OOC: this is a class for both Novices and Accepted as it doesn't require any specific prior knowledge. it would be great if some people would be willing to still hop in, if not Saline will have to NPC discussions with Classmates :p

 

Lesson 1 – The One Power and the Age of Legends

 

It was something to merely attend a class and contribute to the lesson and actually giving one, Faile realized when she entered the still empty classroom. She had always wanted to teach, had always asked questions on what she was taught and tried to help others to understand the content of lessons they had had to learn as children outside the White Tower, but also later inside in Novice white. She liked to teach and she liked to learn. Maybe this was what filled her new task as she was now in the banded dress with so much excitement, so much innovation. So many new things were awaiting her and she couldn´t wait to begin this class, a class she would rather have to be more of a discussion with input from her side. She had attended very good and very boring, obsolete classes before and she really hoped hers would be one of the first kind. Well, she would try her best, she thought as she stood in front of the plain wooden tables, waiting for her students to come in and sit down before she started to speak.

 

"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."

 

Remaining silent of a minute after her introduction, Faile studied the girls in front of her intently, curious and excited what would be the outcome of this particular class and which opinions and attitudes would be formed in the course of it.

 

“I take it, that most of you have already heard or read this during your initial classes or when you first touched the One Power itself. You´ve been taught about the benefits as well as the dangers of Saidar, told what you have to do during your training and what you mustn´t under any circumstance. This class however shall teach you as well as make you talk about the other, tainted half of the One Power, the male half called Saidin and the fate of these who are unfortunate enough to be able to touch and wield it.

 

To learn and understand the difference of Saidin and Saidar however, you first must understand what lies beyond it. History is an important link here, an important source to seek for a far better and deeper understanding of what happened to the One Power and why Aes Sedai do not longer have the powers they once had in the Age of Legends as herein lies the foundation of all further development.

 

You all have heard of the Age of Legends as a time before the Breaking of the World with no war and very little crime. Saidin and saidar were wielded side by side to produce amazing feats. People of the Age no longer cared for material wealth. Instead, status and honor were considered most important. This status and honor could only be achieved through service to society.

 

Those given the most status were the Aes Sedai, or "Servants of All." Many Aes Sedai followed lives which had nothing to do with the One Power. When their talents and skills were needed, they could be summoned by the Hall of the Servants. One profession, the Restorers was held entirely by Aes Sedai, however. Restorers used the One Power to Heal injury and disease, such that people seldom died of anything except old age.

 

The Aes Sedai of the time did a great deal of research. One of the most impressive feats was the creation of constructs which could use the One Power to perform given tasks. Chora trees, one of these creations, passed a sense of peace to any who passed beneath their leaves. Another of these creations, the Nym, were able to utilize the One Power to help growing things. Someone once wrote that, "Where a Nym touched, all manner of green and growing things thrived."

The Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends had a very loose organization. While influential in the world government, they did not by any means control it. The Hall of the Servants regulated Aes Sedai, setting and enforcing the rules which they must live by.

 

Serving the Aes Sedai were the Da’shain Aiel. They were sworn both to obey the Aes Sedai and to follow the Way of the Leaf. The amazing level of their dedication, both to the Aes Sedai they served and their way of life earned them a respect second only to the Aes Sedai themselves.

 

Being in harmony with the environment was extremely important to the people of the Age of Legends. Pollution was virtually nonexistant. City streets were lined with chora trees, such that any city which did not contain them was considered bare.

 

During this Age, the Aes Sedai had numerous ways of traveling which were then lost. The most fabled was Traveling, which allowed a powerful Aes Sedai with the correct Talent to create a gateway which would allow the channeler to step between two places without crossing the intervening distance. Skimming was a somewhat similar procedure, which could be utilized by those with less power or skill handling either saidin or saidar. The most powerful Aes Sedai could also use Portal Stones, which were able to open up links to alternate realities or, "worlds that might have been." “

Pausing after her lecture, Faile laid the book from which she had been reaeding important passages about the Age of Legends aside and addressed her students directly: “I´ve been talking a lot about the Age of Legends now, but as I´ve said in the beginning, I want you to contribute your part as well and before I will move on to the Breaking in the next lesson, I want you to be able to raise any questions you might have first. The Age o Legends is far more complex then can be explained in one single lesson, so I want you to contribute what you have heard or read and questions you might have here, so we can have a little deeper conversation about it.”

