Throughout the years of the Second Age, roughly 2-3% of the population proved capable of channeling
Saidin and Saidar, the male and female halves of the one power, a form of magic derived
from the True Source, a primordial cosmic energy which turned the Wheel of Time.
Called Aes Sedai, meaning servants of all, those trained to channel the One Power worked
for the betterment of mankind, leading to a golden age of peace and prosperity.
With the help of these magic users, humanity eliminated hunger, poverty and homelessness,
created advanced technologies, perfected food production and joined together under a united
world government, advised by the Hall of Servants, the governing body where Aes Sedai gathered
to make decisions.
Varied in their raw potential and abilities, Aes Sedai learned to weave the One Power through
elemental magic spells, seeing males excel with Fire, Earth and Spirit learning to aggressively
take hold of Saidin and forcefully submit it to their will.
While females primarily used Air, Water and Spirit, trained to more passively allow the
flow of Saidar to consume them.
One of the most important lessons they learned was to know their limits, as wielding to much
of the One Power risked self-destruction or burning out and losing their ability to channel.
In order to bypass these limitations, Aes Sedai created angreal, sa’angreal and ter’angreal,
magical artifacts which amplifies and expanded their skills, allowing channelers to wield
more Saidin or Saidar than was naturally possible.
Living in an Age of Legends, their near utopian civilization began its decline when researchers
at the university of Collam Daan drilled a small bore through the pattern of reality
to reach the True Power, a new source of magical energy which they discovered could be channeled
equally by both men and women.
Yet they soon learned this wondrous new energy came from the Dark One Shai’tan, who was
imprisoned outside the pattern at the moment of creation.
And while Bore was not big enough for his escape, it allowed him to directly influence
their world, creating a renaissance of greed, anger, jealousy and violence.
Over the next century, humanity grew increasingly susceptible to their evil impulses; leading
many to worship the Dark One, lured by promises of immortality and greater prominence in the
new world order.
While ordinary human who turned to the shadow were known as Friends of the Dark, his greatest
servants were the Aes Sedai defectors called the Chosen or Forsaken, charged with leading
his forces and governing conquered territories.
Launching the War of the Shadow, also called the War of Power, a devastating ten year conflict
in which the Forsaken sought to release the Dark One from captivity, Shadow armies were
greatly augmented by Trollocs and other Shadowspawn, viscous monsters created and bred for battle.
Organizing themselves under the Dragon Lews Therin Telamon, the greatest living Aes Sedai,
the forces of Light fought back yet were nonetheless pushed to the brink of defeat because of betrayals,
disorganization, low morale and increased division among their leadership.
With a Shadow victory fast approaching, Lews Therin Telamon sought to use both Saidin and
Saidar to seal the bore with 7 cuendillar while adversary, the female Aes Sedai Latra
Posae Concord, wanted to use special Ter’angreal and Sa’angreal to create a secondary prison
around the bore.
Though Latra convinced the most powerful female Aes Sedai of the Hall to refrain from aiding
Lews Therin, her plan was made impossible when the territory holding the necessary Ter’angreal
was captured by the enemy.
With all efforts to retrieve the Ter’angreal failing, the shadow forces on the brink of
victory, and female Aes Sedai unrelenting in their continued opposition, Lews Therin
marched on Shayol Ghul, the focal point of the Dark One’s power, with 113 of his closest
male supporters, and an honorguard of ten thousand warriors.
Proving doubly successful, Lews Therin successfully sealed the bore, imprisoning both Shai’tan
and his 13 most powerful Forsaken.
However, because only men participated in the ritual, the Dark One was able to perform
a counter-stroke, tainting the male half of the one power with his corruption.
Causing every surviving wielder of Saidin to lose their sanity with an unyielding desire
for chaos, destruction and violence resulting in the Breaking of the World, 3 centuries
of mass devastation which reshaped lands and seas, only ending when female Aes Sedai finished
killing or gentling the last of their male counter parts.
As for Lews Therin, he went on to murder his own family in his madness, and upon realizing
what he did, killed himself in a massive explosion of Saidin which created Dragon mount and the
island later called Tar Valon.
Though the Dark One and Forsaken were gone, the problems faced in sealing the bore meant
the threat was not completely eradicated, and so prophecies emerged, including the Karaethon
Cycle, which foresaw the return of the Shadow as well as the Dragon, reborn in a new body
to once again face off against this evil and save the world.
For a time, some male Aes Sedai sought refuge in steddings, special regions populated by
large, thoughtful, peace loving Ogier.
As it was impossible to channel the one power in a Stedding, they were protected from the
Dark One’s corruption.
However these male channelers could not resist the allure of Saidin forever and so eventually
departed, hoping to discover the Taint was gone, but instead inevitably went mad, causing
further destruction until gentled or killed.
