Intro to Saidar - Lesson 2 [Tig]

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Intro to Saidar-by Eleanor Sedai

Lesson 1: Introduction to Saidar and the Five Elements

 

 

Maegan was earily to this class, and was already sitting at her desk, practicing her control with Saidar when the students started to arrive. She wished she could see the faces of those that entered the classroom, and this was the best way she knew how to see. It was a bit like cheating, but how else was she to tell the new novices apart? As the last student arrived, she spoke.

 

“Good morning, Class. I am Maegan Ryanne Sedai of the Red Ajah, and I am going to be teaching you the Introduction to Saidar class where you will be learning to touch the Source, though not today. I know this isn’t usual but I would like you to call me Maegan during this class. Also, the seat you are sitting in will be the same seat you will take every class. There will be times we will be heading into the Gardens, but for now, in order to know you, i recommend not jumping from seat to seat.” Despite being an Aes Sedai, she was not readily willing to be called 'Maegan Sedai', it just felt too long and formal, “Before we get started I have a few rules that MUST be adhered to. You are not to touch the Source, or Light forbid, channel, without supervision. I DO NOT care if you have already started channeling. That will stop today. If you are found violating this rule will immediately be sent to the Mistress of Novices’ office for a suitable punishment. And I know that suitable means extremely harsh.

 

"You haven’t yet the discipline to control Saidar or to attempt to channel it. The feeling is so immense and addictive that you might be tempted to take in more than you can safely handle. This could result in a myriad of bad consequences, among them hurting or killing others, hurting or killing yourself, or even worse yet, Stilling yourself. An Aes Sedai or Accepted there with you can moderate the amount you attempt to handle, and ensure that your flows don’t go out of control. This is for your safety, and the safety of your fellow novices. Punishment will be harsh for violators of this rule. During your time here at the Tower this is THE primary rule you MUST follow. I have great faith in you that you will never do such a thing.

 

"If right now you are saying to yourself, she’s just trying to scare me. You’re right. I am. If you aren’t scared you are a fool and since I do not tolerate fools very well I’d advise you leave this instant.” Maegan looked around the classroom, and at those that sat in the varied seats.

 

“I can see you are indeed frightened and I am quite pleased at how sensible you are; let’s move on.” Coming around the desk, she leaned on it, as she started her lecture. This was the hard part, if the girls could grasp this, then they should understand Sadair better. She hoped. “Control will come, and you will be comfortable with the Power, and it will come when you need it. Someday. But that takes years and years of effort and discipline, which will start in this course and continue, until you are raised to an Aes Sedai. Now on to your first lesson.

 

“The first thing you need to do, before anything else, is to learn about what you’re going to work with. The True Source is made up of two complementary parts: Saidin, the male half and Saidar, the female half. Only women can touch Saidar and only men Saidin. Most people cannot sense or touch the True Source, only two or three percent of all the people in the known world have the ability to touch the One Power. When a person draws from the Source and controls its flows to achieve a desired result that is called channeling.” Maegan paused for effect, and then continued on, her voice becoming more clear. Deya would be proud to see her here, and pride filled Maegans heart as she spoke.

 

“But what exactly is Saidar? Well, many people would give you just as many answers on that question. The White Ajah has debated about this for years to no real avail. But what it seems to be is the very essence of energy in all things, even life itself. When a woman channels, she takes threads of that energy, the One Power, and weaves them to perform various tasks. For example I could use the Power to lift this pencil,” Maegan then embraced Saidar and channeled the simple weave of Air at the small object, causing it to rise from each of her student’s hands, “You will be able to do that and much more very soon with the help of Saidar. Now back to our lesson. There are five different threads to the One Power, known as the Five Powers. They’re named after the elements their energies manipulate: Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Spirit. People who have the ability to channel typically have a greater natural ability deal with one or two different threads. Some rare individuals have a great ability with three of the threads. And even during the Age of Legends, according to some tomes we have, it was extremely rare to find someone who could handle four or five of the elements very strongly.”

 

“Typically, men were more adept with Fire and Earth, while women were more adept with Water and Air. Both were equally strong in Spirit it seems. But do not let this mislead you. Many girls believe that just because men are usually stronger in Fire and Earth, that they’re stronger over all. My Intro teacher told us “There is no rock so strong that water and wind cannot wear away, no fire so fierce that water cannot quench it or wind snuff it out.” Remember that if nothing else.” Maegan grinned then continued.

 

“As I said before, the use on the One Power is addictive. The act of channeling makes a person feel more alive, so much that life without touching either Saidar or Saidin seems only a pale shade of what life should be. It is because of this reason that channeling is dangerous - drawing too much of the One Power can at the least sear the ability to channel out of a person, at the worst it can kill. Or as any channeler will tell you, at the least kill you and at the worst sear the ability to channel out of you forever. That is how sweet the feeling is that you will experience. You must learn how to remain strong in the face of that temptation. That is why girls who can learn are brought to the Tower. Even if they do not have the desire to rise to the Shawl, they MUST learn to control the urges lest they will hurt themselves or those around them.

 

“There have been times in the history of the Tower that Aes Sedai have been cut from the Source as punishment. This process, known as severing, is called Stilling.” Maegan retrieved a notebook that sat on the end-table next to her, and, although not opening it, she recited and explained each person in the notebook, and after she handed copies of the notebook to each student, “You must memorize all of those. One way is to every night before you turn in ask your roommate to recite them to you three times and you’ll know them by heart in no time. I might ask you later, at random to tell me of one, though that is not the only reason why it is essential for you to know them. Only by remembering our past mistakes can we succeed in not repeating them. Learn from them so you do not have to pay the price of their foolishness.”

