The Wheel Of Time The White Tower / Characters

“The White Tower stands, and we shall stand with it."

open/close all folders

Aes Sedai (In General)

"I vow that I will speak no word that is not true."
"I vow that I will make no weapon for one man to kill another."
"I vow that I will never use the One Power as a weapon except against Darkfriends and Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme of defending my life or that of my Warder or of another sister."

The Aes Sedai are the setting's predominant Magical Society. Remember how male channelers inevitably go mad and die? That means only women can safely channel, and do so under the aegis of the Aes Sedai. They run a Wizarding School, the White Tower, in the city of Tar Valon, and have representatives all over the world. While they aren't technically a nation, they are still a force to be reckoned with politically and militarily, and their leader, the Amyrlin Seat, is certainly the most powerful person on the continent.

The Aes Sedai are organized into seven "Ajahs", societies with their own goals, philosophies, and internal leadership, the last of these being obscured from the other Ajahs:

Red Ajah: Founded to police misuses of the One Power. In recent centuries this has resulted in their being de facto devoted solely to hunting down and gentling male channelers. The only Ajah with no Warders (not just not having them as a choice, but it being against the rules). The average Red Does Not Like Men and is often a Straw Feminist. Despite being the largest Ajah, the sort of person who chooses the Red Ajah seems to be politically inept (relative to other Aes Sedai, of course), as only two Amyrlins in recorded history have been elected out of the Reds and both were failures. Over the course of the series, a third is selected, and is so awful she makes them look decent in comparison. Their leader is addressed as the Highest.
Blue Ajah: Devoted to "causes", which seems to mean Chronic Hero Syndrome. (And hey, Underdogs Never Lose.) Blues tend to be idealistic and charismatic. To facilitate whatever quests they've set for themselves, the Blues have the best "eyes-and-ears" of any Ajah and are perceived as consummate schemers and plotters. The result is that they are the second-smallest Ajah numerically, but still the most influential, and more Amyrlins have been elected out of the Blues than from the next two Ajahs combined in the past thousand years. Have an ancient rivalry with the Reds. They are lead by the First Selector.
Green Ajah: Also called the Battle Ajah, dedicated to fighting the Shadow head on. Greens tend to be Action Girls, and to explicitly Like Men, in contrast to the Reds. They are the only Ajah to allow the bonding of more than one Warder, and the only Ajah where marriage (generally to one of those Warders; occasionally to all of them) isn't considered unusual. The Green Ajah call their leader the Captain-General.
Yellow Ajah: The Medic, The Organization. While all Aes Sedai are taught the spells for healing, Yellows are best at it and most interested in it. More than any sort of medicinal knowledge (and indeed many Yellows in the Third Age disdain non-Power-based medicine), the most important quality to become a Yellow is said to be a desire to help others and resolve problems. The Yellow Ajah is lead by the First Weaver.
Brown Ajah: The Smart Guy, The Organization. Browns love knowledge and can disappear for years into old libraries; they have a reputation for being CloudCuckooLanders... though, when an Aes Sedai is involved, you should always be careful. Despite the stereotype for being fascinated by the past, one noted Brown sister says that what every member of the Brown Ajah wants is to discover or leave something important for the future. The Brown Ajah, unlike every other, is led by an elected council, the number of members of which is always uneven, but the council does have a leader, who is called the First Chair.
White Ajah: The Spock, The Organization. Whites do logic, and little else; they can be extremely stoic. They are the smallest Ajah, possibly due to the esoteric nature of their focus, though logic in this case is expanded to include mathematics and channeling theory (channeling being quite literally Pattern-based), not just if p then q. Their leader is called the First Reasoner.
Gray Ajah: An organization consisting solely of diplomats, mediators and lawyers, Grays spend a lot of time in politics, helping to smooth over ruffled feathers and raw tempers. Any time a major treaty happens or someone backs down from a war, you can expect a Gray to have been involved; they have a more "letter of the law" approach to solving conflicts than the "spirit of the law" Blues. The Gray Ajah's leader is the Head Clerk.
Black Ajah: If you dare to ask an Aes Sedai whether there really is a secret organization of Darkfriends within the Tower, she will metaphorically kill you with a Fascinating Eyebrow and verbal lightning...unless you actually find one, and she thinks you are accusing her, at which point the "metaphorical" part starts being rather literal. These are Aes Sedai who serve the Shadow, and they are spread throughout the Tower's Ajahs and hierarchies; almost anybody can be one, and there have been multiple attempts to root them out, all of varying, but mostly incomplete, success (which speaks fairly well of their ability to stay hidden). The Black Ajah are lead by the Supreme Council, thirteen strong; the leader of the Supreme Council does not seem to have a title, is simply referred to as the Head of the Council, and is chosen by the Forsaken themselves.

The White Tower runs a pretty comprehensive canvassing program over the continent, bringing in girls who need to learn to channel and sending out Reds to handle the boys. Their senatorial body, the Hall of the Tower, consists of three Sitters from each of the seven Ajahs (any number of whom could, of course, also be Black), and elects the Amyrlin Seat by democratic process. The Amyrlin forswears her Ajah; the same is not true of her Number Two, the Keeper of the Chronicles, who usually comes from the same Ajah as the Amyrlin. Both traditionally serve for life, or unless deposed by the Hall—something that has only happened four times in the Tower's history.

Control Freak: On an institutional level, they try to maintain a peaceful consensus across the continent as much as they can by influence, manipulation, and outright bullying, as well as shutting down male channellers and most especially False Dragons. Given that this is an organisation established after the Breaking to try and both handle the maddened male channellers and grab control of the various Ajahs (originally different Aes Sedai organisations rather than sub-factions within the Tower), this isn't surprising - and they did prevent a Magocracy like in pre-Hawkwing Seanchan or Shara. However, this tendency is increasingly a problem as it means they tend to disregard non-Aes Sedai solutions and believe they should be in control.
Everyone Has Standards: Prone to bullying and manipulation they might be, but among the modern Aes Sedai, bonding a Warder without their consent—or passing their bond without consent—-is seen by almost all of them as utterly appalling and a cause for utmost disgust, with more than one making explicit comparisons to rape and noting the screwed up power dynamic. The Aes Sedai of a few centuries ago, though...well, it wasn't uncommon practice. It's depicted twice in the series; in the first case, a forcible bonding, the perpetrator became a pariah. In the second case, a passing of the bond, it was done on presentiment of probable death by the Aes Sedai in question, and therefore to save her Warder from the traditional Roaring Rampage of Revenge, and to allow him to be with the woman he loved, plus she gave him a heads up—and even while he accepted it, he was deemed to be justified in calling her out.
Exact Words: Vow to tell no lies, but get around it by technically telling the truth. This can include everything from wording something to mean the opposite of what it sounds like to statements that seem like they're answering a question put to them but are actually about another topic entirely. Egwene points out the problem with this—everyone expects Aes Sedai to twist the truth, so a measure designed to gain trust achieves the opposite effect. However, the counter-point in defence of the Three Oaths is that if an Aes Sedai says something straight, everyone listening knows it to be true.
Fascinating Eyebrow: Aes Sedai are a stoic bunch as a whole, and disapprove of showing much emotion, as being in control at all times is part of their mystique. As a result, this trope is the most common show of emotion that they're willing to extend to.
Heroes With Bad Publicity: The organization as a whole. While not considered villains, for the most part (save by the superstitious), they are universally considered Manipulative Bitches who will cheerfully sacrifice people to their agenda. It doesn't help that to a large extent, this belief is entirely justified.
Idiot Ball: Pretty much every serious plot problem could have been resolved had the Aes Sedai handling things been sensible and willing to compromise and let the right people in on certain secrets, instead of hell-bent on maintaining their power, prestige and dedicated image as cool and in control.
Lady Land: The Tower itself. There are men around, Warders particularly, but it's clear who wears the pants at Tar Valon.
- Tor.com reader Sylas K. Barrett took it further by pointing out that the Persecution Flip has definitely kicked in:
"Aes Sedai have no concept of consent. They are accustomed to knowing more, and having more power and authority, than those around them. They expect to be obeyed without question, to always be in power, and to always be right. When they are not acknowledged as such it is because of fear and superstition, which in its turn only enforces the idea that only the foolish or evil would reject their authority."
Loophole Abuse: They are very big fans of telling truths From a Certain Point of View or via Honesty Is the Best Policy (beware Exact Words), and follow this route through much of their interactions as well.
Magical Girl Warrior: Most Aes Sedai are able to hold their own in battle by way of channeling.
Might Makes Right: Aes Sedai have a complex pecking order with a number of unwritten rules, but in the end it down to "shut up and obey whoever is the strongest channeler present." Age, accomplishments and especially official rank are supposed to factor in, but the Aes Sedai tend to fall back on the practice that a weaker channeler is expected to defer to a stronger one at the drop of a hat. More than a few other channelling factions find this somewhat puzzling, as power doesn't equal intellect or knowledge. The Amyrlin Seat somewhat upends this, as stronger Aes Sedai will defer to her—but then the Amyrlin Seat is always one of the stronger channelers in the White Tower regardless. It's not entirely clear why this is the case, but it's occasionally implied to come from the same root as the Aes Sedai habit of dominating situations, which is explained as being so that if something does go wrong, everyone will instantly turn to the person with the most power, i.e. the person with the most ability to resolve it.
Mirroring Factions: While the Aes Sedai and the Seanchan hate each other, it's ironic that they have the same approach to undesirable channelers: treat them like animals (the Aes Sedai 'gentle' male channelers much as someone would castrate a wild bull or horse, while the Seanchan enslave women who can instinctively channel and treat them like pets at best) or kill them ('gentling' often leads to the male channeler dying of despair, while the Seanchan kill male channelers outright). That being said, the Aes Sedai don't really have much choice until Rand cleanses Saidin because With Great Power Comes Great Insanity and in most of the cases we see, they do at least try to care for Gentled men afterwards and make them comfortable.
Mutant Draft Board: Aes Sedai are of the opinion that any female channeler should go to the White Tower to train, no matter what culture she's from... or whether that culture has its own Magical Society. (Most do, but, knowing the Tower's imperialism, keep themselves secret or throw the White Tower a bone by only sending a few of the many channelers they have.) This is a little justified when you know the Tower's history from the Companion - the Ajahs were actually separate Aes Sedai factions, then unified into the White Tower, and as a result, the Westlands is pretty much the only known region bar possibly the Sea Folk and the Aiel (the latter having a similar scheme) where the channelers didn't overtly war for power.
Power Levels: Aes Sedai make a big deal of strength in the One Power — female channelers can sense each other's strength; weaker Aes Sedai are expected to defer to stronger ones all else being equal (and sometimes when it's not); and stronger Aes Sedai have a better chance of climbing in the ranks. The ability to "Travel" (teleport) becomes a new benchmark, as it's incredibly useful but requires exceptional strength. This puzzles other channeling factions, particularly the Aiel Wise Ones, who have a complicated and flexible hierarchy that no one who isn't a Wise One really understands—and notably, they all defer to Sorilea, despite the fact that she can barely channel at all (probably because Sorilea is terrifying).
Really 700 Years Old: Being a channeler slows aging. The oldest known channeler, though not an Aes Sedai, is something over 400.
Restraining Bolt: An Aes Sedai, before being promoted to full membership, has to swear "The Three Oaths" on the Oath Rod:
- To never use The Power for violence, unless in self-defense, defense of their Warder, or dealing with agents of the Shadow. (At one point, several Aes Sedai are seen flinging themselves in front of charging infantry so that they can help their side before they would more naturally come under attack during a battle.)
- To not make weapons using the Power. Unlike the others, dating to some centuries before the Trolloc Wars, this is actually the oldest oath, from back in the War of Power. In the modern day, it's almost a throwaway, as the technique for doing so was lost in the Breaking. Some Heron-marked blades, the most common sort of Cool Sword in the story, are artifacts created thusly before this Oath was instituted, and owning one is appropriately unusual.
  - Though it's not known to Aes Sedai in the current time until later in the story, use of the Oath Rod does have a side effect of shortening the lifespan of those who use it. The second Oath was instituted back when it was known, meaning the Aes Sedai of the time considered it important enough to sacrifice decades or even centuries of life to make sure no one could do it.
- To never tell a lie. As mentioned, telling truths From a Certain Point of View is allowed. Unfortunately, most people in the Westlands are Genre Savvy to this, and this attempt at being trustworthy has flat out backfired—no one takes anything an Aes Sedai says at face value.
Small Name, Big Ego: In-Universe. Aes Sedai can get very...strongheaded.
Nobody could humiliate one more soundly than an Aes Sedai, for they did it without malice. Moiraine had explained it to Min once in simple terms: Most Aes Sedai felt it was important to establish control when there was no great conflict, so that if a crisis did happen, people would know where to look.
Super Supremacist: A lot of them have the default assumption that being able to channel makes them at least a little superior to everyone else around them, and notably regard those who are Stilled with a sense of pity and condescension. This is yet another trait that is less than appreciated by those around them, particularly Rand.
Suppressed History: They liberally use their continent-spanning political power to ensure that history doesn't record cases where they showed weakness or poor judgement. The schism during the series sets off an international conflict, has both sides raise armies against each other, and sees one faction descend into tyranny, yet the other faction's Amyrlin Seat muses about how quickly they'll be able to get people to doubt it ever happened.
Wizards Live Longer: The oldest Aes Sedai can reach around 300 years; supplemental material suggests that maximum lifespan is correlated to strength in the One Power. However, there's also evidence that this figure is the result of the Oath Rod cutting their lifespan in half, so other channelers live significantly longer. (This may be due to the fact that the Oath Rod was used to sentence criminals in the Age of Legends.)

