What will happen to Red Ajah?

[ono-neko]

I am not sure if this has been brought up or not. If so, I apologize.

 

As far as we (or I) know, the Red Ajah's purpose is to catch any male channelers, bring them to WT (or skip this step), and gentle them. It's been their sole purpose since the breaking, since people in Randland afraid that the male channelers would go crazy and cause destruction.

 

Now, Rand has pardoned all the male channeler. On top of that, he has cleansed Saidin. As far as the story goes (at least current interpertation), the Saidin is not tainted anymore, and male channeler will no longer go crazy.

 

So, since male channeler won't cause problem anymore, at least those that are "tamed" by black tower, is there any more purpose for Red Ajah? That is if Aes Sedai/White Tower order will persevere after TG.

 

Has this every been discussed of what will happen to the Red Ajah? I mean, they practically lost their purpose anymore, unless the WT still determine to exterminate BT, which I don't think they will...

[kittydesmond]

While I have no real idea what the "new purpose" of the red ajah will be, I definately believe the red ajah will survive the series...Here is why:

 

When Elaida basically banned the blue, she herself did something I believe is against Egwenes and all "real AS" grain. I dont think Egwene (Who WILL be Amyrlin) would allow that to happen because it was a direct threat to the tower when elaida tried it with the blues. She wants the tower whole...that has been repeated and repeated and repeated...

[Llewin]

Good question.

 

Not sure if it's been discussed yet or not... Really there are only two options, the Ajah is disbanded or the Ajah finds a completely new purpose...

 

Logically it would have to be a purpose at least somewhat related to their original focus... but I cant for the life of me think what that could be!

[Jellybelly]

With the hints given in CoT and KoD, we can probably assume that somewhere down the line they will be among the Aes Sedai working closest with the male channelers. At first they will be motivated by their mission as Reds, to protect the world from channeling men, and work closely with the Asha'man out of this motivation for protection, but in time I think that will change.

[Guest cwestervelt]

The Red Ajah are hunters. Those skills will be highly valuable after Tarmon Gaidon. Rather than being directed solely at male channelers, they just need to broaden their scope and make themselves a general Darkfriend hunting Ajah. After Tarmon Gaidon, you are still going to have lots of surving Darkfriends (channelling and otherwise) that will have gone to ground. The Red Ajah should be the best equipped to root them out.

[loki redfern]

since they are used to rooting people out they could be reassigned to hunting down girls with the spark, saving the 1 or 3 in 4 they die and increas the tower numbers at the same time

[Guest cwestervelt]

That would be another valuable use of their time and resources. I just think rooting out the rest of the Dark One's forces should take precedence.

[Llewin]

I had the feeling they'd still be tied in some special way to male channelers as well, I think Aes Sedai as a whole will focus on making sure no girls slip through the cracks though after Tarmon Gaidon... Egwene has seen the incredibly effective example of the Wise Ones doing just that, and I imagine they will have a good number of ex-damane and ex-suldam joining the tower, in some way, who have lots of experience in it as well...

 

The idea of them focusing on being 'darkfriend' hunters is a good idea though!

[schneb]

In the long run, all the ajahs will go away. They will become less and less relevant with Egwene's plan to have every channeler associated with the tower. Of all the channeling groups we see in the books, only the Aes Sedai have the different ajahs or any similar construct. The Aes Sedai are vastly outnumbered by the rest of the channelers and will eventually adapt. I know things are strongly ruled by tradition, so it will take a long time for the ajahs to lose significance, but they will. We have already seen many traditions fall to necessity.

 

In the short run, I agree that the Red Ajah will become the closest tied to the Asha. At first they will use the rational of "who better to 'deal' with the potential psychos", then it will move on to "they're not going insane, but we better stay with them just in case", and finally to "it is the Red Ajah's perogative to work closest with male channelers because we've been doing it for the longest".

[algspkr]

In the long run' date=' all the ajahs will go away. They will become less and less relevant with Egwene's plan to have every channeler associated with the tower. Of all the channeling groups we see in the books, only the Aes Sedai have the different ajahs or any similar construct. The Aes Sedai are vastly outnumbered by the rest of the channelers and will eventually adapt. I know things are strongly ruled by tradition, so it will take a long time for the ajahs to lose significance, but they will. We have already seen many traditions fall to necessity.

 

In the short run, I agree that the Red Ajah will become the closest tied to the Asha. At first they will use the rational of "who better to 'deal' with the potential psychos", then it will move on to "they're not going insane, but we better stay with them just in case", and finally to "it is the Red Ajah's perogative to work closest with male channelers because we've been doing it for the longest".[/quote']

 

LOL, I have said something similar, and agree with you, but I still think its funny. I would not be surprised to learn that at the beginning of the Third Age the Reds put forth the most effort into helping men who could channel, and eventually decieded there was nothing to be done, and so began their current crusade of genteling them.

[Llewin]

Actually the official Ajahs were formed well after the end of the Breaking, so by the time the "Red Ajah" existed it was a forgone conclusion that the men couldnt be helped... Which is not to say that their ultimate 'purpose' hasnt changed over time ;)

[Guest Cadsuane]

There is a thread with some other theories about this somewhere else... perhaps entitled Thom and the Red Ajah? I think it's in the MoL forum. :P

[Laurenna]

I thought the Reds (a few of them) were already starting a new "purpose"...to bond the male channelers as warders, since they have the most experience working with men who can channel. Remember they went to the Black Tower to try just that? (Although I don't know if they know saidin is clean yet...)

