The Nobles of Tear

By Linda

This article discusses the noble houses of Tear: the High Lords and Ladies followed by the Lords and Ladies of the Land. Both groups are listed alphabetically.

A group of nobles led by Lord Istaban Novares and Lady Yseidre Tirado founded Tear in FY 994 (the same year that Ishara and Souran Maravaile founded Andor). To resolve contention for power, the strongest nobles formed into a ruling clique: the High Lords and Ladies:

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.

- The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, Tear

One major change Rand made in Tairen laws is that common people can now call a High Lord or Lady before a magistrate if they break the law.

At the start of A Memory of Light, there were ten High Lords and three High Ladies still participating in the governance of Tear. However, the High Lord Darlin Sisnera became the first King of Tear as a condition set by the rebel High Lords and Lady in ending their rebellion. Darlin was subject to Rand, who was thus a High King. There is likely to be political wrangling between the High Lords and Ladies and King Darlin.



The High Lords and High Ladies:

High Lady Alteima

The High Lady Alteima is married to High Lord Tedosian and was the lover of High Lord Carleon. Thom forged a note in Carleon’s hand and left it where Tedosian would find it. After Tedosian killed Carleon, Alteima poisoned her husband in revenge. Rand sent her with the Tairen High Lords and Ladies and their forces to Cairhien. Moiraine thought this was a mistake, and that Alteima would increase her power in Cairhien while remaining in the background; however, Alteima thought Rand knew what he was doing. As she was Compelled to tell Rahvin:

"I tried to poison my husband and had to flee before Tedosian and that trull Estanda could kill me instead, or worse. Rand al'Thor meant to let them do it, as an example." Telling made her cringe. Not because it was a truth she had kept hidden so much as because she found she wanted to please him more than anything else in the world, and she feared that he might send her away. But he wanted the truth. "I chose Caemlyn because I could not bear Illian and though Andor is little better, Cairhien is in near ruins. In Caemlyn, I can find a wealthy husband, or one who thinks he is my protector if need be, and use his power to —"

- The Fires of Heaven, Fanning the Sparks

Alteima was in Cairhien long enough to acquire a maid and to experience the poor state of Cairhien prior to the Shaido invasion. A slender, pretty woman with long black hair and big brown eyes, she was one of Rahvin’s lovers. She vanished after Rahvin was killed and a Tairen High Lady answering her description was one of Graendal’s lesser pets in her remotest hideaway (Towers of Midnight, Writings).


High Lady Anaiyella Narencelona

High Lady Anaiyella is one of the Tairen nobles who pretends to be a fool, when she is really very perceptive, very dangerous and very ambitious:

Anaiyella, a willowy simpering High Lady who gave a fair imitation of a beautiful goosebrain, had returned to Tear from Cairhien and openly begun talking of herself for the as-yet-non-existent throne of Tear. Perhaps she was a fool, but she had managed to gain a great deal of support, both among nobles and in the streets.

- The Path of Daggers, Answering the Summons

"Oh, no," Anaiyella added, with a delicate shudder. Even her tone simpered! "Nasty things, battles. So my Master of the Horse says. Surely you won't really make us go, my Lord Dragon? We've heard you have a particular care for women. Haven't we, Ailil?"

Rand was so astonished that the Void collapsed, and saidin vanished.

- Path of Daggers, Gathering Clouds

Occasionally the mask slipped:

Equally surprising as Weiramon's unsullied coat, Anaiyella rode with him, and for once was not simpering. Her face was pinched and disapproving.

…Rand explained the little he knew of sul'dam…and to his surprise, the dainty simpering High Lady said coldly, "If my Lord Dragon feels constrained, I'll hang her for him."

…"Fight, you dogs!" Anaiyella shrieked, swinging down from her saddle beside him. "Fight!" The willowy lady in her silks and laces hurled a string of curses that would have made a wagon driver's tongue go dry.