 

OOC: This is basically about class interaction. Raise questions and discuss with each other, you can also argue and contradict each other about one special topic about the Age of Legends. Have fun making this a lively discussion 

 

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

 

Her day began early. The sky was still dark out without the horizontal streaks of the sunrise present yet Saline was quite awake as she strolled to class. Ribbons Syara bought for her birthday graced the honey coloured curls, and the corners of her rosebud mouth curved upward. For the first time in a while the Accepted had plenty of time to spare before the lecture, and her brown eyes lowered as she gathered her thoughts. She had always found reading over the notes from last class to be particularly helpful in terms of revision and getting her head into the subject matter, but as this was a new course she signed up for on impulse, she pondered instead on the library book she took out instead.

 

After the Taraboner took her seat by the window overlooking the Tower gardens, she scrabbled in her pouch for some quills and was able to sketch out a rather detailed design thanks to Rossa's drawing lessons. She had in mind her own herb and wildflower gardens one day. It would take after the one Vera Sedai constructed, but focus more on vegetables for the Soup Kitchen, she decided.

 

To-day's lesson focused on the history before the breaking, and Aes Sedai's role in the Age of Legends. Most of the first half had been familiar concepts she and the others had been subjected to in White Tower and the World class as Novices, and Saline was more comfortable thinking about the disparities of the honour and image the servants of the Hall had as opposed to the respect for Aes Sedai nowadays. It recalled to mind many a heated discussion from her Novice years, and she smiled sadly, knowing the last person she wanted to be was a victim of somebody else's narrow world, willingly that was. Like healing, it represented too many miracles expected, and no appreciation for one's 'Art'. Servants were sacrifice for the people, but the people slap away help like branches, and it would only further the tensions and suspicions unless the Aes Sedai understood, no, further than that, love the people they protect, and gained the trust needed for decisions.

 

Saline dipped the nib in and her words looped with their lazy flourishes. She had an elegant hand trained by her lord father but what her notes conveyed quite straightforward messages, perhaps too forward for a lowly initiate like herself. Daring girls with banded hems were not exceptions though, she admitted, creasing her brow.

 

Realising the strength of her feelings on the subject, she did not care for the directions her deliberation took, but they were hers, and as always she was incapable of being fair to other options. Since the beginning of the Time of Madness, saidin has been tainted by the Dark One's touch. Beneath all the philosophical ramblings lurked David the man who died asking for a dance. One day 13 Sisters had gentled him, cut him off from the taint and Saidin for the rest of his life, which ended in a prison cell with Faile Sedai and a very frightened Saline reciting his last rites. He was doomed so that others could be safe, a process as inevitable as the next breath.

 

As Saline quietly listened to her teacher talk about the Restorers having the profession of healing people in the Age of Legends, she remembered Saya Sedai lecturing about how Aes Sedai had other occupations, and that the Sisters then – as a Guild - were more involved instead of being tied to Tar Valon, nowadays they remained above the World and isolated in the White Tower. How could the Aes Sedai care to preserve the World if the Sisters no longer are attached to the experiences of living like they used to? The former noblewoman reckoned that this distancing oneself away from the rest of the World was a serious mistake because people tend to forget the abstract ideals that they fight for, and the legacy was worthless without the connection.

 

Yet it was not only the Aes Sedai enclosing the World away from their affairs. It was also a pushing away from the other countries, as they no longer accept that Aes Sedai do what they do. If a Sister had the power to heal, it was a natural but cruel tendency in times of despair to expect for miracles that even Aes Sedai cannot perform. In case of failure, the Aes Sedai were always blamed. Aes Sedai -- Saline had gleaned from experience -- were human. Sure, these women were powerful, wise and strong-willed but they had not been altogether infallible in their decisions and sometimes there was no benevolent choice so one was left with executing either the lesser or greater evil. When the Aes Sedai does the task flawlessly; the ungrateful countries want more and more feats with less interference. It was simply, and in rough terms, a sticky situation.

 

How had it come to this? Things used to be so glorious in the Age of Legends when the Aes Sedai performed great tasks. To think – there was once a pleasant time when the male and females could link and share in embracing the True Source, when vast weaves of female Saidar and male Saidin twined into wondrous marvels, as they were meant to be one. One of the most spectacular achievements was led by the Dragon in sealing the Dark One and the Forsakens away in his prison, the wonderful cooperation and concerted effort by the hundred Aes Sedai. Even a little child knew of this victory, but even as the world celebrated its liberation from the Shadow, a taint on Saidin soured the triumph as the male Aes Sedai went mad, including the imminent Dragon, Lews Therin Telamon the Kinslayer.

