, out loud no less, denying Ba’alzamon in his sleep. To me, this has two points of interest. First, it is Mat desperately trying to assure himself he does not have a connection to the Dark One, which he may suspect because this is also the time that he touched his own statue, or Ba’alzamon may be taunting him with fait accompli. Second, this is Jordan once more trying to show relative normalcy for Mat in order to hide the truth from the reader. Both Perrin and Rand are seen denying Ba’alzamon, so we must “see” Mat doing the same. The big difference is that by this time, it’s too late for Mat.

The big “con” to Mat’s link being forged after the dagger’s finding is that the two evils combat each other and that the link to the Dark One could not have been formed because Mat would have been “protected.” Hogwash.

I am adamantly against any accusation that the Dagger was protection from the Dark One’s influence. One, Fain is a pretty little combo of them BOTH (that pull towards Rand doesn’t come from Mashadar or Mordeth). Neither “dark force” gave the slightest protection or canceled the other out. Two, claiming the dagger is more infected/powerful than the Dark One is not only monster guess work, but silly. And three (but there’s more, I’m sure), Rand has two such evils dwelling IN TANDEM, on his very person, neither fighting the other off completely. Anybody’s claims that the dagger is protection is null by point three alone. It would mean that Mashadar is more powerful than the Dark, because the dagger could infect over the Dark, but the Dark could not infect over Mashadar (if it extended protection to Mat).

The next book reference completes when (roughly) I think Mat permitted influence.

Pg. 215 Mat wakes up from Healing and has fragmented memories. “...and a beautiful woman... and a well-dressed man who spoke to him like a father giving sage advice.” This is Lanfear and Ba’alzamon. They both did the exact same (descriptions and all) to Perrin in the beginning of this book. Perrin was able to deny the “drink” but I believe Mat did NOT bother to deny it while under the influence of the dagger. Obviously we see that whether or not Mat remembers Ba’alzamon from the Baerlon encounter, he does not associate him with the well-dressed man giving sage advice. Now, those memories while under the dagger’s influence are gone. If he did give in to Ba’alzamon and drink, he doesn’t remember it now, because we start getting his POVs from this point, and plenty of it (more of Jordan trying to cover up for Mat’s absolute lack in the first two books). Example: “I’m the last one of us who’s still sane. There’s only me.” This happens to be the Tamyrlin’s professed favorite quote from the books, by the way.

Pg. 223 Lanfear comes to Mat’s room in the White Tower and he thinks to himself he thought he halfway knew her. Then she tells him her name is Selene and they play a little waiting game to see if he does remember her. She says he may remember her from “somewhere.” Here’s the “proof” that Lanfear was in his dreams along with Ishamael.

Pg. 345 “Don’t you say that! ... I don’t like anybody saying things like that about me. I’m no darkfriend.” Mat going ballistic after a man says, “Dark One’s own luck,” because Mat’s dice luck was unbeatable in Tar Valon. He thinks to himself, “The luck had come once he took the dagger from Shadar Logoth.” A note: Fain/Mordeth is also more than a little lucky. I say it is the Dark One’s own luck in Mat.

It’s rather obvious isn’t it? The expression itself is a blunt club to the noggin. We hear this expression again and again throughout the books, but for some reason we have the bias that Mat, as one of the “good guys,” could never have such a connection; his luck must be from somewhere or something else. I disagree whole heartedly. I first point to Mat’s own thoughts that his luck had come once he took the dagger. And while his luck before the dagger wasn’t bad, it wasn’t “good” either. Mat (burn me for not marking the page number) thinks to himself that his luck had always been better than average, but nothing close to what he experiences after finding the dagger. Again, this is Jordan trying to gloss over a key issue of Mat’s development that links him to the Dark One. One little comment like that and the readers think his luck explosion is natural. It’s not. Under the influence of the dagger, Mat let down his guard for the fatherly man in his dreams giving sage advice, and a link to the Dark One was forged with a “drink.” Mat now has a very logical reason for his supernaturally augmented luck.