Warders (In General)

A Warder is a warrior, typically a man, who has sworn service to an Aes Sedai. They are typically confidantes, bodyguards and accomplices, occasionally lovers and/or husbands. A Warder is typically either trained in combat at the White Tower or was already really good to begin with. They are attached to their Aes Sedai via a Psychic Link that verges into Synchronization. Members of the Green Ajah are permitted to bond multiple Warders and members of the Red Ajah none; the other five Ajahs all allow sisters to bond one Warder each (if they choose to bond any). The vast majority of Warders are men; the only Aes Sedai in the modern era (Elayne Trakand) with a female Warder (Birgitte Silverbow) bonded her in an emergency situation and has managed to keep that affiliation secret for a long time. Visually, Warders are known for their cloaks, which have chameleonic properties due to being made from a type of fabric itself crafted by a specific ter'angreal that has no other known use..

Death by Despair: Losing the person on the other end of the Warder bond is extremely traumatic. "Orphaned" Warders go all Death Seeker, bellowing with rage and blindly charging at the enemy. Aes Sedai get really emotional, of the curl into a ball and cry for a few months variety. The enormous self control of the Aes Sedai allows them to do basic functions for themselves after a few days; anything more is a thing of Determinators.
Determinator: Most get chosen for the bond because they're already this. However, even those who don't start out as determined doers quickly become such, thanks to the gifts the bond brings and to the culture that exists around Warders.
Lightning Bruiser: Most qualify as soon as the bond settles on them: enhanced reflexes are part of the package.
Master Swordsman: Even if they don't start out this way, most wind up training to be masterful with not just a sword, but many other weapons, too.
Sword and Sorcerer: They provide the muscle, Aes Sedai the magic.
Synchronization: You can feel a certain amount of what's going on with the other person through the Warder bond. Injuries communicate, as does drunkenness. And, err, private fun time. (It's even worse if you're the same gender as your Warder.)

Moiraine Damodred

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wot_card_teasers_moiraine_by_reddera_d3r8il3.jpg

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and we are only the thread of the Pattern."

An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, Moiraine starts the series off as The Mentor, parading into the Doomed Hometown and effortlessly singling out the main characters. The fact that Rand & Co are somewhat Genre Savvy to her doesn't help a bit — but in any case, she's not here to beguile them, but rather to protect them. Eighteen years ago, the Dragon was reborn. Moiraine has been searching for him ever since, and has finally narrowed it down to one of three boys in Emond's Field. The fact that the Big Bad sends The Usual Adversaries in just confirms it. So Moiraine gets them out of there, with an express intent to guide the Dragon Reborn, teach him, and protect him until it's time to fight the Final Boss — and, also, to figure out which of the three he is...

