The Grey Tower Orientation Class
Written by Caith Gaidin and Accepted Nesra
This class made extensive use of links; anyone who uses this class may wish to re-add them.
[Board Intro/Signup Message]
[Lesson One]
[Lesson Two]
[Lesson Three]
[Lesson Four]
[Lesson Five]
[Return to the Archive]
Board Intro / Joining
Welcome to the Tower Orientation Class! This class is open to all learning ranks, and will guide you through the areas of the Tower you didn't know were there.
Warders in Training will be taken on a tour in the channeling sections, and the Channelers will be shown the Warder Yards in detail.
Accepted Nesra and Sa'ji'alantin Caith will be teaching, and you may contact them at any time if you have any questions regarding the lessons.
Return to the Grey Tower.
Joining
Welcome to the Tower Orientation class!
Like it says on the top of the board, this class is here to help you acquaint yourself with the parts of the tower you normally might not hang around.
This class doesn't have much in the form of assignments, to pass each lesson you will merely have to roleplay your characters reactions to the lesson at hand, and ask any questions you might have, IC as well as OOC. If a lesson has a different assignment it will say so at the bottom of the class.
Right, that sounds all fine and dandy, now doesn't it? Right, so let's get you signed up! Just provide us with the following and then feel free to proceed:
Name:
Rank:
Email:
Lesson One
Caith took a silent breath and gathered the void around himself momentarily. Sure, this was not the first class he he held, but it was most certainly the first time he had had to deal with so many channelers at the same time, and he had his own share of unpleasant memories of channelers, although those circumstances hardly applied here. No point in getting nervous Caith, you'll do fine he reprimanded himself mentally. Their pupils had begun trickling in trough the door and he switched his focus to the task at hand. A few moments went by with the channelers and the warders in training chatting and giving each other curious looks before silence slowly fell and attention was turned on their teachers. Caith took half a step forward and spoke up.
"Welcome everyone, to the Tower Orientation class. I am Caith Delvin Sa'ji'alantin and this is Accepted Nesra Parden" he began, firmly, but pleasantly, and turning slightly towards Nesra as he introduced her."As you may already know, the purpose of this class is to familiarize you with the parts of the tower you as a channeler, or as a warder to be, do not know very well as of yet." He paused for a moment, Despite outer appearances, he was a little nervous and it manifested itself in a slightly more formal way of speaking. "Soliders and Novices, follow me" He said as he walked up to the door. As the channelers filed out he gave the warders in training a stern look, he knew that Nesra had some bad past experiences with some of them. "Warders in training, I expect Nesra to be able to tell me that you've been on your best behavior. Nesra, I'll see you after class" he finished the last with a friendly smile and closed the door behind himself and the last novice.
Caith allowed the novices to chat amongst themselves on the short walk to the Warder Yards but as they approached the yards he rounded on them and silence swiftly fell. "These are the Warder Yards" He said making a wide gesture to the buildings and the training grounds behind him. "In later lessons we will visit the Training Yards among other things, but for now, we're going to go inside." Caith walked underneath the balconies and trough the doors, a few fellow Ji'alantin gave them curious looks as they walked up the stairs.
"Now, down this hallway are the Warder Officer Studies." He said quietly so as not to disturb the officers unnecesarily "You most probably will never need to seek them out, but should a problem arise between you and one of the trainees" his face darkened momentarily, his thoughts straying to Nesra. "You should seek out the Warder-Channeler Representative. The other Officers are the Gaidin Captain, the Master of Training and the Master of Arms." He eyed them for a moment, trying to estimate their reaction. "Right then, if you'll follow me downstairs again, we're nearly done."
Walking down the stairs again with his black-and-white clad followers in hot pursuit Caith stopped in a highly ordinary corridor and opened two doors, one to the left, and one to right.
"These are the traineebarracks, and if you'll look inside you'll see how the trainees live."
"I know that in the tower, you split people's quarters according to rank but in the yards the Ji'alantin live on the same floors as the Drin', but in single rooms" He smiled somewhat mischievously "We feel it makes them easier to monitor." After making sure everyone had had their peek and that no one went inside to finger private possessions Caith closed the doors.
"Right then, we're done for this time. I know some of you novices would like to go out and sneak a peek at the sparring yard" he said with a humorous glint in his eyes "before your next class. However, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them now, if not, I will see you next time."
