There are bound to be younger women in the Kin as well ... certainly there are a few who have been put out in the last 10 years or so as well as those like Reanne and Sumeko. We've only really been shown the "Eldest" from Ebu Dar as interactive characters.




True enough, it's not likely that the Kin would have found a woman who was only in the Tower for a few months and given her baseline personality it's very doubtful that she would consider the opportunity until she's settled down a bit.



I actually don't think the AOL AS were as uninvolved as you seem to be portraying. We know that Mesaana and some of the other Forksaken seem to be amused by current AS machinations there is a quote about "you children almost approach the ajah" that infers that there were strong political games being played by the AOL AS even before the Collapse.

If you think about it when these people were living 3-5x as long as the rest of the society and that there were literally millions of channelers, you have to figure that even the weakest, most humble AS were still regarded as community leaders. Couple that with an organized guild it seems obvious that they wielded amazing influence over the "civilian" government.

I'd even go so far as to say the system of "service earns honor" was probably a societal measure to control the guild. If that system wasn't in place there would be no way the AS would have not wound up in total control. By shifting the "currency" of personal value to service to the community the society ensured AS were kept in check by a moral code rather than a political one.

I don't think the mentality of a "separate flesh" sprung up out of nowhere, I have a feeling it, like many other things, had a deep seated root in the AOL. AS in the AOL obviously stood out and would have had the opportunity to be community leaders just by virtue of long life and abilities far beyond the norm.

Imagine a woman like Egwene in the AOL becoming a goldsmith or metallurgist of some kind. She would have been the greatest at her trade possible (pardon the hyperbole), how could she fail? Elayne would have become an icon in the ter'angreal world and Nynaeve one of the great Restorers of the Age ... how can a non-channeler hope to be anything other than an assistant to someone like this? You have to figure almost every vocation would have a Channeler who dominated the trade (even if only because of longevity). I also think in the AOL most AS were likely steered into their vocation based on their abilities. Thus someone like Egwene would not end up on a farm somewhere digging up rocks with the Power.

During the Breaking this separation would have been even more distinct. By the founding of Tar Valon it's not a surprise that AS believed in this mentality.



Moghedien may have been a nobody by AS standards, but she certainly had a far superior life to most AOL people by virtue of being AS. Not to mention that despite her dubious personality (she was reprimanded for shady behavior) she was on LTTs general staff. And as I said above I would not be surprised if the guild guided all members to where they would shine.



I agree and disagree. Else will remain useless to a 100% politically motivated Tower agenda, but I seriously doubt the world will be able to resist a post-TG political agenda from what is like going to be the only source of stability. Just like when the Tower was originally formed, the world had many reasons to hate AS and blame them for the troubles of the past, but they also have little choice but to hold tight to the biggest source of safety in the world. Perhaps the Seanchan will continue to pressure the AS system, but it's really only a matter of time until the united BT/WT overcome them and the secular powers of the 4th Age certainly have no reason to turn away the AS when the world needs to be rebuilt. In then end the nations that embrace (or make use of) channelers have always survived and become the most powerful. The 10 Nations, Andor, Shara, Seanchan, The Borderlands are all examples of nations that either ally with or use Channelers and have maintained powerful footholds.