- The Path of Daggers, Fog of War, Storm of Battle

She was one of the nobles Rand considered untrustworthy and forced to fight the Seanchan in Altara. Rand then transferred Anaiyella along with Weiramon back to Cairhien, but during Knife of Dreams she and Weiramon returned to the Stone of Tear and made the political situation worse there:

"Success? A blow?" Alanna’s scowl took in Weiramon and Anaiyella both before she twisted back around to face Rand. "They landed at the Stone's docks with one ship, but they put most of their armsmen and all the mercenaries they hired in Cairhien ashore from the rest upriver. With orders to enter the city and attack the rebels." She made a sound of disgust. "The only result was a great many men dead and our negotiations with the rebels thrown back to the beginning." Anaiyella's simper took on a sickly twist.

- Knife of Dreams, Within the Stone

Rand wanted Anaiyella and Weiramon to go back to Cairhien, but he was persuaded to let them accompany Darlin to Arad Doman.

While her fake stupidity covered up her ambition, it also concealed something more. Her efforts in Tear in Knife of Dreams undermined Rand’s and Darlin’s hold on Tear and the negotiations with the rebels, which was very convenient for the Shadow. She spent a lot of time with Weiramon, who also consistently acted stupidly in ways that aided the Shadow, see below. Rand thought she was wearing Weiramon’s colours in Tear in The Gathering Storm, Before the Stone of Tear. In Towers of Midnight, Rand confirmed that Anaiyella is a Darkfriend, LINK when she failed to look him in the eyes.


High Lord Aracome

High Lord Aracome was a thin, calm man with an explosive temper:

Only blade-slender Aracome showed no outward emotion, but then he almost always kept his anger well banked until ready to let it burst into flame.

- The Fires of Heaven, Other Battles, Other Weapons

He was ranked third among the Tairen nobles sent to Cairhien and was killed in battle (as Min prophesied) in Altara in the campaign against the Seanchan:

"Aracome's gone," he [Bashere] said. "Flinn tried Healing him, but I don't think Aracome wanted to live like that.”

- The Path of Daggers, Fog of War, Storm of Battle

High Lord Astoril Damara

High Lord Astoril is an elderly man with thin white shoulder-length hair, an oiled beard trimmed to a point, and a lined face. Despite his age, his back is straight and his dark eyes sharp. He had retired to his estates away from all the power play until Darlin was made steward in Tear:

I didn’t go near the Stone, but I heard that High Lord Astoril stopped complaining about his creaking joints and mustered inside with Darlin. Who’d have thought Astoril would stir himself, and on Darlin’s side?

- Crossroads of Twilight, Ornaments

In the Aiel War he was apparently Tear’s best, or at least highest-ranked, general, since he was on the roster for command of the Westlands armies against the Aiel, although well down the list:

Perhaps they purposely gave the best generals the first chance, whether they voiced this or not. The order of command was:

1. Lord Agelmar Jagad of Shienar.
2. Pedron Niall, Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light.
3. Lord Aranvor Naldwinn, Captain-General of the Queen’s Guard of Andor (killed on the third day of fighting).
4. Lord Hirare Nachiman of Arafel (killed in a skirmish during the pursuit after the battle).
5. King Mattin Stepaneos of Illian.
6. The High Lord Astoril of Tear.

- The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, The Aiel War

Lady Medore is his daughter. She is a tall, pretty young woman with dark skin and bright blue eyes. A member of Cha Faile, she accompanied Balwer on his information gathering trips in So Habor and Almizar. Balwer suggested to Perrin that Medore’s high rank made her a good choice to spy on Berelain (Crossroads of Twilight, The Forging of a Hammer).


High Lord Carleon

Married to High Lady Estanda, High Lord Carleon was also High Lady Alteima’s lover and was killed in a hunting accident by her husband High Lord Tedosian when he found out. He was as arrogant and manipulative as any of the High Lords:

High Lords were good at seeing only what they wanted to see. Carleon and Tedosian, false self-effacement in every line of their thick bodies, surely never realized there was anything suspicious in never looking at one another….
“There are too many farmers as it is.” Carleon flinched at Rand’s glare. “It is the civil war in Cairhien, my Lord Dragon,” he explained hurriedly. “The Cairhienin can buy no grain, and the granaries are bursting. This year’s harvest will go to waste as it is. And next year...? Burn my soul, my Lord Dragon, but what we need is for some of those peasants to stop their eternal digging and planting.” He seemed to realize he had said too much, though he clearly did not understand why. Rand wondered whether he had any idea how food got to his table. Did he see anything but gold, and power?

