The State of the World for Spring/Summer 995 NE

Sun Ridge Hold has flourished in recent years, even despite the increasing raids from the hated Miagoma Clan, with which the Shaarad holds Blood Feud so ancient even the venerable Kafalla does not know its cause. Both Clans lay claim to the sizeable High Cliffs Hold carved into the cliffs at the base of the Dragonwall, and both have occupied it at one time or another in its history. Currently, High Cliffs is held by the Miagoma, and the Shaarad organize continual raids in an effort to try and drive the Miagoma from what they consider to be Shaarad territory. Several Shaarad Holds have gotten too large, and Rhayk would like to seize the High Cliffs for Shaarad expansion.

Lacking a central government, the region has not been able to organize an efficient defense against the incursions of the Domani. Neighbouring towns have banded together enough to minimize the Domani spoils. Towns near the Tarabon border are preparing for aggression from that quarter, as well. The Sea Folk are suspected of offering some aid and supplies to people in the region. The Children of the Light have also been seen in numbers in the area. Some report they have aided those hardest hit by the Domani. Others claim they are taking advantage of the situation with over-zealous hunts for Darkfriends a beleaguered people can do little to oppose.

Observers are puzzled to see that the pirates in the Aryth Ocean rarely attack coastal towns in the region. A few have been hit, primarily those recently captured by the Domani, but attacks on the stronger nations of Tarabon and Arad Doman are far more common.

The Eldar River has been running high this past season, causing isolated flooding throughout its length, particularly in Ebou Dar. A number of small riots have broken out in the Rahad Quarter as the floods have left some poorer people temporarily homeless.

Queen Aislynn has been studying at Tar Valon for the past four years. She had originally travelled there while still Daughter-Heir, but her party was ambushed and her mother killed, so she had returned to Andor to lead a revolt against Moergan, the usurper of the throne in 988. In 991 she once again travelled to the Tower.

In her absence, the country has been governed by her husband, Greydon Pyrrhus. Tensions in Andor are mounting the longer the Queen is away. Many citizens feel that Greydon's regency sets a dangerous precedent for a country that has always been ruled by Queens. An increasing number are also feeling less charitable towards the Tower. They question why the Tower will not release the Queen, and why it didn't years ago. Surely the traditional study period has been fulfilled by now.

There was a failed assassination attempt in the early Spring. It is unclear whether the intended victim was the King or his eldest son and heir. There have been whispered rumours that the Children of the Light were responsible. Harassment of wise women and suspected Channelers has been wide-spread all Summer.

The government has a nervous eye on its prosperous and growing northern neighbour, Saldaea. It has acted aggressively towards the independent towns in the Almoth Plain along its southern border. This is thought to be an attempt to increase its population more than its land ownership.

Tarabon has accused the Domani of sponsering pirate attacks on ships and raids on coastal towns. The Domani in turn make the same accusation against Tarabon.

Military tensions are high between Kandor and Arafel, the cause of which is an ancient border dispute. This is the first such squabbling in memory between Borderland nations, and has been attributed to the eerie quiet of the Blight this past decade.

Shienar is attempting to mediate between the two nations, and the White Tower has sent an embassy of Grey Sisters to help with the negotiations.

The King of Cairhien, King Fiaban of House Kintala, died this past Winter. The King had no children or other close relatives, so his death was followed by a minor squabble over the succession. Lady Healy had a strong claim to the throne and managed to gain supporters quickly enough to prevent a civil war. Dignitaries from across the known world travelled to Cairhien to attend the lavish spectacles surrounding Queen Healy's coronation. The coronation itself was marred only by some heckling from commoners.

The refugee population in the Foregate grew restless after the coronation events ended. Leery of riots, the government is spending ever-increasing sums of money on elaborate entertainments to keep the populace distracted.

After a year of avoiding Andoran soil, the Children recently purchased a farmhouse near Caemlyn. Two dozen Children and an equal number of servants have taken up residence at the farm, but what they plan is as yet unknown. They captured one family of Darkfriends, but willingly turned custody over to the Queen's Guard.

