Mirin Ronaile

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Mirin Ronaile
Mirin Ronaile
MEER-in ro-NAY-el
Last appearance The Last Dinner[1]
Created by Jenny
Portrayed by Yennefer (The Witcher series)
Information
Gender Female
Occupation
  • Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah
  • Aes Sedai of the Black Ajah
Affiliation
  • The Grey Tower
  • The Shadow
Significant other Emmond Salere (former)
Children
Nationality Cairhienin
Attributes
Talents
Masteries
OP Strength 8.0
Affinities Spirit, Air, Water, Earth, Fire

Mirin Ronaile was a Cairhienin Blue Aes Sedai of the Grey Tower. She was tried and convicted of being a Darkfriend after killing fifty-one students in the destruction of the Great Serpent Building[2].

Description

Others often say Mirin is beautiful; but when asked, they cannot explain why. Her nose is a little too long, her lips thin and slightly crooked, her face triangular and pale with a slightly receding chin. Her eyes are light grey and expressive; when they are not heavy-lidded with seduction or sparkling with anger, they are observant and intelligent. Her best feature is her tumbling, raven-black hair.

Her demeanor may be the cause of this perception of beauty. She carries herself with confidence and grace. From a young age, Mirin was trained by her Domani mother to seduce men. However, these efforts were only halfway successful. After all, Mirin is only half-Domani. She speaks in a precise Cairhienin accent. Her features and build, inherited from her father, are classically Cairhienin: dark-haired, pale-skinned, and petite. She is insecure about her lack of height and always envied her mother’s tall, willowy body.

The absence of a father figure in her life has created a void, and she is hungry for male attention. To this end, she cares greatly about her appearance because she loves the attention that beauty brings. She also still has the vanity of youth, as she is in her early twenties and is currently one of the youngest Aes Sedai in the Tower. Her agelessness has barely begun to settle in.

Her personality is complex and confusing. She is extremely selfish and manipulative; however, she is very self-aware of these qualities and uses them to her advantage. She may pretend to be altruistic, but she always expects a price. She has a strange moral code. While she will not hesitate to stab an ally in the back, she can be oddly candid about her betrayal. She is also very loyal – unless, of course, disloyalty would be more beneficial for her.

Her sense of humor is sarcastic and biting. Her hate is cold and calculating. But, she also has a strong sense of justice. In conflicts, she is a skillful mediator and has the ability to see many points of view. She is flexible, resourceful, and very intelligent. Surprisingly, she is very empathetic and able to see to the heart of emotion. She can also be quite kind, especially to children and to her students.

Mirin is not a courageous woman in the face of violence and would run and hide rather than stand and fight. On the other hand, she can be very brave about defending her passions. At her core, she is ruled by intense emotion. She has inherited the impulsiveness of her parents, although her upbringing in Cairhien has placed a thin veneer of reserve over her natural personality. Her training in the Tower has only strengthened her self-control. However, when she is extremely angry, her reserve breaks and she explodes, acting without thought. Once she seizes on a purpose, she pursues it with a single-minded drive that is almost frightening in its intensity.

Unfortunately, after passing through the three arches in her test for Acceptance, she swore that she would never love a man for fear of losing a child. She resents the necessity of this decision, but is too afraid of the consequences to change her mind. She is very bitter about her self-enforced childlessness.

Biography

Her mother was a Domani seamstress who moved across the continent to Cairhien for the sake of love. Unfortunately, the man was physically and emotionally abusive. Her mother stayed with him until she found out he was cheating on her. She left him when Mirin was a young child, though Mirin still has terrifying memories of the abuse.

Mirin grew up sweeping the floors of her mother’s shop, measuring fabric, and delivering finished dresses. Her deliveries afforded her a peek into the lives of the wealthy, resulting in a taste for luxury and fashion. She became involved in the common folks’ version of Daes Dae’mar, delivering secret messages, spying on her mother’s customers, and using her beauty to open doors and fuel gossip. She dreamed of catching the attention of a wealthy nobleman’s son and living the rest of her life in luxury.

