
One of many best components of studying epic fantasy novels is the map that's typically included within the first few pages of the ebook, earlier than the novel correct begins; these maps may be phenomenal introductions to how intensive and detailed the world of the ebook is. Robert Jordan The Wheel of Time is not any exception, because the intricate historical past of the Westerlands and neighboring lands is a key part of the epic saga, rivaling the story of JRR Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings' expansive geography.
The Wheel of Time the novels, just like the Amazon sequence that adapt them, contain occasions that span virtually the complete globe; Though there are some variations in every model of the story's occasions, the shared geography has been a relentless. Creator Robert Jordan drew inspiration for his world-building from many real-world locations and occasions, weaving them collectively as if with the One Energy into an exquisite geographic tapestry. Season 3 of The Wheel of Time will give attention to a few of these areas, bringing them to life on display screen like by no means earlier than.
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The Western Lands
The focal continent of the wheel of time story
Westlands is the final title for the area of the continent that's house to many impartial nations and cities which can be the main target of The Wheel of Timenarrative. Bounded to the west by the Aryth Ocean, to the south by the Sea of Storms, to the east by the mountain vary generally known as the Backbone of the World and to the north by the Nice Plague, the Westerlands rebuilt themselves after the destruction that ended the Age of Legends, though over time centuries its composition has modified greater than as soon as.
A timeline of the Westlands |
|
12 months |
Occasion |
0 |
Breaking the world |
47 After breaking |
Tar Valon based by the remaining Aes Sedai |
209 AB |
Ten Nations Pact signed |
1000 AB |
The Trolloc Wars Start |
w. 1100 BC |
The nation of Aridhol collapses; the city-state's corpse was renamed Shadar Logoth |
w. 1200 AB |
The nation of Manetheren is exterminated by the Trollocs |
w. 1350 AD |
The tip of the Trolloc Wars |
w. Free 12 months 1 - Tax 12 months 100 |
A brand new calendar is launched; 29 new kingdoms rise from the ashes of the previous |
Fiscal 12 months 912 |
Artur Hawkwing is born in Shandalle |
Fiscal 12 months 939-943 |
Battle of the Second Dragon |
FY 943-963 |
The Consolidation Battle brings the Westerlands beneath the management of Arthur Hawkwing |
FY 992 |
Luthair Paendrag's fleet invades Seanchan |
FY 993 |
Hawkwing's second fleet makes an attempt to invade Shara and is annihilated |
FY 994 |
Arthur Hawkwing dies with out an inheritor; the kingdoms of the Borderlands declare independence. The dominion of Andor is based. The Hundred Years' Battle begins. |
w. Fiscal 12 months 1000 - 1117 |
The fashionable cities and kingdoms of the Westerlands type because the Hundred Years' Battle intensifies |
FY 1135 |
Issues about collective timekeeping errors led to the institution of a brand new calendar, the New Period |
509 NE |
The Aiel make an overture to Cairhien and provide the present of Avendoldera, a reducing from the Tree of Life |
w. 600 NE |
The nation of Almoth collapses, leaving the Plain of Almoth to be fought over by Tarabon and Arad Doman. |
908 NE |
Loial, son of Arent, is born in Stedding Shangtai |
about 920 - 930 NE |
The Kids of Mild take up residence in Amadicia, successfully taking management of the nation |
953 NE |
al'Lan Mandragoran is born in Malkier |
955 NE |
The border kingdom of Malkier falls to treachery and is swallowed by the Plague |
956 NE |
Moiraine Damodred is born in Cairhien |
976 - 978 NE |
The Aiel declare struggle on Cairhien for the destruction of Avendoldera |
978 NE |
Rand al'Thor rises on the slopes of Dragon's Mount. Matrim Cauthon and Perrin Aybara are born in Emond's Area. |
998 NE |
The Eye of the World/Season 1 occasions start |
A millennium after the Sundering, the Trolloc Wars devastated the Westerlands, and the Ten Nations that rebuilt have been destroyed by the 350-year battle. Inside a century, 29 new kingdoms rose from the ashes, and peace lasted for a time till a False Dragon tried to beat the land. He was stopped by Arthur Hawkwing, who then conquered the continent himself. Naming himself Excessive King, Hawkwing despatched two armadas to beat the remainder of the world, however died earlier than studying his destiny; this sparked the Hundred Years' Battle, which as soon as once more destroyed the Westerlands.
The tip of the Hundred Years' Battle noticed the start of two dozen new kingdoms, however over the following millennium lots of them would fall, till solely 14 remained: Altara, Amadicia, Andor, Arad Doman, Cairhien, Ghealdan, Illian, Kandor, Murandy, Saldaea, Shienar, Tear and Tarabon. Whereas these nations engaged in petty border wars, it appeared that the Westerlands had discovered one thing resembling stability till the 12 months 998 NE, when a number of males proclaimed themselves the Dragon Reborn, and the Seanchan arrived at Tomon Head, and the world realized that the Final Battle was actually shut.