 

How do we guard against another Breaking? The question was burning in her mind. She knew that the female Aes Sedai hunted down and gentled the men for their own health, but Saline wondered if cutting them from the True Source had eventually left the male Aes Sedai insane anyway. Were the men thankful and relieved, or feeling betrayed by their fellow Aes Sedai? Imagine trying to salvage your sanity, like some of the men had done, hiding out in Ogier Groves where they could not even sense Saidin. She shivered.

 

David.

 

Had these attempts prolonged the Breaking when the men cannot stand living without channelling anymore and came out into the World once more to wreck their madness on; or did the Ogier's extended hospitality salvaged and helped bring order to what would otherwise be more chaotic or the final demise of the entire World were all the male Aes Sedai with access to Power at the Age? Of course, that was where the Ways came from, beautiful works of the Power even though the touch of the Dark One corrupted them too, gradually.

 

Saline resolved to discuss more with Faile Sedai about the male Aes Sedai and the Breaking but now was not the time for her wits to wander. She focused on what the woman was saying about the items. A collection of foreign names caught her fancy and her mind reeled in lust. The chora tree sounded miraculous but also as well as flaunting one's might. It seemed a lot of the people then cherished a return to nature, and it proved fascinating the position Researchers held in society. Useful civilisation: To create -- in the image of...

 

As for Dashain Aiel she was particularly interested in their Way of the Leaf was the same as the pacifistic travelling people she lived with as a young woman. From what the Caravan leader had told her, the Aiel did not like Tinkers much, neither did they mind them, what the Aiel really minded was observing their own code of conduct, and sounded a race as touchy about honour as status was important to the Servants working in the Age of Legends. Feeling a tad guilty about taking up the scimitar to train with, she quickly pushed the thought to the backburner as her teacher mentioned the Portal Stones.

 

*Flicker*

 

She did not want to be reminded of her Arches, but memories of the third Arch flooded her consciousness, and she forced herself to breath, not to display the telltale signs in her discomfiture as...

 

*Flicker*

 

Dictating a quick draft of what she wanted to ask, she raised a tentative hand, "I would like learn more about portal stones. I had heard time passes differently in the parallel worlds. Is there any way for the Sisters to access them?" Logistics were the blood and backbones of a battle, and this lost Skimming technique sounded dead useful for transportation of both people and supplies. Never would the Tower be stumped in a seige if the Aes Sedai could simply channel themselves elsewhere out of harm's reach.

 

 

Later she would look over her notes in quiet rumination, gathering her wits gradually. She quickly recapped what her thinking was as for the taint on Saidin and the fall out between male and female halves of the Source. 1. The Aes Sedai lost trust when they did not present a confident front when the rifts vanquished the unity of purpose between the halves of the True Source. --> Taint = Division within

 

Division within was what led to the steady fall of the once solid reputation of the White Tower. Ultimately she could see how it was the issue over the male Aes Sedai’s madness that resulted to the current mode of action and audiences that the Sisters, especially the Red Ajah, treat with. Aes Sedai did not work miracles and people expected them to, even as they struggled with their own. Though supposedly servants of the common people, the people viewed the Aes Sedai as hanging about mostly with the nobles, meddling and manipulating with only the Tower’s own affairs in mind. Aes Sedai were no longer objective or just because they had no frame of judgement to base their actions on, and the people feared to reveal their problems to deaf eyes and ears, unless the desperation left no other choice but to submit to the strings. Desperate people were not the most stable citizens, and outside of Tar Valon the Aes Sedai possessed little genuine authority because they've closed themselves off from the common people.

 

2. The people were harsh to require this shallow reassurance but it is the price of serving. The leader is obliged to look and sound the part of a leader as well as act properly as stereotypes, though this is superficial, it is what people will call for.

 

As a former noblewoman, Saline compared it to what the common people expect of their head of houses, and thought her friend Rossa would have definitely understood.

 

The ideology that all channellers were responsible for the Breaking, male or female, was attractive to those who never knew any Aes Sedai and were intimidated to get to know any because of prejudices.

