It is good to see you again around these hoods. How are you doing and what drew you back? :)

Do you need any help with getting adjusted again? And which IMs do you use? Still ICQ? I am frequenting Skype these days as do many others so I warmly recommend getting it :)

I chose the reply that 'I have chosen one but I haven't done much with it' or however it went. This is the situation with Sahra as a Trainee and I regret it. I would have really liked to get to know the Paths the way N&A get to know the Ajahs and make a really educated choice. But I don't even know who are on which path as people don't really tout it.

As a Tower Guard I intend to do alot with the Path of Knowledge, though. I want to RP Sahra learning what it is all about and interacting with other Path members. I am aware of at least Nerome and Mia are following it.

Choosing your Sitters' opinion of how the negotiations with the BT went is a bit whacky as the deal happened ICly before Annais was Raised to the Amyrlin but due to issues with the Watchers outline, it is only RPed out afterwards.

I will outline the main points of the treaty and you can think on what your character would think of it. If your characters is totally upset about the concessions made, she can try to make things difficult for Annais later and she could have demanded alot of feet washing rounds. But because of OOC need, eventually she would have had to stand for Annais as an Amyrlin.

But the outline:

- The Black Tower demands a formal apology which Annais delivered in front of all Asha'man.

(after the apology the Sisters are returned to the Tower but with their Bonds still intact)

- The Black Tower wants that the White Tower acknowledges them fully to the world and thus subtly acknowledges them as another channeling organization equal to the White Tower and as a potential ally.

Now, as for the acknowledgement, Annais does not have the authority to make a decision on that. The Hall would need to ratify that and again we need 11 Sitters to stand for it. 10 can stand against so what would be your Sitter's stance?

(after the Hall decides about the acknowledgement and Raises Annais to Amyrlin Seat, the BTers will come to the WT and release the Bonds on the Sisters. They will stay for few days to allow interactions between WT & BT characters)

So basically what I need your feedback on is this:

- How does your character react to WT having to acknowledge the BT?

- How does your character view the relations of the WT & BT? What should they be like in the future?

- How does the end result of the negotiations affect the Sitter's opinion of Annais who made the deal (remembering that the Hall made the final decision)?

Yes, this RP is set after Kandor RP. About 2 months after, I think. I am not quite certain how the Arafel RP relates to the Kandor RP but I assume that it is fairly close. Annais might already be an Amyrlin by then.

So far I have gotten response from the following Ajahs:

Browns 3 (Way to go! :) )

Blues 0 (*snaps fingers* Alyssa, get at it)

Grays 0 (Ditto to you Lie)

Greens 2 (Thanks to you, Jenny and Crista. Who was your third Sitter again and who plays her?)

Reds 3 (Well done! It is much appreciated)

Yellows 0 (*tsks*)

Whites 3 (Thank you, James)

I don't very consciously think on these basic conflicts but they are on the background of my writing and for some characters their storylines aim clearly to resolving the conflict for good (especially with Sahra).

Arette: Doing the right thing vs. Giving in to her weaknesses (pride & temper) and doing the wrong thing.

Annais: Being human vs. Acting and living like an Aes Sedai is supposed to

Sahra: Being a willful child vs. Being a truly responsible and respected figure

Mina: Letting her past to control her life as she blinds herself from what she really needs vs. Letting herself to take some leaps of faith and become truly happy.

*grins* This wasn't even fast. Took me 9 months. *tsks* I could have done it a few months faster if I hadn't picked up Annais.

I poked Crista to post my reqs to the official record and will PM Eqwina now.

That sounds really good to me, Lie :) It is always good to have clearly one character to drive the events and Ava doing it works well.

Only two requirements were left for Sahra and now they are finally done :)

WS 6-7 The Road Splits - Mission Impossible (http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,17964.0.html) 16 posts

Mission Accomplished (http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,22279.0.html) 5 posts DONE

WS 7-8 Road of Their Own (essay) - Has been emailed to Eqwina DONE

So she is finally ready to be Raised to TG

The sword pin on the collar of the young man's black coat pegged him as a Dedicated and he seemed unperturbed by her suggestion that he sparred with Mia. But then from the sense of humour he had displayed, it wasn't such a surprise. Annais had to adjust her judgement of his age, though as she looked closer. He looked like he was closer to his thirties than twenties which likely meant that he was a learner, not sparker. She certainly arched her eyebrows at his 'innocent' question about her imagination. She had it aplenty and dancing always put her on a good mood. And such assumptions that he could decide whether she would be around him or not. Balls and arrogance, such an irresistible combination.