- The Shadow Rising, Hard Heads

“Carleon and Tedosian were hardly loyal. Even to each other, it seems. They led the faction that wanted to kill Rand and try to forget he ever lived.”

- The Shadow Rising, Deceptions

High Lord/King Darlin Sisnera

High Lord Darlin was the only High Lord to openly oppose Rand:

Rand almost admired Darlin. The man had opposed him openly from the start, fleeing the Stone when it fell and trying to rouse resistance among the country nobles.

- Lord of Chaos, A Sense of Humor

Later he established a rebel camp in Cairhien with Caraline Damodred and Toram Riatin. Rand, disguised as a minor Andoran noble, infiltrated the camp of to see what his ta’veren effect, which was very strong that day, would do. Darlin was open about his motives for opposing Rand, and they show that he is a man of integrity:

"I [Darlin] would have let him take Callandor from the Stone… but I could not stand aside when he brought Aiel invaders into Tear."

"I've read the Prophecies of the Dragon… The Stone had to fall before he could take Callandor," Rand continued. "Other Tairen lords follow him, so I hear."

Darlin snorted. "They cringe and lick his boots! I could have followed, if that was what he wanted, if..." With a sigh, he shook his head. "Too many ifs, Tomas. There is a saying in Tear. 'Any quarrel can be forgiven, but kings never forget.' Tear has not been under a king since Artur Hawkwing, but I think the Dragon Reborn is very like a king. No, he has attainted me with treason, as he calls it, and I must go on as I began. The Light willing, I may see Tear sovereign on its own land once more before I die."

- A Crown of Swords, Into the Woods

I bet he never thought that he would be Tear’s sovereign.

Shortly afterward, Rand’s ta’veren effect attracted a bubble of evil which almost destroyed the rebel forces. Cadsuane Melaidhrin shepherded Darlin, Caraline, Min and Rand to Cairhien, where Darlin and Caraline were kept under house arrest. Rand’s decision to name Darlin Steward of Tear was as much a result of his mistrust of the other High Lords as it was the result of their meeting at the rebel camp and Min’s viewings.

After his arrival in Tear, Darlin was besieged in the Stone by his former co-rebels Estanda, Hearne, Tedosian and Simaan. Feeling threatened by the approaching forces led by Sunamon and Tolmeran that Rand left in Illian, the rebels caved in and demanded as a condition of ending their siege that Darlin be named King of Tear, so they did not have to swear fealty to Rand. Min is going to design Darlin’s crown which she saw in her viewing LINK: a self-fulfilling prophecy. In fulfilment of another of Min’s viewings LINK, Darlin and Caraline have announced their intention to marry.

Darlin was ordered to recruit every sword in Tear:

"Send a messenger," Rand said to the soldier, impatiently tucking the letter away. "Tell Darlin to continue recruiting. I want him to draft every Tairen who can hold a sword and either train him for combat or set him to work in the forges. The Last Battle is close. Very close."

- The Gathering Storm, A Tale of Blood

Rand told Darlin in The Gathering Storm, Before the Stone of Tear that the Tairen forces will be marching with him to Shayol Ghul instead of Arad Doman. Darlin was dismayed to hear from Egwene that Rand intends to break the Seals, but affirmed his loyalty to Rand in writing (Towers of Midnight, A Call to Stand). His main worry was that the Seanchan would attack Tear while he was fighting in the Last Battle.

Rand’s plan to use the forces Darlin had gathered in Tear to protect him at Thakan’dar and Shayol Ghul was followed. The Tairens formed the mainstay of defence, leaving the Aiel to attack the enemy. When Ituralde was forced away from his post by Elyas and the wolves, Darlin took command. He survived the Last Battle.


High Lady Estanda

High Lady Estanda was married to the High Lord Carleon, who was unfaithful to her with Alteima. Thom exposed their affair to Tedosian, who killed Carleon and was poisoned by Alteima in return. Estanda nursed Tedosian back to health, and ever since they have been working in concert. While Rand was busy with Cairhien and Andor, Whitecloak agents persuaded Estanda and Tedosian to join Darlin in rebellion:

In Tear, Balwer's agents had convinced Tedosian and Estanda to join Darlin, turning a show of defiance into real rebellion.