 

3. Prejudices arose from setting Aes Sedai on pedestals. Isolation = necessary to uphold the Tower?

 

Why else besides isolation and neutrality to all but the cause of the Tower would it be that the White Tower survived intact, that out of necessity they learned to control themselves so not to take sides in the conflicts between the squabbling nations. She sighed, it irked her that the Aes Sedai did not live amongst the people as they did when it was a Guild, but if it had been so then the clashes would have broken the Tower. Or – a cold wave of chills swept over her – had the Tower been broken before, somewhere covered up in the caches of the Tower's secret archives? Saline rubbed at the goose pimples on her bare arms, though the temperature inside was merely the swelter of summer.

 

On the other hand if the Tower would not raise a finger to help the broken countries, was it any wonder that a man, ta'varen at that, would band together the need for nationalism and a feeling of pride, belonging and stability once more. Aes Sedai embassies cared for the world, but their manipulations were always pushing the rule of the Tower first, from what Saline remember from the lecture Saya gave. Hawkwing's siege upon the Tower made the World find its loyalties to the struggle of power between the two great forces, like a ship cannot be commanded smoothly by two captains... All was in the balance.

 

It would be easier to just blame all the Aes Sedai for the Breaking, since both the female and male Aes Sedai had taken part sealing the Dark One. Since there was no cure for madness (the symptom) or the taint (the cause), the female Aes Sedai dared not allow the male Aes Sedai to release their rampages on the World. Anti-Aes Sedai sentiments... perhaps the female Aes Sedai are prejudiced against the male Aes Sedai, as the male channellers would be against the Red Ajah nowadays. Perhaps the males were the luckier ones, even, having gone out of their minds and oblivious to the sorry state of the once loved Aes Sedai reputation. Though fault was an empty coin, as it did not really matter whose fault the Breaking is.

 

Still, Aes Sedai of the White Tower did their best to prevent another Breaking, Saline felt certain, whatever the buck may stop at. For it seemed to her that the Sisters were especially resourceful learning to band together for survival and more brave hunting down the men who might resist. She admired the Red Ajah because of their clear-cut purpose to protect the World against another such Breaking and to protect and guide the men from the demented state of destruction that would have happened without specific intervention targetting its Source.

 

It bothered her that the ancient Guild was split in a Civil War that came of no fault on the parts of either parties; the male Aes Sedai probably fought in what they justified as self-defence against the women Aes Sedai; whereas the women had to hunt and inflict what was unpleasant on the male Aes Sedai, but somebody had to save, and work toword restoring the World. And she gleaned from the Red's lecture what Aes Sedai were really about was relationships. About establishing relationships and standing by what one thought was true to herself, because they must all help themselves before they could help another, and with the best of intentions Saline would preserve the world and protect its citizens against anything that could cause another Breaking, and it included her fellow Aes Sedai if she had to, male or female. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, but Saline hoped it would not come to that.

 

OOC: Ah, cheers Steffi.  :D

Lesson 2: The War of Power

 

She was more than pleased about how this was turning out so far. Her students raised various questions that were for once controverse and being discussed with a temper she had rarely experienced in a class before. She could literally read the concentration on the faces of the Women in front of her as they argued one point against another. She was truly glad about every critical issue being raised. Apparently their Novice and Accepted Years had taught them not to just accept what they were told but to raise questions that might even earn them a sour look from one or the other Sister, yet Faile was glad about controversial point of views on the White Tower's isolation and Questions concerning the History of the One Power. They had to learn that there was no easy formula dictating them what was right or wrong in history. They would learn to discern the ambiguity and variety of truths in this case for themselves. Eventually they would probably create their own truth and having them do that in a way that was as objectively as possible was one of Faile's desires as she had composed this class. It was going well so far.

 

She raised an eyebrow indeed, when the Accepted Saline stepped up, she vividly remembered from a chore that had turned out rather misfortunately - she had spent considerate time and thought on the girl afterwards, nearly as much as her mind had prodded on David and his miserable fate. Something about the girl's question regarding Portal Stones struck her awkward, yet she answered right away, not before resolving to have an eye on her to maybe find out more about the true nature of her question later.

 

"Indeed the time in Portal Stone Worlds passes differently, it is different just as the World itself will be different from the one we know. Different realities that often aren't clearly discernible for the untrained eye and the very reason why a travel to those hidden worlds is so perilous. Aes Sedai seldom wander there as those realities mostly don't provide us with more but a twisted mirror-image of our own world. We won't find solutions for our problems there just as little as those Worlds will grant us a look into the future. They are realities that are detached from ours and though it might be tempting to have a look at them it is known that some travellers seeking the perils and thrills of those parallel worlds have never come back, losing themselves in the truths they found there."