Action Girl: Very much so. Moiraine is an extremely powerful channeler, kicking lots and lots of ass throughout the story. She starts off as the biggest Action Girl in the series, until Egwene and Nynaeve Took a Level in Badass.
A Day in the Limelight: She's the protagonist of the prequel, New Spring, that details her early days as Aes Sedai, what led to her bonding Lan, and the first hunt for the Dragon Reborn.
Anti-Hero: Her methods aren't always noble, but she's got the world's, and indeed all reality's, best interests at heart.
Back for the Finale: She's seemingly killed in the fifth book, but returns for the final two.
Badass Bookworm: Siuan wasn't alone in ferreting out what was going on, but Moiraine was the one who (made sure she) got the more active, hands-on and butt-kicking role...
Big, Screwed-Up Family: Not mentioned much, given that she is an Aes Sedai and, being consequently removed from her old life, and all of her immediate relatives might be dead, but she is a scion of House Damodred of Cairhien, which was and still is a notorious viper's nest of politics, lies and assassinations. Her uncle was King Laman, whose blasphemous actions kicked off the Aiel War, and her half-brother was Taringail, husband of Tigraine of Andor - with whom he had a son, Galad - and, following her disappearance, of Tigraine's distant cousin the eventual Queen Morgase of Andor - with whom he fathered Gawyn and Elayne. Taringail secretly plotted to murder Morgase and usurp her throne. And to top it off, she marries Thom Merrilin, the man who assassinated Taringail when he found out about his evil scheme, and who became Morgase's lover afterwards no less. This, incidentally, makes her the aunt of Elayne, Galad and Gawyn, and sister-in-law of both Morgase and Rand's mother, thus arguably also related to Rand by marriage. It's unclear how many of the others are aware of this, though given Rand's digging into Andoran history to figure out that his mother was Tigraine, it's possible that he worked it out.
Blue Blood: Given that a relative of hers started a world war, she's not particularly proud of it.
Blue Is Heroic: Both her Ajah and her general choice of clothing highlight this.
Brutal Honesty: While she's as good with Aes Sedai word games as anyone—and much better than most, thanks to her mastery of Daes Dae'mar—she's very upfront with the protagonists about her intentions. At first this annoys them and unnerves them (one of those intentions is to see the ta'veren dead rather than in service to the Shadow), but as they encounter more Aes Sedai they come to appreciate it, and her.
Catchphrase: "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills." Rand appropriates this later on.
Combat Pragmatist: If she knows she'd lose in a fair fight, she will not fight fair.
- New Spring: How to defeat a Black sister who is stronger in the Power and already has her shielded? Stab her in the back.
- The Dragon Reborn: Knowing she has to face off against one of the strongest male Forsaken? Blast him with balefire while he's distracted by his duel with Rand.
- The Fires of Heaven: How to defeat a very angry Lanfear? Bait her with an angreal to get her into the right position and tackle her though the door to another dimension.
Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Balefire. She scolds Rand for using it in Book 5, despite having done so herself in Book 3, although that may have more to do with typical Aes Sedai "We know better of the Power than everyone" attitude than the balefire itself, as she seems fully aware that it is the only reliable way to kill Darkhounds.
- Also she killed Be'lal with it. As his name is enough for many people to crap themselves, kind of justified.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Moiraine has that whole "Aes Sedai poise" down to a science. However, she starts opening up a bit more in books 4 and 5 (being the first person to twig that trying to tug Rand around won't get you anywhere), and post-rescue, she seems to have made a conscious decision to stop hiding her emotions. Likely because there may not be much time to indulge them with Thom before The End of the World as We Know It.
De-power: After her ordeal with the Finns, she's lost a lot of power. On the other hand, she escapes with an angreal capable of making her even more powerful than she used to be, and since it's a bracelet, it's quite convenient to wear.
Distressed Damsel: For Thom to rescue. Probably still an honorary Badass in Distress, even though she's lost most of her channeling ability and couldn't really help much during their escape.
First Girl Wins: With Thom - though that would be the first of his love interests in the series, because the man in question has had a fairly active love life.
The Friend Nobody Likes: While Egwene trusts her, the rest of the Two Rivers crew very clearly does not, and they only travel together and listen to her out of necessity. Her own condescending, secretive demeanor, curated over her twenty year long quest to locate the Dragon which she's had to keep hidden from everyone except Siuan and Lan, doesn't help matters any, either. In retrospect and after her rescue, relations are much warmer all around and she's held in much higher regard, partially because everyone has learned to communicate with each other more openly and partially because the others have experienced much worse examples of the Aes Sedai's secretive arrogance to contrast her against - whatever else you could say about Moiraine, she's entirely upfront about her intentions.
Height Angst: She's notably short even for a Cairheinin, but by the time the series rolls around she's (mostly) gotten over it.
Heroic Sacrifice: Tackles Lanfear through the twisted redstone doorway to save Rand from having himself broken down to stay with her in Book 5. The doorway melts as a result of her and Lanfear channeling at the time, sealing the entrance to Sindhol. However, she survives, albeit having most of her channeling ability drained out of her by the Finn by the time she is found again in Book 13.
I Did What I Had to Do: Say one thing for Moiraine: she is very devoted to serving the Light, and does several things in the early books—sinking the ferry at Taren Ferry, leaving the inn the party had just stayed in open to attack, and threatening to kill all three of the ta'veren if it means the Dark One doesn't get them, and that's just in the first book—that make the Emond's Fielders uncomfortable. She serves as the early voice for utilitarianism, and even eventually abandons the famous Aes Sedai scheming when it no longer serves the ultimate purpose of helping Rand.
If It's You, It's Okay: Presumably why Moiraine was pillow-friends with Siuan (and it's rather strongly implied that they continued a physical relationship at least into their early Aes Sedai years), despite neither of them being lesbian.
Lack of Empathy: Subverted. Her emotional coldness alienates several characters, but it's not that she doesn't care, it's more that she can't afford to let it get in her way. For instance, she makes a rare show of emotion when trying to warn an innkeeper who's done good service that he might be in danger because of association with them, and when called on not showing much emotion when the inn burns down behind them, she retorts that a) there's no point, and b) she will have plenty of gold sent secretly from Tar Valon to compensate him and then some. We later see that she did exactly that, with the inn being rebuilt to twice the size.
Lady of Black Magic: An outwardly reserved woman of high nobility who conducts herself as a Proper Lady. She is an Aes Sedai who can use balefire, but becomes weak in the Power after her imprisonment by the Finn, though she acquires an angrael that makes her stronger than she ever was before.
Legendary in the Sequel: In-Universe. Becomes a Memetic Badass in Salidar to other Aes Sedai who find out about her Forsaken-killing. One even puts her on the same level as Cadsuane. When she turns up again, it's arguable she outshines her.
Lethal Chef: There's a good reason beyond her being either Aes Sedai or a noble to explain why others get to tend the fire. Her initiation pie is also legendary.
Little Miss Badass: She's very short, and while she's only powerful by Third Age standards, she's still good enough to take out two of the Forsaken.
Living Legend: By the end of the series, she puts Cadsuane in the shade. Following her return, having discovered the Dragon Reborn and two other ta'veren, taken out two Forsaken - if temporarily in Lanfear's case, and - with help - escaped the Tower of Ghenjei, she has enough clout to sail in and leave everyone in awe.
Manipulative Bitch: A heroic example, and both more upfront about it and more willing to bend on it than more or less any other Aes Sedai in the series. The latter is why she's so much appreciated in retrospect by Rand in particular.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: Subverted.
Mis-blamed: In-Universe. Several of the Two Rivers folk, particularly Nynaeve, come to resent Moiraine for taking them out of their humble lives and thrusting them into the jaws of death. Most of them, particularly Nynaeve, eventually realize how unfair this is, particularly since they'd have probably all died on Winternight had Moiraine not been there to save them.
My Greatest Failure: Merean of the Black Ajah once murdered three innocent people in front of her, two of them children, and Moiraine was powerless to save a one. She holds a lot of guilt over this.
Never Found the Body: In-Universe, to the point that it eventually becomes a significant mission to find her.
Number Two: She was surprised at how comfortably she settled into this role to Siuan, as Moiraine was the one from a rich background with training for command.
Opposites Attract: With Siuan. Moiraine was raised among high nobility, comes from a rich (if troubled) family, and is only a few short rings away from royalty. Siuan, despite coming from a poor family, became her closest friend and the person she "loved the most."
Offered the Crown: She had a valid claim to the Sun Throne, and the White Tower was eager to install one of their own as queen. Moiraine went out of her way to avoid this.
Platonic Life-Partners: Had this going on with Lan.
Playing with Fire: Most Aes Sedai aren't that good with either Earth or, more importantly for this trope, Fire. Moiraine is not one of them. It shows: she even worked how to create balefire out on her own (the weave needs strength, sure, but you're scuppered if you can't reliably blend enough Fire into the complex weave). Egwene and Nynaeve picked the knack up from her.
Power Levels: Again, RJ keeps this vague, but it's known that Moiraine was one of the strongest channelers amongst the Aes Sedai before the series began. She's on the third level of the Character Tiers chart, bettered only by Egwene (and those tied with her) and Nynaeve (and those tied with her).
- At least, before her trip through the redstone doorway. Now she's extremely weak in the Power, but can be made much stronger than she initially was with an angrael she has.
Power of Trust: She learns to let go of control and consequently handles Rand much better in books 4 and 5, and in return, Rand and Egwene's trust in her is what allows her to sail back in and cement the Dragon's Peace and alliance at the Fields of Merrilor with nothing more than a few quotes from the Prophecies of the Dragon and pointing out to Rand that he can't both take on the Dark One and micro-manage the battle.
Proper Lady: Was brought up as one, and she has never seen a reason to change.
Regal Ringlets: Hair down, in curls and with her trademark stone woven in with its chain is her signature style.
Save This Person, Save the World: Why she's looking for the Dragon Reborn.
- Ironically, thanks to Min's viewing, this trope seems to be true of herself, from the POV of Mat and Thom. As it turns out, this is because she is one of the two women (the other being Nynaeve) who uses Moridin's grip on Callandor to take control of him and enabling Rand to stop the Dark One. Perhaps even more importantly, she's the only person able to talk Rand and Egwene into backing down and compromising with each other at Merrilor, preventing them from repeating the fateful mistakes of their counterparts in the previous Age.
Sexy Mentor: Downplayed, but she's an attractive woman and Rand notices despite himself, which she at least considered using. However, one Bad Future Moiraine saw in Rhuidean was born from her and Rand becoming lovers; apparently, the results of this were so catastrophic that it's the one thing she'll never let happen.^noteBrandon Sanderson later suggested that this future resulted in a Class X-5 Apocalypse How and resulted in Cessation of Existence for all creation including The Dark One, though it's not certain if that was his own idea or a note rom Jordan.
- At one point, Perrin accidentally walks in on her while she's wearing only a robe (and not wearing it very well, either). He notices, too. Ironically, Mat is the only one who doesn't... though he has his own issues with Aes Sedai.
Situational Sexuality: What led to her getting together with Siuan in the backstory.
Thanatos Gambit: Although, as it's later revealed, she's Not Quite Dead.
The Unfettered: She's utterly dedicated to her quest and, in her own words, will do anything short of bedding Rand to see the Dragon fulfill his destiny. (And even for that, she clearly considered it; the only reason she won't is because she had a vision of the future where she tried it and it made everything go very, very badly.)
Unflinching Walk: Before killing Be'lal.

Lan Mandragoran

Al'Lan Mandragoran

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wot_card_teasers_lan_by_reddera_d414kh5.jpg

Introduced to the story merely as Moiraine's Warder, a bodyguard with a Psychic Link and some other sundry skills, Lan is later revealed to be the Last of His Kind: he is the crown prince and only surviving full-blooded citizen of the Borderland nation of Malkier, which was overrun by The Usual Adversaries and the Garden of Evil when he was still a babe at the breast. Condemned to wage a one-man war against the Shadow, Moiraine managed to distract him by dangling that whole "Save This Person, Save the World" thing in front of him, and he has protected her ever since.

Badass Normal: He is probably literally the single deadliest non-channeler in the entire world. He goes up against Demandred in the final book, who at this point is established as a good contender for the title of World's Strongest Man in terms of the One Power and greatest Master Swordsman in a setting full of them, and wins.
Demandred: No one of this Age has such skill. Asmodean? No, no. He couldn't have fought me like this. Lews Therin? It is you behind that face, isn't it?
Lan: I am just a man. That is all I have ever been.
Book Ends: In New Spring, the prequel novella, Lan duels a man who he admits is better than him, is wounded by him, then kills him due to Lan's philosophy that a fight's not over till it's over, and you surrender when you're dead. In A Memory of Light, the final book, he duels a man who is better than him, and kills him via Sheathing The Sword (i.e. deliberately taking a possibly-fatal wound to open up your opponent's defense), because his intent wasn't to win the duel but kill his opponent.
Cool Horse: Mandarb. It's so iconic of him that Nynaeve knows that even if he tries to hide his appearance in a disguise, he'll still ride that same black horse.
Combat Pragmatist: One of the reasons he's so incredibly effective. He's already one of the greatest swordsmen alive, but he never once considers any fight to the death "fair" and uses whatever he can to get an edge and win. This is what allows him to defeat Demandred during Tarmon Gaidon.
Conservation of Ninjutsu: Invoked. In New Spring, six men come to kill him at once. After he takes his first wound from them, Lan's internal monologue notes that only in stories does one man fight six and come away unscathed. As the fight grows more desperate, he ruefully adds that only in stories does one man fight six and live. He wins.
Death Seeker: More or less, considering he has to avenge an entire country.
Determinator: Here is the oath that Malkieri kings swear, and which Lan is still following:
Lan Mandragoran: "To stand against the Shadow so long as iron is hard and stone abides. To defend the Malkieri while one drop of blood remains. To avenge what cannot be defended."
Empowered Badass Normal: He's a Warder, but he was still badass before.
Foregone Victory: Not believing in this is what allows him to kill a Darkfriend in New Spring despite Lan admitting he was better with the sword. The Darkfriend believed he had won after wounding Lan's arm and got cocky. Lan, meanwhile, knew he had won once the guy was dead.
Honor Before Reason: Egads, but is he ever. You can blame him for some of Rand's, even.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Huge guy to both Nynaeve (his wife), and Moiraine (his first Aes Sedai), who is unusually short.
It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Says this to Nynaeve; the two of them have basically sorted out their Will They or Won't They? by the end of the first book, but he believes himself doomed to die against the Shadow and doesn't want her wedding dress to be in mourning colors.
I Was Quite a Looker: Despite his rough-hewn features in the main books, he was more or less a bishounen in his youth, and a ladies' man as a result. We see some of this in New Spring.
King Incognito: He tries this in Towers of Midnight. He fails miserably, and it is one of the best moments in the series.
Last of His Kind: The last pure Malkieri of the royal line, and regards himself as the last of the Malkieri in general. This is subverted in the last few books, as Nynaeve gathers together the remaining diaspora of his countrymen so they can fight together in the Last Battle, and with the Dark One re-sealed, it's reasonable to assume the survivors of Tarmon Gai'don were able to re-found their country.
Living Legend: To both the Aiel and the Borderlanders.
Married at Sea: In a very different variant, pushy Nynaeve insists her stoic Love Interest marry her immediately once they're reunited on a Sea Folk ship, only to discover mid-ceremony that the required vows are... rather different and unusually specific in their culture. Not that she minds, of course...
Master Swordsman: A Blademaster (possibly The Blademaster, at least in this Age) and Rand's first teacher in combat, as a matter of fact. Though Demandred is technically a little better and comparatively fresh to boot, it doesn't stop him.
The Mentor: Moonlights as this to Rand in the early books, teaching him swordsmanship and how to conduct himself with stoic resilience and authority. As Siuan remarks with exasperated amusement when she first meets Rand, who greets her at Lan's instigation in the fashion of a young Border Lord flavoured by Warder, it's quite obvious that Moiraine has let Lan at him.
Mindlink Mates: With Nynaeve as of Book 13 as both her husband and her Warder.
Mirror Character: He is aware of his position as this compared to Rand. Both of them were chosen from birth, pointed at the Blight, and told that they would die there, with that being a major part of their purpose in life.
Pillars of Moral Character: "Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain."
Rightful King Returns: What his whole arc basically entails, if a rather lengthy and downplayed version...primarily because he refuses to acknowledge it as even possible for the bulk of it. He's got a point: the Blight rarely lets anything go.
The Stoic: On the outside, at least. Chapters he is the focus of show him to be less so, especially about his wife.
- Hilariously lampshaded when he reflects upon almost shaming himself (by showing anger) when Moiraine sics a whole anthill on him.
Take Up My Sword: He was forced to do this from birth by the people of Malkier.
Try to Fit That on a Business Card: al'Lan Mandragoran, Lord of the Seven Towers, Diademed Battle Lord of the Malkieri.
"Perrin blinked. Lan was all of that?"
You Can't Fight Fate: "Duty is heavier than a mountain; death is lighter than a feather."
Rand: "That mountain can get awfully heavy sometimes. When do you get to put it down?"
Lan: "When you die."