Coastal Areas
The nations of Arad Doman, Tarabon, Altara, Illian, Tear, Mayene and Almoth Plain
On the coast of the Aryth Ocean are the nations of Arad Doman and Tarabon, in addition to the huge impartial area of the Plain of Almoth; the peninsula of Tomon Head, with its major city of Falme, juts out from the Almoth Plain into the ocean. To the south, alongside the Sea of Storms, lie Altara, Illian, Tear, and the impartial metropolis of Mayene. Tomon Head is the place the invading Seanchan first landed to say their western lands, and it was at Falme that they noticed defeat when the Dragon Reborn was proclaimed to the world.
The numerous coastal nations of the Westerlands characteristic closely within the historical past of The Wheel of Timenotably the dominion of Tear, its eponymous capital, and the highly effective fortress above it generally known as the Stone of Tear, which is rumored to predate the Breaking of the World. Within the novels, that is the place the highly effective sa'angreal generally known as Callandor waits to be claimed by the Dragon Reborn. Whereas Amazon Wheel of Time appears poised to skip Callandor, the sequence' upcoming season 3 might nonetheless discover a strategy to crew Rand together with his signature weapon.
Inside Areas
The nations of Amadicia, Andor, Cairhien, Ghealdan, Murandy, Far Madding, and Tar Valon
The inside of the Westerlands is dominated by the main kingdoms of Andor and Cairien, in addition to the smaller nations of Amadicia, Murandy, and Ghealdan. The impartial cities of Far Madding and Tar Valon are additionally there. Geographically, many of the inside of the Westerlands is a combination of plains and hills, divided from the nations of the Aryth Ocean coast by the Misty Mountains, and abutting the Backbone of the World to the east. Above Tar Valon rises Dragonmount, the big volcano that rose when Lews Therin Telamon immolated himself on the finish of the Breaking of the World.
The dominion of Andor is central to the story of The Wheel of Time. The Two Rivers and its villages of Emond's Area and Taren Ferry, the place Rand al'Thor and his fellow ta'veren hail from, are technically in Andoran lands, as is the cursed useless metropolis of Shadar Logoth. West of the Two Rivers lie the Mist Mountains, which divide Andor from the dominion of Arad Domon. Within the books, Rand and his companions collect within the Andoran capital of Caemlyn, whereas within the Amazon sequence, it takes place in Tar Valon, the island metropolis of the Aes Sedai.
The Borderlands
The nations of Arafel, Kandor, Saldaea and Shienar
The kingdoms of the Borderlands, which lie alongside the northern fringe of the Westerlands, have lengthy thought of themselves the final bastion of safety that the weaker southern kingdoms have in opposition to the more and more encroaching Plague. It's the armies of the Frontier that preserve the aggressions of the Trollocs and different Shadowspawn in test, or work to burn the Plague's tainted crops as they creep south.
Till its fall as a result of inside treachery in 955 NE, the dominion of Malkier was the most important within the Borderlands, however now that title belongs to Shienar, whose troopers really feel the ache of Malkier's loss each time they give the impression of being northeast to Tarwin's Hole . The Shienaran fortress metropolis of Fal Dara is the place Rand, Moiraine, and the others arrived throughout the Paths on their strategy to the Eye of the World, and from the place Padain Fain stole the legendary Horn of Valere. Saldaea, the westernmost area of the Borderlands, is house to Wheel of Time season 3's new character, Faile Bashere.
The Nice Plague
Malkier, the attention of the world, town, Thakan'dar and the mountains of Dhoom
After the Breaking of the World, the affect of the Darkish slowly started to have an effect on the land, seeping by way of the rift within the Sample that was Shayol Ghul, the nice mountain in the course of the Helllands, which was mentioned to have borne the brunt of the destruction precipitated throughout the Breaking of the World. Battle of Energy. Within the Barres of Hell, the valley of Thakan'dar is house to not solely the height of Shayol Ghul, but in addition the sinister settlement generally known as The Metropolis, the place the Darkfriends collect and work to produce the mighty armies of the Darkish.
South of Shayol Ghul lies the Plague, a swath of corrupted and contaminated wilderness that continues to broaden because the Darkish grows in energy. Vegetation and animals in Prague turn into monstrous and merciless, whereas water is scarce and the soil turns purple because of the accumulation of near-toxic ranges of iron. The best growth of the Plague lately has quickly consumed the dominion of Malkier, homeland of the exiled king al'Lan Mandragoran.
Hidden deep inside Prague is a small hillside grove, untouched by Plague. It was right here that Aes Sedai hid the Eye of the World after the Breaking, in hopes that the facility it contained might sooner or later be used to seal the jail of the Darkish. Within the Amazon sequence, it's thought that the Eye could be the location of the Darkish One's jail, however this proves that's not the case, and Rand and Moiraine discover themselves confronting the Forsaken Ishamael.
The spine of the world
The best mountain vary within the Westlands
The huge Backbone of the World mountain vary stretches from Prague within the north to the coast of the Sea of Storms within the far south. East of the Backbone lies the huge expanse of the Aiel Desert; the Aiel name the Backbone the Dragonwall and cross it solely when crucial, as after they took the move from Jengai to Cairhien to punish King Laman Damodred – Moiraine Damodred's uncle – for reducing down the sacred tree Avendoldera to turn into a throne, an act since generally known as Laman's Sin.
