The Three-Fold Land, as its inhabitants call it: "a shaping stone, to make us; a testing ground, to prove our worth; and a punishment for our sin." The harsh climate and barren landscape of the Aiel Waste fostered a proud and hardy people with a strong warrior ethic and a great disdain for the soft wetlanders on the other side of the Spine of the World. Only peddlers and Tuatha'an are allowed to pass through the Waste unharmed. The former are welcomed into Aiel holds for the books and goods they bring; the latter are called 'Lost Ones', and avoided as much as possible. Anyone else is stripped naked, given a skinful of water, and left to return west as best as he can.

Cairhienin were once allowed passage, too, until the King Laman cut down Avendoraldera, a goodwill gift from the Aiel, and had it made into his throne. Aiel crossed the Dragonwall to execute King Laman twenty years ago, and they all still despise the treekilling Cairhienin to this day.

The Aiel were not always a warrior people. Recently discovered historical information reveals that the Aiel not only envolved their war-like tendancies after the Breaking, but are actually related to the peaceful Tuatha'an, whom they avoid, but never harm.

The Aiel code of conduct is called ji'e'toh (honor and obligation), and its many conditions and requirements are a maze only an Aiel can understand. The other Aiel customs, as well as their kinship relations, are equally confusing, and would take up too much space to explain.

Aiel men and women are taller than most, and have light-colored eyes and hair. Most of them are unbelievably fit. They are also rather fair-complexioned, although their hands and faces are tanned by the sun, as these parts of the body are not protected by their clothing. Survival skills and the handling of a spear are taught to all Aiel children, as well as basic arithmetic, reading and politics. Both men and women are permitted to fight, and there is an Aiel society consisting solely of women, called the Maidens of the Spear.

As in most culture, the Aiel have channelers. Women who can channel are found by the Wise Ones and taught to become a Wise One, though not all Wise Ones can channel. These women, all trained in healing, herbs and other lore, have great authority, influence and responsibility within their clan and are not permitted to be harmed or impeded in any manner. Any men found with the ability to channel were sent to Shayol Ghul to face the Dark One and die. Recently, this has changed for obvious reasons

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In theory, Altara is ruled by the person who sits on the Throne of the Winds, although this monarch's real power does not extend much beyond the capital city, Ebou Dar. Ebou Dar celebrates more festivals and feastdays than any other city on the map. Even so, it is still a wild and dangerous place, especially in the Rahad, where the poorer classes live. Outside the city, the country consists of inhabitants who associate themselves with a particular town or lord rather than the Queen or Altara, and there is little national unity.

Altarans are polite, but also quick to take offense. Duels are a common sight, even between women, and are fought over insults or potential mates. A person who refuses a challenge to duel may be disowned by his or her mother. Street brawls and impromptu challenges are also common, since all people, noble or peasant, male or female, are on an equal ground in duels.

The typical Altaran is olive-skinned, with dark hair and dark eyes.

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The real power in Amadicia is the Children of the Light, a quasi-religious military organization founded by Lothair Mantelar during the Hundred Years War. The Children see themselves as soldiers fighting for the Creator's cause, and spend most of their time and effort in eliminating those they see as Darkfriends, often without checking whether the accusation is true or not. As they believe that all channelers serve the Dark One, Aes Sedai, Asha'man, and other Tower-trained individuals are also potential targets.

Amadician laws favor the Children and reflect some of their biases and beliefs. For example, no channeler or Tower-trained individual may enter Amadicia on pain of death. The law is also harsh in other ways. The punishments for stealing are as follows: first offense, branding; second offense, having the right hand chopped off; third offense, death by hanging.

Amadicians are a cautious and sober people. Most of them have dark hair.

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Andor is a strong, united country, taking pride in the tradition of rulership by queens. The Queen sits on the Lion Throne, and openly admits to having an Aes Sedai advisor. Andor has a good relationship with the White Tower, and the Daughter-Heir of Andor is sent to Tar Valon for training whether she can channel or not. Daes Dae'mar is not as entrenched here as in the other nations, although it is not completely absent either. Commoners can count on attention of the nobility, and so feel free to speak their mind. The Two Rivers is also a part of this country, although the customs and attitudes of the people of this region differ somewhat, because of their isolation from the rest of the world.

Andorans usually have dark eyes and dark hair, although some nobles are exceptions.

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Arad Doman has constantly fought with Tarabon for control of Almoth Plain, although neither nation is strong enough to hold the region for long.