[ono-neko]

I like the prediction that Red will now "babysitting" the AM. However, I think there will still AS outside the Red that will willing to bond the AM as warders. Even at this time, some AS who has been around Rand have bonded several of them. Of course, there are also AM who has bonded the "captured" AS as their warders, kind of.... It's going to be a complicated stuff...

[Llewin]

I dont think that the bonding thing will hold water long term.

 

The Red sisters are doing it right now specifically because it is the closest thing they can come to controlling the Ashaman without breaking Rand's 'amnesty'. They have no reason to know that the taint has been cleansed... they dont even know who or what happened at Shadar Logoth... :)

 

In the long run, when it becomes obvious that the men are, in fact, cleansed... there will be know reason to force-bond them... At that point it will become a matter of choice whether male or female channelers chose to bond one another... (by the way, has anyone discussed what would happen if an aes sedai bound an ashaman and then the ashaman turned around and bound his aes sedai as well? What sort of twisting of the Bond would that cause???

[Laurenna]

In the long run' date=' when it becomes obvious that the men are, in fact, cleansed... there will be know reason to force-bond them... At that point it will become a matter of choice whether male or female channelers chose to bond one another... [/quote']

 

I wonder if the Reds can even force-bond them now. They seemed to be in trouble where the book left off...I wonder if they will have to reach a compromise whether they want to or not... :lol:

[Guest cwestervelt]

Actually the official Ajahs were formed well after the end of the Breaking' date=' so by the time the "Red Ajah" existed it was a forgone conclusion that the men couldnt be helped... Which is not to say that their ultimate 'purpose' hasnt changed over time ;)[/quote']

 

The Red Ajah is also one of the Ajahs, maybe the only one from the evidence that we were given, that takes the view that the Ogier made the breaking worse be sheltering male channellers.

[Llewin]

True, cwest... But I dont follow how that applies here? help me out.

[Guest cwestervelt]

Just meant that, concerning their view of history, it isn't likely that their perception of men changed much.

[Llewin]

Possibly...

 

But I do think it changed quite a bit... I have trouble believing the Original founders of the Red were man haters, and atlest 95% (or so it seems) of the current and recent-history Reds are...

[Luckers]

Actually the official Ajahs were formed well after the end of the Breaking' date=' so by the time the "Red Ajah" existed it was a forgone conclusion that the men couldnt be helped... Which is not to say that their ultimate 'purpose' hasnt changed over time ;)[/quote']

 

Actually thats not entirely true, the White Tower was founded by the seven strongest groups of Aes Sedai in the aftermath of the breaking, those groups became the Ajah--their missions derived from the inclinations of their groups before the forming of the White Tower. So, there was a group out there engaging in hunting men who can channel for at least a long enough time to become a power group--which means at least a hundred years, if not more, and thats stretching into the breaking--they may not have been called Reds, but they served the same purpose.

 

Whilst i see the mission of the reds involving relationships with the Asha'men, i dont see them 'babysitting', controlling or exclusively bonding the Asha'men. The Asha'men as a group are too powerful politically now to take such a subserviant role to the Aes Sedai. The bonding will continue, but it will become an eqaulity thing i suspect, as proved by Merise and Cadsuanes conversation in CoT.

 

Also, Rand's amnesty never mattered to the Aes Sedai, not even the ones under Egwene. It was asha'men strength that has caused them to tread carefully.

[Jonn]

Well, to answer the question, I think the Red will survive, but their purposes will change.

 

I rememebr reading a fragment somewhere that their original, large scope goal was to reduce the damage wrought in the Breaking and to prevent another Breaking from happening.

 

Recent events though lead me to think that Pevara may start a kind of revolution for the Red Ajah in thoughts towards men. Her involvement in the Black Ajah hunt may also prove the be a sign that perhaps the Red Ajah will move to hunting darkfriends, especially those who can channel.

 

Maybe they'll turn to a sort of internal affairs investigatory wing of the Aes Sedai. Kind of like the Aethan Dor in the Aiel societies.

 

These are just guesses of course. Pevara is my model for what a Red should be, so that's where my ideas come from.

[Graf Ashaman]

I think the Reds are going to stick with the Asha and bond them in order to make sure they have them in control. But I also agree that they are hunters and man haters therefore they will hunt the Blacks since some Ashas are Black as well. But I also belief that the bonding and Baby sitting of the Ashas is going to turn out differently than the Reds think, because Alanna bonded Rand and tried controling him with the bond and she quoted that it was like trying to dig out an old oak root with her bare hands. :lol:

But also if the Reds hate men, why do they hate them? Surely not only because the males used to get mad. So why do they? And what will happen if a Red gets her first kiss?

[Inara]

i imagine that at least some of the manhating reds are like that because of their first kiss

[alCal]

Haha, good point...

 

On the subject of Red Ajahs future, I would say that it will continue to exist in much the same way it has, depending on the future of the Tower. Their purpose and goal will change a bit though since saidin is clean. They might take Warders or bond Asha'man or become a bit more friendly, but it depends on what happens to the Tower. Egwene will become the Amyrlin and she want's to hold all Ajahs together so she won't ban it like Elaida did with the Blue.

And who knows, maybe the Black and White Tower will unite. Or does Elaidas foretelling about the BT make that impossible?