• Character Description:
  Cetreise a'Sorhen is not a beautiful woman, more handsome than anything, but she possesses a scintillating wit and a bright smile, making her company often sought by others. Her features are refined, with sculpted cheeks and a patrician nose, yet her strong jawline makes what would be a lovely face, a handsome one. Her eyes are large and lucid, dark brown and snapping with vitality. Cetreise's long dark hair features a wide grey streak, beginning at her temple, and lacing itself through the intricately coiled bun Cetreise favors. At first glance, she seems a senior, scholarly woman, but that notion is dispelled by her lively gait, and in truth, looking into her face, at the smooth features and knowing eyes, it is impossible to place an age to her at all. Cetreise wears a smartly tailored riding dress in night-blue silk, with lover's knots in silver worked all along the sleeves, edging her hems and in a wide band above her bosom. The dress is high necked, and a large cameo broach is worn in the center, just beneath the trim of curling Jaeracruz lace. Supple black leather boots peek out beneath the hems, and matching gloves are tucked beneath the belt that snugs around her waist, hanging off-side on one hip, a silver-handled belt knife balancing a rather large pouch containing her writing kit and a few other items. She wears a thin silver chain in her bun, fastened by a silver pin shaped like a small blossom, and two matching studs shine at her ears. Her last bit of jewelry is, of course, her Great Serpent ring, glittering brightly on her finger. She walks uneasily, and needs a silver-chased cane.

• Elsbedhe Darmwill:
  More than slightly plump, and with rosy cheeks and guileless blue eyes, Elsbedhe Darmwill looks better suited to a place as a baker's girl than as a student of the White Tower. Her straw colored hair is worn as a set of plaits that are strapped across the top of her head, with a few tendrils spilling loose around her ears. Her generous maidenly frame is decked in soft white wool, taking the form of a novice's frock, simply cut but well stitched. A bit of ink stains the side of jaw, with a bit more on both her hands.
• Solores Andiamo:
  A haughty, pale-skinned young woman with bright blue eyes and extremely fair hair, no doubt one of those unsual Tairens with light coloring, Solores Andiamo wears her banded Accepted's dress as if it were a queen's gown of brocade and silk. She is shapely and of medium height, and her face would render her quite attractive but for her perpetual sneer. Her hair is worn away from her face by a set of costly jeweled combs, her only other adornment besides her Great Serpent ring.
• Surin din Corai Three Pearls:
  Exotic and enigmatic, Surin din Corai Three Pearls is a woman of middling height, with long black hair, hanging in lengthy ringlets past her shoulders, and gleaming brown skin. Her eyes are wide black pools of emotion, and her lips are full and wine colored. Surin wears a loose flowing blouse of azure brocade, gathered at her shoulders with small clips of gold, the sleeves open seamed, fastened every so far with a small pearl, over equally flowing trousers, left opened at the ankle. A wide sash of dark blue silk is tied in an intricate knot at one hip, with tasseled ends hanging to her thigh. A large, curved dagger with an intricately carved ivory hilt is tucked behind the sash, and a pair of golden hoops sway at her ears. Her ears are pierced many times, yet she wears only those two hoops, one of which in connected to a fine golden chain which is fastened in the side of Surin's nostril. Several fine golden necklaces hang around her neck, one of which suspends a box of filigree pierce-work over her bosom, and her Great Serpent ring glitters on her right hand, the same hand which displays the inky tattoo of her clan and line. Soft, golden work slippers cover her feet, although just as often, her feet are bare. Surin's face is clear complected, and unlined, yet her expressions and eyes are not that of a young woman.
• Valizia Tezhere:
  Strapping and tall as most men, Valizia Tezhere bears the distinct mark of Saldaea on her pale countenance, with a presumptuous nose, and sharp cheekbones, and a pair of tilted eyes the color of jade. Her hair is jet black, sleek and glossy, worn in a fall past her shoulders, and long enough for her sit on. Valizia wears a riding dress of smoke colored silk, with embroidered kestrels in silver and blue all along the bodice and in a narrow band at her hems. A collar of pale Merada lace frames her high, sweeping neckline, and more trims her tight cuffs. She wears heeled riding boots in black leather, and matching gauntlets are tucked behind her belt in the small of her back. A thick bladed knife in a suede sheath hangs on her hip, with a Saldaean Cat's Eye gleaming in its hilt. Valizia wears small golden rings at her ears, and her great Serpent shines brightly on her hand. A thick mantle of deep blue velvet, edged with sables, is thrown across her shoulders. She moves with the vigor of a young woman, and affects a carefree mien, yet her green eyes are sorrowful and knowing, a look none acquire in youth. It is difficult to suggest an age to her, at all.
• Ibram Jufaan:
  Lanky and swaggering, Ibram Jufaan looks to be Domani, with dark glossy hair and a complexion like burnished copper. His eyes, brilliant amber, are squinted in wary appraisal, set in a face that quickens the breath of female observers. Ibram is quite tall, with wide shoulders, and a triangular torso, and long dexterous fingers on his hands. He wears a vest of finely tooled leather over a shirt of pleated linen, open at the throat to reveal a close fitting golden collar set with a large opal in the hollow of his throat. A similar opal, only teardrop shaped, hangs at one ear. He wears trousers of dark green tucked into glossy black boots turned over the knee. He wears a warder's eye-wrenching cloak over his attire, a swirl of grays, browns and blues, and a long curved sword in a supple sheath looks like very appropriate at his hip, balanced by a matching dagger

