OGIER

Time is a Wheel that grinds ceaselessly through the Ages--and unlike the humans the Ogier have seen much more of the changing times and have felt timeless sorrow of what is lost from centuries past. Even before Tarmon Gai'don, a change began to come over the world of the Ogier. Two of the prominent members of Stedding Shangtai, Elder Hamman son of Dal son of Morel, Corvil daughter of of Ella daughter of Soong and Erith daughter of Iva daughter of Alar had gone in search of Corvil's son, Loial son of Arent son of Halan. They eventually found him, but in the course of searching for him met Rand al'Thor, a friend and traveling companion of Loial's, and of course the Dragon Reborn. Rand requested of Elder Hamman locations of all the Waygates in the land, and Hamman complied, marking all sites on maps found in the Royal Palace in Caemlyn, where he met al'Thor. Waygates stood outside steddings and near Ogier Groves, and as Elder Hamman marked the maps, he realized all that had been lost and wept silently for those losses.

Deeply affected by the experience, he returned to Stedding Shangtai and with Loial's mother began discussing with the Stump ideas for reclaiming the Lost Steddings. Ogier had become much reduced in those times, in part because of wars, especially those of Hawkwing, that had scoured the lands of people and Ogier alike. The Stump and Hamman began to consider that what had been thought a problem, namely 'hasty' youngsters with a yen to see the broader world and take some risks, could be instead an asset. These youth might form the core of a group who could search out the Lost Stedding and begin the process of reclamation. These discussions lasted, of course, long past Tarmon Gai’don, and the losses suffered by the Ogier in that terrible war added urgency to the desire to search out the Lost Steddings. This constituted a major cultural shift for the conservative Ogier--conservative because of their long lives, their love of history and preserving culture. The attachment to the stedding grew out of biologic necessity, but resulted in a great deal more isolation from the world than was historically true.

The Ogier decided that the first step towards becoming more a part of the world would be reopening of the Lost Stedding, so that there would be many more communities of Ogier interspersed amongst the humans. The process began as a corps of volunteers from each stedding moved out into the world, using old maps and their feelings to find the Lost Steddings. These searches have not always been easy or smooth. Ogier have been confronted with hostility and fear from humans and have had to fight again with the remnants of Shadowspawn while on search. However, despite these setbacks a number of the Lost Stedding have been found, and Ogier communities, small and rough pioneer communities but communities nonetheless, have begun.

And for the first time in many centuries, Ogier are becoming more numerous, mingling more with humans, rediscovering lost histories, and beginning to rediscover some talents which had nearly faded. There is even talk of rediscovering the making of the Nym, the giant power-wrought creatures with whom the Ogier and humans had sung to the Land.