Larindhra waited for the small group of novices to file in, her face serene but exuding a sternness bound to intimidate. The tight bun she had pulled her hair into helped, as did the severely cut dark red dress, and the red fringed shawl draped across her shoulders. She had removed all her jewellery, apart from her Great Serpent ring, which she always wore on the third finger of her left hand. She tapped the rolled up parchments held in that hand against her leg intentionally, knowing it would attract their attention.

 

Very few Accepted or Aes Sedai would go to this much trouble to impress novices, but Larindhra had learned that a little effort now could save a lot of heartache later. Who was the one who had to deal out punishment, and upon occasion help a burnt out girl start a new life, all because this boring lesson was rambled off and therefore ignored by many of the young girls starting their life in the Tower? Not them, no – Larindhra was left to do that. Her face became even more forbidding as she thought of the devastated girl she had needed to comfort before sending her back home, just this morning. All because no-one could be bothered!  Well, these girls would be spared that fate, if she had to skin them alive to make it so! Stepping forward, Larindhra looked each girl in the eye intently, then began her lesson.

 

“Before we get started I have a few rules that you must follow. Do not, I repeat, do not, touch the Source, or Light forbid, channel, without supervision. I do not care if you have already started channelling in the secrecy of your room. That will stop today. If any of you are found violating this rule you will be in my office, howling for your mothers, before you can blink. That will be for disobeying me.  Your punishment for channelling without proper supervision will be much worse, I promise you.  You think this seems extremely harsh? Think again. You have only been here a few days, but I’m sure most of you have met or at least seen Naruschka? Well, she didn’t pay attention to this lesson.  She was sent home this morning. Because she thought she could get away with channelling on her own. She … has … been … burnt … out." She paused to allow her dire words to sink in.

 

"You do not have the discipline to control Saidar or to attempt to channel it safely. The feeling is so immense and addictive that you might be tempted to take in more than you can safely handle. This could result in a myriad of bad consequences, among them hurting or killing others, hurting or killing yourself, or even worse yet, Stilling yourself. Like Naruschka. However, with an Aes Sedai or Accepted there with you, they can moderate the amount you attempt to handle and ensure that your flows do not lash out of control. This is for your safety, and the safety of your fellow novices. Punishment will be harsh for violators of this rule. Consider it the most important rule you must follow while you stay here at the Tower. Now with that said let us move on. Control will come, and one day you will be comfortable with using the Power, and it will come when you need it. Someday. But that takes years and years of effort and discipline, which will start in this course and continue even after you are raised to an Aes Sedai. Learning never ends. Remember that and you will do well here. Now on to your first lesson."

 

"The first thing you need to do, before anything else, is learn about what it is you are going to be dealing with. The One Power is classified in two ways. Saidar is the female half of the One Power, Saidin the male half. Only two to three percent of all the people in the known world have the ability to touch the One Power. When a person draws from the One Power and controls its flow to produce a desired result this is called channelling. What is Saidar exactly? Well, many people would give you many different answers to this question. What it seems to be is the very essence of energy in all things, in all life around us. A Sister channelling takes threads of that energy, the One Power, and weaves them to perform various tasks. The five threads of the One Power are Air, Water, Fire, Spirit, and Earth. Those people who have the ability to channel typically have a greater natural ability to deal with one or two of the different threads. Some rare individuals exhibit a great ability with three of the threads. Even during the Age of Legends, according to tomes we have, it was extremely rare to find someone who could handle four of the threads very strongly, let alone all five elements."

 

"In most cases, men were more adept with Fire and Earth, while women were more talented with Air and Water. Both are equally strong in Spirit it seems. Do not let this mislead you. Many girls believe just because men are usually stronger in Fire and Earth that they are stronger over all? This is not always true. As you will learn in future classes, the powers of Spirit, Air, and Water are formidable and should not be discounted. Use of the One Power is addictive. Channelling makes the person feel more alive, such that life without touching either Saidin or Saidar seems only a pale shade of what life should be. It is for this reason that channelling is dangerous - drawing too much of the One Power can at the least sear the ability to channel out of a person, at the worst it can kill. The feeling is very sweet and powerful that you will experience. You must learn how to remain strong in the face of that temptation. That is why girls who can learn to channel are brought here. Even if they do not desire to rise to the shawl, or do not have the inner strength needed to gain it, they must still learn to control the urges lest they hurt themselves or those around them. There have been many times in the history of the Tower when Aes Sedai have been cut off from the One Power as a punishment. This process is known as severing." Larindhra handed out the parchments she had been holding.

