Commonly known as the Seafolk, they are a seafaring people who live on ships and the islands in the Aryth Ocean and Sea of Storms. Most of them take every effort to be born, give birth, marry, and die on board their ships. They have very dark skin and both genders have tattoos and piercings. The tattoos identify their Clan. The number of piercings identify their rank. Men and women both go topless while at sea, out of sight of the mainland.

Spared the ravages of both the Trolloc Wars and the War of the Hundred Years, the Atha'an Miere were able to develop their seafaring technology undisturbed, and they are superior to any other oceangoing vessels in both speed and manageability.

Their main vessels are:

Raker

This is the most prestigious of all the Sea Folk vessels. They are the largest, most graceful and fastest ships, and commanding one is a mark of high honour and recognition of high skill indeed. It carries three square-rigged masts.

Skimmer

The second-fasted of the Sea Folk ships. This is also three-masted; the same as the Raker, but it is broader in the beam and a little heavier. It is still faster than most mainland ships.

Soarer

The Soarer is a two-masted vessel and is smaller than both the Raker and the Skimmer. However, it is usually faster and more agile than a Skimmer.

Darter

The smallest of the Sea Folk vessels. These only have one or two masts and are consequently not as fast or agile as any of the other ships.

Anything smaller than a Darter is considered a boat, not a Ship.

The ships vary in their rigging. High-rigged means that the major sails on every mast are square sails. Half-rigged means that at least one, but not all, masts carry no major square sails, but rather gaff sails. Low-rigged means that all masts carry gaff sails as the major, or only, sails.

Steam Vessels

Atha'an Miere Steam Vessels are large ships, of a size with skimmers but lacking the natural grace of the raker. Their internal workings are a mystery to outsiders, but it is known that the engine requires Windfinders and Steammasters working in tandem. They lack an observable paddle wheel, operating on a different principle entirely than other Westlands steam ships. Their hulls are made of a metal created by Steammasters using saidin, and they are constructed under careful guard on Aile Dashar. They are versatile ships, at home on the sea, coast, or rivers, though given the secrecy surrounding them few make trips inland for very long. Despite the unique requirements that set Steam Vessels apart from other Atha'an Miere ships, the hierarchy on board is unchanged. Commanding a Steam Vessel is considered an honor, albeit an unconventional and occasionally controversial one.

Gliders

Sea Folk Windfinders pioneered the glider around the same time as the Asha'man of the Air Legion. A technological marvel, the Sea Folk version of the glider is worked wood and sailcloth, combined with harnesses for two. They require two Windfinders operating in concert to fly and steer, but they allow for long range scouting, aerial attacks on pirates or other threats, and delivery of small goods or messages.

Passage

The Sea Folk do not charge for passage. It is a gift, which just coincidentally is exchanged for a gift of equal value.

Making a contract, or Bargain, with a member of the Atha'an Miere is a very serious affair that is steeped with formality. They are also renowned to be fierce negotiators and the chances of coming out with an advantage after making a business agreement, or any agreement, with a member of the Atha'an Miere are slim.

The Atha'an Miere have a hierarchy that is very strict and, in some cases, complex. They are headed by a Mistress of the Ships, roughly equivalent to a queen, but without a fixed geographic territory. Her consort and/or male counterpart is the Master of the Blades, responsible for trade and security concerns.

Under this leadership, the Sea Folk are further organized into clans, each headed by a Wavemistress. Her Swordmaster serves the same role within the clan as the Master of the Blades.

Within a clan, each ship is captained by a Sailmistress. Her Cargomaster is responsible for the trade and defense of the ship. The Wavemistress of a clan is also the Sailmistress of her ship. There are also the ranks of deckmistress and deckmaster that fall just below that of Sailmistress and Cargomaster. There are several levels of crewmembers beneath them as well.

Windfinders can be found on every ship the Sea Folk inhabit. Most Windfinders can channel and are ranked only under the Sailmistress and Cargomaster on a ship. Windfinders who channel can typically handle Air and Water most skillfully, creating thick and powerful flows to aid their ship's travel. Conversely, many have little to no skill with Fire or Earth, even less than most female channelers, due to the nature of their society.

There are several ways of displaying status within the Sea Folk. Earrings, nose rings, chains, various necklaces and even tattoos all mean something to the trained eye. The first, and most universal, of the rankings are the earrings that they wear in both ears or ear and nose, with an honor chain in between for higher ranks. This hierarchy is universal, reaching from the lowliest deckhand who is yet to earn any rings to the Mistress of Ships herself. The design of these earrings seems to have little importance, but the number and thickness do. The hierarchy runs as follows:

Six Pairs

Mistress of Ships, Master of Blades. Windfinders cannot earn six rings in each ear, no matter what their level. Consequently, this means that Windfinders are consistently one level below the Sailmistress with which they serve.