Folding her hands firmly in front of her, Nesra stood by Sa’ji’alantin Caith’s side and mentally chided herself for being so mousy. Channelers and Warders in Training had filled the classroom during the last minutes, and although she had taught Novices before, she had never had to face the muscular, strange Warders-to-be with their mundane skills. She had had an unpleasant encounter with some of the lot, but on the other hand had been rescued by a very nice woman who was also training to become a Gaidar. She shouldn’t be nervous, she knew that, but she was certain that her cheeks carried a faint blush as she licked her lips for the fortieth time.
Once the gathered students had fallen silent and turned their attention to the odd pair at the front of the classroom, Nesra took a deep breath and wondered what to do next. The shy Accepted unclasped her hands to push aside a strand of curly hair in order to expose her calm –she was calm, truly- face to the class. Before she could settle the butterflies in her stomach however, the sturdy Sa’ji’alantin had already taken the initiative and addressed the class. Relief and gratefulness swept through her as she listened, and nodded occasionally at what Caith said. Once the darkhaired man had taken the channelers in the room and led them to their first encounter with the Warder Yards, Nesra found herself both heartened by his straightforwardness and scared at the thought of handling a group of sword-waving younglings all by herself. She noted that no one wore any weapons in this class, however, which was a relief. A fragile smile appeared briefly on her lips before she forced herself to speak, and take control of the situation.
“There we go. I am Accepted Nesra Parden, and I shall be your guide throughout the channeler parts of the Grey Tower. We will not linger here, but instead explore parts of the Tower where you might normally not go.”
This first lesson would be a general walkthrough of the channeler learning ranks’ quarters, and she hoped that the corridors would be mainly empty due to other classes and chores. It wouldn’t do to have the groups mixing and losing participants due to girls or boys distracting them. Motioning for the door, she walked the few steps and opened it for the students.
Caith and she had chosen a classroom near the outer wall of the Tower and on a lower floor in order to be close to both the Warder Yards and the channeler quarters. Thus it was that she led the students through some shorter hallways and around a few corners before stopping in front of two rather sturdy doors. Folding her hands again while waiting for everyone to catch up, she eyed the doors a bit nervously before speaking up. Her voice was kept rather low, as if not to disturb those who resided in the offices behind the silent wood.
“These are the offices of the Mistress of Novices and Master of Soliders. They would be equal to the Master of Training and the Gaidin Captain, and take care of the Novices, Soldiers, Accepted and Dedicated of the Tower.”
Moving on before either of the officers would get upset by the noise outside, she took them around another corner and found herself in her old home quarters. Leading them a little further down the hallway, she paused by an open door this time and raised her voice in order for everyone to hear.
“This area is where the Novices and Soldiers live. We are currently standing in one of the Novice corridors, with the Soldier corridors further down the hallway we came from. Right above us, on the next floor, lie the Accepted and Dedicated halls which are identical to this one, apart from the larger rooms they hold. Now, if you’d like to step into this room… This is the Novice and Soldier common room, where the channeling learning ranks gather to study together, practise what exercises they have been given, or simply to spend time with friends if they have a moment to themselves.”
She let her arm sweep around the room in a displaying gesture, marking the large world map on the wall next to a pair of tall bookshelves filled with much used study material. Tables and chairs crowded the floor, and two windows showed the top of the wall with some trees and bushes adding to the scene.
Once she deduced that everyone had seen as much as they wanted, she brought them along again with a soft command to follow. This time she went back past the Mistress of Novices’ and Master of Soldiers’ offices, and up the stairs to the next level. Inlaid patterns in the floor let those observing enough realize that they were heading towards the Indigo Halls, and soon enough they met a stern-looking lady standing by an otherwise nondescript door. The Indigo Aes Sedai let her gaze sweep across the faces of the gathered class, and Nesra hastily waved for them to bow while she herself dipped a curtsy and bent her head. With a snort, the Aes Sedai turned and produced a key, which she used to open the wooden door with. As she swung it open, she rested a hawk-like gaze on the group as if to silently dare them to touch anything inside. Licking her lips, Nesra ushered everyone into the storeroom –for that is what it was- and spoke in rather hushed tones.
“We are now standing in the Indigo Ajah Storeroom. As you can see, here is gathered a multitude of ter’angreal, sa’angreal and angreal that have been found during the years. Those in this room are catalogued and marked, so it is not dangerous as long as you don’t touch anything. While many need complex channeling to work, there are those who simply require the touch of a man or woman in order to be activated. Please be careful as you look around.