 

“Next week we will begin our actual workings with Saidar. I ask you to get a good night’s rest and have plenty to eat. This class will be your entry to a wonderful and amazing new world.” Maegan almost beamed; she would be part of changing one person’s life in an immensely altering way.

 

“Your final assignment for today’s class is to go to the library and find information on at least one Novice or Accepted that has burnt themselves out. If you have any questions, then come see me after class."

 

Maegan then dismissed the class, and settled in her seat behind her desk for any that wished to ask her questions on todays lesson.

 

 

 

Ooc: Please RP your characters reaction to this class, and then write up the assignment. And remember, have fun, and try your best to rp in detail your characters feelings towards what has been discussed. The more descriptive the stronger your character, and your writing, will be!

[Tigara]

Scared? Melianna was sweating buckets under her dress. Not only because Maegan Sedai was very intimidating, as most Reds she had seen were, but because of fear of losing the One Power. She had only touched the One Power once before. One of the novices taught her how, but a very strict-looking White had seen her holding it, and gave her a scolding, a lecture on the illogic of touching the Source without a proper teacher, and then sent her off to the Mistress of Novices for further punishment. She was always tempted to hold the Source again, but she still fondly remembered her visit and did not wish to repeat it ever again.

 

But Meli still listened intently to the lesson while absent-mindedly played with a strand of her long, nearly waist length dark brown hair. Light, how she missed having her hair in braids! And how much more she missed her big brass bells! NO! Now was not the time to be thinking about that. This was one of the most important classes she would ever take, and she was thinking about her bells. Silly girl! Her dark brown eyes turned their focus back to the Red. The part about the Five Powers was particularly interesting. She had no idea what her Powers were, but from what the books about the Sea Folk said, most Sisters coming from there were very strong in both Air and Water. “I suppose I’ll find out soon enough” she thought.

 

After Maegan Sedai dismissed them, Meli ran off to the library. She was one of those people who would forget things like this if they were not done right away. Several of the other Novices in the class were also en route to the library. The Brown at the front desk just looked at them and smirked. She very likely knew why they were here, or at least partly. One novice asked the Brown where they might find information about Novices and Accepted who burnt themselves out. It turned out that there was a stack of books near the front on that topic. Something about being the most used resource.  So Meli grabbed a dark-brown bound book and began reading. Some of the novices would occasionally switch books or loose pieces of dark yellowed parchment, but for the most part, it was quiet. Meli started writing some things down from the book. She would write it up better after she was done.

 

The next morning, Meli got up and dressed as usual. She washed her face and gave her hair 20 strokes. She could never figure out why other girls brushed their hair so much. Braids never needed brushing. Next, she ventured of to the kitchens to get a filling breakfast. She needed her energy up today. She found herself with a bowl of porridge and milk, a shiny green apple, and a loaf of golden crusty bread. She ate quickly and ran to the class. Best not to be late.

 

“Good morning, Maegan. Peace be with you and the Light favor you.” She said quickly as she entered the classroom and tried to remember where she was sitting. She found the seat she was in before, or she thought it was the same one, and then waited for the rest of the class. When the rest of the Novices arrived, some began telling their assignments. Melianna took her turn after a Murandian with a horrible accent finished.

 

“Isala Hollmen was the High Seat of House Hollmen, back when Caralain was alive and prosperous. She had minor ability to channel, but it was enough that she may gain the shawl, so she was pushed by the Aes Sedai. They wanted her on the throne. She was taking a private lesson from an Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah in her private rooms. She was supposed to have a fair ability for Healing, so the Yellows had her often. This particular time, she somehow lost control of a weave and it backfired drastically. It burnt her out, nearly killed the Yellow that was supervising, and nearly destroyed the room completely. They would have both died if they were not in the Yellow quarters, full of adept Healers. After more research, I discovered that Isala Hollmen was my grandmother 28 generations ago over a span of about 700 years.” She finished with a curtsey and sat back down.

 

Melianna Hollmen

Aka Tsunami dur Northwave of the Rossaine Clan

Novice

 

[Tigara]

OoC: *poke poke*

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

 

 

Maegan was a creature that preferred larger classrooms. She loved working with the younger generations when they could build ideas and challenge each other with theories and suggestions. However, when teaching the beginnings to the One Power, there was nothing better than a day outside in the garden with a little one-on-one attention. Pulling at the soft red shawl, not one that would rank her in the Ajah she represented but a simple shawl to keep her warm. Adjusting her spectacles on her nose, Maegan smiled as the young girl Melianna approached.

 

"Welcome, Melianna. Have a seat here by me." Maegan patted the dry ground in front of her with her hand. Seated on the grass, in a fairly secluded part of the Gardens, Maegan smiled warmly. After a few pleasant exchanges of "How are you today", "were there many chores for you today?" as well as "how have your studies come along" were asked and answered politely. There was a lot of energy in the girl, so Maegan took note of it and moved on with her lesson.

 

“The first thing you must learn, before anything else, is learn how to embrace the Source in preparation for channelling it. You must surrender yourself utterly to its power and place yourself within it. Only by surrendering can you embrace it. Now I know what you’re thinking, easy right? Well, no. Its not always that easy. However, we do have a Novice exercise that often helps to make it easier. Realize that not all of you will immediately succeed at this. Not all of you will succeed the second, third, forth, and tenth time. Sometimes it’s just that hard. But do not let this frustrate or embarrass you. Some of the Tower’s most powerful channellers once sat as you did trying desperately to take hold of Saidar and they too thought it would never come, but it did. So take a deep breath and I want all of you to close your eyes." Maegan waited until she had done so.