Five Pairs

Clan Wavemistress, Clan Swordmaster, Windfinder to the Mistress of Ships.

Four Pairs

Windfinders to a clan Wavemistress. All Sailmistresses and Cargomasters

Three Pairs

Veteran crewmembers of either sex and all other Windfinders. When the Mistress of Ships dies, her Windfinder is demoted to the very bottom of the hierarchy again and this is the minimum number given to even low ranking Windfinders.

Two Pairs

Middling level crewmembers of either sex.

One Pair

Basic level crewmembers of either sex.

None

These are likely to be people who do not work on ships or very lowly deckhands.



Windfinders’ Apprentices are somewhat different. They start with no rings in the left ear and three in the right. When they are fully trained, they will have gained three rings in each ear, the basic level for a Windfinder.



Ring Thickness

Another aspect of the earrings that is often emphasized is that of the thickness of the earrings at each rank. Each thickness corresponds to the size of vessel the wearer serves on. The four sizes of vessels from smallest to largest are as follows: darter, soarer, skimmer, raker. Anything smaller is deemed a boat and not a ship.

This allows for a total of nineteen different levels in the hierarchy i.e. there would be four different levels for the levels between deckhand and Wavemistress, each corresponding to the four sizes of ship. This doesn’t necessarily indicate that a low level sailor on a raker outranks a higher-ranking sailor on a soarer, however, though it may be possible in some extreme cases. Instead it is mainly used as comparison between peers.

The Nose Ring

Nose rings are always worn in the left nostril and are only worn by women. It can be worn by all women, not just those of higher rank and denotes a sort of half rank showing partial progression to the next level.

The Honor Chain and Medallions

The honor chain is attached from the nose ring to one of the rings in the left ear. Since no men wear the nose ring, they cannot wear the honor chain by implication. Only women of rank wear the honor chain.

The purpose of this chain is to display a vast range of medallions that can be earned as a woman of rank. This applies equally to Windfinders and Sailmistresses, though there are doubtless differences in the types of honors they can attain. In all cases, the higher the ranking of the woman, the more medallions she will wear. These medallions fulfill several purposes, much like military medals and other decorations do.

The first thing that is added immediately once earning the honor chain is a single medallion indicating the clan of the wearer. Aside from identifying clan, the medallions also have marks on them to tell an observer what rank and what size of ship a woman serves on.

One other reason for being awarded a medallion is for acts of courage. They are also awarded for years of service.

It is this collection of medallions that determines the First Twelve of a clan. They are described as the most senior Sailmistresses in a clan, but this is probably just a way of saying they are the twelve most decorated and experienced, not the eldest. In Knife of Dreams, Harine notes that the First Twelve of every clan all command rakers.

When these twelve vote on the Wavemistress of their clan, it is usually from one of their number, but not always. The reason why they might choose from outside their number is that there might by a Sailmistress who shows great potential, or who is notably well decorated for her relative youth. Her potential for the future will also have an effect on her eligibility for becoming one of the First Twelve of the Athaâ’an Miere and later the Mistress of Ships. The strategy for picking a Wavemistress is echoed somewhat when picking a Mistress of Ships, though much more faintly. Harine notes in Knife of Dreams that the First Twelve have only picked a Mistress of Ships from outside their number five times in over three thousand years.

Necklaces and Chains

Cargomasters also have a display of rank beyond that of the earrings they wear. This is indicated by the number of chains they wear around their neck and is likely a substitute for the honor chain and nose rings worn by Sea Folk women, though women also can wear the necklaces.

Steammasters

In the aftermath of the Last Battle, the end of the taint, and the beginning of the Fourth Age, all societies had to reckon with the existence of male channelers within their communities. In many cases, acknowledgement and training had vast cultural implications, and the Atha'an Miere were no exception. The Black Tower initially stepped into provide training to men who needed it or wished to learn, but soon the Atha'an Miere's male channelers established a society of their own, developing skills in Earth and Fire that far outstripped their proficiency in Wind and Water. What their role would be in Atha'an Miere society was an open question for some time, but they were eventually involved in the first attempts at the creation of a steam vessel, indelibly labling them as Steammasters.

Steammasters stand apart from Atha'an Miere society in a number of ways. To represent their decision to step out from the traditional hierarchy of the Sea Folk, no Steammaster may wear piercings of any sort. Each, however, bears intricate tattoos around their backs and shoulders, with the size of the design serving as a rough judge of rank among them, and at least a small portion of the design reflecting their clan of origin.

