Our Head and Sitters

[Wayfarer]

In our early talks, we were going to run with me playing an NSW sitter, Perine using Carelia as a sitter and also playing our head, and keeping Adrai Tynin as an NSW sitter because of her history and because she's the eldest sitter which gives a little extra clout.

 

I don't know where Perine is at the moment now though and its nearly a fortnight.  We need to start figuring out our Ajah politics, why the White Ajah is the way it is.  I'm hoping Perine will get back soon in the meantime so she can weigh in on the discussions, but lets get into this.

 

There are several things we need to consider.

 

- The history of White Ajah politics since Karana.

- The impact of the Doctrinal Conflict (if we want to use it).

- The White Ajah's views on the Dragon and what is going on in the outside world.

- Politics within the Tower.

 

I can't really answer too much about the last one, but here are some things that come to mind for me.

 

Doctrinal Conflict:

 

- The Blade Doctrine has held the upper hand in terms of the hierarchy, all Heads and Sitters for the last forty or so years have followed it.

- As the Diamond Doctrine has gathered more support yet lacked representation, this has posed a point of conflict within the Ajah that may have slowly escalated.

 

Politics within the White Ajah:

 

- Increased conflicts over the choices made by sitters.  First Lanfir who then betrayed the Hall by choosing Lyanna for her Keeper instead of a Gray as she was meant to.  Adrai Tynin was instrumental in this with her influence as the Eldest of the Hall and because the White Ajah was the deciding vote for Lanfir.

- Adrai Tynin's excessive use of authority and clout was later brought into line by Leah Bree who succeeded the previous Ajah Head (who?)

- With Lanfir's 'disappearance', Sirayn Simeone is elected by the Hall with Adrai, Aleanda and a third sister (unknown).  The choice could prove to be contentious, some sisters might believe in Tower supremacy and it being maintained (which Sirayn attempted to do), or some could disagree also because Sirayn did not make peace with the Dragon (indeed, responsibility for the sisters in the Watchers RP being captured by the Dragon's Asha'man could be laid on her).

- General unhappiness with the events as they have unfolded could lead to a challenge to leadership, or perhaps the leadership itself giving up the position, or another alternative being found with Sirayn's disappearance depending on how much dissatisfaction there is within the White Ajah at that time.

 

Views on the Dragon and World Events:

 

- Emergence of the Dragon signifies the approach of Tarmon Gaidon, logically the first priority then becomes the preparation for the final battle.

- The fall of the Stone as well as the radical changes in the world and the deaths of Forsaken mark the Dragon true as much as his heron marked hands and his Dragon tattoos.

- The White Tower has failed to control the Dragon, likewise it has failed to make peace with him or bind him in treaty or any other matter.

- The White Tower's political strength has been effectively broken.  Her allies to the north struggle with the Shadow and Kandor has fallen with Arafel starting to buckle from the strain.  Andor, Cairhien, Illian, Tear, Mayene and the Aiel have all sided with the Dragon.  Her armies and remaining allies are too weak to hope to resist the Dragon let alone defeat him militarily if push came to shove.

- Does the White Tower's need for independence remain first priority over supporting the Dragon?  Or does the need to support the Dragon in light of approaching Tarmon Gaidon override considerations of the Tower?

 

Politics within the Tower?

 

- Inter Ajah interactions?

- How have Adrai Tynin's efforts earlier affected things?

- Where does the White Ajah want to push in the future the Tower's agenda?  In particular in relation to their own?

[Wayfarer]

So, now thats up, what are your thoughts and such? :D

[Raeyn]

I don't know, yet :D

 

Is there actually anyone puttering around but the two of us?

 

I do like the doctrine conflicts; at current I'd be slotting my character into the former and more popular one, as that is what I have in mind for her at current.  Once again  - got to get to re-writing/updating the biographyt, which might shift her t'other way.

 

I also should go caffinate, and lunch is making me sleeepy.

 

<3

[Wayfarer]

Well, we're the two checking in here most often atm.  I was RPing with Deiria before though she seems to have gotten busy, Perine was around as was Isra.  We now have Indi with us, and if we give Andrea a big enough smack on the arse she might return her old White Suu :)  Souvan has also been spotted about of late, if he starts writing again he might take up Leah Bree once more who is the current Ajah Head character.

[Raeyn]

Poke him with sticks; that would rule my socks :D

[Wayfarer]

I'll get around to it :)

[perine]

I'm here...

 

RL attacked with flu and work projects that kept me away. Though I'm still coughing my lungs out I should be back now. *s*

 

I'll read what you posted above and post again, when I have had time to sink everything in.

