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Far Dareis Mai (FAHR DAH-rize MY):
In the Old Tongue, literally, "Maidens of the Spear." Aiel warrior society
which, unlike any other, admits women and only women. A Maiden may not
marry and remain in the society, nor may she fight while carrying a child.
Any child born to a Maiden is given to another woman to raise, in such a
way that no one knows the child's mother.
"You may belong to no man, nor may any man belong to you, nor any child.
The spear is your lover, your child, and your life."
Thirty years ago, in a land torn in a never ending battle between good and
evil, a land filled with great magic which the people knew as Saidin and
Saidar, three maidens were born in the deserts of the Aiel Waste. The
three - Lasha, Liana, and Bao - grew up together in the harsh home of the
Aiel and soon each took up spears to join in the fight against
Sightblinder.
When the three of them reached the age of sixteen, something unimaginable
happened to them. The three of them were summoned before the four Wise
Ones of their clan. In the northern ends of the Aiel Waste, they were
told, a disturbance in the pattern had been felt. The three of them, being
the swiftest scouts in the clan, were told to travel north and investigate
the disturbance. Taking only their spears, the three maidens journeyed
north. It was not difficult for them to find the source of the
disturbance, in some mysterious way they each felt instinctively drawn
towards one direction.
Soon they arrived at a small canyon, where they were sure the disruptions
must be emanating from. It seemed as though the whole land around them was
skewed and was nauseating to watch. At the centre of the canyon was
something that could only be described as a rip, a tear, a rift in the
pattern itself. Lasha, being the youngest and most reckless of the three,
made her way towards the tear first and as Liana and Bao looked on, she
got sucked into the tear. There was no choice but to follow after their
lost sister. Liana went through next veiling herself, ready for combat,
and Bao went through last as she was keeping an eye out for enemies and
danger in the surrounding canyon.
Finding themselves in an ethereal void, the three sisters screamed out in
pain as their souls were wrenched from their bodies. A voice rang out to
the souls of the maidens. It told them that they had entered a new world,
known to many as Alyria. They would be given new bodies, which reflected
the experiences of each of their souls. For the lives that each of the
sisters had taken as warriors they were each given the body of an evil
being. Lasha was given the body of an ogre, for her soul reflected
strength; Liana was given the body of a minotaur, for her soul reflected
pride; and Bao was given the body of a fey, for her soul reflected
stealth.
To their horror, the three sisters found there was no way to return to
their own world. They were weak in their new bodies, and so decided to
split up to learn what they could of this strange land and to acquaint
themselves with their new bodies. Separately, they sought to join the many
clans of Alyria. They came and went in the various clans of the land,
staying only long enough to make friends, but not long enough to leave
their mark. Eventually, however, the three found themselves in the clan
Apathy which was lead by Sati, a sidhe of the land. Perhaps it was the
similarities that the clan had with their own Aiel society, or perhaps it
was the mother-like warmth and affection of Sati that drew them to the
clan. In the care of the clan Apathy, the three sisters grew quickly in
strength, and soon knew the lands as well as their own Three-Fold land.
The three grew restless, however, as time passed and eventually they
decided to leave and recreate the Aiel society that they had once been
part of, Far Dareis Mai - the Maidens of the Spear. Their new clan had a
rough start at first, and although Lasha, with her mighty ogre strength,
was able to bring in most of the maleficarium roots needed to form the
clan, it was not enough. Zydian, the noble leader of Northstar came to the
aid of Far Dareis Mai and gave them the roots to finish the clan.
Girls from every corner of Alyria came to join the ranks of Far Dareis
Mai, and soon the clan was filled with maidens that had taken up the
spear. Promising adventurers such as, Roca, Cleo, Andariel, Myrddraal,
Alondra, Spycey, and Genavieve. However, that very same year a disaster
struck. The three leaders of the clan were hit by a backlash of evil,
emanating from their own world, and each fell ill with a mysterious malady
which seemed to be phasing them to the void. Although Lasha was able to
recover shortly within half a year, they had lost many of their maidens,
who lost hope in the clan. The other two leaders were not so fortunate.
Liana is still to this day unrecovered, while Bao suffered the worst fate
of the three sisters, she was completely drawn into the void.
Back in the world that the three sisters had began, a young Aiel maiden,
Karena, awoke with a start. Something was wrong. She had always felt a
connection between herself and her first-sister Bao who had disappeared
many years ago. She hadn't worried as the bond told her that Bao was safe.
However, this morning the bond just seemed to have ceased to exist.
A week later, Lasha received a letter in the mail. It was addressed to
Lasha, of the Black Rock Sept, clan Shaarad. She hadn't been addressed in
such a way for a very long time, for only an Aiel from her own world would
know her title. The letter read: "I have arrived" and was signed Karena,
of the Black Rock Sept, clan Shaarad.
To be continued... |