I will make a small amendment to this line of elaboration. I believe it was Mat’s slightly above average luck that allowed the Dark One’s own luck to jump off the scales. The Dark One’s luck had something “to work with,” for lack of a better explanation. That, mingled with a few minor tickles from him shifting the Pattern by his ta’veren nature, put him in a class of his own with regards to phenomenal luck. But there is a difference in Mat experiencing fantastic luck, and his ta’veren nature shifting the Pattern on its own. We see moments of “ ta’verenness” around Rand to a large degree and Perrin to a much smaller degree, so naturally Mat’s own nature will act possibly in concert with, but most definitely regardless of, the Dark One’s link.

There is more to consider for Mat’s development, and this is what I point to second. Many would claim that his new luck is part of his nature as a ta’veren, or it is a special Pattern Gift like Perrin being a Wolfbrother, or Rand channeling (or rather being the Dragon Reborn). No.

Look at Rand and Perrin for the examples. They all three have had one major change in their lives, aside from the ta’veren effect kicking in at the same time for all three. That one aside, Rand started channeling, and Perrin developed his Wolfkin nature. At about this same time, Mat started showing TWO "skills," but one of them much sooner than the other. The first to show was his getting in touch the Blood and its collection of “memories” (I still don’t let this one go, regardless of Jordan’s explanation, based on my next sentence). On page 213, “He was ordering soldiers...in a battle two thousand years gone I would say.” Siuan to the girls after Healing Mat’s attachment to the dagger. Jordan’s conflicting explanation irks me, and totally works at odds with this occurrence. The second (which we don’t see proof of or comments on until some time later), his luck really got amplified. You should also easily see that it was at the exact same time, and under the exact same circumstances that the individual "talents" began manifesting. Quite literally, it was time for the changes in the boys. Practically the minute the adventure started, and their need for their individual talents came around, they began developing. Rand was the first with his channeling speed and endurance into Bela during the flight from Emond’s Field. When the Trollocs began herding the company towards Shadar Logoth, Mat's Old Blood filled his head and he became a general of Manetheren hollering battle cries. After they separate at the river, Perrin meets Elyas and starts talking to wolves. It also wouldn’t surprise me if that was the order in which they were born.

But we also have Mat’s luck magnifying by a power of ten. We all know he was tricky (not really so lucky) to begin with, and that just before Shadar Logoth he began showing his leadership qualities (the Old Blood manifestation) during battle, and he has always had a fondness for dice. All of this put together completes the titles the Aelfinn gave him. Bizarre luck was not part of Mat’s Pattern Gifts. It was not a part of his blood either (that we know). It came from some where else.

Next is one of Egwene’s dreams.

Pg 352-353; Mat being followed by a man who was not there... or maybe more than one, but in some way there was no one there. Now, this could be a Gray Man, but I don't think so (he killed one in Tar Valon before Egwene had this dream). More like it’s the connection between him and the Dark One, and since this is a Dream (and quite possibly the FUTURE), it means Moridin will still have access to the link to him (the “more than one” part of the vision). The Gray Man is straight logic, and the time lines for Egwene’s dream and Mat’s encounter could possibly overlap, but my own logic is no less legitimate, requiring a completely different understanding of circumstances.

One of Perrin’s dreams. This one links Mat’s newfound luck with the Dark One.

Pg 425-426; Mat rattling a dice cup. His opponent stared at Mat with eyes of fire. Mat did not seem to see the man, but Perrin knew him. "Mat!" he shouted. "It's Ba'alzamon. Light, Mat, your dicing with Ba'alzamon!" As I said, this links Mat’s luck with the Dark One through Ba’alzamon. Mat doesn’t seem to see Ishamael, so that’s a pretty clear indicator that he’s not aware of the link. It is common to postulate this relates to Mat gambling he can outmaneuver the Dark One and his Chosen as he races south to Tear, but as I said above, that kind of reasoning is no more logical than mine, and it seems obvious enough for anyone to figure out. My reasoning involves a twist, and requires an understanding of something hidden in the first book.


