The Wheel of Time/Characters: Difference between revisions

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Note that, due to the [[Loads and Loads of Characters]] nature of this series, this list is nowhere near complete or comprehensive, and is nowhere near enough to allow you to actually understand the plot.

 

As always, this page is still under construction. If you have the time and inclination, feel free to contribute.

 

 

== Ta'veren ==

 

A farm boy from a village so remote that they didn't even know they were technically part of a kingdom, Rand had no idea he was adopted until one fateful Winternight when [[The Usual Adversaries|Trollocs]] attacked his home town. Thereafter he was told by the story's [[The Obi-Wan|Obi-Wan]] that [[Big Bad|The Dark One]] was trying to find him (or perhaps one of his two friends, Mat Cauthon and Perrin Aybara), and convinced to flee. This was just the first step in Rand's journey into discovering that he is a male channeler, [[The Chosen One|The Dragon Reborn]], and fated by the Wheel of Time to lead the fight against Shai'tan...

* [[The Call Knows Where You Live]]: And it's sending a bazillion shadowspawn to say hello.

* [[Celibate Hero]]: For the first five books or so in the series, Rand is pretty much one of these. Although at least part of it is that he considers himself in a (heretofore non-sexual) relationship first with [[Childhood Marriage Promise|Egwene]] and then with Elayne. Sort of. Still, he has a LOT of opportunities that he turns down, and he's explicitly the last of the three Two Rivers boys to get laid. The explanation is probably that he's confused and playing it safe.

* [[Changeling Fantasy]]

* [[The Chosen One]]: Who chose him? Everyone! He's The Dragon Reborn for the Westlands and Seachan Empire; he's He Who Comes With The Dawn for the Aiel; he's The Coramoor for the Sea Folk...

** Hell even the wolves have a name for him: Shadowkiller

* {{spoiler|[[Despair Event Horizon]]: Oh boy howdy does Rand ever blow straight through this and out the other side in ''The Gathering Storm''.}} {{spoiler|He gets better.}}

* [[Enemy Within]]: Rand's personal expression of madness {{spoiler|is that he hears the voice of his previous incarnation, Lews Therin Telamon, in his head. LTT appears to be an actual personality and has gotten into conversations with Rand, and at one point took control of Rand's ability to channel and showed off some fancy spells.}}

** Interestingly, according to Semirhage, {{spoiler|Lews Therin in Rand's head is ''real'', where the voices that most channelers hear are not. This is not a good thing, as it only serves to highlight how far Rand's descent into madness has gone. However, this ''is'' one of the Forsaken we're talking about, so take it with a grain of salt.}}

* [[Fights Like a Normal]]: For the first half of the series, he sticks to fighting with a sword, since he's not sure exactly what's going to happen when he tries to channel.

* [[Fisher King]]: Particularly apparent in ''Towers of Midnight''.

* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: Well, to start with, even if Rand wins, the world's still gonna be a shambles.

** {{spoiler|Subverted as of Towers of Midnight.}}

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: An epic version.

* [[Honor Before Reason]]

* [[Hurting Hero]]: He's a [[Destructive Savior]]. He's the Dragon Reborn in a world where the Dragon's Fang is a symbol for evil. He's fully aware that his magic is tainted and will drive him mad. {{spoiler|Fain sends Trollocs to ravage his hometown just to hurt him. People who should really be on his side lock him in a box, taking him out only to beat him. Semirhage nearly forces him to kill his lover.}}

** Going along with the [[Destructive Savior]] motif, Rand is kind of a Lucifer figure, in certain respects. In much the same way that Rand al'Thor sounds vaguely reminiscent of Arthur, Lews Therin Telamon (AKA The Dragon, Rand's last incarnation) sounds like Lucifer. Add to this that one of Lews Therin's apellations was Lord of the Morning ("Lucifer" = "[[Bilingual Bonus|morning star]]"), that Rand himself is known as He Who Comes with the Dawn among the Aiel, and the manner in which the Dragon is regarded in Rand's era, and there you go. Not a 100% match, obviously, but still, it's there.

* [[Idiot Ball]]: All the time. He is hardly alone in this; [[Idiot Ball]] seems to be a [[Signature Style]] for Robert Jordan in this series. This is exacerabated by the fact that, with their wits about them, Jordan's characters are fairly competent and sometimes even [[Genre Savvy]].

* [[Jerkass Facade]] - Is annoyingly fond of assuming these in order to [[It's Not You, It's My Enemies|protect his loved ones]], particularly in the older books but spread throughout.

