The History of the Aes Sedai

The Age of Legends was a time of miracles, when all things were possible and both men and women served as Aes Sedai ("Servant of All" in the Old Tongue). During this prosperous age, one of the most powerful Aes Sedai was born and came to prominence; his name was Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon. He was unique beyond being Aes Sedai, for he was a Ta'veren.

The easiest method of describing Ta'veren is to say that they are a focal point for the pattern. They often have no control over this and have even less control over their own actions than those who aren't Ta'veren, and they can often appear to be very lucky in that things seem to go their way. It's not just that they are simply lucky, it's that the pattern forces events such that the Ta'veren ends up where the pattern needs him.

It is not known how long Lews Therin led the Aes Sedai before destruction occurred, but as Aes Sedai led lives more than 500 years long it could be any significant amount of time. He ruled and the land prospered until a group of slighted Aes Sedai began to uproot some secrets that would affect all time - chiefly among these secrets was the existence of a power, equal in strength to the Creator, known as Shai'tan, or the Great Lord of the Dark. This divinity had been sealed in a prison at the moment of creation, destined to lead an existence cut off from the world, with no influence or control.

The event that was to begin the conflict between the forces of good and evil was the bore, the hole drilled by Lanfear and another Forsaken into the prison of the Dark One. This action caused the war to begin immediately for although Shai'tan was still constrained in the prison his hand could reach out and affect the world. Lews Therin rallied the forces of the Light, it's backbone the Aes Sedai and it's regular troops as newly trained soldiers. No violent crime had been committed for a long period of time before the war, thus the need for troops was non-existent, putting the Light at a distinct disadvantage at the beginning of the war.

The Forsaken began to construct their own army, using powers from the Dark One and their own twisted skill, to form creatures of nightmarish aspect. Chiefly among these experiments were Trollocs, Myrddraal, Draghkar, Darkhounds, and Gray men. (see later lectures).

The war began, the Light with the Aes Sedai and soldiers drawn from the land against the Shadow with all it's twisted evil. The war lasted a bloody ten years, desperate battle fought after desperate battle, the Light losing almost every confrontation. Slowly the Aes Sedai began to understand the full implications of their dilemma, and they began to construct objects of the power to aid them in their struggle. Known as Angreal, Ter'angreal and Sa'angreal, these objects allowed the wielder to draw more of the One Power, greatly increasing the wielder's effectiveness. They can generally be used by either a man or a woman but not both. Sa'ngreal are stronger versions of angreal, and are less common. Both of these require that the channeler touch them while channeling, and they will allow the channeler to draw much more of the Source than they could otherwise. Ter'angreal are made for a specific purpose, such as putting someone to sleep. There are many more ter'angreal than the other two. Some of them can be used by men, some by women, some by either, and some do not require an ability to channel at all. The use and function of most ter'angreal is unknown, and it can be extremely dangerous to experiment with these unknowns. Note - *angreals were made before the war, just far far less often, and with less intent to do harm.

Unfortunately, not even these new weapons were able to stop the advance of the Shadow, and city after city, country after country fell into darkness and despair. During the last two years of conflict Lews Therin proposed to the rest of the Aes Sedai that they pool their strength, to strike one massive blow at the heart of the conflict, the bore at Shayol Ghul. This plan managed to split the Hall of Servants into two armed camps, the supporters of Lews Therin, mostly consisting of men, while the others who argued that they should continue fighting as they had done before.

Finally, Lews Therin decided to end The War of Power by his own means, without permission from the Hall. His band of Aes Sedai, now called the Hundred Companions, as well as a group of 10,000 military men, struck at the heart of the Shadow. As it happened all thirteen forsaken were at the bore holding a council of some sort. Lews Therin's attack caught them completely off-guard and before the forsaken could strike they were bound and sealed when Lews Therin and his Hundred Companions sealed the Bore on the prison.

The ramifications of Lews Therin's actions would be immediately felt, as all who struck and sealed the Dark One were grabbed and smashed by the Dark One's counter-stroke. Instead of striking at the Aes Sedai themselves the Great Lord of the Dark tainted the male half of the True Source, effectively placing a curse upon the male Aes Sedai of madness and a death from rot. All the male channelers at the sealing went instantly insane turning what was a glorious victory into nothing but ashes.

The consequences of the counter-stroke affected all male channelers, driving some immediately mad while others managed to handle the taint for a few years. Before the male Aes Sedai could die they smashed all around them, smashing whole cities and destroying miles of land around themselves in obliterating blasts of power. Then, what is now called the Breaking of the World began, for the very foundations upon which the world stood were changed, and this change was sudden, violent, and deadly.

As the world began to break apart the people began to scatter to all ends of the planet in vain attempts to find shelter and peace, Lews Therin, fully wrapped in madness, returned to his home and began to destroy all around him, killing his wife, children, and all his friends who had been there through the war. Ever after this day he would be known as the Kinslayer, the man who broke the world, the Dragon of prophecy. The war was over, ten years of bloody, horrific, bitter struggle, completed and won for the Light, but the cost was tremendous.

The Age of Legends would end in the following years, the glories and marvels of countless generations vanishing like a mirage as knowledge and technology disappeared - the lands began to shatter and people and hope began to die. The Ogier, the gentle giants that were only humanoid in shape but long lived unlike humans - allies of the Light throughout the war - vanished into their Steddings, peaceful abodes that offered protection from the madness and chaos of the outside world. Many male Aes Sedai went with the Ogier, the Steddings blocking the ability to channel, and these accursed men were able to live awhile without fear of a rotting death.

However, these men, who had so recently been the strongest influences across worlds soon left the Ogier sanctuaries, unable to resist the call of the power and the need to channel it. The Nym, whose bodies were made of bark and leaf and who were brothers to the Ogier, slowly began to die out, their immortality gone at the end of the war. Only one of the Nym would survive the cataclysm, his task to guard a pure pool of Saidin known as the Eye of the World. The Aiel, ("dedicated" in the Old Tongue) once the servants of the Aes Sedai, pledged to peace, fled with the treasures of the Aes Sedai - objects given into Aiel trust for safe keeping, while the world broke around them.

The death of Lews Therin Telamon came early in the Breaking. In his death throes he called down a mighty blast of power to smite himself where he stood on an endless rolling field of grassland. A great black mountain was created where he struck, the ground heaving it into existence, a mountain that would cast a shadow across a river and over an island that would be where the Aes Sedai began again. This mountain would be called Dragonmount, the place of the Dragon's rebirth, while the island would be named Tar Valon, the tower that guards, awaiting his coming.

In the years that followed the White Tower of Tar Valon was formed, built by Elisane Tishar, first Amyrlin Seat. The influence of the Aes Sedai grew until few nations rulers were without Aes Sedai advisors, greatly due to the fact that all Aes Sedai now swore three oaths - to speak no word that is not true, to make no weapon for one man to kill another, and to use the One Power as a weapon against only Shadowspawn, or in the last defense of her life, the life of her Warder, or that of another Aes Sedai. These oaths were binding, and one who had sworn could NOT break them.

The purpose of the Aes Sedai now is much the same as it was in the past - as a Servant of All. They are healers and guides, advisors kings and queens, keepers of lost knowledge, and each Ajah within the Tower has its own specific purpose.

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