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claireducky

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    As Claire lectured, she was able to watch and take stock in these young women taking their first steps down a long road of learning.  All seemed stunned to one degree or another at her insistence at dropping the honorific Sedai from her name.  Ah well, when these women were older and wiser, they would learn that titles were empty if you lacked the innate ability to command respect.  Claire had that ability, and no amount of "Sedai-ing" would make a difference to it now. When she finished the lesson, many of the girls raised their hands with questions.

     

    Claire called on Aeryn first.  She seemed an eager sort, with her blonde hair tied up in a no-nonsense bun.  A girl after my own heart... she thought wryly.  After Claire called her name, Aeryn spoke her question out clearly, so the whole class could hear her.

     

    "Aes Sedai, you said channeling is tapping into the energy of life itself. Would this mean that you are effectively taking the energy that the Wheel needs to create more threads? If I were to channel strongly, would it make a farmer's crops fail somewhere else in the world?"

     

    The ancient Brown smiled at the depth of the question.  "An excellent question, Aeryn.  It always behooves a channeler to think long about the potential effects of their weaves.  Saidar and Saidin are drawn from the infinite pool of energy that drives the Wheel.  However, this source is renewable; in fact it is renewed by the very life that covers our world.  So while no action could drain the source and strain the Wheel in its weaving, you DO need to think of the consequences of the weaves you use.  If you were to want rain over Tar Valon, you could do it, if you had the proper strength and used the correct weave.  However, if you pull the moisture from the air around Tar Valon, you could create a drought miles away in the Black Hills. Just like the tiniest droplet of water will create ripples in a pool; for every action, there is an unknown number of results."

     

    Aeryn chewed this over, and Claire called on the next student.  Nina was a Domani; it was obvious in every movement of her body, and the way she tossed her auburn-colored hair over her shoulder.  Even her voice was slightly seductive as she asked, “When I was tested by the Mistress of Novice's, she used a small crystal.  Will we learning the use of other such objects that contain the power in our lessons?”

     

    Claire allowed herself a small smile.  Some questions were as predictable as the sunrise from class to class.  This one had almost always been asked at some point, in every Introduction to Saidar class she had ever taught.

     

    "Objects do not contain the Power, child.  The Power flows all around us, and we use it through the focus of our minds.  Occasionally, objects may be used as an aid to that focus.  The crystal is one example; others may choose to use a stone in their hair, a staff, or a pendant.  The object itself is meaningless, you could do as well using a teacup as your focus if that is what you chose.  Many Sedai use no focus at all; the crystal is used by the Mistress of Novices because the people being tested usually need that extra help in their focus, and the crystal provides that."

     

    Kharal had her hand up next.  She was a pale beauty with ebon hair rippling down her shoulders.  She did a good job of keeping her face emotionless, and her voice was dispassionate, almost uninterested.  Claire suspected the Whites had a prospect in this one.  It was an interesting game to her, guessing where these girls would end up years from now. 

     

    "Claire Sedai...are there many novices and Accepted who have been burned out? Is it...a common occurrence?"

     

    Claire thought a moment about how best to answer.  "Kharal, I am not sure offhand the exact number of Novices or Accepted who have been burned out.  It is hmm...an unpleasant topic of study.  I will say this much:  The number of burned out Novices and Accepted is MUCH higher among those girls who were not mindful of the warnings they were taught."

     

    The Novices were quieted by this, and it was a few moments before another girl raised her hand.  It was Devrion, and Claire had gotten an odd feeling from her all through the lesson.  At one point the girl had a strange smile and her eyes had been intense as burning coals.  Whether the girl had thought of some potential mischief or she had something else in mind, Claire could not say.  Either way, it was a situation that needed watching.  Even the way she asked her question was slightly demanding and tinged with lack of deference. 

     

    "Claire, if anything short of death can be healed, why cant being severed from the source? Why is it such a threat?"

     

    The Brown drew a deep breath; there was always one who failed to see the danger.  "Aes Sedai do not write the rules of what can be done with the Power, Devrion.  Only the Creator can do that.  Even in our records of the Age of Legends, where wonders we could only dream of today were once performed with the One Power, severing or stilling was forever.  An Aes Sedai can lift something into the air, but she cannot fly with the power.  Why?  The Whites would launch into a diatribe on physics and the like, but I have a simpler opinion.  The Creator knows that those who can wield Saidar and Saidin have power over others.  To prevent hubris that would let us make gods of ourselves, the Creator also put in limitations.  We cannot fly, we are not immortal, and severing is forever."

