How Jasnah stayed ahead of Shallin

[Swimmingly]

Jasnah is an Elsecaller (Transformation + Travel)

Despite six months of doing nothing but following her, Shallin didn't catch her til Kharbranth.

During this time, Jasnah was not idly sipping tea before travelling again. She was researching, analyzing, mingling with nobility and probably doing some vigilante Soulcasting on the side.

I'm guessing that she was using her Travel surge to get to places faster. Perhaps she travelled partly by sea and partly bypassing mountains, islands, deserts, etc with Travel. Perhaps she was exclusively Travelling.

My point is, she was surgebinding her way around Roshar by the first couple chapters.

[Shardlet]

I think that her ability would be something that she'd want to keep under her hat.  If she was getting from point A to point B to point C, etc. significantly faster than normal travel, then I would expect it would be noticed in fairly short order.

[Natans]

It's possible, and for sure would explain why Shallan had dificult to find Jasnah, but that remain to be proved =)

 

After all if Jasnah allways appeared without warning and at very distant places, that for sure, would be suspicius and she is very aware that there are people wacthing her. 

 

Edit: Ninja'd  . And by the way, I always remember of Hoid speech about novelty when i'm ninja'd (now I'm derivative, don't I?)

Edited November 21, 2013 by Natans

[Windrunner]

I also find it kind of unlikely that she could just vanish from one location and reappear at another without causing some sort of panic. At the very least, she couldn't bring all her clothes and books and research with her, which would impediment her movement quite a bit.

[Shardlet]

I also find it kind of unlikely that she could just vanish from one location and reappear at another without causing some sort of panic. At the very least, she couldn't bring all her clothes and books and research with her, which would impediment her movement quite a bit.

 

Couldn't she?  We haven't seen transportation in action yet.

[hoser]

She may very well be capable of Traveling.  It seems that she had arrived in Kharbranth not long before Shallan did, as Shallan witnessed her bargaining for access to the Palaneum.  That suggests that she made the leg before Kharbranth by conventional means.  She could have made some hops by Traveling, but it also seems possible that she spent short amounts of time in most places and Shallan was slowly catching up the whole time. 

 

There may be limits on Traveling.  The woman Radiant in the Starfall vision didn't appear until after the Windrunner.  Traveling may require some sort of target (relative or absolute), so the Stoneward couldn't Travel there until the Windrunner established a target somehow (otherwise, all the Stonewards would have arrived first or the Windrunners might have teleported because it would have been faster).   So if Jasnah hadn't been to Kharbranth previously, she might not have been able to Travel there.

 

Elantris spoiler:

When Raoden Travels to Teod using AonDor, he uses relative direction and distance to target.

Edited November 21, 2013 by hoser

[Arook]

If she left After sending the message the she would have stayed ahead for a bit, don't for get weather conditions could have slowed Shallan. Jasnah had just arrived not to long before shallan arrived if she was using travel she would have been there sooner

 

 

 

Edit: Remember she is royalty and spy's from each kingdom would track her movements all the time. Not to mention a princess traveling by her self would be suspicious doubly so if she never used a ship or carriage. 

Edited November 21, 2013 by Arook

[11thorderknight]

Yeah, there's no way that Jasnah been Traveling around Roshar Wheel-of-Time-style, everyone and their mother would notice. I'm sure the king of Alethkar's sister travels with a bunch of maids and a contingent of the Cobalt Guard, whether she wants to or not. So, officially at least, her party has to travel by normal means.

 

Now, I could definitely see Jasnah taking a secret midnight jaunt from one place to another and being back by morning, such that no one sees her go. However, we really have no idea how the Transportation surge works. We know that during the Silver Kingdoms people could travel great distances instantaneously through the Oathgates, but we have no evidence that individual Radiants were capable of that on their own. It's possible that the Oathgates were fabrial science that took the Transportation surge beyond what any individual could accomplish on his own. 

 

Bottom line: we don't know how Transportation works, other that Oathgates existed once, but logic dictates that Jasnah travels around in a conventional manner.

