The Wheel of Time

"Time is a wheel with seven spokes, each spoke an Age. As the

Wheel turns, the Ages come and go, each leaving memories that
fade to legend, then to myth, and are forgotten by the time that Age
comes again. The Pattern of an Age is slightly different each time an
Age comes, and each time it is subject to greater change."

Ages
A spoke in the Wheel of Time.
Pattern of an Age
"The Wheel of Time weaves the threads of human lives into the
Pattern of an Age, often called simply the Pattern, which forms the
substance of reality for that Age."
Web of Destiny
A great change in the Pattern of an Age, centered on one or more
people who are ta'veren. In the Old Tongue, it is called
"Ta'maral'ailen."
Ta'veren
"A person around whom the Wheel of Time weaves all
surrounding life-threads, perhaps ALL life-threads, to form a Web
of Destiny."
Known Ta'veren:

Artur Hawkwing
Mabriam en Shereed
Mat Cauthon
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 Perrin Aybara
Rand al'Thor

The Creator and the Dark

One
In the beginning...
The Creator created the Wheel of Time, which is time itself. The
Creator imprisoned the Dark One outside of the Pattern at the
moment of creation. A bore was made into the Dark One's prison,
but it was sealed before he entered the world. It is now held
closed by seven seals
The Seals
There are seven seals holding the Dark One's prison closed. The
seals are made from cuendillar, or heartstone. As strong as
heartstone is, some of the seals have been broken. It is said that
when the last seal breaks, the Dark One will return to the world.
Here is the status of those seals.

The True Source

"The driving force of the universe, which turns the Wheel of Time.
It is divided into a male half (saidin) and a female half (saidar),
which work at the same time with and against each other. Only a
man can draw on saidin, only a woman on saidar. Since the

beginning of the Time of Madness, saidin has been tainted by

the Dark One's touch."
One Power
"The power drawn from the True Source."
Channeling
1. (verb) To control the flow of the One Power
2. (noun) The act of controlling the flow of the One Power
The One Power comes from the True Source, the driving force
of Creation. The male half of the True Source, saidin, and the
female half, saidar, work against each other and with each
other to provide the force that turns the Wheel of Time.
The True Source cannot be used up just as a river cannot be
used up by a mill wheel.
Men grow strong in the One Power faster than women.
Even after being raised to the shawl, Aes Sedai may take
another five years before they reach their full strength.
Excessive luck and sudden unexpected rises in prominence
can be early indicators of the ability to channel in men.
Men generally begin channeling between the ages of sixteen
and twenty-six. (New Spring)
Men can only weakly detect other men holding saidin.
When channelers (men or women) hold the One Power it
blurs the images that Min sees. When they actually channel
it's even worse.
Channelers slow. Between the ages of twenty and twentyfive they begin aging more slowly.
Five Powers

"There are threads to the One Power, and each person who can
channel the One Power can usually grasp some threads better
than others. These threads are named according to the sort of
things that can be done using them - Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and
Spirit - and are called the Five Powers....While Spirit was found
equally in men and in women, great ability with Earth and/or Fire
was found much more often among men, with Water and/or Air
among women."

Gentling/Stilling
Gentling is:
"The act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a male who can
channel from the One Power...A man who has been gentled can
still sense the True Source, but he cannot touch it."
Stilling is:
"The act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a female who
can channel from the One Power...A woman who has been stilled
can still sense the True Source, but she cannot touch it."

Organizations/Societies

 Aes
Sedai
Aiel
Asha'ma
n
Band of
the Red
Hand
Cha
Faile
Children
of the
Light
Council
of Nine

Darkfriend
s
Daughters
of Silence
Dragonswo
rn
Dreadlords
Forsaken
Hand of
the Light:
Children of
the Light
Guild
of Illumina
tors

Kin
Legion of the Dragon
Salidar Aes Sedai
Sea Folk
Seanchan
Tuatha'an/Tinkers/Tra
veling People
Whitecloaks: Children
of the Light
Younglings

Aes Sedai
"Servant to All" in the Old Tongue
Wielders of the One Power.
Their organization is headquartered in the White Tower in the
city of Tar Valon.

Aes Sedai lives much longer than ordinary people,

sometimes as much as three hundred years. Among Aes
Sedai, speaking of age is considered extremely rude.
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 Aes Sedai is known for their look of agelessness.

Weaker sisters defer to stronger sisters and must obey them
if they are much stronger.
Other factors in order of precedence are time in training and
age.
Trainees, girls usually in their mid-teens, enter the White
Tower as novices. After extensive training they are raised
to Accepted. After even more extensive training they are
raised to Aes Sedai.
Upon being raised to the shawl, Aes Sedai swears three oaths on
the Oath Rod which binds them to the oaths:
To speak no word that is not true.
To make no weapon for one man to kill another.
Never to use the One Power as a weapon except
against Darkfriends or Shadowspawn, or in the last
extreme of defending your own life, that of
your Warder, or that of another sister.
Most Aes Sedai bond men as Warders. Warders provide physical
protection and the bond provides additional mutual benefits.

