LORE.

who was lews therin? in the second age, lews therin (presently known as lews therin kinslayer). a male channeler who was the leader of all aes sedai, wearing the ring of tamyrlin, and was named first among servants. he lived during a time of great peace until the shadow started to touch the world. his world did not know war, knew only the progression of technology and humankind. it wasn't until an aes sedai drilled into the core of the world to find an untapped source of the one power where both men and women could access it. it turned out to be the bore, the first layer of the dark one's prison and by drilling into it he could touch the world again. what transpired was a war of 100 years, the war of power, where members of aes sedai (some who envied lews therin his power) defected to the shadow. many became dreadlords and forsaken, serving the dark one. this was when lews therin decided to seal the dark one's prison as well as the forsaken, ending the war. some did not agree with him, the female channelers, and so he - and a hundred companions - decided to seal the bore. it worked. the dark one's prison was sealed, the forsaken with him, but in a counterstroke the dark one touched saidin (the male half of the power) and a taint was laid on it. so much that whoever wielded it went mad. the breaking then happened. male channelers the world over went mad and the breaking of the world occurred. the very foundations of the world were broken, rewritten due to the taint and male channelers were never trusted again, instead they were hunted. after this lews therin returned to his home, governed now by madness he killed his entire household. his wife, children and all his friends without realizing what he had done. the dark one (?) then offered him back his sanity so that he might see what he had done. finding what he had done in his madness lews therin fled, drawing too much of the one power and killing himself, creating dragonmount in the process.

who is the dragon? the dragon was lews therin. there is no known reason why he was called this, neither do people in the third age know what a dragon is. why was the dragon reborn? the wheel of time turns endlessly. no beginnings or endings. it simply weaves an age lace, putting people where they're meant to be. there have been many champions of the light through the years but in the third age, as prophesied, lews therin was reborn on the slopes of dragonmount, as rand al'thor. he is not lews therin but he is also lews therin, two souls in one host.

what is saidin and saidar? saidin is the male half of the one power and saidar is the female half. what is the one power? the one power is a source of energy, that when wielded can be manipulated and can change the age lace pattern. it prolongs the life of channelers. saidin is a force to be seized and saidar is a force to submit to.

what is the karaeton cycle? the karaethon cycle is a series of prophesies about the dragon reborn, detailing his return and when he will face the dark one and when tarmon gai'don will take place.

what is a ta'veren? a ta'veren is a person who the pattern weaves around, pulling others into their orbit. basically things surround them. they manage to make things happen that they need to happen, things surround them constantly, things always return to them. and strange occurrences also happen around them, at a balance. i.e. rand enters a city and miraculous accidents occur: a little girl falls from a tower and survives without a scratch but on the other side of town a man sitting on a chair suddenly falls over and dies. no one is born ta'veren. the pattern makes people ta'veren when it is needed and they are only ta'veren until such necessity is no longer needed.

what is the car'a'carn? the car'a'carn translates into chief of chiefs. it is the chief of the aiel clans (a desert people who live in clans and septs). one must travel to the ancient city of rhuidean to go through the ter'angreal there and witness what it shows you in order to become a chief. the chief of chiefs is marked by two dragon tattoos down their forearms and to the backs of their hands. they are said to both bring the clans together but also break them and their customs. as the dragon is prophesied to break all customs and all nations.

what are sa'angreal, angreal and ter'angreal? an angreal enhances the one power when used. a sa'angreal is akin to an angreal but is far more powerful. and a ter'angreal is a gadget made with the one power but is made for one specific use. some people don't even need to channel to be able to use them.