* [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope]]: {{spoiler|Stops himself just in time at the end of ''The Gathering Storm''}}

** [[Messianic Archetype]]: Thus far, {{spoiler|He has acquired two heron brands on his palms (which look very much like red wounds), a spike through his foot, been stabbed through his chest (well, twice, but still) and wears a crown of "swords" which look very much like thorns. Did we mention that his "blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul" will be the only thing that can buy mankind's salvation from the Dark One? And don't you just love the fact thet he didn't become "whole" until he climbed a mountain? While doubting himself? And in extreme pain?}}

* [[My Greatest Failure]]: {{spoiler|Moiraine's [[Heroic Sacrifice]] hit him particularly hard.}}

* [[No Guy Wants an Amazon]]: Averted. Rand has one in [[Fan Nickname|his harem]].

* [[Parental Abandonment]]:

** [[Disappeared Dad]]: {{spoiler|His father, Janduin, could not get over the loss of his beloved, and went north as a [[Death Seeker]]. He found it.}}

** [[Happily Adopted]]: Meanwhile, this little baby on the mountain, not even named, was found by a survivor of said battle, Tam al'Thor, who took him in and brought him home to his wife, Kari.

** [[Good Parents]]: And despite the early loss of Kari, Rand is the first to admit that Tam gave him a good upbringing and after seeing Tam's [[Heartwarming Moments|heartwarming]] [[So Proud of You|interactions]] [[Berserk Button|and]] [[Papa Wolf|fierce]] [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|protectiveness]] of his son in the latest books, it's ''very'' clear why Rand loves his [[Badass Normal|father]] so much.

* {{spoiler|[[Past Life Memories]]: As Lews Therin Telamon}}

* [[Person of Mass Destruction]]: All channelrs are to a degree, but Rand stands out at times.

* [[Power Levels]]: Rand, being [[The Chosen One]], is one of the most powerful channelers in the entire series. Other channelers describe him as being pretty much off the charts in every dimension.

** {{spoiler|And he becomes even more powerful after coming down from Dragonmount in Towers of Midnight. The aforementioned [[One-Man Army]] entry has him splitting his flows thousands of times, so much that the Asha'man with him couldn't count them all. Rand was completely unaided when doing this, by any channeling bond or angreal/sa'angreal.}}

*** In fact, only [[The Dragon|The Nae'blis]] equals him.

* [[Readings Are Off the Scale]]

* [[Red Right Hand]]: Heroic example as he has his hand {{spoiler|exploded by a fireball from Semhirage.}}

* [[Reincarnation]]

* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: When Rand hears a rumour that one of the Forsaken killed {{spoiler|Elayne's mother,}} he does not take it well.

** [[The Hecate Sisters]] / [[The Three Faces of Eve]]: Only loosely and symbolically, in that Aviendha is a [[Amazon Brigade|Maiden of the Spear]], Elayne is a queen ({{spoiler|and eventually pregnant}}), and Min can see the future. Otherwise, the personalities don't match at all.

* [[Theme Naming]]: Lessee, Rand ''al'Thor'', who <s>is in love</s> was friends with a girl named E''gwene al'Vere'', an Obi-Wan named Thom ''Merrilin'' and draws a sword named ''Callandor'' out of a stone... [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]? [[King Arthur]], maybe?

* [[Tranquil Fury]]: In ''The Gathering Storm'', {{spoiler|after killing Semirhage, Rand spends the rest of the book in this. The rest of the characters find it ''incredibly disturbing''.}}

* [[Winds of Destiny Change]]: ''Ta'veren'' cause probability to go all out of whack. [[Contrived Coincidence]] is literally an explicit power for them, and [[Heads-Tails-Edge]] is pretty normal as well.

* [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]]: He has extreme difficulty harming a woman or even having anything bad happen to them, which can [[Honor Before Reason|get in the way of reason]], sometimes. {{spoiler|he does kill a woman once, however, during Book 3, by decapitation with a flaming power-wrought sword. This causes him lasting guilt for several books on.}}

** Later on we get a bit more insight into what's going on here. Rand hangs on to this one ''[[Invoked Trope|on purpose]]'' because, to his own tortured psychology, it represents the [[Moral Event Horizon]] and becoming an [[The Unfettered|Unfettered]] [[Complete Monster]]. This is why, when he is ''[[Attack Its Weak Point|forced]]'' to give up on it later ({{spoiler|Semirhage, in ''The Gathering Storm''}}), he [[It Got Worse|basically goes batshit crazy]].