Today’s lesson will end here, with much more to see and discover in the upcoming meetings we have scheduled for this week and the next. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask them now. Otherwise, you may return to the Warder Yards and your chores.”
t
Lesson Two
Standing outside the door to the classroom with Nesra, Caith found that now that the first lesson had gone off without much of a hitch, he was a lot calmer for it. His mind even strayed occasionally to other matters on his mind, but as the stream of students thickened he put them aside and focused on the task at hand. Finally the last novice (breathless from running) went trough the door Caith closed it behind himself and Nesra.
"Welcome everyone to the second lesson." Caith greeted the class. "Since there are no introductions and such today we'll just get on with the lesson. Novices, Soliders, if you'll follow me." Caith didn't turn to see if they followed. The sky was largely blue, dotted only ocassionally by white clouds as they made their way down to the yards. Caith smiled to himself as he listened to some of the novices excited chatter, this was quite possibly the first time they were even expected to watch the warders train. As they neared the fence Caith rounded on his class.
"Now, as a lot of you already seem to have understood" Caith begun unable to hide some of the amusement in his voice "we will spend some time watching the practice. However," he raised a warning finger in the air "I still expect all of you to be attentive to what I say."
"This here behind us is The Training Yard and on the farther side you will see The Sparring Arena and the The Evaluation Yard Now if you'll grab one of the practice weapons over here and pair up against each other" Caith gave them a moment to follow his instructions before continuing "Now, I want you to try and spar each other, be very carefull. I don't want any of you to be injured" Soliders and Novices alike appeared confused and somewhat akward and after a short while Caith halted the exercise. "That is enough, you can put them down. This was a demonstration to prove a point."
He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts and when he spoke up again his features were serious. "This is where the Warders and warders to be spend most of their time. Weapons, like any tool, is something that must be learned and mastered. You cannot just pick up a sword and expect to be able to handle it." He smiled faintly. "What we do here in the yard resembles the power in many ways. Just like you do, we all have a certain potential and without the help of those more skilled than us, we could never learn to make full use of that potential, or at all. We are indeed vulnerable against the power, but in the same way are you all vulnerable to our weapons." He could see one novice opening her mouth to protest and Caith raised a hand to quiet her "You can make use of the power to defend yourself, but you are not invincible and many knifes in the dark or arrows from rooftops are directed at a channelers back." He shook his head and chuckled a little. "I'm getting ahead of myself" He looked up at the sun "There is still some time before the bell rings, so you can go ahead to watch the sparring unperpetued or if you have any questions you are free to ask them."
Standing outside the classroom to greet the students as they arrived made the situation less scary, she had realized. It made it possible to see them as individuals, rather than a large group come to attack her as one. Nesra glanced at Caith, on the other side of the door, and wondered what it would be like to never care about what people thought, or to never have to wonder if you’d be able to get away alive from some sudden outburst of madness or other. Suppressing those thoughts as soon as she recognized them was something Miliane Sedai had taught her, and she was eternally grateful for that. Focusing on the present situation, she followed the last student into the classroom where Caith would begin the introduction for today’s lesson. She knew that the channelers would be taken to the Training Yards where they’d watch some practise, but she was much gladder to be guiding the Warders in Training to the introductory One Power class, the so-called One Power Basics where every new channeler found themselves within a week of coming to the Tower.
She had planned to speak a bit about channeling before they went there, since clustering the corridor outside the One Power class would bring frowns from the teachers and Aes Sedai who had students in said hallway. Also, it might intimidate new students enough to skip the class, and that was definitely something she should avoid. Thus, as Caith left with his group of channelers, she cleared her throat and launched into an explanation of channeling. It was harder than she thought, but she found her way through the words mostly on an instinctive basis.
“Before we leave to seek out the main place where channeling learning ranks take their first trembling steps with the One Power, I’d like to say a few words about channeling. It must be a great wonder to those who do not possess the ability to touch the True Source, which is where saidin and saidar ‘reside’, where they originate, but let me tell you that it is an even greater wonder to those who wield it. I can only speak in terms of first-hand knowledge when discussing saidar of course, which is the female half of the One Power. Yet when we are educated, we are also taught the differences between saidin and saidar, and thus I’ll do my best to fill you in on the male struggle with the Power as well.
