Line #40 Characters/TheWheelOfTimeSeanchan


1	[[center: [-[[Characters/TheWheelOfTime Main Character Index]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTaveren Ta'veren]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeOthersFromTheTwoRivers Others from the Two Rivers]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeRoyalLineOfAndor Royal Line of Andor]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheWhiteTower The White Tower]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheBlackTower The Black Tower]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeIndependentCharacters Independent Characters]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheAiel The Aiel]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheWhitecloaks The Whitecloaks]] \| '''Seanchan''' \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeHeroesOfTheHorn The Heroes of the Horn]] \| [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheShadowAndDarkfriends The Shadow & Darkfriends]] ]]-]
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4	Almost a thousand years before events in the book, the legendary king Artur Hawkwing (the Myth/KingArthur[=/=]UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat of the [=WoT=] universe) united the Westlands under his empire. He sent his son with a huge contingent of troops across the Aryth Ocean to the west to discover new lands for his kingdom. They never returned and were thought to be lost at sea. Hawkwing's empire eventually crumbled after his death, resulting in the independent nations of the series' present. However, the expedition survived the journey and set up a new empire in the continent they discovered. Utilizing the strange creatures native to the land as well as [[EmpireWithADarkSecret mystical and fearsome devices for controlling channelers]], they conquered the indigenous peoples. Now, they are returning to the Westlands, determined to retake the homelands they believe are their birthright, and will stop at nothing to see the Hawkwing Empire restored.
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6	[[foldercontrol]]
7	[[folder:In General]]
8	* TheEmpire: They are shown as an expansionist and authoritarian empire, but the novel shows more nuance than the typical trope. As is noted, they're popular with conquered peoples because they're willing to absorb established nobles who obey, and while they're horrendous to channelers, their governance is strict but rigorously fair.
9	* FantasticCasteSystem: Their social structure is highly regimented (High Blood, Low Blood, Free Citizens, and Slaves) and often discourages communing with different classes, meaning a slave--known as "the voice"--has to be used as a go-between for communication. Despite this rigidity, social elevation is not impossible for a commoner (such as Tylee Khirgan) to be elevated to the aristocracy for meritorious deeds.
10	* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Ottoman Empire (consumption of coffee and extensive use of slaves in administration), Far East Empire (rigid social structures and conduct), and DeepSouth (Seanchan's accent often having drawls like Southern US, plus the horrendous way the ''damane'' are treated).
11	* WhatTheRomansHaveDoneForUs: Despite their slavery and strict caste system, their socialist policies often entice support from conquered people.
12	[[/folder]]
13
14	[[folder:Tuon]]
15	!!Tuon
16	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tuon_card_teaser_by_reddera_d6hd55j.jpg]]
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18	->''"Thank you." she told him politely. "I think I've heard enough" ''Ta'veren''. Ridiculous. These people and their endless superstitions! A small brown bird, surely a finch, flew out of a tall oak and circled widdershins three times over Toy's head before flying on. She had found her omen. Stay close to Toy.''
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20	Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag is the second and favorite daughter of the Empress of the Seanchan Empire. She comes to the Westlands to oversee the Return and ensure that the nations there are reunited under the Empire's rule. As such, she becomes another non-darkfriend antagonist to Rand. While she agrees that the world needs to be united when the Last Battle comes, it must be under Seanchan's banner and the Dragon Reborn must kneel to the Empress.
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22	* ACupAngst: Conspicuously aware of the fact that she looks like a slim boy, except in the right clothes.
23	* AllGirlsLikePonies: One of her hobbies is horse-training and she becomes as close to giddy as she can get when she receives a rare horse as a gift. Takes on a less than innocent tone from the fact that she also enjoys enslaving women who can channel and treating them like animals.
24	* ArrangedMarriage: Zig-zagged. Tuon's marriage was foretold by one of her Damane, but she wanted to meet her future husband and make certain it was him. She justifies the marriage with political reasons, as it gives her a link to Rand, though she says she might grow to love Mat one day.
