Care to add something to this list? [Let us know|mailto:encyclopaedia_wot@pobox.com?subject=New WoT Theory].

* Where are the unbroken [seals]? (Submitted by Gary Kephart)

!!! What Happened to Asmodean?
or
!! The Two Servants Theory

Here it is. This is the first time the theory has ever been posted as a whole in one place. Part 1 explains why one of the two servants was the killer. Part 2 identifies the servants.

! The Two Servants Theory Part 1

Of all the theories and discussions on [Asmodean]'s death, I have not seen a single one posted here which explains the very peculiar location, just past a random door in a random hallway. I have a scenario that explains the location. The following diagram is the hallway in the [Royal Palace] in [Caemlyn].

%%center 
{{{
  |   |                                           ____      
  | 1 |                                          |    |_____
__|   |_________________/________________________|    |     
            2           8           3,7          \ 4   \ 5,6
_________________________________________________/     /    
                                                 |    |_____
                                                 |____|     

}}}
%%

It is early morning. [Rand] is chasing [Rahvin].

# Walking down a hall, he runs into [Queen's Guards|Caemlyn] led by a [Fade] and freezes them.
# He turns a corner and runs into a couple of servants. This is odd since, the next morning, [Rand] notes that the servants all ran away and have not returned.
# He walks down the hall a little further and ducks [balefire|Weaves#b]. He blows open the doors in front of him and
# enters a sitting room. He passes through the sitting room and
# enters a courtyard with a fountain. He detects traces of the gateway [Rahvin] used and follows him into %%ot [Tel'aran'rhiod|Tar]%%.
# That afternoon, [Asmodean] is sitting by a fountain in a courtyard. He goes looking for wine and
# passes a wall with [balefire|Weaves#b] damage.
# On down the hall, looking for the pantry, he opens a small door and gets nuked.

The key to the location is that 3 and 7 are the same place. The [balefire|Weaves#b] was only used once before [Rahvin] and [Rand] entered %%ot [Tel'aran'rhiod|Tar]%%, so the damage noted by [Asmodean] must be the same as the first [balefire|Weaves#b] attack on [Rand]. This being the case, the courtyard with the fountain that [Rand] entered must be the same as the one [Asmodean] sat in just before he died. Now note the proximity of 2 and 8. [Asmodean] was killed a short distance from the place [Rand] found those two servants.

Conclusion: One or both of the servants killed [Asmodean]. Obviously, they were more than servants. One or two of the [Forsaken|organizations/forsaken] stopped by to watch the fun in disguise. After the fight, they hid in a convenient cubbyhole to wait for the dust to clear. [Asmodean] walked into their hiding place and had to pay. Why wait around for hours? Enough [One Power|Op] to open a gateway would be detected by [Rand] and/or [Aviendha] with unpleasant consequences. Better to wait until late at night when everyone is asleep.

Who were they? Well, that is Part 2.

! The Two Servants Theory Part 2

I think I have a new analysis on this question which leads to a previously discounted suspect in addition to the most common suspect. I will start with just two assumptions: 1) the normal whodunit rules of motive, means and method apply and, 2) Jordan's claim of sufficient clues through [The Fires of Heaven] is correct. This does not mean eliminate suspects till only one is left. It means a solid case can be built which leads to a specific suspect(s) who had the ability to kill him the way he was killed, had a good reason to kill him, and was probably there to do it.

First, let's look at method since that is the easiest. Even though weakened, [Asmodean] still had about as much strength as a [Wise One|Aiel] [channeler|True Source]. Given his [Age of Legends|Aol] education, he should be a pretty formidable opponent against anyone but a strong [channeler|True Source]. Someone who could strike terror into [Asmodean] and kill him nearly instantly would almost certainly have to be [Forsaken]-level.

Motive is surprisingly difficult to start. [Asmodean] was killed instantly and his body removed. Why? Over and over, the [Forsaken] have shown they are like cats. They love to play with and torment their victims even when it is a risk. For example, [Ba'alzamon|Ishamael] with [Rand], [Lanfear] with [Rand], [Moghedien] with [Nynaeve], [Be'lal|Belal] with [Rand], even [Lanfear] with [Asmodean]. The general motive "any [Forsaken] would kill [Asmodean] on sight" does not really hold up. There must be something more.