The Backbone can also be house to a 3rd of the remaining Ogier settlements, together with Loial's house, Stedding Shangtai, because the steep slopes and valleys between the various mountain peaks enable them to stay remoted from would-be passersby. Some Ogier, like these close to Cairhien, act as grasp builders of human cities, however most stay amongst their timber in snug solitude.
Aiel's waste
The sacred websites of Rhuidean and Alcair Dal
The desert that Westerners name the Aiel Waste – led to in WowThe season three trailer – it's an enormous expanse of sun-drenched clay plains, punctuated by rocky hills and outcrops that the fearsome Aiel use to make their settlements, referred to as Holds. The Aiel name the Wasteland the Threefold Land, as they see it because the supply of three items: stone to form them, a testing floor for his or her abilities, and a punishment for the sins they've carried for the reason that Breaking of the World.
Though the huge wilderness of the Badlands is uncharted, there are some landmarks that the Aiel know of, although such information is never shared with the Swamps; actually, the Aiel kill anybody who trespasses on their territory, with notable exceptions of minstrels, peddlers, the Tuatha'an (whom the Aiel keep away from in any respect prices), and the Cairhienen (even Laman's Sin). Alcair Dal Gorge is impartial floor, the place the chiefs of the Aiel clan meet to barter. South of the Wastes lies Termool, a waterless, ever-shifting expanse of sand that even the Aiel keep away from.
The best landmark within the Waste is the holy metropolis of Rhuidean; Constructed by the Jenn Aiel and a few Aes Sedai after the Breaking of the World, it was by no means accomplished, because the Jenn Aiel died, whereas their warrior cousins most well-liked the comforting problem of residing within the Badlands correct. Nonetheless, the Rhuideans remained central to Aiel society, as would-be clan chiefs and Clever Ones made pilgrimages to town to seek the advice of the ter'angreal who documented the Aiel's shameful historical past.
The Aryth Ocean and the Sea of Storms
Tremalking and the opposite islands of the Sea Folks
The most important ocean on this planet, the mighty Aryth Ocean divides the Westerlands and the continent of Seanchan. The northernmost a part of Aryth, starting on the identical latitude because the Mountains of Dhoom, is called the Lifeless Sea; This stretch of sea may be affected by the Plague spreading beneath the waves, because the waters are lifeless and hostile. Aryth is house to a number of archipelagos – Aile Jafar, Aile Somera, and Aile Dashar – that the Sea Folks management.
Dividing the Aryth Ocean and the Sea of Storms is the big island of Tremalking, which is house to the Sea Folks. In Tremalking, an enormous stone hand holding a crystal sphere protrudes from the bottom; This is among the Choedan Kal, sa'angreal giants from the Battle of Energy who have been made to be gigantic statues, considered one of a girl and considered one of a person. The statue at Tremalking is the girl Choedan Kal, whereas the person is buried close to the village of Tremonsien in Cairhienen.
East of Tremalking is the Sea of Storms. This stormy physique of water is house to 2 extra Sea Folks settlements, Qiam and Cindaking, however none aside from the Sea Folks dare to journey past the shallow coastal waters because of the monumental storms that give it its title. About 5,000 miles south of the Sea of Storms lies the continent identified solely because the Madlands, which the Sea Folks keep away from as it's house to unpredictable volcanic exercise, and the few individuals who stay there have fallen into anarchy for the reason that Breaking of the Sea. .World.
Seanchan
A conquered land of would-be conquerors
Throughout the Aryth Ocean from the Westerlands lie the dual continents of Seanchan, divided by a dividing channel and stuffed with fjords. One thousand and 2 hundred years earlier than the principle occasions of The Wheel of Timeit was conquered by an armada led by Luthair Paendrag Mondwin, son of Excessive King Arthur Hawkwing. Luthair and his armies pitted in opposition to one another the native nations and a number of the Aes Sedai who lived there, and over eight centuries his descendants solid the Seanchan Empire.
Inhabited not solely by the varied peoples of the Seanchan Empire, but in addition by the weird creatures that the Empire makes use of as beasts of labor and struggle, the continent of Seanchan is gigantic. Though the northern landmass is generally made up of cliffs and peninsulas resulting in Seanchan's personal Mountains of Dhoom - thought of a continuation of the identical mountain vary within the Westerlands, which can actually encircle the globe - and the Lesser Prague to the north of that, The southern a part of Seanchan is large, with all kinds of biomes. It's there that the various cities of the empire are positioned.
Shara
The impregnable Japanese Empire
East of the Aiel Waste, throughout the chasm generally known as the Nice Rift and the steep mountains referred to as the Cliffs of Daybreak, lies the land of Shara. Though they're technically a part of the identical continent because the Westerlands, there's little commerce or communication between them besides a handful of Aiel, minstrels, peddlers, and Sea Folks merchants.
The Sharans are deeply insular, as their nation managed to stay intact by way of the Breaking of the World, the Trolloc Wars, and even the tried invasion of Arthur Hawkwing's second fleet. Most Westerners solely know Shara in reference to the dear silk that these few merchants carry, and which command a excessive worth.