[Moogle]

Jasnah has records of when she arrives and leaves at a port, and she has been very good at keeping her Soulcasting hidden, so I doubt she's been using Transportation (though I'm sure she wishes she could).

[Gloom]

Eh, well, I feel it was implied pretty strongly that Jasnah was trying to lose Shallan. I also believe that she had visited most of the locations she had Shallan stop at previously and made contacts with the local scholars. It's just as possible that Jasnah communicated via spanreed to some of her acquaintances and informed them about a potential irritant that petitioned her to be her mentor and requested they grease some wheels to make it appear that she had arrived and departed at a couple of ports she actually never even visited as a means of discouraging Shallan and slowing her down. I'm sure more than a few scholars would be interested in currying favor with a princess of Alethkar.

[Arook]

Eh, well, I feel it was implied pretty strongly that Jasnah was trying to lose Shallan. I also believe that she had visited most of the locations she had Shallan stop at previously and made contacts with the local scholars. It's just as possible that Jasnah communicated via spanreed to some of her acquaintances and informed them about a potential irritant that petitioned her to be her mentor and requested they grease some wheels to make it appear that she had arrived and departed at a couple of ports she actually never even visited as a means of discouraging Shallan and slowing her down. I'm sure more than a few scholars would be interested in currying favor with a princess of Alethkar.

That seems very involved for a person that didn't seem to care if she caught up or not. Also Jasnah could have just said no bugger off if she really didn't have any intention of letting her become her ward. why go through such an elaborate means to discourage Shallan?

[Swimmingly]

That seems very involved for a person that didn't seem to care if she caught up or not. Also Jasnah could have just said no bugger off if she really didn't have any intention of letting her become her ward. why go through such an elaborate means to discourage Shallan

She told Shallan it was a test of a sort. She may have been lying.

[Swimmingly]

She may very well be capable of Traveling.  It seems that she had arrived in Kharbranth not long before Shallan did, as Shallan witnessed her bargaining for access to the Palaneum.  That suggests that she made the leg before Kharbranth by conventional means.  She could have made some hops by Traveling, but it also seems possible that she spent short amounts of time in most places and Shallan was slowly catching up the whole time. 

 

There may be limits on Traveling.  The woman Radiant in the Starfall vision didn't appear until after the Windrunner.  Traveling may require some sort of target (relative or absolute), so the Stoneward couldn't Travel there until the Windrunner established a target somehow (otherwise, all the Stonewards would have arrived first or the Windrunners might have teleported because it would have been faster).   So if Jasnah hadn't been to Kharbranth previously, she might not have been able to Travel there.

 

Elantris spoiler:

When Raoden Travels to Teod using AonDor, he uses relative direction and distance to target.

However, Elantrian magic and Rosharian magic differ greatly in concept and implementation - 

Elantrian magic requires the intricate manipulation of forms, almost mathematically. Rosharian magic, at least that without complex fabrials, seems much more intuitive. The mechanism by which they target different locations may differ greatly

[Bloodfalcon]

I always assumed it meant that she could take multiple steps without dribbling and wasn't in danger of turning over the ball. Like immunity to the rules. A powerful Surge, indeed.

[Scott]

I always assumed it meant that she could take multiple steps without dribbling and wasn't in danger of turning over the ball. Like immunity to the rules. A powerful Surge, indeed.

 I grant you a +12 Wand of Terrible Puns, sir.  May it serve you well.

 

 

On topic, I don't think Jasnah would bother setting a false trail.  She's had a dozen petitioners already that year, and she was surprised when Shallan came back a second (and third) time.  I figure she's used to putting people off firmly and quickly enough that they don't disturb her much.  

 

I also don't think she could Travel without arousing suspicion.  Agree with the points above, she's a powerful princess using a sacred relic.  People are going to be keeping track of her, especially the ardentia trying to save her soul and recover the soulcaster.

[Arook]

 

 

I also don't think she could Travel without arousing suspicion.  Agree with the points above, she's a powerful princess using a sacred relic.  People are going to be keeping track of her, especially the ardentia trying to save her soul and recover the soulcaster.

 

Don't forget the group actively trying to kill her.

[Swimmingly]

Don't forget the group actively trying to kill her.

