Asmodean nods. "As I said, it's a wide-ranging tale." When he first arrived, there was an amusing novelty to telling of events he lived as if they were long ago myth and legend, but the shine has worn off a bit since. Still, he continues, although barely bothering to pretend he wasn't there to witness it. "Thousands of years ago, in the last age, today called the Age of Legends, men and women together worked the One Power, divided into saidin and saidar, the male and female halves. They worked in concert to produce wonders. It was a clean world of gleaming cities, where no one's needs were neglected and status was determined by the service you provided others, in accordance with your ability. Those who could channel were called Aes Sedai, servants of all, as great ability afforded could be used for even more benefit. But the One Power, divided as it is, had limitations, even with all that Aes Sedai could accomplish with it, so searches for other sources of power were conducted, until one proved successful."