The Composition and Politics of the Halls 998-1000 NE

By Linda

Aes Sedai politics is meat and drink to most sisters, due to their Tower-centric focus and ambitions, and with their great lifespans, they can play a long game. At various times in the Tower’s history, politics literally became a blood sport—careers, people, Halls, and sometimes nations, made or broken. Since the advent of the Dragon Reborn, and the consequent increase in Darkfriend activity, the Aes Sedai leadership was easily manipulated into being faction-ridden and chaotic. This article details the holders of the various political and administrative positions since the beginning of The Great Hunt.

Contents:

The Tower Hall in Siuan’s Reign at the Beginning of The Great Hunt
The Tower Hall during Elaida’s Reign
The Rebel Hall
The Reunited Tower Hall under Egwene
The Tower Hall After the Last Battle

1. The Hall at the Beginning of The Great Hunt

This is the earliest time for which we have entire information about the composition of the Hall.

Amyrlin
Siuan Sanche (formerly of the Blue Ajah) – b. 958 NE

Keeper
Leane Sharif (Blue Ajah) – b. 952 NE

Blue Ajah
Lelaine Akashi – b. 827 NE (Sitter 38 years)
Lyrelle Arienwin – b. 833 NE (Sitter 5 years)
(died in coup)

Brown Ajah
Janya Frende – b. 816 NE (Sitter 7 years)
Saerin Asnobar – b. 781 NE (probably oldest) (Sitter 40 years, longest tenure)
Takima Deraighdin – b. 844 NE (Sitter 9 years)

Green Ajah
Faiselle Darone – b. 829 NE (Sitter 19 years)
Rubinde Acedone – b. 853 NE (Sitter 28 years)
Talene Minly (Black) – b. 840 NE (Sitter 6 years)

Grey Ajah
Evanellein Lorn (Black) – b. 855 NE (b. 875 NE in RJ’s Aes Sedai notes) (Sitter 3 years)
Varilin Zanaire – b. 831 NE (Sitter 8 years)
Yukiri Haruna – b. 837 NE (Sitter 22 years)

Red Ajah
Amira Moselle – b. 823 NE (around the beginning of The Dragon Reborn replaced by Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan – b. 950 NE, youngest Sitter)
Javindhra Doraille – b. 842 NE (Sitter 15 years)
Pevara Tazanovni – b. 839 NE (Sitter 15 years)

White Ajah
Saroiya Farseen – b. 857 NE (Sitter 13 years)
Seaine Herimon – b. 841 NE (Sitter 14 years)
Velina Behar (Black) – b. 859 NE (Sitter 26 years)

Yellow Ajah
Doesine Alwain – b. 867 NE (Sitter 19 years) (probably youngest until Elaida is a Sitter)
Magla Daronos – b. 839 NE (Sitter 15 years)
Sedore Dajenna (Black) – b. 813 NE (Sitter 39 years)

Mistress of Novices: Sheriam Byanar (Blue/Black) – b.953 NE


None of the Sitters in Siuan’s Hall were younger than the typical age until Elaida replaced Amira. In contrast, the Amyrlin, Keeper and Mistress of Novices were all too young, an indication of the huge upheaval and uncertainty due to the short reigns of 3 Amyrlins (only one of them natural), and the death of a great many senior sisters.

The Blue Ajah


Lelaine was a Sitter in New Spring and has been one for 38 years (The Wheel of Time Companion), so she was in the Hall when Siuan was Amyrlin.

Since Moria was raised in Salidar:

Aside from Romanda and Moria, the Sitters chosen in Salidar…they're too young.

- Path of Daggers, Unexpected Absences

Lyrelle was a Sitter in the pre-split Hall.

The third Blue Sitter in the Hall at this time was actually killed during the fighting:

Question: Who was the third Blue Ajah Sitter who didn’t make it to Salidar? What became of her?

Jordan: Well, she died. She was one of the ones who were killed after Siuan was deposed and everything went to hell in a hand basket inside the Tower.

- DragonCon, September 2005

Jordan doesn’t say who she is, nor is she detailed in his notes. At the end of the Aiel War in New Spring, the Blue Sitters were Lelaine, Eadyth and Anlee. Eadyth was also the head of the Blue Ajah and very old, even for an Aes Sedai. Therefore, perhaps Anlee was the third pre-split Blue Sitter.

The Brown Ajah

Saerin has been a Sitter for 40 years:

In truth, Saerin had been both novice and Accepted twice as long as most of them, but forty years as a Sitter, longer than anyone else in the Hall, counted for a great deal.

- Winter’s Heart, Prologue

She is also probably the oldest Sitter (depending on the age of the unnamed third Blue Sitter), which gives her extra clout in the Hall. Saerin is also mentioned as one who stood to depose Siuan.

Takima has been a Sitter for almost 9 years:

Takima, with her long, black hair and aged ivory complexion, had been almost nine years a Brown Sitter.

- Crown of Swords, An Oath

Janya is one of the oldest Sitters in Salidar ( Lord of Chaos, In the Hall of the Sitters) and we know the only two Sitters of proper age raised there were Moria and Romanda, so she must have been a pre-split Sitter. This is confirmed by The Wheel of Time Companion which states that she has been a Sitter for nine years.

The Green Ajah

Talene is another who voted to depose Siuan:

Could they [Yukiri, Talene, Doesine and Saerin] be thinking they had made a mistake, standing to depose Siuan and raise Elaida?

- The Path of Daggers, The Extra Bit

so she was part of the Hall at that time.

Rubinde is not a newly-raised Sitter, since the Greens only had to raise one Sitter after the coup (Crossroads of Twilight, Glimmers of the Pattern) and nor is Faiselle:

…it has been mentioned, very quietly, by Varilin, and by Takima, and also by Magla. And Faiselle and Saroiya have appeared interested in what they have had to say.”

Calm or no calm, a worm of anger suddenly writhed inside Egwene, and crushing it was no easy task. Those five had been Sitters before the Tower was broken…

- Crossroads of Twilight, The Subject of Negotiations

In The Wheel of Time Companion, the year of Rubinde’s raising is given as 992 NE, but Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes repeatedly give the year as 20 years earlier in 972 NE, at which time Rubinde would have been Aes Sedai for less than 100 years. One young Sitter in the Hall is not unusual.

The Grey Ajah

The quote above from The Path of Daggers, The Extra Bit shows Yukiri stood to depose Siuan, so she was part of the original Hall. Among the rebels, Varillin was also mentioned above as being in Siuan’s Hall. The Grey only had to choose one new Sitter for the Tower Hall under Elaida, and that was Andaya, so Evanellein is the other original Sitter:

Only the Sitters and the head of our Ajah know [about Toveine’s group being bonded]. Evanellein is for pulling Elaida down because of this…

- Knife of Dreams Prologue

Note that Evanellein was one of the group meeting with Elaida in The Fires of Heaven but not in The Path of Daggers, An Unwelcome Return, and now Yukiri thinks Evanellein is in favour of deposing Elaida after being bullied by her. Evanellein is/was Black and would be expected to want to retain an Amyrlin the Blacks had promoted and were able to manipulate.