 

Clearing her throat before she went on, moving back to the actual topic of today's lesson Faile was happy with how the discussion had evolved until now and hoped it would continue like that, she would however keep an eye on the development of some of her students. Some that seemed to be promising, some also hinting at future cause to worry. And yet it was going well so far. There was nothing as priceless for a teacher as a lively class discussion.

 

“Today I want you to concentrate on the War of Power. Before I´ll start to talk about what has been one of the key events provoking the Breaking of the World and the downfall of the Age of Legends, I want you all to know that after the next lesson which will be about the Breaking, I want everyone of you to give a little speech about an important aspect or consequence of the War of Power or the Breaking. You are free to choose whichever aspect interests you most, but I want each of you to be able to give a little talk about something that stroke your attention to deepen your knowledge and also help your other classmates to learn and understand the topic we are talking about a bit more. So please feel free to take notes and ask what questions you might have at the end of this lesson. If you need any help in preparing this talk, don´t hesitate to ask as well.”

 

Looking at her class, Faile made sure that her words had sunk in, before she continued to talk, calling any whispering and talking to an end as the girls took quill and paper to take notes of her lecture.

“When the War of Power, or the War of the Shadow, began, the Dark One’s followers tried to release him from his prison. This was further evidence that he himself would need help from this world to break free from his imprisonment. Help he received aplenty as you all may know. Evil was spreading all over the world making the foundations of the Age of Legends shake and tremble as humankind and also the Aes Sedai became greedy and ambitious, because the Price the Dark One promised his followers was high.

 

The War of the Shadow was often called the War of Power, because the One Power was used as a devastating weapon during this time. The most fearsome discovery was that of balefire. This weave of the One Power was originally used liberally, but both sides discontinued its use not long into the war.

 

Lews Therin Telamon, named the Dragon soon after, was chosen to lead the forces opposing the Dark One. Only the Da’shain Aiel did not fight, being bound by the Way of the Leaf. However, their continued devotion to Lews Therin and the Aes Sedai, and their protection of the Da’shain Aiel, led the Aiel to be known as the People of the Dragon.

 

The Dragon found himself fighting a losing battle. With each victory of the Shadow, its offensive accelerated. Several of his most trusted generals, including the men to be known as Demandred and Sammael, betrayed him and turned to the Dark One to become. It became clear that a decisive offensive to end the war was the only chance for the forces opposing the Shadow.

 

Two plans surfaced, one of them Lews Therin’s strategy. He advocated a direct attack on the Bore, to seal it with seven cuendillar discs used as focal points. The strike itself would be carried out at Shayol Ghul. This plan was opposed by many, because it was believed that such an attack could possibly destroy the Pattern.

 

The other plan centered on two huge sa’angreal, one for a man and one for a woman. The sa’angreal were constructed as statues, one of a man and one a woman, each holding aloft a crystal sphere. It was thought that using them would enable the two Aes Sedai using them to shield the Bore until it could be dealt with more effectively. So great was their power that specialized ter’angreal would be necessary to use them, lest the Aes Sedai be burned out within minutes.

 

Latra Posae Decume opposed Lews Therin’s plan, and reached an agreement with every female Aes Sedai on the side of the Light to not support Lews Therin’s plan. This agreement was later known as the Fateful Concord. Since Lews Therin’s plan called for a circle of seven women and six men, the construction of the two sa’angreal surged forward.

 

Just as the two sa’angreal were completed, Sammael overran the area where the specialized ter’angreal were being held. Despite the fact that the two sa’angreal could no longer be used, still did Latra Posae oppose Lews Therin’s plan. At this time, Demandred and Be’lal unknowingly put pressure on the two areas where the large sa’angreal were being held.

Lews Therin decided to move forward without any women. He assembled the Hundred Companions, some of the most powerful men of the day who supported him, and moved to strike at Shayol Ghul. When they arrived, the Dragon found the Forsaken were at Shayol Ghul as well. In a battle in which forty-five of the Hundred Companions were killed, the Bore was sealed to the Dark One’s prison, trapping both the Dark One and the Forsaken.

 

With leadership for the Shadow gone, the War of Power was over. Lews Therin and the Hundred Companions were victorious. The world’s problems, though, were just beginning.