"It is nice to meet you Caelen. I am Annais Nevell of the Gray Ajah and we can leave titles off for now. But if you stomp too much on my feet, I will reconsider that", she announced with a humorous glint in her eyes. "Would your dance teacher be pleased to find out that you are dancing with an Aes Sedai? Which dances do you know and what dance did you have in mind to do?"

Annais Nevell

Gray Sister

The Amyrlin's personal quarters weren't that much better than those of the ordinary Sisters, they were just much more spaceous and decorated more grandeously with marble floors and walls. The Amyrlin had only three rooms like any Sister, a sitting room, study and bed room but in addition there were bed rooms for a Warder and a personal servant - or another Gaidin if the Amyrlin was Green. But Annais Nevell had no need for the Warder's room as she had never been Bonded and her maid resided with the other servants as Odelia wanted to be where the gossip flew more freely.

She checked the rooms for dozenth time and tried to see them with an eye of an outsider. She knew that everything was in order as Lia took care of such things but it gave her something to occupy herself with. Why she was so nervous, she couldn't fathom. This was hardly the first time she and Brent had dined together. Sure, it was the first time she was the Amyrlin when it happened but it shouldn't change anything if they didn't let it to. She had no intention to do so, and from the brief moments they had been able to be alone after the Asha'man had arrived, she had gathered that neither did he.

In the large sitting room two sofas and three arm chairs tempted guests to sit and enjoy the views from the tall arched windows. Closer to the entrance to the room stood the dinner table set with gleaming Sea Folk porcelain and an elegant flower arrangement of crimson carnations. On the walls were fine tapestries from Tear, Kandor and Arad Doman set with scenes from Annais' favourite stories. The one depicting Mara and the three kings fishing for their crowns always made her smile. The cold of the marble floor was barely kept away by the finely woven carpets from Tarabon but both she and Brent were familiar with the trick of how to ignore heat. She would have to remember to ask him how the Asha'man had learned it.

On the mantelpiece of her fireplace were replicas of the carvings in her study, the little statues depicting her father and his men. Annais had tried to not clutter the room with too many things even though she had a sizeable collection of all kind of interesting objects from around the world. Currently she was displaying her collection of tea makers from Arafel and few prettiest tea sets from around the world. Beside the plinths holding the items, the only other furniture was a small table for her decanters of spirits and her strategy board. Anything more and the room would seem too crowded.

She wasn't thankfully given enough time to fret about her looks when a knock came from the door. The day before the Asha'man had been given a tour in the Tower itself and today in Tar Valon. Aramina was supposed to bring Brent to her quarters when he ended his visit with the Gray Sitters and Annais had asked Phaeadra to time their lunch so that he would have appetite for dinner. Maybe it could be seen as a sign of favoritism that she had assigned the Sitters of her own Ajah to escort the M'Hael but yesterday it had been the Yellows so it should shut most mouths. Only tomorrow and then the Asha'man would leave. Annais certainly wouldn't miss Linten and she was glad that Brent had taken her suggestion to pair the Asha'man. Certainly a Storm Leader was enough to keep the man straight. The thought of Brent leaving shouldn't have been so sad, despite all the time they had spent together in the Black Tower, they still barely knew each others. But she knew him enough to have passed the judgement that he was great company.

Opening the door, she smiled brightly at her Keeper and Brent. "Brent, Aramina. I hope that you have had a plesent day." Well, that was directed more for him as Annais had seen Ara last an hour ago. "Welcome and please come in." Aramina wisely didn't enter which made the gentle dismissal much easier. "Thank you for escorting my guest here, Aramina. I will see you tomorrow." Bidding her goodbyes, the Green departed and left her alone with Brent. Luckily she had rehearsed a few good lines for her part in the script or she feared that she would have been left tongue tied.

