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2.6.5: Who's Who in the Halls of the Tower; What’s the Mystery About the "Too-Young" Sitters?

(or, Is This Seat Taken?)

[Rich Boyé, Pam Korda, John S. Hamby, Karl-Johan Norén]

In [TPOD: 16, Unexpected Absences, 341], Siuan tells Egwene about a pattern she has noticed about the Salidar Hall:

"Aside from Romanda and Moria, the Sitters chosen in Salidar are... they're too young.... Escaralde is the oldest, and I'm sure she isn't much past seventy.... It isn't often the Hall has held more than one Sitter under a hundred, and here we have nine! ... When a woman is raised too young, there's a reason.... This time, there were more than enough sisters of proper age to choose from, and I can't see five Ajahs deadlocking on all of them. There is a pattern, and I mean to pick it out."

Then in COT, we find out that bizarre things are also going on in the Tower Hall. As Seaine puts it to Yukiri:

"Five Ajahs had to choose new Sitters after women they had in the Hall joined the Rebels [...] Each of those Ajahs chose a woman as Sitter who wasn't the... logical... choice."
[COT: Prologue, Glimmers of the Pattern, 51]

Also by COT, we gain enough information to enumerate virtually complete lists of the Sitters in each of the Halls of the Tower, in both Tar Valon and among the Rebels, and further, which of those were originally Sitters in the pre-schism Hall under Siuan Sanche. This section examines this logistical nightmare of data to answer the following questions:

• Why are the new Sitters raised in Salidar "too young"?
• Why are the new Sitters raised in Tar Valon "unusual"?
• What the heck is going on with the various votes in the Rebel Hall?

Who's Who among the Sitters

The six unaligned Sitters that fled were Magla Daronos (Yellow), Saroiya (White), Varilin (Gray), Faiselle (Green) and Janya Frende and Takima (both Brown). Keep these six in mind. We'll discuss them later.

Roster of the Hall Under Siuan (and who voted to depose Siuan):

1) The identity of the third Blue Sitter has yet to be divulged; speculation is that it may have been Cabriana Mecandes (the sister Semirhage tortured in LOC).

2) The identity of the third Gray Sitter is also still unrevealed.

The Rebel Hall

The rebel Brown Sitters are Takima and Janya Frende, both of whom sat in Tar Valon, and a newly chosen Sitter, Escaralde. Escaralde is apparently too young for the position, and thus piques Siuan's interest. We're not sure who leads the rebel Browns.

The rebel Green Sitters are Malind, Samalin and Faiselle. In COT we are able to definitively pin down Faiselle as the pre-schism Green Sitter who fled. Samalin and Malind were chosen in Salidar and are also mysteriously young, Malind being the youngest of all the Sitters. We knew that one of the Tower Green Sitters fled and caused a vacancy in their Hall now filled by Rina, but were unable to sort out which of three in Salidar she was until now. We also learnt in COT that the Greens style their leader "Captain-General", a post filled among the Rebels by Myrelle Berengari, a very young Aes Sedai.

The rebel Yellow Sitters are Magla Daronos, who sat in Tar Valon, plus two raised in Salidar, Romanda Cassin, who needs no introduction, and Salita Toranes who is noted as being unusually young. It seems that in addition to being a Sitter for the Yellow, Romanda almost certainly leads the Yellows in Salidar, in the position called the "First Weaver".

The rebel White Sitters are Saroiya, who sat in Tar Valon and two newly chosen ones, Aledrin and Berana. Both Aledrin and Berana are too young for the position as per Siuan. Again, we don't know who leads the rebel White; the position is called the "First Reasoner".

The Grays are represented in the rebel Hall by Varilin, who sat in Tar Valon, along with Delana Mosalaine and Kwamesa, both of whom were raised in Salidar. Kwamesa is specifically noted by Siuan as unusually young for the job. The Gray Ajah styles its leader "Head Clerk", but the identity of the Head Clerk among the Rebels is unknown at this time.

The Blue delegation is comprised of Lelaine Akashi, and Lyrelle, who sat in the Tower Hall, and Moria Karentanis, who was chosen in Salidar. Moria is not unusually young for a Sitter.

The leader of the Blues is unknown. It was very likely Anaiya, but we are not certain. We do know that Anaiya was given a great degree of respect by the Blues, but it could just be that she was well liked. However, Maigan literally appears out of the woodwork after an eight-book absence when Aniaya is killed to assume the latter's place on Egwene's council. It's also noted that Myrelle and she do not get along; perhaps Maigan is a "real Ajah head" and treats Myrelle with disrespect, and Myrelle, being a hot-tempered Altaran, gives attitude back. It's also worth noting that both Maigan and Anaiya were in Fal Dara when Siuan dropped in on Lord Agelmar way back in TGH.