Siuan Sanche

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Siuan_930.jpg

"Well, this is a pot of fisherman's stew made only with the heads."

Introduced into the story as The Watcher of the Seals, The Flame of Tar Valon, The Amyrlin Seat. What this means is that she is the elected leader of the Aes Sedai and, as such, basically the most powerful person alive. She and Moiraine went to school together and are co-conspirators in the "Save the Dragon, Save the World" plan.

Alliterative Name: Siuan Sanche.
Big Good: As the Amyrlin Seat she is the most powerful character who supports Moiraine and Rand.
Busman's Vocabulary: She hails from the port city of Tear, and her dialogue often includes analogies to fishing and sailing.
The Chessmaster: Heroic example. She's so addicted to it she continues the habit even after losing the Seat.
- This is also a downplayed example, as while she's a very capable strategist and manipulator, she had several extreme screwups that cost her and her causes dearly, and she learns at least a bit from them. Notably, sending three Accepted after 13 full sisters of the Black Ajah is something basically everyone thinks was a bad idea, and the fact that it includes Elayne alienates Andor, the White Tower's staunchest ally; and while she did all she could to prepare for the Dragon's return, Egwene wonders if her secretive, manipulative approach didn't sow the seeds of the later divisions in the Tower.
Chessmaster Sidekick: Becomes this to Egwene thanks to her Depower and partial repower, tutors her in Aes Sedai history and politics, and acts as her unofficial number two.
Chickification: When presented with her Love Interest (Gareth Bryne), especially after showing that she is only half as strong a channeler post un-severing. However, she also exploits this perception to ruthless effect, with it taking a long time for practically anyone to catch on to the fact that having a fraction of her channelling power, looking about 20, and clearly crushing hard on the guy she's stuck in a domestic position for... doesn't mean she's lost her political nous.
Determinator: When she decides to do something, it gets done. Especially if it's beyond tricky, regardless of the opposition... and, not even killing her Warder, deposing her and Stilling her will stop her. The vast majority of Aes Sedai could not manage to pull through that, let alone pull off what she did, out of both sheer willpower and rage. Elaida really should have known that about her, too.
Dropped a Bridge on Her: With a tiny bit of foreshadowing when Min mentions her viewing that Siuan and Gareth Bryne have to stick together or else they'll both die. Siuan says, "That's already happened," and Min says, "No, it can still happen," and Siuan says, "Who cares, we need to protect Mat," and stays away from Bryne to protect Mat. Next time Min looks, she's dead from an explosion.
Everything's Better with Rainbows: The "stole" (shawl) of the Amyrlin Seat involves all the colors of the Aes Sedai (blue, red, green, yellow, brown, gray and white).
Fate Worse than Death: Is impeached as Amyrlin, and stilled.
Guile Heroine: She's forced to default to this after being Stilled and she is ruthlessly good at it, masterminding the growth of cracks in Elaida's rule and Egwene's rise to the Amyrlin Seat.
Iron Lady: The woman is downright formidable, being capable of browbeating more or less anyone into obeying her will through sheer force of personality.
Killed Off for Real: Both she and Gareth are abruptly killed during the Last Battle.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: For the Amyrlin Seat, she's got an exceptionally foul mouth.
The Mentor: To Egwene, training her in Aes Sedai politics and history, and remarks that at first she didn't like Egwene very much—because she reminded her of herself. In the end, she's downright proud that Egwene has Surpassed the Teacher.
Mindlink Mates: With Gareth as of Book 12, when she bonds him as her Warder.
Mirror Character: To Elaida. Both of them use rumors of the other's involvement with false dragons and the real Dragon Reborn to have the other overthrown from the position of Amyrlin Seat and neither see anything wrong with using the backlash to disband the other's Ajah.
Number Two: She becomes Egwene's closest confidant after the latter's ascension to Amyrlin.
Older Than She Looks: True of all Aes Sedai, but especially for Siuan. After she is stilled, the effects of the Oath Rod disappear and she reverts back to a very youthful appearence. Despite being in her late 40s, Siuan now appears as a girl in her late teens to early twenties (see the picture).
Power Levels: Marginally stronger than Moiraine; roughly "Third Place" on the "Which Aes Sedai At The Start Of The Series Can Kick The Most Butt With The Power" list. (Note that sheer power is not the only criteria for being elected Amyrlin, or even the most important one, but due to it being crucial to the White Tower's internal pecking order is probably more important than it should be.) After Nynaeve Heals her stilling, she is significantly weaker. This also applies to her Healing of Leane, but not to her Healing of Logain; this is because, according to Word of God, only saidin can fully Heal stilling and only saidar can fully Heal gentling.
Revenge: Clinging to this helps her stay sane after losing her Warder and saidar.
Situational Sexuality: She had a relationship with Moiraine when they were younger; it was this trope by Word of God.
Spicy Latina: Tear is partially based on Spain, and her last name is basically Sanchez. She definitely has the fiery temper, but on the surface appears to totally lack the sensual element (to the point where even Egwene thought she was a bit prudish; Egwene is young enough to be her daughter, at the time probably the only major character who was still a virgin, and comes from a somewhat conservative small town). However, Gareth Bryne's link with her reveals she's internally less of a prude; she even slept with Moiraine when they were young.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The more earthy Tomboy to Moiraine's noble-born Girly Girl.
Tsundere: Type A. She rarely resorts to violence. She doesn't need to.
Unkempt Beauty: Post-Stilling when on the run, being decidedly attractive.
With Great Power Comes Great Hotness: Inverted. Post Stilling, she goes from leathery tough Iron Lady to being seen as a very attractive young woman whose looks are noted or remarked upon quite frequently. Mat actually nearly asks her to dance, and gets a horrible and hilarious shock when he realises who she is. She's somewhat disgruntled by it all.

Elaida do Avriny a' Roihan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elaida4.jpg

"This I Foretell, and swear under the Light that I can say no clearer. From this day Andor marches toward pain and division. The Shadow has yet to darken to its blackest, and I cannot see if the light will come after. Where the world has wept one tear, it will weep thousands. This I Foretell."

An Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah, formerly the adviser to Queen Morgase of Andor, and a monumental bitch with delusions of grandeur. Was Accepted when Siuan and Moiraine were novices, and an Aes Sedai for five years by the time they were Accepted. She always disliked them, but also did her best to ensure they would both become Aes Sedai since they were both so strong in the One Power and the White Tower would need them for the Last Battle. Has the Foretelling. Attached herself to Morgase because she (secretly) Foretold the Trakand line would be instrumental in defeating the Dark One. Eventually, she instigated a coup (encouraged by Alviarin and, though she didn't know it, Mesaana) to tear down Siuan Sanche and install herself as the Amyrlin Seat. From there she proceeded to become an arrogant, vain, petty tyrant.