- Lord of Chaos, Plans

The pair continued in rebellion even after the rebels were dispersed in Cairhien and Darlin was pulled into line: they besieged Darlin in the Stone until they felt threatened by the approach of the Tairen forces from Illian and pressured by Rand’s loyal Aes Sedai negotiators. Estanda quickly became keen to end the rebellion provided her lands and title were returned and Darlin was made King of Tear. She is still in Tear and will pay a fine that will feed part of the city for a year.


High Lady Fionnda Annariz

High Lady Fionnda accompanied the army to Cairhien in The Shadow Rising of her own accord and was still there as of Towers of Midnight. She has a stern face and hard eyes, yet is beautiful despite that. In Crossroads of Twilight she was seen conversing with Aliaine Chuliandred; it was formerly unusual for Tairen and Cairhienin nobles to mix sociably.


High Lord Gueyam

High Lord Gueyam was sent to Cairhien to Rand with the Tairen forces, and then was ordered to join the army invading Illian. He was one of the untrustworthy nobles forced to fight the Seanchan in Altara. He was probably left in Illian with the other High Tairen High Lords and joined them to return to Tear (Knife of Dreams, Within The Stone). According to Min, he is destined to die in battle (Lord of Chaos, Thorns), so he may have died in the Last Battle.

High Lord Hearne

High Lord Hearne was sent by Rand to Cairhien with the Tairen forces to restore order, and then to the army gathering on the Plains of Maredo against Illian. He joined Darlin’s rebellion instead. Hearne continued in rebellion even after it was dispersed by the bubble of evil and Darlin was waylaid by Cadsuane. Along with Estanda, Simaan and Tedosian, he besieged Darlin in the Stone. By Knife of Dreams he was as eager to end the rebellion as Estanda and, unlike Simaan and Tedosian, was not tempted by the Seanchan’s offer of gold and men:

"Tedosian and Simaan were wavering, as usual, but Hearne was nearly as adamant as Estanda." She shook her head. "I think Tedosian and Simaan might have come around sooner, but some fellows with strange accents have been promising them gold and men."

- Knife of Dreams, Within the Stone

High Lord Maraconn

Blue-eyed High Lord Maraconn was sent with the Tairen forces to Cairhien, then to the army invading Illian and was one of the untrustworthy High Lords who fought the Seanchan in Altara. He was left in Illian and probably joined those High Lords who decided to return to Tear (Knife of Dreams, Within the Stone). Min had a viewing that Maraconn will die in battle LINK (Lord of Chaos, Thorns), so perhaps he died in the Last Battle.


High Lord Meilan Mendiana

The High Lord Meilan was a tall, lean and grey-haired man with dark eyes and a grey pointed beard. He despised Rand for not being nobly born (ironic!), patronised him, and obeyed him only when he thought he would be destroyed if he did not. Meilan learned the hard way: when he, Sunamon and Torean drafted a treaty for Torean to occupy Mayene, Rand threatened to hang him.

He was the highest ranked Tairen noble that Rand sent to restore order in Cairhien and prevent their treachery in Tear. Aes Sedai from Elaida’s embassy sounded Meilan out about taking the Sun Throne and soon after he was knifed in the streets (as Min foresaw) LINK supposedly by a footpad. Dobraine believed Colavaere had organised it (Lord of Chaos, The Feast Of Lights).


High Lady Rosana

High Lady Rosana is newly raised. Her house sigil is the Hawk and Stars. She is openly tough, carrying a mace into battle, and insisting on a place at council. In the campaign against the Seanchan, she warned Rand about taking too many risks:

"I've come too far and invested too much in you to see you die now, for nothing," she said bluntly.

- Path of Daggers, Floating Like Snow

Rand sent her to Illian to restore peace there and in Knife of Dreams she and the other Tairen nobles left in Illian set out for Tear. Rand commanded them to return to Illian.


High Lord Simaan

High Lord Simaan was among those sent by Rand to Cairhien to restore order, and then to the army gathering on the Plains of Maredo. He rebelled against Rand and along with Estanda, Hearne and Tedosian, besieged Darlin in the Stone. He was tempted by the Seanchan’s offer of gold and men and was slow to agree to end the rebellion (Knife of Dreams, Within the Stone). While his lands and titles have been restored, he has to pay a fine that will feed part of the city for a year.


