by rfh1985 » Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:30 am
Tissaya Revienne
Age: Undisclosed
Gender: Female
Current status in the Tower: Accepted
City of Birth: Illian
Home: Tar Valon
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Storm Blue
Skin color: Very fair white (even more so from being in the Tower)
Stature: Very short and very thin
Tissaya sits at her desk tasked with writing an autobiography. Embracing Saidar she lights a candle with a flick of the wrist and then quickly releases her connection. She sits down in front of her parchment and closes her eyes to think for a little. She picks up the quill and calculatingly dips it in ink. “I could save my wrist and use the source to do this” she thinks out loud, “but I think this needs a more personal touch.” She fervently begins writing with her right hand...
Setting the tone for my birth, my mother always told me that it was a dark, cloudy day when she gave birth to me. I’m not sure if she always resented me, but it was apparent from as young as I can remember that I seemed more of a burden to her than a blessing. My father, an Illian companion, skilled both in combat and healing, on the other hand showed me love from the very start. I remember being four years old and him taking the time to play with me. I was his only child, and so he even let me play with sticks in imaginary battles with him. He told me my mother would never let him have another child, so that I might as well learn to stick up for myself.
The years passed in what I thought was a normal childhood. My mother, being of nobility, was always harping on me to act proper. I rolled my eyes. I begrudgingly obliged her whims. She always told me how she should never have married my father. She had fallen for him because of the tales in town of how many of his companions he had not only fought with, but had dressed their wounds and brought them back to a Wisdom to be saved on more than one occasion. She told me to never marry for infatuation or else I might end up like her. Life didn't seem so bad to me when she wasn't around.
At about twelve years old, my father came down with a chronic ailment that no one knew how to treat. Normally, he would have been the ideal of peak physical conditioning. A "man’s man" so to speak who could keep up with men half of his age. But I had noticed his breathing was difficult even with minor tasks now. Some say a group he was with had traveled to a location that should never be traveled. I was too young to know what was going on, but I knew he wasn’t himself. He knew too. At the time, I didn’t realize, he was preparing me with everything he could share before he passed.
At thirteen my mother seemed to have quickly moved on from a loss I still feel to this day. I was halfway surprised that she took me to Caemlyn with her. She looked almost excited at the chance to restart her life. I was an afterthought now. Whatever nuisance I had been to her before, I was now nothing to her. She quickly found (a few years later) another noble that she saw an opportunity for a normal social life with. It was clear that I was no longer welcome. This "man of nobility" did not want to be seen with a woman who already had a child from a prior marriage.
I didn’t know what to do. I remembered the stories my father told me of the Wisdoms. I thought certainly they might take care of me, or at least help me get to someone who will. I set out for Whitebridge. With a staff, some tattered clothes, and what food I could carry I slowly made my way west. Certainly, I thought, things could not get any worse. I was now on my own, as a teenager, heading across roads that I knew were not safe.
I made it further than I thought before I ran into him. I was slightly off the main road just outside the east side of Whitebridge. I had never seen a trolloc before, and had hoped never to have seen one. It was ugly. Dark, hairy, drool coming from its mouth and nose, and about as smelly as anything I could have ever imagined. You name it. I didn’t have long to assess the situation, but looking back I was lucky that he had already been injured from a prior battle and that it was very cold outside. Without realizing it at first, I had embraced Saidar for the first time. Just at about the point where he was running towards me with an axe that looked like it could take me out with one swing…ice seemingly assembled itself just outside of both of my hands. I was shocked at how much and how sharp the ice looked to be…I was more concerned with not letting him get to me. The Ice spiked through his chest and out through his back. I fell over in exhaustion.
I woke up being carried by a guard. “Please take me to the wisdom” I whispered and fell back asleep. When I awoke Selaana had a great big smile as she welcomed me to Whitebridge. She told me what had happened according to what the guard saw and relayed to her. She told me I could stay as long as I like and that she could show me how to work on some of my weaves. I thanked her.