 

"Now, clear your mind of all thoughts but a single rosebud. Picture it as clearly as if you were holding it in your hand. Once you have the image firmly in your mind, begin to picture the sun on the rose, warming it. The rose begins to open to the sun, yearning for its warmth and light."

 

 

Maegan Ryanne

Red Sister

[Tigara]

Melianna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her thoughts travelled to a single white rosebud, visualizing each petal curled up tightly. She pictured herself as the rose, held tight together. Then there was the sun, shedding it's warm rays upon the rosebud. The rosebud opened up slowly, and suddenly the Nightingale was in front of her. Why in the light was that there! She lost concentration.

 

"I'll try again, Maegan Sedai. I did it before, so I know I can do it." she said firmly. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes again. The rosebud was back, she was the rosebud. The sun was back, glistening in the sky. It was warm. Confortingly warm. She started to open to the sun and to feel it's warmth through her. It was there. She could sense the Source! It began to fill her, but not much. She was limiting herself. She knew how tempting it was to hold too much, and that was dangerous. Her sensed were much sharper with the Source. She could hear the other woman breathing, she could smell the grass beneath their feet.

 

"I did it, Maegan Sedai! I have the Source!" she exclaimed excitedly.

 

Melianna

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

 

Maegan beamed at her student. Melianna was proving to be quite apt with summoning the One Power. Even she could not embrace Saidar on her first attempt to touch it. Maegan remembered well that first day of lessons with Deyalyn Sedai, a Gray sister and her mentor, as she was guided through the first steps.

 

"Very well done, now release it." She saw the surprised look on the girls face. Simply raising an eyebrow Maegan waited for the soft and subtle glow to fade from the girl before she continued. "Every female channeler when embracing the One Power glows with an unearthly light, and once trained enough you will be able to see this. This is how I know you were still embracing the One Power or not. Now, it takes time to develop a familiarity with the One Power. It is not a matter of demanding or controlling it, but embracing it, and allowing it to guide you as you in turn guide it to what you need or require of it. Now, try again. You will embrace and release the One Power Twenty One times before I am satisfied that you have a good sense of what you are doing."

 

Allowing the girl to do as she was told, Maegan allowed the silence and the simple exercise take over the girls time and mind. The One Power, Saidar, was very addictive and it still pained her to release it when she did. The ever present warmth of it tingled in the back of her mind, begging her to use it. Discipline and focus. When Melianna was done, Maegan continued.

 

"Not too tired?" The girl shook her head enthusiastically. Perhaps the girl was just eager or of a higher level of energy. Either way, Maegan made note to herself not to push any more than she must. "Next is Control. You must be able to control everything you do in life and that includes the Source since from now on it well be a very big part to it. The technique we call Pushing and Pulling is the next thing you must learn. The objective is to touch the Source, and hold it, but hold it as far away from you as you can without releasing it. This will teach you discipline and help you to back off from the Source before you reach a level you can’t control. This will also help you when it comes time to learn linking but that lesson is for another class."

 

"Now close your eyes. I want you to picture your rosebud again. Once the light of the sun has hit it and it has opened, just hold yourself there." Maegan waited until Melianna had gripped the Source and held it before she continued.

 

"Now, picture a cloud slowly covering the sun. As the light from the sun is diminished on the flower, so should your hold on the Source. Push it away from you, while still maintaining contact. As the sun still provides heat behind the cloud, let the Source just barely trickle into you. To pull it back into you fully again, imagine the cloud drifting away from the sun, and the full light and heat back on the rosebud. Do not do that too quickly, as snapping it back can hurt." She watched Melianna's expression closely; when Melianna winced, Maegan could tell that she had snapped it back and winced for her as well. She laughed a little to try and lighten the novice up.

 

“I am glad you chose to push it away when I told you, many girls won't do that when their first told and that will not be tolerated here. Other Aes Sedai know when you are holding the Source for any reason and if you are just holding it to feel the joy of it, which is addictive, that means you are weak of mind. If you cannot struggle against it then you don’t need to learn how to control it because in the end you will Still yourself or worse be burned out. I know you don't want that to happen, so be careful!” Maegan observed Melianna's face going pale as she listed those consequences and patted her hand reassuringly. "Good, you understand. Now close your eyes and concentrate." She made her novice do this for most of the class until she felt she could do it properly. Satisfied, Maegan instructed her to rest for a bit. "Let's take a little break."

 

"I read your essay, and I have to admit, i do not remember the name of the woman you mentioned. I remember every name that was ever written on the list, but perhaps younger Novices were not recorded quite so diligently. Isala Hollmen, you said? And you still carry the name Hollman, do you not. History is a fascinating thing. What else did you learn?" Maegan smiled warmly at the girl. It was always nice to learn more over her students on a one-on-one basis for this very reason alone. Conversation.

 

 

Maegan Ryanne Sedai

Red Sister

[Tigara]

"Very well done, now release it."

The words shocked her. She was supposed to try this hard all to have it released? It seemed odd. She released it slowly until it finally it was all gone.