 

So you see the how war, greed and suspicions divided male and female Aes Sedai fort he first time, a division, a grate between the most powerful wielders of Saidin and Saidart hat should only deepen further. About what happened afterwards and how these events are linked to our times, I will tell you in the next lesson. Now is the time for your thoughts and questions. Feel free to talk about whatever comes to your mind and ask whatever you need to know regarding your talks that will be after the next lesson. I recommend you all to visit the White Tower library to read up on further aspect of the War of Power and the Breaking and I´m excited about what the topics and outcome of the talks after the next lesson will be. Class dismissed.”

 

OOC: was a bit rushing with the 2nd lesson, newcomers can just involve the first lesson in their first post as well so it can be counted. Cheers

 

To think that it had been three years ago today when Salandrian had first arrived in the White Tower...well...it scared her. She had learned so much in those three years. She had first learned of the One Power with her mentor Eqwina Sedai. Now she was a fully fleged Novice of the White Tower, feeling, if not comfortable, at least familiar with life here. The Salandrian who had entered the Tower could not have spoken two words to anyone she did not need to talk to, and now she felt comfortable asking an Aes Sedai questios. An Aes Sedai! But when the teacher began her lecture, all thoughts of nostalgia left her mind and she focused on the Aes Sedai's words.

 

She grew excited to as she was told of what they would learn in this class- how history of the Aes Sedai influenced the current Aes Sedai of the White Tower. Exactly the kind of thing she loved! Intently, she listened to Faile Sedai talk about the marvels of the Age of Legends. It seemed too ideal, too perfect to be true, yet Aes Sedai could not lie. Salandrian felt a longing to travel to that time, and see the Aes Sedai in the very peak of their glory and perfection. She sat daydreaming for a long time, thinking about cities lined with perfect trees, healthy people walking about, Aes Sedai both male and female working together building huge libraries, recording history as it happened, Da’shain Aiel peacefully settling small conflicts. Places like Ebou Dar's Rahad would not exist in the Age of Legends.

 

But a familiar voice brought her back to reality. It was Saline, the Accepted asking about Portal Stones. Only yesterday it seemed had they been boiling stew for the needy. Salandrian smilied at her, trying to make her look back. The Accepted seemed too deep in thought though to notice her. Faile Sedai agreed to answer her question in the next lesson, and it was silent for a while. Finally, Salandrian raised her hand. Faile Sedai nodded her head, allowing Salandrian to ask her question.

 

"Aes Sedai, I have a question about the Da'shain Aiel. The last part of their name is the same as the current people who live beyond the Spine of the World. Yet the Da'Shain Aiel of the Age of Legends apparently lived by the Way of the Leaf, which is what the Tuatha'an follow. Nowadays, the Aiel clearly don't follow the Way of the Leaf, so what happened?"

 

----

 

All week, Salandrian had looked forward to this lesson. She had done a bit of research on the male Aes Sedai, and had learened basic facts. Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon, was mentioned in every chapter. She hoped that Faile Sedai would talk about him today, though she feared that little more was known than she had read.

 

Facinated, Salandrian listened to Faile Sedai's lesson on the War of Power. In her head, she imagined huge, heroic battles being fought, with the Aes Sedai growing more desperate with each loss. The Aes Sedai focused less on the battles though, and more on the internal politicking of the Aes Sedai. Last week, Salandrian had thought that the Aes Sedai, male and female, had been united together from the beginning. Yet this week's lesson clearly showed the tensions between the channelers of saidin and saidar. When Faile Sedai suggested they go to the library for further research, she had an idea, which she shared with the class.

 

"Aes Sedai, have male and female channelers always not gotten along?"

 

OOC: A long time in coming, but I finally sat myself down to the task.

Wooooo! Wooooo! The wind in the window battered at the shutters and did nothing for her hangover.

 

She left off nursing her head and was sipping Jasmine tea when the draft blew her notes over, and frowning at them strewn on the ground, she assayed to divine the scrawl that disparaged from last time's neat rows of black. It reeked of rank history, and her penmanship definitely deteriorated as she struggled to stay awake. Her pounding head did not help, and squinting at the lines, she would not have felt surprised if somebody would mistaken “Fateful Concord” for “Moon Duck”. Nay, the Taraboner knew that she should not have gotten drunk, but it was to celebrate, and besides, she had a great time with her friends despite getting caught trying to sneak back. Still, at the price of a headache, painful, and a sentence under Mistress Laras, doubly painful, she would have thought twice before staying all night at a brothel again.

