Traditional & Salidar Novices and Accepted, and their respective MoNs

[Amadine]

It's an exciting time here at the WT RPG, with our brand new Salidar Novices being launched. Elgee explained the differences in her post,

 

In the Wheel of Time series, the novice book is opened to older women by the Salidar group. We have decided to do that at the PSW too, to keep it somewhat in sync with what happens in the Books. Considering that we don’t have the players for a formal split, our story will be adapted slightly. To prevent confusion, these “older” novices will henceforth be called Salidar novices, and those who follow the up to now “normal” PSW way will be called Traditional novices.

 

The PSW version of Salidar Novices, and how they came to be:

 

The Final Battle is approaching and various Aes Sedai are worried about the fact that there are simply not enough novices and Accepted who will reach the Shawl. A faction proposes that older women be allowed to join as novices. After much wrangling and debate (not necessarily all fully RPed out), the idea is accepted and implemented in roughly 995NE.

 

Aes Sedai are sent out to proclaim this, and search for women. (All full AS are welcome to RP about this in any way, whether it’s just mentioning the story in their RPs, or actively participating in looking for older women who can channel, to RPing with people who make Salidar novice characters).

The vast majority of these novices will be non-sparkers, though the odd true Wilder would be interesting too. The normal rules will apply (ie you need to request permission from the DL to have a Sparker).

 

An NSW MoN has been created specifically for the Salidar Novices and Accepted. Her name is Talina Odile Bolaine (The Old Biddy :P), and her Bio can be found here:

 

This 2nd MoN has been created specifically to separate the 2 types of N&A into 2 clear groups who do not RP in the same time line *, ie:

 

1) “young” novices, who RP in Retro, and once raised can be any age (usually they pick to be 100 or older) (Traditional novices and Accepted)

 

2) “older” novices, who would RP from 995NE to current time. They’ll will be raised to Aes Sedai just in time for Tarmon Gai’don (give or take a year or 2). (Salidar novices and Accepted)

 

There are several ways to get them to Aes Sedai by the time TG rolls around in this short time frame of 5 to 7 years. We wilI use a combination of the following:

A) This story would start about 5 years back (995NE), so they would start their novice years slightly in Retro (but not as much as normal novices).

B) They will be “forced” (Aes Sedai panicking about the low numbers).

C) There’s some mention in the Books of those older Salidar novices learning much faster than the more traditionally younger ones.

 

In order for this not to become a stampede of people wanting to do JUST older novices, there would have to be a few negatives / drawbacks:

 

A) They’re stuck with the age they started with (bar adding a few years) – ie they gain the Shawl in CURRENT time line (and that’s the age they’re stuck at), so if they were 50 when they started as novice, they’ll be between 53 and 57 when TG arrives.

B) The character may not hold any IC position like MoN, Sitter, Ajah Head, etc – ever (except if we jump 100 years in time, at some stage … lol).

C) They will be looked down at by the “older” Aes Sedai due to their accelerated raising – something like being a Wilder puts you just a little bit lower in the hierarchy than your Strength in the OP should put you.

 

Traditional (younger) novices will have the “pro” of being able to RP themselves as “older” Aes Sedai, with all the bonuses attached to that, like becoming Sitters or Ajah Heads, etc.

 

I think this idea will lead to more RPs, and might even attract more members and/or characters. It opens up a whole new avenue for those who don’t want to play the 15 year old, but rather someone with more of a history and who will have different struggles with being an initiate. Plus, as I said above, people with full Aes Sedai characters can use this opportunity to travel Randland searching for women who can learn to channel.

 

* Until there are enough Salidar novices and Accepted to RP with each other, we will not be enforcing the separation of the 2 groups too strictly.

 

For further information on Traditional and Salidar Novices and the differences between them please read the Rules and Guidelines page of the WT RP website.

 

Because Traditional Novices RP in retro and Salidar in almost main timeline we will have 2 different Mistress of Novices. Both characters are NSW characters designed for use by the OOC Mistress of Novices only, and those s/he gives permission too. We have created NSW characters to allow ongoing use of the the characters, even withstanding a change of the OOC MoN.

