| Stone Of Tear |
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The word "Tear," when referring to the nation, is pronounced with a long E, as if in reference to an emotional sign of grief. Its natives, the "Tairens," however, are named with a flat A, as if referring to a rip in a piece of paper. Tear's distribution of wealth is highly top-heavy; the vast majority of it resides with the Tairen nobility. Tairen lords believe that commoners are actually lesser beings, and the societal rift between haves and have-nots is intense, to the point where they even dress differently. Furthermore, the inner city is surrounded by a high wall of gray stone, which protect the finer houses and palaces of the nobles, which line streets paved with stone. Outside the wall, commoners trudge through unpaved, muddy streets. Until the coming of the Dragon Reborn, it was not possible for a commoner to call a noble before a magistrate. Unlike most nations, Tear is not ruled by a king or queen, but rather a council of High Lords. The number of High Lords has varied over time from six to twenty, as they are chosen by societal rank. The city of Tear is dominated by the Stone of Tear, which towers above the city like a small mountain. It is believed to be the oldest stronghold of mankind, erected shortly after the Breaking of the World. It was built by Aes Sedai using the One Power , Earth, Air, and Fire fusing stones together without joint or mortar. Deep within the Stone is the Heart of the Stone. This is where the crystal sword '' Callandor '' sits, waiting for the Dragon Reborn to claim it. No one except the High Lords are allowed to enter the Heart, and even they rarely do so: four times a year for the Rite of Guarding there, and also to raise a Lord of the Land to the office of High Lord. Indeed, if the High Lords could manage to forget that the Heart of the Stone and ''Callandor'' existed, they undoubtedly would: Tairens of all classes have an avowed fear of anything to do with the One Power. This is due partly to the fact that it is prophesied that the Stone of Tear will never fall until the Dragon has been Reborn. The High Lords like to think that by protecting ''Callandor'', they are protecting the world from the Dragon Reborn. Ironically, the Stone also houses a collection of ''angreal'' and ''ter'angreal'' second only to the White Tower. It is unsure exactly why the Tairens have collected such an array; perhaps to prevent their use by Aes Sedai, or maybe to diminish by comparison the knowledge that they possess one of the greatest of them, ''Callandor'', whose drawing by the Dragon Reborn will herald the coming of another Breaking of the World. Tear is thought by many to be based in part on Spain during the height of the Spanish Empire ; the nobles and soldiers of Tear bear a particularly strong resemblance, while the common people more closely resemble the peasants of China and Korea . |
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