In the beginning the Creator formed the Wheel of Time with seven spokes, each representing
a different age.
The wheel turned through the power of the true source, and was like a loom using living
beings as threads to weave the pattern of the ages.
Yet when the Wheel came into existence, so too did a being of pure evil, a cosmic force
known as the Dark One, which was imprisoned outside the pattern.
The Dark One wanted nothing more than to destroy the wheel of time, after which it might recreate
the universe in its own image.
Given the dark nature of this being, many wondered why the Creator would allow it to
exist.
Yet some believe that human traits such as selfishness, greed and violence came from
the existence of the Dark One, and so his presence allowed sapient beings free will
to choose the path of their own lives.
Whereas the Dark one sought desperately to interact with the world and the beings within,
“The Creator had made the world and then left humankind to make of it what they would,
a heaven or the Pit of Doom by their choosing, The Creator had made many worlds, watched
each flower and die, and gone on to make endless worlds beyond.
A gardener did not weep for each blossom that fell."
Within one of the many worlds formed by the Creator, the true source could be accessed
through use of the One Power.
A form of magic which cast spells of Earth, Spirit, Water, Air, and Fire.
This energy was divided into two opposing forces called Saidin, channelled by men, and
Saidar, channelled by women, and through the use of this power created mighty empires and
great civilizations of advanced technologies reigning over long periods of peace.
Yet, a lasting peace was not to be found, as free will constantly led humanity to become
divided, warring against each other and destroying the progress achieved.
Although humans and other sapient beings could change the pattern of the ages in small ways
as they lived their lives, the overall pattern could not be disrupted.
When someone’s actions or a great event started to alter the design, the wheel of
time sent a being with unique abilities known as a ta'veren, to correct the pattern.
These beings can range in their power and influence, and while their existence is necessary,
they are known to bring times of great struggle and hardship for the people around them.
The ta'veren themselves, live lives of destiny, and do not possess the same level of free
will as other beings, as they were spun out of the wheel for a specific purpose, and are
driven to complete their task.
Although no one can know how many times the wheel has spun, items and constructs from
previous ages sometimes survived into later time periods, and gave glimpses of both the
past and possibly the future.
The first spoke on the wheel, seemed to represent the First Age and some have come to believe
that this reflects a period of time in which humans named their planet, Earth.
Stories from later ages speak of mighty heroes and events from this era, such as Lenn who
"flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle made of fire", and Salya his daughter who
walked among the stars.
This may be in reference to the astronauts John Glenn and Sally Ride flying into space
aboard a rocket ship.
There was the war of giants between Mosk and Merk, who possessed spears or lances of fire
that could reach around the world, which may be the Soviet Union and United States of America
who developed nuclear weapons capable travelling great distances.
There are also references to Elsbet, Queen of All who may be Queen Elizabeth, and Materese
the Healer, mother of the wondrous Ind, which may be Mother Teresa.
Paintings and artefacts have also been found which may refer to the first age, like images
of giraffes and a relic with a 3 pronged star, which may possibly be hood ornament from a
Mercedes-Benz.
Some also believe that portal stones, used to travel instantly across the world, may
have been developed in this time.
After the events of these years came the second age, better known as the age of legends, when
Aes Sidai channelled the one power as Saidin and Saidar, using their abilities to help
forge an advanced civilization.
Though only a small percentage of the population was born with these abilities, those with
such abilities grew to be extremely powerful and could amplify their magic through the
use of angreal, sa'angreal, and ter'angreal.
Yet all were held to account by the Hall of Servants, who prevented abuses of power.
Led by a worldwide parliament, or "council", of democratically elected officials, the central
seat of government was found in the city of Paaran Disen.
Having eliminated poverty, all basic need was met and life expectancy rose between 150
– 200 years, while some Aes Sidai could live to be over 700.
Other technology of this age include Glowbulbs which provided light without the need of recharging
or replacement, 4 wheeled Jo-cars , floater jo-cars which hovered above the ground, Show-wings
used to travel overseas and a process called skimming which could be used to slip into
the void and quickly re-emerge in another location.
They also used portal Stones, activated by the One Power, to travel to other dimensions
and worlds within the universe of the Wheel.
Having passed beyond viewing material wealth as a measure of status, respect and recognition
could only be gained through service to the community.
In this way they might earn a third name, which was only granted to those of high reputation.
During this age, a man by the name of Lews Therin Telamon rose to become First Among
the Aes Sedai, sitting atop the high seat, and wearing the Ring of Tamyrlin, able to
summon the Nine Rods of Dominion.
In addition to being a great leader and brave warrior, he was the most powerful Aes Sidai
alive, rivalled only in ability by Elan Morin Tedronai, a great philosopher and theologian.
Although stories make this age seem like a utopian society, there were in fact a great
number of social problems growing beneath the surface, which were largely being ignored
by the ruling government.
And while these underlying issues may have grown larger in time, civilization actually
began to collapse with the discovery of a new source of magic.