 

"These are the names of every Sister who has been Stilled in the History of the Tower and why. Memorize them. You may be asked later, at random, to tell me about them. I expect you will know them inside and out. If you'd like to know more you can find more information on each in the library. I encourage you to research them extensively. Only by keeping in mind our past mistakes can we succeed in not repeating them. Learn from them so you do not have to pay the price they did for foolishness. Tomorrow we will begin our working with Saidar.

 

Larindhra Reyne

Mistress of Novices

 

 

Ooc: Describe how your character feels about what she’s hearing, how this lesson compares with what she was expecting Novice training to be, how the surroundings affect her, etc. You could add what you think of the MoN or AS in general, your fellow class mates, or anything else you can think of.  Have fun!

 

It was almost time for Selene's very first class on Saidar and the girl couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering and making her feel giddy and sick at the same time.  She had a few minutes, she decided to pop into the Mess Hall and grab a piece of fruit to eat on her way to the class.  She debated briefly, standing in front of the well-stocked baskets of fruit, before she chose a shiny yellow apple.  She flashed a warm smile at the cook who was eyeing her - knowing that the girl had been in for lunch not long ago and that it was hours yet until dinner - but the cook seemed to have a fondness for Selene.  Possibly because of Selene's fondness for food and open, genuine smiles.  The cook swatted after Selene as she turned and dashed out of the kitchens, her long-handled spoon connecting with Selene's backside in a strike that was much more playful than it was painful.  Delighted giggles and a "Thank you!" called over her shoulder echoed back as she disappeared through the kitchen door and started towards the lecture halls.

 

As she munched the sweet, crispy apple, Selene tried to imagine what touching the Source would feel like.  She'd been told that it was wonderful and joyous and great and all these things, but she couldn't quite imagine it for herself.  As she got to the doors to the lecture hall, she pulled out her handkerchief to wrap the apple core in until she could more properly dispose of it, using one corner of the hanky to wipe the juice from her chin.  She straightened her dress, smoothed down her hair, ran her tongue across her teeth to make sure she didn't have anything stuck in between them, and then went in through the door.

 

She was the first one there, alone with Larindhra Sedai, and she balked for a moment, her usual bright cheer dimmed by the severity of her teacher's appearance.  Selene dropped into an uncertain curtsy, completely unprepared for meeting up with the Mistress of Novices one on one.  Should Selene talk to her? Make small talk and conversation? Ask her how her day was going? When they met in Larindhra Sedai's office it was much easier, there were clear expectations of how to behave and what was expected of her.  Selene smiled uncertainly and took a seat close to the Mistress, pulling out everything she'd need to take notes in the class.  Thankfully, it wasn't long before the other girls showed up and Selene was spared the uncomfortable decisions about chatting up Larindhra Sedai.

 

Selene listened intently as Larindrha spoke, her demeanor sobering considerably.  While generally a silly and happy child, Selene was not incapable of seriousness and the subject at hand proved to be enough to bring it out of her.  Selene had seen Naruschka in the mess hall and they had been assigned to Infirmary duty together, helping to organize herbs and sterilize and roll up bandages together.  She wouldn't have said they were close enough to be friends but just having someone she knew being sent home made the whole concept of burning yourself out so much more real, so much more possible.  Selene fidgeted in her chair, frowning and looking like she wished she hadn't had that apple on the way to class.

 

Her quill scratched across the paper as she took notes, marking down the five powers and the predisposition of power strengths among males and females.  She wondered which threads she would be the most powerful with, and if she'd have any great skill with any of them.  She continued taking notes until Larindrha Sedai handed her a parchment with a list of names and explanations on it.  She looked over the list, color draining from her face.  She thought about visiting the library to find out more, as Larindhra Sedai suggested, but her stomach turned at the idea.  She'd never had to study something so sad and upsetting before and she didn't know if she could manage spending her little free time researching something so unhappy.  Maybe it would be for the best, it's not as if she'd spend the rest of her life only learning about things she enjoyed.

