DRAGONMOUNT

I had a nice, normal week at work. I am feeling a bit burned out, so I'm going to schedule a vacation for August. Just time off, not going anywhere.

gotta say that sounds like my kind of party. love the use of lan too

some of my favorites:

*Snugglebites the lot of them* Hopefully this week went well @SableSage and @LilyElizabeth I feel like I keep telling myself the same, except it is constantly extended by yet another week *sighs and sips drink*

What art have you seen that you like? I know what you mean though. The more I get into something the pickier I get about the art that's produced 😄

man i am SO picky about the art i like for WOT. there's probably maybe two piece i've seen that i liked.

Look at any fandom, and people's creativity will shortly follow. Whether through music, art, videos, stories, you name it, people find all sorts of ways to express their love. Today we want to focus on art. What are your favourite pieces of art of Moiraine? We've seen what she looks like thanks to the Amazon previews, but what art best captured the image of her in your head? Or if you're the artistic type (so entirely the opposite of me), have you ever made art of Moiraine? What inspired you to make it? I'd love to hear the creative process behind your creation. If you're feeling brave...take a shot at making and posting some art here!

Might as well give this a try... As Moiraine I will done a dark blue silk dress bearing the red, green, and white bars of House Damodred down the front. My hair is adorned in an elaborate coil, the kesiera chain woven into my hair so the small sapphire hangs in the middle of my forehead. I will find a good baker from whom I can purchase a variety of fruit tarts and honey cakes to bring to the festivities. Lan can assist in carrying and delivering these with me me. As to decorations, I will acquire bouquets of flowers that are in season. I will have these delivered fresh to the hall.

@Asha'man Shar'aman you have chosen wisely. working within the system rand has established earns you a modicum of respect, and latitude that grows the more you serve @Skelos once you 'discover' where the sa'angreal is, how do you plan on convincing the ruler to let it go? as it's been an integral part of the royalty for generations. the threat of a 'plot' against them wanes once they know what and where the sa'angreal is. they're now more concerned about the impact of its removal will have on the throne and their rule. choosing rather than giving the object up to ferret out the perpetrator of the plot against them.

Someone who is interested in new possibilities!!

i find it fascinating. more equal ground as well, which means partnerships over leader/protector. which is more my style. then again most of my fascination is purely that of my ajah

I swear I’m the only curious one here. No body else is interested in it at all? We have amazing power here, and ties to the Black Tower, but nobody’s interested in experimenting. It’s sad.

@Skelos The....Black Ajah is a complicated topic. The answer to your question lies within the topics of: lies, time, fear, politics and denial. I do not know where you are in your reading of our chronicles, so I must exercise caution in my reply. I will merely say that part of their success, given their scope, is the use of lies. It is far easier to maintain secrecy if you can simply lie about your involvement, knowledge and actions. Beyond that, time. The Black Ajah have been in operation for an alarming yet unsurprising amount of time. And time often serves as a great teacher and concealer. Undoubtedly learning how to cover their tracks, recruit, and operate within the shadows over the course of their existence, all that knowledge merely grows and engrains itself into better and better ways to stay hidden and functional. Fear and politics go hand in hand when it comes to this....I loathe to say 'ajah.' The Tower simply fears publicly admitting to its existence, for several reason's I am sure you can deduce. Perhaps the largest reason being it would undermine the efficacy and weight of the Tower and Aes Sedai as a whole. If people as a whole knew that the Black Ajah existed they would not know which Aes Sedai they could trust. As a result our influence and ability to Serve would plummet to near non-existence. Leaders would dread our council, people would refuse our help. Last, but certainly not least, you must remember to whom the Black Ajah serves. Retribution from the Dark One and his Forsaken are powerful motivators to stay secret. @Asha'man Shar'aman I am afraid I do not share your enthusiasm for it's potential commonplacement.

I am curious about it as well. Maybe one day it will become commonplace. That would be amazing.