At the age of fifteen, her dreams seemed to come true when she became involved with Wilmer Osiellin, the firstborn son of a major noble house. But a few blissful months later, her dreams turned to ash when, despite her best efforts, he told her that he could never marry the daughter of a simple seamstress. Before she could return home, heartbroken, she collapsed with an attack of fever and chills resulting from her subconscious use of the One Power. Wilmer called for help from his family’s Aes Sedai advisor, who bundled Mirin off to Hama Valon as soon as she recovered.

As a novice, Mirin had great difficulty with surrendering to saidar, but she was otherwise a quick student, excelling in most of her classes. She discovered a love of books. The Great Library became her favorite place in the Grey Tower. She became best friends with her roommate, a girl named Betrys Cadwallader, whom she taught to read. Together, the two novices developed a reputation for silly pranks. After three years of study, she was called to test for the ring.

During her years as an Accepted, Mirin struggled to find her place in the Grey Tower. She selected a heavy course load with classes in political history, logic, and deduction. Despite these pressures, she found time to plan an elaborate prank with her friend Betrys. With the One Power, the mischievous pair filled the Tower gardens with plants shaped like Trollocs!

Soon, she declared an aspiration to the Blue Ajah because she believed that the Ajah would welcome her skills in political maneuvering and enable her to fulfill her ambitions. However, she could not ignore her discovery of her latent Talent in Compulsion.

Mirin sought a way to explore her Talent by studying patients with mental disorders. She spent her mornings in the Tower infirmary and was assigned a mentor: Aria Sedai of the Yellow Ajah. Although Mirin attempted to keep her Talent carefully concealed, Aria discovered her secret. Surprisingly, however, the Aes Sedai did not punish her; instead, they came to an agreement. Together with her mentor, Mirin began treating patients with psychosocial problems with Compulsion. Although she knew that the weave was evil, she convinced herself that she was using Compulsion for the benefit of her patients and began studying the finer details of the forbidden weave.

This was not enough to quench her thirst for power. When offered a chance to be drawn into the plots of the Black Ajah, she eagerly participated, hoping for a chance to use her Talent. In the Black Ajah, she finally found recognition and use of her skills. In the Black Ajah, she thrived on the endless intrigue and struggle for power. In the Black Ajah, she found an outlet for her frustrations and feelings of inadequacy.

In the Black Ajah, she began to explore the darker side of her Talent. Four years later, she was called to the Great Stairs to test for the shawl. She gladly donned the shawl of a Blue sister; and then secretly swore new oaths to the Great Lord of the Dark.

As a new sister, Mirin hoped to travel and seek after her own cause. Unfortunately, duty called, and she found herself bound to the Tower as the new Mistress of Novices.

Perhaps the Tower felt that assigning her this role would tame her spirits. Perhaps they placed her in this role because the young woman had proven herself to be a capable administrator. Or perhaps the Black Ajah wanted one of their own in an office of the Grey Tower. After all, the position of Mistress of Novices would be the perfect place from which to observe potential new recruits for the Great Lord.

Whatever the reason, Mirin did not dare to refuse the position.

Now, she spends her days managing the Tower’s ever-changing roster of novices and Accepted. As a teacher, Mirin is strict but friendly, often bringing out the best efforts from her students. Her lessons are well-organized, and she is firm, but fair, with discipline. Although comfort and warmth does not come easily to the young sister, she is keenly aware of this flaw and has used her time working in the infirmary among the sick and poor to practice her compassion. Her office door is always open, and she is always willing to provide a soft shoulder for homesick novices to cry on.

Career History

  • Novice (12 September 2015)
  • Accepted (3 October 2015)
  • Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah (13 December 2015)
  • Aes Sedai of the Black Ajah (13 December 2015)
  • Mistress of Novices (8 December 2015)[3]

References