For a struggle it is. The male half, although cleansed from the Taint, is a wild and untamed river that takes mighty self-control and calm to handle. It is told that you have to wrestle it constantly while holding it within you, in order to be able to steer it where you want and to make it do what you have in mind. If you slip, or if you lose the wrestle, then you are inevitably drawn into the Source, or rather, the Source plunges into you in torrents you cannot control. When that happens, the person either dies or is burned out, meaning he can no longer touch the True Source or even feel it.”
Stifling a shiver at the mere thought of that, she hurriedly moved on to the more pleasant way of the One Power, which was the tranquil beauty of saidar.
“Saidar, on the other hand, demands the opposite from those who wield it. In order to control it, you must first surrender to it. Letting it flow into you is easy, but giving up control to something inside your mind is rather difficult, I tell you. Once that is done however, you have the finest tool in the world to wield, and all it takes is the knowledge of how. There is no forcing of saidar, only gentle guiding and molding. As some of you may have heard, channelers possess different strengths in the One Power. This means that while someone can handle Water, which is one of the five powers, someone else might barely be able to form it. What is equal for both halves of the One Power regardless of strength though, is the pure joy and sweetness that fill you along with the Power. It makes you feel truly alive, and it heightens your senses, which makes you feel oddly empty and dull when you release the Source. This is in fact a dangerous aspect, since you constantly have to fight the desire to reach out for the light, and to draw more and more until you cannot control it any longer. All of this is practised in the One Power Basics, which is where we will go now. Please follow me, it isn’t too far.”
Leading the students out of the classroom, she took them around the circular outer corridor of the bottom floor, to the opposite half of the Tower where channeling classes were held. Opening the door slightly, she motioned for her group to come closer and to be quiet.
“This is where the One Power Basics is held. I’ve been asked to keep this down in order to not disturb those who are practising inside, but if you are careful you may take a look inside and listen to the teaching for a little while. Any questions before that?”
Lesson Three
Todaywas the third lesson, halfway trough the entire class more or less. He was getting comofortable with the channelers, as well as getting to know some of his pupils a little, and their quirks and habits. There was that novice who managed to pay him full attention but never heard a single word he said for example, as well as that soldier who had earned himself a slap from one of the female Drin'far'ji after pinching her. He smiled as the chatter of the WiTs and the Novices died down.
"Well, no point in dawdling is there? Novices, Soliders, Today we are going to take a closer look at the other parts of the Warder Yards which you most probably don't frequent on a regular basis, follow me."
OOC:
For practical reasons this lesson will be held OOC. Consider this a guided tour of the different pages of the Warder Yards and it's pages..
I'd like to direct your attention to the Warder OOC Board More commonly know as the WOOC. Here you'll find warder specific announcements that doesn't always get posted on the MMB board, a recent example of that is Sigmund Von Danzig's resignation from the post as Master of Arms. If you're curious it might be a good idea to check it out regularly.
Another board of interest I'm sure you've seen at some point is the Warder Day to Day board essentially it's the same as the regular Day-to-Day board, but merely focused to the general vicinity of the yards.
Another thing of interest is the Warder Eyes and Ears Report (which yours truly just happens to be in charge of). It contains a lot of information of what's up with the warders as well as the ever-humerous Warder Questions and Answers. The WENE Newsletter isn't exclusive to warders and WiT's so if you feel an interest don't hesitate to e-mail me at freshlycaughtcornishpixies@gmail.com with the following information and I'll hook you up:
Name:
Rank:
Email:
Would you like your copy in the HTML-version or in Plaintext?:
One of the funnest (which is a word because I say so) parts of being a member of the tower is warder/channeler interaction, and to help such budding relationships along the Bondable List and the Bonds & Promise Listings were created. I reccomend you check them out. Perhaps you will find someone interesting you want to roleplay with? Or perhaps you would like to Declare yourself bondable? If so, you can find the form here. Possibly you're one of the lucky who already have a prospective bondmate. If so, Tell the world that you're officially off the market here
Beneath the Raising header you will find the Information for trainees page. Which contains a lot of good information for those unaquainted with the yards.
Beneath the Skills/Advantages header You will also find the Sword Forms and Polearm forms pages which explains several different sword and polearm forms and what they do. Logically enough, you will also find the Skill information page here which details how the weapon system works, so if you ever consider learning a weapon, this is where you should start.
On the Class listings there are several non-channeling classes that teach you different advantages, which is a part of the advantage system. If you're curious about the system, how many advantages you can have etc. the Advantage Information page is where you'll find it.