Ever eager to expand their knowledge and improve their abilities, Aes Sidai researchers Mierin
Eronaile and Beidomon from the university of Collam Daan, discovered a new source of
energy that was unlike the One Power, in that it was a unified force, and did not need to
be divided into male and female halfs.
Choosing the Sharom, a large floating white sphere above their university, as the site
for their experiment, they attempted drilling a hole into the pattern of reality, in order
to access the True Power beyond.
Unfortunately, what they had actually discovered was the prison of the dark one, and by creating
an opening, known as the bore, Shay’tan as he became known was now able to directly
influence the world.
The resulting explosion then destroyed the Sharom, and with the dark touch of Shay tan
now loose in the world, the once tranquil island of Shayol Ghul was transformed into
a dark mountain surrounded by a desolate wasteland and became the focal point of the Dark One’s
power, where the bore could be located.
Over the next century many turned to worship the Dark One, embracing violence, selfishness
and greed.
A number of powerful Aes Sidai also joined him in the hopes of great reward and positions
of privilege in his new order, such as Ishar Morrad Chuain, later known as Aginor, who
created the shadowspawn races such as Trollocs, which served as the main army of the Dark
One.
Yet of all the noteworthy figures who went over to darkness, none were more important
than Elan Morin Tedronai, the great intellectual who rivalled even Lews Theran in magical ability.
Later known as Ishamael, the Betrayer of Hope, he was unique among the followers of the Dark
One, in that he did not join because of a desire for power or position.
Nor did he join to gain access to the True power which made them capable of magic beyond
that of the One Power.
Rather he made his decision using reason and logic to determine that victory of the darkness
over the light was inevitable.
Elan became increasingly convinced that the seven ages of the wheel of time were repeating
in an unending loop, and that in every rotation the Dark One’s direct influence was to be
unleashed upon the world.
And so in order for the Wheel to continue on, the people of the world would have to
unite and fight back against the Darkness, finding a way to seal him back in his prison.
However, this meant that the forces of light would have to constantly fight this battle,
over and over again for eternity just to survive, wheras the Dark One only had to achieve victory
one time, in order to destroy the wheel entirely.
Seeing no point in resisting the inevitable, Elan embraced the dark one and allowed himself
to become first among the forsaken, wanting nothing more than to end the cycle of existence.
However, because his reasons for joining the Dark One differed greatly from the others,
he did not sneak off and join the Shaytan in secret.
Instead he went directly to the Hall of Servants and announced his plans before all the Aes
Sidai, sparking outrage among those in attendance.
Following the years of collapse, when society significantly regressed, the war of Shadow
erupted, seeing the Forsaken and their armies of Shadowspawn spread violence and chaos throughout
the world.
Although the fighting went back and forth, after a decade of war Lews Therin Telamon,
known as the Dragon, defeated Elan Morin at the gates of Paaran Disen.
Yet this was not enough to end the war, and so Lews Theran developed a plan to seal the
Bore at Shayol Ghul using seven heartstone seals.
However, in addition to the six male Aes Sidai needed, seven powerful female Aes Sedai must
also be involved to complete the mission successfully.
But the female Aes Sidai reject his plan, coming up with their own involving two sa’angreal
which might create a shield over the bore.
However after suffering further attacks from the forces of the Dark One, this plan became
impossible, but still they did not support Lews Therin.
After an attack against Paaran Disen, the dragon decided to go forward with his plan,
without the aid of the female Aes Sidai, and would march to Shayol Ghul alongside 113 male
Aes Sidai companions, followed by an army of ten thousand warriors.
After battling the Forsaken and their dark armies, Lews Theran and his people made it
to the Bore and successful managed to place the seals, closing the hole in the Dark One’s
prison.
In addition, they were able to trap the 13 most powerful forsaken as well, save for Elan
who was only partially imprisoned, able to return to the world for roughly 4 decades
every thousand years.
And while the plan of Lews Theran succeeded in its primary mission, it required using
Saidin to directly touch the darkness, which allowed Shai’tan to perform a counter stroke,
tainting the male half of the one power.
This taint then led male Aes Sidai into madness, using their mighty powers to wreak havoc and
chaos upon the world.
Lews Theran also went mad and used his powers to kill his beloved wife Ilyena as well as
all his friends and family.
Yet his insanity was so severe that he could not recognize his own actions, and spent his
days wandering around the ruins of his home, searching for his wife and children.
Because Ishamael was only partially imprisoned, he was able to appear before his hated enemy
Lews Theran, and used the true power to heal his madness, so that he might see the horrors
committed by his own hand.
Lews Theran was so distraught over the death of his family that he teleported far away
and killed himself with a great explosion of magic that created the island of dragonmount.
Yet according to the prophecies from the Karaethon Cycle, the Dragon would one day be reborn
to fight against the shadow once more.
As the world fell to chaos, those among the hundred companions who survived the battle
at Shayol Ghul, went on to abuse Saidin to such an extent they caused the reshaping of
continents.
Eventually, the surviving female Aes Sidai, were able to track down the last remaining
male chanellers and killed them or else gentled their mind, stripping them of their ability
to use the one power.
And so with the breaking of the world, they entered into the Third Age.