Current Roster of the Rebel Hall:

1) Still wondering what happened to the third Blue Sitter.

With me so far? Good. It gets worse.

The Hall in Tar Valon

As stated above, each "unaligned" Ajah in the Tower had to replace at least one Sitter because of the rebellion (the Browns had to replace two). They have all picked a woman who would not normally be chosen.

The White Ajah in the Tower is led by Ferane Neheran, who installed herself as a new Sitter to replace Saroiya, who fled to Salidar. Ferane is odd because she recently resigned her chair only to take it up again very quickly, as commented upon by Seaine. Ferane and Seaine are both in the Tar Valon Hall for the White. The third is Velina. (As an aside, I think we can now be fairly certain that Alviarin was not a Sitter when she helped overthrow Siuan.)

The Yellow Ajah in the Tower is led by Suana Dragand, and Suana now represents them in the Hall. This is very odd indeed since their Ajah leader, their First Weaver, sits in the Hall, and she also had a very lengthy tenure as a Sitter in the past. Apparently, that's "just not done." Suana filled the vacancy caused when Magla Daronos fled to Salidar. So, in the Tower Hall are Doesine (a Black Ajah Hunter), Suana, and Sedore.

The Tower Browns are led by Jesse Bilal, who sits at the head of the "Brown Council." The Browns put two new Sitters in the Hall because both Takima and Janya Frende fled to Salidar. The two new Sitters are Shevan and Juilaine Madome. Juilaine is another odd choice, for she is too young, and was apparently selected with the direct intervention of Jesse Bilal. Saerin Asnobar, the de facto leader of the Black Ajah Hunters, is the third Brown Sitter in the Tower.

The Tower Greens are led by Adelorna, their "Captain-General." Adelorna is not a Sitter. They had to replace a Sitter who also fled to Salidar, who we (finally) learned in COT was Faiselle. Adelorna personally installed Rina, despite previous policy of nominations by member sisters, and selection among the pool of candidates by the Captain-General. They also had a vacancy caused when Joline Maza was exiled to Ebou Dar so it seems to be the same vacancy, first filled by Joline as an act of defiance, then by Rina. Rubinde is apparently a long standing (sitting?) Sitter, so the Tower Green delegation is now made of Talene (a Black Ajah), Rubinde and Rina.

The Grays are led by Serancha, whom they style "Head Clerk." They had to replace Varilin who fled to Salidar. According to Yukiri, Andaya's selection was unorthodox. Serancha apparently chose a young woman, Andaya, who was also part of Elaida's initial junta, and did not subject her to discussion and secret ballot as is usual. So the three Gray Sitters are Yukiri (a Black Ajah Hunter), Andaya, and the third is still unknown.

The Reds did not have to replace any rebel, but they did have to replace Elaida and Teslyn, since Elaida exiled the latter as a demonstration of her independence. The Red Tower delegation is now Pevara (a Black Ajah Hunter), Duhara and Javindhra, who was also a member of Elaida's junta. It is unknown if Duhara is uncharacteristically young. The Reds were led by Galina Casban, but it is unknown if she has been replaced since her capture.

Current Roster of the Hall in Tar Valon:

Okay. Now that's all laid out with charts and everything.

What's Up With the Voting in the Rebel Hall?

1. Negotiate With Elaida?
2. Rapprochement with the Black Tower?

In [COT: 16, The Subject of Negotiations, 404] we learn that Varilin, Takima, Magla, Faiselle and Saroiya all endorse negotiations with Elaida, which Egwene allows as a means of avoiding bloodshed.

Later, in [COT: 19, Surprises, 471-473] when Moria, Escaralde and Malind (three new Sitters who are "too young") propose sending an embassy to the Black Tower, Varilin, Takima, Magla, Faiselle and Saroiya all react with horror, and refuse to stand for the measure. Hmmm.

Now, let's all reflect on the War Vote [TPOD: 19, The Law, 382-389], in which a vote was held to declare war on Elaida a'Roihan. Of the eighteen Sitters present, six opposed the declaration of war. They were Romanda, who is something of an anomaly across the board, and... Varilin, Takima, Magla, Faiselle and Saroiya. Yes, the same five Sitters who opposed approaching the Black Tower, and who favor negotiating with Elaida's Tower.

Now, this is where RJ's puzzle is supposed to come together. These five Sitters all fled Tar Valon, along with Janya Frende (the other Brown Sitter who wasn't informed of the vote to depose Siuan), and all three Blue Sitters. Based upon Yukiri and Seaine's discussion, of the six Sitters who were chosen to replace them in Tar Valon, five, I repeat five, are odd choices (with only Shevan noted as an appropriate candidate).