Beneath the Library Header you'll find the Warder Yard FAQ which I heartily recomend. There is also the Weapons and Armour Description pages which are very interesting. In the Warder Art Gallery you'll find the artwork used for this class among other things.
Assignment for this class is merely to read this trough and post that you've read and understood, if you have any questions you are welcome to post them as well.
Gladdened by the two lessons that had already passed, Nesra felt even more certain now that she greeted the familiar faces into the classroom for the third time. Apparently things had gone well for Caith too, and she hoped that the channelers had been as enlightened as she had been from the tours in the Warder Yards. The Light knew she had been there before under much less pleasant circumstances, but she had made peace with the past to some extent and did not flinch every time she saw the stocks or the constant fights in the training yards.
As the two teachers greeted the class and saw to its splitting into groups, Nesra watched how Caith handled the channelers with an aura of leadership that made her want to follow as well. Blushing slightly at that embarrassing thought, she quickly turned to her own half of the class and addressed them in a voice much less shaky than it had been on the first day. And no swordfights had erupted yet, which was also promising for the remaining lessons.
“Good day, students. I trust you have been satisfied by the tours we have taken inside the Tower in the channeler oriented areas. Today, we shall venture outside to the Channeling Yards, where more nature specific channeling takes place, or practise that may be too destructive to hold indoors. Some of you might have seen this area before, but once there I shall explain a bit further how the practise is done and what it entails. So, if you would come with me please…”
As she took them out of the Tower and into the sunlight of mid-morning, Nesra nodded to a pair of girls she knew from her corridor. Casting a glance after them as they headed for the Gardens, she wished she too could have spent more time there these days. Chores had not bothered her as a Novice, but now she had more responsibilities and had to focus on indoor studies most of the time. This was a welcome chance to get some fresh air before High, and she led the Warders in Training around the Tower in a better mood than she had been experiencing before the commencing of this class. As they closed in on the Channeling Yard, sounds of rocks exploding or wind blowing reached them, and she paused at the fence that separated the area from the rest of the outdoor Tower grounds.
“As you can see, many of those who are training here have a fully raised channeler to aid them in their exercises. Most have protecting shields or domes around them as well, so that even though you can see everything that goes on, none of the rock shards or fireballs could hit you if you’re at this distance. What we do here is mainly to practise channeling that is a bit bigger than the normal lightning of candles or lifting a book. The One Power is divided into five separate powers, which I’m sure you’ve heard of. Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit are all different, and you can combine them to get different results. With Air you could cause a whirlwind to blow, or you could use Fire to make a bonfire. Using both Air and Fire, you can create a storm of fireballs raining from the sky, and I probably don’t have to tell you that it would be quite ignorant to do such a thing in a classroom.”
Waiting for the buzz and occasional laugh to fade, Nesra turned around to look at a girl who seemed to have focused on a pile of stones near one corner of the area. Slowly, slowly, they were turning into one big lump of something shimmering, the normal dull greystone falling aside as the girl wove Earth into the pile. Turning back to face her class, Nesra continued to speak of what took place on the other side of the fence.
“Another thing that is practised in here is the developing and studying of Talents. Many Talents have to do with the surroundings, either in your sleep or in the nature, and they produce stronger and larger results than a normal weave would do. The red-haired girl over there by the stones for example, seems to have a Talent in Earth Delving, meaning she can find ores in normal stone and bring it out with less hardships than someone who merely used the power Earth to separate stone from metal. Other Talents can include mainpulating the weather, causing earthquakes or Dreamwalking. The latter is something that does not necessary have to do with the One Power though, although channelers who manipulate dreams and the dreamworld often use Spirit to do so. Now, unless you have any questions, today’s lesson is finished and you may return to your practise of weapons.”
Lesson Four
Caith's features were unusually somber as he greeted the class.
"Today Class, we are going to make a trip outside of the tower to the Citadel. At the foot of the Mountains of Dhoom in northern Shienar, the Grey Tower's own outpost on the Blight Boarder." He directed a stern look at the Warders In Training as some of them had been muttering about it being 'unfair' and the hush quickly fell. "Now if you'll follow me, Melihendre Sedai has agreed to make a gateway there for us." He gave Nesra a nod and then they were off. As it were, Melihendre Sedai were waiting just outside, and led them to another empty classroom.
"I will re-open the gate after a glass, make sure you are where you are supposed to be then Sa'ji'alantin I don't want to deal with any missing limbs." Melihendre warned before a silver streak slashed the air and spiralled into a gateway.
