"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."

Aes Sedai are the Witch Species of the story. 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.

Aes Sedai affiliate themselves into seven sub-families, or "Ajah"s:

• Red Ajah: Devoted solely to hunting down and DePowering male channelers, which often results in the men's Death By Despair. (Frequently, long before they have a chance to breed. And then everyone wonders why fewer and fewer channelers show up nowadays.) The average Red Does Not Like Men and is often a Straw Feminist. Only two Amyrlins in recorded history have been elected out of the Reds, and all of them were failures; during the story itself, a third puts both of the previous ones to shame.
• Blue Ajah: Devoted to "causes", which seems to mean Chronic Hero Syndrome. (And hey, Underdogs Never Lose.) Blues tend to be idealistic and charismatic. 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.
• Green Ajah: Also called the "Battle Ajah." 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.
• 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. Beware, though: an Aes Sedai's gift is never free.
• 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.
• White Ajah: The Spock, The Organization. Whites do logic, and little else; they can be extremely stoic. Though logic In this case is expanded to mean math and theoretical magic in addition to if p then q.
• Grey Ajah: An organization consisting solely of Mediators, 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. Also have their ranks filled with lawyers.
• Black Ajah: If you ask an Aes Sedai whether there really is a secret organization of Darkfriends within the Tower, she will kill you with a Fascinating Eyebrow and lightning. And, until about Book 3, there was no hard evidence that the Black Ajah did exist. But it does. These are Aes Sedai who serve The Shadow, and it's known that they are spread throughout the Tower hierarchy; almost anybody can be one, and there have been multiple attempts to root them out, of varying success.

The following tropes apply to, basically, every Aes Sedai character in existence:

• Action Girl: While more in the Magical Girl style than Magic Knight, most Aes Sedai are able to hold their own in battle by way of channeling.
• The Corps Is Mother: 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... and whether that culture has its own Witch Species. (Most do, but, knowing the Tower's imperialism, keep themselves secret.)
• Exact Words: Vow to tell no lies, but get around it by technically telling the truth.
• Fascinating Eyebrow: The most common show of emotion.
• Heroines With Bad Publicity: While not considered villains they are universally considered Manipulative Bitches who will cheerfully sacrifice people to their agenda. Doesn't help that to a large extent this is justified.
• Idiot Ball: Sadly, this one has to go on the list. Pretty much every serious plot problem could have been resolved had the Aes Sedai handling things actually been sensible and willing to compromise instead of being 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.
• Loophole Abuse: They are very big fans of telling truths From a Certain Point of View, and follow this route through much of their interactions as well.
• Might Makes Right: Aes Sedai have a complex pecking order with a number of unwritten rules, but it all really boils 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.
• Power Levels: A major part of social ranking. The ability to "Travel" (teleport) has recently become the new standard, as the majority of Aes Sedai are unable to handle the necessary quantities of Power.
• 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.)
  • To not make weapons using the Power. 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.
  • 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 backfired - no one takes anything an Aes Sedai says at face value.
• Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: "Pillow friends".
• Small Name, Big Ego: 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.
• Witch Species
• Wizards Live Longer: Though, curiously, the Oath Rod seems to act as a Restraining Bolt on maximum lifespan as well as behavior. (This may be due to the fact that the Oath Rod is actually repurposed Phlebotinum: back in the Age of Legends, it was used to keep paroled criminals from going back to their old ways.)

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 the "Warder bond," a Psychic Link that verges into Synchronization. The vast majority of Warders are men; the only Aes Sedai (Elayne Trakand) with a female Warder (Birgitte Silverbow) has managed to keep that affiliation secret for a long time. Visually, Warders are known for their cloaks, which have chameleonic properties.

• Death By Despair: Losing the person on the other end of the Warder bond is extremely traumatic. "Orphaned" Warders go all Death Seeker, blindly and bellowing 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 function for themselves after a few days, anything more is a thing of Determinators.
• Determinator
• Lightning Bruiser
• Master Swordsman
• 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.)