     

    Let them make of that what they will, Claire thought as she sat back down again.  She waited to see if any more questions would be forthcoming.

     

     

     

     

    Welcome Arath!  We'll give your Bio a looksee and get you going!  ^^  I've already made a BTer, but I encourage anybody else who is interested to give it a try.  They have some interesting things going on now and in the near future!

    From lesson 4:

     

    Lesson Four: Planning and Executing An RP

     

    Sorry for the delay, I was giving some folks a bit more time to get their bios in before we started our RPs.

     

    In this lesson, I will put you into groups or pairs and we will head to Revolution One to RP practice.  I have posted all of your bios HERE so that you can learn a bit about your writing partners.  Please take the time to read the bios of those you are grouped with before starting your RP.

     

    ^^

    Nope.  She'd have a rough time for sure, and I know exactly the kind of character I want to play.  Have you read the Song of Ice and Fire books by George RR Martin?  If so, your character makes me think a lot of Brienne (tall, muscular, not particularly pretty), and I think it would be fun to play an antagonist who pretends to be nice to her.  There is a part in ASOIAF where several knights make a bet as to who can claim Brienne's maidenhead first, so they fall over themselves trying to win her heart, for her only to find out later it was a bet (before anybody was successful, though!), and she then gets to kick all their butts in a melee.  So yeah...maybe we could do something involving false friendship and betrayal?

    In the early hours before dawn, Gianna rose silently and slipped away from New Braem.  She felt bad abandoning Tai, but she couldn't very well take him to Tar Valon with her. 

     

    She left a note on his saddle, where he would see it when he left today.  In it, she apologized for leaving without him, but that he could not follow her where she needed to go now.  She left him instructions for sending letters to her through her agent in Caemlyn, and she thanked him for his service.  And the last line, she almost left off, but decided to include it:

     

    I have come to enjoy your company very much, and I feel that if I stayed in your company, I would soon quite forget what my quest is.  I pray that you will write me, and frequently.  When I can see you again, I will.

     

    Yours,

    Gianna

     

    She galloped into the rising sun, making for the Shining Walls.

    Gianna stood flabbergasted.  She forgot about the shawl for a moment and then hastily pulled it around her naked body.

     

    Healing?  Is this some kind of trick?  Why would she offer me Healing if she knows what I did last night?

     

    She drew herself up, wary of Nastascia's smile, though it seemed genuine enough.  She cleared her throat softly, and decided.

     

    "Thank you, Nastascia, but I will keep my bruises.  I earned them, just as I earned the shawl and the tightness of the Oaths upon me now.  Healing would remove the bruises and ease the tightness, but I feel I should keep the reminders of what I did to earn both of them.  At least for now."

     

    Gianna smiled then, with a hint of embarrassment in her cheeks. "However, if you could Heal me of the shame I feel at strutting around the Tower in dishabille, I would thank you greatly.  But since that is impossible, I suppose I will survive.  After all, I can just think about all the other Blues who have paraded through the Tower, naked as their nameday, and it gives me a bit of pride to be following in their footsteps."

     

    She turned back to the other Blues.  "Lead on, sisters!  Let us visit the Greens last, so I can save all of my best insults for them."

     

    Gianna strode ahead proudly, not moving to hide herself with the shawl anymore.  She was Blue Ajah, and she would be Blue Ajah til the day she died.

     

     

    Claire heard the faint "Come!" from through the heavy doors, and she channeled Air to swing them open on their iron hinges.

     

    Shevara was sitting at her writing desk, bent over a parchment with a quill.  Claire shut the doors behind her and moved to stand in front of the desk.  The Amyrlin finally looked up, and seeing who it was, she smiled.  Claire couldn't help but smile back, for she truly liked this Amyrlin.

     

    Light knows how many I've seen come and go...too many, in truth.  This one has metal hidden beneath the silk, though.  Hopefully it will keep her alive.

     

    She bent the knee as much as her old joints would allow, then sat in the chair Shevara had indicated.  After a moment to get settled, the Amyrlin asked, "Well?  What brings you here, daughter?"

     

    Claire cleared her throat and shifted the heavy tome on her lap.  "Well, Mother...as you know, the weather has been unnaturally hot as of late.  The sisters who have a Talent with such things say that they feel as if the wrath of winter should have been here months ago, yet this heat wave persists."