 

"Every female channeler when embracing the One Power glows with an unearthly light, and once trained enough you will be able to see this. This is how I know you were still embracing the One Power or not. Now, it takes time to develop a familiarity with the One Power. It is not a matter of demanding or controlling it, but embracing it, and allowing it to guide you as you in turn guide it to what you need or require of it. Now, try again. You will embrace and release the One Power Twenty One times before I am satisfied that you have a good sense of what you are doing."

 

So that was how they knew! Ever since being caught the first time, she had pondered how they knew. So she was glowing, was she? The thought of glowing amused her, she giggled and the Aes Sedai arched her eyebrow at her. “Odd to giggle at this time” she thought to herself. But now, to work on discipline. She embraced the Source the twenty one times, with almost as many failures as successes. Often the Nightingale appeared in front of the rosebud and threw off her concentration, but later it started changing into something different. She started seeing a small steel-green cube, with small holes on each side and on bigger hole on the top. Now what in the Light was that and why was see seeing it? She had never seen anything like it before in her life. How very odd.

 

"Not too tired?"

 

Of course she wasn’t! Well, she was slightly tired, but she wanted to learn, learn as much as humanly possible in this time. She shook her head vigorously, hair spraying across her face. “Not at all, Maegan Sedai.”

 

"Next is Control. You must be able to control everything you do in life and that includes the Source since from now on it well be a very big part to it. The technique we call Pushing and Pulling is the next thing you must learn. The objective is to touch the Source, and hold it, but hold it as far away from you as you can without releasing it. This will teach you discipline and help you to back off from the Source before you reach a level you can’t control. This will also help you when it comes time to learn linking but that lesson is for another class. Now close your eyes. I want you to picture your rosebud again. Once the light of the sun has hit it and it has opened, just hold yourself there."

She went into the exercise much quicker now. It was getting a little easier, but it still took a lot of concentration. Maegan started to give instructions while she was concentrating. The cloud came along and started covering the sun. The Source was slowly dwindling away from her, but it was still there. She could still feel the sweetness of it, feel the fullness of life, feel its addictive qualities. When Maegan said to make the cloud move away and start to fill up with the Source again, the cloud did not drift. The cloud just plain disappeared. The Source snapped back into her as full as usual, just with some recoil. She wasn’t really aware of it, but something told her that she had winced or spazzed or something of the sort.

 

“I am glad you chose to push it away when I told you, many girls won't do that when their first told and that will not be tolerated here. Other Aes Sedai know when you are holding the Source for any reason and if you are just holding it to feel the joy of it, which is addictive, that means you are weak of mind. If you cannot struggle against it then you don’t need to learn how to control it because in the end you will Still yourself or worse be burned out. I know you don't want that to happen, so be careful!”

 

Her cheeks lost color as she recalled that trip to the Mistress of Novice’s office. She certainly had no wish to repeat that trip, even at a half. Melianna would certainly not break that rule any time soon.

 

"Good, you understand. Now close your eyes and concentrate."

 

She went through the rest of the practice with relative ease. Well, at least she thought she did, until she noticed that she was breathing rather heavily.

 

“Let's take a little break."

 

“Thank you, Aes Sedai. I am feeling slightly tired.” She was much more tired than ‘slightly’ but she didn’t want the Aes Sedai to know. She would have to be hard and strong to be Aes Sedai, which meant she couldn’t show weakness.

 

 

"I read your essay, and I have to admit, i do not remember the name of the woman you mentioned. I remember every name that was ever written on the list, but perhaps younger Novices were not recorded quite so diligently. Isala Hollmen, you said? And you still carry the name Hollmen, do you not. History is a fascinating thing. What else did you learn?"

 

 

"About Isala? Very little that I didn't put in the essay. And I didn't see anything else in that book about my family. You see, Maegan Sedai, my Father is the last noble House traceable back to Caralain, a very large and powerful noble house back then. I pride myself in that, even if the country no longer exists. Maybe one day, it will be back." She replied in a very meek fashion. Aes Sedai liked meekness.

 

“Maegan Sedai, have you ever seen a small cube that looks like it’s made out of a steel green material. It has small holes on each side, and the top has a larger hole that looks made of glass. Have you ever seen anything like that?

 

 

Melianna

 

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Ooc: I had a 'huge' computer crash. i should be able to post up in a few days. i'm just sorting things out and attempting to rebuild my life atm. :P

[Tigara]

Okies, not a problem.

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

The mention of the object caused a long pause in Maegan's demeanor. It had been scarcely  40 years since she first learned that she had the ability to create such objects that were attuned or at the very least created by the One Power. Learning such a talent, Maegan indulged herself into the studying of many objects and all of its kind. She came across many objects, it was true. Some similar to a disc but none of them green. Not even in the light of a book or scroll let alone a shelf in the Tower or else. Unless it was in Tear, but not even she would try that path. The Tairens were rather un-sentimantal towards channelers, or even Aes Sedai. Tolerated at best.

 

Shaking her head slowly, Maegan pushed her spectacles higher on the bridge of her nose. "I'm afraid I have not. Was it a dream that you saw them? Or a memory perhaps?" She thought carefully, "It may be a possibility that I do not know, but if you were to draw the image it would be easier to locate, or depict details that could help you find it." There was an encouraging note in Maegan's tone.

 

"However, it is getting late and you must be tired. Take this," Maegan passed the girl a red ribbon, "To excuse you from chores today and the next. Instead you are to rest up and study. You will find yourself very tired in a matter of an hour or so. If that, at least. Channeling can be exhausting especially for a novice and a good rest and a warm meal will keep you from becoming too weak. Tomorrow after the morning meal we will continue our lesson. Do not be late."