The Shadow Rising-

Pg. 109-110 Mat desperately wants to leave the Stone, but can’t. He says it sounds like Aes Sedai work. It’s either Rand’s ta’veren nature at work or one of Ishamael’s “commands” that he isn’t aware of. It could possibly be both. These moments (and there are a lot of them) confuse me. It seems as if it is something he can not get away from, like he’s been Compelled. But as we see later, he allows himself to be separated from Rand when he goes after Elayne and ends up in Ebou Dar. Conversely, if it is Rand’s ta’veren pull that is so undeniable, why do the Aelfinn say he has the ability to sidestep fate (or some such) and end up dead, ruining the Pattern for good?

My only answer is that it is a little of both. The Compulsion, if Ishamael planted hidden commands, could not have been too severe, or they might give Mat’s condition away. They were probably more along the lines of staying by Rand’s side as long as it was possible. This would make his adventuring off on his own next to impossible, but give him the ability to separate if it becomes required.. Add to that Rand’s pull, and Mat is just plain stuck. Also I say that the Compulsion is something that can be fought or worn away, as we see by Morgase’s example. So, when Rand comes to him with a direct command and serious responsibility, saying “no” just was not an option. By the time Rand sends Mat south from Caemlyn with the army, much time passed since the commands may have been implanted (and Mat seems to have pretty much broken through them with his attempted flight from Cairhien), both Ishamael and Mat (I believe) have been killed (if this makes a difference), and Rand is giving an order (which the subtle commands would require and allow Mat to follow if his breaking through earlier allowed any of the Compulsion to hang around).

Pg. 173 Mat is always “drawn back near to Rand.” Mat’s thoughts while in the Stone. This follows the remarks in the previous paragraph.

Pg. 231 Mat felt “...that urge in the back of his head...to go back to the Stone. He pushed it away angrily, but it kept bugging at him.” Sounds like commands he can’t remember ordering him to keep close to Rand while possible. Of course it could also just be the Wheel forcing him to stay with Rand and go to Rhuidean. After that, the Wheel needs him to go to Ebou Dar to meet his DotNM, so it stops pulling him towards Rand (but the Aelfinn admitted he has the ability to sidestep all of this). I say both are keeping him close to Rand, but for this reference, it’s hidden Compulsion trying to urge him back to the Stone should Ishamael wish to use Mat for spying on Rand at any time. Again we see relative normalcy - the accepted effects of Rand pulling his friends - being used to shroud one of Jordan’s best kept secrets.

Pg. 833 “Oh, I’m right behind you Rand”... it felt right saying that. Mat says (and thinks) to Rand when asked if he would be coming to Alcair Dal. He always blames this stuff on the ta’veren pull, and he wonders how Perrin got away from Rand. Could be Perrin’s destiny requires him away from Rand and Mat’s requires him close at this time, or it could simply be those hidden commands from Ishamael. Either way, Mat just can NOT get away from Rand (and by now, he’s already been to Rhuidean and died, so as far as he is concerned, he should be free of Rand), but he would jump at the chance if he could. But in favor of the hidden commands, he has no good reason to get away from Rand, just personal desire. Conversely, as we see in the next book just before the battle for Cairhien, Mat does take the opportunity to get away from Rand, but it is the Pattern that pulls him back that time. Once more, this is Jordan covering over Mat’s link with some relative normalcy that we can absolutely define. We see the Pattern pull him back to Rand later, and so just toke it ALL up to the pull of ta’veren.