The Red Ajah

Pevara has been a Sitter for about 15 years:

Truth to tell, until being raised a Sitter nearly fifteen years ago, just a year after Pevara, she [Seaine] had not really given much attention to anything outside the Tower.

- Crown of Swords, Sealed to the Flame

Elaida was a Sitter when Siuan was deposed:

Three Sitters for three different Ajahs had proposed holding all plans close in the Hall before she had even suggested it; the surprise had been that one was Elaida.

- The Shadow Rising, The Truth of a Viewing

This should have been a warning sign to Siuan that the Hall was about to use Siuan’s request for secrecy against her, but she was too relieved to consider this.

When asked about Elaida’s position at the Tower Hall in TOR’s Question of the Week, Jordan stated that she wasn’t a Sitter. Later, after consulting his notes, he corrected this to state that shortly after Elaida returned from Andor, the stepping down of a Red Sitter, Amira Moselle, gave her the opportunity to become a Sitter in the Hall and work toward deposing Siuan. (He is correct when he says that some of his notes have Elaida as an influential Aes Sedai who is not a Sitter; his idea of making Elaida a Sitter is a later substitution). Galina, the Red Ajah Head who was also Black, had an interest in destabilising Siuan’s reign and supported her.

Elaida was far younger than the usual age for a Sitter, and replaced Doesine (or perhaps Evanellein, who has a conflicting age) as the youngest Sitter in the Hall. It is not unusual to have one too-young Sitter in the Hall, according to Siuan in Path of Daggers, Unexpected Absences, but the degree of Elaida’s youth and inexperience is unusual.

Amira was perhaps a temporary Sitter for the Red—it’s hard to know because there’s no information on which year she became Sitter. It may be a lucky coincidence as far as Elaida is concerned that Amira Moselle was stepping down, or Amira may have been ordered to step down by Galina, once Elaida consulted her. Even perhaps before the Fal Dara visit, Alviarin and Galina may have had some idea that Moiraine had found the Dragon Reborn and could see benefits to the Black Ajah as well as Red in ending Siuan’s reign. We’ll probably never know since Amira was killed at Dumai’s Wells, according to a personal communication to a fan by Jordan.

What is known is that in 985 NE three Red Sitters were unchaired and exiled by Marith Jaen as punishment for the illegal killing of male channellers by the Red Ajah. These Sitters were replaced by Pevara, Teslyn and Javindhra (The Wheel of Time Companion and Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes) who are all still Sitters during Elaida’s reign. Since Pevara and Javindhra are definitely stated as having stood for the votes against Siuan and for Elaida (Pevara in The Path of Daggers and Javindhra in the Companion), perhaps Teslyn was temporarily replaced by Amira, and then Elaida, for some reason. Teslyn said that she supported Elaida’s rise, which could mean that she actually stood for Elaida once the vote to depose Siuan was over and Elaida became a candidate for Amyrlin, or that she delayed taking back her chair after Amira stepped down and let Elaida have it temporarily instead and regained a chair after Elaida was Amyrlin. From this quote:

Teslyn had sat in the Hall for nearly fifteen years before Elaida had commanded her to resign her chair.

- A Crown of Swords, Lightnings

we know that at the least Amira’s tenure must have been short. Regardless, the situation seems rather engineered and confused. Or perhaps it’s an inconsistency.

The Wheel of Time Companion states that Duhara stood to depose Siuan, but this cannot have been the case, and indeed the Companion does not state that she was a Sitter in this period, but that Duhara replaced Teslyn in 999 NE.

The White Ajah

Seaine has been a Sitter for 15 years (Crown of Swords, Sealed to the Flame). Among the rebels, Saroiya is named as having been in the Tower Hall prior to the split (Crossroads of Twilight, The Subject of Negotiations) and replaced by Ferane (Crossroads of Twilight, Glimmers of the Pattern) once she left for the rebels. Therefore, Velina is an original Sitter. She is one of the six Sitters in Elaida’s little council and was listed as Black in Verin’s report (The Gathering Storm, A Visit from Verin Sedai).

The Yellow Ajah

Doesine was named in The Path of Daggers, The Extra Bit as one who stood to depose Siuan. Magla is one of the rebel Sitters named as having been a pre-split Sitter (Crossroads of Twilight, The Subject of Negotiations). When she left the Tower, Suana replaced her (Crossroads of Twilight, Glimmers of the Pattern), which makes Sedore, listed as Black by Verin (The Gathering Storm, A Visit from Verin Sedai), Sitter in the Hall under Siuan.

The Red-Green Alliance

In the Hall, the Green Ajah has been siding with the Red since The Great Hunt:

"It was put forward in the Hall that you should be sent into retreat for contemplation. This was proposed by one of the Sitters of the Green Ajah, with the other two nodding approval as she spoke...The Green Ajah had been allied with the Blue for a thousand years; since Artur Hawkwing's time, they had all but spoken with the one voice...It was also proposed by the Greens, that your care during your retreat be given to the Red Ajah. The Red Sitters tried to appear surprised, but they looked like fisher-birds who knew the catch was unguarded." The Amyrlin sniffed. "The Reds professed their reluctance to take custody of one not of their Ajah, but said they would accede to the wishes of the Hall."

This abandonment of long-standing allies in favour of a formerly antipathic group is quite a political turnaround. Even Faiselle, who was sent to the rebels, voted against the Blues. Siuan’s political difficulties had been brewing for some time prior to these votes, according to Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes, and, in my opinion, by this stage the Reds and Blacks, especially Galina, were trying to weaken Siuan by forcing her to discipline Moiraine, who they probably realised had found the Dragon Reborn. Talene, being a Black Green, would be under orders to promote this unholy alliance.

The Vote on Siuan’s Entourage to Shienar

"Since Leane is of the Blue Ajah and I came from the Blue, it was put forward that sending two sisters of the Blue with me on this journey would give the Blues four representatives. Proposed in the Hall, to my face, as if they were discussing repairing the drains. Two of the White sisters stood against me, and two Green. The Yellow muttered among themselves and then would not speak for or against. One more saying nay, and your sisters Anaiya and Maigan would not be here."

- The Great Hunt, Summoned

Such a vote would require the lesser consensus, since the vote to allow the Amyrlin to travel requires it. The lesser consensus requires a quorum of eleven Sitters, but only two-thirds of those present need stand for an item to pass. There is no requirement for all Ajahs to be represented in the lesser consensus except in the case of a declaration of war by the White Tower.

Siuan listed the ‘anti-Blue’ vote numbers of three Ajahs: Red 3, Green 2, White 2. She made a point of listing the Green and the White because they are normally allies of the Blue. Grey Sitters voting against the Blue would not have been as shocking but they were present (or the numbers don’t work) and at least one voted against (Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes). It is interesting that the Yellows were not allies of the Red on this vote, whereas they normally are.