The Alcoholic: Elaida has several hobbies and stress-relieving habits, such as cultivating flowers, knitting, and massaging figurines, but the one given particular emphasis is her penchant for wine, which she's noted to have started drinking a lot more of since coming into power.
Arch-Enemy: To Siuan, whom she deposes. Later, to Egwene.
Bad Boss: She was always a Stern Teacher, but crosses into this when made Amyrlin. Her predecessors could be ruthless when it came to discipline, but Elaida's punishments range from capricious, to disproportionate, to tradition/law-breaking, to downright cruel.
Black-and-Grey Morality: The grey. She's a prominent antagonist and a thoroughly unlikeable person, but begins the series with good intentions, is undermined and manipulated by more sinister villains, and however much others might suspect her, is as fierce an enemy of the Shadow as the protagonists. Egwene reflects that Elaida, at her core, not being an evil person makes dealing with her all the more difficult.
Blatant Lies: She's biased towards Elayne and wants to see her succeed as an Aes Sedai, but even so, her efforts to bring her back to the Tower—citing her fondness for the girl and reminding Elayne that she watched her grow up—fall on deaf ears as Elayne recalls Elaida as a cold and distant figure during her youth.
Break the Haughty: Toward the end of The Gathering Storm and her one scene in Towers of Midnight, she has gone from Amyrlin Seat, one of the most powerful stations in the world, to a damane, one of the least powerful: even for someone less egotistical than her, a Fate Worse than Death in progress.
Defector from Decadence: A lot of Aes Sedai, including her own supporters within the Tower, end up abandoning her for the rebels or at least withdrawing their support due to her staggering ego, pretentiousness, and mishandling of events, as well as the punishments she deals out. See Evil Is Petty.
Dehumanizing Insult: She shares many of her fellow sisters' disdain for “wilders” and derisively refers to Egwene as such. That said, she considers Tarna Feir whom she even makes her Keeper of the Chronicles a loyal and trustworthy subordinate and only reflects on Tarna's wilder status inwardly.
Dirty Coward: After being taken as a damane, she spends a lot of time trying to offer other Aes Sedai—when we last see her, she's up to "twenty of the strongest"—to be taken in her place if the Seanchan free her.
Does Not Like Men: Like most Reds, and more than most.
Drill Sergeant Nasty: She was this with Moiraine and Siuan when they were preparing for the Shawl. To her credit, she was hard not because she wanted the girls to fail, but because she wanted them to succeed.
Drunk with Power: Egwene notes this, observing that she was strict and ruthless before, but after becoming Amyrlin she goes off the deep end.
Establishing Character Moment: In the first book, her exchange with Rand and Elayne in Caemlyn's throne room certainly sets the tone for what's to come.
He (Rand) had sometimes thought as Moiraine as steel covered with velvet; with Elaida the velvet was only an illusion.
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: When she does make jokes, they tend to be somewhat cruel after she's Drunk with Power, and most others find them appalling.
Evil Is Petty: She decides to make an example of one of her coterie of advisers, just to prove who is in charge and make them fear her if not respect her, by demoting one back to Accepted. And the Aes Sedai goes along with it. Similarly she sends Teslyn off to Ebou Dar even though she was one of her biggest supporters, and enjoys tormenting Egwene with trips to the Mistress of Novices and demeaning drudgery far too much.
Failure Is the Only Option: She's actually quite intelligent, and her enemies and allies alike fear what she's capable of. However, she's an Unwitting Pawn to schemes that dwarf her own and is hamstrung by various other influences, not least of all a Treacherous Advisor. Being Drunk with Power on top of all that really does not help.
Fatal Flaw: Pride. She has all the makings of a strong Amyrlin – cunning, ruthlessness, a drive to action – but her ego is the size of Dragonmount, and she's too focused on the I part of “I will be the woman who saves this world.” She actually intends to build a palace larger than the White Tower itself.
Fill It with Flowers: Fond of doing this. She once asked Elayne to pick out a farm for her to illuminate with Power-wrought flowery when Elayne objected to her showing off with it in a drought.
Foreshadowing: Elaida is established as Egwene's biggest rival during the latter's test for Accepted, in which Egwene lives through visions of herself as Amyrlin dealing with a recalcitrant and insubordinate Elaida, who usurps her. Thirteen Black sisters and thirteen Myrddraal, led by Elaida's apparent right-hand-woman, then attempt to turn Egwene to the Shadow. Elaida does become Egwene's most bitter rival, and Elaida's second-in-command does turn out to be Black Ajah.
Hide Your Lesbians: Was once "pillow-friends" with Meidani, one of the rebel "ferrets". Unlike most Aes Sedai who do this, however, it is hinted in the text that it was not mere Situational Sexuality for either of them.
Insane Troll Logic: In The Gathering Storm, Egwene finally confronts Elaida with a brutal The Reason You Suck speech. Elaida is so taken aback by the audacity that she names Egwene a Darkfriend and batters her with the Power. Think about it: Elaida, who is bound by the Three Oaths to never lie or use the power as a weapon against non-Darkfriends, came to earnestly believe that Egwene must be a servant of the Shadow... for daring to stand up to her. Egwene muses on this.
Irony:
- She saw great potential in Moiraine and Siuan while they were Accepted and was hard on them to better forge them into proper Aes Sedai. One of their friends, who was disturbed at how far Elaida was pushing them, told the then-Mistress of Novices, who punished Elaida accordingly – for helping the girls to cheat at their test. Moiraine's heart sank at this, and she knew that she and Siuan had made an enemy for life in Elaida.
- She's captured by the very Seanchan she didn't believe in and ends the story as a damane, regarded as nothing more than a dangerous pet; a fate that Egwene, her rival, managed to escape.
It's All About Me: Elaida is convinced that she, and only she, can save the world from the Dark One, and that she must be given all praise and support as the Amyrlin who won the Last Battle and prevented another Breaking, to the point of contemplating adding a fourth Oath to the Three Oaths to force obedience to the Amyrlin Seat (which would be tantamount to Compulsion). Partly this is due to Padan Fain's influence, but also her own natural ego which was bolstered by her Foretellings. In contrast to Ewgene, who believes the Tower is more important than she is, Elaida actually tries to build a rich, opulent palace which if finished would be larger than the White Tower. Even her bringing a very expensive old clock out of mothballs partakes of this attitude, since again it's meant to bring awe and glory to her reign.
Locked Out of the Loop: A variation after her coup. While her coup successfully deposes Siuan, her predecessor escapes before Elaida can force her to hand over the keys to the Amyrlin's intelligence network—and since Siuan was not just the Amyrlin but had been Blue Ajah before being raised, her network was extensive. As a result, Elaida is left dependent upon whatever scraps the other Ajah heads receive through their own networks—and on top of that, she'd expelled the Blue Ajah (again, the Ajah with the best and most numerous spies) from the Aes Sedai entirely. Adding insult to injury, Elaida knows they're withholding crucial information from her, but she can't outright ask them for it; doing so will only weaken her already tenuous political position.
Kick the Dog: During Egwene's test for Accepted, she makes no effort to hide how poorly she thinks of the novice and makes several cruel remarks.
Elaida: I do not care what her potential is. She should be put out of the Tower. Or failing that, set to scrubbing floors for the next ten years.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: When she puts Alviarin in her place and sends her running to Mesaana.
Lady of Black Magic: A cunning, prideful, and merciless Aes Sedai noted as a powerful channeler.
Lady in Red: She makes no attempt to hide where her heart lies on this count, even as Amyrlin.
Laser-Guided Karma: She's made a damane by the Seanchan, whom she alternately dismissed as fictional or of no threat. And it is so sweet.
Light Is Not Good: While she isn't a Darkfriend, Elaida is certainly not a hero, yet she is still on the side of the Light. However, in the end her idiocy, stubbornness, pride, and outright bitchiness cause nearly as much trouble for Rand and his allies as anything the Shadow does.
Lonely at the Top: She considers this the way it should be, and makes a point to be particularly harsh and unforgiving toward those others might consider her friends.
Motive Decay: Her emphasis goes from "I will save the world", albeit with an emphasis on the "I", to "I will lead the world."
Mirror Character: With Siuan Sanche. Each rose from humble (or at least obscure) beginnings to become Amyrlin Seat, each was one of the most powerful Aes Sedai of her generation, each knew the Last Battle was coming and tried to prepare for it. But where Siuan wanted to merely guide Rand, Elaida tried to control and contain him, and while they both wanted to save the world, Elaida wanted to do so in a way that would give her fame and greatness. And despite these similarities, they have hated each other since Elaida had been overzealous with training her and was punished for it. In this way, they also serve as a contrast in the strengths and weaknesses of the Red (for Elaida) and Blue Ajahs.
Overly Long Name: It gets more so when you add all the Amyrlin Seat's titles and honorifics.
Pet the Dog:
- An ironic and backwards example, reinforcing her Well-Intentioned Extremist tenancies. She attempted to help Siuan and Moiraine prepare to pass their tests for Aes Sedai, something forbidden as cheating... by giving them painful ordeals to overcome so that they'd be able to take whatever was thrown at them in the actual trial.
- Despite demoting Egwene back to Novice, she does state that, when (not if) Egwene was to be raised back to Accepted, she would not be required to re-take the three trials because no one deserves to have to do that a second time.
Pinball Protagonist: Or maybe Pinball Antagonist. With how much she got yanked around by Alviarin, Mesaana, Galina, and any number of Black Ajah behind the scenes, not to mention Fain, it's a wonder she survived as long as she did or managed to do anything ri—wait, she didn't. It's almost enough to make the reader feel sorry for her, once in a while, especially when it becomes clear she really is trying, in her own way, to serve the Light. She just has very Skewed Priorities.
Pride Before a Fall: A textbook example, as she doesn't seem to believe in the threat to herself until it's literally carrying her away.
Properly Paranoid: She's completely right about Rand and the havoc he'll cause the first time she sees him, but that alone isn't enough to detain him.
The Purge: She abolishes the entire Blue Ajah.
Put on a Bus to Hell: The very last we see of Elaida in the series, she's been enslaved by the Seanchan, made a damane and may very soon have her will destroyed; all this with almost no hope of rescue since the protagonists don't know whether or not she's alive after the attack on the White Tower, and probably don't care enough to check very thoroughly. Her only hope is if the heroes convince the Seanchan to stop with the whole enslaving-channelers thing; otherwise she'll likely spend the rest of her days as a broken pet.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: Even her arguable best moment ends up being this: she suspects Alviarin of treacherously reaching out to Rand behind her back. In a moment of triumph that the reader might even feel happy for her (because they know about Alviarian's actual treachery), Alviarin is stripped of the Keeper's stole, set indefinite punishments with the Mistriess of Novices, and receives threatening hints that Elaida knows of some crime or another she has committed. Meanwhile, Elaida enlists some select sisters to get to the bottom of it...but as Elaida's orders were cryptic, this unwittingly sets off a hunt for the Black Ajah. Coincidentally, Alviarin was guilty of both charges, and this mission, along with the sisters involved in it, prove integral to the Tower's safety in the long run.
Sanity Slippage: Elaida rules with an iron fist and aims to save the world by controlling the Dragon Reborn, but gradually becomes more unhinged as her schemes come undone and she's forced to take the fall for the Black Ajah's own misdeeds. It's also implied that, through Padan Fain, she was at least slightly corrupted by Shadar Logoth's poisonous influence, in much the same way Mat was.
- Illustrated by the paintings she had hung on her wall shortly after taking control of the Tower: one of Rand fighting Ishamael, and one of Bonwhin, a previous Amyrlin from the Red Ajah who was ousted from the office in disgrace after nearly destroying the tower; Elaida keeps them visible to remind her of what she's dealing with and the price of failure. It's mentioned later in the series that the latter is gone and the former is battered from abuse.
She's Back: A villainous example. When Alviarin returns to the Tower, she expects to find Elaida broken and biddable, but the Amyrlin rides over her, fires her as Keeper, sends her off for beatings, and gives her not-so-veiled death threats.
Smug Snake: She's clever and she's dangerous, but she's not half as clever as she thinks she is, being an Unwitting Pawn to the Black Ajah and outfoxed by Siuan—who she really should have killed when she had the chance—and Siuan's protege, Egwene.
Spanner in the Works: To Siuan, and later for the Black Ajah when she proves herself less biddable than they'd intended and orders an investigation that gets many of them uncovered. Siuan and Egwene later prove to be this to her in turn, when Siuan sets about scheming her revenge and Egwene steadily wins hearts and minds in the Tower.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Few Aes Sedai are happy with her in charge, even some who had cordial relations with her before, but they can't let themselves see there's a better alternative in the rebels' Amyrlin for quite a long time.
Treacherous Advisor: Averted. She was quite loyal to Morgase and spent a good portion of her life advising the Queen of Andor, knowing that the nation would be instrumental to the Last Battle. She feels (perhaps justly) slighted when Morgase, angered by Elayne's disappearance, refuses to take Elaida back to Caemlyn with her. On the other hand, her wanting to go back was very much for her own reasons and her own ambitions, not to help a friend.
Tyrant Takes the Helm: "Tyrant Takes the Staff & Stole" in this case!
Unstable Powered Woman: Elaida seizes control of the Aes Sedai in a coup, styling herself an Iron Lady and the only one who can lead them in the Last Battle. She proves to be unstable, paranoid, and cruel; her reign causes a major schism, with even her loyalists distrusting each other; and she does more harm to the Aes Sedai's international reputation than any leader in a millennium. It doesn't help that she's got The Mole within her inner circle who is trying to bring out the worst in her.
Unwanted Assistance: Elaida's way of making sure Siuan and Moiraine pass their Aes Sedai tests is to 'cheat' by abusing them, both verbally and with the One Power, so that they can handle any distractions and pain the testers may throw at them. She is chastised for this (by a Black, it turns out, though that is less likely Even Evil Has Standards and more that she didn't want Siuan and Moiraine to become Aes Sedai), but when they find out what she was actually doing, their response is definitely along the lines of "With friends like these..."
The Usurper: There are provisions in the Tower law for removing an Amyrlin, but it turns out her coup wasn't done as lawfully as she thought.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Despite everything, she isn't Black Ajah. Her Foretelling warned her (and rightly so) of the pain and devastation that would occur with Rand's coming, she genuinely believed Siuan was leading the Aes Sedai and the world to ruin, and much of her early 'villainy' was brought about due to Alviarin's manipulations. Even the torture Rand undergoes, while nominally sanctioned by her, was Galina's idea and not something she decreed, having only wanted the Dragon Reborn brought to her to keep him (and the world) safe until the Last Battle. (Of course, that would have kept him from fulfilling the prophecies...) In the end her egotism, nastiness, and ignorance are as much due to Fain's corruption as her own failings, so there's no way to know what would have happened if he hadn't influenced her. A good example of her extremism, though, aside from the whole "gentling men" thing and her treatment of Rand, is one which dates to well before any tainting: her claim that channelling men are 'unbelievers'—that is, that because they channel (even though they can't help it), something which will lead to insanity and death and is therefore against the Pattern and the will of the Creator, they must not believe in the Light.