Although female Aes Sedai were unaffected by the Taint on Saidin, they nonetheless suffered
grievous harm from the breaking, with many killed and others scattered throughout the
world.
In the western continent of Seanchan, surviving female Aes Sedai became ruthless despots,
conquering independent territories which remained in a near constant state of war over the next
two thousand years.
Killing any male channelers found, they ruled through lies and treachery, believing honesty
and loyalty utter foolishness.
Unlike the other regions of the world, male channelers survived in the southern continent
named the Land of the Madmen, where they continued to run rampant without restraint.
Though their insanity caused significant seismic activity, female channelers were also considered
dangerous and unpredictable, never able to unify or organize themselves to the extent
necessary to control the males.
Lastly there was the eastern continent, divided into 4 unique regions, with the northern Mountains
of Dhoom separating the southern realms from Shayol Ghul and the red-lands of the Great
Blight, where surviving Shadowspawn, lived and organized their attacks against the realms
of men.
South east of the Great blight were the lands of Shara, where channelers left behind the
name Aes Sedai to become Ayyad, slave-like servants of the united Sharan nation.
Though females were forced to live in secluded villages with limited rights and responsibilities,
male channelers were simply used as breeding stock until inevitably killed by around the
age of 21.
Further west, some few surviving female Aes Sedai journeyed with the Aiel people into
the desert lands of the Aiel Waste, helping the Jenn Aiel clan found the city of Rhuidean.
However the project was never completed as both the Jenn Aiel and Aes Sedai died off,
leaving the city abandoned for thousands of years.
Among the other Aiel clans, female magic users became Wise Ones, acting as advisors to Clan
Chiefs, while male channelers were sent north to die fighting the Dark One.
In order to preserve the knowledge of their ancient connection to the Aes Sedai, Clan
Chief and Wise Ones visited the city of Rhuidean, were they could learn the truth about their
past.
Finally there were the Westlands, where female channelers retained more unity and authority
then any other region of the world.
Yet in the early years after breaking, they too were plagued with division and strife,
as competing factions struggled for power.
Despite holding a meeting to discuss unification in 47 AB, war consumed the second half of
the 1st century after breaking, until a single faction emerged victorious, defeating their
greatest Aes Sedai rivals led by Lideine Rajan and Mailaine Harvole.
Uniting under the first Amyrlin Seat Elisane Tishar, they founded the city state of Tar
Valon in 98 AB but did not finish construction until 202 AB, with the White Tower acting
as their central stronghold, where they governed, held meetings, housed themselves and trained
new Aes Sedai.
Refusing to aggressively recruit by testing all women and girls, they instead sought out
those who already displayed some measure of skill or potential to channel, preferring
those of younger ages as they were more easily trained.
Beginning as Novices, these young girls divided their days between learning about the One
Power and manual labour, working as all manner of servants to teach them humility and test
their resolve.
Once this stage was complete, Novices performed a challenging ritual in which they passed
naked through 3 Ter’angreal doorways, each showing them alternate versions of their lives,
presenting compelling scenarios which they ultimately had to leave by returning through
the same doorway, thereby choosing the life of an Aes Sedai over whatever temptation they
saw.
This test was so difficult and traumatic, Novices were given 2 opportunities to delay
starting the ritual, however if they refused a third time or failed to complete it once
began, they were put out of the tower.
Should they pass the test, they were given a serpent ring to be worn on the third finger
of their left hand and title of Accepted, spending their days studying more advanced
knowledge and teaching novices.
When their time as Accepted was over, they took another test with a Ter’angreal, this
time performing 100 complex weaves with the one power while remaining composed and free
of distractions.
If they passed, they were permitted to swear the three Oaths of the Aes Sedai upon the
Oath Rod, a special Ter’angreal which forced the speaker to abide by their vows.
The 3 Oaths forbid Aes Sedai from speaking a lie, making weapons for a man to kill another,
or use the One Power as a weapon except against Darkfriends, Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme
defense of her life or another of the Tower.
Once risen to full sisterhood, they could wear the ring on any finger they wished, bond
a warder, creating a magical connection with a male warrior to act as their companion,
and join one of 7 coloured Ajahs, each of which represented a different aspect of their
responsibilities as Aes Sedai.
Starting with the Red Ajah, they were charged with capturing those who misused the One Power,
including women who broke Tower law, and any man that channeled or falsely declared himself
the dragon reborn.
The Green, or Battle Ajah, were warrior Aes Sedai who bonded as many Warders as they wished
and sometimes married one.
The Gray Ajah focused on diplomacy and mediation, while the Browns preserved knowledge, acting
as librarians and book keepers.
Then there was the Yellow Ajah, comprised of healers, the Blue Ajah devoted to justice,
and the White Ajah which studied philosophy.