25	** For Mat, it might be a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage of sorts, as he wanders about for quite some time with just the name "Daughter of Nine Moons", with not much besides this and the fact that his fate does weird things when dice start rolling in his head. This becomes a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment\|s}} of sorts where all this time he's been having crazy luck in everything from cards to horse racing, and then suddenly he [[spoiler: gets pursued by the Queen of Ebou Dar, who is at least [[MayDecemberRomance twice his age]], and [[AmIJustAToyToYou who treats him like a prize]]]], causing him to try to flee the town as fast as he can. The dice ''stop rolling'' right as the Seanchan come, and he screams "What happened to my bloody luck?" At about this point, he's almost relieved to meet her.
26	* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Has risen to her position as heir to the throne by carrying out, and surviving, numerous assassination attempts amongst her siblings. So much so, that any attempt on her life causes her to try and determine which [[SiblingRivalry brother or sister]] would benefit most from the situation.
27	* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:Crowned Empress of the Seanchan following her mother's death, she renames herself Fortuona.]]
28	* BaldOfAuthority: Female example. Her head is shaved as a sign of nobility and she's a deadly fighter.
29	* BareFistedMonk: In ''A Memory of Light'', she likes to visit a nearby garden at night...and practice her combat techniques by ''shadow boxing.'' Also, her reaction to a Gray Man sneaking up behind her, and realizing he was there finally? Trying to ''strangle'' him.
30	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Sort of, but not due to stupidity. Her very non-standard upbringing and life causes her to have very strange reactions to things that keep catching Mat off-guard. Attempts on her life are regarded as minor annoyances, but very simple everyday activities are fascinating new experiences to her.
31	* DefrostingIceQueen: Has grown fond of her new husband, to a degree.
32	* DoYouWantToCopulate: She seems to view consummating her marriage as akin to performing maintenance on her spouse, not least because [[spoiler:at that point she's the last surviving member of the imperial family and wants to produce some heirs. After she gets pregnant by Mat, she's more relaxed about the subject.]]
33	* FlatEarthAtheist: An odd zig-zagging case, she dismisses many supernatural things that Mat takes for granted (such as ravens and vermin acting as spies for the Dark One) as superstitious nonsense, even when presented with blatant physical proof they're true. But she has iron-clad faith in her culture's ''own'' superstitions (such as seeing constant omens in minor things), and religiously {{Hand Wave}}s away Mat's much more justified skepticism.
34	* HypocriticalHumor: She hears someone talking to Mat mention ''ta'veren'', and she criticizes Rand's homeland and their "endless superstitions." Not even two seconds later, she sees a pair of birds, and takes that as a sign. Normally, she's very self-aware, but in this case, the cognitive dissonance doesn't even occur to her.
35	** Also averted, however, in that the sign tells her to stay with Mat; which was why [[spoiler:she and Mat in the end married]], without which the Last Battle would have been a foregone conclusion. Either Mat's ta'veren effect caused this, or the "superstitious" signs are as superstitious as ta'veren itself - and it's implied that a combination of the two is at work, given how Min is immediately held in very high regard by Tuon, and it's suggested that there have been others with gifts like hers in Seanchan (albeit very, ''very'' rarely) who are prized for reading omens, whereas the Aes Sedai see it as reading the Pattern.
36	* IronicEcho: Gives Mat's AccidentalMarriage Vows back to him word for word. "Matrim Cauthon is my husband. [[RuleOfThree Matrim Cauthon is my husband.]] [[PrecisionFStrike Bloody]] Matrim Cauthon is my husband."
37	* LadyOfWar: Despite her demure appearance, she is deadly to her enemies and is exceptionally skilled at hand-to-hand combat.
38	* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler:Gives herself the name [[YouCantFightFate Fortuona]] Athaem Devi Paendrag upon ascending to the throne of Empress.]]
39	* PlayAlongPrisoner: Captured by [[spoiler: Mat]] by being at the wrong place at the wrong time as he tries to flee Ebou Dar to the countryside. She considers this an opportunity to observe the lands that she will eventually rule as Empress.
