The Other Nations
Back

First off, I am very sorry if your place of origin comes from one of these - there simply isn't as much information available. If you have any specific questions, I can probably answer them though.

Amadicia
Sigil: A red thistle leaf laid over a silver six-pointed star; the Thistle and Star.
Banner: The Thistle and Star on a field horizontally striped blue and gold, three of blue stripes and two gold.
Capital City: Amador.
For more information on Amadicia, please see the Children of the Light page.

Amadicia lies south of the Mountains of Mist, between Tarabon and Altara. It is the home of the Children of the Light, who rule here more completely that the "rightful" ruler. The appearance of a monarchy is maintained, if only to free the Children from ceremonial duties, and the King, currently Ailron, does have some power, so long as he does not go against the wishes of the Children. His Sarenda Palace is located two miles from Amador and the Fortress of the Light, the actual seat of power of the Children. As if to make up for his lack of real power, the King surrounds himself with much pomp and circumstance. His court is filled with fashionable ladies with their long curled hair, equally fashionable gentlemen in long colourful coats, and servants resplendant in red and gold livery.

As stated previously, channeling and channelers are outlawed in Amadicia. Thieves are also treated harshly. The thief is branded for the first offense, his or her right hand is cut off for the second, and he is hanged as punishment for the third, whether the stolen item was the King's crown or a loaf of bread. Both thieves and Aes Sedai avoid the nation entirely if possible.

Altara
Lean back on your knife and let your tongue go free.
Sigil: Two golden leopards, one above the other; the Golden Leopards; the Leopards.
Banner: The Golden Leopards on a field checked four-by-four in red and blue; red is next to the staff on the topmost row.
Capital City: Ebou Dar.
Symbols include the Throne Of The Winds.

Altara faces the Sea of Storms, wedged between the more powerful nations of Illian and Amadicia, with northern borders touching Murandy, Andor and Ghealdan. It is unified only in name. Most of the inhabitants prefer to identify themselves as belonging to a particular town or as being the subjects of a particular lord or lady, rather than a subject of the Queen or a citizen of Altara. Even the nobles seem to care little for their nation, seldom paying taxes or offering more than lip service to the Crown.

The Unsteady Throne
The Throne of the Winds is slightly more than a prize to be taken by the most powerful noble, although many powerful nobles have scorned to take it when given the opportunity. In the thousand years since Hawkwing's death, only one house, House Todande, has held the throne for as much as five generations, and when they lost it their fall was so complete that the House has become subservient to all others. No other House has ever been able to put more than two consecutive rulers on the throne. The current ruler, Queen Tylin Quintara of House Mitsobar, is the second of her house to hold the throne. Her one surviving son, Beslan, is heir, but stands only a marginal chance of actually taking it.

Mitsobar was not a powerful house when Tylin's father first took the throne, and his control extended only slightly beyond the palace walls. Due to his efforts and her own, Tylin now controls the capital and the land around it for a hundred miles, but little more. Altara is under pressure from Amadicia; there is no doubt that the Children wish to control Altara, for its sovereignty is all that keeps them from controlling the river trade on the Eldar, or marching on Murandy and perhaps even Illian. If not for Illian's intervention during the Whitecloak War, they would have already succeeded. A weakly knot land such as Altara is an easy target for those with the people to take it.

Yet Altara does have a kind of national character. Her people, especially the women, are fierce and bold. They are extremely polite, yet quick to answer an insult with steel. Highborn or low, man or woman, all are equal on the dueling ground. This is most evident in the capital city  Ebou Dar, centre of Altaran culture and commerce.

Ebou Dar
The city of Ebou Dar straddles the River Eldar, facing a large bay usually filled with ships. The river divides the city into two sections, one containing palaces and the homes and shops of the upper and middle classes, and one known as the Rahad, home to those of lower station and rougher demeanor.

The city is laced with canals as well as roads with all types of bridges. Barges and passenger boats are poled through the canals while carriages, wagons and pedestrians crowd the roads and bridges. All the buildings are pale, either white stone or pale marble, or painted plastered brick. Many large buildings and palaces are set amont the smaler ones, some enhanced with tall spires or domes in the shape of turnips or pears, decorated with coloured bands of crimson, blue, or gold. A large wall surrounds the city proper, very thick and as white as the buildings within. It is broken by a series of gates with tall pointed archways over roads leadig inot the central city. Paved squares throughout the city contain a fountain bubbling water, a large statue, or both.

The Tarasin Palace
The largest of these squares is the Mol Hara, laid with very pale paving stones. At its centre stands a heroic statue of a woman on a tall pedestal, with a fountain beneath, one arm raised to point toward the sea, the heart of Ebou Dari trade. One entire side of the square is dominated by the white domes and spires of the Tarasin Palace, home to the Altaran monarch. Standing four stories tall, the palace is gleaming white except for the bands of gold and colour on its domes. Inside, however, every room is filled with colour. Subtle shades of blue, yellow, or rose adorn walls and ceilings, while hte floors are tiled in offset diamonds of vairous colours. Most of the great houses and shops are also filled with colour. Sea Folk porcelain, crystal, and bronze gleam from arched niches and most tapestries depict scenes of the sea.