 

Closing her eyes she gave up on the notes, and went back to the early morning discussion that had transpired after Faile Sedai’s lecture. She would remember more this way. Yes, there it came, the talk of the sa’angreals, particularly the two great artifacts which could permit its users to easily break the world. That sort of danger, though not quite as tremendous, was the reason why Reds went out and contained the madmen out there who might employ such drastic ends. Its users would not have regarded how hazardous it was to both the conduits and the people they try to affect as well, and reminded Saline quite strangely enough of a whirlpool she had unleashed in the Blue Ajah quarters once.

 

What had intrigued her, however, was Salandrian’s question, for it was based in a very stark reality that she attended during the lecture: she did not like what the women did, in particular, the leader: Latra Posae.

 

It irritated her how the Wise constantly reminded the others around them to know exactly how wise they were, and woman or not, this Latra gave the Accepted an impression that she would be one of those Wise women. Perhaps Sammael, Destroyer of Hope, would not have laughed to see Lews Therin’s failure after he sealed the Bore if both the men and women would unite against the Dark One’s taint. Saline saw the Concord as cowardly, and deemed that, even if some situations appeared bleak, there was always hope. Oh, the cowardice was understandable, as many things in this world terrified Saline, but abandoning one’s own did not appeal to her. It was a bold move, and successful too, in its aim to put the Dark One behind locks. Heartstone indeed, only it described the stony hearts of the women who took no part in supporting her brethren, her brothers.

 

Picking up the homemade papers, she set them on the table before extinguishing her candle with a lick of fire laced with spirit. Guilty for opening herself to Saidar when it was not necessary, she was weak as she succumbed to the dizziness of heightened awareness. Convulsing in the cold, she groped her way slowly to the window, such as a sparrow may find its way higher with longer, more powerful strokes rather than the frantic struggle upwards bound. In no mood to follow up on that victory, Saline laid herself gingerly on her bed, and flattened against its books and pillows, she began to pray.

 

Lesson 3: The Breaking of the World

 

She rather liked the way this class was going so far. "Questions. Important, interesting and often uncomfortable questions touching sensitive spots", she said, "may often be the very means you'll have to make use of most during your education here." Even if they don't like it and will let you know, she thought rather cynically, yet without letting it show. "Salandrian, please keep in mind that history is always what other voices, other minds refer to you. Consequently it is modified and we believe what we are supposed to believe, not because it necessarily is true, but because it is easy to simply believe as you are told.

 

"To answer your question flat out seems rather an impossible thing to me, yet I don't want to tell you one way or another. People always got along differently, and Aes Sedai certainly are no exception here, but you might want to remember that Power means contest, means rivalry, means envy." She stopped at that, feeling herself getting carried away. After all she was here to make them think about the delicate subject of Saidin and the Taint, think, not prejudiced or simple-minded. After all what was left to them but choose their own truths.

 

Clearing her throat and ther mind to get back to matters at hand, she started this mornings's lesson .

 

“Today´s lesson will be dedicated to the Breaking of the World which was the inevitable result of the Time of Madness, caused and spread throughout the World at the very moment when Lews Therin Telamon closed the Bore and the Dark One backfired at him for the last time. The last time that would be fatal for all male channellers in the World. But let me start from the beginning.

 

“While Lews Therin and the Hundred Companions successfully sealed the Bore, they did so at a tremendous cost. A backblast at the moment of the sealing tainted saidin. While this may or may not have been a deliberate action of the Dark One, the results were catastrophic.

 

Lews Therin and the surviving Hundred Companions went immediately insane. Within days they were destroying everything in their path. This was the beginning of the Time of Madness, a time when the One Power was used in ways that had never been considered before. Mountain ranges were destroyed, and new mountains rose. The weather was greatly affected, creating raging storms.

 

While each of these men destroyed a great deal, it is only Lews Therin whose individual acts are still known through legend. He killed every person who carried a drop of his blood, and all those close to him, earning him the name Kinslayer.

 

Away from Shayol Ghul, male Aes Sedai everywhere noticed the taint immediately. They were unsure what it was, but it did not affect the way the One Power was used. Some time passed before other male Aes Sedai began to go insane, and even more time passed before it was discovered that it was the taint on saidin which was causing this to happen.