     

    Shevara nodded impatiently; she knew this already.  Claire moved on to the heart of the matter.

     

    "Well, as the Clouddancers have had no luck abating the heat, something tickled my memory about a ter'angreal that was used for just that. It took some hours to find the reference I was looking for; and in fact it was Selene that found the record I needed.  I tell you, she is a born Brown, and it will be my duty to make sure she sees that..." 

     

    Claire cut off abruptly as she realized she was off the subject.  "Hrm, well, yes.  Anyway, this record references a ter'angreal that was used to control the weather over regional areas."

     

    She leaned forward and set the book upon the writing desk, opening it to the correct page for Shevara.  "Here.  It was supposedly used by the Sea Folk to control the weather in regions of the sea and on land around Tremalking.  It must require channeling, for I cannot see such a powerful object being left in the hands of non-channelers. As you can see in the illustration, it is a large and shallow bowl, almost a span across.  Made of the clearest crystal, it bears patterns of waves and clouds upon it.  The records are confused as to if the images are carved on the bowl or otherwise manifsted."

     

    Claire turned to another page and pointed at an entry there. "It shows here that the Bowl was in the inventory of the Tower's objects of power as recently as 400 years ago.  After that, it drops completely out of the records, with no further mention of it anywhere.  I've personally tore the storerooms apart, even the one in the deepest basement where the most dangerous ter'angreal are kept.  It is not here.  Now, perhaps you think this is all a waste of my time...if it's not here, it's not here.  But one thing that made me wonder is that the sister last recorded to have checked out the bowl for study is Tristen Durien.  She was a Green who researched ter'angreal for potential uses in battle.  At around the same time as the bowl disappeared, Tristen was working with a ter'angreal when she was suddenly struck unconscious.  When they found her, she was alive, but severed from the Source.  She had no memory of the incident or which item she was studying, and most researchers since then have been terrified to go anywhere near the ter'angreal that were in her rooms at the time."

     

    Claire didn't mention that she was not among those who avoided Tristen's ter'angreal, but she still shuddered, thinking of the chance she took every time she worked with them.  The Amyrlin was wearing a look of patient forbearance, and so Claire knew she needed to be concise. 

     

    "You may wonder why I mention Tristen.  Well, when the Green was severed, she quietly disappeared, presumably back to her home town of Ebou Dar.  The bowl was also missing in the inventory that was taken right after she left.  I surmise that she took the bowl with her.  To what end, I do not know, but it is the best lead we have, and surely worth acting on."

     

    Her voice took on a passion as she spoke, much as it used to when she served as a Sitter in the Hall and needed all her passion to persuade others.  "Mother, I request that you send an embassy to Ebou Dar in search of this ter'angreal.  I feel we have ignored the Sea Folk for much too long, and if they had channelers enough to use this bowl long ago, why do we only see the occasional sister from them now?  I think it would be profitable to closely question one of our Atha'an Miere Grays.  There will be Sea Folk in Ebou Dar, and perhaps they can provide us with information about this bowl that we don't have.  If we can learn more about it, and locate it, perhaps it can be used to put the weather to rights."

     

    Claire fell silent then, watching as the Amyrlin sat in thought about all she had said. She asked one question almost immediately. "Daughter, what is the name of this fabled ter'angreal?"

     

    The Brown rose from her seat and went to the sideboard to prepare some tea.  "Why Mother, I forgot that I didn't even mention its name! How silly of me. It is called the Bowl of the Winds."

     

    She returned to the desk with the tea, first serving the Amyrlin, and then herself.  She sat in silence, blowing softly on the dark liquid to cool it. She watched Shevara over the rim of her cup, and wondered what she would decide.

     

     

    Larindhra padded silently on slippered feet through the Accepted gallery.  She shook her head and smiled a bit at the idea of Nastascia screaming and running through the Blue Ajah quarters.  That must have been a sight to see...

     

    She quickly schooled her face to stillness as she reached the far end of the Gallery.  The Red could hear two voices, one slightly raised with intensity, the other one quieter but no less intense.  The quiet one would be Esther...and the louder one Nastascia, who so definitely deserved the nick name of "Nasty".