The numbers of Children in Shienar have remained small since King Saagen took the throne several years ago. Only a small embassy in Fal Moran is maintained. The Children have been spotted in numbers on the Almoth Plain. Reports of their activities vary from assisting those villages hardest hit by the Domani to ruthless campaigns of rooting out Darkfriends.

The Blight has been eerily quiet for the past 10 years, and this past season has been no exception. Trolloc raids on Borderland countries have been few and far between. Most scouts sent into the Blight have disappeared without a trace. A few have returned, but they are catatonic, their minds shattered by whatever they have seen.

There are rumours that members of the Murandian merchant House of the Gilded Lily are Darkfriends.

Jehannah has been enduring a significant crime wave. Many citizens are afraid to go out alone during the day, nevermind at night. There are dark rumours about the mercantile House of the Golden Lily, as its enterprises have scarcely been touched by the criminals. Some whisper the criminals are in the employ of the Gilded Lily, others suspect the House of even fouler connections.

Both the King and the Council of Nine are increasingly concerned about the growing power of the Assemblage. Trade and commerce are burgeoning throughout the country, and the middle classes are more than willing to use some of those profits to fund sympathetic members of the Assemblage.

One strong faction of traders and business people has been lobbying the government to call a Hunt for the Horn of Valere. Cynical citizens mutter that this has more to do with greed for the fantastic business opportunities a Hunt would offer than any fears that Tarmon Gai'don is looming.

The charter of the Illuminators, which must be signed by the Panarch and King of Tarabon every seventy years, is coming up for renewal. The King has hinted that he may not sign, he is angered over the death of a favourite cousin, rumoured to have been killed after learning Illuminator secrets.

The Guild has sent a delegation to Tar Valon to petition the White Tower for support. The current Amyrlin was born to the Guild, and the Guild hopes the Tower will bring its power to bear on the King.

Please see the entry for Arafel.

The sister of the First of Mayene has come to Tar Valon with her family to promote Mayener trading interests. She has also brought an invitation from the First to the White Tower offering to allow it to send a delegation to Mayene to study its records and books.

There are rumours that Mayene has been providing funds to Queen Adreana of Altara to bolster her shaky rule. Analysts consider Mayene's recent actions attempts to win powerful friends to act as a buffer against Tear's continued aggressions.

The Crossed Swords Mercenaries Guild has been closed. Players are welcome to play independent mercenaries who sell their services to interested clients, but no organized guild of mercenaries exists at this time.

Lord Renford of House Fiore is causing quite a stir. In the past year, he has married two of his daughters and one son to other noble Houses in the country, one of which was previously Fiore's keenest rival. These and other machinations have consolidated his power to the point where observers worry that he may try and oust Queen Sydelle. Half the populace of Murandy supports Renford or Houses he's allied to. The other half is in an uproar of disorganized opposition. The streets of Lugard are a battleground of dueling ruffians in opposing House colours.

Rumour has it that Stedding Maotai has been slowly opening its doors more and more to those that wish to learn more about the Ogier. This unprecedented move was first suggested by Eldest Marith. Newly raised, in Ogier terms, Marith seems to wish to bring her stedding a little closer in step with the rest of the world. It is also rumoured that she intends to reopen the Waygate in Stedding Maotai, believing that Maotai would profit from increased contact with the Ogier of other stedding.

Saldaea is in a period of expansion, and is reasserting its authority over all of its traditional territories under the strong leadership of ageing Queen Beah and her key generals. Arad Doman keeps a wary eye on Saldaea, watching for signs that it plans to expand beyond its own borders.

The country is also experiencing financial prosperity, receiving good prices on its bumper crops of ice peppers and furs.

The Sea Folk are unhappy about the increased piracy in the Aryth Ocean, and capture pirate ships whenever they can do so without risking one of their own. A few pirates have been brought to the coastal nations for trial, but many more, those who endangered Sea Folk ships or their islands, are suspected of having been dealt swift justice at the hands of the Sea Folk themselves.

