Vileness, the. After Gitara Moroso’s death, the Black Ajah heard rumors connecting the death with a Foretelling, one that had the Amyrlin Tamra Ospenya closeted and making secret and hasty plans, mainly with senior—in age and strength—sisters of her former Ajah. Nervous that it might involve the Black Ajah, the then head of the Blacks took a drastic step. She and others kidnapped Tamra and put her to the question, after which she was found dead in her bed. No one was surprised that her Warder also died that same night. From the Amyrlin, they learned of the Dragon Reborn, but she was stubborn, and they did not learn that he was only a newborn. All they discovered was that she had just learned that he had been born. The Black Ajah immediately began a pogrom, an even more intensive search than usual for men who could channel, for males of any age who showed any sign that they might be able to channel. Even a rumor, a hint, was enough. And since being lucky or having a sudden rise to relative prominence were among the signs to look for, it was a bad time for men who were lucky or rose suddenly. All of the Black Ajah was involved, sisters supposedly of every Ajah, to the exclusion of anything else. And since the head of the Red Ajah was Black—both Galina Casban, during the last years of the pogrom, and the woman before her—there was little difficulty bringing many sisters of the Red Ajah into it as well. Those involved did not want to risk the man being brought back to Tar Valon, since if it was discovered that he was the Dragon Reborn, the other Aes Sedai would certainly decide to keep him alive, almost certainly not gentled, but still shielded and a prisoner; the sisters involved in the pogrom believed that the Dragon Reborn had to be disposed of. For that reason, men were gentled on the spot instead of being brought back to Tar Valon. Many were killed, “trying to escape” or the like, especially by Black sisters. Included in the number of dead were men and boys about whom someone had made a remark because of their luck (a miraculous escape from death, perhaps) or skill (“ You’d think he could channel, he shoots an arrow so straight”). When Ishamael discovered what was going on, he was infuriated. He, of course, wanted to Turn the Dragon Reborn and deliver him to the Dark One, not have him killed, which would give no advantage to Ishamael. He put an end to the pogrom immediately, though it took some months to stop the Black Ajah completely. There was an immediate reaction to his discovery. The head triumvirate of the Black Ajah and a number of other high-ranking Black sisters died particularly unpleasant deaths. This harrowing and winnowing of the Black Ajah command structure was the reason that Alviarin became the new head of the Black Ajah. The Red Ajah was ordered to halt as well, but some sisters did not stop, and the pogrom continued for another two years, albeit at a slower pace, until Marith Jaen finally ended it in 985 NE. Sierin Vayu had intended to crush it, but was assassinated in 984 NE. To protect the White Tower, events were covered up and sisters who knew of the pogrom were forbidden to speak of it or to admit what happened, but Marith Jaen still imposed heavy penances on those caught out. She came down hard on those guilty. Covering up for the Tower was one thing; she wasn’t about to allow them to escape without punishment. Few of the Black Ajah, who had halted on Ishamael’s orders, were caught, but large numbers of the Red were, and some others. The three Sitters for the Red all resigned their chairs, took “voluntary” penances and went into “retreats”—exile, in truth—which lasted until they were summoned back by Elaida. The fact that so many of the Red Ajah served fairly harsh penances sparked rumors, but they were quiet rumors, and a good number of sisters from other Ajahs served penances over the next year, too. Few who were not actually part of the pogrom knew what happened, even inside the Red Ajah, and those who did were caught up in the sworn secrecy. Elaida escaped punishment because of minimal involvement. Galina escaped punishment because it was decided to punish only a few at the top and not destroy the whole Ajah; although she was head of the Ajah, no one outside the Ajah knew that. Officially, during this period, seven men who could channel were caught and gentled. The secret records spoke of eight others. The unofficial tally ranged from eight to eighteen additional men, for a grand total of fifteen to twenty-five, but even that number might be too low. The secret Tower records spoke of two thousand men and boys killed between 979 NE and 985 NE, but again, that number was too low by at least a factor of five and maybe more. Thom Merrilin’s nephew Owyn was one of the last men, if not the last man, gentled in this campaign. Elaida was personally involved in only that gentling; she became involved because it was Thom’s nephew, and hoped to use it to break Morgase from Thom’s influence. She was successful in her goal. Related to the killing of men and boys, the Black Ajah killed thirty to fifty senior Aes Sedai who might have known that the Dragon had been reborn.