If the entire Hall were present, then 14 votes would be required to pass the motion. However, the Yellows abstained and so were not included in the counting, bringing the quorum down to 18 (Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes). The lesser consensus was therefore 12 in this situation and Siuan said that the votes fell one short. The likely voting pattern is given below and amounts to 11 votes.

Those who voted in favour of no Blues among the entourage were:

Blue Ajah
none

Brown Ajah
Saerin Asnobar probably
either Janya Frende or Takima Deraighdin

Green Ajah
Talene Minly (Black)
Rubinde Acedone

Grey Ajah
Evanellein Lorn (Black)
Yukiri Haruna

Red Ajah
Amira Moselle
Pevara Tazanovni
Teslyn Baradon

White Ajah Saroiya Farseen
Velina Behar (Black)

Yellow Ajah
abstained

Elaida also spoke in the Hall about Moiraine associating with a ta'veren man more dangerous than any since Artur Hawking and because she sometimes Foretells her "words carried great weight with the Hall" (The Great Hunt, Summoned). Note that at this time, Elaida did not think that the dangerous ta’veren might be the Dragon Reborn; this came later. With Elaida casting those the delegation was about to meet in a bad light, and hinting that Siuan could be going into danger, Siuan was lucky the Hall allowed her to go to Fal Dara. Elaida was so keen to bring Siuan down that she would be easily manipulated by Galina into trying to prevent Siuan from meeting the Dragon. With all these political delays, no wonder the delegation had to summon the winds to make up for the lost time (The Great Hunt, Summoned).

Talene may have played an important part in persuading one of the other Green Sitters, probably Rubinde, to vote against the Blues. It is interesting that Sedore, who is Black, did not vote at all, especially because she was the most senior Yellow Sitter. Maybe she was forbidden to by her Ajah Head. The muttering of the Yellows sounds like at least one wanted to vote.

The move to deprive Siuan and Moiraine of the support of the Blue Ajah while she was on her visit to Fal Dara is sinister considering there was an apparent attempt on Siuan’s life there (The Great Hunt, Leavetakings) soon after she had a private audience with a ta’veren Elaida labelled in the Hall as dangerous (Rand), and with Moiraine, a sister the Hall tried to censure in that same Sitting. This whole Sitting was obviously instigated by the Black Ajah.

The Vote to Depose Siuan and Raise Elaida

After failing to get at Siuan through Moiraine, and unsuccessfully trying to remove Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne from the Tower, the Black Ajah was hit with a further blow: Siuan ordered Verin, a Black sister, to provide information on the 13 Black sisters that left the Tower at the order of one of the Forsaken, and then sent three very strong, if inexperienced, channellers out after them. This was in April 999 NE, and Verin had to make a convincing job of her report (which she wanted to do anyway) or risk exposure, no doubt much to the fury of the Blacks, who could see no way to avoid it. Elaida sniffing around looking for support to make her Amyrlin in Siuan’s place in May must have seemed a gift to the Black, and a month later they were ready to launch the coup.

The deposing of Siuan and the raising of Elaida in June 999 NE were contingent on each other—a package deal of an incompetent Blue and a Red qualified to handle a male channeller—and were voted on in the same sitting:

As a Sitter, Elaida was able to call a sitting of the Hall while making sure that only the Sitters she wanted to attend actually received notification. Elaida is a forceful and effective speaker, and her arguments to this bare quorum in favor of deposing Siuan were also her campaign for being raised to the Amyrlin Seat herself, so the vote to depose Siuan was followed immediately by the vote to make Elaida the new Amyrlin. She did not expect the violent reaction that would come from this. She had not had access to the secret histories for very long at this point, so her view was that of most sisters. The Tower had always acceded to the will of the Hall however sisters might grumble. Like many others, she was blind-sided by what she thought she knew.

- TOR Question of the Week

Elaida broke custom and very nearly broke the law in the way she deposed Siuan without publicly charging her (The Path of Daggers, Unexpected Absences), or giving her an opportunity to defend herself of the charges in a court of law (The Fires of Heaven, The Practice of Diffidence).

Deposing an Amylin requires the greater consensus. The minimum number of Sitters needed to depose an Amyrlin is eleven:

The greater consensus requires that every sister who is present must stand, and that a minimum of eleven Sitters be present; the presence of at least one Sitter from each Ajah is also required, except when the matter before the Hall is the removal of an Amyrlin or Keeper, in which case the Ajah from which she was raised will not be informed of the vote until after it is taken.

- A Crown of Swords, Glossary

As Siuan shrewdly guessed, Elaida only had the minimum vote to depose Siuan:

"The Hall convened not an hour ago—enough Sitters to meet our laws—and by unanimous vote, as required, you are no longer Amyrlin. It is done and we are here to see it enforced."…
"Enough to meet our laws?" Siuan sneered. "A bare minimum heavy with your friends and those you can influence or bully."

- The Shadow Rising, The Truth of a Viewing

Elaida probably had a good idea of who would vote in her favour from the vote about Siuan’s entourage for Fal Dara (see above). Naturally the three Blue Sisters did not take part in the vote, and the six Sitters who fled to Salidar after the fighting presumably had obvious enough sympathies that they weren’t told of the Sitting either. Seaine Herimon (White) is the only Sitter known to have not taken part in the vote and yet remain in the Tower. That leaves the following eleven Sitters:

Brown Ajah
Saerin Asnobar

Green Ajah
Talene Minly (Black)
Rubinde Acedone

Grey Ajah
Evanellein Lorn (Black)
Yukiri Haruna

Red Ajah
Elaida do'Avriny a Roihan (and then Teslyn Baradon)
Pevara Tazanovni
Javindhra Doraille

White Ajah
Velina Behar (Black)

Yellow Ajah
Doesine Alwain
Sedore Dajenna (Black)

Since Elaida couldn’t vote for herself to be raised Amyrlin, Teslyn Baradon may have retaken a chair in the Hall for the Reds so that they were fully represented. Teslyn said she supported Elaida.

Elaida came very close to failing, which is why she owed Alviarin such an obligation that she had to acknowledge it publicly and make her Keeper. Note that Alviarin delivered to Elaida critical support not just from the White Ajah as Elaida claimed (only one vote), but from the Blacks (four votes).

From Alviarin’s point of view, Elaida’s plan was an excellent opportunity for the Black Ajah to replace an Amyrlin with a tie to the Dragon Reborn with an Amyrlin who owed her high position to the Head of the Black Ajah. Close to Elaida, Alviarin would know, and influence if possible, every decision the Amyrlin made, and the Tower would not be able to aid the Dragon Reborn. Elaida was so ambitious that she accepted Alviarin’s encouragement as her due, even though it made little sense for the White to abandon the Amyrlin one of them had proposed. No doubt Galina gave Elaida bad advice about this deal with the White.