High Lord Sunamon Haellin

The High Lord Sunamon is a fat sycophant who dry washes his hands when nervous. When ordered to make a treaty with Mayene, he, Torean and Meilan devised one which allowed Torean to occupy it. Rand threatened him with hanging. Consequently he was cowed enough to follow Rand’s order to feed starving Illian, even when Rand invaded that nation (A Crown of Swords, A Crown of Swords). So, ironically, Sunamon was responsible for Rand being so popular with the Illianer population that they made Rand King of Illian.

Sunamon’s forces were part of the army massing on the Plains of Maredo to invade Illian, although Sunamon himself was summoned to fight the Seanchan in Altara and then was sent to Illian to pacify the city. In Knife of Dreams, he and the other nobles left there were emboldened by Rand’s lack of intervention in the Tairen rebellion and siege to set out for Tear. Rand wanted them to return to Illian, but we don’t know where he has gone.


High Lord Tedosian

High Lord Tedosian was conspiring with Carleon to kill Rand, but Thom destroyed their alliance by letting Tedosian discover that Carleon was having an affair with Tedosian’s wife Alteima. Tedosian killed Carleon in a hunting accident, but was poisoned by Alteima in revenge. High Lady Estanda nursed him back to health and they have worked in concert ever since. Tedosian and Estanda were persuaded by Balwer’s Whitecloak agents to join Darlin’s rebellion against Rand (Lord of Chaos, Plans) and later besieged Darlin in the Stone when he was made Rand’s Steward. He was tempted by Seanchan offers of gold and men to prolong the siege, but finally agreed to end it in Knife of Dreams. His lands and titles have been restored, but he must pay a fine that will feed part of the city for a year.


High Lord Tolmeran

Tolmeran is a very lean, sombre man with a grey pointed beard. He was part of the army that massed on the Plains of Maredo to invade Illian and was sent to Illian to restore order before the campaign against the Seanchan. He stayed there until in Knife of Dreams, hearing of the siege in Tear, he and his fellow Tairen nobles were emboldened to disobey Rand’s orders and return to Tear. Rand wanted them sent back to Illian, but it is not known if they were.


High Lord Torean Andiama

High Lord Torean is a plain-looking man with prominent ears and nose and dark greying hair. He forces his attentions on women of all ranks, notably Berelain (The Shadow Rising, Reflections). Rand was furious when the treaty that Sunamon, Torean and Meilan drafted gave Torean the right to occupy Mayene (The Shadow Rising, Decisions). The richest man in Tear, he was ordered by Rand to finance the campaign to restore order in Cairhien and part of the war with Illian. He was the second highest ranking Tairen in Cairhien.

He participated in the invasion of Illian and the campaign against the Seanchan in Altara. After fighting the Seanchan, he was among those Tairen nobles left in Illian to restore order that set out for Tear when the rebellion and siege of Tear became protracted. Despite being ordered by Rand to return to Illian, he was in Tear in The Gathering Storm, Before the Stone of Tear.

Torean’s oldest son is Estean, who is as keen on coercing girls for sexual favours as his father. He strongly resembles his father with a plain face, prominent nose and ears, and lanky hair and beard. He is unintelligent and needs to be instructed in what to do. During the siege of Cairhien he was in a sortie that broke out of the city to find aid from Rand. He enlisted in the Band of the Red Hand and was in the part of the Band commanded by Talmanes that shadowed the Aes Sedai army into Murandy and then was commissioned by Roedran to hang around and scare the Murandian nobles into uniting under Roedran (The Path of Daggers, A Peculiar Calling). Talmanes ordered Estean to take three banners of horseman, with five banners of foot under Daerid, north into Andor in Knife of Dreams, As if the World Were Fog. Estean’s part of the Band was reunited with Mat in Caemlyn in Towers of Midnight. In the Last Battle, he led the Band’s cavalry with Elayne’s forces in Andor and Cairhien and then probably afterwards at the River Mora.


High Lord Weiramon Saniago

The High Lord Weiramon is fairly tall, with grey-streaked thinning hair, pointed beard, and a long nose. He wears elaborately silver-worked boots and his sigil is the silver crescent and stars, though with fewer stars than Lanfear’s sigil (The Fires of Heaven, The Craft of Kin Tovere).