 

Have a read through and if you have any questions just post them on this thread :)

 

Ama

 

 

Valeri Kinaea

Mistress of Novices - Traditional

 

Character Information – NSW CHARACTER

Name: Valeri Kinaea

Age: 95

Nationality: Saldaean

 

Appearance

 

Hair: Very dark brown, dead straight to the middle of her back, often pulled up into a firm bun

Eyes: Deep dark blue, tilted and almond shaped

Skin: Fair

Height: 5’9”

Voice: Quite deep for a woman

Other: Average build and has the typically largish, bold nose of a Saldaean, pretty yet not beautiful

 

Optional

Special Skills: able to defuse emotional situations

Knowledge Weakness: the finer points of world history

Physical Weakness: none

Personality weakness:

 

Personality

Assertive and strong willed, yet soft and calm as well

 

History

Valeri grew up as the youngest daughter in a minor Saldaean house. Born years after her next eldest sibling she was pampered and spoiled by her father, a retired General of the Saldaean cavalry, but her mother moderated her upbringing by teaching her daughter use of knives, hand-to-hand fighting, the duties of a noble daughter and what would be expected of her as the wife of a Lord.

 

When Valeri was 14 she became ill and took to her bed with a fever and the local healing woman was summoned to tend the girl. Unknown to anyone, the local healing woman was a member of the Kin. She felt the ability to channel within Valeri and sent pigeons to the capital, Maradon, where by way of an anonymous letter the Queen’s Aes Sedai advisor was notified. The sickness lasted only a few days before Valeri regained full health.

 

Three weeks later an Aes Sedai arrived at the Manor House. Valeri’s mother closeted herself with the Aes Sedai for several hours and when they emerged Valeri was shocked at the announcement that she was to accompany the Sister back to Tar Valon. The knowledge that she would eventually begin to channel with or without training was both exciting and terrifying.

 

Once in the White Tower, Valeri dedicated herself to her studies and proved to be a diligent student, she showed herself to be a calming influence with her peers. Her teachers encouraged her to develop this skill and in time it became accepted that Valeri was able to diffuse almost any highly emotional situation with her calming manner.

 

After some years spent as a Novice and almost as many as an Accepted, Valeri was raised to the Shawl. She spent many years studying and travelling by turns. Her skill at defusing highly emotional situations became well known by all the Sisters in the White Tower and she was often engaged to accompany Ambassadors to situations that would likely become tense.

 

Valeri was appointed to be Mistress of Novices after the death of the previous holder of the position. Her adept skills at defusing emotional situations were put to good use in managing the Novices and Accepted of the White Tower.

 

Talina Odile Bolaine

Mistress of Novices - Salidar

Character Information - NSW CHARACTER

 

Name: Talina Odile Bolaine

Age: 215

Nationality: Cairhienin

Ajah: Red

 

Appearance

 

Hair: Grey

Eyes: Very dark

Skin: Very pale

Height: 5’1”

Voice: Grandmotherly, yet changes in the blink of an eye to be firm and direct when the occasion demands.

Other: Slightly plump, but not overly so, looks like a friendly grandmother.

 

Optional

 

Special Skills: Sees to the heart of issues

Knowledge Weakness: Has been out of the Tower a very long time and is no longer in touch with the internal intricacies of the Tower.

Physical Weakness: None, she’s a tough old bird!

Personality weakness: Very straightforward

 

Personality

 

History: Talina grew up as the second eldest daughter of a minor house in Cairhien. With her parents deeply involved with Daes Dae’mar and the social scene of Cairhien, the six children (4 girls and 2 boys) were raised mostly by nursemaids until the age of seven. At seven years of age their care was taken over by scholars who taught them not only reading and arithmetic but the age-old Game of Houses. Talina proved to be a quick study of Daes Dae’mar and at the age of twelve her mother began grooming her for court life and marriage to a nobleman of higher standing to increase the standing of their own house.

 

At fifteen Talina accompanied her Mother to a morning tea held by the Queen in honour of a party of visiting Aes Sedai. During the morning one of the Sisters drew Talina away and asked her to focus on a small green gem she drew from her belt pouch. After the gem flashed from within the Aes Sedai announced that Talina could learn to channel and set about convincing her Mother to allow Talina to accompany the sister back to Tar Valon.