Alviarin Freidhen

An even-tempered member of the White Ajah and one of the first sisters to support Elaida's coup; unusually, she is made Elaida's Keeper afterwards despite not hailing from the same Ajah as her Amyrlin. She's actually the head of the Supreme Council of the Black Ajah, taking orders from Mesaana herself, and plays a key role in the breaking of the Tower. She eventually becomes one of the leading Dreadlords during the Last Battle.

Affably Evil: She's always quite civil and polite.
Demoted to Extra: An important supporting villain for much of the series, but her importance wanes after Egwene defeats Mesaana and purges the Black Ajah from the Tower and she shows up only twice in the final two novels.
Hope Spot: She offers Egwene aid in escaping the Tower, but given Egwene refuses it's hard to tell whether she was serious, or indeed what she was hoping to gain from this.
Karma Houdini: She survives the Last Battle and her ultimate fate is being detained in an Ogier stedding with the hope that, given time, she may yet turn back to the Light. While not the most ideal of fates, it's vastly better than what most evil characters and many of the good guys get.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: She brutalizes Elaida after blackmailing her into obedience.
The Woman Behind the Amyrlin
Mysterious Past: Unusually for a series good at fleshing out its vast cast with flavour, nothing is ever revealed about Alviarin's history within the books, and even her nationality remained unknown.
- The Companion, however, rectifies this to some degree, detailing how she became a Darkfriend after murdering a girl a year before going to the Tower, killed a young man she seduced because the Darkfriends told her he had information about them, and murdered an Accepted—her only friend in the Tower—on Black orders simply to prove she would obey orders without question. (The Accepted was made to appear a runaway. Alviarin did the deed without remorse). It also reveals she was from Amadicia—as in, the nation of the Whitecloaks. Explains a lot about her willingness to turn on the Aes Sedai and join the Dark One, but also incredibly ironic that those convinced all Aes Sedai are Darkfriends never knew the actual head of the Shadow's Ajah was from their own nation.
The Starscream: Very subtly implied, but it's there. She also flirts with the idea of becoming Amyrlin herself when Elaida is no longer needed to take the fall.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Shaidar Haran defies this on her behalf. Mesaana is prepared to kill her, but Haran marks her as his own and puts her under his protection.

Galina Casban

She was Galina Casban, Highest of the Red Ajah, who sat on the Supreme Council of the Black Ajah. ^note

The Head of the Red Ajah and one of the two second in commands of the Black Ajah. Elaida puts her in charge of the expedition to capture Rand. This fails and she is captured by the Shaido Aiel, tortured, and made to swear an Oath of obedience on a second Oath Rod and ultimately broken.

Asshole Victim: You'd feel sorry for any other Aes Sedai if they were exposed to what Therava did to her.
Break the Haughty: Has experienced this at the hands of the Shaido Aiel, finalized in Book 11.
Diamonds in the Buff: As a gai'shain, she is required to wear a firedrop necklace and collar over her robe. Therava often stipulates that she wear nothing but the necklace and collar.
Does Not Like Men: She is a Red and seems to enjoy what happens to male channelers.
Despair Event Horizon: When she is brought along with Therava and the Shaido survivors back to the Waste and forbidden from trying to escape, Galina's mind breaks and she accepts that she's going to be Therava's slave for the rest of her life, and can do nothing but weep.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Once the Head of the Red Ajah, Galina is reduced to a slave, frequently beaten and constantly forced to go about naked, implied to be raped by Therava, and is finally taken back to the Three-Fold Land by the Shaido, both as Therava's plaything and as a pack mule.
Informed Ability: She is described as being one of the strongest Aes Sedai, as well as second in command of the Black Ajah, but we see very little of her strength and she is easily captured by the Shaido. Of course, as Rahvin demonstrates, strength doesn't always correlate to combat skill.
Laser-Guided Karma: Hoooo boy, when it finally hit its target, there was no mercy. Not that any was deserved. Galina's part in the story ends with her enslaved by Therava, without any possible hope of escape.
Murder Is the Best Solution: She will kill anyone if their existence could in any way lead to her discovery.
Psycho Lesbian: Apparently used her position as Highest of the Red Ajah to coerce others into relationships and had favourite Accepted (like Tarna). Ended up on the receiving end of this.
Stockholm Syndrome: Ends up experiencing this towards Therava.
Stupid Evil: The moment Faile's group brought her the Oath Rod, she tries to kill them and run away by herself instead of escaping with them. It's mixed with a little Irony and Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat; if she had played the whole thing straight, with no lies, deceit, or attempted murder, she would have gotten free. But nope, she just had to try and screw everyone else over.

Verin Mathwin

"Every woman in the Brown, seeks to produce something lasting. Research or study that will be meaningful. Others often accuse us of ignoring the world around us. They think we only look backward. Well, that is inaccurate. If we are distracted, it is because we look forward, towards those who will come. And the information, the knowledge we gather... we leave it for them."

A dreamy Brown Ajah who is very interested in books. Is sharper and more observant than she often appears. Helps Perrin in the Two Rivers, then goes off to advise Rand. Later returns to the White Tower where she kills herself to betray the Black Ajah.

The Atoner Regrets joining the Black Ajah instead of choosing death, so she betrays them by poisoning herself. Her Warder also felt this way.
Badass Bookworm: Definitely.
Beware the Nice Ones: She seems to be, for all intents and purposes, a space cadet of the highest order. Do not believe it.
Defector from Decadence: One of these during most of the White Tower schism.
Exact Words: How she gets around the Oath to "never reveal the Dark One's secrets until the hour of her death". Know a poison that kills within an hour? Take it and air Shai'tan's dirty laundry as much as you like. Verin even lampshades how how silly a flaw in the oath this is, and wonders whether Shait'an itself is aware of it—and if it left it there for its own amusement.
Hidden Agenda Hero: Definitely working for the Light, but there's more to her than meets the eye and is treated with suspicion.
I Gave My Word: Swears an Oath to obey Rand. As the Oath Rod prevents an Aes Sedai from speaking words that are not true...
- Subverted by being Black and able to lie.
Face–Heel Turn: Was forced to join the Black Ajah and ended up with a Darkfriend Warder.
Heel–Face Turn: Confesses everything to Egwene and gives her all her research on the Black Ajah.
Heroic Sacrifice: Poisons herself to get around the Oath to not betray the Black Ajah (see Exact Words).
The Mentor: Is one of these to Egwene, and takes a part in helping to guide Rand, who begrudgingly trusts her... up to a point.
The Mole: Joining the Black Ajah and using her position there to spy on them for the Light.
More than Mind Control: Has a version of Compulsion that only works if the victim is caught by surprise and can provide their own reasons for their actions.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Puts on an appearance of dreaminess, so good it fools Moiraine and Siuan for a long while, but is shown to be much sharper under careful examination. She doesn't seem to mind people noticing that, though, because she's even more on the ball than careful observation would suggest.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Egwene starts to protest being called a "runaway" after the events of The Great Hunt, Verin snaps at her to be quiet. On an initial reading, it seems as if she's just lost her patience with a novice who never knows when to keep her mouth shut—which is probably partly true—but remember that it was Liandrin who took the girls to Falme, revealing herself as Black Ajah in the process. Letting Egwene blab about that little detail could be very dangerous, especially considering Sheriam is present, and is also Black Ajah. Which Verin knows, because surprise, she is also Black Ajah.
Redemption Equals Death: Invoked Trope. She poisons herself to take advantage of Loophole Abuse and enable her to give all of her secrets as a Black Ajah infiltrator.
Wham Line: "By the way, that dress you are wearing is green." This line is important because it is a lie, proving that she is not held to the Three Oaths and thus is a member of the Black Ajah.
Wild Card: Up until the reveal, everyone was confused about which side she was on.

Cadsuane Melaidhrin

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wot_cadsuane_by_reddera_d4s5q6c.jpg

One of the oldest and most respected Aes Sedai alive (possibly the most in both categories), Cadsuane is something of a living legend for her adventures, the number of male channelers she's managed to deal with, and for being one of the Most Triumphant Examples of an Iron Lady to walk the halls of fiction. She appears out of nowhere (that is, Ghealdan) in the seventh book to add herself to the growing list of hangers-on around Rand, and the two have a very contentious relationship.

Despite the fact that everything has been said about her that ever will be, Cadsuane is still a rather opaque character. She plays things close to the vest and rarely needs help, simply using her forceful personality to bully people around. Her primary goal seems to have been simply to make sure Rand didn't become too much of a Determinator, but who knows what else she was up to.

