The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend.
Though the world looked markedly different in the years before the breaking,
the devastation wrought by male Aes Sedai reshaped continents and oceans,
with humans around the world forced to rebuild from the ashes of their fallen civilization.
Separating the Westlands from the rest of the eastern continent, the Spine of the World was
a vast mountain range stretching from the Great Blight in the North to the Sea of Storms in the
south. With the rivers Erinin, Iralell, and Gaelin flowing from the spine, these mountains
were largely impassible, save for a few areas like Tarwin’s gap along the mountains of dhoom,
the Niamh pass near Shienar, the Jangai Pass next to Cairhien, the path leading to Stedding
Shangtai and the southern coastal strip along the Bay of Remara which led through the Drowned Lands.
Though few humans lived in these mountains, they were home to several Ogier steddings.
Just east of the Spine lay the barren lands of the Aiel Waste, also called the Three fold Land by the
local Aiel population, a harsh, strong, resilient, spear wielding people who wore veils when they
fought and considered this realm a testing ground and punishment meant to harden them physically,
mentally and emotionally. Due to the extreme heat and scarcity of rivers, the honor obsessed
Aiel clans valued water above almost anything, with water-oaths considered unbreakable vows.
In the south of the Waste there was the Termool desert, a land so hot, dry and lifeless not even
the Aiel dared visit the region. These wastelands had only 1 city called Rhuidean, which the ancient
Jenn Aiel and their Aes Sedai allies attempted to establish. Yet they eventually died out before
completing their work, leaving the city unfinished and abandoned. Although most were forbidden from
entering the Rhuidean, the Aes Sedai felt it necessary to keep the memories of this place alive
and so contacted the other Aiel clans through the dreams of those able to channel the one power,
starting a tradition where Chiefs and Wise ones visited the city to learn about their history.
Though female channelers were greatly respected, those males able to use the one
power were sent north to the great blight so they might die fighting the Dark One.
Similar to the Dragon reborn prophecy of the west, the Aiel believe there will one day rise a chief
of chiefs who will both destroy and save them, saying: "He shall spill out the blood of those
who call themselves Aiel as water on sand, and he shall break them as dried twigs, yet the remnant
of a remnant shall he save, and they shall live." Further east, beyond the vast Cliffs of the
Dawn mountain range and Great Rift canyon, were the lands of Shara,
a single secretive and secluded nation originally founded after the Breaking of the World,
ruled by a single absolute monarch, either a female Sh’boan or male Sh’botay. A harsh,
rigid, slave trading people, their rulers held power for only 7 years at which point they died
and were replaced by their spouse, who then took the throne, remarried and reigned for their own
7 year term. A cycle referred to as the Will of the Pattern. Despite being accomplished,
powerful warrior, that defeated both the Trolloc invasion and the attempted conquest of Artur
Hawkwing, who sent up to 2000 ships and 300 000 soldiers, the people of Shara were mysteriously
averse to discussing their victories, refusing to even acknowledge these wars ever occurred.
Refusing almost all contact with the outside world, very few merchants and gleeman were allowed
to visit their lands, and even then were only permitted to enter the trade hubs of the east and
port cities of the south, with foreigners killed if they ventured away from leaving these regions.
Although they had their own magic users, called Ayyad, who lived in secluded villages they could
not leave without permission, only females had any rights or power, while the males were used
as breeding stock to be inevitably killed by around the age of 21 or when their abilities
started to developed. While it appeared from the outside that Ayyad were little more than slaves,
there were some who speculated that these female channelers were in fact the true power behind the
throne, and it was they who killed the ruler every seven years. Both Ayyad and Slaves were tattooed
to show their societal position, with greater marks equaling lesser status, and since these
indicators were permanent, it meant once a person was brought low they could never rise again.
Stretching across the far north of the entire continent, the black Mountains of Dhoom separated
the southern realms from the barren red-lands of the Great Blight, where the Forsaken, Trollocs,
Myrddraal, Draghkar and other Shadowspawn, loyal to the evil entity known as the Dark One, lived
and organized their attacks against the realms of men. In addition to the Dead sea in the west,
a small corrupted town and huge forsaken fortress, the most notable location of the Blight was Shayol
Ghul, a black mountain which once existed as a tropical paradise before becoming the focal
point of the Dark Ones power, and location of his imprisonment by the Dragon Lews Therin Telamon.