40	* PowerOfTrust: She ''expects'' assassins and people scheming to bring her down. But when [[spoiler: she sees Mat return in ''A Memory of Light'' with a throwing knife that seems to be aimed for her, she knows he isn't there to kill her. In fact, it lets her know that a [[BeneathNotice nigh]]-[[PerceptionFilter unobservable assassin]] is standing right behind her. Not only does she disregard Mat's dagger flying an inch from her face, but she turns around and tries to kill the assassin herself.]]
41	* [[ScaryBlackMan Scary Black Woman]]: Inverted, subverted, and reverted. The color of her skin is never pointed out as being anything other than rare for the region. She is small, rather than large, yet can kick your ass without breaking a sweat. Also, the scary part comes more from the fact that she can order your death, the deaths of everyone you ever knew, the destruction of your nation, and the enslavement of your women. All with the same level of emotion she gives to picking out what she'll have for lunch.
42	* TheirFirstTime: Because her marriage to Mat is finalized as they're about to part ways for the foreseeable future, it isn't for a while. [[spoiler:Towards the beginning of Book 14, in a garden in Ebou Dar.]]
43	* {{Tsundere}}: Like most women in the Wheel of Time universe, a full on type A and only shows flashes of her deredere side around her husband.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Egeanin Tamarath]]
47	!!Egeanin Tamarath / Leilwin Shipless
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49	Egeanin Tamarath was a ship captain in the Seanchan fleet. After the fall of Falme, she is sent to the Westlands to help round up escaped ''sul'dam'' and ''damane''. After realizing that much of what she knew about channelers was wrong, she suffers a [[ToBeLawfulOrGood crisis of conscience]].
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51	* EnemyMine: In Book 4, she works alongside Elayne and Nynaeve.
52	** Again in Book 14, where she ends up in custody of the Amyrlin Seat. [[spoiler:When going out to fight for the last time, Egwene bonds her as her replacement Warder, fulfilling one of Egwene's own dreams that a Seanchan would help her.]]
53	* HappilyMarried: By all accounts to a person she would have otherwise arrested: [[spoiler: Bayle Domon, a smuggler]].
54	* IcyBlueEyes
55	* ImportantHaircut: Allowed to cut her hair in the style of the lower nobility after her promotion. A point of great pride for her.
56	* MeaningfulRename: After her [[spoiler:defection from the Seanchan]], Tuon renames her.
57	** Doubles as a slight bit of DeadPersonImpersonation. [[spoiler:Leilwin]] was the name of a woman who was mistakenly kidnapped by the thugs she hired in her search for the missing sul'dam, as she [[HeKnowsTooMuch could not be released]] and Egeanin did not want to murder her she chose to send her back to Seandar as a slave.
58	* SlapSlapKiss: Only admits her feelings for her future husband after they attack each other.
59	* UndyingLoyalty: Shows this in the last book [[spoiler:to the Amyrlin]].
60	* WigDressAccent: Used to disguise herself as Leilwin during her time with Mat, although she keeps the accent that marks her as Seanchan.
61	[[/folder]]
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63	[[folder:Suroth]]
64	!!Suroth Sabelle Meldarath
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66	High Lady Suroth Sabelle Meldarath is in charge of securing a foothold in the Westlands to prepare for the return of the Seanchan. She is a cold and calculating individual who does not tolerate dissention amongst her ranks. Although she suffers a great defeat early on, her subsequent victories elsewhere lead some to believe that she may have secret ambitions inappropriate for her station. This is later verified as she is a Darkfriend under Semirhage with plans to make her the new Empress.
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68	* AmbitionIsEvil: Desiring more power for herself is the reason she becomes a Darkfriend.
69	* EvilChancellor: Somewhat, to Tuon. This doesn't end well when her secret is exposed.
70	* FateWorseThanDeath: An in-story example from her POV, judging by how she reacts to being stripped, shaved, and made ''da'covale'' to Tuon.
71	* ImportantHaircut: Has the sides of her head shaved, leaving a crest of hair not unlike a mohawk, as a status symbol.
72	* MadeASlave: Her eventual fate when her secret is exposed.