Steammasters straddle the world of land and sea in a way that is unique even among the Sea Folk. They spend half the year ashore, helping to construct or maintain steam vessels, train, or teach. The other half of the year they spend at sea, working with a Windfinder to power the steam vessels that have helped the Atha'an Miere retain their naval superiority. Often but not always, the Windfinders and Steammasters who work together marry and are paired together specifically for their ability to work together with the One Power and otherwise.

Steammaster Hierarchy and Symbols

Every man who would become a Steammaster takes a steamship from Tremalking to Cindaking. Upon arrival and determination that the applicant can channel, these men are stripped of all piercings and made Steammaster apprentices. They remain on Cindaking for six months training in the basics of saidin. Those judged worthy of their position with the Steammasters at the end of this trial are given a small tattoo at the base of their neck, often a match for the clan tattoo that men have on their left hands, albeit with additional symbols or colors representative of fire and water. Those who are not able to master the skills taught to them in their first six months are sent away from Cindaking and given back their piercings, free to return to their old lives.

From this point on, the life of a Steammaster apprentice is both training and service. They are trained in the repair and maintenance of the steam vessels and typically spend at least a full year on Aile Dashar to accustom them to the process of creating the engines that help power the great ships. More experienced apprentices will start spending time at sea as well, in the care of an experienced Windfinder and Steammaster couple who help teach them the unique circle the Atha'an Miere use to power their ships. Witnessing the creation of a steam engine is a point of no return for a Steammaster apprentice. Attempts to leave the order with knowledge of that secret are strongly discouraged. At best, an apprentice who leaves with that knowledge can expect a life as Shorebound on Tremalking, under careful watch. Further induction into their secrets precludes leaving the order alive.

Apprentices are elevated to journeymen at the direction of their tutors, typically within a period of 2 to 3 years after becoming full apprentices. At this time the tattoo at the base of their neck is embellished with vibrant reds and blues. Journeymen are allowed to serve independently, and are often paired with inexperienced Windfinders in order to identify teams that will work well together later in life. Journeymen, of all the Steammasters, spend the most time at sea, honing their talent for sailing, navigating, and powering the steam vessels.

Steammasters are fully inducted into the order when they are judged capable and have found a Windfinder to work with on a permanent basis. Though the Atha'an Miere do not use bonds forged by the One Power, these relationships are considered crucially important, as only with both Windfinder and Steammaster together can a steam vessel be used to its full potential. These couples often, but not always, result in marriage.  It is also at this time that Steammasters begin to spend equal amounts of time at sea and ashore, in order to help train the next generation. Each full Steammaster has a different design reflecting their talents with the Power, exploits at sea, and mastery of the secret techniques used to create the steamships. Typical symbols include steam, earth, and fire, often in patterns resembling rivers or seas.

Most Steammasters remain at this level for many years, but those who develop particular Talents or hone leadership roles within Steammasters are sometimes elevated to Zhoub e nabir, a ruling council of the order often shortened to Nabir. This is a rare decision made by the majority of living Nabir, and those inducted into this level are given wide latitude and discretion when deciding where or how to work. While largely independent of one another, when collective action is necessary, they are the group that decides the path forward for the order as a whole. They are marked with full back tattoos that skillfully incorporate the previous designs as well as any tattoos a man might have had prior to joining the Steammasters. They are typically similar in design to the tattoo they received upon being elevated to full Steammaster, but each works in gray symbols of steam throughout the design.

Clans

Catelar
Dacan
Rossaine
Shodein
Somarin
Takana

The Sea Folk control several islands and archipelagos. The known Sea Folk islands are: Aile Dashar, and Aile Jafar in the Aryth Ocean; and Tremalking, Qaim and Cindaking in the Sea of Storms. There are two additional Sea Folk archipelagos. One some considerable distance to the south-west of Tremalking in the southern hemisphere, slightly closer to the Land of the Madmen than the Westlands, and another on the equator south-east of Mayene, roughly a thousand miles west of Shara.

Aile Jafar was held by the Tai'Seanchan, but as part of the bargain that restored the Atha'an Miere to the Dragon Compact, it was returned to the Seafolk. It is a small archiepelago to the West of Tarabon, and features a Tai'Seanchan consulate so the two groups might confer with one another more closely.

Aile Dashar An archipelago northwest of Arad Doman, Aile Dashar has become a center of industry for the Atha'an Miere. It is here that they construct and maintain the steam vessels that remain a unique marvel of the world in the Fourth Age. The secrets of their construction are carefully guarded, but trusted Atha'an Miere scholars are allowed on the islands to study and refine designs.

