Essay for Raising to Accepted: Jolene

Author: Jolene Hafwen

What Was - You will write an essay explaining which of the lost Talents from the Age of Legends would best suit three mid-main, non-Aes Sedai female characters from the books in your opinion.

During the Age of Legends, there were many Talents that were used everyday. Traveling was one of those Talents. The ability to open a gateway to travel directly from one location to another made getting where you needed to easy and convenient. Unfortunately, Traveling was one of the Talents that were lost after the Breaking of the World. Traveling would be of some benefit to many of the characters in the Wheel of Time books. Three female mid-characters that I believe would benefit from Traveling are Morgase Trakand, Queen of Andor; Tenobia Kazadi, Queen of Saldaea; and Tylin Quintara, Queen of Altara.

Rulers often have problems with exercising control over their lands. It is difficult to govern a large area of land, without physically being there. People are prone to follow their own laws, and do as they will, without the presence of a ruler being known. If these three women were able to Travel, exercising control over their lands would be a lot easier. They could Travel to the far ends of their lands to collect taxes, give out punishments, and dole out rewards. They would know more about what is going on with their people. Their people would come to recognize them, and be more willing to follow them, instead of a faceless ruler. It all could be done in a day, allowing them to sleep in the comfort of their own beds each night, and perhaps lead to fewer problems within the nation.

What Is - You will write an essay about how the Game of the Houses, while openly accepted and played, is also a factor in at least three other Nations in the books. Explain the similarities and how it affects the nation and culture in general.

Most of us are familiar with Daes Dae'mar, also known as the Game of Houses. The people of Cairhien are famous for playing the Game of Houses. Everything anyone does has a hidden agenda, a deeper meaning, to gain power and status. Several of the other southern nations also play the game to a certain degree, such as Illian, Tear, and Murandy.

Illian is ruled over by a king. He has two advisory councils. One is called the Council of Nine, made up of the lords. The second is known as the Assemblage, made up of the richest merchants and ship owners in Illian. There is a constant three-way power struggle between the king and his advisory groups. Everyone is always watching what everyone else is doing, and looking for a way to increase their own power. Therefore, nothing ever really gets accomplished, which allows the people of Illian to do as they please.

Tear is ruled by the High Lords. The number of High Lords can vary, so there is a power struggle to be on top here as well. The nobles and High Lords plot against one another to further their own power. Again, the smallest thing is read into. The commoners in Tear are looked down upon. The lords were above all, even the law.

Murandy has a king, who officially rules, but the actual power in the nation is divided amongst the lords and the ladies. Most people do not consider themselves a subject of Murandy, rather they think of themselves as the subject of their lord or lady. There is much plotting for power. The one thing that holds the people together is their common mistrust for other nations. Every move another nation makes is viewed as part of a plot, which in turn, makes for more plotting.

Although when Daes Dae'mar is mentioned most people think of Cairhien, it is not the only nation affected by it. Other nations may not be as involved in Daes Dae'mar, or may not admit that they are, but many have elements of the great Game of Houses.

What Will Be - What are you looking forward to most about becoming an Accepted?

When I joined Tar Valon.net last March, I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought it would be a fun place to visit, to meet some people with common interests, and perhaps discuss some theories. As I spent more time at the site, I began to realize it was all that and much more. I have met some really wonderful people, from all over the world, with different personalities and interests. No matter what mood I am in, there is someone there to compliment my mood. It started to become another home for me. I looked forward to getting online each day and see what was going on. I wanted to become more involved, so I applied to become a Novice. Being a Novice is a wonderful experience. I got to participate on a higher level, and that is one thing I am looking forward to doing on becoming an Accepted. I was so thrilled when I got the summons to become an Accepted. Once I read my message and saw I was to write essays instead of the multiple-choice test I was expecting, my hopes fell. Essays are a huge weakness of mine. This is something I really want to do, so I did my best to write the essays, and am hoping for the best. Being an Accepted is another way to become closer involved with this site, which has come to mean a lot to me. I am hoping to be able to give back a part of what I have gotten from this place.