The first thing that usually comes to mind upon hearing the word "Domani" is an irresistibly alluring woman, one capable of wrapping a man around her finger within a few seconds. These people have turned seduction into a science, and every Domani female is taught the craft almost before she learns to walk. Domani men, on the other hand, are known for their quick tempers, rumored to be the result of dealing with Domani women and eating with sursa instead of the more common knife and fork. With these reputations, it is easy to forget that Domani merchants are also hard bargainers, rivaling Aes Sedai and the Sea Folk for their shrewdness.

Domani are tall, dark-haired, and coppery-skinned.

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Arafellin are known for their fierce temper and moodiness, and have strange ideas about honor and debt. They sometimes put bells on their horses' manes, and even wear small bells in their clothes and hair. Arafellin men tie their hair into two braids, one over each shoulder. Warriors wear two swords on their backs, and use both of them while fighting.

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In the Old Tongue, Atha'an Miere means 'People of the Sea'. Sea Folk spend as little time as possible onshore, are born on the water, and given sea burials upon their death. They are wary of the shorebound and avoid unnecessary contact with them. However, they will accept anyone not Aes Sedai who requests passage on their ships. This 'gift of passage' is not paid for, but only exchanged with a gift of equal value.

Sea Folk are dark-skinned, dark-haired, and dark-eyed. They bear tattoos on their hands indicating clan and affiliation, and wear earrings and nose rings to denote rank.

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Cairhienin are a sober and restrained people, but they can act with surprising exuberance and abandon when this restraint is let loose. Their love of order is shown in their dark-colored clothing, and in the straight and rigid streets in Cairhien, the capital city.

The Game of Houses is a way of life for the nobility. Cairhienin lords and ladies can read much from a single word or gesture, sometimes even when there is nothing to be read. Commoners also practice Daes Dae'mar to some extent.

Cairhienin are typically short and pale, with dark hair and dark eyes. Their speech is characterized by a distinctive musical accent.

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Ghealdan used to be a quiet and self-sufficient nation, ruled by King Johanin. The Ghealdanins were wary of strangers, and the constant threat of an invasion by the bordering whitecloaks was the biggest problem to be handled by the High Crown Council, consisting of the Lords of Ghealdan and official advisors to the momarch.

Then the Porphet came, and with him, chaos. The regents came and went by the speed of winds, until recently when Queen Alliandre Maritha Kigarin managed to keep the throne for more than a few months by allowing the Prophet to roam instead of trying to drive him away. Still the nation is in heavy disorder though, and followers of the Prophet flood the country and its inhabitants in sheer masses.

Most towns in Ghealdan are walled, and the houses built of stone with slated roofs. In the larger cities, several-storied buildings are common, and some places even hold palaces. The monarch reside in Jehanna along with the High Crown Council, and sits upon the Light Blessed Throne, which is the official symbol of rule in Ghealdan. The banner is three silver stars (The (Silver) Stars) arranged one above and two below, on a field of red.

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Illian is located west of Tear, and is often at odds with the said nation. Illian, the capital, is where the Great Hunt of the Horn is inaugurated. Life in this country moves at a slow and relaxed pace, especially in the hot summer months.

Illianers do speak a unique version of the common language, one that does use the word 'do' as an auxiliary before most verbs, and do no be having the usual forms of the verb 'to be'. Men usually wear beards but keep their upper lips bare.

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Kandor is one of the Borderlands. Kandori tradesmen transport furs, coin peppers, and other goods all over the continent. There is a guild for merchants here.

Kandori are tall, with light-colored hair. The men wear forked beards and vests or coats with metal chains draped across the chest.

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Mayene is a small sovereign nation located east of Tear, in a small peninsula mostly taken up by the Drowned Lands. Despite her size and lack of political power, she is a prosperous nation, enriched by exports of lamp oil produced from oilfish shoals, which only Mayener ships know how to find. Because of this wealth, and the fact that Mayener lamp oil rivals its own exports of olive oil, Tear has constantly been trying to annex Mayene. So far, the political skill of Mayene's rulers, called the Firsts, has saved her from this fate.

Mayeners are generally forward and outspoken.

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Murandy is more a patchwork of warring factions than a cohesive and united nation, and the only thing that keeps them together is the fear of being annexed by Andor to the north, or Illian to the south. Lugard, the capital city, is an important trading post.

Elaida do'Avriny a'Roihan hails from Murandy, but we do not know if this naming style applies to all of her countrymen.

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Saldaea is one of the Borderlands, and guards the westernmost part of the Blight. Saldaeans usually have light-colored eyes and red or dark-colored hair. Most of them have tilted eyes and a bold nose.