The Sitters that supported Elaida did not inform their Ajah Head of the coup until afterwards, and a good many of the rank-and-file sisters were also in favour of it, so no Sitter was disciplined for being involved (Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes). The White Tower has a strong tradition of accepting events, so many of those who were not in favour did not object, just as Elaida expected, even though it was barely legal, and there was no effort to obtain the complete consensus of the Hall. Seaine Herimon is an excellent example of reluctant acceptance. This incensed even further those Aes Sedai who thought the move was completely unjust, which led to fighting within the Tower and then a public rebellion and a schism—something Elaida had no idea might happen.

Elaida began from a position of political weakness; she owed Alviarin the Keeper’s stole for delivering the support of the White Ajah required for reaching the greater consensus to raise an Amyrlin (and also the Black, but Elaida didn’t know that). Otherwise, Elaida’s efforts at deposing Siuan would have failed and she would have been imprisoned at the least:

And Alviarin knew full well why she wore the Keeper's stole instead of someone from the Red. The Red Ajah had favored Elaida unanimously, but the White had not done so, and without wholehearted support from the White, many others might not have come round, in which case Elaida would have been in a cell instead of sitting on the Amyrlin Seat. That is, if the remains of her head were not decorating a spike for the ravens to play with. Alviarin would not be so easily intimidated as the others.

- The Fires of Heaven, Prologue

Crucial for the greater consensus, Elaida got one vote from the Whites, the only White Sitter that was there, even if her support was seemingly persuasive because the Whites are traditionally non-aligned with the Reds. Alviarin delivered the Blacks to support Elaida. While Sierin Vayu also had an administration from a different Ajah to her own, the big difference between Sierin and Elaida is that Reds are normally allied to the Greys, while Elaida had to gain the support of an Ajah from the Red’s rival axis.
Both the rebel and the Tower Aes Sedai had their own leadership. Due to the split being mainly Ajah-driven, each Tower had a Hall of the Tower consisting of eighteen Sitters, instead of the usual twenty-one, i.e., three for each Ajah. There were no Sitters for the Red Ajah in the rebel Hall and no Sitters for the Blue Ajah in the Tower Hall. Both Amyrlins were raised without the presence of one Ajah, so technically neither was raised legally at this time.

2. The Tower Hall during Elaida’s Reign

Amyrlin
Elaida do’Avriny a’Roihan (formerly of the Red Ajah) – b. 950 NE

Keeper
Alviarin Freidhen (White/Black Ajah) – b. 943 NE, then Tarna Feir (Red Ajah) – b. 950 NE

Brown Ajah
Juilaine Madome – b. 903 NE (second youngest) (Sitter 1 year)
Saerin Asnobar – b. 781 NE (Sitter 40 years, longest tenure)
Shevan Gadarin – b. 843 NE (Sitter 1 year)

Green Ajah
Joline Maza – b. 899 NE (youngest) (very briefly), then Rina Hafden – b. 923 NE (youngest) (Sitter 1 year)
Rubinde Acedone – b. 853 NE (Sitter 28 years)
Talene Minly (Black) – b. 840 NE (Sitter 6 years)

Grey Ajah
Andaya Forae – b. 901 NE (Sitter 1 year)
Evanellein Lorn (Black) – b. 855 NE (Sitter 3 years)
Yukiri Haruna – b. 837 NE (Sitter 22 years)

Red Ajah
Teslyn Baradon – b. 870 NE (Sitter 14 years), then Duhara Basaheen (Black) – b. 764 NE (Sitter 24 years)
Javindhra Doraille – b. 842 NE (Sitter 15 years)
Pevara Tazanovni – b. 839 NE (Sitter 15 years)

White Ajah
Ferane Neheran (AH) – b. 727 NE (oldest) (Sitter 22 years)
Seaine Herimon – b. 841 NE (Sitter 14 years)
Velina Behar (Black) – b. 859 NE (Sitter 26 years)

Yellow Ajah
Doesine Alwain – b. 867 NE (Sitter 19 years)
Sedore Dajenna (Black) – b. 813 NE (Sitter 39 years)
Suana Dragand (AH) – b. 784 NE (Sitter 33 years)

Mistress of Novices: Silviana Brehon (Red) – b. 849 NE, then Katerine Alruddin (Red/Black) – b. 950 NE

Most of the Sitters in Elaida’s Hall are detailed in The Path of Daggers, An Unwelcome Return and The Extra Bit, with Rina mentioned in the Crossroads of Twilight prologue and Javindhra and Evanellein in the Knife of Dreams prologue. Rina's surname is mentioned in Crossroads of Twilight, A Chat With Siuan, Pevara’s and Doesine’s in Knife of Dreams, Honey in the Tea, Duhara’s in Knife of Dreams, House on Full Moon Street, Javindhra’s in Knife of Dreams Epilogue, and Sedore’s and Velina’s in The Gathering Storm, A Visit From Verin Sedai).

Seven new Sitters were elected to the Hall to replace those that went to Salidar: two for the Brown Ajah and one each for the Green, Grey, Red (to replace Elaida), White and Yellow. Three of these Sitters were younger than is considered proper, and two others returned themselves to the Hall far sooner than is customary:

"Did the head of your Ajah have a hand in choosing Andaya for the Hall? More than usual, I mean?"
"She did." Yukiri replied carefully. Everyone had been sure Andaya would go into the Hall one day, perhaps in another forty or fifty years, yet Serancha had all but anointed her....
"I knew it." Seaine nodded excitedly..."Saerin says that Juilaine was hand-picked for the Browns, too, apparently not their usual way, and Doesine said the same about Suana....in any case, she [Suana] was a Sitter for forty years the first time, and you know it isn't common to take a chair after you were a Sitter that long. And Ferane stepped down for the White less than ten years ago; no-one has ever entered the Hall again so soon. To cap it off, Talene says Adelorna chose Rina without any nominations."
"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...The Brown had to choose two new Sitters, but you didn't mention Shevan. Is there anything...odd...about her?"

- Crossroads of Twilight, Glimmers of the Pattern

Duhara and Shevan were the only conventional candidates of the seven. The Black Ajah took the opportunity to add another Black Sitter to the Hall: Duhara to replace Teslyn. Teslyn was not a new Sitter; she was one of three replacement Sitters for the three Reds unchaired by Marith Jaen in 985 NE as punishment for the male channeller pogrom, and was apparently briefly replaced by Amira and then Elaida in Siuan’s Hall. This circumstance is not fully explained in the Wheel of Time Companion or Jordan’s TOR Question of the Week answer, and not mentioned at all in Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes. After getting her chair back briefly when Elaida was raised, Teslyn was then made an example of by the new Amyrlin to strike fear into the entirety of the White Tower, and the Hall in particular. The Red Ajah didn’t speak out against a Red Amyrlin and let Teslyn suffer a severe punishment of effectively exile as well as unchairing. Javindhra thought this most unfair but did not dare let Elaida see her opinion. This is why Javindhra behaved inconsistently, obeying Elaida and privately smirking at the thought that knowledge of Dumai's Wells was spreading to discredit Elaida despite the Highest's orders to the contrary.