*bows respectfully* Moiraine Sedai, is a honor for me to have a chance to see you and talk with you, hoping not to waste your precious time. I also know that this is going to be a very painful question, but how can it be the Black Ajah has been a secret for so much time? How can it be that Aes Sedai for centuries has said that the Black where only a legend? You are the one who has discovered about Merean Sedai being a black and defeated her, but looks like the other sisters have been blind for so long. At the beginning I was thinking it was because there where very few Black, so it was not too difficult to keep their secrets, but the more I'm going on reading the books and the more I'm surprised to see how many thery are. Usually it's impossible to keep a secret with so many people knowing... *bows again*

Sorry not to have been a lot around lately 😞 Me Moraine, I have waited those rumors to grew and work for me. Now, with the other Aes Sedai who is acting as advisor for the King or Queen, I ask to talk with him/her a very private court hearing. I'm going to tell the regnant that The White Tower has discovered somebody is plotting against them (probably they have already heard those rumors). I'm going to tell them that a plot is about a sa'angreal hidden in the royal palace. I'm going to offer my help, to find the sa'angreal and understand what is better to do. If they accept I will keep on. (there is no lie here, the plot is real... I'm the one who is plotting)

With Moiraine gracing the Tower with her presence, we've recruited her to be judge over a contest. A Moiraine impersonation contest. that's right we're having a ball and everyone is Moiraine. here's the deal. light RP time, we're throwing a party for Moiraine, and every gets to dress like her, and act like her. post the best pics of things you'd wear as Moiraine, the kinds of food you think she'd bring and enjoy. the decorations. AND type all your replies as though you are her. Make sense? (if not ask away) Moiraine herself will be in attendance and be watching each of you. the person she deems the BEST 'Moiraine' wins the prize. an actual prize....actually. This is what you're playing for: and 11X17" watercolor painting who's up for the challenge?

Not so much an opinion as a curiosity. It is not something I have experience, nor something I have particularly heard of. I fear I fall more in line with my Brown sisters here and am curious to see how it works, how it evolves and what detriment, if any, may come. Cautious curious optimism is, perhaps, the best way to describe it.

If I might say, that sounds like your entire relationship with Rand. Indeed it shall. If I might ask, however, what about Do you have an opinion on that?

*Snugglebites Sage & Mashira* ... thank you, my darlings.

I would serve the Wise Ones as an apprentice. Not only can I learn things from them, but if I show that I am willing to bow to Rand's authority, then he will trust me more. I would try to influence the Wise Ones if I couldn't get to Rand, but if I could get to him, then I would take small steps in guiding him until he trusts me more.

There is so much to have been done differently young Warder. So much that a little guidance could have provided. So much pain to have been avoided. You asked my thoughts and those have been given. I do not however see much to be gained by looking at the past and saying how I would have changed it. It has been done, it has been weaved into the fabric of the Wheel. As for your new question, I must say that is a prickly situation. It is unknown, that type of bond, the intricacies and workings of it, it is hard to say what that relationship could bring. Not having experienced it, nor having any inclination to, I can only say that in principle I disapprove. Yet I am intrigued. I do not believe the Asha'man have been established nor trained to the extent needed to, shall we say, take the lead in such a relationship, and that by them bonding an Aes Sedai it may prove detrimental to the Sister involved. Time will tell.

@Asha'man Shar'aman hypothetically, if you were in the same position as the aes sedai who were faced with Rand post-kidnapping, where they were either banished or forced to serve the Wise women as apprentices, which choice would you take, and how would you work within said choice to help guide Rand's footsteps?

An interesting answer, Moiraine Sedai. If I may ask, what would you have done differently? Do you have thoughts about the bonding of Aes Sedai by Asha’man and the bonding of Asha’man by Aes Sedai?

Oh, my dear Rand. Thank you for the interest young Warder, it does you well to be alert to such developments. Your question is, however, complicated. The 'Black Tower' and Rand's Asha'man are a source of....how shall I say? Frustration. For while I understand the need for which they were developed, and clearly their usefulness in the troubled days to come are plain. Their execution was flawed as Rand could have stood to gain much more if my hand were there to guide him through their formation. A fact I do regret. So much heartache, pain and trouble could have been steered away from him. The path and usefulness of the Asha'man would have been noticeably smoother if handled with a more 'delicate' and finessed touch. But alas, the Wheel weaves....