I was gracious to have what I thought was my new home, but as I trained with her I noticed that she would not share all the weaves I wanted to learn. I could tell that she focused on healing, and while I certainly understood the importance I wanted more. I wanted to know everything I could possibly know! Selaana was very patient with me and explained that I should seek out the Tower if I wanted to further my skills. She arranged an escort for me to get there safely on horseback.
That’s when I saw Tar Valon for the first time. It was majestic. Wow! I couldn’t even begin to word the sophistication and beauty. And the Tower! It’s huge! I knew it was white, but I didn’t know how impressively designed and large it was! And there are warders and Aes Sedai just casually walking around here? These were the things of fable to me. And then I saw her. The Brown Ajah sitter who would bring me into the tower. Calling her knowledgable didn’t seem to do her justice. She must know everything? She said she didn’t but it was hard for me to believe her. Anything I asked she knew. I was assigned a more experienced novice and my training had begun.
Some may have heard the adage “It is harder to stay in than to get in”. If I were to summarize my experience as a novice it would be this. One can not explain the grueling nature of being a novice. It has to be experienced to be understood. Between lessons, the dishes, the sweeping, sorting books in the library, reading books of interest, sparring, and practicing weaves at any moment available…there is no time to travel. And not being able to travel was more difficult than I ever could have imagined for someone who always wanted to just find a home.
At the time of writing this I have developed my skills greatly. I started as an orphaned girl who was unknowingly strong in the areas of water and air. But now I have trained in all five elements. I would never have guessed that I might have such an affinity for fire as well. I have a new family in my eyes, and should they allow me to shawl…they might see me as such also. In so many of the Aes Sedai of the tower I see the mother that I should have had and the love of my father. I always think back to the loss of my father, and I feel sorry for anyone who might try to take any member of my family from me.
(A single tear drops on to this part of the page)
I will not allow any of my new family to be taken from me if I have anything to say about it. I will seek out any woman who can embrace the source to try to help as well. With the last breath in my body I will fight the Dark and do everything I can do to support the Light.
It is at this moment that I choose my own new last name “Revienne”. To some it might mean come back, and to me it also means to live again! I will always come back stronger and I will not take this life or the lives of any others for granted. I do not intend on letting the Dark take any more tears from me.
Tissaya Revienne
Age: Undisclosed
Gender: Female
Current status in the Tower: Accepted
City of Birth: Illian
Home: Tar Valon
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Storm Blue
Skin color: Very fair white (even more so from being in the Tower)
Stature: Very short and very thin
Tissaya sits at her desk tasked with writing an autobiography. Embracing Saidar she lights a candle with a flick of the wrist and then quickly releases her connection. She sits down in front of her parchment and closes her eyes to think for a little. She picks up the quill and calculatingly dips it in ink. “I could save my wrist and use the source to do this” she thinks out loud, “but I think this needs a more personal touch.” She fervently begins writing with her right hand...
Setting the tone for my birth, my mother always told me that it was a dark, cloudy day when she gave birth to me. I’m not sure if she always resented me, but it was apparent from as young as I can remember that I seemed more of a burden to her than a blessing. My father, an Illian companion, skilled both in combat and healing, on the other hand showed me love from the very start. I remember being four years old and him taking the time to play with me. I was his only child, and so he even let me play with sticks in imaginary battles with him. He told me my mother would never let him have another child, so that I might as well learn to stick up for myself.
The years passed in what I thought was a normal childhood. My mother, being of nobility, was always harping on me to act proper. I rolled my eyes. I begrudgingly obliged her whims. She always told me how she should never have married my father. She had fallen for him because of the tales in town of how many of his companions he had not only fought with, but had dressed their wounds and brought them back to a Wisdom to be saved on more than one occasion. She told me to never marry for infatuation or else I might end up like her. Life didn't seem so bad to me when she wasn't around.
At about twelve years old, my father came down with a chronic ailment that no one knew how to treat. Normally, he would have been the ideal of peak physical conditioning. A "man’s man" so to speak who could keep up with men half of his age. But I had noticed his breathing was difficult even with minor tasks now. Some say a group he was with had traveled to a location that should never be traveled. I was too young to know what was going on, but I knew he wasn’t himself. He knew too. At the time, I didn’t realize, he was preparing me with everything he could share before he passed.