Until Alviarin’s demotion, both she and Elaida each led a faction in the Hall:

Only six were firmly under her own thumb, and she suspected as many at least listened closely to Alviarin before they voted.

- A Crown of Swords, Prologue: Lightnings

The independent Sitters also formed a faction, though not for voting in the Hall.

Elaida's faction: Elaida thinks that she has six Sitters in her faction. She met with six Sitters: Andaya (Grey), Duhara (Red/Black), Rubinde (Green), Shevan (Brown), Sedore (Yellow/Black), and Velina (White/Black), in The Path of Daggers, An Unwelcome Return. One from each Ajah is too evenly spread and sounds like a set-up by either Alviarin and/or the Ajah Heads. These Sitters may not be the six Elaida ‘controls’, but as some were also in her council in the prologue to The Fires of Heaven, it is probable that at least some are. Javindhra, also present at that first council and a Red as well, is another possible Sitter Elaida tries to influence. Both Javindhra and Duhara chafe at Elaida’s control, but are compliant. Three Blacks in Elaida’s faction were there to manipulate her, especially to feed her information the Blacks wanted and also to report back. Velina for instance derided the possibility that the Seanchan make and use ter’angreal to control channelling women (The Path of Daggers, An Unwelcome Return), which would encourage Elaida to disbelieve that the Seanchan were a threat to the Tower.

Joline Maza was a Green Sitter in Elaida’s faction for a few weeks and was raised by the Greens because Elaida set her a harsh penance (A Crown of Swords, Prologue). She was unchaired at the same time as Teslyn. Elaida wanted to make an example of them to scare the other Sitters into obedience, but all she achieved was to probably reduce the strength of her own faction. For instance, Joline was replaced by the too-young Rina, who has not been seen in Elaida’s counsels. As well as these Sitters from the Green and the Red, Elaida gave stiff penances to Sitters in most of the other Ajahs in the Tower to spread the pain: Saerin (Brown), Doesine (Yellow), Evanellein (Grey) and Talene (another Green and the only Black). Only Alviarin’s former Ajah was spared this humiliation.

To further treat the Reds’ new allies with contempt, Alviarin made Elaida order two Green sisters birched for hanging onto angreal, with the crowning insult being that one of these was the Green Ajah head, Adelorna, seemingly denounced by a Grey and a White to drive wedges between the Ajahs. It was effective. Elaida’s obsession with completely controlling the Hall (and the Tower) while simultaneously hiding her disasters from them, has blinded her from seeing the divisions that she and Alviarin sowed. Together they made the Tower weaker rather than stronger.

Independent Sitters: The six independent Sitters were: Saerin (Brown), Yukiri (Grey), Doesine (Yellow), Seaine (White), Pevara (Red) and Talene (Green/Black). Five of these worked together to uncover Black sisters. The sixth was the first Black sister they found.

Alviarin's faction: As we saw in the quote above, Elaida thinks there are six Sitters in Alviarin’s faction. Those who haven’t been seen in council with Elaida since Lord of Chaos, and are not stated to be independents are: Evanellein (Grey/Black), Suana (Yellow), Ferane (White), Javindhra (Red), Rina (Green) and Juilaine (Brown). (Three met with Elaida in Crossroads of Twilight, A Mark, but that was to insist on talks with the rebels). Since two of these Sitters are Ajah Heads that were in a cabal separate from the Hall and the Blacks, they were probably not following Alviarin as closely as she and Elaida thought. The Black Sitter in Alviarin’s faction provided feedback on what the Sitters in her group say behind Alviarin’s back.

Black Sitters: Elaida had five Black Sitters in her Hall, at least one in every Ajah but the Brown, possibly the most there has ever been in the Hall. They comprise 24% of the Sitters, a higher rate than the 22‒3% of Aes Sedai that were Black Ajah at this time (see Black Ajah article). This percentage rose to 29% when Duhara was added. At least three of these Sitters met with Elaida, one voted independently and one was possibly considered by Elaida to listen to Alviarin. With such a large voting bloc in the Hall, the Black Ajah could kill any motion they wished and stood a good chance of getting any motion through. By splitting themselves across factions they could find out what all groups were thinking and manipulate them if necessary, without seeming to be a faction in themselves.

Ajah Head Cabal:

White Tower Ajah Heads

Brown: Jesse Bilal – b. 752 NE
Green: Adelorna Bastine – b. 796 NE
Grey: Serancha Colvine – b. 835 NE
Red: Galina Casban – b. 875 NE, then Tsutama Rath – b. 827 NE
White: Ferane Neheran – b. 727 NE
Yellow: Suana Dragand – b. 784 NE

New Ajah Heads seem to be known to the other Ajah Heads fairly soon after their election. All the Tower Ajah Heads were aware that Tsutama Rath became Head of the Red Ajah after Galina did not return to the Tower.

The Black Ajah hunters realised that the Ajah Heads conspired over who would go into the Tower Hall (Crossroads of Twilight, Prologue). When the Tower fractured, five Tower Ajah Heads formed a cabal to run the White Tower:

The days of the Last Battle's approach were a special time, requiring special attention. Attention from women of sound, rational minds and great experience. Women who could speak together in confidence and decide on the best course, avoiding the arguments that the Hall got into.

- The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame

The division of the Tower, the departure of so many in rebellion and the raising of a new Amyrlin, had not been their fault. But it had presented several opportunities. The first had been the easiest to take hold of: send Sitters to the rebels to steer them and hasten a reconciliation. The most youthful of Sitters had been chosen; their replacements in the Tower intended to serve only a short time. The Ajah Heads had been certain this ripple of a rebellion could be easily smoothed over.

- The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame

While this reads as though the Ajah Heads sent the youngest Sitters out after the Blues, that is not what Brandon Sanderson meant. On The Gathering Storm book tour he said that there were a lot of reasons for the people sent:

First of all the available pool of Sitters was quite small; he actually said that some Sitters had left voluntarily. The Ajah Heads had a list of criteria that they used to vet the sent sitters. Primary on this list of criteria was: Are they loyal to the wishes of the Ajah Heads? Will they 'follow direction'? Secondly, would they be acceptable to the Salidar people? Finally, would they be effective in convincing the Salidar rebels to come back? He said that age was not a criterion, that they were all 'youngish' was a coincidence. However, he did say that the "too young Sitters" was a different matter.

Apart from the two Blue Sitters, Janya was the only other Sitter who went voluntarily, according to Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes. She consistently voted independently and in favour of all the motions promoting the rebellion, and did not participate in negotiations with the Tower delegation. Janya was known to be a good friend of Anaiya, which may also have influenced her decision.

