What is to the South of the Aiel Waste?

[Alexius]

To be more precise, what is between the Waste and the Sea of Storms?

We know that there is an ocean route from Tear to Shara (Sea Folk trade on it), which goes to the south through the Sea of Storms- a northern route would be absurd due to the Blight and the Dead Sea.

We also know that there is no contact between Sea Folk and Aiel- witness the Aiel legends about Sea Folk eating their dead, and the just-as-bizarre Sea Folk legends about the Aiel.

So why do the Sea Folk never put in along the south coast of the Waste, and why do no Aiel live there?

 

Possibilities- that far south the Waste is so hot as to be uninhabitable- unlikely given that we're talking about Aiel, and that it would be cooler near the sea.

That there are impassable cliffs along that whole stretch of coast- even an unsheltered beach would allow the Sea Folk to land in boats. Again, unlikely.

 

That leaves two interesting possibilities- one is that there's something else that stops Sea Folk ships from landing, even in an emergency for repairs- let alone to trade with the Aiel. But what?

 

Another might be that the Sea Folk and Aiel really hate each other for some reason, so Sea Folk ships won't land and the Aiel drive them off if they try. I've always had a pet theory that the Sea Folk and Aiel might have some common (Da'Shain) ancestry, possibly that the Sea Folk were Aiel who tried to remove Aes Sedai treasures by sea. Similarities include that they both have a clan structure and both had a peaceful remnant (Jenn or Amayar). So maybe it's like the Aiel/Tinker thing.

[Hybrid]

Well, since the Aiel have never heard of water in large bodies such as rivers and lakes, it is doubtful they have any holds near the Shore.  Possibly the land is simply inhospitable, or there are impassable mountains blocking it off.  I'm unsure, since it's been a while since I read the BWB, which has a map showing the whole world.  Also, the Sea Folk would probably want a port to trade in.  I don't see them simply dropping anchor near any stretch of uninhabited shore.  They live off trade, not exploration.  In regard to Shara, they can't put in anywhere outside of the walled port cities.  If they do, they are killed.  One thing is certain.  The Sea Folk are not descended from the Da'shain.  They have totally different coloring and complexions.

[stapes2007]

http://www.wotmud.org/directory/maps/wheeloftimemap.jpg

 

The area below the Waste is labeled "The Termool (The Waterless Sands)", so there probably isn't enough water there to sustain a Hold.  Maybe it's all sand dunes or something of that nature.

[Ireond]

Ah, Wotmud, how I miss my troublemaking days there.  Just a pleasant little musing, but it could also be salt flats, especially if it was part of the ocean brought up by the breaking.

[Sabio]

According to the Big White Book, the Waterless Sands is a place where even the Aiel can't find water and is a desert of drifting sand dunes that can be 200 or 300 feet high.  Contains no oases, no springs, and no known life.  Fearsome windstorms arise suddenly and blow unabated for several days which cause the landscape to change.

 

[Alexius]

Cheers for the reply- I've only seen the (unillustrated) Little Black Book not the Big White Book...