 

During the journey the Sister who had tested Talina began teaching her how to touch Saidar. Talina was a quick study and quickly was able to touch the Source at will. By the time the party of Talina, three Aes Sedai and their Warders arrived in Tar Valon; Talina had begun simple weaves of one element.

 

After beginning her Novice studies Talina was befriended by a Shienaran girl, Larindhra. Though not close, they remained friends throughout their lives in the Tower, more often disagreeing on the methods used than the actual outcome.

 

Talina remained a Novice for many years before gaining the Ring and then many more as Accepted before achieving the Shawl and choosing the Red Ajah. To Talina it made sense that she chose the Red Ajah as she desired to help men who could channel, to learn ways to prevent them from wasting away after being gentled.

 

Talina spent her early years as an Aes Sedai entrenched in the White Tower using her skills in Daes Dae’mar to advance the standing of the Red Ajah within Tower politics. After many years she grew tired and disillusioned with the Great Game and resolved herself to leave the Tower and do some good.

 

She spent the next hundred years finding men who could channel and escorting them to the closest group of Red Sisters who would then take them the Tower to be gentled. She also found men who had been gentled and turned loose and attempted to help them regain a sense of worth in an effort to keep them alive. Usually her efforts were in vain as the man in question would soon refuse to eat, a deep depression taking over his life and soon waste away and die. She successfully married one off and he lived to be an old man with a multitude of children and grandchildren, but that was her only true success.

 

During her years away from the Tower Talina discovered the value of being straightforward and abandoned Daes Dae’mar completely. She retained her knowledge and skill if the Great Game but chose not to participate, finding she gained better results with being direct. People did not expect an Aes Sedai to be so direct and it often put people off guard, which served her ends well.

 

With each infrequent visit to the Tower, Talina becomes more worried about the lack of Novices and Accepted. Even worse than that, the average strength of the initiates seems to be dropping. She begins to keep watch for girls who can learn to channel while she is on the lookout for male channellers. Talina discovers quite by accident that for every girl she finds to send to the Tower, there exists another four or five who are much too old to become Novices by the current Tower standards.

 

Upon receiving a cryptic letter from Larindhra, Talina returns to the Tower to find much has changed, and with her direct no-nonsense manner sets about disrupting matters to turn them to her advantage.

 

 

 

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Okay just to clarify for myself, because I tried to read all that but sitting here and reading too long hurts my eyes so I may have missed something, the two MoN's aren't going to be hanging out with each other right? The one for the Salidar Novices is going to be in the "now" and the one for the regular novices is in the past?

[Wayward_fool]

And err... which Ajah is Valeri from? I can't seem to find it in the post. *hangs head*

[Elgee]

The two MoN's will not hang out together, no - they won't be MoN at the same time.

 

Basically TOB (The Old Biddy or Taline Odile Bolaine, the Salidar MoN) will be the MoN in the Main Time-line (and slightly in retro, to a max of 5 years). Taline is going to be the one who caused a ruccus and steam rollered the idea of allowing older novices through. For her sins, she will be lumped with the job :P. Originally (blame over-work and sleep deprivation) we thought of making her only in main time line, not up to 5 years in retro, hence her being Red (the Ajah Shevara was raised to the Stole from). Once sanity returned, we realised those Novices and Accepted would have to RP in retro just a little bit, so that's why we're fudging the timeline there a bit.

 

Valeri, the Traditional MoN, will be used for any other timeline. Her Ajah has deliberately not been mentioned, so that she can fit in with any previous Amyrlin (Amyrlin's usually pick a new MoN from the Ajah they themselves were raised to the Stole from).

[Taei]

And err... which Ajah is Valeri from? I can't seem to find it in the post. *hangs head*

She is from the Red Ajah.

[Elgee]

Taline is Red, Valeri is "no-Ajah-mentioned"

[Rasheta Ardashir]

thanks for clearing that up Elgee. :)

[Taei]

Bah, was looking at the second bio. >.< Nevermind me. :)

[Elgee]

*grins at Taei* never mind, dear - as the most awesomest tech wiz ever, you're entitled to one or two blonde moments a week *grins and ducks*