At thirteen my mother seemed to have quickly moved on from a loss I still feel to this day. I was halfway surprised that she took me to Caemlyn with her. She looked almost excited at the chance to restart her life. I was an afterthought now. Whatever nuisance I had been to her before, I was now nothing to her. She quickly found (a few years later) another noble that she saw an opportunity for a normal social life with. It was clear that I was no longer welcome. This "man of nobility" did not want to be seen with a woman who already had a child from a prior marriage.
I didn’t know what to do. I remembered the stories my father told me of the Wisdoms. I thought certainly they might take care of me, or at least help me get to someone who will. I set out for Whitebridge. With a staff, some tattered clothes, and what food I could carry I slowly made my way west. Certainly, I thought, things could not get any worse. I was now on my own, as a teenager, heading across roads that I knew were not safe.
I made it further than I thought before I ran into him. I was slightly off the main road just outside the east side of Whitebridge. I had never seen a trolloc before, and had hoped never to have seen one. It was ugly. Dark, hairy, drool coming from its mouth and nose, and about as smelly as anything I could have ever imagined. You name it. I didn’t have long to assess the situation, but looking back I was lucky that he had already been injured from a prior battle and that it was very cold outside. Without realizing it at first, I had embraced Saidar for the first time. Just at about the point where he was running towards me with an axe that looked like it could take me out with one swing…ice seemingly assembled itself just outside of both of my hands. I was shocked at how much and how sharp the ice looked to be…I was more concerned with not letting him get to me. The Ice spiked through his chest and out through his back. I fell over in exhaustion.
I woke up being carried by a guard. “Please take me to the wisdom” I whispered and fell back asleep. When I awoke Selaana had a great big smile as she welcomed me to Whitebridge. She told me what had happened according to what the guard saw and relayed to her. She told me I could stay as long as I like and that she could show me how to work on some of my weaves. I thanked her.
I was gracious to have what I thought was my new home, but as I trained with her I noticed that she would not share all the weaves I wanted to learn. I could tell that she focused on healing, and while I certainly understood the importance I wanted more. I wanted to know everything I could possibly know! Selaana was very patient with me and explained that I should seek out the Tower if I wanted to further my skills. She arranged an escort for me to get there safely on horseback.
That’s when I saw Tar Valon for the first time. It was majestic. Wow! I couldn’t even begin to word the sophistication and beauty. And the Tower! It’s huge! I knew it was white, but I didn’t know how impressively designed and large it was! And there are warders and Aes Sedai just casually walking around here? These were the things of fable to me. And then I saw her. The Brown Ajah sitter who would bring me into the tower. Calling her knowledgable didn’t seem to do her justice. She must know everything? She said she didn’t but it was hard for me to believe her. Anything I asked she knew. I was assigned a more experienced novice and my training had begun.
Some may have heard the adage “It is harder to stay in than to get in”. If I were to summarize my experience as a novice it would be this. One can not explain the grueling nature of being a novice. It has to be experienced to be understood. Between lessons, the dishes, the sweeping, sorting books in the library, reading books of interest, sparring, and practicing weaves at any moment available…there is no time to travel. And not being able to travel was more difficult than I ever could have imagined for someone who always wanted to just find a home.
At the time of writing this I have developed my skills greatly. I started as an orphaned girl who was unknowingly strong in the areas of water and air. But now I have trained in all five elements. I would never have guessed that I might have such an affinity for fire as well. I have a new family in my eyes, and should they allow me to shawl…they might see me as such also. In so many of the Aes Sedai of the tower I see the mother that I should have had and the love of my father. I always think back to the loss of my father, and I feel sorry for anyone who might try to take any member of my family from me.
(A single tear drops on to this part of the page)
I will not allow any of my new family to be taken from me if I have anything to say about it. I will seek out any woman who can embrace the source to try to help as well. With the last breath in my body I will fight the Dark and do everything I can do to support the Light.
It is at this moment that I choose my own new last name “Revienne”. To some it might mean come back, and to me it also means to live again! I will always come back stronger and I will not take this life or the lives of any others for granted. I do not intend on letting the Dark take any more tears from me.