I also think Verin's confession lacked juicy details RJ would likely have given us about the BA (it's also part of the "resolution" to the BA organization. Verin's scene and Alviarin pre-purge scenes were his last opportunities to reveal whatever he intended to reveal about them.. after that they're pretty much Dreadlords on the run) . I don't think he would have overlooked giving us clearer hints of Verin's and Sheriam's ranking once exposed, for example. It was handled a bit poorly, or at least disappointingly.

And yeah, there sure was a big counter POV from Alviarin missing from the time of the purge. The whole "SH's hound" arc went down the drain. It's a pity, we have no idea where Alviarin stands now, after Mesaana's downfall. Too bad, because she was one of the cooler, more understated villains and we had followed her through the whole series.



It's not so different from Demandred having served the DO but a few years compared to Ishamael, Graendal, Lanfear having served him for a great many decades, but rising spectacularly.

I suspect Verin's craftiness and intelligence would be a major factor.

We do not know how members of the SC are chosen. The way she spoke of having been picked in the mass of the BA, it sounds like Ishamael was in a spring cleaning mood and raised Alviarin from the rank-and-file the strongest White available (someone of cool logic would have suited his needs at the time, he was furious of the SC's too great sense of "initiative". Of course given who he was, Elan Morin would have affinities to Whites serving the Shadow at any given time), but of course that would have been exceptional.

We know only two women on the council knew Alviarin headed it. We also know only Alviarin as Head knew the names of every BA. My guess is that the Head picks a new council member as an old one dies (naturally, or because the council decided it...).

It's just a hunch, but Alviarin, a logician, seems to put a lot of attention on the strict avoidance of patterns (which of course would be a clue to some that the BA was run by a White!). Curiously, Talene as a high ranking Green Sitter wasn't on the council. It suggests perhaps none of the Black Sitters were part of the SC, that Alviarin preferred to avoid that (in part not to share power, in part because it would introduce an obvious pattern to pick high standing sisters for high standing BA positions). The SC is likely to consist of high and low sisters, younger and older, and to be distributed unevenly among the Ajah.

Alviarin's predecessor seems to have lost a few high ranking members, which she had used in the failed hunt. Alviarin likely had to replace a few (like she's had to replace Galina recently).



Yes, but Sheriam did enjoy a good reputation in the WT (and even more in her Salidar days, until Aran'gar arrived and ruined her) and there was a shortage of influential Blues as they lost so many members in the last two decades.

Sheriam's big mouth is a bit exagerrated. She's gossipy, but she sure managed to hide she was BA... as for her commitment, this is not something the BA would really know about, Sheriam was highly ambitious and would carefully have hidden that (just as she did with Mesaana). She wasn't adverse to radical actions to position herself, from what she said.

The advantages of women like Alviarin, Sheriam, Verin, Galina is that they would be women who mostly live at the Tower. That's something the BA would look for in council members (like the Ajah do in Sitters).



I very much doubt it. Delana was thoroughly unambitious, and from her one POV (when Aran'gar arrives), she was something of a fool who seemed to genuinely be happy of her new nomination as
Gray Sitter, unaware she was perfectly "unsuitable" for the position, and she got this big reality check when Aran'gar arrived to claim her. She was worse than Sheriam, she's one of those who seemed to be BA "to be naughty" or because she was bored. Moridin has picked a Sitter for Aran'gar, that doesn't mean Delana was also high ranking in the BA. Interestingly, he picked the least competent Sitter (Moria had far more clout). It's also obvious Aran'gar was told about Sheriam, but Sheriam's entourage wasn't a good place for Halima. Moria would have been another choice, but it seems Moridin kept Moria for himself (in the sense that she was probably one of his hidden informers in Salidar) and beside, it wasn't a good idea for Halima to be around Blues, given her cover story with Cabriana.



Liandrin's group featured many "lose cannons". Alviarin hates to lose Black sisters. It really looks like she picked a group of sisters she was not all that sad to lose to give to Be'lal. Liandrin, for instance, was a liability because Egwene/Nyaneve/Elayne had survived (Verin probably had to forewarn Alviarin she was returning to the WT from Falme with those three), and the whole way these 13 were ordered to raid the vaults (when if the BA wants to "borrow" small ter'angreal, it could have been done far more discreetely) speaks of meddling from Mesaana: she couldn't stop Be'lal from getting 13 BA, but she could expose them as BA, and prevent Be'lal from being able to send some back to TV later to meddle in her affairs, or to start competing with her by using these BA near rulers etc. Be'lal obviously didn't know Mesaana was in the Tower.