• Cetreise's Sitting Room: White Tower, Tar Valon
  Cetreise Sedai's quarters are like many other rooms at the White Tower. They are large and austere with little clutter, and only a few pieces of furniture and other items to personalize it. Opposite the door are several large windows which face the courtyard, and standing alone in one corner is a tall clock of Kandori manufacture that tolls out the time as it passes. Several pieces of sculpture from various lands are scattered throughout the room, coming from places as far distant as the Sea Folk Isles and across the Waste. In front of the small hearth in the right wall is a thickly padded chair that sits before it, and a voluminous supply of embroidery materials in side an array of baskets and boxes. Artful tapestries hang around the room to cover most of the walls, all being Cetreise Sedai's handiwork.

  Candlelight provides the only strong illumination, though the hearth may often cast its own light into the room should it be lit. Outside, the moon shines through the windows when the sky is clear, and various small lights can be seen in the walls across the courtyard to show the activity of various Sedai in their own quarters or studies. The noises of the day are muted as the last of the classes are dismissed, with the Accepted and Novices finishing their chores before Last Bell. The room is chillier now, requiring the hearth to warm it as Autumn's frosty hands make their mark on the plants outside. The hearth is now usually lit, to keep the room at a comfortable temperature, as winter fast approaches. A large bookshelf, the shelves encased in glass, stands off to one side, and another door leads to the sister's bedroom in the far corner.

  • Portrait of Nicos Arseides
    A good sized portrait in the modern style of oils on gesso, depicting a dark-featured man with a laughing brown eyes set in a handsome, craggy face. The hair is wavy and shot with white at the temples, and a bright golden ring has been shown at his right ear. The man wears a coat of Illianer design, several decades from fashion, with fastening studs of silver and chips of blue crystal making an elegant display down the front. Ruffs of crisp lace show at the collar and cuffs. The subject of the portrait is seated on an upholstered stool, strumming a lyre or harp resting on his thigh. Over his shoulder once can make out a vivid blue sky framed by tall pillars topped with golden laurel wreaths, similar to those in the Square of Tammuz, and beyond that, a deep green sea.

  • Cetreise's Ivory Figurines
    A pair of intricately carved figurines, wrought from ivory and tinted ever so with accents of watery color, they depict a young man in the fullness of youth, with dark hair and a clever grin and a young woman with long golden hair, wearing a modest dress of Murandian fashion, washed a pale blue. The figure of the man is the older of the two, for it is aged somewhat, the creamy ivory a rich beige. They stand on small red stone displays on the mantle. Cetreise has never divulged the identities of the subjects.

  • Tapestry of the War of Two Dragons
    A clock's face, rendered in cunning detail, the numerals and hands clearly made out. A curious fissure splits the face in two, as if it was cracking asunder, with rays of golden and crimson light erupting through, and ribbons of silvery lightning, as if time could no longer hold back some terrific force.

    Beneath the clock other images dance, as if in a merry caper. A rearing red horse trampling on what appears to be the remnants of an armored warrior. Dark spots of illness mar the flanks of the horse. In another place, a fulsome, lovely rose, yet with a black orb at its heart, what might just be a spider's egg sac. A woman's weeping face, and one of her eyes is green, the other blue. The White Tower, displayed in impressive facsimile, with what appears to be legions of ants climbing its alabaster heights. Swords clashing, and mounted soldiers charging, women flinging balls of fire into the sky. The tapestry is dense with images, and fearsome to behold.

• Lynx:
• Champion:

Page © 2001-2004 Helène Duvalle, Corinne Henry-Belleworth.
"Cetreise a'Sorhen" logo © Helène Duvalle.
Wheel of Time setting © Robert Jordan and Tor Books
"Poppies in Lace" graphics courtesy of Structures by Design.