 

Larindhra Sedai announced that they would be working with Saidar directly tomorrow and Selene sat there expectantly, waiting for the rest of today's lessons.  After a few moments, she got the impression that the lesson was already over and Selene looked a little crestfallen.  There was so much that she had to learn about being Aes Sedai, she had a hard time believing that today's class would be so short, and involve so little actual work.  She had the list of names to study, but that seemed more like a general knowledge requirement than anything that was a specific assignment to be completed. 

 

Selenessin Al'Thorin

Remarkably Subdued

Sarena had only just come from the Mistress of Novices office when an Aes Sedai stopped her in the hallways, Sarena dropped into a deep curtsey. The Aes Sedai did not give her name and the only way Sarena could describe her was magnificent, she looked as if she belonged seated on a throne. The Aes Sedai told her that her first class would be starting very soon in the lecture halls. Sarena thanked the Aes Sedai and curtsied again as she left.

 

Sarena then began to walk quickly to where she remembered the lecture halls to be. She had to ask another novice if she was going the right way. Finally she found the room, as she entered the room she noticed that the Mistress of Novices herself was to be teaching it.

There was only one other novice in the room at the time so Sarena found a desk next to her. Sarena turned and smiled at the novice next to her who returned her smile.

 

Then Larindhra Sedai started the lesson. Sarena had already heard this lecture before but she listned just as intently as she would have the first time. It was such a serious matter, and then to hear that it had happened to a girl the day before only drove the message home harder. Sarena wrote down notes on the five powers and the nature of them. Then Larindhra Sedai handed her a parchment with names of all the women who had been stilled. It was a grim list. She recognised some of the names, Larindhra Sedai went on to say that she thought they should research the names to find out the stories behind them.

Sarena was glad there was some homework as she hadnt had time to meet any of the other novices yet, she hoped that she would make some new friends soon. She was still thinking on this as she was walking out of the hall to the Library.

 

 

 

 

Sarena Asnobar

Lonely Novice

Walking down the hall in her new white dress Venca was getting frustrated. The bright white uniform walls of the Tower she had first thought beautiful, was making getting where she wanted very hard indeed. As she had been a messenger only a few days ago and could always find her way, being lost was the worst thing ever, and it was going to make her late if she didn’t get help soon. Seeing a white dress disappear around a corner ahead of her Venca hurried to catch up with the other girl.

 

Following behind the girl Venca finally recognized the area to be where she needed, the lecture halls. Studying the other girl she seemed a bit uncertain also so when she went into a room Venca followed hoping it was the right one. Upon entering the room her first sight was of the Mistress of Novices in a red dress and a look on face that said “Don’t mess with me I mean business”. Dropping a quick curtsy and noticing there were only two other girls present, Venca found a seat close to them; no way did she want that stare on her alone! Slowly the room filled and Larindhra Sedai started the lesson.

 

Realizing she had no supplies out Venca quickly pulled out her parchment and ink to take notes. The tone Larindhra was using was so different from their first meeting that Venca had to keep looking at the woman to make sure it really was her. She could understand the reason for it though, she had met the poor girl yesterday, and devastated Venca had wished she could do something for her but everyone said nothing was to be done. Continuing with the lesson she was intrigued to find out that there were five different powers. She had assumed it was all the same. This was all so weird to her and slightly confusing.

 

Venca listened intently and when Larindhra handed out the parchment with the stilled sister’s names on it she made a mental note to ask where the library was and possibly go with someone so as to keep from getting lost again. Looking around she noticed class was over and went with crowd to the door catching up with the girl she had followed in to ask if she knew where to find the library. She really was not looking forward to learning about stilling if it made you like Naruschka, but she felt it was needed to at least know what kind of crimes would get you that punishment. Channeling tomorrow and Venca could not wait to experience it for herself!

 

Carina entered the room silently, dropped a perfect curtsey to the MoN and took up a seat on the third row of the classroom. She nodded hello to the other Novices but maintained her distance otherwise. She had only gotten to know her roommate, Selene, so she had no idea what to make of these other girls. Looking up ahead, the MoN's appearance was not lost on Carina and she instinctively felt the importance of this class. Having no real preconception of what to expect, the girl just sat quietely, waiting for the lecture to start. Still not quite fully won over on this new path her life had taken, she did not quite know how to feel about all this.