"How have you liked it so far in our humble abode? Did the Grays show you any interesting joints in the city? I hope that you're not too full as the kitchen people seemed to think that there will be half a dozen of us tonight. Take a seat", she gestured Brent toward the dinner table. He was quite the gentleman and took a chair out for her. She smiled at him warmly before sitting down to the high backed chair ornated with the Flame of Tar Valon and waited him to be seated opposite to her. She tried to keep her channeling to minimum around him and any Asha'man so she lifted off manually the lids of the trays on a small cart beside the table to reveal steaming dishes of Illianer food. She had made sure to use the best chef that could be found in town for today and surprisingly the name most Sisters from Illian mentioned hadn't been working in a high class restaurant but a small inn in the harbour. Savelli family had owned it for few generations, though so they had some traditional recipes.

"Looks delicious, right? Now, don't be alarmed as I need to channel a bit. I will remove the Keeping weaves off the food. They're the secret why it is still warm. Why don't you pour as some wine while I'm at it. It's nice white wine to go with the fish. Brandy will be served with the dessert as I don't want you tipsy like a maiden." Annais grinned at him feeling a bit more on even ground again. "Accusations of taking an advantage of you in a compromised state would do wonders to the relations of the Towers."

Annais Nevell

Amyrlin Seat

The assassin was contained and hidden so all that was left was to get the Aes Sedai. They could surely squeeze any needed information out of him and even if he couldn't lead them straight away to his employer, it would hopefully give the Sisters enough clues that they could follow the tail to the snake's head. But meanwhile Sahra would have to continue playing her role. Although since the assassin had seen through it, likely his employer had too. Still, it wasn't a decision she could do herself and presenting herself in the bloodied dress would cause too much fuss.

She made her way to the doors leading the garden and called a servant carrying trays to her. She remained in the shadows to keep the disheveled state of her clothes a secret and asked him to bring her bodyguard to her and tell him to bring her a cloak. She waited impatiently for quite a while and finally Sana emerged carrying a cloak. He didn't look very pleased and made the reason clear.

"You are taking this servant thing a bit too far", he grumbled.

"Shut up, Sana", she replied cheerfully. "I got the the guy. He made his move and he's in the bushes all bundled up now. I just hope that I didn't hit him too hard. You should go get the Sisters now. And give me the cloak as there are some unexplainable stains on my dress."

Sahra Covenry

Wanting some praise

Congratulations :)

I am supposedly doing the NaNo but in all honesty I have written more RP posts than my story :P Avoiding doing something else seems to be my best RP motivation.

I'm sorry to hear about your job, Steve. Good thing that you have another one secured already.

Through her Saidar enchanced sight, Arette could pick up that the Forsaken's lips were moving but she was too far to hear the actual words. Their eyes met for a moment and Serashada's gaze burned with intense hatred. She knew to be on her guard as the woman lifted her hands and weaves sprung to existance. So strong and thick and one after another even as the inhabitant of Ja'varan's husk was still focusing on calling the lightnings down upon them. She had to be as strong alone as a small Circle linked.

Arette's eyes widened with fear and she called the Asha'man to spring up domes against Fire. She had barely time to tie off her own shield of Air and Earth before a fire storm erupted around them. Her shield evaporated but obviously some of the Asha'man had been fast enough as the flames stopped above them. She could still feel the intense searing heat but even as the blackcoats struggled to keep them safe, she experienced a far more personal attack.

She was the only female channeler with them so they had been expecting that some of Serashada's attention would be focused on her. But even though she had been preparing herself that the Forsaken would be horribly strong, she hadn't expected this. It was as if a stonewall had been wedged between her and Saidar. She pushed against it with all her might and managed to keep the razor sharp edges a hair widht away from slicing her connection once and for all. A mere trickle of One Power flowed into her and cold sweat popped from her every pore. "Slice the weave, slice the weave", she pointed frantically and screamed with more than a hint of panic in her voice. Either the closest Asha'man did something or Serashada didn't bother to finish the job but the pressure was gone and she slumped with relief.

