Hi, first post, and I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, but I'd like to post what I figured out last night.

 

In ACoS, when Mat is at the horse races and spots the darkfriend 'Shaeine' (sp?), he also sees a bent-backed, broken-hook-nosed, gap-toothed, white-haired old man. The same old man turns up again later, and gives Mat the information that it is Jaichim Carridin who resides in the palace that Shaeine has lead Mat to.

 

Later, we get a POV from an unidentified man sitting on top of a barrel outside the house where some Aes Sedai, Black Ajah, are residing in the city. When I first read this POV, I was puzzled as to who it would be, and settled on Chel Vanin, do to his tendancy to touch his head (all the forehead knuckling when around Elayne). Not so. This man is wearing a nice coat with lace, fingers two long-bladed knives beneath his coat (which he has carried well over 30 years), figures the rest of himself looks inviting to footpads, and tends to touch his head. Indeed, while sitting on the barrel, the man actually recognizes and seems to know the two thugs carrying a wheelbarrow of 'soil' out of the Darkfriends' residence. I'd wondered how Vanin might know these guys, but just dismissed it, since he's so good at finding things out, as we're told. This is Noal, and what gives it away for certain, is in the first two chapters of CoT.

 

At the end of CoT chapter 1, Noal sees a soldier in a group of Seanchan whose race or ancestry he seems to recognize, but can't pin down. Here Noal rubs his temples, which is the first giveaway. The second comes at the start of chapter 2, when upon learning that Seanchan are present in Luca's travelling circus, Mat sees Noal reach under his coat, and we learn that the old man carries two long-bladed daggers there. There are also multiple mentions of Noal (and the ACoS old man/watcher) having both gaps in his teeth, and hands that look to have been broken but are surprisingly deft.

 

It amazes me that RJ has everything plotted out so far in advance that he could create this little mystery POV in book 7 and only very slyly reveal who it belongs to 3 books later! This begs the question, though; why was Noal following Shaeine? Was he also shadowing Mat? He did turn up quite conveniently when Mat was attacked in the alleys by the gholam.

 

Maybe more will be revealed in books 10 and 11 that I don't recall from my first readings of them.

Yes, read books 10 and 11 they will give you more insight on Noal's character. Probably no one has answered yet because they don't want to give anything away since it seems you haven't read the later books. I will tell you that you have so far drawn the correct connections although his connection to the female dark friend Mat was following hasn't shown to be connected to Noal much at all so far.

Yeah, I've read CoT and KoD, but just once, and right when they came out. As such, I remember some of KoD and practically nothing of CoT :lol:

 

I've been reading them once as they come out since ACoS, and this if my first complete 1-11 read-through. It has been enlightening so far. :P

Yeah, I am currently re-reading the first book and I have re-read it before several times but it is still informative. There are some discussions and theories on other topics about who Noal is and the part he will play in the last book so besides re-reading see if you can check those out for some info. Although re-reading is definitely always best which is why a lot of people like to read this series over and over.