The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  4) An eight-pointed star with four long and four short wavy rays that detected the ability of a man to channel even if he wasn’t channeling, within a distance of thirty or forty paces. Of course, it didn’t identify which man inside that range could channel, only that there was one.

  5) A bird that appeared to be a swallow. This detected the use of even very small amounts of saidin or saidar within as much as three miles, and if held by its chain, it would turn to point its beak in the direction of the use. (At Shadar Logoth this was not confused by the massive amounts of saidin and saidar being used close at hand because they canceled each other by virtue of their being combined; the ter’angreal spotted only pure saidin or pure saidar; it was made at a time when no one was combining the powers any longer and thus was deliberately made to detect only pure use, not combined use.)

  6) A six-pointed star. When triggered, this ter’angreal laid a thin “armor” against the skin of the wearer. The “armor” was invisible except to whoever was wearing it. It would not only protect against the blow of a sword or knife, or a mace, it dissipated the force of the blow over the entire body, thus reducing it.

  7) A sleek fish with sharp fins. This ter’angreal enabled the wearer to pull someone into an involuntary circle with her in “guiding the flows,” but it could only work if the other person had already embraced saidar or seized saidin.

  8) A shadowed moon. A full disc, but with working on part to indicate a shadow leaving a brightly burnished crescent, its use was unknown.

  9) A leaping fish that looked like a fat trout. Use unknown.

  10) A carp. Use unknown.

  Cadsuane was considered by many to be a second Caraighan, although unlike Caraighan, she always refused offices. She preferred the field, so to speak; adventures were her bag. She had been full of herself and her strength after receiving the shawl, but she had learned a lesson at the hands of a near-toothless wilder at a farm in the Black Hills, who taught her that there would always be others who were stronger, and that what must be endured, could be endured.

  Cadsuane first refused to be raised a Sitter in 846 NE; she reportedly did so a second time as well, though even one refusal was unheard of, and she refused to be raised head of the Green Ajah in 862 NE, another thing that was unheard of. She was said to have vanished from the Tower for ten years (from roughly 890 to 900 NE) when she learned that the Hall intended to raise her Amyrlin after Sereille Bagand. About twenty-five years before the Aiel War, she retired to northern Ghealdan, but came out of retirement, with her two surviving Warders, for that conflict. Soon after the Aiel War ended, she returned to her rustication, and claimed to have been raising roses when Logain appeared. His appearance drew her out of retirement again, but she was not interested in escorting him to Tar Valon and decided to wander a bit. Then Mazrim Taim rose up, and she headed for Saldaea as fast as she could ride.

  When Siuan Sanche and Moiraine Damodred had reason to research Cadsuane because of their encounter with her shortly after reaching the shawl, they found many stories regarding her. All of the ones that they were able to trace down turned out to be true, and in some cases the truth was more than the story. They were not able to follow or confirm all of the stories, of course. One of the most prevalent Cadsuane stories was that she had once physically assaulted an Amyrlin Seat. Since physically assaulting any sister was a serious offense—and an Amyrlin even more so—the fact that Cadsuane apparently escaped any punishment at all, and that the tale was vague about which Amyrlin it was supposed to be, made most everyone think this story was false. It wasn’t; it was the method Cadsuane used to turn Myriam Copan from a weak Amyrlin to a strong one in 758 NE. Myriam was thought to have gone on a two-month retreat by herself, but she had, in fact, been all but kidnapped by Cadsuane. Turning Myriam around involved, among other things, turning her upside down at least once. Although Myriam certainly had reason to keep the events of those two months secret (and was able to make a statement which seemed to deny that Cadsuane had assaulted her), it is the basis of the tale that Cadsuane once physically assaulted an Amyrlin.

  Another story said that long ago she had removed a sitting king from his palace and taken him to Tar Valon to be gentled. In truth, Cadsuane had a nose for men who could channel. She faced more of them than any other sister living; she herself said more than any two Reds, maybe more than any ten. That seems to indicate at least twenty of them by that time, maybe more. She brought more of them to Tar Valon than any other sister. Of these, she never had to kill one. The men ranged over the years from farmboys to nobles to the King of Tarabon, but one and all, they made much better adjustments to their fate than was considered normal. They eventually died short of a normal span, but they lived considerably longer than usual. And that King of Tarabon? He had to be winkled out of his palace, avoiding his army, which sought to rescue him. She carried him all the way to Tar Valon for gentling by herself, though pursued by his soldiers who refused to believe that he was what he was.