The Tower Ajah Heads sent those Sitters not involved in raising Elaida out of the Tower after the Blues, or at least away from Elaida. Since Elaida’s faction was perhaps believed to be at least partly responsible for the murder of a Blue Sitter, other Sitters who did not stand for Elaida may also have been considered at risk. They would be acceptable to the rebels since they didn’t vote for Elaida. The Sitters sent out were instructed to influence the Blues and stabilise the rebels until the Tower could be united. Once the rebels decided to have their own Hall, these Sitters followed the same reasoning as their Tower Ajah Heads and raised Sitters that were too young and could be easily influenced or were dispensable, although this was not what their Ajah Heads instructed. Some high-ranking sisters from each Ajah except the Red joined the rebellion off their own bats to also stabilise the rebels and lead them to return to the Tower (Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes). Not all of the other high-ranking sisters in each Ajah knew this. The whole situation illustrates Jordan’s theme of partial or mistaken knowledge.

Naturally, the Red Ajah Head was not included in this conspiracy and the Blue Ajah Head could not be either, even if the others wanted her to, since she had fled or, more probably, been killed in the Tower fighting. The heads of the other Ajahs felt that the whole split was the fault of the Blues and the Reds.

However, problems arose: Elaida for one, particularly her disbandment of the Blues and the way she was forced to cause disunity among the Ajahs. The rebels, moreover, were:

Far more difficult to control than presumed…they hadn't counted on how resilient, or effective, the rebels would be. A full army, appearing on the shores around Tar Valon in the middle of a snowstorm? Led by one of the greatest military minds of the Age? With a new Amyrlin and a frustratingly effective siege?

- The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame

The Ajah Heads weren’t trusted by their Sitters because their ploy to choose malleable Sitters was too obvious and the young Sitters were:

a group of squabbling brats with inflated opinions of themselves, too immature for more temperate minds to influence.

- The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame

The Ajah Heads and senior Aes Sedai lost control of events and the cabal could barely control their Sitters. There was no agreement on policy, and no understanding of how or why the dissension in the Tower might be occurring. Protocol and rank were violated. No one trusted anyone; some sisters ratted on others before someone could rat on them (Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes) and many curried favour with Elaida or Alviarin. The Tower Hall drifted into the dangerous situation of being unable to achieve any consensus on almost anything at all.

Alviarin was unaware of the purpose of the Ajah Head cabal, since none of the cabal was Black. The pervasive distrust in the Tower meant that all motives and actions were suspect. Ajahs refused to discuss those false accusations made against them, feeling they would demean themselves and give the falsehoods credibility if they did. They were enraged that other Ajahs believed that there might be any truth in the accusations and enraged at Elaida for not putting a stop to it all. The Reds were burning at the tales of them sponsoring Logain, the Browns at suspicions of their loyalty because they had two Sitters join the rebels, the Yellows and Greens at the injustices they suffered, the Whites at the senselessness of it all and the Greys at the public rebellion and lack of mediation.

While the Tower Aes Sedai had the moral high ground and also the rights of possession, they lacked an entire Ajah (just as the rebels did) and even though they could argue the Blues were at fault, since they left the Tower, Elaida threw away that moral authority with her reckless and coerced actions.

3. The Rebel Hall

Originally the rebels’ aim was for dialogue between the rebels and the Tower, encouraged by Elaida’s mole, Beonin, and the former Tower Sitters present, since every Sitter who was previously in the Tower Hall was negotiating with the Tower delegation (Crossroads of Twilight, A Mark) to resolve the schism. It was not until Siuan and Leane arrived with Logain and lied about the Reds setting him up as a false Dragon that the rebels decided to formalise their rebellion into an alternative administration with its own Hall, Amyrlin and Keeper.

Amyrlin
Egwene al’Vere, formerly Accepted – b. 981 NE

Keeper
Sheriam Bayanar, Blue/Black Ajah – b.953 NE

Blue Ajah
Lelaine Akashi – b. 827 NE (Sitter 38 years)
Lyrelle Arienwin – b. 833 NE (Sitter 5 years)
Moria Karentanis (Black) – b. 840 NE (Sitter 1 year)

Brown Ajah
Escaralde Hamdey – b. 927 NE (Sitter 1 year)
Janya Frende – b. 816 NE (Sitter 7 years)
Takima Deraighdin – b. 844 NE (Sitter 9 years)

Green Ajah
Faiselle Darone – b. 829 NE (Sitter 19 years)
Malind Nachenin – b. 941 NE (Sitter 1 year)
Samalin Naerodan – b. 935 NE (Sitter 1 year)

Grey Ajah
Delana Mosalaine (Black) – b. 950 NE (Sitter 1 year) / Naorisa Cambral
Kwamesa Taramasu – b. 950 NE (youngest) (Sitter 1 year)
Varilin Zanaire – b. 831 NE (Sitter 8 years)

White Ajah
Aledrin Malenry – b. 950 NE (second youngest) (Sitter 1 year)
Berana Shermon– b. 930 NE (Sitter 1 year)
Saroiya Farseen – b. 857 NE (Sitter 13 years)

Yellow Ajah
Magla Daronos – b. 839 NE (Sitter 15 years)
Romanda Cassin (AH) – b. 726 NE (oldest) (Sitter 89 years, longest tenure)
Salita Toranes – b. 933 NE (Sitter 1 year)

Mistress of Novices: Tiana – b. 937 NE

All the Sitters except Naorisa are mentioned in The Path of Daggers, The Law.

The Blue Sitters fled the Tower after Elaida’s coup and went to Salidar. The Blue was the only Ajah among the rebels that had three Sitters who had been Aes Sedai over 100 years, and were thus the proper age. The other Ajahs all had one Sitter stated to be too young.

Too-Young Sitters

Siuan’s Hall only had one Sitter, Elaida, under 100, and that was only for a short time. In contrast, Elaida's Hall had five Sitters who were too young and the rebel Hall had even more:

”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. I can't be certain without going into the novice books in Tar Valon, or her telling us, but I'm as sure as I can be. It isn't often the Hall has held more than one Sitter under a hundred, and here we have nine!

Mark me, though. When a woman is raised too young, there's a reason." She took a deep breath. "Including when I was."

- Path of Daggers, Unexpected Absences

Young Sitters seem to be raised during periods of instability. Ten Sitters were raised in Salidar, eight of them younger than the proper age. Seven of these young Sitters (Aledrin, Berana, Escaralde, Kwamesa, Malind, Samalin and Salita) were not aligned with any faction and one (Delana) was Black and tried to be part of all factions (no doubt so she could report to Aran’gar what was said). Siuan may have thought there was a ninth young Sitter who would have been a pre-split Sitter, but none of the pre-split Sitters is too young from the ages given in the Companion and in Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes. The two new Sitters of correct age were Moria and Romanda.

The rebel Aes Sedai leadership was as riven by divisions or factions as that of the White Tower.