The Anticipator: She makes a habit of addressing people by name when they come up behind her. Subverted in one of her viewpoint chapters, where she notes that people never notice her peeking at their reflections in her silver teapot.
Awesome Moment of Crowning: She is named the first Amyrlin Seat of the Fourth Age. Granted, the "awesome" isn't really as much so, considering the announcement is both rather perfunctory and she considers it a Fate Worse than Death.
Bullying a Dragon: Literally Bullying THE Dragon. She seems to believe this will help him build character. She eventually realises where she's going wrong, but she has no idea how to rectify it.
Crippling Overspecialization: She may be one of the most powerful and skilled of the Aes Sedai, but in the social arena has relied on one technique in order to achieve her goals: bullying. It's a very good trick, has allowed her to make weak people strong and powerful people humble, but she only belatedly figures out that it's making the situation with Rand much more volatile, and being unable to successfully bully Rand leaves her lost for ideas.
Declining Promotion: Despite her personal heroics, she avoids leadership positions like the plague—she refused two offers to become a Sitter and one to become Captain-General of the Green Ajah, and disappeared for ten years when she heard she was the top candidate for Amyrlin Seat.
Everyone Has Standards: She quickly makes it excruciatingly clear to Alanna that a) she finds Alanna forcibly bonding Rand to be utterly appalling (angrily thinking about the unmitigated gall that Alanna thought of Rand as her Warder, and internally making the rape comparison), b) as a consequence, if the situation was not as dire as it was, she'd punish her personally. And she might do so anyway. Alanna, who had previously been nervously defiant, crumples like wet paper.
"I have kept your crime to myself, but only because I saw no reason to complicate matters. If you think that means that I won't core you like a cabbage, think again. [...] You keep a whole hide at present, but my sufferance is not infinite. In fact, it hangs by a thread."
Fate Worse than Death: What she regards her new, post-Tarmon-Gai'don job to be: she replaces Egwene as Amyrlin Seat.
Good Is Not Nice: As a 300-year-old Living Legend with a huge record of accomplishments, she has little regard for anyone else's counsel or feelings. Deconstructed since her unpleasantness often works against her: Moiraine flees town to avoid her in New Spring; Verin and Sorilea question whether she's even on Rand's side (and Verin is prepared to poison her as a precaution); and her trying to bully Rand right after her mistake got him tortured and Min nearly killed nearly costs her her life.
I Did What I Had to Do: Deconstructed. Her willingness to bully Rand (and, frankly, everyone else) is a large part of the antipathy and controversy surrounding her character. Good Is Not Nice, but in her case it's so un-nice that it's quite easy to read sinister motivations in her actions. As her treatment of Rand shows, especially after what happens with Semirhage, she goes from having done what was needed to doing the only thing she knew how to do, which only made things worse.
Iron Lady: From her iron-colored bun to her iron will. By all accounts, she has literally spanked at least seven reigning monarchs and kidnapped another three. Eventually, she actually spanks one of the Forsaken, Semirhage, one of the most feared of the lot, in public, having realised that this is an excellent way to a) ruin their mystique, b) thereby break the Forsaken in question.
Jerkass Has a Point: While there's been much said over her approach, she's absolutely right to point out that Rand's poorly controlled temper alienates his allies, and that his idea of growing "hard" (which can shatter) as opposed to "strong" (which will endure) is only setting up an inevitable disaster when the stress he's holding in finally breaks him. Unfortunately, her methods only compound the problem. She's more right than she could have known about the second one, though she's a large part of what causes it.
Living Legend: She's Famed In-Story and a household name among Aes Sedai.
Loophole Abuse: After a particularly bad confrontation, Rand orders her never to let him see her face again, on pain of death, so she spends the rest of the book lurking around In the Hood. Rand's in a terrible mental state at the time, but even he lampshades the audacity of it.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She leaves the Domination Band where it can be used to capture Rand and compel him to strangle Min, defaults to bullying when she walks in on the aftermath rather than admit fault, and tries to use Rand's father as a pawn between them, all of which contribute to Rand very nearly going completely insane and ending the world in a Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum.
Nerves of Steel: When turning a Forsaken— Semirhage, of all people—over your knee to spank them is something you can calmly contemplate doing, never mind steel, you've got cuendillar in your nervous system.
Oh, Crap!: Her reaction upon realizing she just Got Volunteered to be raised as the first Amyrlin of the Fourth Age.
Odd Friendship: Of a sort with Sorilea, just about her only equal in the series, and they become friends for more or less for no other reason than that they terrify everyone else. Together they pledge to teach Rand "laughter and tears."
Older Than She Looks: This is standard for the vast majority of Aes Sedai, but more pronounced with her—she's one of, if not the oldest Aes Sedai.
Pet the Dog: Implied. It's mentioned that the male channelers she captured to be gentled tend to last substantially longer afterwards before finally losing the will to live, which usually indicates that someone is making a point of looking after them.
Phrase Catcher: "I thought you were dead!" (With the subtext of "I really, really hoped you were dead.") This stops after she irritably remarks to the effect that the next person to say it won't be able to sit down for a month.
Refuge in Audacity: A lot of her antics involve this, being part of why she's a Living Legend—she does things even Aes Sedai generally wouldn't dare to do. These include spanking multiple monarchs, kidnapping a reigning Amyrlin Seat to give her a two month bootcamp in being an adult and an Amyrlin, dodging Rand's death sentence if she shows her face around him by going around In the Hood (and despite being on the verge of a mental breakdown he inwardly admits that part of him is impressed by the sheer nerve), and calmly breaking one of the most feared Forsaken by putting them over her knee and publicly spanking them before making them eat food she'd spilled on the floor.
Remember the New Girl?: The first time her name appears anywhere in the series is when she introduces herself. This despite RJ consistently using the index at the back of each book for foreshadowing, and the whole "Living Legend" thing. It's one of the few beats he ever missed, but it's still there.
- Having said that, there is some justification for the in-universe text: she had been retired for decades. And, her legend is one where most Aes Sedai say "But, I thought you were dead!" with the strong subtext of "I really, sincerely, hoped you were" clanging underneath. In short, raising her legend up in front of a Sister would be a good way for even an Accepted to earn a trip to the Mistress of Novices for a few generations until the butt-hurt emanating from several prominent Aes Sedai had calmed down.
Retired Badass: She's come out of retirement at least twice, once to assist in the Aiel War and once to help capture Logain, a powerful False Dragon. After the latter, she spent a short time Walking the Earth before deciding to join up with Rand.
Secret-Keeper: She, Min, Aviendha, Elayne, and Alivia are the only ones who know Rand survived The Last Battle.
Sucksessor: She tries to position herself as Rand's primary advisor, similar to the office Moiraine fulfilled; and, as mentioned above, Rand's not down with it—partially because of Cadsuane's caustic personality and partially because, contrary to public opinion, he was never totally happy with having Moiraine's advice in the first place.
Tranquil Fury: To say that she disapproves of Alanna having forcibly bonded Rand would be a truly colossal understatement. As she makes clear to Alanna, only the extreme nature of the situation has spared her from a truly excruciating punishment - and as she puts it in a deadly soft tone, "if you think that means that I won't core you like a cabbage, think again." Alanna, previously defiant to everyone on this score, crumples like wet paper into blubbering excuses.
Verbal Tic: "Phaw!"
Wild Card: Invoked. Her motivations are not incomprehensible, but she goes about things in unexpected ways to keep people on their toes.

Leane Sharif

Introduced as Siuan Sanche's Keeper, also of the Blue Ajah, very competent and in control, and also runs the eyes-and-ears within the White Tower.

Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Stilling leaves the subject increasingly depressed, and Leane taking up the art of seduction and working the eyes-and-ears for the rebels is what she uses to cling onto her will to live.
Fate Worse than Death: Her stilling.
Hidden Depths: Her development into The Tease takes a lot of people by surprise, even if it is part of her Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life.
The Reliable One: To Siuan, and then Egwene, being a reliable Number Two to Siuan and a Number Three to Egwene.
The Spymaster: Both within the Tower, and within the rebels with Siuan. She even has eyes and ears inside Tar Valon itself, which is extremely unusual.
Statuesque Stunner: After Stilling, the same de-ageing effect leaves her as this.
The Tease: After being stilled, she decides to go back to her Domani roots, and quickly becomes capable of starting and stopping bar fights.

Pevara Tazanovni

A century-old Kandori Red, Pevara serves as a look into a somewhat more reasonable Red.

Battle Couple: Of a sort with Androl during the Last Battle.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Throughout Book 14's first half, to the point where when she finally sees other Reds again, she is ashamed by how cold they can be.
Gaydar: She notices Emarin (really Algarin Pendaloan) of the Black Tower's homosexuality, and seems surprised that Androl does not.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: One of the very few reasonable Red Ajah Aes Sedai, though she indicates that there are others, somewhat irritably pointing out to Androl that the Reds don't just spend their entire time talking about how much they hate men. (Indeed, she is merely the foremost of the Red Ajah sisters chosen to go to the Black Tower, who were chosen specifically because there were clues they had close ties to some men.)
Psychic Link: She and Androl end up bonding each other as Warders, resulting in straight telepathic communication rather than simply emotional connections.
- Mindlink Mates: They develop a growing affection for each other over the course of Book 14.
Older Than They Look: She's more than a century old.
Strong and Skilled: She's a reasonably powerful Aes Sedai; as she points out to Androl when he expresses his surprise, while the Green Ajah is known as 'the Battle Ajah', the Reds are the ones whose entire purpose is to fight and subdue rogue channellers, so by necessity they need to be strong.

Liandrin Guirale

Liandrin is a Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah with a doll-like appearance and a mean streak. She was raised in a poor family, and grew up resenting those with power and status, but also lusted after it. She's soon revealed to be Black Ajah, and is the first major Black sister in the series.

Accent Slip-Up: She fakes her accent to imitate nobles, but when angered or anguished her commoner's dialect tends to creep out.
Always a Bigger Fish: As Moghedien shows her.
Arc Villainess: She's the primary antagonist of the first Black Ajah arc.
Bait the Dog: She takes Egwene, Nynaeve, Min and Elyane out of the Tower and through a Waygate ostensibly to save their lives... then immediately sells them to Seanchan Darkfriends and pops back through without looking back once. Egwene is stunned by the callous, almost casual way Liandrin sells them into slavery.
Beauty Is Bad: She's described as attractive and youthful-looking, with a doll's face, and isn't mentioned as having acquired the agelessness yet.
Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: Or broke your mind trying to Compel one of the Forsaken.
Demoted to Extra: She briefly reappears after her downfall, reaping the ironic consequences of an earlier meeting with High Lady Suroth.
Does Not Like Men: She's quite pretty, but she “wouldn't take it as a compliment” if a man pointed it out.
Double Meaning:
Liandrin: I had made arrangements for you to be taken care of, but as you are here, you are here.
Evil All Along: She claims to have sworn her oaths to the Shadow before even entering the White Tower.
Fate Worse than Death: Moghedien forces an advanced, near-irreversible shield between Liandrin and the Source, cutting her off from it without stilling her, forever keeping the joy of saidar just out of reach. The Forsaken then Compels her to live, making sure Liandrin will be unable to take her own life no matter how badly she burns to. And then Suroth gets her hands on her, enslaves her, and finally orders for her to be collared as a damane.
Green-Eyed Monster: Towards those nobly born, whom she imitates in manner and speech.
Identical Stranger: Elayne and Nynaeve are shocked to meet a barmaid called Rendra who's the spitting image of Liandrin. The woman is also a Taraboner, so even has Liandrin's Verbal Tic.
Jerkass: Moiraine describes her as always sounding petulant and dissatisfied with something, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.
Laser-Guided Karma: Liandrin gets this twice over. As a Red Ajah she 'gentled'/depowered numerous male channelers in the past, leaving them despairing and suicidal; Moghedien essentially severs Liandrin from the Source and Compels her to make sure she can't escape her Fate Worse than Death via suicide. Liandrin also betrays Egwene, Nynaeve, Min and Elyane and sells them into slavery knowing full well that they would be turned into damane; Liandrin is eventually enslaved by Suroth, the very woman she handed the heroes over to, and who also considers having her collared as a damane even if she can't channel any longer.
Made a Slave: Captured and forced to become a da'covale.
More than Mind Control: She taught herself an incomplete, harmful form of Compulsion that allows her to do this to some degree.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Defied in the The Dragon Reborn; she chides Chesmal for defaulting to murder too quickly and is content to let fear keep people quiet. She plays it straight in Knife of Dreams, however.
Obviously Evil: Most of the Red Ajah are far from friendly, but Liandrin does so little to hide her evilness and contempt for everyone but herself that it hardly comes as a surprise when she reveals her true nature.
Pet the Dog: She steps in to stop one of her Black sisters from killing Ailhuin Guenna, a local Wise Woman in Tear, and allows her to live in return for her silence.
Sadist: She enjoys making people grovel before her, and treats lesser Darkfriends like pets.
Smug Snake
Sole Survivor: She's the only clear survivor of the thirteen Black sisters who fled the Tower.
The Starscream: To Moghedien. She seizes the chance to act on it when the Forsaken is weakened, but still finds herself outclassed.
Starter Villain: For Nynaeve and Elayne, although she's ultimately dealt with by another villain.
Tempting Fate: In the second book, she has a brief exchange with Suroth about who's going to enslave who when the time comes. It's eventually revealed that Suroth found Liandrin after the invasion of Amadicia and made her da'covale, the lowest of servants.
Verbal Tic: Like most Taraboners, she suffixes a lot of her questions with, “yes?”
What Happened to the Mouse?: The last we hear of her is Suroth sending her to be beaten and considering whether to have her collared as a damane. As Suroth is stripped of her nobility and made da'covale herself almost immediately after this musing, Liandrin's fate is left uncertain.
Whip of Dominance: She's obsessed with power and dominance and is later shown carrying a whip to illustrate it.
You Are What You Hate: She despises wilders, yet meets the criteria herself. She was also born a peasant, but puts on airs of sophistication.

