Tear

     Tear is one of the richest nations in the land.  This comes in part from controlling the greatest port on the Seas of Storms.  A great deal of Tear’s wealth comes from the oil produced on the country’s numerous olive farms.  Lucrative trade in grain and fish also brings money into rich nation of Tear.

     However, it is only the nobles of Tear who have grown rich off the nation’s vast wealth.  This is because of the view unique to Tairen lords that commoners are actually lesser beings.  The distinction between Tairen lords and commoners is a sharp one, to the

Artwork by Joel Northwall

point where they even dress differently.  Until very recently, it was not even possible for a commoner to call a noble before a magistrate.

     Unlike most nations, Tear is not ruled by a king or queen.  Instead, Tear is ruled by the High Lords.  The number of High Lords has varied over time from six to twenty, but they are always of a particular rank.

     The city of Tear goes further in enforcing the differences between commoners and nobles.  The inner city is surrounded by a high wall of gray stone.  Within the wall are the finer houses and palaces of the nobles, which line streets paved with stone.  Outside the wall, commoners trudge through unpaved, muddy streets.

     The city of Tear is dominated by the Stone of Tear, which towers above the city like a small mountain.  It is believed to be the oldest stronghold of mankind, erected shortly after the Breaking of the World.  It was built with the One Power , Earth, Air, and Fire fusing stones together without joint or mortar.

     Deep within the Stone is the Heart of the Stone.  This is where the great sword Callandor is held, protected by the One Power.  Callandor is actually one of the greatest sa’angreal ever, waiting for the Dragon Reborn to claim it.  No one except the High Lords are allowed to enter the Heart, and even they rarely enter it.    The High Lords only enter the Heart four times a year for the Rite of Guarding, and to raise a lord to a High Lord.  Indeed, if the High Lords could manage to forget that the Heart of the Stone and Callandor existed, they undoubtedly would.

     This is due partly to the fact that it is prophesied that the Stone will not fall until the Dragon has been Reborn.  The High Lords like to think that by protecting Callandor , they are protecting the world from the Dragon Reborn.

     Also, Tairens fear anything to do with the One Power.  Aes Sedai are forbidden to channel while in Tear.  The Stone also houses a collection of angreal and ter’angreal second only to the White Tower.  It is unsure exactly why the Tairens have collected such an array; perhaps to prevent their use by Aes Sedai, or maybe to ease the knowledge that they possess the greatest of them, Callandor.

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