Kairen Stang

Author: Kyria d'Oreyn

General

Kairen Stang was an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah. She was beautiful and not overly tall with steady cool blue eyes in an oval face (NS, Ch. 12; CoT, Ch. 17). She was originally from Andor (LoC, Ch. 41).

She was bonded to Llyw. The Sitters thought maybe Myrelle will take over his bond to save him after she has died (CoT, Ch. 30). As he became more and more dangerous, Faiselle talks Myrelle into bonding him (KoD, Ch. 23).

Timeline

• She welcomed Siuan and Moiraine after they were raised and took them to their quarters. She was going to leave for Tear soon (NS, Ch. 12).

• Elayne told Nynaeve that the rebel Aes Sedai sent out an embassy to Rand in Caemlyn; Kairen is among them (LoC, Prologue).

• She arrived with the others in Caemlyn and got rooms in The Crown of Roses (LoC, Ch. 41).

• She talked with the Lady Dyelin and tried to influence her (LoC, Ch. 43).

• The Salidar embassy met to discuss matters concerning Rand, until Bera and Kiruna took the lead. Kiruna assigned her and three other Aes Sedai (Demira Eriff, Berenicia Morsad and Valinde Nathenos) to take the Two Rivers girls to Salidar (LoC, Ch. 49).

• Although not mentioned directly, Kairen was one of the two Aes Sedai (it is not certain who the other is) who joined the rebel Aes Sedai with the girls from the Two Rivers (TPoD, Ch. 30).

• She was making cuendillar when Egwene came to see how everyone was improving (CoT, Ch. 17).

• She was killed during the night using saidin; the murderer was Aran'gar/Halima. Nisao reported to Egwene that seven sisters had already tested for a resonance, before she got there. She says Kairen's "neck was broken. Shattered. As if her head had been wrenched around full circle." (CoT, Ch. 30).

Strengths and Talents

She had some skill in turning iron to cuendillar and was only surpased by Leane and Egwene (CoT, Ch. 17). However, Bodewhin Cauthon quickly caught up with her in the few weeks of extra training she had (CoT, Ch. 30).

She was stronger than Cabriana, but weaker than Anaiya (NS, Ch. 12).

She was not one of the strongest in the Salidar embassy. She was stronger than Berenicia and about as strong as Demira and Valinde. Bera Harkin, Faeldrin Harella, Kiruna Nachiman, Masuri Sokawa, Rafela Cindal and Seonid Traighan were stronger than her (LoC, Ch. 49).

Relationships

She was long time friends with Anaiya and Cabriana, but both deferred to Anaiya, because of their strengths in the Power (NS, Ch. 12). They were often called "the Three" because of their closeness (KoD, Ch. 23).

She seemed to think it would be good to see Aeldra being repayed properly for her pranks (NS, Ch. 12).

According to her, Eadyth is the most capable woman as First Selector in the last hundred years (NS, Ch. 12).

Miscellaneous

• Rand thought because she was Andoran she might worry that he sat in Caemlyn and might have murdered Morgase (LoC, Ch. 41).

• She was clearly taken aback when she heard the Red Eagle banner of Manetheren had been raised again (LoC, Ch. 49).

• Anaiya has been Aes Sedai fifty or sixty years when Kairen came to the Tower (CoT, Ch. 30).

• Kairen was quite good at making cuendillar, though it was boring for her. Egwene considered her and Leane to turn the chains at the harbors of Tar Valon to heartstone, but she did not tell Kairen about her plans (CoT, Ch. 17). However, after her demise she would have been replaced by Bodewhin had Egwene herself not taken over (CoT, Ch. 30).

• Egwene noticed Kairen spent a good deal of time with Lelaine often of late, after she had returned from her failed mission in Caemlyn (CoT, Ch. 17).

• Nisao tells Egwene that Llyw, Kairen's Warder, "is primed for murder. Someone gave him an herbal concoction to put him to sleep, but he will be trouble to handle once he wakes." (CoT, Ch. 30).

• After Nisao tells Egwene of Kairen's death, Egwene wants her to start investigating just as she did after Anaiya's death (CoT, Ch. 30).

• Lelaine later asks Nisao to stop asking questions about the two sisters, but Nisao is determined to find out the link between them (KoD, Ch. 23).

• Beonin thinks the ability to channel saidin leads them to Asha'man who would have known when Anaiya and Kairen would be alone. Ashmanaille, however, says Asha'man are too arrogant to disguise as worksmen, so they possibly have a worksman, who can channel and has a grudge against sisters (KoD, Ch. 2).

Quotes

"'There isn't much skill involved, Mother. All that's needed is to set the weave and wait.' The last word held a touch of acridness, and for that matter, there had been a slight hesitation before Mother. Kairen had been sent off from Salidar on a very important mission only to see it collapse in a shambles, though from no fault of hers, and she had returned to them in Murandy to find everything she had left behind stood on its head and a girl she remembered as a novice wearing the Amyrlin's stole." (Kairen to Egwene; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 17)