  It was also said that she kidnapped a king of Arad Doman and a queen of Saldaea. After she released them, a war that had seemed inevitable simply faded away. She did actually spank or switch three reigning kings and four queens, though the facts of these events are hidden in rumor.

  Cadsuane is alleged to have once single-handedly stopped a coup in the White Tower. This did happen, though no one seemed to know or agree on when. The true story: Cadsuane and Sereille Bagand did not get on with each other. In fact, they could not stand one another. Each was the sort of woman who dominated a room—or for that matter, a city!—by simply entering, and they struck sparks at every meeting. Despite her dislike for Sereille, though, Cadsuane uncovered a plot to overthrow Sereille and crushed it. The plotters thought she would be eager to join them, but she dragged the weeping ringleaders to Sereille and made them throw themselves on Sereille’s rather small mercies. Sereille was not particularly pleased to have been saved—the plot was well laid out and ready to leap off—by one she so disliked.

  Cadsuane had a reputation for standing White Tower custom on its head, twisting it as she chose, and even violating it outright, as in her frank speech about age, her direct questions and refusals to accept oblique answers, and her interference in the actions of other sisters. The same could be said of her regarding Tower law, for that matter. She had a reputation for taking direct action, even to the point of violence, slapping faces, boxing ears and more (especially when faced with what she considered stupidity), with those of high status as often as with low, or rather, more often. She also had a reputation for not caring whether she dented somebody’s pride, if she thought it necessary.

  There were the usual tales expected of a Green, only more of them. Riots suppressed and wars stopped single-handedly; rulers steadied on their thrones, or pulled from them, sometimes toppled openly and sometimes more subtly (toppling rulers was something Aes Sedai had not really done much of in the last thousand years, but Cadsuane seemed in many ways a throwback); rescue of people carried into the Blight or kidnapped by dangerous bands of Darkfriends; the breaking up of murderous rings of Darkfriends plaguing villages; and the exposing of powerful Darkfriends who tried to kill her to protect themselves. There were dozens, even hundreds, of improbable and sometimes seemingly impossible tales.

  Some of these were not so much tales about her as an impression, a belief: Cadsuane would do what she intended to do, and no one could stop her, not a king or a queen, not an Amyrlin—not even the Dark One himself, some claimed. And when Rand al’Thor rose to power as the Dragon Reborn, Cadsuane once again chose to take part in directing the events of the world.

  Cadsuane had had many Warders over the years—it was said that she had had more Warders than most sisters had shoes—but during the time of the Dragon Reborn, she had none, saying it would be unfair to the Warders, given her age.

  Cadsuane had a number of special skills and Talents, including being able to read residues. One of her great abilities was seeing what others missed. For ex
ample, she was suspicious of Rand “exiling” Perrin after their alleged argument; she was aware of Rand sending others on errands, but was unable to find out for what purpose. And of course she was the one who cottoned to the Rand-Moridin switch at the end of the Last Battle, and watched Rand ride away in Moridin’s body, not saying a thing to anyone.

  Cadsuane confronted Rand on numerous occasions, sometimes humiliating him, with the purpose of humanizing him before the Last Battle began. She thought that if he reached Tarmon Gai’don as he was—or worse, farther down the road he was traveling—even his victory might have been as bad as the Dark One winning: “It is a mistake many men make, equating strength with hardness. All too often, hardness becomes brutality; they forget how to laugh except where anyone else would cry. They ignore pains of the heart as readily as pains of the flesh, and rip out even the memory of tears.” Part of her plan was to intrigue Rand, to fascinate him, by not being or doing what he expected. She wanted to keep him slightly off-balance. Of course, she could do this in large part just by being herself. Still, she pushed him just as hard as she thought necessary. Her secondary motivations were to stop Rand from destroying more than could be avoided before the Last Battle, and to keep Elaida and the rebels from destroying the White Tower.