"Before we go through" Caith warned "It is very important that once on the other side, you do exactly as I say, this is no playground." He remembered his own first trip to the citadel all to clearly. It had been, unpleasant to say the least. "Everyone got that? Good, let's get going then."
They stepped through onto a small courtyard. Caith looked about at the tall, foreboding stone walls, it had been a long time since he was here. He took a deep breath of the chilly air, it was summer, but it felt like early spring.
Caith caught the sleeve of a Tower Guard to ask for a statusreport. As it were, the blight appeared to be calm today. He turned to the class with a satisfied look on his face.
"Looks like we're in luck. Everything is calm, so we can have a look up on the walls, follow me."
Well upon the wall Caith kept his face on the lands spreading out below them. Calm or not, only a fool would turn their face away from the blight. "The Citadel was built for several reasons, in part to give Ji's some experience with guard duty, to make up for the fact that a large part of the borderland armies are currently situated in Andor and so forth. It also allows for the Tes of the Fancloak take place. Something every Ji has go through in order to become a Gaidin" Caith smiled dryly, he couldn't say he really looked forward to it. "The Citadel is built near Lord Sigmund Von Danzig Gaidin's Estates and as such, it protects the entire area." He paused. It really was quiet here today. "You probably noticed a lot of Ji'alantins hanging around while we walked up. Essentially they are a supplementary force, the primary defence consists of the tower guard and von Danzig's personal soliders." He paused to cast a momentary glance at his class. "We're actually quite lucky that the Citadel stands here. There was a massive trolloc attack before the outer wall was finished and a couple of years ago the citadel was nearly breached. I was a Drin back then and wasn't really supposed to be here" He smiled dryly, his hand going to the old scar in his side. "We came through alright in the end and the Citadel still stands, as you can see. Anyhow, it's time to go back down, if you have any questions we'll take them down there."
This time she was hardly nervous at all. As she took notes of which students showed up in time and who did not, Nesra for once did not feel awkward around people who would be able to wrestle her down and strangle her while she still tried to grasp what was happening. Her students had proven to be civil young men and women with clear heads on most of them. It was good, in that sense, that she and Caith had decided to hold this lesson near the end of the class, so they would know if their students were ready for it when it came. She ignored the tension in her shoulders as she thought of where they were going today, and waited until a hush fell over the class. Then she spoke up, in a tone that was perhaps a tad too heartily to be believed. Hardly nervous didn’t mean she couldn’t get nervous once they moved out, after all.
With the group at her back, she led them up several stairways until she was starting to feel a dull throbbing in her knees and at the small of her back. The sun rose with them outside, and she occasionally cast a glance out the window in order to take her mind of things. Caith would have to be far braver than her, to go where he was taking his part of the class today, but not all battles were fought near the Blight. Finally she led the students to a pair of wide doors, where the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai was carved into the wood. Turning around and catching her breath, she made a quick count of the present students before pushing one of the heavy doors open. Inside, silence lay like a soft sheet and the only thing that was heard was the thudding of some servant’s boots at the far end of the hall. A long table was the only thing that occupied the white-polished floor, but its immensity and graveness gave the room everything it needed and more. Balconies lined the walls, empty today but when meetings were held here, they were crowded. She herself had stood there on occasion, watching the Sitters and officials discuss matters of the world that she had hardly dreamt of sitting in on before coming to the Tower. Pausing on the floor with her students massing in through the door, she spoke.
“You are now standing in the Hall of Sitters. This is where the Hall discusses with the Amyrlin Seat, the M’Hael and the Keeper of Chronicles on matters of great importance, either for the Tower or for the world. Sometimes both, since we are intertwined with the world in so many ways as a powerful organization of this kind. The decisions are always made with the interests of the Tower and the world foremost in mind, and sometimes the Master of Arms, Master of Training or the Gaidin Captain are present as well in order to give their view on the matter at hand. Learning ranks are not allowed to partake in the discussions, but more than welcome to listen in on the meetings from the balconies above. The Sitters for the Ajahs are often willing to listen to suggestions or questions as well, if you want to clarify something in the discussion in order to follow. Also, if you go through the doors on the other side of the room, you’ll find the Hall of Sitters Archives, where all decisions and discussions are catalogued for reference. Now, there is to be a session later today, so we’d better get going. Please return to the hallway outside, and wait for me there.”