Arette Stavros

Almost Stilled

It was Annais' third day in the Black Tower and as the previous days had passed without an incident, she felt a bit more certain of moving about in the grounds. Sereth hadn't been there to guide her in the morning so she had snatched up another young Soldier. The man was as close mouthed as a mussel and the only thing she had gotten out of him was a name, Javis. She had soon given up attempts to communicate with him and accepted the state of silence. Mia was watching their surroundings with the relaxed wariness of an experienced soldier so Annais didn't want to clutter her with chatter. The small party headed toward the Training Grounds in silence as Annais wished to observe the methods and converse with one of the teachers. Sereth had told her some of the basics but one of the tutors could tell her more and she would see if the White Tower could benefit from their methods. Most of her Sisters sneered at wilders and they tended to do weaves in very different way than the Tower taught them. The White Tower had 'perfected' their training system over three thousand years but it also meant that they were quite blind to new ideas which the Black Tower in turn had aplenty.

As she recalled how things worked in the White Tower, a young man in a black coat stepped on their way. He was quite pleasing to the eye with his even features, dark blonde hair and blue eyes. Nice body he had too, athletic and well-muscled. It was strange that Annais found herself comparing him to Brent and actually liking his stockier build better.

"Hey there pretty lady! Do you care to dance?"

The words were so unexpected that Annais' eyes widened in surprise. In fact, she wasn't even certain that the man had meant the call to her but as she looked around, the only women at sight were herself and Mia. A very bold move and she certainly approved people who had balls.

"Hey there yourself, pretty lad. I am light on my foot and always eager to twirl. But I don't hear any music so maybe you were speaking to my companion here." Annais pointed to Mia. "The Aiel call battle the dance of the spears and Mia certainly looks like she is dancing when she flows through her forms. You two would make a good looking pair, I think. But so would you and I. So which one of us do you prefer?"

Annais Nevell

Gray Sister

Worry gnawed Arette as she watched the first column of men emerge through the Palace gates below her. The archers kept their distance to her as she hadn't allowed any of the regular soldiers to accompany her to the wall. She knew that Ja'varan was more than likely to target her and there was nothing non-channelers could do to protect her. She wasn't quite so certain about the Asha'man with her either, almost two handful of them. They would have her back, she didn't doubt that, but they could not see whatever it was that Ja'varan attempted. Nonetheless, any extra protection and wards could save her life. But it wasn't herself she worried the most as her husband was riding in the forefront of the men and he would be in the middle of the furious melee.

She watched the soldiers to cross the Square of Tammuz and her eyes widened as all the sudden thick cables of Saidar emerged out of nowhere. Her scream of warning was drowned by a deafening explosion of pavement and ground that moved across their ranks reaping death and injuries as it went. Praying fervently that Con was still alive, she scanned the area to find the vile woman behind this all. But there was nothing to be seen, no nimbus of Saidar to point Arette to her target. Still, weaving was being done and the gathering storm above them was a clear testament of what the Forsaken was up to. She feared that soon lightning would rain down on them all if the woman wasn't stopped. But there was a source of the weaves, a starting point and somewhere close stood the barrier to sight that kept Ja'varan hidden.

The Asha'man would take care of the Shadow's lackey once she just revealed her to them. In two eyeblinks she opened herself to the warmth of Saidar and let it fill her to the brim. The sweetness bordered pain and she shivered from the intense feeling of being alive and the heightened sensory input rolling over her. But there wasn't a moment of hesitation before she lashed out with all five elements and guided them to shatter the illusion surrounding the Forsaken.

Arette Stavros

Playing her part

Brent's symphatetic smile and words were a comfort and Annais returned the smile a bit wanly. "I appreciate it, Brent. Anyone who has been in the same situation knows how it feels." She was silent for a moment and thought back on what all they had discussed so far. It wasn't at all how she had imagined the negotiations to go but it was just better. They had established a real connection and it would help in the difficult stages. "But as important as it is to know the other party behind the table, we have strayed a bit from the talks."

"When you said that I should get the permission from the Bondholders to speak with the Aes Sedai in their... custody, do you see those Sisters as the responsibility of those Asha'man or do you view the Sisters maybe even as the particular Asha'man's property? The latter is certainly in some level how the White Tower views our Warders. A forcibly Bonded one just would be stolen property and therefore unacceptable. Would you say that the Sisters are prisoners of the Black Tower or their individual captors? Will you allow the Bondholders to have some say on the terms of release or do you make that decision for them?"