     

    The stand lamps barely penetrated the gloom of the corridor, but she finally could see the irascible Blue standing in front of Esther's door, berating the poor child.  Well, I will put a stop to this right now.  She took a step forward and spoke to Nastascia.

     

    "What is the meaning of this, sister?" 

     

    Nastascia whirled around in surprise and when she saw Larindhra, her face quickly morphed from surprise to distaste.  Nasty's dislike for anyone not of her Ajah (and even many of those in her Ajah) was no secret.  Well, this superiority would stop here.  The Red drew herself up and continued.

     

    "Far be it from me to interfere in another sister's business, Nastascia, but I feel the need to remind you that the Novices and Accepted are MY charge, and mine alone.  If you feel this child needs to be questioned about something, it is the province of the Mistress of Novices to handle it, not for you to take it upon yourself."

     

    Larindhra noted with pleasure that Esther was staying silent and unobtrusive throughout all of this, which kept the Blue from noticing her now that Lar had turned the attention to herself.  Nasty opened her mouth, but the Red plunged ahead before she could speak.

     

    "Now, I have heard of your...misfortunes...tonight, and you have my sympathies.  However I must let you know that this child had nothing to do with the incident other than being an unwitting dupe of the person who paid the unsolicited visit to your rooms."

     

    The Blue swallowed what she had been about to say.  When she recovered, her voice was ice when she spoke.

     

    "How can you know this?"

     

    "I know this because the real culprit visited my chambers not a half-hour ago and confessed all that she had done, including tricking this young woman into being the messenger that got you to leave your rooms.  So I suggest we let Esther get back to her blankets, as she will already be suffering through tomorrow because of the lack of sleep tonight.  I hope you do not have any objections?"

     

    Larindhra made it clear in her voice that she didn't give two goats if Nastascia had any objections, but she waited for the explosion all the same.

     

    Light, I shouldn't enjoy provoking her so much, but it is so bloody easy to do so...

     

     

     

     

    Posted

    Claire waited in the classroom for the Novices to arrive.  It had been long since Claire had last been a teacher, but she needed something to occupy her mind and keep it off of more serious things of late. Instructing this class was probably a good solution.  Claire heated some tea on the sideboard and poured herself a cup, flavored lightly with honey.  She was dressed in a rustling silk dress, a shimmering dusty brown. In her up-swept honey blonde hair (with multiple streaks of grey) is fixed a dagger hair pin, with the teardrop of Saidar enameled on its hilt.  Claire is 5’9 and is getting fairly thin as she ages. She has a heart-shaped face, high cheek bones, and dimples when she smiles, which is often. Her eyes are blue-grey, sometimes as dark as the sea on a stormy day.

     

    Claire stood as the Novices began to file into the room and take their seats.  When all had arrived, she began the first step in what she hoped would be a long career for each of these young women.

     

    “Good morning, class. I am Claire Sedai of the Brown Ajah. I will be your Introduction to Saidar teacher.  Please address me as Claire, as I hope we will all know each other quite well by time you reach the shawl. Before we get started I have a few rules that MUST be followed to the letter. You must NOT touch the Source or channel, without supervision. Since you have not been here long, I doubt you have started channeling yet.  If you have started already, that will stop immediately.  From now until the day you reach Accepted, you will not channel unless you have the express permission of an Aes Sedai or Accepted. If you violate this rule, even in this class—You will immediately be sent to the Mistress of Novices’ office for a suitable punishment. Since you are new, understand that ‘suitable’ means extremely harsh."

     

    ”You do not have the discipline to control Saidar or to attempt to channel it. The feeling is so overpoweringly addictive that you might be tempted to take in more than you can safely handle. This could result in any number of horrible outcomes, among them hurting or killing others, yourself, or even worse yet, burning the ability out of yourself. An Aes Sedai or Accepted must be there with you to moderate the amount you attempt to handle, and ensure that your flows don’t go out of control. This is for your safety, and the safety of all in the Tower. During your time here at the Tower this is THE primary rule you MUST follow."

     

    "If right now you are saying to yourself, ‘She is trying to scare me’, then you’re right. If you aren’t scared, then you are a fool.”  Claire saw the near-terrified look on the students’ faces and knew her lecture and warning had hit home.  She maintained her stern façade while on the inside she couldn’t help but smile.