The gardens are in courtyards in the centre of the building. Msot of the windows to the outside are kept shuttered, for the palace is surrounded on three sides by houses and shops. Unlike tmost cities, there is no particular order to the layout in Ebou Dar. Palaces are surrounded by inns and merchants' shops, great houses are flanked by hosteleies, fishmongeries and cutleries. Shops and inns abound, with some shops even build onto the sides of the larger bridges.

The Rahad
Across the rive, even the dilapidated buildings of the Rahad are painted white, though the paint is dirty and flaking. On many of the dwellings large chunks of plaster have come loose to reveal the couarse brick below. The streets in this quarter are often narrow alleys, shadowed by the looming five- and six-story biuldings crowding along their length. The stench of decay fills the air as flies and vermin thrive on the refuse in the streets. It is here that the famed Ebon Dari ferocity is most apparent, for while duels are a normal part of Altaran likfe, in the Rahad they are an hourly occurrence. Many adversaries do not even bother with the formality of a duel, but simply kill their victim with a knife to the back. It is not unusual for someone to be killed simply because their clothes are fine. In such cases the thief uses a very narrow-bladed knife to avoid mining the cloth.

Dueling
The Ebou Dari pride themselves on the ferocity of their women, and on their courage in a duel. Very few men or women reach adulthood without having fought in at least one duel, and these few are ostracized for being cowardly. While in many parts of the world men fight duels over women, only in Ebou Dar is it also common for women to fight duels over men. In both cases the "prize" agrees to go with the winner. Married women are less likely to be challenged than unmarried ones, and widows who reject another marriage least of all. Most Ebou Daro women who survive to marry consider dueling scars to be a type of beauty mark. Altaran women claim that they will only harm a man if they themselves are harmed, threatened, or wrongd, but by law the death of a man at the hands of a woman is justified unless proven otherwise. As a result men are very solicitous of women.

In general, outside the Rahad, most Altarans are extremely polite, lest they give cause for a challenge. Everything said is subject to challenge unless one of the parties formally states that the other may "lean back on his dagger", meaning that anything can be said and no insult will be taken. Most Altarans, and all who live in Ebou Dar, are armed with at least a curved dueling dagger at the waist, always in easy reach.

Altaran Fashion
Altarans can often be recognised by their dark hair, dark eyes and olive complexion, but those from Ebou Dar are also easily recognisable by their distinctive attire. Women's dresses are often pale in colour with sbug bodices and full skirts over bright petticoats. The necklines of commoners are cut very narrow and deep, while for nobles the bodice has a round or oval cutout, allowing for those with marriage knives to show them to best advantage, and those without to show that they are available. For commoners the skirt is always worn gathered above one knee to reveal the brilliantly coloured petticoats beneath, while noblewomen wear it raised in the front. Large hoop earrings are worn by most women and some men. Men and women alike wear curved daggers through thier belts or sashes, and often carry a work knife as well.

The trademark of an Ebou Dari men is his long, elaborate vest. These vests are often as brightly coloured as a tinker's clothes, and are worn alone or over pale shirts with wide sleeves.

Sometimes the wealthy add a decorative silk coat slung about the shoulders, since it is deliberately too small to be worn conventionally. This "cape" is held with a hain of silver or gold strung between the narrow embroidered lapels. When the cape is worn a long narrow sword is usually carried, in addition to the standard dagger. Both men and women adorn their hands with rings.

As in most cultures, the wealthy use silks and brocades with embroidery, often set with jewels, while the poor and middle-class use wool, brass and glass.

Altaran Marriage Knife
In many parts of Altara, especially Ebou Dar, it is the custom for a married or widowed woman to wear a "Marriage Knife" hanging hilt-down from a choker around her neck. When a couple marries, the man gives the woman the knife as part of the ceremony. He then requests that she use it to kill him should he ever displease her.

The knife tells any who care to look at it a great deal about the wearer. A white sheaf means the woman is widowed and does not intend to remarry. A blue sheath means she will consider offers. Jewels or glass beads set into the knife represent children of the wearer, white stones for sons and red for daughters. If a son died in a duel, the setting of the stone is enameled red; a daughter, the setting is enameled in white. If children die from something other than dueling, the settings are enameled in black. Red and white settings are a soure of pride for Ebou Dari women. Many women remove their children's stones, effectively disowning them, if they refuse a duel once past the age of sixteen.

High Ladies and those with wealth wear a marriage knife of gold and jewels. Commoners wear one of brass set with coloured glass. The materials do not matter as much as the content. Women who are engaged to be married wear a choker, to show that they have been promised a knife.

Murandy
Trust no one but yourself, and yourself not too much.
Sigil: A red bull, the Red Bull.
Banner: The Red Bull on a field vertically striped blue and white; three blue and two white. Fringed in red when flown where the sovereign is present.
Capital City: Lugard.