Weiramon was in charge of a later wave of Tairen forces for Cairhien, arriving as the Shaido attacked the city. Rand was annoyed at his endlessly foolish advice and sent him back to Tear to amass an army against Illian. Weiramon’s tactics ensured that the army had high casualties against Sammael and Rand decided to keep him close to minimise the damage he could do, seeing as he was too influential to shove aside. He fought in the campaign against the Seanchan and was then left in Cairhien to be watched. On his own initiative he sailed downriver to Tear with Anaiyella to lift the siege, but divided his forces and sent the majority to attack the rebels while he landed at the Stone. Negotiations with the rebels were ruined. He tried to persuade Darlin to strip the Stone of Defenders to fight the rebels:

"My plan was to sortie from the Stone and attack them from both sides." Weiramon protested. "Darlin refused. Refused!"
Darlin was not grinning now. He stood with his feet apart, and looked a man who wished he had a sword in his hand rather than a goblet. "I told you then, Weiramon. If I stripped the Stone of Defenders, the rebels would still have outnumbered us badly. Too badly. They've hired every sell-sword from the Erinin to the Bay of Remara."

- Knife of Dreams, Within the Stone

Rand was furious and ordered Weiramon and Anaiyella back to Cairhien, but was persuaded to let him and Anaiyella stay with Darlin’s forces.

It is unusual that someone so apparently incompetent should have survived battles and have so much influence in Tear. Even Rand became suspicious of this incongruity. Yet it is probably not a new act, since no Tairen remarks upon it. As Rand proved in Towers of Midnight, For What Has Been Wrought, Weiramon is a Darkfriend LINK and has been for a long time. There was a High Lord of Tear among the Darkfriends at Ishamael’s social, one wearing “elaborately silver-worked boots”. Weiramon is the only one to wear such boots.

Weiramon’s ‘mistakes’ include:

• 1. He grossly flattered Rand, trying to puff up his ego, so that Rand became excessively arrogant and dictatorial, judged poorly and repelled people.



• 2. He tried to make Rand distrust other nations’ forces and sowed disunity and suspicion (The Path of Daggers, Answering the Summons).



• 3. Weiramon encouraged Rand to spread his forces among too many targets.



• 4. He underestimated the size and effectiveness of enemy attacks. For example, he claimed the forces attacking Tear in The Fires of Heaven were only bandits and pirates (The Fires of Heaven, The Craft of Kin Tovere) and he told Rand that the remnantsof Sammael’s Illianer army was only as small force, yet it was not (The Path of Daggers, Floating Like Snow). He and Gedwyn together persuaded Rand to ignore Bashere’s advice and push on to Ebou Dar fighting the Seanchan.



• 5. Weiramon attacked too early with too little forces, often managing to leave behind, divide or lose some of his forces, e.g. against the Shaido in Cairhien (The Fires of Heaven, The Craft of Kin Tovere), and against Sammael in Illian (A Crown of Swords, A Crown of Swords). In Cairhien, if he had his way, he would have led the core of the Tairen forces Rand had in Tear to utter destruction before even the final battle.



• 6. In battle he left his assigned position, opening holes in the defence for the enemy to penetrate, as happened against the Seanchan in Altara. Rand was nearly killed as a result (The Path of Daggers, Fog of War, Storm of Battle).



• 7. He doesn’t push hard enough when in battle. In Altara Weiramon did not even get slightly dirty and the Taraboners in the Seanchan said the Tairens fought less fiercely than expected, unlike Rand’s other troops (The Path of Daggers, A Time for Iron).

Such an extensive list added up to a deliberate pattern of sabotage, aimed at undermining the effectiveness of Rand’s leadership and armies. It is a wonder he has survived any military engagements at all (we have seen other military incompetents promptly killed in battle, for example Melanril, see below), let alone have any credibility among Tairens. He was particularly stupid about the Shaido, yet is old enough to have fought in the Aiel War. In fact, in New Spring, The Hook, a young Tairen noble with silver worked boots gave Lan orders to position his forces as an anvil against which Tairen forces were supposed to crush Aiel. This did not happen and if the Aiel—in much larger numbers than the Tairen said—had not withdrawn after Laman was killed, Lan’s forces would have been wiped out.