Meanwhile, those same five Sitters who fled Tar Valon have made efforts to attempt to hinder the Rebellion, tried to make peace with Elaida, and tried to stop the embassy to the Black Tower. Why?

On the flip side of the "unusual replacement Sitter" enigma in the Tower, the Hall that was convened in Salidar contains eight unusual choices, eight women who are too young for the job (Romanda is the ninth Sitter to round out the full eighteen - more on Romanda later): Samalin and Malind of the Green, Aledrin and Berana of the White, Salita of the Yellow, Escaralde of the Brown, Delana and Kwamesa for the Gray.

Looking at it with all the odd selections, it seems like someone (or several someones) went out of their way to structure both Halls so that they can be pieced back together by shunting off all of the replacement Sitters without trampling established layers of tradition and seniority. Looking at it this way, reunification of the Halls seems like it can be quite painless. It's as if a few AS got together and said "If both halves come together, a new Hall would need to be convened. Who would sit in it?"

For example, the Greens have three "appropriate" Sitters of the six total (three for each Hall) - Faiselle (Rebel), Rubinde (Tar Valon) and Talene (Tar Valon) (well, she's a Black sister, but not everyone knows that yet) and three odd ones, who in this case are all noted as too young - Rina (Tar Valon), Malind (Rebel), and Samalin (Rebel). If one was intending to put the halves back together, all three young ones could be demoted without ruffling too many feathers.

This trend is noticeable in the other Ajahs as well. Of the six total White Sitters, three are appropriate (Velina [Tar Valon], Seaine [Tar Valon] and Saroiya [Rebel]), and three are not: two are too young (Aledrin and Berana, both rebels), with Ferane Neheran, the "odd choice" essentially holding Saroiya's seat for her in Tar Valon.

Likewise, the Yellows have three standard, normal Sitters (Sedore [Tar Valon], Magla [Rebel] and Doesine [Tar Valon]) and three odd ones: Suana Dragand (just stepped down, only to come back) holding Magla's seat for her, and two unexpected ones in Salidar (Salita and Romanda - I'll get to Romanda, keep reading). We know that both Ferane and Suana headed both of their Ajahs before the Schism.

The Grays are similar; Serancha installed an unusually young woman, Andaya, to effectively fill Varilin's Seat while the rebels placed two "too young" Sitters, Delana and Kwamesa, around Varilin in Salidar. The three "normal" Sitters are Varilin (Rebel), Yukiri (Tar Valon), and the unnamed Gray who voted to depose Siuan and remained in Tar Valon.

The Browns are somewhat different, having four appropriate Sitters (in the total six) - They have Saerin (Tar Valon), Takima (Rebel), Janya (Rebel) plus Shevan (Tar Valon), whom everyone agrees is an appropriate choice (not too young!). However, it's noted that Shevan was being groomed to succeed Saerin, who was the longest-serving Sitter in the Tower. It's possible that she is thinking of retirement. So, if we had to reconvene a new Brown delegation, it seems that it would be Takima, Saerin and Janya, or if Saerin were to retire, Takima, Janya and Shevan.

But there's something odd about Janya Frende. Of the six pre-schism "non-aligned" Sitters that ended up in Salidar, she doesn't seem to vote with the bloc of Takima, Faiselle, Varilin, Magla and Saroiya. It's almost as if she's not following along, or not in on some conspiracy.

I know you're all thinking, "what conspiracy?" Well, there are those who think that RJ has been laying the groundwork for some vast over-arching subplot - that the Ajah Heads ("unaligned" Ajah Heads, that is) have orchestrated the selection of both Halls in the wake of the Schism, perhaps even directing those five to go find the Rebellion and prevent it from gathering a full head of steam. If one delves a little deeper into the tedium of internal Salidar politics, we can see that Magla, Saroiya and Varilin ally themselves with Romanda, and Takima and Faiselle ally with Lelaine, and spend their days trying to stifle action by the rebels by playing one faction against the other. Also, despite being in Lelaine's camp, both Takima and Faiselle defy her by opposing the declaration of war.

It's been proposed that they are following orders to make sure that any initiative in the Rebel Hall gets stymied. It's also worth noting that Janya "goes her own way," and votes in contradiction to the other five "exiled" Sitters.

If that turns out to be the case, then perhaps Janya is not following directions, and might just be following her own conscience, and therefore might be due for some punishment. If that's the case, then Shevan (the "appropriate" replacement Sitter in Tar Valon), can neatly take her place.

What About Romanda?

And some of you are thinking, "Hey, what about Romanda? She's appropriate as a Sitter too!" Yes, that's true, Romanda throws this grand scheme off, unless one considers that the Powers that Be (if they be orchestrating things) couldn't have planned on Romanda coming out of retirement and joining the rebels. In that sense, Romanda is also an "odd choice," or at least an "unexpected choice."

