Aes Sedai

Structure

Among the Aes Sedai, there are seven ranks one may hold: novice, apprentice, Aes Sedai, Sitters, Ajah Heads, Keeper of the Chronicles, and the Amyrlin Seat.

Novices

The lowest are the novices, these are girls who have been accepted into the order for training. Novices are typically taken in between ages 7 and 15. A novice attends to the Aes Sedai and helps with cleaning around the Tower as well as learning the most basic cantrips and concepts of arcane theory. During this time, they are also taught how to act in high society.

As early as 12 and as late as 16, novices are brought to be tested to become an apprentice, if their instructors feel they are ready. Novices that are not ready by age 16 are stilled (have their connection to the One Power severed). A novice who fails the test is either stilled by the ter'angreal administering the test or they never emerge from it. Most who are stilled stay in the Tower as servants or scribes as they already have a rapport established.

Novices tend to stand out by themselves, being older children and younger teenagers, but they wear a snow-white, cotton dress to signify their rank.

Apprentices

Second are the apprentices, made up of all who passed the test to become an apprentice. Most full Aes Sedai tend to snatch up an apprentice or two that they have taken a liking to in order to guide their studies on a more personal level. Apprentices that are not taken by an Aes Sedai are trained in a group setting by the Tower's instructors. Apprentices are taught more hands-on applications of magic, beginning to learn 1st-level spells. Additionally, apprentices who are under the wing of an Aes Sedai tend to go with them when they leave the Tower.

As early as 16 and as late as 27, an Aes Sedai who is guiding their studies may submit an apprentice's name to be tested to be elevated to full Aes Sedai. This test is administered by the Mistress of Novices (see below) and overseen by a representative of each ajah. An apprentice who passes the test must then ask one of the Aes Sedai to join her ajah, a request that has never been denied. They are admitted into the ajah of their choice in a ceremony at dawn. An apprentice who is judged not to be ready by the time they are 28 is stilled. The test to become a full Aes Sedai is more intensive than the test to become an apprentice, but far less deadly. An apprentice who fails is ejected from the ter'angreal and must wait a year to try again. Most who fail only do so by the skin of their teeth as their are great penalties to an Aes Sedai who puts forth an apprentice to be tested before they are ready, this is not the case is they just barely fail as it is hard to prepare for the intensity of the test.

An apprentice may be identified by their cream colored dress trimmed with the seven colors of the ajahs: green, red, gray, brown, yellow, blue and white.

Aes Sedai

The most populous rank is that of full Aes Sedai. All Aes Sedai are members of one of the seven ajahs (the factions within the Aes Sedai), but they are all still Aes Sedai and refer to one another as "sister". The Ajahs are (ordered by size):

• Green Ajah - Also known as the "Battle Ajah", this ajah is made up entirely of Aes Sedai who trained for magical combat. Mages of all kinds can be found in this ajah and many leave to join up with mercenary groups or adventuring parties.
• Red Ajah - This ajah is made up of those who are trained to fight other channelers. The reds were originally founded to fight the Nylari (the order of Eladrin mages), but, since the exile to the eladrin, they have taken to hunting male channelers, often killing then mercilessly.  Reds tend to operate within the order and don't join outside groups, though this is not universal as many signifiers among the Hellknights are sisters of the Red Ajah
• Gray Ajah - This ajah is made up of channelers who have also mastered the art of diplomacy and the Great Game.  Grays are most commonly seen as court mages and viziers to rulers and nobles around the land or as ambassadors to Avismore.
• Brown Ajah - This ajah is made of those who thirst for knowledge above all else; naturally, this makes them an attractive choice for bards.  The primary mission of the Brown Ajah is to curate and expand the collection of knowledge in the White Tower and to teach novices and apprentices.  Most are content to serve as archivists and instructors, but others, the bards especially, wander the realm in search for lost knowledge.  Many of these Browns join up with adventurers for protection or to create their own knowledge through writing stories of these adventurers' exploits.
• Yellow Ajah - This ajah is made of those who will protect people from dangers and heal the wounded.  A great number of Yellows are mystic theurges, serving also as priestesses to Mylara.
• Blue Ajah - This ajah is made of those who feel a righteous calling and strive to make the world better than when they found it.  The great heroes of the Aes Sedai have almost all come from this Ajah.  Despite being the second smallest, more Blues have ascended to the Amyrlin Seat than any other Ajah.
• White Ajah - This ajah is made of those who try to perceive the world through logic and reason.  Many Whites are philosophers, scientists, and engineers.  While most Whites are content to stay in Avismore with their laboratories, many leave the Tower to teach at prestigious universities across the continent.

It is very taboo to give up your ajah once selected, but it is not unheard of.  However, the sister is typically shunned by her old ajah unless the sister was clearly unhappy with her role in the order, then they are encouraged to follow their hearts.

Between Aes Sedai, there is a strict hierarchy that allows little room for deviation.  This hierarchy is as much custom as law, and failure to defer to a higher ranking sister can lead to the offended sister demanding a penance.  The hierarchy is based on four factors. 

1. Granted Authority: Where the Amyrlin sets one sister to lead a group, all in the group defer to that sister.  The Ajah Head has a similar power within their Ajah.  The Hall of the Tower may do this as well, but they only do it rarely.
2. Strength in the One Power: Aes Sedai defer to those that are stronger in the One Power than themselves.  If there is a large gap in strength, that deferral becomes obedience.  This can put newly raised prodigies higher in the hierarchy than some sisters with several decades behind them; it also tends to put innate casters (such as bards and sorcerers) over trained casters (such as spellswords and wizards).
3. Training Time: Where there is no difference in strength or so little difference that it is very difficult to note it, a woman is deemed higher up in the Aes Sedai hierarchy if she spent less time as a novice and apprentice than another.
4. Age: Lastly, where women have roughly the same strength in the One Power and training time, their place in the hierarchy is based on age.  Only in this case the older Aes Sedai are higher up in the hierarchy.

The Hall of the Tower

Main Article: Hall of the Tower

The Hall of the Tower is the deliberative body of the White Tower.  It is comprised of twenty-one Sitters, three from each Ajah and is presided over by the Amyrlin Seat.  The Hall creates all official policy for Avismore and the Aes Sedai, though much of this originates with the Amyrlin Seat.  The Sitters are also responsible for selecting a new Amyrlin when the office becomes vacant.  In extreme circumstances, they can also remove an Amyrlin or Keeper of the Chronicles.

Each ajah has its own method of selecting new sitters which is a closely held secret so the others cannot influence anything; all that is consistent between them is that the Ajah Heads have a significant role in the selection process.

Ajah Heads

Main Article: Ajah Heads

Each Ajah has its own internal hierarchy and positions of authority.  The women in charge of each Ajah are collectively known as the Ajah Heads, though the positions and their nature varies from Ajah to Ajah.  It is rare for an Ajah head to also be a Sitter, but it's not unheard of.  Sitters are answerable to their Ajah heads for their actions in the Hall, and, for the most part, all Aes Sedai must obey the authority of their Ajah Heads in general, especially regarding ajah matters.  Unlike the Sitters, whose names are public knowledge, the identities of the Ajah Heads are a closely guarded secret of each ajah and, as such they have no extra authority outside their ajahs.

Demonym

Aes Sedai

Leader

Carolyn Maynet

Leader Title

Amyrlin Seat

Parent Organization

Free City of Avismore

Location

Avismore

Controlled Territories

• Avismore