Just north of Altara and south of Andor lies the nation of Murandy. As in Altara, the people of Murandy do not respect their local nobility. King Roedran officially rules Murandy, but the actual political power is divided between the all but independent lords and ladies who rule their own little patches of land. The king seldom has any real control over events in the capital city, much less the rest of the country. Many believe that the only reason Murandians tolerate a ruler at all is to provide a deterrent against annexation by neighbouring nations, for their lack of national cohesion does not stop the people of Murandy form being extremely suspicious of outsiders. Most see every foreign action as part of a plot. Andorans are particularly despise, primarily due to a long history of disputes along their common border, although, close to the border the two people are almost indistinguishable except by dress.

Lugard
Located in the heart of Murandy, on the banks of the River Storn, the city of Lugard is both capital and trade centre for the nation. Indeed trade keeps Lugard alive. Regardless of policitcal disagreements or distrst, freight wagons or every shape and size and nation crowd the large bare patches of ground set aside for them within the city. Stables, horse lots, and inns outnumber houses and shops, and constant heavy traffic moves through the streets carrying goods to and fro mAndor, Illian, Ghealdan, Altara, and Arad Doman.

Lugard's commercial reputation, though well earned, is tarnished by its equally well earned reputation for thievery and licentiousness. Lugarders view any outsider as a fair mark for theft or con game. The very appearance of th city gives off an aura of disrepute. Its tall grey perimeter walls have tumbled down in many places to no more than a small token fence and a pile of rubble. Most of the broad streets are unpaved, and even the paved streets are very dusty. The grey stone buildings with their bright-coloured tile roofs are always covered with a dull haze of dirt. Jagged unkept stone walls crisscross the haphazard layout of the city, marking divisions claimed by feuding nobles over the years. More then once Lugard has actually been divided among such nobles like a poorly carved roast.

Arad Doman
A man who trades with a Domani needs three sets of wits."
Sigil: A silver hand grasping a silver sword by the blade, point down; The Sword and Hand.
Banner: The Sword and Hand on a field of four green and three blue horizontal stripes.
Capital City: Bandar Eban

Arad Doman lies between the Mountains of Mist and the Aryth Ocean, just north of the Almoth Plain. Thoug hthe plain is officially unclaimed, Arad Doman has long maneuvered for control of it against Tarabon. The Domani believe that they are descendents of those who made the Tree of Life, but it is the Domani women that are legendary. Copper-skinned and exceedingly graceful, they are said to be able to twist a man around their wrist with a look, and imprison his heart with a single smile. The clothes they wear are considered scandalous by most other standards. Their dresses cover their bodies from neck to toes, but are barely opaque and cling to every curve, revealing nothing while hinting at everything. Only the women of the Sea Folk move with more sensual grace than the Domani, and no other woman can compare to a Domani when it comes to pracicing the art of seduction, which mothers begin teaching their daughters in girlhood. Most Domani merchants are women, and the nation owes its wealth to their success. Few men will come off the victor in trade with a Domani woman, but they often consider losing worth the experience.

Domani men are recognisable by their long, thin moustaches and earrings. Both men and women of nobility wear jewellery engraved or embossed with the symbols of their House. As mucch as the women are known for their beauty, the men are known for their temper. It hsa been suggested that it is dealing with Domani women which gives them such a temper. Others say that it is eating with sursa.

The Domani are famous for their food, usually spiced meat slivers and vegetables in a variety of sauces. Their method of eating it, however, has been known to leave outlanders in fear of starvation. Rather than forks, or even knives, the Domani eat with nothing more than two thin sticks, used as a pair, called sursa. These sticks are held in one hand and deftly maneuvered to daintily pick up slivers of food from their various bowls.

The capital of Arad Doman is Bandar Eban, also their trade centre. Though the Domani do not like to travel the sea, Domani merchants carry on major trade with the Sea Folk, and then disperse the goods to inland consumers. They also trade heavily with Tarabon, though that commerce may decline due to the recent outbreak of war, and with Saldaea. The nation is currently ruled by King Alsalam, who has been recently beset by civil war within, by the war with Tarabon, and by the rumoured disappearance of several members of his family.

Tarabon
The best secret to reveal is the face behind a lady's veil, the most deadly is that of an Illuminator's spark.
Sigil: A golden tree with a thick bole and spreading branches balanced by roots below; the Tree; the Golden Tree.
Banner: The Golden Tree on a field vertically striped red and white; four red and three white.
Panarch's Banner and Sigil: Same but with the addition of a green staff behind the tree.
Capital City: Tanchico.
Symbols include the Throne of Light.

Tarabon, a sizable nation on the Aryth Ocean, lies just south of the disputed Almoth Plain. Taraboners call themselves the Tree of Man, and claim descent from rulers and nobles of the Age of Legends. In the years when Almoth lived, it was even rumoured that Tarabon actually held either a branch or a living sapling of Avendesora. Their banner was designed to celebrate that fact and their claimed heritage, with its blue sky, black earth, and the spreading Tree of Life to join them.

