Eleventh Meeting (10/18)

Thanks for coming to the meeting tonight! And thank you Eileen for bringing food! Some of us didn't finish the book in time, but that's totally okay - we had a lot to read! So we're going to go back to 150-200 pages at a time, with meetings every 2 weeks. Our next meeting will be November 1st at 6pm in the Winn Room, and Quinci is bringing food. We will read to page 146 of A Storm of Swords (plus whatever catch-up reading you have to do), to Jaime's chapter (!) that begins with the line "Jaime was the first to spy the inn." Here's what we talked about tonight:

• Qhorin Halfhand's death. He had said previously that a man of the Night's Watch's purpose is to die, and your death should be in defense of the realm. Jon's murder of Qhorin helped Jon gain the trust of the wildlings, which he can hopefully make use of.
• Jaqen H'ghar and Melisandre are not connected. Jaqen is from Lorath, across the narrow sea, while Melisandre comes from Asshai, much much much farther east. (Map! Lorath is one of the nine free cities, circled in blue. Asshai is circled in red. For comparison, King's Landing is circled in pink, and Qarth, where Dany spent the majority of this book, is in green.) But Jaqen tells Arya that she owes the "Red God" three deaths, so they may serve the same god.
• This debt of three deaths was owed because Arya saved Jaqen, Rorge, and Biter from burning when the men bound for the wall with Yoren were attacked.
• Theon - we didn't see him die, so we don't know what has happened to him.
• Bran and Rickon aren't dead! A miller's sons were killed instead.
• Jon's wolf dream - Jon and Bran are both having a wolf dream, and communicating each other. Do all Starks have wolf dreams (except Sansa)? Arya has wolf dreams, but not as strong or as memorable as Bran's. Did Ned have these abilities, if all of his children do? Does Robb have wolf dreams? We haven't seen any chapters from Robb or Rickon's point of view.
• Wildlings call Jon a warg. They see Jon's direwolf help Jon kill Qhorin.
• Battle of the Blackwater: Tywin's presence changed the course of the battle. Littlefinger finally reappears, after having brought the Tyrells to the Lannisters' side.
• Jon finds dragonglass wrapped in a black cloak, buried recently. Dragonglass is obsidian.
• Dany's dragons are bringing magic back into the world. Wildfire has become easier to make, and a fire mage in Qarth has seen his powers improve immensely since the dragons were born.
• Is this actually caused by the dragons, or is a greater magic bringing back both the dragons and other magic? The others are also returning, and were seen before the dragons were born. And the dragon eggs were stone. Does the quickening of the dragon eggs have anything to do with the comet appearing?
• Melisandre's god is god of light and life. Is this related to dragons? Conversely, the god she refuses to speak of is the god of death. Is this related to the others?
• Sansa still sticks to her ideologies and doesn't realize what she's in the middle of. When Joffrey releases her from her engagement, she thinks she is free. Someone has to point out to her that this does not free her from Joffrey.
• We were surprised that Catelyn didn't kill Jaime when she had the opportunity.
• Jon dreams of a weirwood with Bran's face, and can see Bran's third eye. He smells Winterfell - dampness, dirt, and death. Bran is hiding in the crypts, and men of Winterfell are being killed by Ironmen.
• Sansa's naivety may come from her mother. Catelyn always did her duties with honor: obeying her father, marrying a stranger, having children, etc. Sansa was probably raised with Catelyn's opinions on a woman's place, and she is unable to improvise when everything that she expects to happen falls apart.
• Did anyone change their minds about Jaime after hearing him talk to Catelyn? He is very honest with Catelyn, unlike Cersei who is sneaky, lying, and manipulative.
• Who sent the hired knife after Bran?
• Catelyn started a lot of problems by kidnapping Tyrion, which she did entirely on Petyr's word (that the knife was Tyrion's).
• Maybe Melisandre put a spell on Stannis - his personality has changed, according to Davos, and he is more gaunt and tired looking. Her shadow baby looks like Stannis. Is Melisandre bewitching Stannis? To what extent is she in control of Stannis and Stannis' men?
• Sansa takes control during the Battle of the Blackwater when Cersei leaves the room. Sansa comforts the people around her.
• Drunken Ser Dontos tells Sansa that this is the night to escape, but when she gets to her room, the Hound is there. We all agree that he obviously likes her. He wants her to leave King's Landing with him, but she doesn't go. She sings him a song when he asks for it, and she huddles under his cloak after he leaves. She simultaneously feels safe with him and is afraid of him.
• According to the smallfolk, Renly appears at the battle in his green armor and antlered helm. But he was killed a while back. Is it the ghost of Renly fighting against Stannis, who murdered him? Or is it someone else in his armor (probably Loras)? Or are the smallfolk letting a rumor get away with them?
• Everything Dany in the House of the Undying is significant. The more of the series you read, the more it will make sense.

If you are interested, here is a link to some blog posts by the artist of Chris's maps. (This is where I got the map of Asshai from, since apparently there are no other canon maps of Asshai anywhere!) If I forgot anything, or if there's anything you want to add or have questions about, post it in the comments!

House Bolton
"Our Blades Are Sharp"
Sworn to House Stark