 

Larindhra started off by a warning, one that Carina didn't think would be too hard for her to follow. Having no knowledge or even the slightest bit of indication of the feeling the MoN was talking about, she could not yet fully appreciate the level of difficulty it would involve to obey that rule. So, though she did not take what Larindhra said lightly, she also did not worry about it too much. Untill hearing about Narishka, that is. That left a curious question in Carina's head. How would she feel if she was to be sent home? It would mean she could pursue her dream of becoming a Ranger. Still, I've seen the girl in question this morning and she looked absolutely miserable. Could that be from losing the ability or might it have been from losing the possibility of becoming Aes Sedai? Carina mused over that some more, especially after hearing quite a few Novices dreaming out loud how they would make kings dance and queens curtsey once they gained the Shawl. Those girls were clearly in love with the power behind being Aes Sedai and Carina had little to no sympathy for them because of that. It stood to wonder though....

 

She then turned her attention back to the MoN who was now explaining the One Power and it's elements and how it was divided between the men and women. Suddenly her more inquisitive nature reared up and she found herself longing to learn more about these natural occuring forces. For all things from nature automatically sparked an interest in Carina and this sounded very much like one of Nature's hidden treasures. I really need to see if I can find some good books on this, She thought and her spirits rose immediately.

 

Receiving the parchement with the names of the severed women, Carina looked it over and couldn't help but feel very sad for them. She knew quite well how it felt when your dream was shattered. Regardless what the Aes Sedai said, she could not believe or imagine that being Aes Sedai might actually be equally enjoyable and fulfilling as being a Ranger. Shuffles of chairs and silent murmers made her look up and realise the class was at an end. She folded the parchment up and put it in her pocket and rose from her seat as the others did, ready to follow them out.

Once Larindhra Sedai had given them leave to go, Selene gathered up her notes and the list she had been given to research.  She bowed deeply to the Mistress and thanked her for the lesson before turning to go.  She smoothed down her skirts and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.  She smiled to the two novices she hadn't seen before and moved closer to them to introduce herself.  She had always loved books and had made acquaintance with the library on her very first day, so hopefully it would give her an excuse to talk to the new girls and they could become friends.  Her smile brightened and she bobbed a tiny little curtsy to the pair of them and then started speaking in a very quiet voice as they left the room together and entered the hallway. 

 

"I'm Selenessin, from Andor.  Everyone just called me Selene, though.  Are you both new here?  I hadn't met either of you yet.  Do you want to go to the library with me to research the names on this list?" She waved the paper absently with one hand as she began moving that way.  "I'd be happy to show you the way and then we can work together to learn about these poor women.  If we divide up the work, then it should be easy to find all of them and then we can help each other with making notes and memorizing it."

 

She stopped at the end of the hallway, papers held lightly to her chest, and turned towards the two girls.  She saw Carina behind them and smiled and waved her over too.  She was already sure Carina would want to go to the library with her, and didn't think her roommate would mind these two new girls tagging along as well.  "Hi Carina," Selene smiled warmly. "Want to go to the library together?  I don't have another class until after dinner, and that one's on the Old Tongue so I have to go there anywhere before my lessons to find a book on it."

 

Sarena curtsied to Larindhra Seadi before she turned and walked out of the classroom. She was still in her own little world wondering if she still could remember her way around the library.

 

Just then the novice that she had been sitting next to had walked up next to her. Sarena's face brightened as the girl introduced herself a Selenessin and that she was from Andor. Sarena introduced herself and told Selene that she was from Ebou Dar. When Selene asked if she wanted to go with her to the library to do the study that they had been given Sarena jumped at the opportunity " Of course I'd love to, I used to know my way around here quite well but now I think I would get lost." That comment got a puzzled look from Selene so Sarena explained that this wasn't her first time at the White Tower and that she had gone back home after her sister had died. That recieved an gentle "Oh" from Selene.

"Oh thats ok, Jillen duelled bravely, and it was her first duel after all. We were all really sad after it happened but we are still very proud of the way she fought so." As Sarena finished she realised that being from Andor she might not understand so she braced herself for the questions. She answered all the questions that Selene had on the topic as they walked to the Library.

 

As they entered the Library she realised that she was going to need help finding her way round all the shelves. "Would you be able to show me round the library as I don't even know where to start looking." she whispered to Selene, She nodded and said that she would give her a quick tour of the basic areas and introduce her to the Aes Sedai that showed her around.

 

 

Sarena Asnobar