It is suspected that the Sea Folk are secretly donating supplies to help support the beleagured Almoth Plain region, and that altruistic noble families from other countries are financing some of this support.

Nine years of quiet in the Blight have brought disquiet rather than peace to Shienar. The intrigues of Daes Dae'mar have touched the country as the Lords attempt to increase their power in a non-military fashion. A few mutter this is a result of the influence of Saagen's Tairen-born wife, who has been acting as Queen Regent for her son Menel since her husband's disappearance three years ago.

Shienar has taken the lead in mediating the dispute between Arafel and Kandor. Members of the Royal families of both countries and some Sisters of the Grey Ajah are guests at the Fal Moran Fortress where treaty discussions are underway.

The previous High Councillor, Serbitar, recently retired to pursue his business interests. The White Tower selected Alderic as his replacement, although he has not yet been officially inaugurated. The decades long restoration of City Hall has just been completed, as well as construction on a magnificent Exhibition Hall. The High Captain of the Tower Guards recently passed away, and wild speculation abounds as to who will be chosen as his successor. Alderic, himself a former Guard, is administering the Guards in the meantime.

A delegation of Illuminators has recently arrived in the city. The Tower Guard is keeping a close eye on a group of the Children encamped a few miles outside the city. Rumours about what they're doing so close to Tar Valon are rampant. Some say they're on their way north to scout the suspiciously-quiet Blight. Others accuse them of trying to start up trouble in the city, the base of power for the Aes Sedai.

The sister of the First of Mayene has come to the city with her family to promote Mayener trading interests. Also earlier this year, Lord Collain of House Laendvwin, fresh from a unsuccessful campaign to claim the Throne of Cairhein, took up residence in Tar Valon and is rumored to be plotting against the new Queen Healy.

Tarabon has not openly moved against Arad Doman nor tried to claim any territories in Almoth Plain, but observers do not expect it to sit idle forever.

The Domani have accused Tarabon of sponsering pirate attacks on ships and raids on coastal towns, an accusation Tarabon throws right back at Arad Doman.

The crime rate in Tarabon is dropping, although no one can really say why. The poorer districts of Tanchico and other larger cities are still somewhat dangerous, however.

The Tuatha'an's peaceful lives continue to be free from the strife and division that plagues the other nations and peoples. Currently the bands are widely scattered throughout the world, avoiding only the troubled areas of the Almoth Plain and the Kandor-Arafel border. Observers who've had contact with the bands report that there is a sense of anticipation growing among the Tinkers, but there have been no reliable reports about what they might be awaiting. The numbers of Lost, Tuatha'an who are shunned by their people for abandoning the Way of the Leaf, have been increasing over the past year or two.

The numbers of poor are increasing as more and more people are moved off their farms so the Lords can turn them into grazing pastures for huge herds of fine Tairen horses. The dispossessed flock to Tear and other population centers, but few find they can make a living.

The poorer districts in the cities are becoming increasingly dangerous as the desperate poor prey on one another. Crimes against the poor are rarely punished, but those who transgress against the wealthy or nobility face harsh justice indeed, and no commoner found carrying a weapon goes unpunished.

The Lords are taking advantage of jobless people to swell the ranks of their armies. They have a watchful eye on the political troubles in Illian, hoping that they might weaken its traditional enemy enough for an attempted conquest. They have not moved openly against Mayene, but continue to harry it politically.

Concerned about any weakness in the Borderlands as the Blight is bound to awaken once more, Amyrlin Deianeira has sent a party of Grey Sisters to Shienar to help mediate the conflict between Kandor and Arafel. It is believed that Grey Sisters have also been sent to Tarabon and Arad Doman in an attempt to forestall any open conflicts between those old enemies.

Rumours abound surrounding the recent changes in Tower administration. Deianeira appointed Marielle, a Brown, to the post of Keeper after the previous Keeper, Agathe, retired. That was soon followed by Pinya's resignation as Mistress of Novices. That post has since been filled by a newly-raised Blue, Neri.