The Fires of Heaven-

Pg. 117 “He had been forced, just not by Rand.” Mat thinking to himself about following Rand all the time. He wants to leave Rhuidean with Kadere, and Rand only told him they all had to do what they had to do. If Mat is under subtle, hidden commands from Ishamael (and they didn’t just vanish with his death, rather they took time to fade... if they ever did; Carridin had a flashback of his hidden commands and visions when he saw Mat in Ebou Dar around page 360 of A Crown, but I would hazard that his link to the Dark One was much stronger than Mat’s), then this would be to their advantage. Rand says to do what he has to do, and with those commands, what he has to do, because there’s no reason not to, is stick with Rand. The Pattern takes over soon after, and Mat ends up leaving the Waste anyway, which is what he’s always wanted, only he’s still stuck with Rand.

Referencing back to my discussion under The Shadow Rising, we see Mat making an attempt to get away from Rand just before the Cairhien battle. By this point Mat has been pushed to his limits by outside influence keeping him close Rand. There is no reason that he can see to hang around, and despite the hidden commands, he rallies his spirit and makes a break for it (Again, if Morgase has the will to overcome intense Compulsion from Rahvin, Mat, pushed, could do the same. The difference being that Ishamael’s commands were subtle and not necessarily contrary to Mat’s nature, whereas Morgase’s were. Add to that the Aelfinn’s warning and Rand’s pull, and Mat was in a no win situation up until just before the Cairhien battle.). At this time, the only thing that could pull him back is direct action by the Pattern, which is what we see. Mat gets caught up in one swirl after another, and he ends up going nowhere.


Lord of Chaos

Pg. 154 Mat learns that rumors are going around in Maerone that the Lord Dragon had been in Maerone the day before. The truth being that Rand did gate in the day before to have a private conversation with Mat, and then gated out. Both wanted the meeting to remain secret, and so neither spoke of it to any other. Mat thinks he would give a pretty to find out how that rumor got started. By the way, this is before Alanna bonds Rand, so nobody should have been able to say he Traveled “so far” south for a bit, and then returned to wherever. Mat and Rand alone should know of that meeting. This one is difficult to match up because we don’t meet Moridin until the next book, pg 534 (although I believe we get a glimpse of him a few pages earlier as The Watcher of Sammael and Graendal). It’s entirely possible he has been risen again, by this time, but I can only guess.


Path of Daggers-

Pg. 80 - 82 Moridin thinks to himself that Tar Valon, Rand, and the Rebel Tower all have his spies, “some that did not know they served him.” This has pretty much been taken for granted, and it’s very easy to say he is referring to minor players or nobodies. What lends its weight to my theory is the quote that some are unknowing, which is Mat’s case. Also he thinks all of this just after watching the girls gate away. He’s not worried about anything they may have found in the Rahad; in fact he thinks to himself on pg 80 he doesn’t really care because the chances of them finding anything useful (to him or themselves) are slim to none. Rather he expects they probably found a ter’angreal to kill themselves while trying to puzzle it out. If he wants to know something about any of the major Light groups, he has his key spies. Min is with Rand (deny it all you like), and Mat is with the girls. Now, want to know why he didn’t/couldn’t do anything to stop them from changing the weather even though he left that scene with that very intention in mind? Because Mat didn’t go with them. He didn’t bother to check to see if Mat was actually with the group; he just assumed he would be. Strangely, the gholam was aware that Mat was away from the group, but then it was looking for Mat specifically, at that time. Moridin, from his own thoughts, was there for no other reason than idle curiosity, not a head count. It only turned serious after Madic informed him that there was a rumor of one treasure in the cache able to change the weather.

If you read Moridin’s entire POV it may seem like he thinks he has his work cut out for him, and that his thoughts do not hint at all (near the opposite actually) of being able to just take advantage of a hidden link to Mat. Of course that was not going to be specifically put to writing. If Jordan had written that, or anything hinting at Moridin’s assured locating of the group through a pawn, and then the Bowl was used (as Jordan intended it to be) without Moridin’s interference, then it would have been undeniable that Moridin’s pawn was Mat, Thom, Juilin or Olver. If, like myself, you are looking for specific Mat connections, this would be a clincher. Still, nothing he thinks indicates finding them again will be difficult. Rather he is angry that they are making him work to maintain his own plots.