73	[[/folder]]
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75	[[folder:Tylee Khirgan]]
76	!!Banner General Tylee Khirgan
77
78	Tylee Khirgan is a Banner-General in the Seanchan army who later gets promoted to Lieutenant-General and of the low Blood.
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80	* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: Initially Perrin considers teaming up with the Seanchan to rescue Faile as almost akin to teaming up with the Dark One but learns to see Tylee as more of a FriendlyEnemy.
81	* FriendlyEnemy: After working with Perrin she suggests to the Empress that The Dragon Reborn and those associated with him would make better allies than enemies.
82	* ImportantHaircut: Upon her promotion to the low Blood.
83	[[/folder]]
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85	[[folder:Captain Bakayar Mishima]]
86	!!Bakayar Mishima
87
88	Bakayar Mishima is a Captain in the Seanchan army under the command of Tylee Khirgan.
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90	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: "One day, I'd very much like to see some of these Trollocs I keep hearing about."
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93	[[folder:Furyk Karede]]
94	!!Banner General Furyk Karede
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96	->''He always tried to be polite, even with men he was going to kill.''
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98	Karede is the leader of the Deathwatch Guard, the elite personal guards to the Seanchan Empress.
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100	* AffablyEvil: For a certain degree of "evil" so far as the Seanchan can be considered to be.
101	* BornIntoSlavery: The Deathwatch Guard are born as ''da'covale'' (except the Ogier "Gardeners", which Karede is not one of) and raised to live their entire lives for the Imperial bloodline of Seanchan.
102	* InsistentTerminology: The Deathwatch colors are red and green. A very, ''very'' dark green. He and the other Deathwatch feel slightly baffled and annoyed when those outside their ranks call it black.
103	* RedAndBlackAndEvilOver: Subverted twice (but not double subverted). It's dark green, not black, and he is not strictly speaking evil.
104	* UndyingLoyalty: By definition for the Deathwatch Guard, but as the only member of the Deathwatch we see the inner thoughts we see how deep this goes. In his case, it's to the bone.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Selucia]]
108	!!Selucia
109
110	Selucia is a high ranking Seanchan da'covale and so'jhin to Tuon. She is described as Tuon's "shadow," her ever-present personal retainer.
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112	* ActionGirl: Tuon's bodyguard.
113	* BraidsOfAction: Due to her status as a so'jhin, half her head is shaved bald and the other half has her golden hair on a braid, and she's the bodyguard of Tuon.
114	* BodyguardingABadass: Sort of. Tuon is competent in close, unarmed combat, but Selucia makes sure to keep assassins out of reach.
115	* NumberTwo: Of a sort to Tuon.
116	[[/folder]]
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118	[[folder:Turak Aladon]]
119	!!Turak Aladon
120
121	High Lord Turak of House Aladon is the first commander of the Hailene meant to put a foothold in the Westlands ahead of the rest of the Seanchan, setting up a base in Falme. A collector of cuendillar and a blademaster, upon his death at the hands of Rand he is succeeded by Suroth.
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123	* BaldOfEvil: Has the shaven head of a Seanchan aristocrat.
124	* CollectorOfTheStrange: Has an extensive collection of [[{{Unobtanium}} cuendillar]] trinkets, second only to the Empress herself.
125	* CulturedBadass: A MasterSwordsman who to all appearances ''earned'' his heron mark sword, has an extensive collection of ancient artefacts, and enjoys discussing such things.
126	* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Courtesy of Rand.
127	* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: He's cruel, pitiless, and ruthless, but he places high regard on the rules of a formal duel, patiently waiting for Rand to remove encumbrances before they fight, and never once trying any underhand tactics.
128	* MasterSwordsman: The first blademaster Rand faces in a duel, and a formidable one at that, with Rand only managing to outdo him via AttackAttackAttack.
129	* NobleDemon: Played with. While as cruel and pitiless as the average Seanchan noble, he notably waits for Rand to remove encumbrances before he begins their sword duel.
130	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / TheWheelOfTimeSeanchan