  Caembarin. A nation that arose after the Trolloc Wars.

  Caemlyn. The capital of Andor. Built on rising hills, it had both an Inner City (the old city) and a New City (the part of Caemlyn less than two thousand years old). Known gates were the Whitebridge Gate leading west, the Far Madding Gate leading south, the Sunrise Gate leading east, and the Origan and Mondel Gates opening into the Inner City. The Royal Palace, the seat of the Andoran monarchy, was located on a hill in the middle of the Inner City. The pure white palace would not have been out of place among Tar Valon’s wonders, with its slender towers and its domes covered in gold leaf shining in the sun, its high balconies and intricate stonework. Low Caemlyn was a collection of markets and businesses outside the fifty-foot-high city walls. The city walls stretched more than 24 miles, and the area of the city was 53.82 miles. Caemlyn’s population before its destruction was approximately 300,000 people.

  Caemlyn Gate. The northern gate of Far Madding.

  Caemlyn Plain. An area located outside Caemlyn in Andor.

  Caemlyn Road. A well-traveled road passing east-west through Andor and its capital.

  Caeren, House. A major noble House of Andor. Its High Seat was Lord Nasin until his death shortly before Elayne became queen; he was replaced by his granddaughter Sylvase. Its sign was the Star and Sword. See also Nasin, Sylvase and Miedelle Caeren

  cafar. A pestilent creature created by Aginor; finding a nest of cafar was very dangerous.

  Caide, Jeaine. See Jeaine Caide

  Caiden. A plumply pretty Domani Kinswoman who helped make a gateway for Elayne in Caemlyn.

  Cail. One of Kin Tovere’s apprentice lensmakers in Cairhien. He helped set up large looking glasses on a tower before the battle for Cairhien.

  Cain, Gaidal. See Gaidal Cain

  Caira. A serving girl who worked in The Wandering Woman in Ebou Dar. She was slim, with smoky eyes and full lips, twisted her skirt from side to side, and wriggled like a stroked cat, giggled and had a certain smokiness in her voice. She offered Mat food in a way that suggested she was offering herself. When Birgitte came to see Mat, Caira was not pleased that he had “a gilded woman” waiting in his rooms. She was smacked by the cook, and blamed Mat for it.

  Cairdin. An Aiel of the Moshaine sept of the Shaido Aiel and the Brothers of the Eagle warrior society. He went with Maeric and other clan members through the gateway formed by Sammael’s nar’baha and reported that they were near hostile forces.

  Caire din Gelyn Running Wave. A Sea Folk Windfinder to Wavemistress Pelanna of Clan Kisagi with a strength level of 17(5). Caire was the mother of Talaan. Caire and Tebreille were sisters; they disliked one another intensely and had a more than simply a strong rivalry. At 5'6", Caire was slightly taller than her sister Tebreille; Tebreille’s face was somewhat sterner. They had the same big, almost black eyes, the same straight nose, the same strong chin. It was obvious looking at them that they were sisters. Caire was arrogant, overbearing, rigid and very demanding of those under her. There was no “if you please” about her; it was jump to it and right now, and put yourself on report for not jumping fast or far enough. She was also very good at what she did. Caire led the circle that used the Bowl of the Winds, given command over her sister Tebreille, which pleased her no end. She was given the command because she was the most learned among them concerning the ancient lore regarding the Bowl of the Winds. She went to Caemlyn with Elayne’s group and left Caemlyn with Zaida.

  Cairen. A noblewoman who owned a fortress at the north end of Malden prior to the Shaido invasion. Cairen was a handsome dignified widow in her middle years who had ruled Malden and everything for twenty miles around. She was made gai’shain by the Shaido, and stayed behind in Malden to rebuild after they had been routed by Perrin’s armies.

  Cairhien. A nation east of Andor, and its capital city. Its sigil was a many-rayed golden rising sun: the Rising Sun, or the Sun. Its banner was a many-rayed golden rising sun on a field of blue.