Tremalking Tremalking was the site of the Amayar's mass suicide in the Third Age, inspired by the destruction of the female Choedan Kal. In the Fourth Age, it serves as the living center of the Atha'an Miere, particularly the Shorebound. It is the largest of the Atha'an Miere islands, serving as home and grave to those who choose to go ashore, as well as a central place for the fabrication and maintenance of traditional Atha'an Miere vessels. A broad swathe of Atha'an Miere life can be found on the island at any moment, from Shorebound to Wavemistress to Windfinder to Steammaster. Students participating in channeler exchange also spend much of their time here. It is also the site where Shorebound create Seafolk porcelain, using techniques originally pioneered by the Amayar.

Cindaking A small island to the south of Mayene, Cindaking played a limited role in the affairs of the Atha'an Miere in the Third Age. In the Fourth, however, it has become home to the secretive order of Steammasters, male channelers who help to power the Atha'an Miere's great steam vessels. Few outside of Steammasters and their initiates are allowed to set foot on the island, which is always guarded by at least one steam vessel.

Qaim Another small island belonging to the Atha'an Miere, and often overlooked by even those interested in the activities of the Sea Folk. In the Fourth Age, it is often shrouded by fog and mist, making navigation hazardous.

Emaring An archipelago to the west of Shara. It once served as a major port for shipping to and from the isolated nation, but in the Fourth Age it has largely been relegated to a watch post set to monitor the storms caused by the One Power.

Meshar An archipelago far to the south of the Westlands, and the closest neighbor to the unknown Land of the Madmen. It is an isolated chain of islands that sees few visitors, Atha'an Miere or otherwise.

After the mass suicide of the Amayar on Tremalking, the entire infrastructure of the Atha'an Miere was gone. The Seafolk ships need dockworkers, and boatswains. Their harbors needed harbormasters and weather forecasters and more. To help fill their need, the Seafolk have rotations on the island, working there for a period of time before returning to their ships. The island is also where the exchange program with other channeling groups takes place, with participants often filling in the gaps in the workflow.

Some of the future generations believe that the Jendai Prophecy which stated that the Atha’an Miere are fated to wander the seas until the return of the Coramoor, had been fulfilled. So they willingly sacrificed their seabound lives for that of a shore bound one. The shore bound are honored for their sacrifice and often choose to never set foot on a ship and only work adjacent to the sea because they don't want to know what their ancestors gave up.

Where the female Choden Kal melted after the cleansing of saidin, there formed a large lake in the middle of the island and that is where those who stay on the island give birth and die.

The shorebound have developed a cultural longing, which in many cases manifests in their creative artwork, as they took over the production of seafolk porcelain.

The Coramoor gave the Atha'an Miere land, a square one mile on each side, at every city on navigable water that he controlled by the last battle. Elayne made a Bargain as well, promising the same in her lands. Most nations kept their end of the bargain, giving the Seafolk ports in: Andor, Cairhien and now Manetheren (Aringill, Maeron, Cairhien, Whitebridge), as well as Arad Doman (Bandar Eban), and Illian.

Tairen nobility seized their land back almost immediately. Seafolk ships would have to pass through the Fingers of the Dragon and up the Erinin to get to Andor/Cairhien/Tar Valon, so Darlin and his wife who was a skilled player of the Game of Houses renegotiated their deal, avoiding much bloodshed, though not avoiding bad blood entirely. The Atha'an Miere were given duty free trade in Tear, but no land.

Relations with channeling groups:

Accepted will go and train with the Wise Ones for six months and then they would then train with the Sea Folk for a further six months before returning to the White Tower. They would then make a choice a year later on where they would wish to finish their training.

Sea Folk and Wise One apprentices would also go through this training program but to the White Tower and the other channeling faction. It is agreed that for every two Accepted who leave, two Wise One apprentices, and two Sea Folk apprentices will be exchanged.

After the second invasion from the Seanchan, a similar exchange program was agreed upon with the Black Tower and the Dragon Blooded. The Tower War shook the bonds between the Black Tower and both the Steammasters and the Dragonblooded. The exchange program halted in its wake and has yet to resume, although recently talks have broached the subject.

Their relationship with the Kin is minimal. While the Kin's status as an unofficial home for retired Aes Sedai leads to respect, their position as rivals in trade and transit given their Traveling network leaves the relationship strained at best.

This is not an exhaustive list, feel free to apply for something not detailed to be considered by the Admins.

You may apply for any of the Adoptable or Restricted ranks, but only superior applications will be considered and must pass through Admins before being accepted.

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Mistress of the Ships

Master of Blades

Clan Wavemistress

Clan Swordmaster

Sailmistress

Cargomaster

Windfinder

Windfinder Apprentice

Deckmistress

Deckmaster

Crewmember

Shorebound