 

 

Maegan Ryanne

Red Sister

 

Ooc: Please dwell on the lesson for the day and then return to the garden in the morning. Reflect a little on the feeling of Saidar as well as things Mel would wish to learn how to do as well as any questions she may have. :)

[Tigara]

"I'm afraid I have not. Was it a dream that you saw them? Or a memory perhaps?"

 

“No, Maegan Sedai. Not a dream or a memory. When I would be embracing saidar, someties it would appear in my vision where the rosebud was and then I would lose concentration. At first it was the Nightingale, a ter’angreal that Shaneevae Sedai showed me once. Then it turned into this cube. I have no idea what it is. I’ll make you a drawing.”

 

Maegan Sedai dismissed her and handed her a pretty red ribbon to excuse her from chores. She grabbed a lock of hair, swung it over her right shoulder, and tied the ribbon to the end. Was it red because of her Ajah, or was it just the color they all used? But she wandered up to her rooms anyway. She was very tired. She was too tired to eat really, but she grabbed a bread roll on her way there anyway. She needed energy.

 

She walked into her room and plopped onto her small, hard bed. Adanna wasn’t there. It was too early for her to be done her chores and lessons. Saidar. How she longed for its sweetness. Life seemed so dull without it. Like it wasn’t really living, just a blurry shadow of life. She wanted to close her eyes and picture the rosebud. Be the rosebud and embrace the sun. Embrace the Source! But no, she would not. She had been warned to much, and she knew better. She would not burn herself out.

 

She decided to take her mind off of it. She had a sketch to draw. She pulled out a sheet of parchment, a pen, ink, and a sand pot. The pen started flying. The strange cube formed on the parchment to the exact detail. The round corners, the small holes the size of gooseberries on the 5 sides, the strawberry sized hole on the top, seemingly made of a dark glass. It was all there, except for color. It looked to much different than what she saw without the greenish metal color. Then she remembered the box. The jewelry box her mentor, Jaydena, had given her on her first day here. There was paint in there. She dug it out of its hiding place and opened the paint drawer. Green and Gray. She took a small cup left in her room and mixed them together. She wouldn’t need either of those ones. She was fairly sure she knew her Ajah, and neither of those two were it. The two paints went together easily, creating very close to the shade she wanted. But not quite dark enough. More Gray. There. Perfect. She picked up the small brush in the box and dipped it lightly into the paint, and with an unsteady hand, began to color in the drawing. She started in the middle, to avoid making too many mistakes, hoping her hand would be steadier by the time she got to the edges.

 

~***~

 

Another cool morning in the Tower Gardens. She strolled along the path, going back to the place she had been the day before. Maegan Sedai was waiting there already; thick glasses perched atop her nose.

 

“Good morning, Maegan Sedai. Beautiful day, isn’t it. I suppose you will want this back.” She said handing the red ribbon back to the Red. She quickly dug out her drawing as well, handing it to her. “I sketched that cube last night. My drawing skills are poor, but it’s fairly accurate. What will I be learning today?” she chirped in merrily. “Healing? Wards? Bonding? Linking? Lightning? Probing ter’angreal?” Her face was calm, but on the verge of undiminishing bliss.

 

Melianna

Ter’angreal obsessed

 

OoC: Where might I find the rules for ter'angreal? ;D

 

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Ooc: There are no apparent rules for any Ter'Angreal creation. Most write up their own and send it in to the DL (who luckily is me) for approval. One thing is that no Novice or Accepted are allowed to own or have access to any Ter'Angreal unless there is a Teacher present. The Ter'Angreal or Angreal is then given back. Any other rules I'll write out in this post. ;) For examples of previously approved *'Angreal check out (http://sapphiresanctuary.com/wte-back/?page_id=3).

 

 

Ic:

 

Maegan accepted the piece of paper with a smile on her lips. Slipping it into her pouch for later examination she held back the giggle at the Novices apparent enthusiasm. It will serve her well in the years to come, granted that was what the wheel wove for her. Motioning for them both to take a seat on the blanket that Maegan had spread out in advance, she smiled warmly.

 

"Ter'Angreal will be something you are introduced to once you have reached the Accepted. Do not pout, even I had to wait 8 years before I was allowed near them. Novices are too unschooled in their abilities to be allowed near these devices without there being very grievous drawbacks. Aes Sedai have even died from channelling needlessly near Ter'Angreal. I would recommend placing those thoughts to the back of your mind until you have at least reached your banded dress." Maegan paused, "However, if you wish to help me research your little green box than perhaps I can allow a little curiosity, hm?"

 

"Now, shall we continue with the lesson? Yesterday you learned how to Embrace the Saidar and about Pushing and Pulling. Please demonstrate what you remember." The lesson proceeded smoothly as Melianna started to glow as the One Power was opened around her. The glow grew and faded as the girl demonstrated the ability to push and pull the amount of Saidar she held within her body.

 

"Well done. As I said before, Saidar is the female half of the One Power, or Source. The One Power is then broken into what 5 elements?"

 

Maegan allowed the novice a moment to answer. "Well done. Yes, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit.  In order to weave you must know what the elements are. Now I’m going to show you which threads are which.” Maegan then embraced the Source and wove all five threads together into a thick thread like she had seen her mentor, Deyalyn, do for her long ago. “Now can you tell me which thread is which?” The Novice looked at the cord of Saidar curiously as she answered. Maegan was curious to know what the girl was thinking but thought better than to ask, “Air is Blue, Water is Green, Spirit is White, Fire is Red and Earth is Brown."

