Calathea Mavronéri
Hailing from the cross-roads city-state of Far Madding, Calathea was born the daughter of a Counsel, one of the thirteen women who held governing rule. The matriarchal society in which she spent her formative years undoubtedly shaped her views, and primed her well for the responsibilities she would one day wield under the title of Aes Sedai. She was a studious child who learned quickly and quietly at her mother’s knee, and even from a young age was often seen running errands and messages to and from the imposing Hall of the Counsels. Her father kept their home, a kind man who doted on his clever daughter, and whom Thea found emulated in the one warder she bonded over the course of her life.
Upon discovery of her channeling gift, Thea was sent north to the White Tower. She was both surprised, dismayed, and quietly thrilled at the prospect. If it was not quite a boon to her family, who had desired her to follow in her mother’s footsteps, it was at least accepted with aplomb. She made the journey with her father, who escorted her as far as the Tower’s great steps. From there, Thea asked to complete the journey alone.
That was some 200 years ago. She arrived in Tar Valon a naive, cherubic-faced fourteen-year old, both trepidatious and excited for the new path laid out before her. While well liked amongst her peers, she was nonetheless a novice of no real note. Thea was seldom in trouble, for the idea of disobeying the natural hierarchy of women horrified her at the time. She worked hard, was diligent in her studies, took the test the first time it was offered (to some small surprise) and upon accepting the Ring pledged herself to the Brown Ajah (to no small surprise).
It was only upon earning the rainbow bands that she began to excel, being now amongst like-minded women who had shown the level of commitment required for responsibility, however it’s fair to say almost all of her acumen was hidden away behind the closed doors of her Ajah. Amongst the Brown sisters who deigned to notice such things, Calathea’s name was abuzz, but amongst the rest of the Tower she was yet another face in an Accepted dress.
She was a noted pupil of the then Brown Sitter Genevieve Sedai, a figure Thea greatly admired (and still does to this day), and who she sometimes served as assistant (and calendar). She was at times a little overwhelmed by the Sister’s gregarious nature, but also loved her for it.
In the time she had free, she also taught a great many novice classes, a fair and patient teacher whom many came to love, but who was also known to brook no nonsense when it came to silly behaviour. For those who asked, Thea always spared time for extra tutelage.
Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah
By the time she earned the title of Aes Sedai, Calathea had a reputation for her astute and sensible nature. She was largely impervious to the inner politicking of the Tower, maintaining amiable relationships amongst the other Ajahs. She remains one of the faces often seen beyond the Tower’s library, as so many of her sisters neglect to do, and is a great instigator of cross-Ajah consortium. Her efforts over the years have been met with mixed reception, but it has also won her important allies. Her vision has always been transformative; she believes in accessible knowledge, unification, and is a great supporter of democratic process.
Though many pure academics found their home within the Brown’s halls for its promised freedom, for women were largely welcomed to pursue their studies as they wished, Thea was always of a more worldly nature. For her, the Brown shawl was the means by which she might enrich, enlighten, and educate the nations of the world. She accepts the responsibility of her title, Servant of All, with deep dedication and selflessness. With the Council’s blessing she left to travel, having first sensibly selected a warder from the Tower’s elite ranks. His name was Rhadamanthus Asegora, originally from Tear, and he would be her closest companion and confidante for the best part of the following century.
Over the years, Calathea has sponsored schools and universities, and networked extensively amongst academics, inventors and great thinkers. She has been responsible for connecting many an entrepreneur with a wealthy patron. During the course of her travels she has always found great delight in the diverse cultures, arts and histories which make up the tapestry of the known world, but despite a desire to delve further afield, is ultimately too committed to the serpent ring to give into the personal desire and curiosity. Other women may ultimately explore across the seas, and she hopes to some day read of it.
After old-age claimed Rhadamanthus from her side — the rarest of fates for a warder — she returned to the Tower to grieve the loss. Soon after, she accepted a seat on the Brown’s ruling Council, which she has held now for almost fifty years and through which she has quietly shaped the Brown Ajah from the inside. She was among the group of women who welcomed Fate Zarine Dark into their fold — the strongest channeler the Tower had seen in years, and who subsequently surprised everyone but the Browns when she declared her aspirancy to them. With care, Thea helped mould the woman for the limelight she was so naturally suited for, and made certain to foster good relations by suggesting Yui for her role in the Domani royal household when Daryen took the throne. While the purview of royal adviser has predominantly fallen to the duties of the Blues, the Daimons have always benefited from Brown counsel.
It is no secret amongst her Sisters that Calathea heavily favours a future in which men are welcomed, and the Towers unified. As such, Daryen Daimon is considered by many Browns as a son of the Ajah.
In time, Fate went on to become one of the youngest Sitters ever appointed to the Hall, and was heavily rumoured to be a candidate as a future Keeper of the Chronicles following the tragic death of Corele Taravin.
Meanwhile, it was Calathea who instigated the Ajah’s project of greatest secrecy; that of the preservation and forgery of irreplaceable treasures, enacted in fear of what might be lost in the Last Battle or subsumed in the slow Seanchan invasion. Being strong enough to Travel, she has maintained her worldly presence, and has long been dismayed at the parts of the world almost inaccessible now even to Aes Sedai. The continued creep of the Seanchan has made everything more perilous, and despite Kaydrienne’s push for peace, it remains so. Thea has personally cultivated women for the dangerous tasks, and has been urged privately to consider selecting another warder, not least when a siege was laid upon the Tower’s very walls by the dreadlord Arikan. Unsurprisingly, Calathea was among the group of linked women who fought fiercely to protect the Tower library, both for the books kept inside, but also the women, girls and staff within who could not fight for themselves.
For all Calathea’s serene disposition and kindly manner, she has ever been the first to step up in times of trouble.
The Keeper of the Chronicles
When unrest gripped the Tower by the throat, Calathea was for once uncertain where to step. She was not the only one. None of the Ajah Council stood in the Hall aside from Fate, and the decisive action of Kekura din Anor took many by surprise, Thea included. The remaining Sitters, Brenna and Aubrey, chose to support the coup, confident that Fate would be granted amnesty by swearing on the Oath Rod. None could have predicted the events that led to her execution instead.
The Ajah was left reeling in the aftermath, and suffered a significant schism as a result. Calathea fought hard for unity, but some Brown sisters have gone so far as to join the rebellious Blues beyond the walls of Tar Valon. Liridia was sent in haste back to Bandar Eban, and the Council convened in urgency, to replace their lost Sitter in the Hall and, more importantly, to ensure a path in which Kekura had no recourse but to make reparations by selecting a Brown for her Keeper. The vote was unanimous for Calathea, to her initial discomfort, but as with all her duties she accepted it gravely. For in truth, though she loves her Ajah and her place within it, she believes the Tower cannot fight anything if it is broken inside. She detests the thoughts of disorder, and will do everything she can to unite her sisters — all of them — even if some view it as a betrayal of Fate’s memory. For some will never forgive it.
While the Council stood behind her, and the Sitters were duly informed of their support, it was Thea’s own savvy that saw it into a reality, when she spoke with Kekura herself. The conversation has been kept entirely private, many sisters surprised by the unforeseen alliance, and meanwhile Calathea has stepped seamlessly into her new role.
Other Turns of the Wheel
1st Age: Lore Dearborn
5th/6th Age: Arke
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