There was an influential faction outside the Hall. Sheriam’s six (Sheriam, Myrelle, Beonin, Anaiya, Morvrin and Carlinya) still had considerable influence after the rebel Hall was established—they chose Egwene to be Amyrlin for instance, and the Hall voted in favour of their choice—but they themselves were manipulated by Siuan. Beonin, Elaida’s secret supporter, also tried to manipulate the other members of this faction, as did Sheriam, a Black sister. Most, if not all, of Sheriam’s six are rank-and-file, and four are young to boot, and they had little idea at first that the most senior sisters among the rebels intended to reunite the rebels with the Tower sisters and end the rebellion.

Lelaine’s faction consisted of Lyrelle, Faiselle and Takima. Lelaine has been a Sitter for almost forty years, and more than hoped to be Amyrlin herself.

Romanda’s faction consisted of Magla, Saroiya and Varilin. Romanda came out of retirement to join the rebels and hoped to become Amyrlin. She tried for Amyrlin 27 years ago, but Tamra Ospenya of the Blue was raised instead. Romanda retired in disappointment after having been a Sitter for over eighty years.

The former Tower Sitters divided themselves equally among Lelaine and Romanda to prevent either of the two from gaining the upper hand. They also appear to have used Lelaine and Romanda to keep Sheriam and Egwene in check just as Egwene used the rivalry between Lelaine and Romanda and between the two Sitters and Sheriam to promote her own strategy.

The original intentions of the rebel Aes Sedai were to separate from the Tower and negotiate with the Tower administration for their eventual return. The original Sitters were sent by the Tower Ajah Heads after the Blues to reconcile the two groups.

The Tower Ajah Heads complained that:

some of the Sitters they had sent had begun siding with the rebels more than the White Tower!

- The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame

due, in part, to the deteriorating leadership and law within the Tower.

Black Ajah: Delana was controlled by Halima (Aran’gar). She was the first Sitter to stand to raise Egwene (Lord of Chaos, In the Hall of the Sitters) and was obviously reluctant to vote in favour of declaring war on Elaida but was under orders to do so. Delana tried to support all factions at Halima’s orders, presumably to further mire the workings of the Hall but all she achieved was to look politically foolish. As a Grey, she would know of this eventuality, but could not gainsay a Forsaken. Her efforts to publicly declare Elaida Black made her look more foolish still (A Crown of Swords, An Oath). The schism was part of the Shadow’s plot to tie up the Aes Sedai and prevent them from making a positive contribution to the war against the Shadow, which is why Delana did all she could to prolong it. In Crossroads of Twilight, she tried to prevent the rebel Sitters meeting with the Tower delegation for negotiations by causing strife between Sitters, Ajahs and Ajah Heads. Exposed by Romanda, she fled in Knife of Dreams, and the Hall raised Naorisa Cambral to replace her (The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame).

Sheriam was also Black, and supported Egwene for Amyrlin at Halima’s orders (The Gathering Storm, In Darkness). Egwene was expected to be a puppet which Sheriam could control. She tried to get the rebels to stop as long as possible at each halt (A Crown of Swords, The Figurehead). Sheriam was also made to report Egwene’s plans to Halima. A particularly suspicious attitude for a former Mistress of Novices was Sheriam’s satisfaction that Nicola was reported as a runaway days late, and also her attempts to get Egwene to show favouritism to the Emond’s Field novices. When Egwene was captured, Sheriam was very eager to rescue her (Knife of Dreams When Last Sounds) because Halima feared the rebellion would otherwise end. After Halima fled, Mesaana ordered Sheriam to have Egwene deposed and to steal all the rebels’ dream ter’angreal. She did achieve the latter, expect for one probably with the rebel’s delegation (she had told Mesaana about the one believed to be with Leane but actually with Siuan) for which she lost a finger.

The Black Sitter Moria did not join any faction, so Delana had to try and belong to all factions. Perhaps Moria was taking orders from a different Forsaken; otherwise, she and Delana could have split the factions between them. This would have been more effective. Moria proposed stopping the soldiers’ pay, which would have destroyed the army. (Salita, who went on the delegation to the Black Tower, and Malind, who also may have gone, made equally poor suggestions (The Path of Daggers, Unexpected Absences). They may have been Black, or just inexperienced and influenced by a Black). On the vote for war against Elaida, Moria was not the first to stand—that was Janya—but she did show anger and verbally urge others to vote in favour, which is against the law. Moria, Malind (again!) and Escaralde proposed that an alliance be made with the Black Tower so the Aes Sedai can link with men as necessary and this proposal was made before the session was Sealed to the Hall (Crossroads of Twilight, Surprises) to cause as much contention as possible. Interestingly, Sheriam was completely surprised by their proposal. Magla said:

“Only a Darkfriend could suggest this! Only a Darkfriend!”
Moria paled at the accusation

- Crossroads of Twilight, Surprises

as well she might, since it was on the mark. Moria was unhappy when Merise and Narishma turned up with a more acceptable, less divisive offer for the Aes Sedai to bond Asha’man. Ironically it was Moria’s question of how could a woman channel saidin that made Romanda realise who Halima was. This supports the likelihood that Moria did not work for Halima.

There were Blacks among the six rebel Sitters who were sent to the Black Tower and thus were absent from the Hall when the Hall was cleansed (The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame and Towers of Midnight, A Choice). Lyrelle is one Sitter who went, as is Naorisa Cambral, Delana’s replacement (Kwamesa and Varilin were both present in The Gathering Storm, Sealed to the Flame), and Salita another, since Magla is a Sitter in the reunited Tower (Towers of Midnight, A Call to Stand). The Whites sent Aledrin and the Browns Escaralde (who with Black sister Moria proposed an alliance with the Black Tower); Saroiya and Janya were present in the Hall in Towers of Midnight. There is no indication which of the Green Sitters Samalin or Malind went, since neither are now in the Tower Hall due to being too young. We know Lyrelle is not Black, since she did not flee when the Black Ajah was exposed, but continued in A Memory of Light with the arrangement to bond Asha’man.

Rebel Ajah Heads:

Blue: Siuan tells Lelaine she is faithful to her as a Sitter for her Ajah in Knife of Dreams, When Last Sounds; she did not say Ajah Head, making it seem as though Lelaine was not Head of the Blue at that stage. However, The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight Glossaries have Lelaine as ‘suspected’ Blue Ajah Head. This might be an attempt to mislead, or the former Blue Ajah Head might have been Anaiya, who was killed by Halima, or a sister executed for being Black, and Lelaine had recently taken her place. Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes say that Lelaine was raised First Selector after the split and the previous Ajah Head may have died in the fighting of the Tower coup.

Brown: possibly Akarrin (Robert Jordan’s Egwene notes) – b. 801 NE
At 200, Akarrin was old enough for a senior office, but is weak in the Power, being only one level above the minimum level for Aes Sedai. This shows that she was meant to be easily demoted after reunification, but in the meantime had ample enough experience to not make disastrous decisions.