It has twice been remarked that Weiramon’s sigil is very similar to that of Lanfear (The Fires of Heaven, The Craft of Kin Tovere).

Then there is his speech to the Darkfriend Asha’man Gedwyn that was overheard by Bertome Saighan):

"I don't care who you are, I won't take more risk without a command direct from the lips of—"

- The Path of Daggers, A Time for Iron

He stopped when he saw Bertome listening and then said to Gedwyn that he used the methods he used “and that’s that” and charged at Taraboners.

Weiramon has been undermining the effectiveness of Rand's attacks from the inside. His conversation with Gedwyn showed that he is sometimes not so stupid at all. When he saw that he was overheard, he looked murderous and then acted stupidly again. Gedwyn apparently tried to pull rank on Weiramon but was ignored. Weiramon was unimpressed by a very high up (dark) Asha’man, which implies that Weiramon was under orders from somebody higher up than Gedwyn, somebody even more impressive—one of the Forsaken, for instance.

It is a good tactic for the Shadow to order high-up Darkfriends to undermine the Light’s military forces from the inside. One would have to expect it. The Shadow certainly practised such sabotage in the Age of Legends. Weiramon’s moron persona was an act: he was trying to encourage Rand to screw up. Rand became suspicious of Weiramon's stupid suggestions and actions, which is why he was going to refuse to allow Weiramon to go with Darlin to Arad Doman in Knife of Dreams.

As a red herring, Lews Therin had completely different views regarding Weiramon:

I like him, Lews Therin thought.
Rand started. You don't like anyone!
He's honest, Lews Therin replied, then laughed. More than I am, for certain! A man doesn't choose to be an idiot, but he does choose to be loyal. We could do much worse than have this man as a follower.

- The Gathering Storm, Before the Stone of Tear

Yeah, we could have Taim as a follower! Actually, a man can choose to be an idiot—or at least appear one. Just as he can choose to appear loyal.


Current Location of the High Lords and Ladies

Remote island in the Aryth Ocean: Alteima was one of Graendal’s lesser pets and minded her lair. Graendal isn’t going back there, so Alteima’s future is not looking good. (That’s if Shaidar Haran didn’t kill her).

Cairhien: Fionnda was the only Tairen High Lady or Lord in Cairhien.

Illian: The High Lords and Ladies left in Illian, Tolmeran, Rosana, Torean, Sunamon, Gueyam and Maraconn, set out for Tear and in Knife of Dreams, were a day west of the Erinin. Rand wanted them to return to Illian and join the army massing against the Seanchan, but in the next breath ordered Darlin to take every fighting man in Tear to Arad Doman, so it is uncertain where this group may have ended up. Torean, for instance, went to Tear.

Tear: Darlin, Torean, Tedosian, Estanda, Hearne and Simaan were in Tear. Torean is one of those nobles who left Illian in Knife of Dreams, and went on to Tear rather than return to Illian as Rand ordered. Some or all of these nobles went to the Field of Merrilor and fought at Thakan’dar.

Unknown: Anaiyella and Weiramon were exiled from Tear and told to report to their Shadow masters that Rand is no longer blind to Darkfriends.


Nobles of Minor Houses

Lord Nalesean of House Aldiaya

Nalesean was a thickset man with black hair and pointed beard. He swore fealty to Mat (The Fires of Heaven, After the Storm), and commanded half of the cavalry in the Band of the Red Hand. His House outranks that of Edorion, so he had to be given command, even though Edorion is a better leader in Mat’s opinion (Lord of Chaos, A Different Dance). Nalesean accompanied Mat to Ebou Dar and had his throat fatally ripped open by the gholam in the Rahad (A Crown of Swords, Six Stories).


Lord Melanril of House Asegora

Melanril had dark eyes, a sharp nose and wore a pointed beard. He was a protégé of Weiramon and was put in charge of the cavalry forces by Rand when Weiramon was sent back to Tear (The Fires of Heaven, This Place, This Day). He was killed by the Shaido in the battle for Cairhien because he scorned to stand behind pikemen (The Fires of Heaven, This Place, This Day).


Lord Algarin of House Pendaloan

House Pendaloan is:

A house troubled by a history of men with an unmentionable problem, the most recent one having shamed the house not a few dozen years ago.

