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In the season 6 finale,

we see barrels of wildfire ignited under the Great Sept of Baelor, where the Faith were holding Cersi's trial, killing everyone inside.

I'm slightly confused as to how many characters were involved in this. Specifically:

  1. Were some of the Faith Militant involved, as when

    Lancel went following the child that later stabbed him,

    none of them went to fetch Cersei.

  2. Further evidence that some of the Faith were involved, is that they stopped everybody from escaping the building, including Margery. However, this could have just been them trying to rein everybody in and keep things under control.

Additionally, how did Cersei get the candle all set up and ready to set off a chain reaction- and at the right time? Did she receive aid from Maester Qyburn?

So to summarise, what characters had some involvement in the Destruction of the Great Sept of Baelor, and were there specific hints of this approaching in previous episodes?

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I doubt any of the Faith militants were involved. The High Sparrow didn't want his spectacle/triumph over Cersei ruined by her non-compliance, so he wanted to keep everyone there for the events, and show how he was really in charge.

There really didn't seem any reason for Lancel to chase after the kid, except to add to the drama of watching it come about without being able to stop it.

Certainly, Maester Qyburn is the main schemer setting this up and putting it into motion for Cersei. We now know what his cryptic references were about rumors he tracked down and confirmed (the existence of the cache/stash). He takes out Maester Pycelle because he's someone else who could probably have figured it out, especially with Margery's unease with the situation.

Qyburn is really the main cog in the machine that sets this in motion, especially with his use of the now seemingly almost feral "little birds."

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    I was under the impression that Lancel chased after the boy because he assumed that the boy was attempting to warn Cersei that they were coming for her. – Andrew Jun 27 '16 at 20:51
  • I guess if the "little birds" were kind of known, though I'm not sure how distant the Red Keep is. Looked like they watched it all go down from a pretty good distance. I have no problem accepting the mildly implausible, if it is that, over a random "guess they wanted to pimp a particular scene." – PoloHoleSet Jun 27 '16 at 20:56
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    @AndrewMattson I believe the "little birds" would've been known to Lancel, since he was a confidant of Cersei's once, and the "little birds" were always in the employ of the royal family (previously through Varys). So Lancel might guess that the child he saw was up to no good, and the child would know that Lancel needed to be taken out of the picture. – recognizer Jun 27 '16 at 21:33
  • @AndrewMattson That doesn't really make much sense. They were on their way there right then. The kid didn't go straight there, so Lancel could have beat him there if he just kept going. And even if she were warned, it's not like that's something that would have been unexpected. "What? They want me at my trial? Crazy." Chasing the kid didn't make much sense except out of a general desire to investigate suspicious behavior. Which was borne out, considering how that kid destroyed the Sept. – DCShannon Jun 28 '16 at 14:50
  • @DCShannon - I'm not being sarcastic when I say I'm not sure what you are talking about. What part doesn't make much sense? Who was on their way, where? .... oh, you know what? That first comment from "Andrew" is not me ("Andrew Mattson"). Is that what you are replying to? – PoloHoleSet Jun 28 '16 at 15:25

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