Sheriam Bayanar

An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah and an old friend of Moiraine and Siuan. She's the Mistress of Novices as the series begins, but leaves the Tower after Elaida's takeover and takes a leadership position among the rebels. She becomes Keeper of the Chronicles when Egwene is named their new Amyrlin. It's eventually revealed that Sheriam is Black Ajah.

Affably Evil: She sits on the Black Ajah's Supreme Council, but has never demonstrated the expected personality.
Evil All Along: Revealed to have been Black Ajah in Book 12.
Fingore: One of her fingers is severed by Mesaana, for failing to secure all of the dream ter'angreal.
Gossipy Hens: She was a notorious gossip as an Accepted.
Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Her fate is pitiful and almost every villainous thing she accomplishes is for naught.
The Mole: A member of the Black Ajah.
Not So Stoic: She becomes increasingly erratic and emotional as the series progresses. She's a complete wreck by the time she goes to her beheading.
Off with Her Head!: She's beheaded for treason when outed as Black Ajah and goes to the headsman's axe a broken woman.
Pet the Dog: She has several moments as the Mistress of Novices.
Supreme Chef: An excellent and passionate cook, especially in contrast to Moiraine.
Villain's Dying Grace: When her affiliation is revealed and she's Stilled and slated for execution, she takes advantage of being free from her Black Ajah oaths and gives the rebels names and information of other Black sisters. This falls flat with Egwene, however, as she'd already acquired this information from a more earnest defector.
Villainous Breakdown: See Villain's Dying Grace.
Was It All a Lie?: Egwene is hurt by Sheriam's betrayal, having genuinely grown to like the woman.

Alanna Mosvani

An Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. She's quite competent and takes part in several White Tower affairs, including providing some channeling lessons for Egwene and Nynaeve. She also has two Warders, and their behavior has stirred up quite a few rumors and speculations regarding their, shall we say, "activities." But she doesn't seem bothered by them, and has neither confirmed or denied them. She's noted to have a fiery temper, and quite a sense of humor. Her biggest contribution to the story is a rather... unfortunate encounter she has with Rand.

Ambiguously Brown: She's described as having very dark skin, and her surname sounds very Indian. Fittingly, she's played by a South Asian actress in the show.
Break the Haughty: Twice, in different ways. In the first case, she quite quickly discovers that Rand is impossible to influence through the Warder bond, let alone control, and spends a lot of her time in shock at the sheer amount of pain he's in. In the second, Cadsuane, typically, manages this in the space of a conversation. After the latter, she mostly trails around after Cadsuane, who makes extremely clear exactly how low Alanna is in her esteem and that her only real uses are either as a barometer for Rand's mental state or a rough compass for his location.
Chekhov's Gunman: As Rand and Moridin clash at the Last Battle's final turn, Moridin, who'd captured Alanna beforehand, fatally wounds her in an attempt to tactically induce the berserker state that befalls a Warder severed by death from his Aes Sedai.
Clingy Jealous Girl: She's livid when she finds out Rand has bonded with Min, Aviendha, and Elayne. She also shows signs of this when she indignantly informs Cadsuane that Rand belongs to her - or at least, almost says it. Cue a Death Glare from Cadsuane, a soft-spoken yet brutal speech that causes her to fold like wet-paper, and Cadsuane almost casually informing Sorilea of how she can be punished without harming Rand in the process, neatly serving her up to the Wise Ones on a platter.
Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Averted hard. While it wasn't always seen as such in-universe, due to the intense intimacy between an Aes Sedai and her Warder, her forced bonding with Rand is treated as somewhat akin to rape, and all the other Aes Sedai find it appalling—Cadsuane makes the comparison explicit in her internal monologue and coldly makes it very clear in a brutal "Reason You Suck" Speech that Alanna is extremely lucky that she can't discipline her as she would prefer to - and that she's perfectly willing to "core [her] like a cabbage". Given that this is the woman who spanked multiple monarchs, kidnapped a reigning Amyrlin to give her a two-month lesson in how to be an adult and an Amyrlin, and later successfully broke one of the most feared of the Forsaken, it is not entirely surprising that Alanna, who had at that point been defiant on the subject, crumples like wet paper. Added to this, Cadsuane then promptly informs Sorilea of how Alanna can be punished without also hurting Rand, neatly serving her up to the wrathful Wise Ones on a platter.
Everyone Has Standards: And she busted one of the main standards the modern Aes Sedai have, leaving all of them utterly appalled by her. To most, her attitude is essentially I Did What I Had to Do. This cuts absolutely no ice whatsoever with Cadsuane.
I Did What I Had to Do: How she justifies what she did to Rand. Most of the other Aes Sedai, while extremely displeased, accept this justification or decide that what's done is done, not matter how appalling they find it. When it comes to it, however, it cuts absolutely no ice with Cadsuane.
Karma Houdini Warranty: Given that no one can hurt her without hurting Rand, she largely gets away with what she did. Then she runs into Cadsuane. Who is not pleased. While she makes clear that the nature of the situation means that she cannot discipline Alanna as she would like to, she has Alanna broken and cowering within the space of a conversation, before informing Sorilea of the limitations of the Warder bond a.k.a. how Alanna can be punished without also hurting Rand. As she abstractly notes, the next time Alanna throws one of her sulks, she's probably going to be in for a very nasty surprise.
Really Gets Around: Implied. She has two Warders, bonds Rand against his will, and expresses interest in bonding Perrin as well. Furthermore, it's implied she wasn't going to wait for Perrin's consent either, and thankfully Faile shut that down real quick.
Redemption Equals Death: She finally releases Rand from their unconsensual bond, just as she is dying.
Small Role, Big Impact: Alanna really is a minor character in the grand scheme of things, who doesn't do much outside of helping out in a couple of big battles. But her gross, forced bonding to Rand traumatizes him, yet also ends up saving him quite a few times. It was a terrible thing she did, but some very good things at least came out of it.

Romanda & Lelaine

Romanda Cassin and Lelaine Akashi are long-time Aes Sedai of the Yellow and Blue Ajah, respectively. Although they thoroughly dislike one another, they are frequently put in situations where they need to work together. They side with the rebels during the Aes Sedai civil war and vie for favour with the new Amyrlin.

Didn't Think This Through: When Egwene is caught by the Tower loyalists, Lelaine immediately comes out as her biggest and most vocal supporter in order to gather enough support to succeed her. When Egwene returns, she has no option but to keep the act going lest she lose face.
Jerkass: Both of them, though Romanda is slightly less so. Slightly.
Jerkass Has a Point: They're both aghast when Egwene decides to meddle with long-held Aes Sedai traditions (such as ending binds to the Oath Rod) and the pair raise some fair objections, some of which Egwene eventually concedes to.
Killed Off for Real: Romanda during the Last Battle.
Number Two: They're both trying to be this to Egwene. They're stunned when Egwene makes Silviana her Keeper instead of one of them, and essentially become her Number Threes.
Pet the Dog: Romanda casts the deciding vote in allowing Nynaeve to pass the test for Aes Sedai.
The Rival: They're this to each other, and also to Egwene.
We Used to Be Friends: Lelaine with Siuan.

Teslyn & Joline

Teslyn Baradon & Joline Maza are a pair of Aes Sedai who side with Elaida during the civil war arc. They try and fail to bring Elayne and Nynaeve to heel, and end up stranded in Ebou Dar when the Seanchan take over. They eventually find themselves tied to Mat, and Hilarity Ensues.

Bait-and-Switch: Teslyn, the Red, is established as the more power hungry and unpleasant of the two, but proves herself the more amiable.
Big Damn Heroes: Teslyn when she battles the gholam alongside Mat. She's quick on the uptake and gets around its immunity to the Power.
Broken Bird: Teslyn is traumatized by her ordeal as a damane and has to fight back pure panic in situations that remind her of her enslavement.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Teslyn is one of the best examples in the series. Joline isn't quite as bad as she seems either, and sends Mat a letter of thanks.
Lean and Mean: Subverted with Teslyn, a brusque, scrawny Red Ajah sister who's first introduced abetting Elaida's coup. However, though her social skills leave something to be desired, her heart's in the right place and Mat comes to like her.
Odd Friendship: Mat and Teslyn - the man who largely can't stand Aes Sedai, and the Aes Sedai who's quite particular about her status.
Stalker with a Crush: Joline eventually becomes this to Mat, and is determined to bond him as a Warder.

Gabrelle Brawley

A Brown Ajah who sided with Elaida when the Tower split into factions, and was sent with fifty other Aes Sedai to destroy the Black Tower...which ended up with all of them getting captured and bonded to the Asha'man, and Gabrelle herself bonded to Logain Ablar.

In Love with the Mark: Gabrelle decides to sleep with Logain in order to find out more information that could help her to escape, but she ends up falling for him.
Morality Pet: Logain becomes quite protective of her.

Characters / The Wheel Of Time The White Tower

Moiraine Damodred

Al'Lan Mandragoran

Siuan Sanche

Elaida do Avriny a' Roihan

Alviarin Freidhen

Galina Casban

Verin Mathwin

Cadsuane Melaidhrin

Leane Sharif

Pevara Tazanovni

Liandrin Guirale

Sheriam Bayanar

Alanna Mosvani

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / The Wheel Of Time The White Tower

Edit Locked

Moiraine Damodred

Al'Lan Mandragoran

Siuan Sanche

Elaida do Avriny a' Roihan

Alviarin Freidhen

Galina Casban

Verin Mathwin

Cadsuane Melaidhrin

Leane Sharif

Pevara Tazanovni

Liandrin Guirale

Sheriam Bayanar

Alanna Mosvani

Previous

Index

Next