Wards

Wards are weaves used to keep things out or warn of their presense. They can also be used as traps. The three main types of ward covered here are detection, barrier and trap.

Detection Wards:

The construction of a detection ward is dependent on what types of things are being detected. If one is setting up a ward to warn when living things contact it, then the weave will be made of pure Spirit. If one wanted to make an elaborate ward that would alert her to the presense of armored soldiers, Spirit would still be required for the framework of the weave and to detect the person, but Earth would also be required to pick up the presense of the metal. It is possible to refine the lifeform detection and narrow it down. Wards can be made to warn of Shadowspawn or humans. Use of Saidar should be detectable, as well. It is theoretically possible to narrow it down to being able to set up a ward to warn if a woman capable of channeling approaches. In fact, all of this is just theory and guesswork since Robert Jordan does not go into much detail or description when his characters weave wards.

Jane concentrates and spins out thin threads of Spirit in a complex web, straining to extend it to cover the entire campsite, perhaps an area thiry feet in radius. As she ties off the weave and releases Saidar, she says with fatigue evident in her voice,'We will be warned now if anyone attempts to surprise us in our sleep.'

Barrier Wards:

This is almost the opposite of a detection ward. Instead of being receptive to the presense of a certain creature or material, the polarity of the weave is reversed, causing it to repulse such things. For the most part, this is only useful for dealing with vermin. Aes Sedai commonly use it to keep rats and such out of any dwelling they may occupy. It would require a great deal of power to repulse anything larger. Basically this particular weave just generates an unpleasant sensation that causes the rats to avoid the warded area. An intelligent creature, such as a Fade, would be able to persevere through the discomfort unless the weave was of sufficient magnitude to kill, in which case the Fade would sense it from a goodly distance, rendering the ward more of a large glowing arrow pointing out the weaver than an actual useful defensive weave. As with the detection ward, a barrier ward that keeps out living things would be composed of Spirit. Theoretically, it should be possible to create a ward that would repulse non-living objects as well, such as arrows. In practice,this would be next to impossible or at least so difficult as to make a simple shield of Air a much more feasible option. One practical example of a ward that repulses non-living things is the barrier against eavesdropping. Examples:

Jane's eyes narrow in concentration as she weaves threads of Spirit into a grid pattern which grows to cover the ground level of the entire Inn. Her nose wrinkles slightly in further concentration as she carefully tunes the vibrations of the weave. After several long moments, she smiles in satisfaction and ties the weave off. Turning to the tavern keeper, she says softly,"Thank you for your assistace, Master Brill. Your establishment shall be troubled by vermin no more."

Jane sighs in exasperation and then embraces the Source. As soon as the soft glow of Saidar surrounds her, she begins weaving a conical shell of Air and Spirit around herself and Sue. The air shimmers around them briefly before Jane says,"What I have to tell you, Sister, is not for public consumption."

Trap Wards

A trap ward is a framework of Spirit holding some other weave that is set to release when a certain condition occurs. Two examples from the books are the ward Siune Sanche had on her letter box when she was Amyrlin and the prank that Siuane and Moiraine played on one of their teachers when they were students in the Tower where they rigged a ball of water to drop on the Sister's head when she entered her apartment. This is likely the most complex type of warding. Exactly how it is set up depends on a variety of things. What triggers it? What happens when it is triggered? The way the weave is formed depends upon these answers. In a case of a box or door opening being the trigger, it is likely that the weave is done in three parts. In the example of the box, inside the box would be the framework of Spirit that holds the Fire weave. The second part is the Fire weave itself. The third part would be a weave of Spirit attached to the lid such than when the lid opens, the two weaves of Spirit cease touching each other, which releases the Fire weave to do it's set function. The same principle would apply to the trap on the doorway. A ward could also be set up to release a weave when a person passed through the warding. This would require a detection ward to sense the presense of the person and then the framework of Spirit to hold the "trap" weave. For the most part these wards are ineffective against channelers of the same gender unless they are low power weaves and are attached to the other side of an opaque surface such as the lid of a box or the back of a door. Otherwise, they would be seen and easily avoided.

Jane carefully refolds the letter and drops it into the ornate ivory case. Embracing, she quickly weaves a small web of Spirit into the bottom of the box. Holding that weave, she channels threads of Fire, as well, into a construct designed to incinerate the the papers in the case, but with the web of Spirit carefully interposed to prevent the fire weave from completing. She ties both weaves off deftly, leaving a loose end on the Spirit weave in a slip knot pattern, such that if she tugged on it, the entire thing would unravel. She fixes a simple thread of Spirit to the inside of the lid and gently lowers it, attaching that thread to the loose end just before the lid closes.

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