- A Memory of Light Prologue

Lord Algarin is a thin old man with a pointed white beard and little hair. He is grateful to Cadsuane for reconciling his brother to being gentled (Crossroads of Twilight, Ornaments) and offered his manor to Rand and Cadsuane to use. Algarin decided to be tested for the ability to learn to channel; he passed and left for the Black Tower (Knife of Dreams, News for the Dragon). He joined Logain’s faction and used Emarin’s name as a disguise and perhaps as a memento of his brother (A Memory of Light, Prologue). Pevara noticed that he is attracted to men rather than women. “Emarin” was traumatised by the attempts to turn him to the Shadow, but helped rescue Elayne’s forces at Cairhien, and helped Androl track down the Darkfriend Asha’man and trap them in a Stedding.

His brother, Lord Emarin, could channel and after being taken to the Tower, and some counselling by Cadsuane, supposedly lived for ten years after being gentled (Crossroads of Twilight, Ornaments).


Lord Baran

Baran was a dandy with a pointed nose. He went to Cairhien as part of the Tairen forces to restore order. Baran was in the sortie from the besieged city which tried to find Rand and ask for aid. He was killed by a Shaido spear (The Fires of Heaven, A Wager).


Lord Carlomin

Carlomin is a tall and slender young noble with a dark, pointed beard. He is one of Mat’s captains in the Band of the Red Hand, and was in that part of the Band which was commissioned by Roedran to stay in Murandy and scare the Murandians into uniting under Roedran. In Knife of Dreams, As If the World were Fog, he was reunited with Mat in Altara.


Lord Carlon Belcelona

A young noble with a long nose and a narrow chin, he joined Cha Faile in Cairhien. He accompanied Perrin to Almizar and held his horse while Perrin entered the Seanchan military headquarters (Knife of Dreams, A Manufactory).


Lord Edorion of House Selorna

Edorion was plump and frivolous when Rand took the Stone, but after going to Cairhien with the Tairen forces, became lean, tanned and much more serious (Lord of Chaos, A Different Dance). After the siege of Cairhien, in which he led a sortie from the city to obtain aid from Rand, he enlisted in the Band of the Red Hand. He was in that part of the Band led by Talmanes which stayed in Murandy to secretly aid Roedran to unite the Murandian nobles. He joined Mat in Altara in Knife of Dreams, As If the World were Fog). Since he was not mentioned by Talmanes, he was probably in the half of the Band that Elayne took to Merrilor.


Lord Emares

In the Aiel War, the unnamed lordly messenger who told Lan to cooperate with the Tairens in trapping some Aiel said he came from Lord Emares (New Spring, The Hook). The Tairens never appeared and the Aiel were in greater numbers than expected, so maybe it was a trap for Lan and his forces. Emares may or may not have existed.


Lord Estevan

A hard man sworn to High Lord Sunamon. He was in the forces sent to attack Sammael (Lord of Chaos, A Sense of Humor).


Lord Haviar

A member of Cha Faile set to work in Masema’s camp as a spy, who reported to Selande that Masema met with Masuri and Annoura and sent people to Amadicia (Crossroads of Twilight, The Forging of a Hammer).


Lady Meralda

A dark and stocky member of Cha Faile, she went on a mission to Bethal regarding Queen Alliandre meeting with Perrin (The Path of Daggers, A Simple Country Woman).


Lord Parelean

A member of Cha Faile, he closely adopted Aiel ways, including shaving his beard. He was killed by the Shaido when Faile was captured (The Path of Daggers, Beginnings).


Lord Reimon

Reimon is broad-shouldered with dark hair, a pointed beard and a ready smile. He went with the Tairen nobles to Cairhien to restore order and become one of Mat’s captains in the Band of the Red Hand (Lord of Chaos, A Different Dance). He was in that part of the Band under Talmanes (see Cairhienin Nobles article) which followed the Aes Sedai army north and stayed in Murandy to aid Roedran in uniting his nobles. He was reunited with Mat in Altara (Knife of Dreams, As If the World were Fog).


Real World Influences

Tear, with its crescents, distinctive court dress, dark-skinned people, coolie hats and bamboo, is similar to 16th to 17th Century Moorish Spain, and Spain's Far Eastern colony of the Philippines.

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Written by Linda, March 2009 and updated December 2013