Once a great trading nation, Tarabon was a major source of fine rugs, dyes, fireworks, and other luxury items, but the nation has recently fallen on hard times that threaten to dsetroy its commerce. Historically Tarabon has spent nearly three hundred years squabbling with Arad Doman over Almoth Plain, but only recently has this conflict come to all out war.

The Guild of Illuminators
The Guild of Illuminators holds the secret to producing illuminations, or airborne fireworks displays. The goup founded their first chapter house in Tanchico, and later went on to establish one in Cairhien as well. The usually serve lords and kings by providing great entertainments of illuminations, but also sell lesser fireworks to others. These always include dire warnings of the disaster that can result from attempting to open them.

Illuminators protect their secrets at all cost, even unto murder. No one not born into the Guild is allowed access to their knowledge. Each chapter house is run by a Mistress or Master of the House who is answerable to the Guild for anything that hapens within that house. There are rumours that the Guild is looking for a place to establish a new Chapter House, possibly in Amadicia.

King, Panarch and Assembly
Tarabon is nominally ruled jointly by a king and panarch, who are both elected by the Assembly of Lords. The King and Panarch are equal in authority. The Panarch collects taxes, customs, and duties, controls the Civil Watch, and oversees the lower courts. Her personal guard is the Panarch's Legion. The King is responsible for spending the collected revenue properly, controls the army, and oversees the High Court. His personal guard is the King's Life Guard. The only major political duty of the Assembly of Lords is the election of both the King and Panarch.

Tanchico
Tarabon's capital city may be one of the oldest surviving cities on the continent. Tarabon's historians claim that part of the Panarch's Palace was build as far back as the Age of Legends. They cite a wall bearing an ancient frieze depicting animals no living man has ever seen, as well as the numerous skeletons of these animals on display there. While doubtful, this antiquity would help substantiate their claim as descendents of that Age's nobility. There is no boubt that the Panarch's Palace, seated atop one of Tanchico's loftier hills, is a wondrous construct. Its central hall is lined with rows of white columns and lit from tiny carvings in the wall just below the ceiling and contains a grand display of all types of ancient artifacts, unmatched anywhere. The exhibit includes priceless cuendillar figures, rare sculptures, and even an angreal. It is open to the public, noble and commoner alike, three days a month as well as on feastdays. Apply to the Panarch's Palace in writing for the precise dates.

Larger than Tear and possible Caemlyn, Tanchico is spread over the steep hils embracing Tanchico Bay at the mouth of the River Andahar. This great harbout is usually crowded with ships of all kinds. Three seperate peninsulas are guarded by a dozen fortresses that surround the harbour. Each of the peninsulas has a "circle" or assembly arena among its buildings. The smallest of these, the Great Circle on the Calpene Peninsula, can hold thousands of people to watch horse races or displays of iluminations. The largest arena is the King's Circle, located on the Maseta. The Panarch's Circle is slightly smaller than the King's Circle and is located on the Verana, as is the Panarch's Palace.

Hundreds of white palaces and other buildings cover the steep hills, their white stone or plaster glowing in the sun, highlighted by the sparkle of the occasional gilded tower or dome. Unfortunately the pristine appearance is an illusion. Over the years the buildings in Tanchico have been neglected to the point that the plaster on most is cracked and peeling to reveal the shabby brick or wood beneath, and the stone of the palaces is chipped and cracked as well. The white facade is slipping to reveal a city rotting from within. Because of the recent trouble, the area on the Calpene near the Great Circle has become a haunt for homeless refugees. All the shops in the area have permanently closed. Cutthroats and thieves have always been a part of the city, but now they nearly rule the streets. Nobles' bodyguards have become a necessity.

Claimants to the throne are a constant threat to the fragile balance of power. The heads of those who are caught are placed in spikes above Traitor's Steps on the Maseta, but there is no certainty that such measures will help this old city, or Tarabon, survive.

The Fashions of Tarabon
In Tarabon it is considered impolite to completely reveal one's face except when eating or drinking. As a result, both men and women wear a transparent veil across the face. When anonymity is required, they may even don a mask to completely hide the features.

Taraboner men often sport facial hair under the veil in the form of a thick moustache, and wear a dark cylindrical cap on their thick dark hair. Both lords and commoners wear baggy white trousers and coats embroidered with scrollwork on the shoulders, though the lords' coats are usually of finer material and their much more elaborate embroidery is often gold. Loose-fitting shirts with embroidered chests are worn under the coats. Occasionally the trousers are embroidered as well.

Noblewomen weil their faces, but they do not believe in hiding their figures. Most wear clinging gowns of thin silk that are almost as revealing as those worn by Domani women. Peasant women also prefer thin fabric, though their dresses are usually made of drab wool, quite coarse in comparison to their betters'.

Household servants wear wool but of a finer quality than that available to most peasants, with the sigil of the House embroidered on the breast.