I don’t recall any of the girls explaining the Bowl of Winds to Mat at any time, but by his own words, it looks as if he knows exactly what it is anyway. Page 482 of A Crown, Elayne tells Mat they are looking for the Bowl of Winds, nothing else (no explanation). He smiles and murmurs, “Now, that would be a thing to find... in the Rahad.” Then he shook his head as if to clear it. I could be misreading that, but even still, I’ll agree it seems highly unlikely that servants in the Palace know what the Aes Sedai are up to with their new find, and Mat doesn’t. Mat almost certainly knows what the girls intend to do. That being said, this does not mean that Moridin would also most certainly know. He, just before the servant told him of the Aes Sedai intentions, thought to himself that the treasure hunt was worthless. Plus, as we see in The Great Hunt, Ishamael does not have a constant link to Mat. Ishamael makes the mistake of admitting he believes Rand blew the Horn of Valere (around pg 666). The link requires “tapping,” and by collected evidence, we see this does not allow Ishamael absolute access to Mat’s mind. Ishamael can not rummage through Mat’s memories at will and read whatever he chooses, rather Mat, when “tapped” is like a spy camera, or satellite, with Ishamael being the storage device for the information. If Mat was never involved in a conversation with anyone about the Bowl of Winds during a time when Moridin accessed the link, then he would not learn of the device, nor the Aes Sedais’ intentions of fixing the weather. Considering Moridin’s own thoughts on why he was in Ebou Dar - idle curiosity; to see for himself what “others thought important” - it’s no great wonder he did not have all the facts on the situation. It is a common failing of his. Ennui and too much pride. This also happens to be the same scene where he even admits to himself that he time and time again underestimates them.


Winter’s Heart-

Pg. 356 “I think maybe you and I both have the Dark One’s own luck.” Noal Charin to Mat after the gholam slid away through a hole in the wall. Mat doesn’t like hearing that because he’s not sure it’s not true (his thoughts). If Noal is Farstrider, then Ba’alzamon did get his hands on him about 20 years ago and probably made a link to the Dark One. If Noal is lucky or not, we still get this very loud siren call back to Mat and a connection to the Dark One.

This finishes up my collection of notes from the books.


Conclusion:

In eight of the nine books there is clear evidence and several passages of foreshadow advocating a link to the Dark One by which Ishamael has from the start kept tabs on the leaders of the Light’s cause. I say the link is to the Dark One rather than to Ishamael because since the forging of the link Ishamael has died and, I believe, so has Mat. Neither death would interfere with the Dark Lord’s grip, but were the link solely of Ishamael, then I believe the link would have ended with The Dragon Reborn.

Starting in The Eye the Dark One, by Ishamael, has had a link to Mat. While Mat was under the influence of the dagger from Shadar Logoth, Ishamael came to him in his dreams as the fatherly image offering sage advice, and in Mat’s “weakened condition,” he carelessly drank from one of the dream chalices that both Rand and Perrin are actually seen, in dream, to deny. We do not see any of Mat’s dreams, rather we only hear the smallest part of two of them. It is because of his condition and the ensuing loss of memories surrounding his time under the dagger’s influence that I claim Mat is an unknowing pawn. Whatever Mat may suspect about any possible connection he may have to the Dark One, he does not believe that he is in fact a tool. Several passages hint that Mat may have also received hidden commands via Compulsion. I believe he did, however I do not believe these commands were of the kind to get odd behavior noticed. I think the commands were subtle, probably one-hundred percent passive, and in tune with his own nature. But, even if he did not receive hidden commands from Ishamael through his dreams, the basis for the theory stands. The link is there, and at certain times, Ishamael did and does “look in” on Mat to glean key bits of information that he could not learn any other way. Ishamael’s admission on page 760 of The Eye is nearly all the “proof” needed to make this claim. It’s certainly the most damning. The rest of my collected notes and circumstantial evidence just help flesh out the theory.