Annais Nevell

Gray Sister

OOC: You should edit the name of the Aes Sedai on your posts ;) It is Annais for this RP, not Arette as she is my other AS character. Believe me, no one of sound mind would ever let Arette act as the diplomat with anything. *grins*

IC: Silk sheets, roving hands and plundering mouth were the components feeding the desire in Annais until she moaned in pleasure and tossed her head on the pillow. The pounding of blood in her head intensified but she was startled to awakeness as the hands suddenly shook her shoulder intently and a voice called her name. A female voice, not the rumbling baritone that had whispered naughty words to her ear. Mia didn't even try to hide her amusement over the fact that she was certain of what Annais had been dreaming about. She blushed like a sunrise as she snatched her hand off the place she had been caressing and realised that the noise came from the door. Someone was knocking and from the sound of it, it had to be urgent. Light, she might have been living in a celibate for a year but that was no excuse for behaving like a bitch in a heat. And dreaming of him of all things. Completely unacceptable and could compomise her professionalism. She prayed that she hadn't actually said the name out loud.

Annais grabbed her morning robe off the chair beside the bed and tugged it hastily over her nightgown. "I will get it", she told Mia a bit more curtly than she otherwise would have and opened the door. At least it was Sereth, a familiar face and she smiled at him even as she arched a questioning eyebrow at his business. He was just staring in the distance and finally she cleared her throat. She couldn't help a thought that it might be the Taint but dismissed the idea. More likely it was just his personality: scholars tended to be absent minded. She almost glared when the boy announced that it was about the lessons she had promised him. And she had thought that Brent had sent for her for some kind of an issue. No, better not think of him.

Bloody morning people. Annais was definately not one. "Lessons", she repeated crisply and then sighed. "No, there is no need to come back later as I am awake already." She cast a longing look at the bed. "If you will wait for a moment, I will get dressed up. Is there any chance that we might discuss over breakfast? Or have you eaten already?" She waited only as long as he replied before closing the door and asking Mia to assist with her buttons. Burn the boy, now she wouldn't have time to do her hair properly. They looked awful as she hadn't been able to bring her Lia to help her. All the curls were gone and the locks were boringly straight.

Finally Annais emerged in a gray silk dress and her red hair on a simple braid. "Alright, lets pretend that you only now rapped on the door. Good morning, Sereth. Where will the lesson commence? And what do you know of negotiating and do you have any expectations or topics you would like me to especially touch?"

Annais Nevell

Gray Sister

There were only so many different ways you could braid your hair and Sahra had tried them all already. She had to finally admit that she was just stalling leaving her room and facing Sana. It was cowardly and she despised cowards. Reaching for her crutches, she forced herself to stand and winced at the pain that lanced through her broken right ankle. Even the splint didn't keep the foot entirely steady and she tried to keep most of her weight off that side as she made her way cumbersomely to Sana's door. She half hoped that he was downstairs already as he couldn't make such a scene publicly but her luck failed her today.

Sana opened the door and he didn't look at all pleased to see her. When he picked up the crutches, annoyed came to mind instantly. She forced herself to smile and keep it unfaltered. "I'm really sorry for last night", she said quietly. "I acted really childishly. You look alot more relaxed this morning... I'm glad." She was and she wasn't despite all her good decisions. But it was all so fresh that it was understandable. "I'm also sorry for being stupid and getting hurt as it slows our journey home. At least I learned that ropes made of bedsheets are not reliable."

"Are you going to explode at me?"

Sahra Covenry

Thoughtless Trainee

I'll have to remember to ask you about those cameos, Andrea ;) I am sure that there are some good stories there.

I rarely remember my dreams the next morning so I haven't had any WoT dreams that I recall but I do day dream alot and visualize future RP scenes in my head if that counts.

how is the timeline ic...just need to find out for how long he needs an excuse to be occupied in such a way he logicaly couldnt have aproached someone else yet.

Do you mean by this how many days Annais spends in the Black Tower? She is there for 7 days in total.

I want another RP with you.