 

“Good I see you have been studying, hmm. Well now I want you to pick out the threads. You will have problems doing this at first, especially at Fire and Earth, most probably, but if you work hard it will get easier. You will do it with saidar, of course, but you can use your hands for gesturing if it helps. Once you've done that a couple times we'll practice the pushing and pulling again. There now, go ahead." The Maegn was not surprised that it took Melianna sometime before she was able to seperate the weaves, embracing the Source however, did help her ability to distinguish them.

 

 

Maegan Sedai

[Tigara]

OOC: So I can just make it up and get approval for when Meli is Aes Sedai. Then she can keep it? BTW, the little green box is in Tear.

 

IC:

 

"However, if you wish to help me research your little green box than perhaps I can allow a little curiosity, hm?"

 

Melianna smiled and nodded. "Yes, I would like that."

 

She then dove right into the lesson. She embraced the Source, which was becoming much easier now. She demonstrated the pushing and pulling of saidar. Maegan wove a big cord of the Five Pwers, and Meli picked them out with slight difficulty. But now it was her turn to make her own Five Powers. She embraced the Source and began to try to pick out threads of the Power. The Blue Air and the Green Water both jumped out at her right away. They were easy. It took but a minute. Then it was the hard part. Fifteen minutes of hard searching finally brought her a thread of White Spirit. Five minutes later, she pulled out a Brown Earth strand, then ten minutes more after that, she finally discovered a small thread of Red Fire. She had heard that the order they come to you determines how strong you were in them. In that case, she was not meant for Fire. Nor Earth. Not even really Spirit either.

 

Melianna

Not a Pyro

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Ooc: You can do that. Although I will need to know why it is in tear and how you plan to get it. :) I don't usually hand out Ter'Angreal unless it is earned. Just a fair warning. :)

 

Maegan noted the girls disappointment. Perhaps the difficulty was too great, it was hard to tell with what Novices were disappointed in. Maybe she was not disappointed but frustrated, or even tired. Too many emotions to distinguish from another. It was funny, to Maegan at least. A woman that hid everything showed more in a glimpse than a Novice that showed a thousand emotions at any given time. A topic she would have to dwell on at another time, perhaps.

 

"Over time these strands will become easier to distinguish and weave. At one point they will be second nature to you and you would not even need to think to separate them as they would already come to you as you need them. In time." Maegan pulled the spectacles from the bridge of her nose as she embraced Saidar. She did not fill herself to the brim but there was still a fairly significant glow to her person that no doubt even those in the Tower would be able to point in her direction when they sensed the One Power. Maegan was, after all, one of the more highly skilled channelers in the Tower. Most differentiated to her simply for that fact and not her age.

 

"Watch." Maegan said simply.

 

Taking in the one power, she wove a series of 5 helixes, each with a strand of itself paired together spinning around her. After asking Melianna to point out each helix for it's elemental value, Maegan continued the lesson.

 

"Concentration is the key to any weave. If you can not concentrate.." Maegan wavered on purpose to allow the helixes to not only stop spinning, but they also pulled to each other. Air to Water, Fire to Earth. Spirit was the only that stood alone. "Aes Sedai, Women channelers are more skilled in Air and Water as men are with Fire and Earth while both equal in Spirit. However, it is not uncommon for a Female to be skillful not only with Fire but also with Earth. You, on the other hand, seem to have more potential with using Air and Water. Both are used not only in healing but also may other weaves.  Today I will teach you a few weaves. Do not doubt that you will sleep very well tonight."

 

“Do not get too excited, I expect you to be careful since you have not had much if any real experience at weaving. You know the colors of each weave now and have seen them while holding the Source so I will allow you to embrace it the first time I demonstrate. Your sense of the elements will increase over time as well and so later on you will not have to hold the Source to know what weave another is making. Before we start with the weaves, though, I want you to promise me NEVER to pick your weaves apart, but to let them dissipate on their own. Picking apart a weave is very dangerous and it can cause severe explosions or even getting burned out.”

 

She then pulled the silk kerchief once again from her pocket. She dipped it into a nearby pond; then returned to the bench, placing it between herself and Melianna. When it came out of the pond, it was dripping wet; she instructed them to inspect it with her hand. Maegan held it over the bench and embraced Saidar. Weaving pure Water, she slowly drained the water in the kerchief on to the bench and then showed them the dry silk. “Now you watched that I used a pure weave of Water to drain this right?” The girls nodded enthusiastically. “You can not only use Water to dry something, but also to make water.” Maegan embraced the Source yet again and gathered moisture in the air, bringing it to Melianna's hand. Suddenly her hands were extremely wet and she wiped them uncomfortably on her skirt. Maegan chuckled and handed her mentee the now-dry kerchief.

 

The young Aes Sedai instructed her companion to try the weaves herself. Melianna got the first one immediately; it took her quite awhile, however to manage to gather moisture in the air. Maegan waited patiently until the young woman achieved the flows and nodded as she applauded her mentee.

 

Maegan waited patiently until Melianna achieved the flows and nodded as she applauded her student.

 

“Next, we're going to move on to Air.” Maegan wove Air around Melianna and caught the girl in a snare. She then lifted her until she was sitting in mid-air, an inch above the bench. The girls gasped loudly in horror and Maegan found herself laughing as she assured the other she would not fall. Finally she set her down and then continued speaking.