Ghealdan
Sigil: Three silver stars arranged one above and two below; the Stars; the Silver Stars.
Banner: The Silver Stars on a field of red.
Capital City: Jahannah.
Symbols include the Light Blessed Throne.

Small Ghealdan lies between Amadicia and Altara with its back against Garen's Wall. Until recently Ghealdan was a relatively quiet and self-sufficient nation rled by King Johanin from the Jheda Palace. His greatest worry was possible conquest from Amadicia. Then Logain Ablar happened. The most recent man claiming to the Dragon Reborn, he is currently running around Ghealdan with a small army. The White Tower have sent a number of Sisters to bring him in, but of course, success is by no means certain.

Ghealdan is ruled by a monarch, but unlike in most other countries were rulers tend to marry nobles simply because that is what they are wont to do, in Ghealdan, marrying a commoner means giving up all claim to the throne. The monarch is advised by the High Crown Council, made up of the nation's Lords.

Most of the towns in Ghealdan are walled and contain buildings made primarily of stone and roofed with slate. Buildings of several stories are not unusual in the larger towns, and some even contain palaces. The Ghealdanin are all extremely wary of strangers - and understandably so as they live in perpetual fear that the Children of the Light will decide that their small nation should really be a part of Amadicia.

Illian
You may have any place you wish, so long as it is not larger than mine.
Sigil: Nine golden bees arrangd in a diamond, from top to bottom 1-2-3-2-1: the Golden Bees.
Banner: Nine Golden Bees on a field of dark green. Fringed in gold if flown where the sovereign is present.
Capital City: Illian.
Symbols include the Laurel Crown.

Illian is a powerful nation on the Sea of Storms bordering the weaker nations of Altara and Murandy. Wealthy from sea-, land-, and river-borne trade, Illian protected the weaker Altara during the Whitecloak War to insure that the nation would remain a buffer between Illian and Amadicia. The current ruler is Mattin Stepaneos, who also reigned during the Whitecloak War. His standard is the Three Leopards, silver on black, and he is rumoured ot have an Aes Sedai advisor, though few claim to have ever seen her.

Rule of Three
In Illian the King is not the sole political leader of the nation. He is "advised" by a council of lords, known as the Council of Nine. Historically these nine lords usually end up contending with the ruler for power. The King's power is further weakened by the presence of a second "advisory" body, known as the Assemblage. Chosen by and from Illian's merchants and ship owners, they too end up contending for power more often than giving useful advice to either the Council of Nine or the King. The result is that no one group or person actually controls Illian's destiny. There is always a three-way battle over any task or legislation. According to many this provides needed checks and balances to prevent tyranny. According to others it creates needless confusion and delays any useful action.

Within the capital city of Illian the King's Palace and the Great Hall of the Council, bith Ogier-built, bear witness to this struggle that is as old as Illian. The two huge white palaces are build at either end of the marble-columned Square of Tammuz, Illian's great central square, and each appears identical to the other in every way ,with columned walks, airy balconies, slender towers and purple roofs. But there is one subtle difference. The first king of Illian told the first Council of Nine that they could have any palace they wished, so long as it was not larger than his. (Even then the Council was contending for a bigger share of the power.) The result: their palace was build as a precise copy of the King's, but two feet smaller in every measurement.

To this day the Council of Nine and the King duel with each other, and the Assemblage contends with both. Fortunately this leaves most Illianers free to live their lives as they wish.

Illianer Fashion
Most men of Illian wear long coats with raised collars and beards that leave their upper lip bare. Many lords also wear boots fringed with gold or silver.

Women, both high and low, favour wide-brimmed hats held in place by long-scarves that are wound around the neck in a utilitarian and decorative fashion. High ladies adorn themselves with decorative slippers heavily worked with gold and silver. Their dresses are cut high at the hem to show these slippers to best advantage. The dresses usually also have low-cut necklines to show the lady's natural assets to best advantage as well.

The City of Illian
Unlike the capitals of most other nations, Illian has no massive defensive wall around its perimeter; rather, its pale stone towers and palaces rise out of the huge marshy grassland that covers the southernmost edge of the country. From a little distance the city seems to be made of nothing but towers and palaces, many marked by the unmistakable artistry of Ogier craftsmanship, dwarfing the multitude of smaller buildings that make up Illian's bulk. Canals crisscross the width and breadth of the city, passing under bridges of all shapes and sizes, some even built by Ogier. Wagons, lacquered coaches with House sigils, and sedan chairs hurry overland while passenger boats and cargo barges fill the canals below.

As large as Cairhien or Caemlyn, Illian is a major seaport and a manufacturing centre for fine rugs, textiles and leather goods. Illian's production of finished leather is the largest in the land. Vast tanneries cover a number of small islands among the marsh grass, producing more finished leather in a day than most village tanneries prepare in months, and adding theit own distinctive aroma to the pungent smells of the marshland.

The port houses a large fishing fleet, which provides enough seafood to feed Illian and still export to neighbouring nations. The small craft of the fisherman, the larger cargo ships, and the sleek Sea Folk rakers keep the bay crowded. Illian's great shpiyards produce many of the ships that dock within her harbour, though their finest work can never match that of the Sea Folk.