"You may call me Mistress Alys"

An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, Moiraine starts the series off as The Obi-Wan, 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...

In addition to all the standard Aes Sedai habits, Moiraine exhibits the following tropes:

• Badass: The second-best Forsaken-killer next to Rand and Graendal. Moridin, Elza, Perrin and Egwene also kill as many forsaken as her.
  • Badass Bookworm
  • Badass Princess: Close enough, anyway.
• 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 vipers nest of politics, lies and assassinations. Her uncle was King Laman, whose blashphemous 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 her sister and later Queen Morgase of Andor, and father of her children Gawyn and Elayne, who secretly plotted to murder her 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 Rands mother.
• Blue Blood: Given that a relative of hers started a world war, she's not particularly proud of it.
• 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, 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Hide Your Lesbians: If "pillow friends" means what the fandom thinks it does, then Moiraine and Siuan used to be... close. (Having said that, the term's use can be read to imply Situational Sexuality, and Moiraine and Siuan have since gotten involved with men.)
• 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.
• Legendary in the Sequel: 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.
• Power Levels: Again, RJ keeps this vague, but it's known that Moiraine was one of the strongest channelers amongst the Aes Sedai. She's on the third level of the Character Tiers chart, bettered only by Egwene (and those tied with her; see below) and Nynaeve (and those tied with her; again, see below).
  • 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.
• 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. Furthermore, her place at Merrilor convinced Rand not to lead the armies of the Last Battle himself, potentially also saving the war effort itself.

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 citizen of the 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.

In addition to the standard Warder tropes, Lan exhibits the following traits:

• Badass: How badass? He fights Toram Riatin, a noted blademaster, while Rand goes after Fain. Jordan doesn't bother describing the duel; it's just assumed that Lan won effortlessly. And Riatin beat Rand, who is no slouch with a sword himself, in Book 7 (though to be sure he had to use some foul play to do so). And then in the final book he brings a sword to a One Power fight and kills Demandred blade-to-blade. Admittedly with the help of a certain one-power nullifying Ter'angreal, but even so, he's the only "Normal" character in the books to kill one of the Forsaken at that point.
• Badass Normal: He is probably literally the single deadliest non-channeler in the entire world.
  • Badass Abnormal: To be fair, he's still a Warder, but he was still badass before.
• 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.
• Determinator: Here is the oath that Malkieri kings swear, and which Lan is still following:
  "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."
  • Death Seeker: More or less, considering he has to avenge an entire country.
  • Honor Before Reason
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl
• 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.
• 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.
• Living Legend: To both the Aiel and the Borderlanders.
• Married at Sea
  • Author Appeal: Lan and Nynaeve get married by a Sea Folk captain, who have a custom that whoever gives commands in public must take them in private. Nynaeve is the brains, Lan is the brawn. You can see where this is going.
• Master Swordsman: A Blademaster and Rand's first teacher in combat, as a matter of fact.
• Mindlink Mates: With Nynaeve as of Book 13.
• Not So Different: 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
• Rightful King Returns
• Static Character: Though he does open up emotionally over time, he remains more or less the same outwardly. The main difference is that the reader gets viewpoint sections from him, showing him not to be quite as emotionless as he seems to be.
• 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."

"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.

• Busman's Vocabulary: She hails from the port city of Tear, and her dialogue often includes fish analogies.
• Chickification: When presented with her Love Interest (Gareth Bryne), especially after showing that she is only half as strong a channeler post un-severing.
• Determinator
• 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 behind her.
• 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 Hero: You can see her thoughts as she does this to everyone in Salidar.
• The Mentor: To Egwene.
• Mindlink Mates: With Gareth as of Book 12.
• Not So Different: To Elaida. Both of them are use rumors of the others 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.
• Older Than They Look: 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 at right.
• Power Levels: marginally stronger than Moiraine; roughly "Third Place" on our "Who 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.) 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.
• 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 and at the time probably the only major character who was still a virgin). However, Gareth Bryne's link with her reveals she's internally less prude.
• Tsundere: Type A. She rarely resorts to violence. She doesn't need to.

