For some reason, the age when a man or woman began to channel seemed to make a difference in their rate of progress. While a given person’s peak strength would be the same whether he or she began learning at fifteen or at fifty, would reach that peak faster at an older age.
Among both men and women strength and skill were not the same thing. It was possible for one person to have great raw strength yet be less effective in many situations than another who had lesser strength but greater dexterity with the flows or greater knowledge in using them. While there were limits to strength for anyone—there was a certain upper limit which could never be surpassed—there were no real limits to increasing skill. Anyone could increase their knowledge, though of course, some would have greater ability to increase dexterity with the flows than others. Having been born with the inherent spark apparently was not an indicator of strength. There were as many with weak potential who would channel whether they were taught or not as there were with great potential.
Before the appearance of Elayne, Egwene, Nynaeve, Aviendha and Nicola, there were 60 base levels of strength, each of which had internal gradations, for women who were strong enough to be raised to the shawl. After their appearance, there were 72 base levels.
The earlier distribution of Aes Sedai strengths thus ran from 1 to 60, which became 13 to 72. Women below the lowest level at which someone could become Aes Sedai were trained, but with the knowledge that they would be put out; a few received the ring for political reasons, as with Morgase. There was, of course, also the need to consider Aes Sedai reluctance to let go of a woman once they had their hands on her. Non–Aes Sedai changed this distribution to a considerable extent. Both Atha’an Miere Windfinders and Aiel Wise Ones had no lower limit for full acceptance in their organizations.
Rating men against this scale (that is, comparing strength in saidin to strength in saidar), there were an additional six possible levels for men at the top end. While this was true in terms of bulk amounts of the Power that men could handle, certain vulnerabilities on the part of men, and others on the part of women, made a direct comparison difficult at best. Still, one-on-one, looking only at pure strength and avoiding the advantages of dexterity, length of practice and skill, the top level for a man was usually no more than a match for the top level for a woman.
Thus the strongest man would be ++1, the 800-year level in aging. Ranks ++2 to ++6 would have an aging range of 720 to 800 years. The strongest woman would be 1(+12), with a life expectancy of around 800 years; a man of the same rough level, which was 7, would have a life expectancy of 720 years.
There were considerable variations between individuals, but in rough form it could be said that there was a parallel between strength and longevity, minus the effects of a binder such as the Oath Rod. All age levels given were approximations, with considerable room for variation among individuals. For example, at the so-called 800-year level, a person could reasonably be expected to live to between roughly 775 and 825 years of age, with some making it to 850, and a very few making it to as much as 900. Strength level 56(44) was the 300-year age level, 67(55) the 200-year age level, and the bottom level, 72(60), approximately the 150-year level for women. The male equivalents were approximately the 240-year, 180-year, and 135-year levels for men.
A given strength level did not produce the same degree of longevity for a man as for a woman. At any given level of equality, a woman would live longer. In general, a man at any given strength would have a normal lifespan roughly ten percent less than that of a woman of that strength. The range of longevity was the same, though, with men at their top level having a life expectancy of 800 years or so, within the range of the bell curves.
While there were six additional levels for men above those for women, the disparity was not as great as it seemed, measuring the bulk quantity of the One Power that a person could handle. Adding in the greater dexterity of women in weaving, a woman at the top level might well be roughly equal to a man in the top level in a stand-up one-on-one fight.
strikers. An invention of Aludra’s. Small sticks with rough blue-gray heads that produced a flame when rubbed against something rough, they had to be packed carefully; if they rubbed against each other they could burst into flame on their own. She also called them “firesticks.”
Strom. A strongarm at The Dancing Cartman in Four Kings, Andor. Strom was hard-faced, big and had arms that were thick enough for legs. His crooked teeth were yellow. He and Jak threw people out of the inn if they caused trouble, and the two also planned to help Hake, the innkeeper, rob Rand and Mat. The Darkfriend Howal Gode gave Jak, Strom and Hake something to make them sleep while he tried his pitch on Rand.
Study of Men, Women and the One Power Among Humans, A. A book by the Ogier Ledar son of Shandin son of Koimal; Loial considered it one of the best about Aes Sedai dealing with men who could channel. It was written around 700 NE.
Study of the War of the Shadow, A. A book by the Ogier Moilin daughter of Hamada daughter of Juendan; in it Be’lal was referred to as the Netweaver.
Stump. What Ogier called a meeting where they discussed and debated momentous topics; it was also called the Great Stump. The Great Stump held at Stedding Shangtai debated whether or not the Ogier should open the Book of Translation before Tarmon Gai’don, thus returning them to the alternate world from which they had come; the Ogier decided to stay and fight to help the humans.
Suana Dragand. A Shienaran Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah and the loyalist contingent, with a strength level of 22(10). Born in 784 NE, she went to the White Tower in 798 NE. After spending sixteen years as a novice and twelve years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 826 NE. A beefy woman, with too much chin, blue eyes, a square face and wide square hands, Suana possessed a blunt manner. Despite the fact that she was not among the strongest sisters, she was considered in the first rank in the Talent of Healing. Her abilities were so great that no sister, not even those much stronger than she, could do better, with the possible exception of Samitsu. She was also politically well connected and very knowledgeable—a woman with a will who could get things done.
Suana served as Sitter for the Yellow from 919 to 952 NE; She was made First Weaver in 947 NE and was one of only two heads of Ajah to sit in the Hall. In 999 NE she became Sitter again to replace Magla Daronos, whom she had sent to join the rebels to control and defuse events. Being raised Sitter a second time was very unusual, but she took the position to make it easier to give way to Magla when the Tower was reunited. This was a precaution not taken by all of the Ajahs. Suana taught Egwene after Egwene’s capture by Elaida; she was so impressed that she practically offered her a place in the Yellow and later supported the choice of Egwene as Amyrlin.
Succession, The Fourth War of Cairhienin. See Reconciliation
Succession, the. The conflict so called in Andor, known as the Third War of Andoran Succession elsewhere, that brought Morgase to the throne.
Suffa. The name given to Elaida as a damane.
sugarberry. A tree that grew on riverbanks and produced bright red blossoms in the spring. Egwene saw some while sailing on the River Erinin.