Amrylin Seat
The leader of the Aes Sedai, she is elected for life by the Hall of
the Tower. She has almost supreme authority among the Aes
Sedai. She forsakes her Ajah and is considered to be of all Ajahs
and of none.
Recent Amyrlin Seats

 Sierin Vayu 979 NE 984 NE (raised from

the Gray Ajah)
Tamra Ospenya 973 NE
- 979 NE (raised from
the Blue Ajah)
Noane Masadim 950 NE
- 973 NE (raised from
the Blue Ajah)

Egwene al'Vere 999 NE

(raised
from Accepted in Salida
r)
Elaida a'Roihan 999 NE
(raised from the Red
Ajah)
Siuan Sanche 988 NE 999 NE (raised from
the Blue Ajah)
Marith Jaen 984 NE 988 NE (raised from
the Blue Ajah)

Keeper of the Chronicles

Second in authority to the Amyrlin Seat, she also acts as secretary
to the Amyrlin. She is chosen by the Amyrlin, usually from the
same Ajah as the Amyrlin.
Recent Keepers of the Chronicles:

Leane Sharif - under Siuan

Sanche
Duhara Basaheen under Sierin Vayu
Aeldra Najaf -under Tamra
Ospenya
Gitara Moroso under Tamra Ospenya

Silviana Brehon under Egwene al'Vere in

the White Tower
Tarna Feir under Elaida
a'Roihan
Sheriam Bayanar under Egwene
al'Vere in Salidar
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 Alviarin Freidhen under Elaida a'Roihan

Mistress of Novices
The Aes Sedai in charge of training and discipline
for novices and Accepted.
Recent Mistresses of Novices

Sheriam Bayanar under Siuan Sanche

Amira Moselle under Sierin Vayu
Merean Redhill under Tamra Ospenya

Rosil - under Egwene

al'Vere in the White Tower
Tiana Noselle under Egwene
al'Vere in Salidar
Silviana Brehon under Elaida a'Roihan

Hall of the Tower

The governing body of the Aes Sedai. It comprises
three Sitters from each Ajah who are elected by their Ajah.
Since the split, the White Tower and Salidar factions each has
their own Hall.

Ajahs
All Aes Sedai except the Amrylin Seat belong to an Ajah. Each
follows a specific philosophy of the use of the One Power and the
purposes of the Aes Sedai. There are seven official Ajahs, each
designated by a color. The eighth, unofficial Ajah is the Black Ajah.
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Each Ajah has its own organization and communications network

including a spy network called the eyes-and-ears. Curiously, the
head of each Ajah is a closely guarded secret within the Ajah and
the Ajah head is typically not a Sitter.

Blue Ajah
The Blue sisters involve themselves with causes and justice.
The Blue Ajah is the second smallest one, but it has the most
extensive network of eyes-and-ears. The head of the Blue
Ajah is called the First Selector.
All members of the Blue Ajah were expelled from the White
Tower and, by default, are associated with the Salidar Aes
Sedai (The Aes Sedai who are in rebellion against the White
Tower Aes Sedai. Their original headquarters were located
in Salidar.)
Red Ajah
The red Ajah bends its energies to finding men who
can channel and gentling them.
Although women cannot detect saidin, they can read the
residue of the weaves and that is their primary tool for
tracking. Galina Casban, the head of the Red Ajah, is called
the Highest. After Galina's disappearance Tsutama Rath is
elected Highest.
o When the White Tower split, all of the Red Ajah
remained loyal to the Tower.
White Ajah
The White, largely eschewing both the world and the value of
worldly knowledge, devotes itself to questions of philosophy
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and truth. Ferane Neheran is the First Reasoner, the head of

the White Ajah. The White is the smallest Ajah
Green Ajah
The Green (called the Battle Ajah, during the Trolloc Wars)
holds itself ready for Tarmon Gai'don. Adelorna Bastine is the
Captain-General of the Green Ajah in the White
Tower. Myrelle Berengari is the Captain-General of the Green
Ajah in Salidar.
Brown Ajah
The Brown Ajah forsakes the mundane world and dedicates
itself to seeking knowledge. The head of the Brown Ajah
is Jesse Bilal.
Yellow Ajah
The Yellow concentrates on the study of Healing. The First
Weaver of the Yellow Ajah is Suana Dragand.
Gray Ajah
The Gray is mediators, seeking harmony and
consensus. Serancha Colvine is the Head Clerk of the Gray Ajah
Black Ajah
The organization of Aes Sedai who has foresworn their oaths
and serve the Dark One. They come from all Ajahs. Their
existence is officially and vehemently denied by other Aes
Sedai. Some have recently been exposed as Black Ajah but
most remain hidden.
The Black Ajah is headed by a Great Council of Thirteen. The
head of this council is Alviarin Freidhen. She currently reports
to Mesaana.

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Darkfriends
"Those who follow the Dark One and believe they will gain great
power and rewards when he is freed from his prison."
Darkfriends sometimes call themselves
Dark, Atha'an Shadar in the Old Tongue.

Friends

of

the

Forsaken
The name given to thirteen of the most powerful Aes Sedai of
the Age of Legends, thus among most powerful ever known, who
went over to the Dark One during the War of the Shadow in return
for the promise of immortality.
According to both legend and fragmentary records, they were
imprisoned along with Dark One when his prison was re-sealed.
The names given to them are still used to frighten children. They
prefer to call themselves The Chosen.
Male Forsaken

Female Forsaken

Aginor (M)
Asmodean (M)
Balthamel (M)
Be'lal (M)
Ishamael (M)
Demandred (M)
Rahvin (M)
Sammael (M)
Osan'gar (M)
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Graendal (F)
Lanfear (F)
Mesaana (F)
Moghedien (F)
Semirhage (F)
Aran'gar (F)
Cyndane (F)

 Moridin (M)

The Children of the Light

The Children of the Light, disparagingly called Whitecloaks, are an
organization of zealous foes of the Dark and defenders of the
Light.
They were organized during Years by Lothair Mantelar to combat
the increasing number of Darkfriends. Their symbol is a golden
sunburst on a field of white.
Their headquarters is the Fortress of the Light in the city
of Amador in Amadicia. In truth they rule the country of Amadicia.
They believe that any use of the One Power is the work of
the Dark One and thus all Aes Sedai are Darkfriends.

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