 

Sorry for the disappearing act...

[Wayfarer]

Wooo!  Glad to hear you're ok, and that you're feeling better :)

[Raeyn]

Your health is more important than getting this stuff set up, sweetie - feel better, and drink lots of tea and eat lots of hot soup :D

[Wayfarer]

I reluctantly agree with Raeyn...  in principle.  Having said that, why choose?  Drink tea and soup while at computer :)

[perine]

Thank you both! *s*

The coffee/tea machine at work is broken and gives out only stale grayish water *shivers*, so I'll have to wait till I get home and have hot drinks.

 

I'm for the Doctrinal Conflict. Carelia will be slightly for the Diamond Doctrinal though she will also have tendencies to the Blade.

 

I think that using the previous Tower Politics in the Hall to explain the changes that took place inside the Ajah to be a great idea. Could also be used as a trigger to the Doctrinal Conflict, maybe?

[Wayfarer]

I'm thinking of Doctrinal conflict reaching at least as far back as Lillian's raising, and definitely open to the idea of it existing before her.  Its something that would take a lot longer than 2-3 years to develop.  At least to the point where there are two clearly distinguished bodies of thoughts with sub-interpretations and hybrids (like Carelia's views).

 

I am thinking because the Blade traditional doctrine has held sway in the power positions within the White Ajah that its kept the Diamond contained, at least until the last few years which have allowed it to gain ground with the Dragon's rise upsetting the natural order, etc etc.

[Raeyn]

You could easily write Diamond as existing for the past 200+ years in the White Ajah; Taeadra would've been a shining (lulz) of it, and could also go to explain why she was such a short-lived Ajah Head - too far from the "traditional" for the comfort of all.

 

I really should talk to Chrissy and see if she has any particular way she wants her not-played-in-years character to be refered to - it would be quite easy to insinuate that she died in her sleep mysteriously with a pillow over her face or something for going against tradition.

[Wayfarer]

I'd forgotten about that.  Is she still around?  She was for a bit but then sort of disappeared as far as I know.

[Raeyn]

Considering that I'm her Warder?  I can confirm she's been MIA from DM in ages.  She is on MySpace, though.

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

She is? She should get Facebook.. *nod nod*

[Raeyn]

I'm still not sure why people <3 Facebook so; the applications are completely and utterly annoying... except for Free Gifts; that rocks.

 

But otherwise?  They clutter mah space up.  I think I've been bitten by some 20 vampires now, had my brains chomped by at least 10 zombies, and have been asked to go fight the ninjas at least 5 times... gah and no thanks <3  I can't even add Top Friends, since the person who is poking me for that wouldn't be IN my Top Friends >__<

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

I don't bother with most of them either.. however the battling animals are good for time wasting. :)

[Raeyn]

To each their own... but back to the point - we can show a history of both existing for some time.

[Wayfarer]

Cool, so how do we want to develop it then?  Occasionally someone popped up that went up against the traditional ideas of the White Ajah but never really gained momentum until, say, the last fity or so years IC?  That is to say, more than a couple of sisters deviated.

[Raeyn]

Something like... could always out it as say... a little clique of sorts formed (2 or 3 girls who were N&As together and raised within a year or two of each other, perhaps), revitalizing the movement.

 

I'll muse further when I'm caffeinated and warm.

[Wayfarer]

Hmm...  Lillian and Indira age wise would be within twenty years of each other and one of Lillian's closest friends was Indira's roommate :)

[silhouette]

Indira and Lillian could have influenced each other easy enough when it comes to following the Diamond Doctrine. Maybe they would even feel strengthened by the knowledge that they're not the only one thinking outside of the norm.

[Raeyn]

I like this idea - we could feasibly write up a few NSW/TPCs/Whatever the hell you guys call them these days to fill in the age gap and to strengthen the movement, as well as to further pad out the Ajah.  We could also perhaps have one of those bios be a youngish Sitter-aged Sister who could've mentored those of the "clique" to further reinforce their recruitment towards the Whites, as well as give further explanation as to why they've embraced that sort of take on philosophy.

[Wayfarer]

I like the idea of getting some NSW's going.  Hell, if we get bored enough that we make a new char once in awhile, we could perhaps even flesh out the entire Ajah since the White is meant to be the smallest.

 

One thing about using a sitter though.  Its doable, but at the same time it deprives us of using point of contention with having all the hierarchy being the traditional Blade sisters, and therefore allowing those who believe more in the Diamond method to feel disenfranchised.  It'd be handy for allowing us to completely restructure the leadership IC by robbing a motivation for it.