Basic Information
Age:215Nation of origin:Cairhein
Hair:Gray
Eyes:Very dark
Skin:Very pale.
Height:5'1
Description:Slightly plump, but not overly so, looks like a friendly grandmother.
Voice:Grandmotherly, yet changes in the blink of an eye to be firm and direct when the occasion demands.
Special Skills:Sees to the heart of issues.
One Power Breakdown
| Air | Earth | Fire | Spirit | Water | >Strenth | SkillPotency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | (29) | 31 | 31 |
History
Talina grew up as the second eldest daughter of a minor house in Cairhien. With her parents deeply involved with Daes Dae’mar and the social scene of Cairhien, the six children (4 girls and 2 boys) were raised mostly by nursemaids until the age of seven. At seven years of age their care was taken over by scholars who taught them not only reading and arithmetic but the age-old Game of Houses. Talina proved to be a quick study of Daes Dae’mar and at the age of twelve her mother began grooming her for court life and marriage to a nobleman of higher standing to increase the standing of their own house.
At fifteen Talina accompanied her Mother to a morning tea held by the Queen in honour of a party of visiting Aes Sedai. During the morning one of the Sisters drew Talina away and asked her to focus on a small green gem she drew from her belt pouch. After the gem flashed from within the Aes Sedai announced that Talina could learn to channel and set about convincing her Mother to allow Talina to accompany the sister back to Tar Valon.
During the journey the Sister who had tested Talina began teaching her how to touch Saidar. Talina was a quick study and quickly was able to touch the Source at will. By the time the party of Talina, three Aes Sedai and their Warders arrived in Tar Valon; Talina had begun simple weaves of one element.
After beginning her Novice studies Talina was befriended by a Shienaran girl, Larindhra. Though not close, they remained friends throughout their lives in the Tower, more often disagreeing on the methods used than the actual outcome.
Talina remained a Novice for many years before gaining the Ring and then many more as Accepted before achieving the Shawl and choosing the Red Ajah. To Talina it made sense that she chose the Red Ajah as she desired to help men who could channel, to learn ways to prevent them from wasting away after being gentled.
Talina spent her early years as an Aes Sedai entrenched in the White Tower using her skills in Daes Dae’mar to advance the standing of the Red Ajah within Tower politics. After many years she grew tired and disillusioned with the Great Game and resolved herself to leave the Tower and do some good.
She spent the next hundred years finding men who could channel and escorting them to the closest group of Red Sisters who would then take them the Tower to be gentled. She also found men who had been gentled and turned loose and attempted to help them regain a sense of worth in an effort to keep them alive. Usually her efforts were in vain as the man in question would soon refuse to eat, a deep depression taking over his life and soon waste away and die. She successfully married one off and he lived to be an old man with a multitude of children and grandchildren, but that was her only true success.
During her years away from the Tower Talina discovered the value of being straightforward and abandoned Daes Dae’mar completely. She retained her knowledge and skill if the Great Game but chose not to participate, finding she gained better results with being direct. People did not expect an Aes Sedai to be so direct and it often put people off guard, which served her ends well.
With each infrequent visit to the Tower, Talina becomes more worried about the lack of Novices and Accepted. Even worse than that, the average strength of the initiates seems to be dropping. She begins to keep watch for girls who can learn to channel while she is on the lookout for male channellers. Talina discovers quite by accident that for every girl she finds to send to the Tower, there exists another four or five who are much too old to become Novices by the current Tower standards. Upon receiving a cryptic letter from Larindhra, Talina returns to the Tower to find much has changed, and with her direct no-nonsense manner sets about disrupting matters to turn them to her advantage.