Illian's port district is quite large. Named the Perfumed Quarter - its "perfume" is the stench of hemp and pitch and sour harbour mud - it is all but cut off form the rest of the city. So long as they do nothing to affront a high lord or lady, its citizens are left to fend for themselves. Even magistrates seldom concern themselves with events in the Perfumed Quarter.

The Great Hunt Of The Horn
Long ago, according to legend, the Horn of Valere was hidden to keep it safe until it was needed in the Last Battle. The Horn is much more than a musical instrument, for it can call back dead heroes from the grave to fight against the Shadow. On it is the inscription Tia mi aven Moridin isainde vadin, in the Old Tongue: The Grave Is No Bar To My Call. Prophecy states that it will be found in time for the Last Battle. Between the end of the Trolloc Wars and the beginning of the War of the Hundred Years, a Hunt was called. Many heroes searched for the Horn, and though none found it, their stories became legends that are now a part of the Great Hunt of the Horn, a bardic cycle that takes several days to tell in its entirety - though the stories of such heroes as Birgitte Silverbow, Rogosh Eagle-eye and Gaidal Cain are still among the most popular told anywhere, but most especially in Illian.

Amost four hundred years after the last hunt, a new hunt was called in Illian on the Feast of Teven. Hunters gathered from every nation of the world to seek the Horn, or at least immortality in story and song. The city celebrated their coming adventures with a grand carnival of costumes and fireworks, song, dance, and the telling of legends. Prizes were given to gleemen, the greatest prize going to the best telling of the Hunt cycle. The Hunters were sworn to their quest and sent forth from Illian with much pomp and circumstance.

No one has yet returned the Horn of Valere to Illian.

The Companions
Though Illian's military might is formidable, its finest soldiers are those within the elite unit called the Illianer Companions. These crack troops traditionally ride with the commanding general during any military action, to be deployed wherever their extraordinary abilities are needed, usually in the hottest fighting. During the Whitecloak War, the Children of the Light set a trap at Soremaine that caught King Stepeneos and would have destroyed his entire army if it were not for the valour of the Companions. They held the field long enough to allow the rest of the army to escape to safety, and thus prevented Altara, as well as Murandy and Illian, from falling under the sway of the Whitecloaks. Without their intervention Stepeneos would probably not have been able to wrest victory from the Soremaine defeat

Tear
Whoever holds the Stone of Tear is Lord of Tear, city and nation.
Sigil: Three white crescent moons arranged diagonally; the Moons; the Crescent Moons.
Banner: Three white Crescent Moons slanting across a field half red, half gold.
Capital City: Tear.
Symbols include the Stone of Tear.

The nation of Tear lies just east of Illian and contains the greatest port on the Sea of Storms. This port is located well above the mouth of the River Erinin, and is guarded by the ancient fortress known as the Stone of Tear. Unlike aother major ports, however, Tear's is not easily accessible to the ocean. It is protected by the winding maze of waterways within the vast delta at the mouth of the Erinin known as the Fingers of the Dragon. These waterways are under complete control of the Tairens, who will not allow any ships to pass in or out through them without a Tairen pilot aboard. Perhaps unskilled sailors would be lost without a pilot, but for most voyagers, such as the Sea Folk, the precaution is laughable.

The expanse of land between the Sea and the City of Tear on the Erinin is large enough to support several towns, but the Tairen Lords will not allow even the smalled village stand between the city of Tear and the sea lest that village become competition for the capital. All prime locations are secured for th Lords, and towns are taxed with increasing building taxes as they grow, preventing any town but Tear from growing large. The town of Godan was allowed to remain on the Bay of Remara only because of its strategic importance over-looking Mayene.

High Lords of Tear
Unlike most other nations, Tear has no one ruler, no king or queen. A council known as the High Lords of Tear rule together as a body. The members of this council must all be of a particular rank, but there is no fixed number of lords on the council; the membership has varied from as many as twenty to as few as six. All decisions are presented to the people as unanimous. The Lords of the Land - all the lesser Tairen Lords - then participate in carrying out the edicts of the High Lords.

In Tear only peasants toss dice. Lords who wish to gamble favour a card game called chop. Playing cards are hand-painted to depict various characters, with the rulers in the deck usually painted to resemble those actually ruling nations at the time the cards were made, with the nation's own ruler always leading the highest suit as the Ruler of Cups. In Tear, of course, this is a High Lord. Many idle nobles spend most of their waking hours playing chop, with only women or horses able to draw them away, and then only temporarily.

The Stone of Tear
The High Lords rule form the Stone of Tear, a massive fortress that dominates the city of Tear like a small mountain. The Stone is believed to be the oldset stronghold of mankind. It was built sometime during or shortly after the Breaking of the World, and was made using the One Power. Flows of Earth, Air and Fire were used to draw stone from every corner of the world and fuse it into a single massive structure without seam or joint or mortar. The Stone has been attacked and besieged over a hundred times, but has never fallen. And according to prophecy, it never will fall until the Dragon Reborn leads the People of the Dragon to the Stone and takes it.

