Into to Saidar Lesson 5/Final (belatedly!)

[claireducky]

Claire sighed as she heard the unmistakable sound of initiate footsteps in the hall.  She always felt a little sad when the last lesson came.  At least she could rest easy in the fact she had given these young women their first steps in the road to Aes Sedai.  She decided she would give them another trip to the Gardens and that they would also have a small celebration after the final examination.

 

“Today we’re going to talk about the other three elements, Earth, Fire and Spirit. It’s going to be another hard lesson, but an important one.  So, 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 ground 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.”  Claire embraced the Source and concentrated. 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 each to try to Shape something of your own.” (OOC: This weave is called Shaping, it requires Earth 2) She watched over the Novices as the young women inexpertly recreated the weave Claire had shown them.  When they all finally succeeded, Claire gave praise for the young womens’ creations.

 

Today upon all of their desks were candleholders with a small tallow candle held upright. 

“The next element for today is Fire, it can be used to make campfires, for warmth, and for light, among other things.  The one crucial lesson about Fire is to never draw the heat out of a fire to extinguish it.  You would cook yourself alive. Instead, use a dome of air to seal it off, or water to douse it out." She picked up a small unlit candle and placed it in a crystal candlestick holder. “Next, we are going to light a candle. Please watch carefully. You do not need to use a large amount of Fire. You simply 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.”  As promised, the wick of the candle sprung alight with fire.  Claire snuffed it with a quick flow of Air wrapped into a sphere around the wick.  “Now I want each of you to try and light the candle (OOC: This weave is called Candle Fire, it requires Fire 1) Claire smiled and watched as the Novices all managed to light the candle sitting on the desk in front of them.  “Excellent!  Now, I showed you how to douse the candle with Air, I want you to practice that same method.  Once you have it out, please light it again and then snuff it. When snuffing it the second time, use the exact same type of spherical weave, but with Water instead.”

 

Again, the girls all performed the weaves asked without too much struggling.  Claire was once more impressed with the potential of this group.  She quickly moved on in the lesson to keep herself from prodding the young women about Ajah choices.

 

“The last element of this lesson is Spirit. Spirit is the least understood and most underestimated of the five elements.  Many people think it is not a very useful element, but that is absolutely not the case.  It is used to bind together other elements in a weave, it can make the effects of your weaves strong and longer lasting.  Spirit is used in Healing weaves and with other weaves that affect the body.  It has also been used for mind control such as Compulsion, or Milking Tears.  You will not be taught weaves such as those last two because they destroy the free will of the victim.  Spirit is also used in the Bonding of a Warder and Aes Sedai. The Bonding weave settles upon the body of both Warder and Aes Sedai, linking them physically and somewhat mentally as well. Additionally, it is utilized for wards, which are meant to guard anything from a campsite to a jewelry box.  Spirit is the only element that you can use while asleep, and you can even use it to guard your dreams from outside influence.” The girls took all of this information in like a sponge.  Encouraged, Claire went on. “Spirit is also a main element in the skill of shielding another channeler from touching the Source.  You will not learn that skill until much later, but it is essential you learn it eventually, as it might save your life if ever you are confronted with a male channeler.”  At the mention of male channelers, the Novices’ eyes grew wide for a moment before they regained their composure.  Claire hid a smile. Not that I don’t react the same way when I think of male channelers…I am just better at hiding it by now.  She continued on with the last part of her lecture.

 

"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. Similar to being burned out, which can be done accidentally or as a conscious decision, Severing is only 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.  Can you name one of the women on that list?”

 

They all frowned for a moment, brows furrowed in thought.  But yet again, they all came through with a correct answer when it was their turn to speak.  Delighted, Claire put an end to the lesson.

 

“This concludes the class on Introduction to Saidar and the five powers. Now I will ask you to show me what you have learned during this course of instruction.  I think a change of scenery will be helpful, so let us retire again to the gardens where you will demonstrate what you have been taught thus far.” Claire ushered the initiates out of the room and down into the gardens. She led the young women to a small courtyard with a fountain in the middle.  The water spray was sparkling in the sun as they took a seat on the stone benches.  “As soon as we are done here, I have brought some brownies and punch for you and I to share, and we can talk about anything you want.” Claire smiled.  It would be nice to converse with these bright young ladies outside of the context of lessons.  “But first, I need you now to pass one final test.  This is what you need to do:  Embrace the Source, push Saidar away and pull it back, and using what you know of the powers, I want you to make a Globe of Light…this will be a glowing ball of light that does not dissipate quickly.  I will give you a few moments to think about what elements might be used in such a weave.  You may begin when you are ready.”

 

OOC:  Ok, last lesson! Please RP using Shaping (think of something creative to make with Earth), lighting and snuffing the candle, listening to me talk about Spirit, name a Sedai who has been stilled (make up her name and her crime).  Then RP going to the gardens and doing your final exam.  Hint: There is no wrong answer, everybody has their own way of weaving, after all.  However I recommend you check out the One Power section at the White Tower site: http://whitetower.aliciawilkerson.com/ for information about what threads are usually used in weaves (including Globe of Light) After you RP this, we will eat and talk about whatever your character wants to.