*chuckles* It is my pleasure. If you will start a thread for us, I will reply asap :)

Sorna certainly wasn't coy with tackling the food which was just good as she looked like she was in need of it. It wold help with her recovery and gaining more streght. Though the speed she ate with couldn't be quite healthy. They weren't going to run out of teabreads and rolls any time soon. But then her stomach had been rumbling. Annais' new mentee finally grabbed the last roll and her comment about being expected to serve made the Gray Sister frown slightly as she tried to comprehend what the young woman had meant with it. Sorna quickly explained herself with a blush and Annais smiled at her calmingly. "If you get sick here, the Yellow Sisters will Heal you. And we will work on strenghtening your body by chores and maybe some special physical training. Better physical condition usually brings more resistance to diseases. What do you mean by getting injured often? Are you a bit clumsy or have you just been unlucky?"

"But don't worry. Your studies will go well and you will be taken care of here in the Tower. You just need to follow the rules and you will do fine. As Darienna didn't explain much to you, I will do that now."

"Firstly there is the proper conduct. You need to show respect to the Accepted and the Aes Sedai as they are more advanced in their education you and deserve respect for their greater experience only. You should address all Sisters with the honorary title, like for example you should call me Annais Sedai while we are in public. Most sisters expect you to curtsy when you enter and leave their company, imagine that you are in company of a noble of a higher rank than you and behave accordingly. That is also a good guideline to how you should act at all times. Learning to control yourself from the start is good because you need to have mastered that skill by the time you reach the shawl." Annais grinned mischievously. "Of course once you are an Aes Sedai, the rules change slightly and you can get away with breaking them slightly. But break them too much and too often and you will loose the respect of your Sisters. But as a novice, it is better to play it safe and be at your best behaviour."

"You are supposed to wear all the time the novice dresses and keep them clean and presentable no matter what kind of chores you are doing. Are you familiar with physical work? Did you have to do it back at home or did servants do everything for you? If you don't know how yet, you will learn as novices spend hours every day working in the kitchen and cleaning in the hallways and where ever Sisters might assign you. I already told you about the limits, that novices are not allowed to leave the White Tower without permission and enter the Warder's Yard. Also there is such thing as a curfew, you need to be in your room with lights off when the bells ring the hour of Full. The Mistress of Novices does rounds in the rooms from time to time and if you are found missing from your bed or chatting with your room mate or your neighbours through the whispering holes in the walls, you will receive a penance."

"A title that you should accustom yourself to is 'child'. Many Aes Sedai try to learn the names of the novices but as many believe that novices are like children who have so much to learn about the world and they call you such. Alot of a time novices are treated as children to be protected, guided and disciplined. Accepted are seen as young women old enough to be allowed some independence and Aes Sedai are full grown women who can be trusted to know their way about."

"One of the ways the Tower teaches and educates you is the chores. It is a common belief among the Aes Sedai that hard work builds character. Novices have an intensive schedule designed to strengthen your minds and bodies and develop them into Aes Sedai. You are woken up well before dawn to do chores until breakfast, then you train from breakfast until High, do more chores from High until dinner and train again from dinner to Trine. Those requiring extra training, the very fast or the very slow, will study from supper to Full - the curfew time. Otherwise you do more chores at this time. The gap from Trine until supper may be ‘free’ time when you can relax or study privately."

"Humbleness is also a virtue we try to teach you. Novices live a humble life of simplicity, hard work and discipline. Your rooms are small and stark, the furnishings bare and plain. You eat communally, with little choice in menu and rarely get luxuries like honey and the wearing of jewellery is strongly discouraged. All you can wear is the white garb that we provide. Of course many novices mutter darkly about how the Aes Sedai themselves do not follow these rules and live like the worst decadent nobles, dressing to silk and diamonds and being catered by servants. But the simple clothing, food and living are not the goals itself, reaching the right kind of mentality is. And it means that you are not above the people but their servant. Rags or silks, you should always remember that."

"Then for channeling which is a very important part of what makes you possibly egligible for the Shawl one day. Learning to channel is part of your lessons and when you can embrace Saidar and do something with it, it is imperative that you will not even take hold of the One Power. without an Accepted or Aes Sedai supervising. You might now wonder why you would even want to do that, but believe me, holding Saidar feels so blissful and fills you with so much life that you want to do it all the time. I have worn the shawl for a long time and I still feel the sting of disappointment when I stop channeling. You must fight that temptation or you will harm yourself. The most severe thing that can happen to you is that you Burn out and loose your ability to channel entirely. So be very careful, Sorna. We do not want anything to happen to you. It is better to crawl and walk when it comes to learning Saidar than to run headalong to unknown territory. It is due to the addictive nature of channelling and the danger of channelling while untrained why novices are not allowed to do chores with the Power."

