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The Ways
The Ogier suffered greatly during the Breaking of the World. Those Ogier who did lose the stedding completely were isolated by the dangerous travel created by the maddened male Aes Sedai. Some male Aes Sedai took refuge in the stedding, where they could not touch saidin or the taint. In gratitude, one group of Aes Sedai gave the Ogier a valuable gift - the Ways. Grown from the One Power in a way no longer understood, the Ways connected all the known stedding. These Ways were separate from the Pattern - even when the Ways connected two areas which were separated by the shattering of the land, the Ways remained unchanged. These Aes Sedai gave the Ogier another gift, the Talisman of Growing. It is a ter’angreal which could be used to grow the Ways to other stedding as they were discovered after the Breaking. For nearly two thousand years the Ogier used the Ways to move between stedding. The Ways were well lighted, and covered with a thick grass. The islands within the Ways were also filled with large fruit trees which could be enjoyed by travelers. The Ways were a beautiful place in tune with nature, much like the Ogier stedding they connected. But all that changed around the time of the War of the Hundred Years. The Ways darkened. The living things disappeared. The stone itself became pitted and decayed. Travelers sometimes entered the Ways and never came out. One of the most terrifying discoveries during this deterioration was that of Machin Shin, the Black Wind. Those who are touched by the Black Wind lose their minds and their souls. None know for certain where Machin Shin came from. There are two likely possibilities: one is that it is a product of the taint on saidin which was used to create the Ways, or that it is a parasite living off the Ways. The Ogier Elders no longer allow Ogier or humans to travel the Ways. They have become too dangerous. But in recent times, when the need is great enough, some have traveled the Ways. These travelers have discovered that Machin Shin is still present within the Ways, and is still actively hunting the souls of those who enter.
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