Means provides the real evidence and comes from a host of small coincidences at the end of [The Fires of Heaven]. First, we can use the rules of means and motive to eliminate most of the [Forsaken]. [Be'lal|Belal] and [Rahvin] were killed with [balefire|Weaves#b]. [Aginor] and [Balthamel] are not yet resurrected. [Demandred] and [Semirhage] have POV monologues in [LoC,Prologue] and [LoC,Ch6] wondering about [Asmodean]. [Moghedien] is collared. Eliminating these seven leaves five: [Graendal], [Ishamael], [Lanfear], [Mesaana], and [Sammael].

Invoking the rules of means and Jordan's statements, [Ishamael], [Lanfear], and [Mesaana] can be eliminated. There is no evidence whatsoever that [Ishamael] or [Lanfear] were physically back at all, much less [Caemlyn], at the time of the murder. The earliest of the possible new [Ishamael]'s, [Shaidar Haran], is not even introduced till the day after the murder in the [LoC,Prologue]. After falling through the [twisted red doorway|Twisted Doorway], the only evidence that [Lanfear] is even alive is also in the [LoC,Prologue] where [Demandred] says that [Lanfear], [Asmodean], [Rahvin], and [Moghedien] are missing and the [Dark One|characters/s/shaitan] only acknowledges that [Asmodean] and [Rahvin] are dead. The appearance of [Cyndane] makes it all the more likely that [Lanfear] was dead at the time of the murder. Likewise, I eliminate [Mesaana] and other incarnations such as [Fain], [Shaidar Haran], [Moridin], The Previously Unknown Bad Guy in [Winter's Heart|Winters Heart], etc. since there is no evidence that they were in [Caemlyn] and no reason for them to be in [Caemlyn] at the time of the murder.

Let's now focus on [Sammael] and [Graendal] and a bunch of small facts, potential Jordan clues, which add up to a big picture. First of all, we know that [Sammael], [Graendal], [Lanfear], and [Rahvin] were consorting and plotting for some time. The [Royal Palace] palace was one of their meeting places. Most of the action in [The Fires of Heaven] stems from their plans. Their basic plan was to goad [Rand] into chasing [Sammael]. When [Rand] attacked, the other three were to be waiting, linked, and take him out. The last we see, [TFoH,Ch34], [Sammael] was trying to renege on his role, but we do not see the conclusion of the meeting. Needless to say, they needed lots of spies to make sure they knew when he would attack. [Melindhra] and [Melindhra] are the two we know about.

Also, we know that [Moghedien] kept track of this quartet. She listened in on their meetings in %%ot [Tel'aran'rhiod|Tar]%%. Also, from the [LoC,Prologue], we know she set up meetings with [Graendal] for the day of the killing and the day after.

Now let's carefully examine events just before the killing. It is clear that there is another high level spy with the [Aiel] who reported to one or more of the [Forsaken] during the night before the attack. [Rand] and his party show up in [Caemlyn] to find the streets deserted and the nearby houses and [Royal Palace] full of [Trollocs] and [Fade]s. They were already there waiting when [Rand] opened the skimming gate. When [Nynaeve] collars [Moghedien], she knows that [Rand] is on his way to [Caemlyn] and about when he will arrive. Finally, after a long absence, [Lanfear] arrives in [Cairhien|Country of Cairhien] to quiz [Rand] right when [Rand] is planning to leave.

So, which of the [Forsaken] knew of the pending attack? For sure we know of [Rahvin] since he had the counterattack ready, [Lanfear] since she arrived at [Cairhien|Country of Cairhien] so fortuitously, and [Moghedien] since she said so. Since [Moghedien] gets her info from listening to meetings of the four or possibly directly from [Graendal], it is very probable that both [Sammael] and [Graendal] also knew about it.