  Cairhien was the name of both one of Hawkwing’s provinces and its capital city. In approximately FY 997, an alliance of nobles seized the city of Cairhien with the supposed intention of restoring the nation of Tova; however, there were factions among the allies with other agendas. A grand ball was held in the city to celebrate the supposed restoration of Tova, but at a given signal, every surviving descendant of the last rulers of Tova—the Tovan Counselors—and their supporters were set upon and slain. The following months saw a number of candidates for the throne assassinated, while others were discredited by means of Daes Dae’mar, already being played as, indeed, it had been played famously in Tova. Moves against Cairhien by other forces concentrated the minds of those holding the city, however, and before the end of the year they crowned Martaine Colmcille as the first King of Cairhien. The Aiel had granted Cairhien the right to travel the Silk Path, making them a highly successful trading nation. Good relations with the Aiel ended when Cairhien’s King Laman cut down Avendoraldera, which had been a gift from the Aiel, to make a throne that would enhance his prestige. The ensuing Aiel War destroyed much of Cairhien. A recovery came, but the assassination of King Galldrian in 998 NE led to rioting and civil war. Rand al’Thor made an effort to improve the situation, sending grain and nobles from Tear, but the Shaido Aiel crossed the Dragonwall and took Cairhien. They were eventually defeated. After Rand was kidnapped by Aes Sedai, Colavaere took the throne, but Rand returned and deposed her. Rand appointed Dobraine his steward in Cairhien, and he worked to restore order. Those who sought to rebel were unable to gain any traction and Elayne Trakand took the throne.

  Commoners seldom rose to ranks of any significance in the Cairhienin military, except among the foot, which was largely despised compared to the favored and more numerous cavalry. Most officers came from the nobility.

  The army of Cairhien in fact consisted of the personal levies of various lords and ladies. While an occasional Cairhienin lady would command and lead her own troops, the use of a Master of the Lances was more common among noblewomen in Cairhien than it was in Tear. Noblemen were expected to lead and command, whether or not they were fit to do so. Perhaps because of the way the Game of Houses was played in Cairhien, there was never a formation there resembling the Queen’s Guards in Andor or the Winged Guards in Mayene, since even a king or queen wanted the power to remain centered in their own House rather than the throne.

  A bounty, called the King’s Gift, was given out by the King of Cairhien on various occasions, usually to influence public opinion, although it originally was meant for a helpful distribution. It could be given in times of shortage, when prices had been pushed very high, or at other times for other reasons. Galldrian gave the King’s Gift to keep the people quiet. Of course, if a queen
ruled, the bounty was known as the Queen’s Gift.

  Cairhienin played the Game of Houses in their sleep; they were considered players of great subtlety—at least, they considered themselves so, and most people who dealt with them agreed. They spoke volumes in every sentence.

  Noble and common alike believed in like marrying like. That is to say, nobles married nobles and commoners married commoners. Anything else was considered bizarre if not obscene. Andorans were considered peculiar in the extreme because of their loose marriage customs.

  There was a rigid division between noble and commoner in Cairhien, and among commoners, rigid divisions between wealthy merchants and bankers (for an upper middle class, so to speak), craftsfolk, shopkeepers and farmers (middle class), and laborers, wagon drivers, dockworkers and the like (the lower classes). Even a poor farmer would considers himself or herself to be “middle class” and thus above a common laborer, and considered a wagon driver or dockworker to be only a hair better than a beggar.

  The city of Cairhien, known to its residents simply as “the City,” lay across hills against the Alguenya. It was laid out in a precise grid behind high gray walls in a square, one wall against the river. Towers as much as twenty times the height of the wall, in just as precise a pattern, rose inside the walls, though some were not completely rebuilt after the Aiel War. The city gates were tall, square archways; just inside were squat stone buildings with iron-bound doors and arrowslits where strangers were required to register. Paved streets wide enough to make the people in them seem small crossed at right angles. Hills were carved and terraced with stone. Inside the city, the buildings were all stone with ornamentation all of straight lines and sharp angles. Even shops seemed subdued, with small signs. The Royal Palace of Cairhien occupied the highest hill of the city, exactly in the center.