     

    She took a breath of relief; Claire was not fond of putting a pretense of harshness on with the initiates.  She really did enjoy teaching, and this course was one of her favorites.  All Aes Sedai started with this small first step.  She turned back to her students and continued with the lesson.   “Someday control will come. You will be comfortable with the Power, and it will come when you need it.  Beware of becoming too comfortable, however.  Comfort begets hubris, which can trip you when you least expect it.  Mastery of the Power takes years of effort and discipline, which will start in this course. Your lessons in this will continue, until you are raised to an Aes Sedai. Now we shall move on to your first lesson.”

     

    At this point, Claire walked to a chalkboard she had on an easel in one part of her study.  On it she drew the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai, and labeled the ‘tear-drop’ shaped half Saidar, and the ‘dragon-fang’ shaped half Saidin.  Turning back towards the seated women, she began her lecture.

     

    “The True Source is made up of two complementary parts: Saidin, the male half and Saidar, the female half. Only women can touch Saidar and only men Saidin. Most people cannot sense or touch the True Source, only two or three percent of all the people in the known world have this ability. Channelling is when a person draws from the Source and controls its flows to achieve a desired result.”

     

    “But what exactly is Saidar? The answers to this question are infinite. The White Ajah has debated about this for years to no real avail. However, it seems to be the very essence of energy in all things, even life itself. When a woman channels, she takes threads of that energy, the One Power, and weaves them to perform various tasks. For example I could use the Power to lift my cup of tea,” Claire embraced the Source and used a thread of Air to lift her cup, “and to heat it up again.” She wove a tiny strand of Fire in the cup until steam came up from it. Some of the Novices fairly goggled at Claire doing these things.  With a suppressed smile, Claire continued.

     

    “These are fairly easy tasks, before our lessons are over you to will be able to do this. Now back to the matter at hand. There are five different threads to the One Power, known as the Five Powers. They’re named after the elements their energies manipulate: Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Spirit. People who have the ability to channel typically have a greater natural ability deal with one or two different threads. Some rare individuals have a great ability with three of the threads. And even during the Age of Legends, according to some tomes we have, it was extremely rare to find someone who could handle four or five of the elements very strongly.”

     

    “Typically, men were more adept with Fire and Earth, while women were more adept with Water and Air. Both were equally strong in Spirit it seems. But do not let this mislead you. Many Novices labor under the misapprehension that being strong in Fire and Earth means they are stronger overall as a channeler.  To keep you from that delusion, please remember that there is no rock so strong that water and wind cannot wear away, no fire so fierce that water cannot quench it or wind snuff it out.”

     

    “As I said before, the use of the One Power is addictive. The act of channeling makes a person feel more alive, so much that life without touching either Saidar or Saidin seems only a pale shade of what life should be. It is because of this reason that channeling is dangerous - drawing too much of the One Power can either sear the ability to channel out of you, or it can kill you outright.  Many channelers would agree that to be killed would be better than to live without the ability to touch the Source at will. That is how sweet the feeling is that you will experience. You must learn how to remain strong in the face of that temptation. This is why girls who can learn are brought to the Tower. Even if they do not have the desire to rise to the shawl, they must learn to control the urges lest they hurt themselves or those around them.”

     

    “There have been times in the history of the Tower that Aes Sedai have been cut from the Source as punishment. This process, known as severing, is called Stilling.”  Claire reached for several pieces of parchment she had prepared earlier, and handed one over to each student.

     

    “These are the names of every Sister who has been Stilled in the History of the White Tower, and their crimes. Memorize them. You may be asked later, at random, to tell me about them. If you’d like to know more you can find more information on each in the library. I encourage you all to research them extensively. Only by remembering our past mistakes can we succeed in not repeating them. Learn from them so that you may never have to pay the price of their foolishness.”

     

    “Tomorrow we will begin our actual workings with Saidar. I ask that you please get a good night’s rest, and plenty to eat. This class will be your entry to a wonderful and amazing new world. Your final assignment for today is to go to the library and find information on at least one Novice or Accepted that has been burnt out. I will ask you for this report after tomorrow’s lesson.”

     

    Claire smiled warmly at the Novices, who had been very attentive throughout the lecture. “If you have any questions feel free to ask them now, or if any come up later you are welcome back to my quarters at any time.”

     

     

    OOC: Homework for this lesson is to write about your character listening to the lecture. What does she look like, what does she feel during the lecture. Etc. If she has any questions, be sure to ask!  Feel free to start thinking of ideas for the burnt out Novice or Accepted report, it will be due later.