 

Even while maddened Aes Sedai were beginning to tear apart the land, armies of the Shadow still threatened civilization. Without any major leadership, however, these armies fell upon each other as often as on any forces of the Light. With Lews Therin gone, Latra Posae rose to prominence in the fight against the Shadow. She earned the name Shadar Nor, "Cutter of the Shadow," but she died some time during the Breaking, when exactly nobody knows. The Breaking itself eventually put an end to the war, as forces of the Light and the Shadow focused on survival.

 

Some of these men tried to avoid their fate by avoiding the saidin. They went to Ogier stedding, where the True Source could not be detected. These men hoped that the taint on saidin could be removed. Eventually, though, they all left the stedding, no longer able to accept the lack of the One Power. Scholars argue over whether these men made things better or worse by temporarily moving to the stedding. While it did prolong the Breaking, it spread the destruction out over a much longer span of time.

 

Despite the fact that male Aes Sedai were going insane, the Aes Sedai continued to work wonders. Chief among them was the creation of the Eye of the World, created to protect various artifacts against the need to come in the future.

The Aes Sedai hid the seals to the Dark One’s prison, lest a maddend man find them. The exact hiding places still remain unknown and we can only hope that they will never be found, least of all by a male Aes Sedai or some other corrupt creature longing for power.

 

Thus the War of Power had come to an end, but to a high price, higher than the World had ever had to face one. Humanity had fallen apart, all the great works of the Age of Legends had been destroyed and still male channellers, though they may be very few, roam the world doomed to die from the price that had to be paid to seal the Dark One´s prison.“

Silence had fallen in the class as eager and curious ears were listening intently, waiting what would come next. Faile closed her books that she had used for reference and stepped aside, waiting for whoever might be willing to start with their assigned talks.

 

“It is upon you know, to talk about what you have heard and what you have prepared. Maybe one of you may even answer the questions one of your fellow students has, so please feel free to begin your talks.”

 

OOC: Just talk about one aspect that interests you most, it doesn´t have to be very long, but should concern either the War of Power, the Breaking or some important character who has played a major role in these events like Lews Therin or the Forsaken. The topic is completely up to you and you can make a discussion of this or exchange different opinions about the same topic. Have fun all 

 

"With Lews Therin gone, Latra Posae rose to prominence in the fight against the Shadow. She earned the name Shadar Nor, 'Cutter of the Shadow,' but she died some time during the Breaking, when exactly nobody knows." She read, then commented: "Good riddance."

 

One of the few advantages of being an Accepted is that you have two beds, or so thought Saline as she curled up in one of her beds. Looking up from her book, she grinned at Salandrian, who sprawled on her other one. Over the past months she and the bright Novice from Ebou Dar had gotten along rather well, and Saline felt pleasantly surprised that the young woman would accept her invitation to spend an afternoon studying instead of doing whatever Novices nowadays would do after completing the coursework. She supposed that since an Accepted was present Salandrian technically had permission to channel if she wanted to light a candle or heat tea, but the topics they studied were not about the weaves. The discussion in class had turned out so fascinating that she felt compelled to offer her room, which the Novice graciously accepted; there she was, instead of hanging out with her roommates or whatnot, reading one of the books that Saline had stacked on her writing desk. Just looking at the Novice reminded her of Syara, and for a moment she could almost hear the other scolding her for her posture while reading. This made her grin again.

 

She lowered her head, sunny curls brushing the text of the book she was reading. It was mostly about the Ogiers and the Breaking, telling her that the men prolonged the Breaking by hiding in Steddings. She had also noticed that there were different things people did during this time of chaos. All over, people tried to preserve their way of life, their cultures by stocking up on anything from as abstract as music and literature, to practical objects such as plows and tools. It was a reign of fear, and those male Aes Sedai had prolonged the fear when any fool knew the quickest cut is the cleanest.

 

"Perhaps there is a justification. They really thought they would die there, that they could really go their entire lives without using the Power. That is sacrifice." She said slowly. "I know that sacrifice for a good cause isn't a sacrifice though…"

Her words trailed off. She had an idea. Her words rushed after another, as she spoke in excitement:

 

“Listen, what if it was possible that we not only try to prevent the Breaking, but to preserve what we have in case of another Breaking?  Isn’t that what the males are doing, trying to hold on without losing hope that they can be healed, or somehow saved? In a Stedding they could do no damage, it is only when they leave the Ogier Sanctuary that the danger is present, neh?”