It always seemed strange to me that they sent a single man that would have to convince her to eat the bread to kill her... especially considering that she specifically avoids ardents. It's like sending a lion to catch a dolphin - unless the group happened to be to busy to send anybody else

[Gloom]

It always seemed strange to me that they sent a single man that would have to convince her to eat the bread to kill her... especially considering that she specifically avoids ardents. It's like sending a lion to catch a dolphin - unless the group happened to be to busy to send anybody else

 

This just means that, while they would like her dead, she is not a high priority for their organization. She was likely a secondary or even tertiary target. Kabsal may have been in Kharbranth for another reason and was redirected to assassinate Jasnah when the opportunity presented itself.

 

On topic, I don't think that taking a few minutes to write a colleague via spanreed would be a very involved process. Write the letter, get a confirmation or refusal, and grease the wheels with a harbor master about one passenger. I don't even think it would take any real effort for a noble light-eyes to have that type of information altered considering that assassination appears to be a fairly common occurrence in the upper levels of the nobility. All that would be required was that the colleague was important enough to Jasnah to have set up spanreed communications previously.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Gloom

[Shardlet]

This just means that, while they would like her dead, she is not a high priority for their organization. She was likely a secondary or even tertiary target. Kabsal may have been in Kharbranth for another reason and was redirected to assassinate Jasnah when the opportunity presented itself.

 

Also, it would be easier to have one man pose as an ardent and carry out the assassination, thus effectively pinning the assassination on the ardentia, and escape than it would for a group of people to accomplish the same task.  Some things are just one-man jobs.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Shardlet

[Natans]

Jasnah for sure must be always aware of potential assassin, give the following facts:

 

1- Be a Alenthi princess - Political enemies

2- Be a heretic - Religion enemies

3- Be a surgebinder - DARKNESS "The Terible"

 

That put any group or person sightly suspect in her radar, what make a single Ardent assassin a better move than a group of assassins.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Natans

[Draconis]

I think everyone is looking for an arcane answer when a practical one would make more sense.  Jasnah would have already left her first location by the time Shallan received her summons.  Jasnah would have left her second location by the time Shallan reached the first.  Jasnah had quite a lead on Shallan, however, Jasnah stopped and researched at each port while Shallan simply hopped back aboard her ship.  It would simply be a matter of time before Shallan caught up.

[Swimmingly]

I think everyone is looking for an arcane answer when a practical one would make more sense.  Jasnah would have already left her first location by the time Shallan received her summons.  Jasnah would have left her second location by the time Shallan reached the first.  Jasnah had quite a lead on Shallan, however, Jasnah stopped and researched at each port while Shallan simply hopped back aboard her ship.  It would simply be a matter of time before Shallan caught up.

But this is 17th shard. When a character blinks at a strange moment, we create several pages of graphs, physics equations, and tables showing the exact theorized abilities of nonexistent characters. 

[Draconis]

lol.  absolutely.  I wouldn't be entirely shocked if he put something into a book that had a completely plausible, non magical reason, simply because he wanted to watch us come up with hilarious magical theories.

and then lead us on for a year with RAFO's. 

Edited November 22, 2013 by Draconis

[Natans]

But this is 17th shard. When a character blinks at a strange moment, we create several pages of graphs, physics equations, and tables showing the exact theorized abilities of nonexistent characters. 

 

 Agree =)

Edited November 23, 2013 by Natans

[11thorderknight]

Regarding why the Ghostbloods would send one man to poison Jasnah in an intricate plot instead of do something much more direct: for one thing, we have no idea what the Ghostbloods want. For another, it's quite possible that Jasnah is not really the target of their plot. If their true enemy/target is the ardentia as a whole, then what better way to discredit them than frame them for the assassination of the king's sister, a known heretic and outspoken enemy of the ardents?

 

Also, regarding Jasnah's use of Soulcasting - someone mentioned that she's been very careful in keeping it hidden. That's true, in a way. But in another way....wouldn't it have been even easier to simply hide the ability altogether? It would have saved her a lot of political heat, and she doesn't really need to Soulcast for any practical reason (other than learning and practice, which she could do in secret just as easily).