#seaine

[iliiuan]

Seaine and Pevara give us a glimpse into the ways Aes Sedai relate to their birth families. Little carved figurines to remember them by. A chair carved by Seaine's father when she was raised to the shawl. (You can feel his pride shining on her through the centuries.) It's a beautiful peek into these women's lives. It humanizes them.

[herenya-sedai]

Sitters in the Hall of the Tower

I was looking up various Sitters in the Companion, wondering how many of the Sitters during New Spring were still around 20 years later.

This is a list sorted by Ajah, with the year(s) they became a Sitter, whether they went to Salidar or stayed in the Tower (ie. were a rebel or a loyalist) and any other relevant info.

^ Sitter when Moiraine and Siuan were raised in 978 NE % Sitter when Siuan was raised to the Amyrlin Seat in 988 NE # One of the eleven who stood to depose Siuan + Sitter after the Tower was reunited

Blue

Anlee - ?; “Sitter for the Blue at the time of the Aiel War” ^ * Eadyth - ?; “Sitter for the Blue [...] when Moiraine and Siuan were raised” ^ * Lelaine Akashi - 962, went to Salidar ^ % +

Lyrelle Arienwin - 995, went to Salidar; went to the Black Tower in 1000 Moria Karentanis - 999, in Salidar; Black Ajah, “stilled and beheaded” in TGS 

* Anlee and Eadyth both appear in New Spring. No confirmation if either were still around when Siuan became Amyrlin. Also, a Blue Sitter was “killed in the fighting when Siuan was deposed” (WOT Companion). This could have been one of them.

Brown

Saerin Asnobar - 960, stayed in Tower ^ % # +

Janya Frende - 993, went to Salidar + Takima Deraighdin - 991, went to Salidar +

Escaralde Hamday - 999, in Salidar

Juilaine Madome - 999, in Tower Shevan Gadarin - 999-1000, in Tower

Gray

Jarna Malari - ?, Sitter during NS; Black Ajah, killed by Ishamael in 983  ^

Yukiri Haruna - ?, stood to depose Siuan, stayed in Tower * # +

Varilin Zanaire - 992, went to Salidar + Evanellein Lorn - 997, stayed in Tower; Black Ajah, killed in TOM #

Delana Mosalaine - 999, in Salidar; Black Ajah; fled in KOD, killed in TOM Kwamesa Taramasu - 999, in Salidar

Andaya Forae - 999, in Tower +

Naorisa Cambral - 1000, in Salidar, chosen to replace Delana

* Yukiri was  raised to the shawl in 867 and would have been an Aes Sedai for 111 years in 978, so she could have been a Sitter then. It’s likely she was one in 988.

Green

Faiselle Darone - 981, went to Salidar % + Rubinde - 992, stayed in Tower # + Talene Minly - 994, stayed in Tower; Black Ajah, fled in KOD #

Joline Maza - 999, in Tower; set penance by Elaida, and then “unchaired”

Samalin Naerodan - 999, in Salidar Malind Nachenin - 999, in Salidar

Farnah - 1000, in Tower, chosen to replace Talene +

Red

Duhara Basaheen - 929-953; Keeper 979-984; 999, in Tower to replace Teslyn; sent to Caemlyn to advise Elayne in 1000; Black Ajah, killed in AMOL  

Lirene Doirellin - 953, resigned / exiled in 985 ^ Toveine Gazal - 952,  resigned / exiled in 985 ^ Tsutama Rath - 964, resigned / exiled in 985 ^

Amira Moselle -  became Mistress of Novices during NS and a Sitter later (985?); stepped down when Elaida returned to the Tower in 998 * Javindhra Doraille - 985; went to Black Tower in KOD % # Pevara Tazanovni - 985; went to the Black Tower in KOD % # Teslyn Baradon - 985, stayed in Tower; forced to resign in 999 % **

Elaida a'Roihan - 998; became Amyrlin in 999 *

Barasine - 1000, to replace Duhara + Raechin Connoral - 10000, to replace Pevara or Javindhra + Viria Connoral - 10000, to replace Pevara or Javindhra +

* Too many Sitters! If Javindhra, Pevara and Teslyn all became Sitters in 985, how could Amira step aside for Elaida? Either that didn’t happen - it seems to be mentioned only in Amira’s entry in the Companion and in a Q&A, not Elaida’s entry nor in any of the novels - or else Javindhra only became a Sitter when she replaced Elaida.  

** The Companion doesn’t say Teslyn stood to depose Siuan but surely she did, because she’s Red and there’s no one else who could have. EDIT for clarification: All the other Sitters are accounted for as having stood or not having been present. There’s also a line in ACOS about how Teslyn “supported [Elaida’s] rise”.   

White

Velina Behar - 974, stayed in Tower; Black Ajah, fled in TGS ^ % #

Ferane Neheran - 981-992; 999, in Tower % + Seaine Herimon - 986, stayed in Tower % + Saroiya - 987, went to Salidar % +

Aledrin Malenry - 999, in Salidar; went to Black Tower in 1000 Berana Shamon - 999, in Salidar; stepped down when Tower reunited

Yellow

Sedore Dajenna - 961, stayed in Tower; Black Ajah, fled in TGS ^ % #

Romanda Cassin - 885-973; 999, in Salidar + Suana Dragand - 919-952; 999, in Tower

Doesine Alwain - 981, stayed in Tower # % + Magla Daronos - 985, went to Salidar % +

Salita Toranes - 999, in Salidar; resigned when Tower reunited

[iliiuan]

Elaida: I need you to do a Top Secret mission to find any treason at all whatsoever in the Tower. Even up to the Keeper herself. Top! Secret!

Seaine: Hmmmm. Let me apply logic to the words of an irrational woman. Let's see. (eyes widening) She obviously wants me to hunt the Black Ajah. I will go recruit my former bestie Pevara and we will do exactly that.

The irony, of course, being that Alviarin is Black Ajah, and Seaine's extracurricular activities are the most likely to out the woman. So Elaida played her stone perfectly without even realizing it.

Absolute perfection.

[herenya-sedai]

Seaine and Pevara

I'm sure my first reaction to Seaine was "Oh, not, not another random character that I don't care about!" but this quickly became a storyline that I like. The White Tower is fracturing even further and the events of Lord of Chaos have given a good insight into just how incompetent and petty Aes Sedai can sometimes be, so an example of cross-Ajah teamwork is even more welcome.

Seaine doesn't try to deny the existence of the Black Ajah, she tries to do something about it, even though she's terrified by the task. She realises she can't do this alone, even though she's promised to keep to keep this a secret. She approaches a friend from another Ajah, despite the current tensions between the Ajahs and that Pevara stopped talking her over a hundred years ago, and that she cannot be absolutely certain that Pevara will support her.

"You were very brave coming to me, Seaine. I've known Darkfriends to kill brothers, sisters, parents, to try hiding who they are and what they've done. I love you for it, but you were very brave indeed."

So Seaine is awesome. Pevara is, too. She says, "I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you [...] Can you forgive me?" and she doesn't try to stick her head in the sand about the existence of the Black Ajah, either.

And then they get down to the problem before them.

I also like Seaine and Pevara simply for their friendship. We see a lot of politics amongst the older Aes Sedai and not much else (and that makes sense, because we don't need to be privy to details of their personal lives. The books are long enough without that). But I'm glad we got this example of Aes Sedai being friends.