Green: Myrelle Berengari (Lord of Chaos, Unexpected Laughter) – b. 954 NE
Grey:
White:
Yellow: Romanda Cassin (Knife of Dreams, Call to a Sitting) – b. 726 NE
Unsurprisingly, she had held this position in the White Tower when she retired.

After reunification, those women who accepted the positions of Ajah Head among the rebels were in trouble with their Ajahs for basically usurping the power of the official holders of the positions in the Tower (Robert Jordan’s Aes Sedai notes), since raising rebel Ajah Heads was never envisaged, never mind permitted. Even those Sitters elected in the rebel Hall would be looked down upon for accepting the role, even though they were elected to be expendable. The Tower Ajah Heads did not desire a rebel Hall to be elected, merely for the Sitters they sent out to Salidar to stabilise the rebels and promote reunification. However, a rebellious mood took hold and the best the pre-split Sitters could do, or wanted to do, was elect too-young Sitters who could be easily brushed aside afterwards. The Tower has used puppets at times in its history when deemed convenient, and is rather rough with them.

4. The Reunited Tower Hall under Egwene

Once the Tower was reunified, and the Black Sitters and those seemingly mired at the Black Tower discounted, there were too many Sitters in some Ajahs, and an embarrassing lack in others. Egwene warned that:

accommodations will have to be made, for between us there are far too many Sitters for the Hall, not to mention five too many Ajah heads. Some of you will have to step down…

- The Gathering Storm, To Be Forged Again

On The Gathering Storm book tour, Brandon Sanderson said:

which Sitters remain in power after reunification will be dealt with quietly. The most likely default will be who was Sitter/Head before the split.

Amyrlin
Egwene al’Vere, of no Ajah – b. 981 NE

Keeper of the Chronicles
Silviana Brehon, Red Ajah – b. 849 NE

Blue Ajah
Lelaine Akashi (AH) – b. 827 NE (Sitter 38 years)
Lyrelle Arienwin – b. 833 NE (Sitter 5 years)
+ one more

Brown Ajah
Saerin Asnobar – b. 781 NE (Sitter 40 years)
Janya Frende – b. 816 NE (Sitter 7 years)
Takima Deraighdin – b. 844 NE (Sitter 9 years)


Green Ajah
Faiselle Darone – b. 829 NE (Sitter 19 years)
Farnah Sedai
Rubinde Acedone – b. 853 NE (Sitter 28 years)

Grey Ajah
Varilin Zanaire – b. 831 NE (Sitter 8 years)
Yukiri Haruna – b. 837 NE (Sitter 22 years)
Andaya Forae – b. 901 NE (Sitter 1 year) (probably youngest)

Red Ajah
Barasine Sedai
Raechin Connoral
Viria Connoral

White Ajah
Ferane Neheran (AH) – b. 727 NE (Sitter 22 years)
Saroiya Farseen – b. 857 NE (Sitter 13 years)
Seaine Herimon – b. 841 NE (Sitter 14 years)

Yellow Ajah
Doesine Alwain – b. 867 NE (Sitter 19 years)
Magla Daronos – b. 839 NE (Sitter 15 years)
Romanda Cassin – b. 726 NE (oldest) (Sitter 89 years, longest tenure)

The Ajah Heads are:

Blue: Lelaine Akashi – b. 827 NE
Brown: Jesse Bilal – b. 752 NE
Green: Adelorna Bastine – b. 796 NE
Grey: Serancha Colvine – b. 835 NE
Red: Tsutama Rath – b. 827 NE
White: Ferane Neheran – b. 827 NE
Yellow: Suana Dragand – b. 784 NE

Mistress of Novices: Rosil Sedai (Yellow)

Blue Ajah

Lelaine was the only Blue Sitter in the Hall during Towers of Midnight. She probably kept her position as Blue Ajah Head that she obtained amongst the rebels. Lyrelle is a Sitter, as we saw in A Memory of Light, but was at the Black Tower to bond Asha’man. We do not know the identity of the third Blue Sitter who replaced the executed Moria.

Red Ajah

All three Sitters absent from the Red Ajah were replaced in Towers of Midnight. The Red Ajah was not given a chance to raise new Sitters prior to Egwene’s accession:

"Following Elaida's disappearance, they retreated back to their quarters. The Sitters here, they worried that the Red would choose new Sitters quickly and send them to this proceeding. I believe some . . . curt missives from the Hall of the Tower were enough to cow them."

- The Gathering Storm, To Be Forged Again

Egwene reported that the Reds had in part accepted her peace offering of choosing a Red as her Keeper.

Yellow Ajah

Romanda became a Sitter for the Yellow when the Tower reunited, but probably was not successful in gaining the role of First Weaver from Suana Dragand.

5. The Tower Hall After the Last Battle

After the Last Battle, with so many deaths, including that of the Amyrlin herself, many new sisters will be raised to the Hall. Known and likely members are:

Amyrlin
Cadsuane Melaidhrin, formerly Green Ajah

Keeper of the Chronicles
May be Silviana Brehon, Red Ajah

Blue Ajah
Lelaine Akashi (possible, last seen when Gawyn left to duel Demandred)
Lyrelle Arienwin (confirmed)
+ one more

Brown Ajah
Saerin Asnobar (confirmed)
Takima Deraighdin (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)
Janya Frende (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)

Green Ajah
Faiselle Darone (possible, last seen in A Tempest of Water)
Farnah Sedai (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)
Rubinde Acedone (confirmed)

Grey Ajah
Varilin Zanaire (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)
Yukiri Haruna (confirmed)
Andaya Forae (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)

Red Ajah
Barasine Sedai (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)
Raechin Connoral (possible, last seen just before Egwene died)
Viria Connoral (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)

White Ajah
Ferane Neheran (possible, last seen in A Tempest of Water)
Saroiya Farseen (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)
Seaine Herimon (possible, last seen at the Black Tower in Not a Mistake to Ignore)

Yellow Ajah
Magla Daronos (may be alive, not mentioned at all in A Memory of Light)
Replacements are needed for Doesine Alwain and Romanda Cassin, both Yellows who fell in battle.

It is not known which Ajah Heads survived.

While the Sitters omitted to say anything formally, by law Cadsuane cannot refuse the Hall’s summons to be raised Amyrlin (Lord of Chaos, Summoned in Haste and In the Hall of the Sitters). They seem to have been intimidated by her reputation into trying to persuade her rather than summoning her. Or perhaps this represents a positive change that they adopted when they raised Egwene.

By tradition Cadsuane should appoint a Keeper from her own former Ajah, but Cadsuane doesn’t uphold tradition for the sake of it, and the Hall has just sustained enormous losses and had trouble enough with continuity of administration with so many political changes, so the very competent Silviana may remain if she is still alive.

------------------------

Written by Linda, February, 2009 and updated September 2013 and January amd September 2019

Contributors: Dom A, Moridin_2000, Ruriha Sedai, Kaiser Karl, Cadsuaneguy