Closing the door firmly once she had made sure everyone was out, Nesra brushed her hands on the white skirts and pretended that her palms were as dry as the sands in the Aiel waste she’d read about. Gathering her courage, she looked up and pointed to the end of the hallway where a staircase that was seldom used by learning ranks lay waiting.
“That is where we will go next. I would like to ask you all to keep quiet once we get up on the next floor, and not to wander about on your own.”
With a serious nod to encompass her words, Nesra finally led the students up the dreaded stairs to the level of the Tower officers. One could only hope that the Amyrlin Seat would be remaining in her office, and that the M’Hael was away on business elsewhere, and not find the group in their corridor offending. When she deemed the situation safe enough, she spoke in a low voice that caused the students to draw closer in order to hear.
“We are now standing outside the officers’ offices. Behind this door is the study of the Keeper of Chronicles, and it is she or he who receives visitors for Mother or Father. Their offices lie behind the Keeper’s study, so you cannot get there without going past the Keeper first. Both the Amyrlin Seat and the M’Hael are extremely busy and have many important decisions weighing on their shoulders. There is a law stating that anyone who wishes to see either of them must be granted a meeting, but there is rarely any of the learning ranks who would actually take advantage of that law. Now, if there are no further questions, we will all withdraw and end the lesson for today. Just remember that Tower politics is a complex thing, but it is open for anyone who wishes to partake in some way.”
Lesson Five
Once more standing at the front of the classroom with Sa’ji’alantin Caith, Nesra found herself looking at the now familiar faces of her students. The channelers were more strangers than the Warders in Training, which was rather peculiar to think of. Still, she greeted them all with a nod for each person entering, and mentally congratulated each one on fulfilling the class today. She and Caith would teach today’s lesson together, in the classroom, and they had agreed that she would introduce the first subject. Said and done, when the door had closed behind the last one to enter, she spoke up and unclasped her folded hands in order to be able to gesticulate if need be.
“Today, you will all be introduced to some of the aspects of the bond between a channeler and a Warder. It is an intriguing subject even at this stage of your education, since you will all face the day when you have to choose a bondmate or to relate to the request to bond made by someone else. To begin with, I’m sure you are all aware of the fact that the bond is a weave made by the One Power that link the Aes Sedai or Asha’man together with the Warder. Asha’man may also be bonded by Aes Sedai, which enables a slightly different kind of bond when both parties are channelers. We will not go into depth on that however, nor on the variations that come with an Aes Sedai bonding a female Warder. If this subject interests you, feel free to ask at the end of the lesson.
Now, there are several benefits in having a bondmate. For the channeler, it means that you have someone to protect you when you are unable to channel, for example in a stedding or when in disguise. You are far from vulnerable with a Warder to watch your back, and to aid you in your tasks as well as be a close companion you can trust under all circumstances. There are also some physical benefits, such as being able to draw on your Warder’s strength and let you function longer in order to protect the pair of you or what the situation demands. You are able to feel if he or she is well, and approximately where your Gaidin or Gaidar happens to be at every moment. You share emotions and feelings, so if something is wrong, you will know through the bond and be warned.”
A short paused followed as Nesra finished her introduction before Caith spoke up.
"Incidentially, the only reason Warders are here, is to protect you. Being bonded essentially fullfills a Gaidin's life purpose." He began with a mixture of dry humor and seriousness. "While bonding a fellow channeler may offer you more of a working partner, a Warder will be there for the sole purpose of your protection and to do the things you can't. He is sworn to give his life to save yours. We are trained to look out for you when you are focusing on channeling, to watch for a whitecloak knife in the dark and have your safety as first priority" He smiled somewhat wryly "Even if that may not always be your priority"
"Just as the Aes Sedai reaps benefits from the bond, so does the warder. One bondmate will always know where the other is, and to a certain degree how they feel. If they are injured, or tired. Just like the Aes Sedai can draw on her warders strenght, so can he draw on hers, overall stamina is improved. A warder will be able to go for prolonged periods without sleep, food or, water, longer than any normal man would. When injured the warder will heal faster than normal, even without the aid of the one power. In addition to this, a warder will be able to sense shadowspawn within a certain distance." Caith paused for a moment, his face serious, knowing what the next part of the lesson was.
