Delana Mosalaine

Delana Mosalaine
Biographical Information
Nationality	Shienaran
Date of birth	950 NE
Date of death	1000 NE
Current status	Dead
Physical description
Gender	Female
Build	Stout
Hair	Pale, almost white
Eyes	Pale blue
Chronological and political information
First appeared	LOC 12
Last appeared	TOM Prologue
Affiliation	Black Ajah
Occupation	Sitter
Rank	Aes Sedai
Ajah	Gray Ajah

"Delana had never been a woman to give up easily. She had bludgeoned kings into making peace when they wanted war, dragged queens by the scruff of the neck to sign treaties that had to be signed."
   —Lord of Chaos, Chapter 30

Delana Mosalaine was an Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah and one of the Sitters of the Salidar Hall. She was also Black Ajah. Aran'gar, in the guise of Halima Saranov, was posing as her secretary.

Appearance

Delana was somewhat stout and had an ample bosom. She had pale watery blue eyes and very light - almost white - hair. She was oddly graceful for one so stout. She had a deep voice for a woman, though not masculine. She was 5'6" tall.

She had a disconcerting habit of staring at someone so intently that it seemed nothing else existed. People were said to begin thinking of all the things they had done wrong because of her stare, and to sign treaties just so she would stop staring.

Strength and Abilities

Delana is high average strength for an Aes Sedai, with a One Power level of 18(6). She is stronger than the minimum stated strength needed to Travel.

She learned compulsion from the Forsaken Graendal.

Personal Characteristics

As a Gray, Delana was a practiced mediator of conflicts. Her exceedingly intense gaze causes some to attribute her mediation success to the fact that "both sides would agree just to make her stop staring at them"; she concentrated on her subject so that it appeared nothing else existed. Partly because of this, she gained a reputation for being a good negotiator. She had a deep voice with a melodious accent from Shienar, but her manner of speaking could be abrupt and derisive. She had never done well with novices.

Delana was a stickler for impeccably copied notes; Elayne Trakand advised Nynaeve al'Meara to do the transcriptions slowly since mistakes or blots will require starting over perhaps fifty times with Delana.

Despite her harsh manner and Black Ajah affiliation, Delana's thoughts seemed to incongruously reveal a woman with compassion and respect for Aes Sedai.

Delana had no Warder. She proposed to bond Matrim Cauthon (actually "came close to trying to bully him into it") while he was in Salidar, but only at the insistence of Halima.

She was a very good rider. Egwene thinks that she blended with the motion of her mare effortlessly.

History

Delana was 50 years old. She was born in the year 950 NE and went to the Tower in 968 NE. After spending five years as novice and five as Accepted she was raised to the shawl in the year 978 NE. She was close friends with Siuan Sanche, who protected her; she wanted to be Siuan's best friend and was jealous of Moiraine Damodred. In Salidar she was elected Sitter in the year 1000 NE.

As Aes Sedai, novices and Accepted did not like her. She did not understand it was because she was impatient with their faults and let them see it. She did not snap often, but she did sigh.

Activities

Part of the Salidar Hall

Delana goes to Salidar as a Rebel Aes Sedai after the White Tower Schism. She is a Sitter for the Rebel Hall.

Janya Frende and Delana summon Nynaeve al'Meara to copy scripts onto paper. Delana claims she will "turn her hide into dust rags" if Nynaeve takes too long to appear when summoned. Instead of assigning notes to copy, Nynaeve is instead drilled to reveal anything else she knows about Rand al'Thor that she hasn't mentioned to anybody else yet.

When Siuan is Healed from Stilling, she renews her friendship with Delana in order to use her. Delana still has fond feelings toward Siuan, and genuinely wishes to help "the woman who had stolen honeycakes with her and more than once had taken the blame for pranks they had both been involved in."

Under the thumb of a Forsaken

Delana is shocked when "Halima" arrives in Salidar and displays the hand signal that identifies a member of the Black Ajah - this from a woman who Delana knows cannot channel saidar. Halima informs her that she, Delana, will be working for her and mentions the name Aran'gar: a name, Halima says, she sometimes uses. Delana knows that name, not as the name of the resurrected Balthamel, but as a name mentioned in dreams. Delana is afraid of Halima and knows something is not quite right with the alluring woman. Delana would surely kill Halima if she didn't think she would be the one dead in the attempt.

Delana is forced to go along with the charade of having a "secretary" and "companion." Many Aes Sedai disapprove of Halima's promiscuous dress and licentious way with men. One woman comments that Halima would "be in hot water up to her neck ten times over if Delana didn't protect her." Egwene al'Vere muses that the relationship seems to be a "case of charity, or possibly friendship, however unlikely." More importantly, Halima also requires protection of her secret identity and the fact that "she" can channel the masculine saidin. Though Delana is unaware of that last fact until later, Halima orders that Delana press for Logain Ablar to be gentled again as he could detect Halima's weaves of saidin.

""Don't you understand? If I continue to try supporting every faction, they will catch me out sooner or later!""
   —To Halima

From this time forward, all Delana's actions and voting in the Hall are a direct reflection of Aran'gar's orders. Delana tries to give the impression of loyalty to each person in the rebel camp of power, and to a certain extent succeeds. She is part of both Lelaine Akashi and Romanda Cassin's factions and seems to be the only one who seemed to support Sheriam Bayanar fully.

She is first to cast her vote for Egwene al'Vere becoming Amyrlin in the Little Tower. However, her support was unpredictable, and everyone noticed she seemed to flit from one faction to another. And even when she did support Egwene, she could be so overenthusiastic that Egwene wished Delana had not supported her at all.

She travels with the Salidar delegation to meet with various nobles along the border of Andor and Murandy.

She votes "yes" on the Rebel Aes Sedai declaring war on Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan and promptly vomits when the motion is passed. She would later vehemently opine that Elaida was Black Ajah.

She joins Egwene and Egwene's Council while they are surveying Tar Valon, and gives them the news of sisters entering negotiations with Elaida.

She initially votes "no" in the Rebel Hall of the Tower for an alliance with the Black Tower, but stands when Egwene asks for the greater consensuses to join the lesser.

Flight from camp

Lelaine Akashi calls an emergency meeting of the Hall when Jahar Narishma arrives to propose the Rebel Aes Sedai bonding forty-seven Asha'man. Jahar senses a woman channeling saidin which causes Delana to flee, along with her servants Miesa and Halima.

Graendal's guests

Aran'gar and Delana end up hiding out with Graendal. Aran'gar breaks Delana to the point where Delana follows Aran'gar's every order - even sexual - without question. When al'Thor sends Lord Ramshalan to Natrin's Barrow, Graendal, sensing a trap, orders Delana and Aran'gar to place Compulsion on him. As Aran'gar announces that she senses a huge amount of the One Power nearby, Graendal realizes a trap and shields and binds Aran'gar and Delana so they cannot escape with her. Aran'gar and Delana are burned out of existence along with Graendal's hideout.