Atha'an Miere


Organization of the Atha'an Miere

Atha'an Miere PSW

General Info Seafolk

Role Play Information

The Atha'an Miere are a highly structured and hierarchy based society. The safety of the crew, the ship and ultimately the Atha'an Miere as a whole rests on everyone knowing their place and acting accordingly. To outsiders, the Seafolk may seem arrogant, self-important and power oriented or even petty at times. This is, however, a rather simplistic way of looking at these masters of the sea. The Atha'an Miere uphold their very strict hierarchy structure, first and foremost, to ensure the security and preservation of their people and their culture. Sailmistresses that fail to run a tight ship often lead their crew to disaster or even destruction. While it must be said that the Seafolk do put great value on rank and status, it must also be mentioned that one does not obtain those ranks without having proven to possess the abilities and qualities needed to take on the responsibilities that come with them. Those with the ambition to rise to leadership often also possess a great deal of confidence in themselves, which is crucial for one that needs to be able to take snap decisions in extremely dangerous circumstances.

Having said that, it must also be noted that there is a great deal of difference between those in leadership. After all, each situation is different and the manner in which a person reacts one day may be very different from how that same person handles themselves on other days. A confident and able bargainer can find themselves suddenly in a position where they are completely overrun by a new bargaining opponent. A Sailmistress that braved the torrents of an ocean hurricane last week can suddenly find herself at a complete loss when facing a Seanchan vessel. No human is completely perfect and circumstances, experiences and trauma change people in ways that can not be predicted.

To learn more about the organizational structure within the PSW you roleplay in, check out the Ranks and Hierarchy section of this site.

Mistress of the Ships.
She is the equal to a Queen and rules over all the Seafolk. Unlike a Queen, the Mistress of the Ships is not chosen by birth. She is chosen for life by the first 13 Wavemistresses of the Atha'an Miere. While it is possible to choose someone from outside their rank, the Mistress of the Ships is almost always picked from their own ranks. While her heart and soul are with the water of the Sea, she is often forced to spend great deals of time ashore in order to be easily accessible to her people. The home dock of the Mistress of the Ships in the PSW is at Tremalking Island.

The Windfinder of the MotS is her advisor and has authority over all other Windfinders of the Atha'an Miere, regardless of clan, while the Master of the Blades has authority over all Swordmasters and Cargomasters. Their position is directly linked to that of the Mistress of the Ships. If she is dies, her Windfinder and Master of the Blades automatically lose their position and have to start over at the bottom of the hierarchy, depending on where they find a position.

Wavemistress

The Wavemistress is the leader of her clan. In the books there are thirteen known clans, but in the PSW there are only 2: Clan Tremalking and Clan Dashar. She rules over the people and the ships of her clan and is directly responsible for the overall economical health and security of her clan. Each clan has a number of Sailmistresses that all fall under the authority of their Wavemistress. The first 13 Sailmistresses of a clan choose a Wavemistress, which is usually one of their own. It has been known that a Wavemistress was chosen outside the First 13, but that hasn't happened in over a hundred years, so it is a highly unlikely thing to happen. While it is assumed that a Wavemistress is chosen for life, she can be overthrown by the First 12 in case of a serious breach of duty. This can be anything from failing to secure the clan's safety to being in charge during an economical downfall of the clan.

The Windfinder of the Wavemistress has authority over all the Windfinders of her clan, while the Swordmaster is in charge of the economical aspect of the clan and has authority over all the Cargomasters within the clan. Their position is directly linked to that of the Wavemistress. If she dies or is deposed, her Windfinder and Swordmaster have to start over at the bottom of the hierarchy, depending on where they find a position.

Sailmistress

The Sailmistress is the Captain of her Ship. She belongs to a clan and defers to her clan's Wavemistress, but on board her ship she is the ultimate authority. A Seafolk woman can become a Sailmistress at any time. All she needs is the necessary funds to buy or build a ship and sustain a crew. Whether she will rise to be of any importance within the clan depends on how well she does as a Sailmistress. The type of ship a Sailmistress commands has a direct influence on her standing within the Seafolk. A Sailmistress of one of the higher class ships will receive more respect than one that commands one of the lower class ships. Most Sailmistresses start out with a lower class vessel and work their way up. But it is also possible for a woman to inherit a ship or to be given one. Once she has it, though, it's up to her to prove that she deserves it. The Sea is no place for the weak or the incapable and it quickly deals with both in harsh and often deadly ways.

The Windfinder of the Sailmistress is second in command on board her ship and acts as the chief navigator. It's a well kept secret of the Atha'an Miere that most Windfinders are channelers, who use their One Power abilities to serve their ship. Both to navigate as well as to defend. Windfinders are especially skilled in reading the winds and directing the weather with the One Power. These abilities often mean the difference between surviving the natural elements at Sea and finding an early watery grave.

The Cargomaster is in charge of both defense and trade on board Ship. He is often married to the Sailmistress and has the first and final word in all trade negotiations and matters of defense. While he can not tell the Sailmistress where to sail, she can not tell him what goods to trade for. Needless to say that the ship's profitability, not to mention it's survival, depends highly on the Sailmistress and the Cargomaster working smoothly together.

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