Tell me more ×
Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 7 down vote favorite

So, the Ra'Zac show up in Carvahall at the beginning of Eragon. They don't know where the Egg is, they are really just shooting in the dark looking around. It says in the book that the Ra'Zac were following Brom, but it seems unlikely that they knew where he was and did nothing about it for 15 years... How did they know to show up there?

share|improve this question
That, I think, is discussed in one of the books. – apoorv020 Dec 19 '11 at 10:06
Um, I don't really remember that, but didn't some shopkeeper (butcher?) actually see the egg? – sbi Dec 19 '11 at 15:06
Arya did not have enough time to send the egg very far, so the Ra'zac know the egg is in that area? – muntoo Dec 23 '11 at 9:45
No to both sbi's and muntoo, as explained in the book. I've added details as to what is in the book, per apoorv020's comment. – PearsonArtPhoto♦ Dec 27 '11 at 15:37

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

It's also discussed further in the books, than mentioned in BenjaminHarris's answer on pg. 226 when Brom and Eragon are leaving Teirm, Eragon demands that Brom Give him some more answers.

When Eragon asks how Saphira's egg appeared in the Spine the follow passage occurs:

"No, Saphira was taken from the Varden, and I think I know how. To protect the egg, its guardian must have tried to send it to me with magic."

"The Varden haven't contacted me to explain how they lost the egg, so I suspect that their runners were intercepted by the Empire and the Ra'zac were sent in their place. I'm sure they were quite eager to find me, as I've managed to foil many of their plans."

"Then the Ra'zac didn't know about me when they arrived in Carvahall" said Eragon with wonder. "That's right," replied Brom. "If that ass Slaon had kept his mouth shut, they might not have found out about you.

So The Ra'zac don't arrive in Carvahall looking from Brom. As to how they found Brom or the runners Brom suspect would have been sent by the Varden, while in Teirm, there is also talk of Traitor(s) in the Varden that are the cause of the goods of the Merchants sympathetic to the Varden going missing.

share|improve this answer
Or, they intercepted the runner. Either way, it's solved. Thanks! – PearsonArtPhoto♦ Feb 20 '12 at 21:49
I think to intercept the runner, they would have to be told of him by the traitor, but that's just my own opinion. – AidanO Feb 20 '12 at 22:13
They would only have to know of the runner's existance, and not who was the intended target. It seems to me that Brom's existance was kept such that very few people in the Varden even knew of it. And this didn't include the twins... – PearsonArtPhoto♦ Feb 20 '12 at 22:49
up vote 2 down vote

It is never explained in any of the books in the Inheritance Cycle. The only time it is discussed is near the beginning of Eragon, when Brom says the Ra'zac were in Galbatorix's service. Eragon asks Brom how Galbatorix could have known about Saphira since nobody saw her, and Brom concludes that

The Ra'zac must have had a source of information outside of [Carvahall], one who is probably dead... (Eragon, p. 104)

It's likely that the Ra'zac happened upon Carvahall by accident and were alerted by mention of Eragon's stone (Sloan knew about it, as did Horst, the trader, and probably several other people). Meeting Brom prowling near their camp would have confirmed their suspicions.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.