Deane Aryman (FY 920 - 1084) is credited as one of the greatest Amyrlin Seats in Aes Sedai history. Apart from her numerous achievements, she is also the longest ruling known Amyrlin Seat, having ruled for ninety-two years, from FY 992 to 1084. At the time of her raising, she had also been the youngest woman in history to be Amyrlin.
History[]
She was born in or around FY 920 in the village of Salidar in what was then the kingdom of Shiota. She made her way to Tar Valon in FY 934 and became Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah after spending five years as a novice and four as Accepted.
In FY 992 Aryman discovered damning evidence proving that the incumbent Amyrlin Seat, Bonwhin Meraighdin, had manipulated nations into attacking Artur Hawkwing after he allegedly embarrassed her by saving Tar Valon from destruction by the followers of the false Dragon Guaire Amalasan during the War of the Second Dragon. Those actions, and her subsequent manipulations of Hawkwing as he ruled as High King, were to blame for Hawkwing's siege of the city beginning in FY 975, endangering the existence of the sisterhood. Aryman accused Bonwhin of negligence, incompetence, and being unfit to hold the staff and shawl. Bonwhin was deposed and stilled, sentenced to muck out the Tower's stables until she died a few years later. Deane Aryman was raised to the Amyrlin Seat in Bonwhin's place. At the time of her selection she was the youngest woman who had ever been raised Amyrlin.
Aryman's attempts to make peace with Hawkwing, even offering him a Healing that could have saved his life as he lay dying, were rebuffed. After his death in FY 994, Aryman negotiated with General Souran Maravaile, commander of the besieging forces, and also with his lover Ishara Casalain, the daughter of the Imperial Governor of the province of Andor. The outcome of these discussions was Maravaile lifting the siege and attaching the remnants of his army to Ishara's, who was crowned Queen of Andor. Andor and Tar Valon immediately signed a treaty of friendship that was to last for more than a thousand years. These were immense diplomatic successes, cementing Aryman's position as Amyrlin.
Aryman continued to lead through the chaos of the height of the War of the Hundred Years. In FY 1084 she was on the cusp of achieving her greatest success, a conference between all of the most powerful factions that may have hammered out a treaty to end the violence. She was even on the point of convincing the great noble families warring over the remains of Hawkwing's empire to accept the leadership of the White Tower as means of restoring unity to the land, when she died suddenly in a fall from her horse (it is not clear if the accident was caused by some of her enemies).
Her successor, Selame Necoine, failed to capitalize on this and the opportunity was lost. The war continued for another thirty years. This was of course highly convenient for the Shadow, and it is not impossible that Darkfriends or the Black Ajah caused her death somehow.
Legacy[]
Deane Aryman is counted as a prime example of what it means to be a Blue sister and occupies a similar legendary position amongst the Blue Ajah to that of Rashima Kerenmosa among the Green and Mabriam en Shereed among the Gray. Her home village of Salidar, which remarkably survived the War of the Hundred Years to become a town in Altara before being abandoned during the Whitecloak War and never resettled, became a meeting point and mustering ground for Blue sisters outside the White Tower, which they referenced with the code name "Sallie Daera". In 999 NE, it became the rallying point for the Aes Sedai opposed to the election of Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan as Amyrlin.