Let's envision a meeting between the four sometime during the night before the killing. They've found out that, instead of coming after [Sammael] in the future, [Rand] is coming after [Rahvin] first thing in the morning. [Rahvin] already has his wards set to detect [Rand] (because he is suspicious of the others). They send [Lanfear] to scope out the latest information. They quickly rearrange the plan so [Rahvin] is the target and the other three will trap [Rand].

[Moghedien] is listening in and catches up on the plan. If she is perceptive enough, loner that she is, to figure out that [Rahvin] does not trust the others and [Lanfear] has her own agenda, then surely [Sammael], a great general, and [Graendal], a psychologist, can do the same. When [Lanfear] does not return, it is no stretch at all to assume that [Sammael] and [Graendal] plan to double cross [Rahvin]. Bottom line: Both [Sammael] and [Graendal] had every reason to be in the [Royal Palace] during [Rand]'s attack.

Now let's look at more events. When [Rand] gates directly into the throne room [Rahvin] "started up in surprise." Why is he surprised? He knows [Rand] is attacking. He knows that [Trollocs] and [Fade]s and his lightning will take out some [Aiel] but are unlikely to get [Rand]. He knows [Rand] can [Travel|Weaves#t]. He did not expect [Rand] to reach him because [Sammael] and [Graendal] were supposed to intercept [Rand].

Part 1 goes here. It is most likely that one or both of the two servants offed [Asmodean].

We have: It is quite plausible that [Sammael] and [Graendal] were in the [Caemlyn|geography/andor/caemlyn/index] palace. A couple of "servants" were hanging around where they had no business being. [Asmodean] was killed in a good hiding place, a servants passage, in the same hall.

Scenario: [Sammael] and [Graendal] were in the palace to trap [Rand] with [Lanfear]. When he shows and she does not, they say "Hey. Let's wait a bit. See who wins. The winner may be so weak we can take him out, too, with little risk." They hang out in disguise to watch the action. When [Rand] wins, they hide out in the nearest servants passage (remember, the servants have all fled) to wait their chance. Eventually, [Graendal] has to leave for her meeting with [Moghedien], the one [Demandred] says [Moghedien] missed in the [LoC,Prologue]. [Asmodean] walks in on [Sammael] and has a natural reaction. What are [Sammael]'s choices? Their plans are in disarray. The last thing [Sammael] wants is [Rand] coming after him now. If [Asmodean] gets away, he will certainly tell [Rand] and who knows what will happen? Clearly [Asmodean] has to go. Immediately. Now [Sammael] has a body on his hands. If he leaves it around, [Rand] will certainly be suspicious and may guess what happened. Better to remove the evidence.

Of course, [Graendal] can be interchanged for [Sammael] in the previous paragraph. Most folks seem to think she is the much more likely culprit primarily citing the scene described in the following paragraph. In addition, there is the possibility that the two servants were a [Forsaken] and the world's unluckiest genuine servant. If that is the case, then the [Forsaken] was definitely [Graendal] as the female servant appeared to be in charge.

We now come to two final tidbits from the last two books. This first point actually weakens the case a little. There are two dialogues in [LoC,Ch6] and [LoC,Ch23] between [Sammael] and [Graendal] mentioning [Asmodean], one from each point of view. They both verbally imply they do not know about [Asmodean] although [Graendal] states that he is dead. However, neither one clearly states, in their thoughts, that they really do not know about [Asmodean]. So, possibly, either one could have done the dirty deed. The only point that is clear, from their verbal sparring, is that they did not kill him together. The only reason to lean toward [Sammael] as the culprit is that [Graendal] had that appointment. The second point of interest is the scenes with [Sammael], [Graendal], and [Sevanna]'s crew in [ACoS,Ch20] and [ACoS,Ch40]. For no obvious reason, they adopt disguises and act roles with the [Shaido]. Note that they avoid being touched as did the woman servant. As soon as they are out of sight, they drop the Illusions. This fits well with [Sammael] having his normal appearance when [Asmodean] walks in on him. 

There is the case that [Sammael] murdered [Asmodean]. The other alternative, [Graendal], is slightly less likely, but, given the evidence and lack of other suspects, I feel that one of these two is probably the culprit.