Stedding

thumb|right|A stedding.
Stedding (pronounced: STEHD-ding) are havens for their inhabitants, the Ogier. Ogier who remain outside the stedding too long die of the Longing.
==Characteristics==
An Ogier stedding is a beautiful place. An aura of peace and well-being can be felt by anyone inside one, channelers and non-channelers alike. They are populated by what the Ogier refer to as Great Trees, of which little is known.
The other main characteristic of the stedding is that it blocks access to the True Source for Channelers. This blocking effect also extends to the True Power of the Dark One. Robert Jordan has answered some questions on what happens to existing One Power effects when one enters a stedding. The Warder Bond and a shield that has been tied off on a channeller (eg Asmodean) remain intact, but a Mirror of Mists disguise would unravel upon entry. Brandon Sanderson has likewise given some answers that imply that the stedding have much the same effects on channelers as Far Madding's Guardian ter'angreal, meaning that it would be possible to use a Well inside a stedding. He also stated that an a'dam would still function and that a circle would not be broken, but that none of the linked parties would be able to channel.
Neither Trollocs nor Myrddraal will ever enter a stedding unless driven, and it requires considerable driving. This also applies to ravens while they are possessed by the Dark One.
Stedding are also inaccessible from Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams.
==History==
In the Age of Legends the Ogier had their steddings but they were not bound to them as they are now. During the Breaking of the World, after the War of Power, the stedding were lost to the Ogier, and the Longing took them. They refer to this time as the Exile. Since then, Ogier will now sicken and die if away too long from the stedding. The process takes several years.
Because of their ability to suppress channelling, they were sought out as places of refuge by male channelers during the Breaking who were afraid of going mad due to the effects of the Taint. They were able to live many more years through this method, but it did not remove the need to channel and inevitably they could not stay inside the stedding as the isolation from the True Source proved too much. It was these sheltering male Aes Sedai that created the Ways, presumably as a means of giving them a greater mobility throughout the world. Some Aes Sedai believe that this may have prolonged the Breaking.
===Seanchan===
The Ogier gardeners from Seanchan have taken a much different path from their brethren from the Westlands. The do not suffer from the Longing as there are many more stedding in Seanchan when compared to the Westlands and so they were able to find their homes a lot faster during and after the Breaking.
== Events ==
The first mention of the stedding is by the Tinker Raen who says that their band may find one to find safety. Elyas questions their plan as the Ogier do not welcome humans in their stedding. Elyas enters an abandoned stedding with Egwene and Perrin while fleeing the agents of the Dark One.
About twenty years ago, a man came to Stedding Shangtai. He was near death, but recovered in the stedding and told them a story about the Dark One wanting to blind the Eye of the World. In an interview, Maria Simons confirmed that this man was in fact Jain Farstrider.
During the quest to regain the stolen Horn of Valere, Verin Mathwin suggests that the group try using the Waygate at Stedding Tsofu, since the one located in Cairhien was found blocked by Machin Shin. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Verin, and the Shienarans arrive at Stedding Tsofu and meet with the elders, but they find the Waygate there also blocked by Machin Shin.
Elder Haman and Covril later visit Stedding Tsofu looking for Loial, but Elder Alar tells them that he is with Rand.
Later still, Rand revisits Stedding Tsofu to ask the Elders to let him place guards at the Waygate, but his appeal is rejected, with Alar refusing to listen to a human. During their travels of the world to seal the Waygates, Loial and Karldin Manfor visit all the stedding except for Stedding Shangtai. The Ogier in most of the stedding agree to set guards on the Waygates.
==Other==
Ogier refer to the world outside their stedding as Outside (capitalized).
Perrin believes stedding to be things of legend and links them with finding safety, whether that be from Aes Sedai or agents of the Dark One. This is presumably the extent of most people's knowledge of the stedding.
==List of stedding==
According to The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, the average population of a stedding is thought to be somewhere more than six thousand Ogier, noting this number is not thought to be very accurate because Ogier do not keep records of such things. There are currently forty-one populated steddings in the Westlands, which would imply a population in excess of 250,000 Ogier. The The Wheel of Time Companion, however, cites "slightly less than 500,000" in the Westlands, making an average of around twelve thousand Ogier in each stedding.
Except where otherwise noted, the Ogier agreed to set guards on their Waygate.
===The Spine of the World===
*Stedding Cantoine: Located above the River Iralell and north of Haddon Mirk. West of Stedding Taijing. 
*Stedding Chanti
*Stedding Daiting: It is near to Stedding Shangtai.
*Stedding Handu
*Stedding Kolomon
*Stedding Lantoine
*Stedding Mashong
*Stedding Qichen: One of the two most northern stedding in the Spine of the World.
*Stedding Sanshen: One of the two most northern stedding in the Spine of the World.
*Stedding Shangtai: The southernmost stedding in the Spine of the World. Ogier from here build most of what is now the city of Illian. It was the location of the Great Stump to discuss whether or not to open the Book of Translation. 
*Stedding Sintiang
*Stedding Taijing: East of Stedding Cantoine. 
*Stedding Yongen
===Kinslayer's Dagger===
*Stedding Yontiang
===Between the Dragonwall and the River Erinin===
*Stedding Janshin: Located in Haddon Mirk.
*Stedding Nurshang
*Stedding Tsofu: It lies a day and a half's ride southeast of Cairhien and the closest stedding to human habitation. Tsofu was rediscovered only about six hundred years before the present day while Elders were still growing Waygates. It was the most recently resettled stedding due to Ogier's preference to live far away from humans.
===The Borderlands===
====Saldaea====
*Stedding Chosium
*Stedding Jongai
*Stedding Saishen: The Ogier there refused to listen or set a guard on the Waygate. 
====Kandor====
*Stedding Chiantal
====Arafel====
*Stedding Shanjing
*Stedding Tanhal: The Ogier there refused to listen or set a guard on the Waygate.
====Shienar====
*Stedding Sholoon: Located on the eastern edge of the Field of Merrilor, between the rivers Mora and Erinin, near the Arafellin border. Lindsar is one of the Elders of Stedding Sholoon. The Ogier there refused to listen or set a guard on the Waygate. During the Last Battle, a group of Dreadlords led by Alviarin is tricked into entering Stedding Sholoon. Cut off from the One Power, they are taken captive and held there after the battle ends.
===Black Hills===
*Stedding Feindu
*Stedding Jentoine: The closest stedding to the White Tower. Elaida a'Roihan sent a summons to Ogier masons from Stedding Jentoine to aid in the building of the new Amyrlin's palace. The Ogier politely refused the summons, and offered no explanation as to why. 
*Stedding Shajin
===Forests north of River Ivo===
*Stedding Leitiang
*Stedding Shamendar
*Stedding Taishin
*Stedding Tsochan
===Mountains north of the River Dhagon===
*Stedding Mintai
*Stedding Wenchen
===Mountains of Mist===
*Stedding Chinden
*Stedding Jinsiun
*Stedding Madan
*Stedding Shangloon
*Stedding Tsofan
*Stedding Yandar
===The Shadow Coast===
*Stedding Mardoon: Located in the mountains.
*Stedding Shadoon: The Ogier there did not agree to put a guard on their Waygate.
===The Great Blight===
*Stedding Chandar: It was swallowed by the Great Blight in .
*Stedding Sherandu: It was swallowed by the Great Blight in .
es:Stedding
Category:Ogier culture
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Category:Ogier culture