 

"Air can be pretty handy when you are trying to protect yourself. I wrapped you so that you could not move as you probably noticed. Had I stuffed a gag of Air into your mouth, you wouldn’t have been able to gasp as you did. Not only can Air be used to protect but it can be used to attack or Maegan pointed to another nearby bench. It lifted and was thrown across the garden where it slammed into an enormous, heavy-looking willow. She then used Air to drag it back to it’s original place, though this time more gently.

 

"Air and Water are the two elements that are also used in weather control. Should you develop the Talent of Cloud Dancing, those would most likely be your strongest elements. You will learn some small amount of weather control, at a later time when you are capable of it. These are the two elements that women are usually more proficient in than men. Spirit is shared equally among the genders."

 

 

 

 

Maegan Sedai

Red Sister

feeling too lazy to colour this whole thing...

 

OOC: Just post working on each weave; with the Air weaves though all you have to do is move little things, fallen branches, flowers, etc. Questions or anything else are also welcome. :)

 

[Tigara]

Pick apart a weave? She didn't know how to put one together, so she doubted she could pick it apart if she tried.

 

Maegan demonstarted the weave with the kerchief and then with the gathering water from the air. She embraced the Source and found a single thread of water very easily. She drew it to the soggy kerchief and  then the water all ran down. The kerchief was dry as a bone. Her insides nearly burst with delight! She actually did it! She lept to the next excercise. The thread of water searched the air for moisture. It took a minute or two before actually getting some water collected. She led it to over to the kerchief and wet the kerchief once again. She giggled in delight.

 

Suddenly, she could not move and her bottom was not on the bench. She gasped. Well, it was closer to a squak. A trick with Air! Her other strongpoint. She found a thread of Air and wrapped it around a stick on the ground, and it hovered above the ground. Not very high, but it was a good start. She released the stick, and found a dead leaf.  She delicatly tried to lift it, but ended up crushing it instead. She found herself with more Air in her weave, and a pile of dead leaves swirled into the air. Meli jumped at what she did, then giggled. Air was easy!

 

"Maegan Sedai, do you think my strength in Air and Water have anything to do with being Sea Folk? What are your two strongest elements?

 

Melianna

Accepted playing in the time machine

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

 

 

First Ter'Angreal and now Sea Folk!

 

Maegan looked at the girl with a bit of a blank look. Although she was familiar with some of the ways of the Sea Folk, never had she come across one nor thought to look at the girl as one. For Maegan to give a blank look, it was of some significant note -in Maegan's mind- that she was actually surprised by this.

 

"I had thought you said you were from Caralain Grass? In the Andorian area? Although you do not fully have the look, that was what you had claimed, was it not?" Maegan was not fond of lies, but the matter of fact in the girls voice from previous left Maegan wondering more than scowling. "Are you or are you not Sea Folk?"

 

 

Maegan Ryanne

Red Sister

[Tigara]

"I am partly Sea Folk, Aes Sedai. My mother is Sea Folk, my Father is an Arafellan descended from Caralain. They got too drunk while trading. My Mother sent me off to be raised in Arafel with my Father." she responded. The Aes Sedai looked on the border between angry and confused.

 

Melianna

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

"Peculiar." The confusion was most likely still evident in her face, but the anger completely subsided. Anger came too quickly on some days. A small frown on that thought, Maegan disregarded it as another irritation to be dealt with at a later date. Her Anger, that is.

 

"Seafolk rarely travel so far north let alone a man from Arafel to travel south." Maegan looked at the girl once more through her spectacles, "But your colouring, and the tilt in your eyes supports your story." A finger tapped her lips, "How very peculiar indeed. Unheard of to my knowledge." A smile came to her lips. "The Creator must have a special plan for you to weave you into the Pattern this way."

 

"Shall we continue? or would you like to ask me something?"

 

 

Maegan

[Tigara]

Meli would have noted her father was a merchant, but she wanted to move on. Too much time wasted already.

 

"Let's continue, please, Aes Sedai."

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

 

Maegan nodded and then pulled out a box that had been laying behind her. "Next are Earth, Fire and Spirit. Let’s start with Earth; Earth can be used for helping crops to grow, finding mineral and ore deposits, detecting fault lines…. And for destructive purposes. It also is used to search the earth for other things such as unstable areas that can be used to your advantage. Everything can be buried under Earth but you can also use it as defense by creating a wall to block an enemy’s path. Another thing you can do with Earth is Shaping things, for example a sword” Maegan embraced the Source and concentrated hard, Earth was her weakest element but she was well balanced and had little trouble with the elements. She deftly wove fine threads of Earth and intertwined them until she had a sword made of pure Earth. “Now I don’t expect you to make something as large as this right now, but I want you to try to Shape something of your own.” Maegan handed the Novice an angreal - quickly explaining how it worked-  in case they had use for it and waited until she had shaped a small object. She smiled at each of the younger woman’s success and continued.

 

“Next is Fire; Fire can be used to make fire, for camping and warmth, or light. Never draw the heat from a fire into yourself to extinguish it!! Instead, use a dome of air to seal it off, or water to douse it out." She picked up a small candle that sat on the table next to the box, “With this you will just try and light the candle.” She placed it in a thick holder. "Now watch carefully. You do not need to use a large thread of Fire. You take a tiny strand of Fire, wrap it around the wick until it touches itself again, and the wick should ignite. As soon it ignites you can stop the flow." Maegan watched Melianna try and light the candle, once she had managed to do so, Maegan continued. “Of course we can also use the Power to douse this candle; you can do this with a weave of Air, Water or Spirit. I want you to practice dousing the candle with all three different Elements and lighting it up again.” Most found this a little more difficult and Melianna frowned hard at the candle a few times with no luck. Maegan demonstrated for her twice more and was congratulated sincerely as she finally managed to light it.