Deep within the center of the stronghold is the great vaulted chamber known as the Heart of the Stone. There, amid polished redstone columns and golden lamps, is the place where the great sa'angreal sword Callandor hangs in its glittering crystal splendour until the Dragon Reborn claims it. It is also there that the High Lords perform the Rite of Guarding four times a year, claiming that they are guarding the whole world against the Dragon Reborn by holding Callandor. Lords of the Land are raised to High Lords there. No one enters the fortress without the permission of the Hight Lords; and none but the High Lords are allowed access to the Heart of the Stone. Even the High Lords only enter it as required for the Rite. For the most part Tairens do not like admitting that the Heart of the Stone, or Callandor, exists at all.

Treasures of the Stone
Callandor is not the only object of the One Power housed within the Stone. Deep in the bowels of the fortress, beneath the levels of the dungeons are a series of dusty storerooms filled with a cache of angreal and ter'angreal gathered from all over the world. The collection rivals that of the White Tower, though none are certain whether the Tairens collected the artifacts to preserve them, or to hide them. They ceased adding to the colection some three hundred years past, and never display their prizes. Some believe the collection only exists to lessen the stigma of holding the greatest of them, Callandor, for the Tairens hate and fear anything to do with the One Power or Aes Sedai.

Again, there is a little more information available only to Aes Sedai. If you are an Aes Sedai, click here.

The One Power And Tear
All channeling is outlawed in Tear, though, unlike in Amadicia, Aes Sedai are tolerated so long as they do not channel. Telling or possessing a copy of the Prophecies of the Dragon results in imprisonment. Whether this is because of the fact that Tear's fate is a part of the Prophecy, or simply a long rooted distrust of all things connected to the Power, is unknown. Girls with the ability to channel are still sent off to Tar Valon the same day they are discovered, and are discouraged from returning.

The City of Tear
Outside of the Stone, the city of Tear is build on flat land. The inner city is protected by a high wall of grey stone. The finer houses and square-domed palaces are all within this wall, set along streets paved with stone.Outside the wall the streets are unpavd, and always so deep with muc that sedan chairs and carriages do not venture beyond the inner city. Special elevated shoes must be worn by pedestrians who wish to avoid becoming hopelessly bogged in the mud. Only ox-carts and wagons travel through the unpaved districts.

The port district is called the Maule and is the rougher part of town. The district adjoining it, with its stone warehouses along the docks, is called the Chalm. Both contain inns, though they are cramped and often dirty, and the Maule also contains shops that cater to the sailors and working folk of the sea.

The city is protected by the Defenders of the Stone, an elite military unit that is housed in the Stone, but it is said by the poor of Tear that they are only there to protect the rich. There is no doubt that they operate with a double standard, for foreigners are allowed to carry their weapons, so long as their visit is only temporary, but locals other than lords who do so are subject to puishment under the law. Commoners are also prevented from obtaining any sort of justice in a grievance against a merchant or lord. Any commoner who pressed his or her case was subject to imprisonment or punishment. Any riots that resulted were simply put down forcibly by the Defenders.

Tairen Fashion
In most nations, the clothing of commoners is of similar design to that of nobles, but made of coarser and cheaper materials. In Tear, however, the dress of lords and ladies is quite different form that of commoners, no doubt in an attempt to further that uniquely Tairen belief that commoners are actually lesser beings.

Tairen lords wear colourful coats of padded silks and brocades wih puffy sleeves, sometimes coloured in stripes. Their breeches are tight to show a well-muscled le to best advantage, and are often brightly coloured.

Regular soldiers are uniformed with brilliant red coats with wide sleeves ending in narrow white cuffs. A gleaming breastplate is worn over the coat so as to let the sleeves show clearly. Their breeches are of the same tight cut as that of the lords, though not quite so brightly coloured, and are worn tucked into knee-high boots. Defenders of the Stone wear black and gold coats with puffy sleeves as well as plumes of various colours on their rimmed round helmets to mark officers and under-officers. The soldiers of a particular lord wear that lord's colours on their puffy sleeves.

In contrast, common men wear baggy breeches, usually tied at the ankle and held up by a broad coloured sash. Some few wear coats, but unlike the lord's, theirs are long and dark, fitting tightly to the wearer's arms and chest, then becoming wider below the waist. Sometimes low shoes or boots are worn, but more often bare feet or clogs are preferred for traversing the mud of the poorer quarters. Most common men wear cloth caps that hang to one side of their face, or wide conical straw hats to keep out the sun.

Dockmen and other labourers wear the same baggy breeches, but go bare-chested or with a long vest in place of a shirt.

The nobles ladies of Tear wear long dresses with necklines cut to bear shoulers and even considerable bosom. Silk is the material of preference for most highborn ladies, and their dresses are often adorned with a lace ruff and a tiny matching cap. Tairen widows wear white, and have been known to don the colour while their dying husband still lives. No self-respecting lady is ever without her tiny porcelain bottle of smelling salts.