"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 when they were Accepted. 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.

• 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. A Fate Worse Than Death in progress.
• Defector from Decadence: A lot of Aes Sedai, including her own supporters, end up abandoning her for the rebels or at least withdrawing their support due to her insane amounts of ego, pretentiousness, and mishandling of events, as well as the punishments she deals out. See Evil Is Petty.
• Does Not Like Men: Like most Reds.
• 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.
• Hide Your Lesbians: Was once "pillow-friends" with Meidani, one of the rebel "ferrets".
• 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. 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.
• Laser-Guided Karma: 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. In the end her idiocy, stubbornness, pride, and outright bitchiness cause as much trouble for Rand and his allies as anything the Shadow does.
• Not So Different: 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. Despite the similarities, they have always hated each other.
• Overly-Long Name: It gets worse when you add all the Amyrlin Seat's titles and honorifics.
• 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 adding Fain into the mix, and it's any wonder she survived as long as she did or managed to do anything right—wait, she didn't. It's 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
  • Pride Before A Fall
• Stop Helping Me!: 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..."
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Despite everything, she isn't a Black. 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 channeling 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.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: Elaida had basically attached herself to House Trakand of Andor because she had a fortelling that the royal line of Andor would be all important in the Last Battle. Unfortunately, as it turns out, Rand Al'Thor, the prophesised saviour of the world just happens to be the son of a previous heir to the throne who went AWOL. Whoops..
  • The current Queen of Andor could very well have a very large role to play in the Last Battle.

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

and she was going to be Therava's plaything for the rest of her life. She was Therava's little Lina.

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.
• 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.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Hoooo boy, when it finally hit its target, there was no mercy. Not that any was deserved.
• Murder Is the Best Solution: 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). Now is 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..
  • 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.

"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 smarter and more observant than she 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.
• Ambiguous Allegiance: Up until the reveal, everyone, in-universe and out, was confused about which side she was on.
• 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".
• 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: Is forced to join the Black Ajah and ends 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.
• The Mole: Became one of these and a Reverse 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, but is shown to be much sharper under careful examination.
• Redemption Equals Death

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.

• 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 that she considers this a Fate Worse Than Death.
• Bullying THE Dragon : Seems to believe this will help him build character.
• Crippling Overspecialization: She may be one of the most powerful and skilled of the Aes Sedai but she has always used just one technique in order to achieve her goals: bullying. It's allowed her to make weak people stronger and powerful people more humble but she never seems to catch on to the fact that it is just making the situation with Rand much more volatile. Unable to successfully bully Rand leaves her quite lost for ideas.
• Fate Worse Than Death: What she regards her new, post-Tarmon-Gai'don job to be: she replaces Egwene as Amyrlin Seat.
• I Did What I Had to Do: 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.
• Iron Lady
• Living Legend: She's Famed in Story and a household name among Aes Sedai.
• Nerves of Steel
• Odd Friendship: Of a sort with Sorilea, just about her only equal in the series. Together they have pledged to teach Rand "laughter and tears."
• Older Than They Look: She's one of, if not the oldest Aes Sedai.
• Phrase Catcher: "I thought you were dead!"
• Remember the New Guy: 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.
• Replacement Scrappy: Invoked. 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.
• Retired Badass
• Secret Keeper: She, Min, Aviendha, Elayne, and Alivia are the only ones who know Rand survived The Last Battle.
• Wild Card

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 tower.

• Ambiguously Brown: Frequently being described as 'coppery-skinned', when she's not being mentioned as 'willowy'.
• 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.
• Man on Fire: Suffers this from Demandred in Book 14, but survives.
• The Reliable One
• The Spymaster: Both within the Tower, and within the rebels with Siuan.
• Statuesque Stunner
• The Tease: After being stilled, she decides to go back to her Domani roots.

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 Ajah Doth Protest Too Much: One of the very few reasonable Red Ajah Aes Sedai.
• 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.