 

"The last element of this lesson is Spirit, Spirit is widely used to bind other weaves together and it also can make a weave stronger and to last longer. Spirit is used in Healing weaves mainly and with other weaves that affect the physical body. The element is widely misunderstood since most people think it is not very useful on it’s own. It is also been used for mind control such as Compulsion, or Milking the Tears that will not be taught in this class or by any Aes Sedai in the Tower since these weaves destroy a person’s free will. Spirit is also used in the Bonding of a Warder and Aes Sedai. It is a physical weave that settles upon your body, linking you to a Warder. It is also used for wards but a ward that uses only Spirit is one that protects your dreams since Spirit is the only element you can use while you are asleep.”

 

“Spirit is a main element in Shielding. You will learn more about Shielding later, but suffice it to say it is a skill that you would be behooved to learn well. Male channellers are becoming a big problem now, and knowing how to shield and do it well could be your last and best hope against one that will go mad."

 

"Now the final thing Spirit can be used for is Severing. There are many names for this such as, Stilling or Gentling. This is the act of permanently removing the ability to channel from a person. It is not like being burned out burned out which can be done accidentally or as a conscious decision, this done for punishment or by force. At the first lesson I gave you a paper with the names of every Aes Sedai Stilled, let’s see if you remember them." Maegan made sure the other had recited them all before she spoke again, "And that concludes this lesson for the day. Very well done, I am proud of you. Tomorrow I will quiz you on everything you learned. Be sure to rest well."

 

 

 

Maegan

[Tigara]

An angreal!!! Her heart pounded faster than a squirrel about to be eaten for someone's dinner. Not only was she touching it, but she was going to use it. Nothing could ruin this day! Meli embraced the Source and pulled the angreal into her as she had been instructed. The amount of the Power in her was amazing! She might have been stronger than Maegan with this. She looked at the small onyx leopard with a fondness, then remembered the assigned task. She fumbled to find Earth;, at least it was easier to grasp than Fire, but not much easier. She started simple. A pin. A short pin formed out of the dirt. The it grew ot be a pen. Then it was a small dagger. She tried to make a copy of the angreal, but that proved to be too difficult. Too many specifics and details for her current skill. Looked more like an overfed housecat sitting on a bedpan. Meagan smiled at her and moved onto the next element.

 

Maegan pulled out a candle and Melianna was supposed to light it, then douse it with an element, then light it again, then try another element. She took the tiniest strand of Fire and wrapped it around the wick. She kept missing! A small flame would appear just away form it, then wink out. She kept trying, and finally got the candle lit. She then took a thread of Air and made a bowl around the flame she worked so hard to light. It winked out instantly. That was easy! She lit the candle again, and wove Water around it in a bowl, and it winked out just as before. Melianna clapped with delight. She lit it again, and attempted to put it out with Spirit. That one didn't work so hot. She couldn't figure out how exactly worked, so she asked Maegan, and Maegan demonstrated. She didn't really understand, but she managed it with some difficulty. Then she had another idea. She lit the candle again and grabbed as large of a thread of Earth as she could muster. Maegan gave her a very puzzled look. Meli wrapped it around the flame and it winked out. Maybe it didn't need as big of a thread, but it worked in any case.  Men would dump dirt on a campfire ot put it out, so why not Earth to put out a candle. Worked just as well as the others.

 

The rest of the lesson went very smoothly. She learned about Spirit and stilling, not a pretty subject.  It was after she was dismissed that she began to play with her weaves. She had a Fire weave and went to mix it with Air to make a light, which was a very useful weave. But that green box was in her visions again, so she had taken Spirit when she thought she was taking Air. A lot of Spirit. She had no idea what she had done until it was done. Maegan's hair was on fire!!  And Maegan did not notice. Did the woman have no feeling in her head, or was she that calm? She grabbed the woman's shawl and started abtting her head with it. Maegan made protests about crazy girls. "Maegan Sedai! You're hair is on fire!" She batted at her head more, but the fire did not dance or go out or anything. It didn't even feel hot. Meli grabbed at the hair, and it felt like normal hair. An illusion?

 

Meli

Distractable

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

 

 

"Ahhh!" Maegan covered her head temporarily as the novice started to attack her with her own shawl! Confused, Maegan did not even think to embrace the One Power, but instead tried to move the girl away. That is until she exclaimed as to what happened.

 

Saidar filled her and within a blink of the eye she cut off the weave and 'saved' her hair. Breathing heavily, she put a hand to hair only to find it --partially-- still intact. Her rats-nest of a hairstyle was more of a rats-nest then a style of any kind, even by a bookworms standard. Looking at the girl as she stared at Maegan increduously. Although a part of her wanted to be angry, the look on the girls face (and the fact that her hair was still intact) just got Maegan to burst into laughter. Falling onto the grass, Maegan howled delightfully. Pausing between grasps, "Well done, Tigara. - er, Melianna! An illusion weave, and far above your skill." A wide grin on her face.

 

"Very well done. Can you demonstrate that again? Only this time, try not to use my hair as your subject?"

 

 

Maegan Ryanne

Red Sitter