"While these advantages are quite astounding and it may seem unfair that the Aes Sedai does not get to share even half of them, they come with a price. One aspect shared in the bond is to know the instant your bondmate dies, and the manner of his or her death, and warders rarely survive the death of their Aes Sedai." While the Classroom had been quiet before, the sudden stillness was unnerving as a sense of unease lay itself over the class, and the warders-in-training in particular. Caith continued, despite feeling a vauge sense of unease himself.
"No one knows quite why, but warders appear to lose the will to live. Some stop eating and drinking, or going out of bed. Most die attempting to avenge their Aes Sedai. There have been instances where warders have been saved by given a new purpose in life, often a new bondmate, but most often, these attempts fail. Possibly it is the way to balance the advantages of the bond, like I said, no ones knows for sure."
With a grave look on her face, Nesra continued on the dark topic that noneteless had to be approached.
“As the Warder suffers, so will the channeler should his or her bondmate die first. There have been cases of this in the Tower, and it takes enourmous willpower and large efforts from those in one’s surrounding to be able to get past a Warder’s death. It deeply scars one’s soul, and those who have experienced the breaking of a bond through death most often live their lives without ever taking on a new bondmate. Like for Warders, a new purpose in life can be the key to saving the channeler, and revenge is often embedded in this. Aes Sedai and Asha’man have to rely more on scheming and plotting in order to succeed, rather than using sheer force, and might actually reach their goal. By then, they have found a way to live with the loss, and function properly again.
Death is a very serious topic, but there are other ways of losing a bond too. It is not common, but it has occurred that Aes Sedai have transferred their bond to another channeler, for personal reasons we won’t go into detail on here. It is also done with the One Power, and while it doesn’t leave the bondmates grieving to death, it is a huge step to take and one that can change them both for life if not done in full consent. The law states that the Warder and the channeler have to be in agreement before doing something of this kind, however, so while it is a sensitive matter, it won’t lead to pain and sorrow.”
The gloom in the room was by now at an highly uncomfortable level and Caith shrugged subconsiously, as if to rid himself of the unpleasant thoughts before continuing in an almost overly brisk manner.
"Right then, the last topic for today, is the Council of Youth." Caith paused and then grasped a piece of chalk and wrote it up on the until now unused board at the front of the classroom. "This is a relatively new organisation within the tower, organized and set up for the purpose of allowing the learning ranks to voice their opinions of tower politics and serve as a springboard for those who have certain political ambitions. Now, the Council of Youth will not be open to you until you reach middle ranks, but should you have the urge, it may be a good idea to plan ahead. The Council of Youth will often discuss issues parallell with the Hall of Sitters, and present them with the Council's opinion. An opinion that is valued by the Hall. Apart from that, Council members are obliged to patrol the learning rank halls, as well as the Gardens and Barracks, Kitchens among other things, and make sure that no one is slacking off their chores." He smiled faintly. "I'm sure some of you have noticed."
"The perks of being a member of the Council is being given more interesting chores, such as escorting unbonded AS and AM around the Tower Grounds or attending to higher ranking officers, such as Ajah Heads or the Amyrlin herself. As well as being given secluded time in the dining hall and channeling yard or training yard, stables, and gardens."
"There are not many members on the council as of yet, but we are distinguished by this:" Caith pulled a chain from his neck from which a a simple yet elegant ring hung, made of white gold and jet. "The different colours represents the two halves of the true source. During formal ceremonies, we are also distinguished by a goldcord worn as a stole." He paused for a moment as he put the ring back around his neck. "I should warn you though that if you choose to pursue a seat on the Council you will be pranked more than your fellow middle ranks" He finished somewhat dryly.
Directing a smile at Caith when she heard the last sentence, Nesra hoped the class would have the enthusiasm needed to ignore that fact and join the Council of Youth. It seemed an excellent place to have been if you were to be active in your Ajah once raised, and she knew the Aes Sedai and Asha’man kept an eye on those who showed such promise. Gathering herself in order to deliver the final assignment, she met the students’ eyes without faltering.
“Caith and I hope that this class has given you some insight in other aspects of the Tower and how it is run, than if you would have gone on in your education and focused only on that. As the final assignment, we would therefore like you to ask one of the full ranked members of the Tower a question of your choice, that can further widen your understanding of the opposite group. Channelers, you will have to find a Gaidin or Gaidar to ask, and Warders in Training will need to talk to an Aes Sedai or Asha’man in order to pass. We are looking forward to hearing your questions along with what answer you got. If there is nothing you wish to have clarified, you may leave to fulfill your last task in this class. May the Light bless you.”
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