Developing a strict hierarchy among fully fledged sisters, with the Amyrlin Seat at
the top, followed by those in positions of prominence, like the Keeper of the Chronicles,
acting as an assistant and advisor to their leader, as well as the Mistress of Novices,
responsible for overseeing Novice training and punishing those who broke their rules.
Then there were the Sitters, 3 women from each Ajah, who sat on the ruling council called
the Hall of the Tower, voting on important issues and policies, including the election
of the Amyrlin Seat.
There were also the Ajah heads, each of whom led their faction following individual customs
and traditions which differed greatly between the Ajahs.
Aside from these individuals in positions of authority, Aes Sedai were ranked firstly
by their level of power and then by age, with less skilled and younger channelers expected
to defer to the more powerful and older sisters among them.
Though most of the powerful channelers in the Westlands either killed themselves or
ended up in the White Tower for training, some few escaped notice from the Aes Sedai
long enough to become Wilders, surviving the initial dangers on their own while learning
some measure self control.
As for those less powerful channelers who were not discovered by the Tower, or else
went for training but failed to become full Aes Sedai, they sometimes formed independent
groups like the Daughters of Silence or Kinswomen.
Yet Tar Valon would not allow a rival order of magic users to form in the Westlands, and
so either destroyed these organizations or used them to serve their own interests.
Though the Aes Sedai of Tar Valon wielded great influence in the Westlands, acting as
a powerful realm while also providing advisor, diplomats and occasionally warriors to surrounding
nations, many of their talents from the Age of Legends were lost over time, including
the ability to Travel instantly from one place to another, fly threw the air, freely enter
the world of dreams and create angreal, sa’angreal and ter’angreal.
Nevertheless, they continued to be a formidable organization capable of extraordinary feats,
including their capacity to capture and kill or gentle male channelers of the One Power,
especially those who raised armies by falsely declaring themselves the Dragon Reborn.
While not every false dragon was capable of wielding Saidin, there were those who did,
such as Raolin Darksbane, Yurian Stonebow, Davian, Guaire Amalasan and Logain, some of
whose followers launched failed attacks against Tar Valon itself in order to rescue their
captive leaders.
Despite claiming to serve humanity and do what was best for the nations of the Westlands,
Aes Sedai gained a reputation for deception and self interest, as they found ways around
the first oath to give false information and often did what was best for themselves or
the White Tower.
One of the most heinous examples of an Aes Sedai abuse of power came during the Trolloc
Wars fought a thousand years after breaking, when Tetsuan of the Red Ajah was raised to
Amyrlin Seat.
A time of great turmoil, many nations fell to shadowspawn under their leader Ba’alzamon
who created the secretive, Dark One worshipping Black Ajah to infiltrate the White Tower,
and raised Dreadlord channelers to lead his armies in an invasion of the south.
Yet one of the most tragic tales of this era emerged from the fall Manetheren, ruled by
the noble King Aemon who left his own realm vulnerable because he sent his troops to help
neighbouring powers.
When the war at last reached his kingdom, he sent word to his allies and the White Tower
for aid.
Yet the Amyrlin seat was a longtime rival and enemy of King Aemon’s Aes Sedai wife
Queen Eldrene, and so out of personal spite delayed and prevented help from reaching Manetheren.
As a result King Aemon died fighting a courageous last stand against the Trolloc invaders, which
then caused his wife to go mad with grief, destroying herself, the enemy army and their
own capital city in a massive explosion of Saidar energy.
When the other Aes Sedai learned what their leader did, they deposed Tetsuan and severed
her connection to the One Power through a method called Stilling, leaving her a miserable
wretch condemned to serve as a scullery maid until she died 3 years later.
The first Amyrlin Seat to be Stilled, she became a lesson to all Aes Sedai that no one
was above Tower law.
While the Trolloc War devastated much of the continent, including Tar Valon which suffered
heavy losses during an attack against the city itself in 1290 AB, the nations of the
West at last won the critical battle of Maighande in 1301 AB, with the new Amyrlin seat Rashima
Kerenmosa killed in the fighting, taking out 9 dreadlords before falling.
A few centuries later, the Aes Sedai once again demonstrated their resolve by deposing
Queen Sulmara of Masenashar to make her a servant in the White Tower.
Though some claim she was an Aes Sedai who became Queen of her homeland without permission,
others say she was simply a ruler who needed a lesson in humility.
