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2.6.4: Where do the Aes Sedai get their money?

The Aes Sedai, both collectively and individually, never seem to lack for funds. Where do they get the money? Here are some ideas:

Private income (e.g. Moiraine's estates in Cairhien)
Income from property owned by the Tower and/or the Ajahs
Tar Valon straddles the crossroads of some of the major trade routes on the continent. The Tower likely collects docking fees, tariffs, etc.
Gifts from various nobles/merchants for services (e.g. Healing) and as bribes
Donations from various governments who support the Tower (e.g. Borderlands, Andor)
Tar Valon is probably a main banking center for Randland: the AS have incentive for having one and the very stable government helps it to be formed, and Tar Valon coins are seen commonly around Randland.
The Tower probably taxes the residents of Tar Valon and the surrounding villages.

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The Wheel of Time FAQ. Copyright 1999 by Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun. HTML implementation by Matthew Hunter. This site maintained by Matthew Hunter (mhunter@andrew.cmu.edu). Comments and questions regarding the content itself should be directed to Pam Korda (kor2 @ midway.uchicago.edu).