The notorious dance called the sa'sara is Saldaean in origin. These people have also developed a special language of the fans, which Saldaean women can use to convey anything from a simple 'yes' or 'no' to an eloquent declaration of love.

Outlanders may find the Saldaean notion of a husband-and-wife relationship strange. The husband respects his wife's strength by not backing down when she makes demands. Giving in is interpreted as an indication that the woman is weak in her husband's eyes.

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The Seanchan are descendants of a group of colonists Artur Hawkwing sent across the Aryth Ocean. When they arrived on the Seanchan continent over a thousand years ago, they were attacked hordes of channelers and deadly animals. One of the things which enabled Luthair Paendrag to conquer such a vast land with so many unruly Aes Sedai, was the discovery of the a'dam, a leash-and-bracelet ter'angreal which allowed the bracelet wearer to control the channeling abilities of the leashed one. By the end of the war, the Seanchan were convinced that channelers had to be restrained for the common good, and every female channeler was caught and leashed by force.

The memory of the Armies of the Night is so engraved in the Seanchan consciousness that female channelers are still hunted down and leashed today. All girls of a certain age are tested yearly with the a'dam to find damane and sul'dam. Damane, those born with the spark, are removed from the citizen rolls and considered property. Ironically, the sul'dam, those who control the damane, also have the ability channel, though they will not touch the Source without proper instruction.

Seanchan culture emphasizes submission to higher authority and knowing one's place. The differences in station are clearly marked by one's clothing, physical appearance, and even by one's name. Seanchan speak in an easily recognizable slurred accent.

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Shienar became one of the Borderlands when the nation of Malkier fell. Shienaran warriors are good heavy cavalry and wield greatswords in battle. The men are extremely chivalrous, and will go to great lengths to see a woman unharmed. Shienaran women, on the other hand, are not trained to fight.

By and large, these people are polite and modest, though the Shienaran practice of men and women bathing together deserves a special mention. Shienar is friendly towards Aes Sedai, and welcomes them into her cities and towns. The Ogier are called 'Builders' and also given honor and respect.

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Tar Valon is located east of the Dragonmount, on an island in the River Erinin. Most of the city is Ogier-built, including the White Tower itself, which stands as a bastion of Aes Sedai power in the city center.

The inhabitants of Tar Valon come from every land between the Aryth Ocean and the Dragonwall. This mix of cultures gives the city a liberal, cosmopolitan atmosphere, and the influence of the White Tower gives most Tar Valoners a tolerant, if not positive, view of channeling and Aes Sedai. Crime is almost nonexistent, as criminals fear the White Tower and its punishments, and not without good cause.

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Tarabon is ruled jointly by a King and a Panarch, who each administrates different aspects of the government. This nation is constantly at war with Arad Doman for control of Almoth Plain, although neither country has the resources to hold the region for long.

Taraboner commoners use a unique grammar for the common tongue. The speakers, they use nouns and pronouns together, yes? Men and women both wear veils, as revealing your whole face when not eating is considered impolite. Women sometimes place beads in their hair, and usually wear it in a multitude of small braids.

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Tear is located in the southeast corner of the map, east of Illian and west of Mayene. Tear and Illian have long been at odds with each other.

Tear, the capital city, is dominated by the Stone, the Power-wrought fortress, containing the sa'angreal Callandor, which fell in fulfillment of the Prophecies of the Dragon. It is said that the Tairen lords resent channeling because of the burden of the Stone, and the commoners in Tear (the city) share their antipathy towards Aes Sedai. Any girl found with the ability to channel is immediately sent to the White Tower for training. Aes Sedai are allowed within the country, but they cannot channel within its bounds.

In the books, Elayne Trakand notes that the commoners are a sullen and rather apathetic people. This is mostly caused by oppression from the Lords of Tear, who control almost every aspect of countryside life, from the size of the villages to the price of grain.

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The Tuatha'an are more commonly known as Tinkers, for they mend pots, pans, and similar articles as they travel in their wagons from town to town. They wander the countryside in search of the Song, which they believe will bring back the Age of Legends when it is found. They are generally viewed with distrust, and most villages keep them away, mistakenly believing that they spirit away young children.

The Tinkers follow a doctrine called the Way of the Leaf, which stresses non-violence and extreme fatalism: "The leaf lives its appointed time, and does not struggle against the wind that carries it away." They keep to this principle so strictly that they will not even raise a hand in self-defense, and force those who go against it to leave their band at once.

Tinkers travel in small groups of wagons led by a Mahdi, who deals with outsiders and determines where and when the group will go next.

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