With breaking of the continents bringing an end to the Age of Legends, the survivors were
left to rebuild their lives in a new world losing many of the great social and technological
advances from the previous era.
West of the Aryth Ocean in the lands of Seanchan, violence erupted between humans and shadowspawn,
while in the eastern lands of Shara the people united under a single government.
Then there was those who survived the breaking by sailing the seas and so settled on nearby
islands, becoming known as the Sea Folk.
In the Westlands, the Da’Shain Aiel, who once served the Aes Sedai during the Age of
Legends, were given a great mission during the years of the breaking, tasked with transporting
powerful relics to a safe location where they might remain hidden from exploitation.
The Da’shain were known to be good-hearted people, dedicated to the way of the leaf,
an honour based pacifist philosophy, but with the chaos and violence that surrounded them
during their years of their journey, doubts and division spread, with a group breaking
off to form the Tuatha'an, or Travelling People, who continued to practice pacifism but abandoned
their mission to go their own way.
Those who remained then again fractured, with some choosing to embrace violence in order
to keep the others safe, and so some of the Aiel became spear based desert warriors, while
the rest became Jenn Aiel, remaining true to their duty and culture.
In the end they completed their mission, arriving in the eastern wastelands to found the city
of Rhuidean (RHUY-dee-ahn), and while the Jenn Aiel eventually died out, the warrior
Aiel clans continued to endure for thousands of years to come.
Meanwhile, those humans who remained in the Westlands started to form new communities
and governments, with Ten nations emerged and prospered, thanks in part to the aid of
the female Aes Sedai who survived the wars of the past age, many of whom united together
in 47AB to establish Tar Valon as their homeland.
But not all channelers of the one power were willing to submit to this new authority, and
so competing Aes Sedai factions went to war for decades.
In 77Ab, the largest faction, based out of Tar Valon won a major victory against their
rivals, and while the conflict continued for many years, by 98AB the war was over, and
Elisane Tishar was chosen as their first leader, given the title of Amyrlin Seat.
With the Aes Sedai now formally united they were able to aid the Westlands establish peace,
and form alliances which eventually led to the creation of the Compact of Ten Nations
in 209 AB.
A mutual defense pact initiated by Queen Mabriam en Shereed of Aramaelle, an Aes Sedai of the
Gray Ajah believed to have been a Ta'veren, a hero spun out of the wheel of time to fulfill
a specific purpose, able to greatly influence those around them and inspire loyalty.
The Compact worked well for many years, however in 335 AB, war once again loomed across the
Westlands, with Raolin Darksbane, a male channeler of the One Power, declaring himself the Dragon
Reborn, leading some to follow his banner believing he was the reincarnation of Lews
Therin Telamon, the great hero from the age of legends who defeated the forces of the
Dark One at Shayol Ghul.
However the Aes Sedai of Tar Valon, declared him a false dragon, and ultimately defeated
his armies to take him prisoner.
For centuries, the Compact of Nations thrived, but after a thousand years, the armies of
the Dark One regained much of their former strength, now led by Dreadlords, corrupted
humans able to channel the One Power.
Though not as powerful as the Forsaken from the Age of Legends, the Dreadlords bred legions
of Trolloc warriors, and gathered other shadowspawn like Myrddraal (MUHRD-drahl), and Draghkar
(Dragh-kar), ordering their forces to start raiding the northern territories of Jaramid
and Aramaelle to begin the Trolloc Wars in 1000 AB.
Although most humans rallied to join the forces of light against these dark armies, some betrayed
their own people and became Darkfriends, lured to the Shadow by promises of power and immortality.
The nations of the Compact then prepared to defend themselves, however their alliance
proved less reliable then many might have hoped, as each realm was so concerned with
defending their own borders, they rarely sent aid to help others.
As a result, the Shadowspawn soon overran the northern territories, destroying the city
of Barsine in Jaramide, as well as the Ogier built city of Mafal Dadaranell in Aramaelle.
Although Jaramide managed to survive the invasion, their eastern neighbour was not so fortunate
and soon fell, allowing the dark armies to delve deeper into the continent, attacking
Aridhol and Coremanda.
Not even Tar Valon was exempt from these incursions, forced to fend off 4 separate assaults over
the years of the conflict.
And as more enemies descended upon the westlands, the remaining nations found themselves unable
to win large scale battles, unless directly aided by the Aes Sedai, and so began launching
smaller scale attacks, cutting off portions of the Trolloc Army from the main host in
order to surround and defeat them.
Desperate to protect his realm, King Balwen of Aridhol listened to his corrupted advisor
Mordeth and abandoned the light, embracing darkness and cruelty in order to defeat the
Shadowspawn invasion.
For a time he was successful, sacrificing legions of his own men to slaughter any enemy
upon his land, but as hatred and suspicion took control his people, a malevolent entity
began to form that would ultimately lead to their downfall.
Fearing that Aridhol was going down the wrong path, King Thorin of Manetheren sent his son
Prince Caar to try and persuade them to return to the light, and once again embrace the Compact
of Nations.
But instead of listening to reason, Balwen had him arrest and tortured until he managed
to escape.
Upon learning of his sons imprisonment, King Thorin was outraged and sent an army to the
gates of their capital, only to find the city empty and in ruins, with its people having
turned on each other and destroyed themselves.
Yet their corruption had been so profound, that in their absence they left behind the
Mashadar, a terrible fog that roamed the streets killing anyone it touched.
The army of Manetheren was appaled by what they saw and immediately withdrew from the
territory, renaming it Shadar Logoth, and soon enough even the forces of the Dark One
feared venturing near, after an entire army disappeared attempting to camp in the city
overnight.