Death watch
personal guard. Seanchan and Ogier may both join the Deathwatch, after they have
proven themselves as warrior enough. They may then report to the Empress Cierin.
Some Character Concepts: An ambitious soldier who seeks to work his/her way
up the caste system and maybe “become” of noble Blood; A Seanchan ship
captain who is now stranded in “Hawkwing’s Land”; A player from this side of
the Aryth Ocean who has sworn the Oaths and now follows the Seanchan army;
EXAMPLES. Feel free to come up with your own creative background for a member
of Seanchan. Its encouraged and recommended.
Guild Background: The Seanchan are a people who come from across the Aryth
Ocean. They are direct descendants of the armies that Artur Hawkwing sent
across the Aryth Ocean, (FY 992), who have returned to reclaim the lands of
their forefathers. The Seanchan refer to this exodus as the Corenne, which
means ‘the Return’ in the Old Tongue. The first of these to return are called
the Hailene, which means ‘Those Who Come Before’. They are the forerunners of
the entire Seanchan army. They are here mainly to prepare for the coming of
the remainder of the army. The Seanchan refer to their army as the Ever
Victorious Army.
The Seanchan are ruled by an Emperor / Empress who sits on the Crystal Throne
of the Nine Moons. The Seanchan have a caste system which enables a person to
work one’s way up the rankings, even “become” one of the noble Blood, i.e.
descended from Hawkwing himself. The Seanchan also have a strict social
hierarchy, but they believe all should have their basic needs of life met.
There are also a great many rules and customs governing the behaviour of
every segment of society. Some of these are: never turn your back on a noble;
lie down and kiss the floor to honour the Blood; a member of the Blood would
rather commit suicide honourably than beg; commoners also avoid using certain
words/phrases with nobility, such as “must”; they insist on protocol before
comfort; the mere touch of a Channeler is considered defiling to a Seanchan,
etc.
The Imperial Family also upholds the belief that certain types of people are
property. DeathWatch Guards are one example of these. DeathWatch Guards serve
only the Empress or her chosen representatives, and will kill or die with
equal fervor. They are designated by tattoos of ravens and towers. These
tattos, which are found on the shoulders, are used as symbols to mark
Imperial property. The Raven is a symbol of the Imperial Family while the
Tower is a symbol of Imperial justice. The mark of the raven is inherited and
the family forever after belongs to the raven. DeathWatch Guards often flaunt
their tattoos, while Seekers of Truth rarely do. Seekers are spies of the
Imperial Family whose duty is to police the internal social structure of the
Seanchan. Seekers are property, but they have the authority of the Empress
herself. Seekers carry a plaque of ivory engraved in gold with a raven and a
tower. Seekers even spy on the nobility. It is considered a serious crime to
flee from a Seeker and to refuse to answer their questions.
Seanchan Channelers are treated as property as well. Male Channelers are put
to death in their country while females are called Damane. Damane are
considered possessions and few but nobles can afford to own a damane. Most
are property of the throne. They wear a collar called an a’dam which are held
by women called sul’dam. The a’dam is a link between the sul’dam and the
damane, with the sul’dam as the one in control. The sul’dam controls the
damane’s ability to channel through this link. The power of the Seanchan and
the Crystal Throne is built on control of damane.