Moving beyond the continent bordered by the Aryth Ocean to the west, the Sea of Storms in the south,
and Morenal Ocean to the east, there was the Land of the Madmen in the far south. A
chaotic and troubled continent of primitive, hovel dwelling people, where both male and
female channelers of the One power ran rampant without restraint or care for those negatively
impacted by their behaviour. Though the insanity of the males caused the greatest problems,
with their explosive, uncontrolled bursts of magic creating significant seismic activity, the females
were also considered dangerous and unpredictable, as they were never able to unify or organize
themselves to the extent necessary to control their male counterparts. Though this continent
was discovered and visited by the Sea Folk, they were unwelcome by the distrustful population who
immediately attempted to kill outsiders. Therefore the Sea Folk forbid travel to these lands.
Finally there were the western lands of Seanchan, where Artur Hawkwing sent a great host of ships
and men to conquer the continent, establishing an empire under his son Luthair Paendrag Mondwin.
Though these forces never returned to the Westlands and thus were presumed lost,
Luthair in fact succeeded in his mission by exploiting local rivalries,
turning the native nations against each other. Before the arrival of this eastern invasion force,
the existing realms of the continent were led largely by treacherous Aes Sedai, existing in a
near constant state of war, with lies, rebellions, coups and betrayals commonplace, creating a
culture that considered honesty and loyalty utter foolishness. Using this volatile situation to
their advantage, they invaders began a gradual 3 centuries long conquest with another 2 centuries
spent securing their victories, a period referred to as the Consolidation, ultimately ending with
Luthair’s descendants uniting the entire continent under the rule of an absolute Emperor and Empress,
reigning from the crystal throne. Rather than establishing some form of hereditary succession,
these rulers chose the heir they felt best suited for the position, leading their family members to
viciously compete for the opportunity. At some point, Luthair Paendrag heard that his father in
the Westlands died, and receiving no further messages, assumed his Empire was no more.
He therefore resolved that his people would one day Return to their homeland
and re-establish what was lost. United under a single authority, the Empire of Seanchan grew
so powerful they eliminated all Trollocs and other Shadowspawn of the Lesser Blight in the far north,
with the exception of some few Draghkar and other creatures which continued to roam the
region. A superstitious people with a strict social and political hierarchy, the Blood,
consisting of those descended from the eastern conquerors or later natives raised in status,
were at the highest level, though they were then further divided into High Blood and Low Blood.
These elite were followed by the Free peoples, slaves and Damane,
though some slaves who directly served the Blood were considered of higher status than freedmen.
Inheriting a deep mistrust for Channelers and Aes Sedai, men with these talents were
immediately killed, while woman with a natural ability to wield the One Power were made Damane,
considered the lowest social class comparable to animals, who were leashed with a special
ter’angreal collar preventing them from doing anything other than what their masters desired.
These collars were held by Sul’dam, greatly honored and respected woman who lacked the natural
affinity for the One Power, but could be trained in its use. Fielding a massive Ever Victorious
Army which claimed to be undefeated, the elite warriors among them became Deathwatch Guards,
charged with the protection of the royal family while the Seekers of Truth acted as a secret
police force. Though Ogier also lived in Seanchan, they were unlike their thoughtful peace loving kin
across the sea, acting grim and warlike, sometimes serving alongside humans in the Deathwatch guard.
The continent itself was divided into a northern landmass,
home to the cities of Sohima, Imfaral, Asinbayar and Qiart, in addition to a southern territory
where the capital of Seandar was located, as well as Kirendad, Anangore, Shon Kifar,
Rampore, Tzura, Noren M'Shar and the islands of Salaking,
Maram Kashor and Marendalar, where a major failed rebellion rose against the Crystal Throne.
Though the many diverse peoples and cultures around the world established great, diverse and
prominent realms, nothing could endure forever. Therefore these lands continued to transform over
the ages, as there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time.