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Aes Sedai History
The Age of Legends The Age of Legends was a time of peace and prosperity. Strife was rare and poverty non-existent. In these times the pursuit of wealth was forgotten and people sought ways to serve society. Service to the community was highly valued and brought the greatest status. The highest status of all was given to those who could wield the One Power, Aes Sedai. Channelers of the One Power were able to perform the greatest deeds in service to their community. Thus they were named Aes Sedai, "servant of all," in the Old Tongue. Aes Sedai consisted of only about two to three percent of the population and it was even fewer still who earned an honorific third name by performing great individual deeds. Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends were loosely organized by their guild, the Hall of Servants. Despite membership in the guild, most Aes Sedai had professions unrelated to their ability to channel. The Hall's purpose was to regulate channelers and to call on them to perform tasks best suited to their talents. The tasks included healing, mining, agricultural work (including manipulation of weather), technological research and development, and the design and construction of angreal, sa'angreal, and ter'angreal. Part of the technological work of Aes Sedai was making living constructs such as chora trees and the race of beings called Nym. While every city, town and village had a guild chapter, the main Hall of Servants was located in the world capital of Paaran Disen. This city is where the head of the Hall of Servants, called "First Among Servants," sat on the High Seat, wore the ring of Tamyrlin, and summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion. At the end of the Age of Legends the head of the Hall was Lews Therin Telamon. Aes Sedai were highly influential during the Age, but records show that they were no more likely to hold high position or office in government than non-channelers. Even the evidence that suggests some Aes Sedai lived as long as seven hundred years played no part in their likelihood to be in positions of power. However, the "servants of all" were in turn served loyally and exclusively by the Da'shain Aiel. Testing for the ability to channel was the same in the Age of Legends as it is today. Those who qualified to become Aes Sedai were sent to special schools, free of charge, that offered a range of subjects in addition to teaching the pupils how to perfect their special ability. The War of Power Even during this wondrous Age, many Aes Sedai were frustrated by the limitations of the One Power. A group of researchers, including Mierin Eronaile and Beidomon, looked for an alternative. They found it behind a "thin place" in the Pattern. The alternate source was separate from the True Source and could be used by both female and male Aes Sedai equally. Mierin and Beidomon bored a hole in the Pattern to reach this source. Unfortunately, it also allowed the Dark One to influence the World His influence was felt and welcomed by many, including Aes Sedai. Those Aes Sedai who joined the forces of the Dark One became known as "Dreadlords," and the strongest of those Aes Sedai, given special power and influence by the Dark One, were called "the Chosen" by Darkfriends and "the Forsaken" by everyone else. It was during the War of the Shadow that the One Power was first used as a weapon. The most devastating weapon, balefire, was discovered at that time. Such horrific uses of the One Power gave the conflict another name: the War of Power. The challenge of defeating the Dark One fell to Lews Therin Telamon. After initial success, the war turned and victory for the Shadow seemed inevitable. Drastic measures were needed to defeat the Dark One for good. Two plans emerged to accomplish this goal. The first, conceived by Lews Therin Telamon, was to use male and female Aes Sedai to seal the Bore. His plan included using seven cuendillar disks to act as "focus points" for seals. That plan was undercut by Latra Posae Decume and her "Fateful Concord," wherein female Aes Sedai of sufficient strength pledged not to help with Lews' plan because of the extreme danger inherent in its failure. So the other plan was set in motion. It involved using two large sa'angreal, with the aid of two smaller ter'angreal, to seal the Dark One away safely. Before the plan could be carried out, forces led by Sammael overran the area where the ter'angreal were being made. Despite efforts to smuggle the ter'angreal to safety, the end was nearing for the forces of the Light. Desperate, Lews Therin and the Hundred Companions led a strike against the Dark One using his plan. Their attack succeeded, with the added benefit that the Forsaken were trapped as well. But the Dark One landed one last blow. At the moment the seals were placed, he struck back, tainting saidin. Lews Therin and sixty-eight surviving Companions were rendered instantly insane. Eventually all male Aes Sedai were driven mad by the taint and the Breaking of the World began. Luckily, during the Breaking, the seven cuendillar disks were scattered and hidden, but the chaos of the time left their exact whereabouts unknown. After the Breaking The Breaking of the World devastated Aes Sedai as much as the rest of the world. The Hall of Servants was no more and Aes Sedai had to fend for themselves, although small groups formed. Eventually these small groups and individual Aes Sedai found each other and formed larger groups. Their intention was to regain what was lost in the Breaking. Almost half a century passed before any of these groups became large enough to gain any influence or power beyond a small geographical area. In that time Aes Sedai lost considerable "knowledge of the Power" and there were many "forgotten Talents." Very few Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends are believed to have survived beyond the Breaking, but one group that did helped build Rhuidean. The individual groups of Aes Sedai considered themselves independent of all the others. They were often referred to as "ajahs," or a "sisterhood of Aes Sedai." These ajahs soon came into increasingly frequent contact, often opposing each other’s plans. Eventually