Common women cannot affod the luxury of either silk, or long dresses that would be ruined in the ever-present mud. Their dresses have chin-high collars that reveal nothing, and ankle-high hems. The dresses are often adorned with pale-coloured aprons, usually in a combination of two or three of progressively larger size, each smaller than the one beneath it. Hats, when worn, are wide-brimmed straw often dyed to match the aprons.

Anyone, regardless of class, who wishes to walk through the outer city must go barefoot or wear a special shoe called a "clog", which is actually a small wooded platform that fastens to the soles of the wearer's existing shoes to lift them clear of the mud. Bamboo staffs are also favoured by many to help in the difficult process of traversing Tairen streets.

A Rich Nation
Aside from the Stone, Tear is best known for its oil and horses. The oil is produced from olive farms throughout the land, and is exported through the port. The olive farms are not owned by the peasants who work them, but by the lords who grow fat on the profits. Tear's chief rival in this industry is the tiny neighbouring city-state of Mayene, and their oilfish. Because of the Tairen desire to control everything, Tear has spent a great deal of the history trying to annex or control Mayene, but has never completely succeeded. The result of this failure has led to a national hatred of Mayene that is second only to the hated of Illian. Tairens refuse even to trade with Illianers.

Tear has no rivals, however, in the breeding of fine horses. The deep-chested Tairen steeds are undeniably the finest in the land, having superior speed, endurance, and beauty. Much or the forest land, including the great Ogier grove that stood just outside the city, has been turned into grassland to pasture the great herds of bloodstock.

The Fingers of the Dragon are home to many different large schools of fish. As a result Tear's fishing industry has flourished.

Tear also exports large quantities of grain. For the last twenty years most of their grain has been sold to Cairhien to make up for their lost production.

The wealth from all Tear's commerce is great, but only the lords have profited from it. In the city commoners live only in the outer city unless they are house servants. In the country they live in conditions that most other nations would consider unfit for livestock.

Mayene
I will see Mayene and all its ships burn before one Tairen lord sets foot in my city.
Sigil: A golden hawk in flight; the Golden Hawk.
Banner: A Golden Hawk in flight on a field of blue. Sometimes called Paendrag's Banner by Mayeners. Fringed in gold if flown where the First is present.
Capital City: Mayene.

Mayene rests on the end of a peninsula in the Sea of Storms, hemmed in by the looming bulk of Tear to the west and the Drowned Lands to the north. It is actually an independent city-state, rather than a nation, though Tear claims it as a province despite Mayene's protests. What fragile independence Mayeners have is maintained through their major asset, the secret oilfish shoals. The lamp oil produced from the oilfish heer rivals that from the olive groves of Tear, Illian and Tarabon. That oil is the major source of Mayene's wealth and her fragile independence. Despite Tear's privincial claim, no Tairen knows were the oilfish are located, and the Mayeners are determined to keep it that way.

The ruling family of Mayene claims to be descended from Artur Hawkwing, and uses the Paendrag name. The man or woman who rules Mayene is styled the "First", which once meant the first lord or lady. Currently the First is Berelain sur Paendrag, a young ruler who, despite her age, is proving to be very capable. Originally there was a single "second" lord or lady, but over the last four hundred years the tradition changed so that several lords and ladies held the title at once. On some occasions there have been as many as nine second lords and ladies.

Because of the constant threat from Tairen assassins, all high lords and ladies are trained in basic self-defense, so that they need not rely solely on their personal guards for protection. The city-state itself is protected by the Mayener Winged Guards, the First's personal guard. Their gleaming read breastplates and red-streamered lances have been seen at the forefront of many conflicts throughout the history of Mayene.

There is a little more known about Mayene to Aes Sedai. Again, click here if you are Aes Sedai.

Game Mechanics
If your character is from Altara, they begin with +1 Agility.
If your character is from Amadicia, they begin with +1 Spirit.
If your character is from Arad Doman, they begin with +1 Awareness.
If your character is from Ghealdan, they begin with +1 Spirit.
If your character is from Illian, they begin with +1 Perception.
If your character is from Mayene, they begin with +1 Reflexes.
If your character is from Murandy, they begin with +1 Perception.
If your character is from Tarabon, they begin with +1 Strength.
If your character is from Tear, they begin with +1 Strengh.
In Altara, the Ways of the Lion and Serpent can be learned.
In Amadicia, the Ways of the Unicorn and Lion can be learned.
In Arad Doman, the Way of the Scorpion can be learned.
In Ghealdan, the Way of the Crab can be learned.
In Illian, the Ways of the Phoenix and Serpent can be learned.
In Mayene, the Ways of the Crab and Hawk can be learned.
In Murandy, the Way of the Scorpion can be learned.
In Tarabon, the Ways of the Scorpion and Serpent can be learned.
In Tear, the Ways of the Scorpion, Unicorn and Moon can be learned.