"How all this discipline is maintained is that if you are caught of any misconduct, you are sent to the Mistress of Novices who will set you straight. Darienna does prefer a bit more unconventional methods instead of the traditional physical punishment but they are no less effective. Things that can lead you to her office are being disobedient or disrespectful to a sister, being unpunctual or noisy or swearing or mention your former rank if you happen to be a noble. You will never be punished for learning slowly, but you will be if you experiment with the Power or if do your chores poorly."

"Another big no no is men. Male specimen are not allowed in the novices’ quarters as we do not want our girls to get knocked up and diverted from their studies and dedication to the White Tower. Also sneaking to meet some boy is not accepted and you will surely be caught."

"The aim of all this harshness is to ensure that no Aes Sedai lacks the required skill, dedication, persistence, strength and endurance, or endangers other Aes Sedai with any weakness. It will simply not do for a Sister to collapse in middle of a mission. Sadly certain strenght in the One Power is also required to be able to perform well as an Aes Sedai. Not all girls have the potential for this and unfortunately we are forced to send them away. It is horrible waste but the Tower needs to keep some standards or our prestige in the world will lower."

"Once a novice is considered to have advanced sufficiently far in her studies and she is deemed to be strong enough in Saidar, she is asked to take the test for Accepted. This involves facing her greatest fears in a ter’angreal of three Arches. The Arches test solely the strenght of your mind and dedication to the Tower. Refuse to take a test, and you're sent away." She felt a stab of sorrow for the women lost into the Arches. Another horrible waste and something she felt that the Tower didn't have the moral right to demand from its initiates. Endangering young women to court death like that was irresponsible but there was no efficient option really so the tradition was unlikely to change.

"A novice cannot decide to leave the Tower of her own accord. You are learning in the White Tower as much for your own security as that for the others until you learn to control Saidar enough to do no one harm. And there are so little channelers in the world that every woman is needed to make their very best to become an Aes Sedai. Setting foot on one of Tar Valon’s bridges constitutes an attempt to run away. When you are caught - and believe me, you will be - the punishment includes a public birching, a very very nasty thing. And any freedom that you might normally have as a novice is reduced to none. So don't try to run away. You are just kicking your own ankle by doing that." She could barely suppress a wince at the memory of the birch falling on her back all those years ago. And not just once but she had tried to leave four times. But no slip of a girl could outwit and outpatience the White Tower and the earlier her mentee would understand it, the more pain she would be spared from.

"And really, the life in the White Tower is not that bad if you just let yourself to adjust and try to make friends. Friends make all the difference in the world. And despite sounding so harsh and lecturing to you about the rules, remember that you can always come and talk to me about anything. I am one of the kinder Aes Sedai and the only reason why I stress the rules to you is so that you would be spared from making mistakes and being punished for it. Understood?"

Annais drew a deep breath. "Now, that was a quite long monologue and I am sure that your head is swimming. I can repeat what I said if such is needed because it is essential that you learn these rules by heart. I will do you disservice as a mentor if I let you to leave my quarters untutored about these matters as you will end up in trouble. Usually the teachers are patient with you as Darienna is in charge of the schedule and she weeds them out but not all Aes Sedai are as lenient. You need to learn to learn quickly and remember what you are told from the first time."

"What do you remember from what I just told you? Which five rules do you consider the most important and why? And to make this an actual discussion and dialogue, why don't you ask some questions about me and I will reply to you honestly."

Annais Nevell

Gray Sister

That sounds like a cool plan, Lie :) I definately want to join with Annais.

But maybe as a contrast to getting the taste of life as a noble, the Grays could crash a wedding party of commoners or attend local market and competitions or something like that in at least one country. The nobles are just one of the three social classes after all.

Her luck is about to turn soon ;) And then of course turn again. And be all good again. I love my drama too much. But yes, it should be fun!

*huggles* Take care of yourself, Mrija. My deepest condolences. I really hope that you will one day be able to return to DM as you are an awesome RPer and valued Staff member and I will miss RPing with you dearly.

Don't be a stranger on Skype!