The Concordat of Illian
A Wheel of Time MUSH
(inspired by Tales of Ta'veren)

Under heavy pressure from the White Tower, A treaty of affiliation has been introduced into both the councils of the High Lords of Tear, and among the Council of Nine in Illian, waiting for the official seal of King Maron Tellin of Odesseos. The treaty is expansive and complex. Among the official gestures of alliance and goodwill is the public betrothal of the Princess Tereinde of House Odesseos to the powerful young Tairen High Lord, Alesean of House Daniago, one of more prominent figures in the ruling body of Tear. The Tower's goal in forcing this rapprochement is unknown, but rumoured to stem from a powerful spate of Fortellings that emerged from several of its sisters (Cetreise a'Sorhen, Palla Jonney, Dainese Ilivet and a pair of Accepted, Allorne Wenyr and Dorvari Vasnere) bespeaking disaster and calamity if the affairs of the southern nations are not brought under control, or so the Fortellings were interpretted. Such a confluence of prophecy is extremely rare, and the Amyrlin's decision in enacting her interpretation is adamant. Numerous Aes Sedai from all Ajah have traveled to Illian, establishing a large presence inside a purchased palace near the Square of Tammuz. Indeed, with the Hall's sanction, several sisters have brought some of their prot�g�s and prized pupils with them, creating in effect, a branch of the White Tower on the coast of the Sea of Storms, headed by a council of the Hall's designated emissaries. Foremost among this collection of Aes Sedai are the redoubtable Rigan a'Vorhan and the brilliant Damara Salines, each of whom is trying to fashion this Aes Sedai enclave in their own image.

A large contingent of Tairen nobles and courtiers have arrived with High Lord Alasean's betrothal cortege, bringing with them sizable staffs of servants and retainers, and not a few skilled Tairen artists and minstrels to dazzle their Illianer hosts with the talents of Tear. High Ladies have brought couturiers and cosmeticians, and are engaged in a not so subtle contest of elegance with the noblewomen of Illian.

Not to be outshown, the Queen of Altara, Asallia Naiane of House Quintsobar, Altara has dispatched a royal ambassadress of her own, Lady Demetriana of House Corcedes, who transported a sizable retinue and much of her rowdy family to a sea-swept manor on the edge of the city, arriving in a flotilla of brightly colored ships, bedecked with copper lanterns, sweeping into the city at dusk. King Veim do Parhan a'Vahry of Murandy has also assigned an embassy, commanding a rival of his, Lord Liem a'Torhan and his ambitious wife Calill, along with their household staff and a sizable force of levees, to partake in the exuberance and gaiety, to seize lucrative trading contracts, and above all, to keep an eye on the actions of his cunning neighbors.

Ever a canny observer of international affairs, the Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light, Theidran Emsaille, has sent an emissary of his own, Demerin den Spironedes, a Lord Captain and Illianer nobleman by birth, to establish a rival center of attention in Illian, lest the populace be exposed to the vile Aes Sedai witches without any voice exposing their sin and pride. Lord Demerin has transformed his family's mansion in the city into a ancillary fortress for the Children, for all that the King and Council of the Nine grumble at his pride, for he has much support among the Assemblage and Illianers nobility.

The heady mix of foreign courtiers and high politics has transformed Illian into a tumultuous vortex of international affairs, commerce, music and art, laced through with Daes Dae'mar. But beneath the glittering surface, deeper currents of guile and sinister intent give motion to lurking evil-doers, plotters and assassins. There are, as always, circles of darkfriends relishing the opportunity to transact in such an atmosphere, and elsewhere in the shadows are the agents of the Chamber, and a clandestine sisterhood not at all pleased at the bevy of Aes Sedai suddenly in their midst, the Spinners of Fate, or Phaer Asai.

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