Previous attempts at deciphering the mystery of the "too young" Sitters among the rebels dealt with their youth as being the key - perhaps they were designed to prevent either Lelaine or Romanda from gaining a clear advantage, or perhaps they were chosen for their youth and less traditional views, and would be eager to embrace new policies for a new Tower. The underlying assumption behind these ideas is that it was the Salidar Six (the six Aes Sedai who initially grasped power in Salidar - Sheriam, Anaiya, Beonin, Carlinya, Myrelle and Morvrin) who engineered the selection of the "young Sitters."

However, since we have the parallel conundrum of the weird Sitters in Tar Valon, the idea that the Salidar Six are behind it seems unlikely. It seems to go higher up in the Aes Sedai hierarchy. The fact that the Salidar Six had no Yellow member was also problematic. With no Yellow, who would have engineered the selection of Salita Toranes, the "too young" Rebel Sitter?

Now, the dissent:

How can any of this be? In all fairness, it is quite a stretch that the "unaligned" Ajah Heads have been orchestrating things so masterfully.

1. Did the five obstructionist Sitters in Salidar (Takima, Faiselle, Varilin, Magla and Saroiya) receive orders to go join the rebels?

Recall, that all five were not informed by Elaida's supporters of the impending vote to depose Siuan. Are we to believe that, like Seaine, they could have swallowed their umbrage at being plotted around, behind their backs, and remained in Elaida's Tower anyway, but for secret Ajah orders to go find the Rebels, join them and thwart them?

This also assumes that the Ajah Heads actually expected a full-fledged revolt when Elaida took control, and they'd even need to send loyal Sitters to infiltrate the rebels, wherever they are. There wasn't really enough time to think strategically about this issue. As we saw in tSR, Elaida's coup was done suddenly and with great bloodshed and shock. Little time to conceive a clever plan of infiltration.

2. Perhaps the five obstructionist Sitters fled, in good conscience, Elaida's coup, and only later made contact with their Ajah Heads in Tar Valon?

This makes a tad more sense when one considers the timetable. Perhaps, they all ended up with the Rebels, saw a movement fomenting, became concerned and reached out to their superiors in the White Tower for directions, and only then received orders to thwart the Rebellion. This also makes more sense if one considers that even the five obstructionist Sitters stood for Egwene during the vote on her ascension. If they had orders from the start to stymie the rebels, why assist in raising a rival Amyrlin? Perhaps those orders came later.

However, this assumes a lot of communication back and forth, all of which has apparently gone unnoticed by everyone else like Siuan, or Sheriam, or Janya.

3. What about Elaida's "Moles?" She did say they would be extremely disheartening to the rebels when revealed.

Yes, Elaida's Moles. They haven't been forgotten. Elaida crowed to Alviarin that she had moles among the rebels who, when they reveal themselves, would shatter their resolve. Suppose that these obstructionist five have been acting for Elaida all along? Maybe they were even informed of the vote to remove Siuan, but told not to attend, so they could later insinuate themselves among the rebels (who might have been expected) with lessened suspicion.

Well, one could certainly admire the intricacy and forethought of such a plan, but it still doesn't explain why they'd stand for Egwene or how Elaida, who is shown to be quite the clueless one, could pull it off.

4. What if the obstructionist five are Black Ajah, with even more convoluted instructions?

Well, if Takima, Faiselle, Varilin, Magla and Saroiya were all Black Ajah, that would certainly explain the inconsistencies of their actions, but how does this theory square with the fact that Delana, a confirmed Black sister, vomits or gasps whenever Egwene secures a victory in the Hall? Is she just a complete "wet hen" as evil-doing sorceresses go, and the other five are just more steely and reserved? Although, they do all react with varying degrees of distress at the proposal to ally with the Black Tower.

As Close to a Conclusion as We Can Reach at this Point

It seems that the "Unaligned" Ajah Heads in Tar Valon, all of whom are Pre-Schism (Suana for Yellow, Ferane for White, Adelorna for Green, Jesse for Brown and Serancha for Gray), actively chose to replace the Sitters who fled in ways that defy custom and expectation. Likewise, the "Unaligned" Sitters chosen in Salidar (but for Romanda) are atypically young for the position. Whatever the goals of the Ajah Heads are, we still lack the information to state what they are, but the trends are converging towards something.

In Glimmers, we see that Yukiri is incredulous at Seaine's suggestion that the Ajah Heads were conspiring over who should go into the Hall, which seems to be typical RJ foreshadowing. The Ajah Heads are conspiring. Their handiwork is everywhere. But we simply have no way of discovering what their goal is.

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