they decided that if Aes Sedai were ever to lead the world back to the Age of Legends, such squabbles could not be tolerated, nor seen to be tolerated by non-Aes Sedai. It is speculated that today's well-known secrecy of internal Aes Sedai affairs began with that agreement. To re-establish the world that once was, the ajahs began negotiations to form a single group. In 47 AB, the ajahs, numbering well beyond twelve, decided to build Tar Valon. The construction of Tar Valon began in 98 AB and was completed 104 years later. The name "White Tower," however, had been in existence long before 98 AB. Elisane Tishar became the first Amyrlin Seat in 47 AB. A Hall of the Tower was also chosen, although its exact organization is not known. The Amyrlin did have seven councilors, indicating a genesis for the seven Ajahs. By the end of the second century after the Breaking, the Ajahs were in definite existence, each one focused on a specific purpose. Also, the Hall of the Tower was known at this time to consist of twenty-one Sitters with three from each Ajah. In the years 50-100 AB, the White Tower began a campaign of finding women "pretending to be Aes Sedai." It has been theorized that these women were Aes Sedai unwilling to join the White Tower, including some who were part of the original negotiations to build Tar Valon. The building called the White Tower was designed by Aes Sedai and built by Ogier and Aes Sedai. Aes Sedai used the One Power in helping to build it. The Tower is 500 feet high and 300 feet across at its base, being slightly narrower at its apex. From the Ten Nations to the Present The main purpose of Aes Sedai and the White Tower since the Breaking is the fight against the Dark One. Approximately 200 years after the Breaking, the Compact of the Ten Nations was formed and lasted for nearly 800 years. Memories of the Age of Legends still lingered in the minds of the people. The Compact brought back many of the customs and much of the culture of the Age of Legends. Its other main objective was to protect people from the Shadow. That fact explains why so many queens of the Ten Nations were Aes Sedai. The Compact finally fell apart when the Trolloc Wars began. The sheer number of forces the Dark One sent overwhelmed the nations. The nations never formed a consolidated effort against the Trollocs until the very end and despite Aes Sedai influence at the highest levels, Aes Sedai were loyal only to Tar Valon. The Trolloc Wars, which lasted about 350 years, devastated the Compact. Many of the nations were destroyed at the end of the wars or very soon after. Only Tar Valon gained influence and land. Tar Valon had a tumultuous relationship with Artur Hawkwing, the High King. Hawkwing had defeated Guaire Amalasan, the Second Dragon, and helped to capture him. After Amalasan's defeat, two of his major armies attempted to free him from Tar Valon, where Hawkwing's main army had escorted the Aes Sedai who shielded Amalasan. Even though Hawkwing camped his army on Tar Valon territory without permission of the White Tower, he soundly defended the attacks. Bonwhin Meraighdin, the Amyrlin at the time, is reported to never have forgiven Hawkwing for his impudence, despite his help. After returning to his home nation, Shandalle, other nations continually tried to invade Hawkwing's kingdom. It is speculated, though not proven, that Bonwhin played a major part in those invasions. Hawkwing certainly thought so. The invasions continued on and off for nineteen years, in which time Hawkwing came to rule all lands on the continent (except for Tar Valon territory) in what is called the Consolidation. Hawkwing, at first, was never openly agressive to Tar Valon, but neither was he friendly with the White Tower. Finally in FY 954, he accepted an Aes Sedai advisor and by FY 974 he had many Aes Sedai in positions of authority throughout the continent. Then late that year he dismissed all Aes Sedai holding those positions from his realm. Finally in the summer of FY 975, he began to lay siege to Tar Valon itself. His exact reasons for turning against the White Tower are unknown. Some believe it was becasue Bonwhin was using Aes Sedai influence to undermine his power and increase Tar Valon's own. Others believe he found proof of Tar Valon supporting the many invasions and revolts in his realm, and still others believe it was because he had evidence of Bonwhin's personal responsibility for the death of his first wife and their children. Whatever his reasons, the siege continued even after his death in FY 994, but is believed to have failed because of widespread sympathy for Aes Sedai and the efforts of Deane Aryman, the new Amyrlin, and Ishara, the first Queen of Andor. Hawkwing had no apparent heirs and his death led to widespread fighting for control of his lands, known as the War of the Hundred Years. Ishara is believed to have convinced her lover, one of Hawkwing's generals, to lift the siege because she needed Tar Valon's help to make Andor strong. Partly in return for this help, Ishara sent her first daughter to train in the Tower, establishing a tradition that lasts to this day. Tar Valon continued in its ways: advising rulers, mediating wars, and fighting the Shadow in relative peace for nearly 1000 years in the New Era following the War of the Hundred Years. Then in the spring of 976 NE, Aiel came streaming over the Dragonwall in search of Laman Damodred, who cut down Avendoraldera to make himself a throne. By 978 NE, Aiel forces reached Tar Valon. An Alliance of armies from ten nations was formed, plus one army raised by Tar Valon and another consisting of the Children of the Light, that defended Tar Valon. The Alliance was barely able to hold off the Aiel for three days, at the end of which, the Aiel had finally killed Laman Damodred and returned to the Aiel Waste. In 999 NE, a young man named Rand al'Thor claimed himself the Dragon Reborn. Some believe him to be a puppet of the White Tower and are using him to gain more power and influence, while others believe he really is Lews Therin Telamon reborn. But now, most accept him as the true Dragon Reborn. He appears to be the source of another monumental event in the history of Aes Sedai.
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