After defeating Guaire Amalasan in 943 FY during the War of the Second Dragon, the legendary
King Artur Hawkwing parted on bad terms with the Amyrlin Seat Bonwhin Meraighdin, despite
him saving Tar Valon from an attack of 100,000 men trying to free the False Dragon.
Seeking his utter ruin, the Amyrlin Seat abused her power by encouraging other nations to
attack Hawkwing’s homeland of Shandalle.
Yet the man was such an incredible, warrior and general he defeated every invasion, proving
so successful his counter attacks allowed him to conquer and unite all of the Westlands
save Tar Valon.
Despite his animosity with the Amyrlin Seat, Hawkwing did not know with certainty the full
measure of her conspiracy against him, and so allowed Aes Sedai to join his government,
serving in positions of authority.
However everything changed when his advisor Jalwin Moerad convinced him to turn against
the Aes Sedai, expelling them from his court and laying siege to Tar Valon.
When the Sisters of the White Tower discovered the crimes of the Amyrlin Seat, she was deposed,
stilled and left a servant until dying 4 years later.
But this was not enough to appease Artur Hawkwing and so the siege continued.
In 994 FY, a year after suffering a terrible fire in the library of the White Tower, Artur
Hawkwing died and his empire collapsed into the War of the Hundred Years, which meant
an end to the siege against Tar Valon while would be rulers fought to carve out their
own independent territories.
When the war at last ended, 24 nations and 3 independent city states took the place of
the former Empire, each of which developed their own attitude and relationship with the
White Tower of Tar Valon.
Becoming allies to the White Tower, Aes Sedai served as advisors to Andor and Cairhien,
though their ties was considerably closer to the Ruling Queens of Andor, establishing
a tradition where the female heir studied in the White Tower before inheriting the throne.
Oppositely the nation of Amadicia, home to the Children of the Light, an independent
military organization dedicated to fighting the Dark One, hated the Aes Sedai of Tar Valon,
as they associated use of the One Power with the shadow.
A weak ruler on the throne, the Children of the Light were the true power in Amadicia,
making it the only nation where Aes Sedai and channeling were entirely outlawed.
In the year 306 of the New Era, the Children even managed to kill the Amyrlin Seat Serenia
Latar, before hanging her dead body for all to see.
In other regions like the northern Borderlands, Aes Sedai were honored and respected, while
the southern realms like Tear barely tolerated their presence.
In 601 NE, the Amyrlin Seat Shien Chunla was deposed and exiled due to extreme opposition
from the Hall of the Tower.
She was then assassinated 50 years later when the Aes Sedai learned of a plot seeking to
restore her power.
In 794 NE, the independent channeling organization the Daughters of Silence was founded but only
a few years later in 798 was discovered and destroyed, with their women absorbed into
the Tower where only one among them proved capable of becoming a full Sister.
In 890 NE, the powerful Aes Sedai Cadsuane Melaidhrin fled from the White Tower, entering
into a decade of self imposed exile to avoid being elected as Amyrlin Seat.
During the Aiel War from 976 to 978 NE, the nations of the Westlands gathered at Tar Valon
to fight a final battle against the Aiel invaders of the East who sought to kill King Laman
Damodred of Caihrien.
When the King was dead, the Aiel withdrew, thereby making it seem like the West was victorious.
Yet in spite of this tumultuous battle and the death of a king, a far more momentous
event occurred nearby in the White Tower, when the Keeper of the Chronicles Gitara Moroso
had a sudden vision, proclaiming the Dragon was reborn, before dying from the shock of
this revelation.
The only witnesses were the Amyrlin Seat Tamra Ospenya and the accepted Moiraine Damodred
and Siuan Sanche, who were sworn to secrecy.
Two decades later in 997 NE, with Siuan Sanche serving as Amyrlin Seat, Moiraine Damodred
set out to the Two Rivers region of Andor, seeking the Dragon Reborn.
By the year 997, the power of Tar Valon was drastically reduced, with only about 1000
Aes Sedai serving the White Tower.
Nevertheless they played a crucial role in the rise of the Dragon Reborn, suffering much
hardship during these years as they were infiltrated and sabotaged by the Black Ajah, leading to
rebellion and civil war among the sisters.
Though their were 2 competing Amyrlin Seats for a time, they eventually reunified under
the rebel Amyrlin Egwene al’Vere who enacted a more aggressive recruitment policy, testing
any woman who wished it, thereby greatly bolstering their numbers.
United under this young, powerful Amyrlin Seat, the White Tower fought with the armies
of the Dragon Reborn in the final battle of Tarmon Gai’don, contributing greatly to
their final victory and salvation of the world.