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A troublemaker with a penchant for jokes, women, wine and gambling, Mat was stolen away on Winternight at the same time Rand was. Figuring he was just being swept along on an adventure, Mat had no idea that he too was a ''ta'veren'', almost as important to the Light as Rand is. While he can't channel, Mat has developed an impressive array of [[Badass]] powers and has become [[The General]] in a lot of ways. He also has more [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] to his name than the whole rest of the cast combined.

** [[Badass Normal]]: Relatively normal, anyway. Aside from his luck, Mat doesn't have any powers of his own, although he does gain an [[Anti-Magic]] artifact.

* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: {{spoiler|Mat blows his [[Three Wishes]] this way. Mind you, he ''thought'' he was going to get three true answers, and made his wishes in a frustrated rant. Fortunately for him, his wishes were actually pretty good ones even if he made them without realizing it.}}

** {{spoiler|[[Arranged Marriage]]: He said his vows in Book 9, she in 11. ([[It Makes Sense in Context|Don't ask.]])}}

** [[spoiler: [[Eyepatch of Power|Light of the world]]: book 13. {{spoiler|Rather than winning a battle or sacrificing others, he allows the Eelfinn to rip out his eye, permanently removing half the "light" of the world and dooming half of his vision to eternal darkness}}.

** {{spoiler|The spear turns out to be a [[Chekhov's Gun]] that can open portals between the Finn's world and Randland.}}

* [[Blase Boast]]: When he wants to impress a woman.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: So very much. Mat is far and away the snarkiest character in the series.

* [[Deconfirmed Bachelor]]

** [[Black Comedy Rape]]: Elayne jokes about how he's getting a taste of his own medicine, although she does apologize.

* {{spoiler|[[Eye Scream]]}}: {{spoiler|In ''Towers of Midnight'', the Eel'finn rip one of his eyes out as their price to release Moiraine.}}

* [[Friend to All Children]]: When he was infected with the [[Hate Plague]] the only people he relaxed around were children. He ends up rescuing Olver later.

* [[The Gambler]]

* [[Genre Blind]]: Exhibits some of this in the first book, particularly in Shadar Logoth. This leads straight to his being infected by a...

* [[Hate Plague]] which made him a major [[Jerkass]]. The two together [[The Scrappy|soured a lot of the fandom on him]].

* [[I Just Want to Be Normal]]: He just wants to drink and gamble and chase girls. The Pattern keeps forcing him to deal with [[Witch Species|Aes Sedai]], nobles, and people trying to kill him.

*** After he {{spoiler|gets married, he continually insists that just because his wife is a noble, it does NOT make him a noble. Cue several characters telling him "Yes, it does."}}

* {{spoiler|[[Instant Expert]]}}: After picking up an [[Artifact of Doom]] and being cured of its [[Hate Plague]], Mat wakes up with "holes" in his memory. {{spoiler|Later, they are filled (and/or over-filled) with ''hundreds'' of people's memories, all of whom are soldiers. With so many leaders to draw on, he can step into the role of [[The Strategist]] with ease.}}

* [[Ladykiller in Love]]: Meaning that...

* [[Last Girl Wins]]

* [[The Man They Couldn't Hang]]: As mentioned above, Mat survives a hanging at one point. (The fact that [[Clean Pretty Reliable]] from Rand brings him round suggests he was [[Not Quite Dead]].)

* [[Nice Hat]]: Picks one up on his journey through the Aiel Wastes. He keeps it throughout the rest of the series and even invokes this trope by name.

* [[Rule of Symbolism]]: Mat is frequently characterized as having things in common with Odin, a [[Trickster Archetype]] from [[Norse Mythology]]. Notably, Odin once sacrificed an eye for wisdom, which might explain that "[[Chekhov's Gun|give up half the light of the world to save the world]]" thing...

** Not forgetting that Odin had himself hanged in order to gain wisdom.

* [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: Mat's [[Accidental Marriage]] to {{spoiler|Tuon.}}

* [[The Strategist]]: From Book 5 and onwards.

* [[The Trickster]]

* [[Winds of Destiny Change]]: Again, Mat is a ''ta'veren''. This is par for the course for him. Unlike Rand and Perrin, though, he normally gets ''good'' contrived coincidences, whereas theirs can go either way.

* [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]]: Subverted. ''Kills'' a girl when she turns out to be [[The Mole]]. (Was also his lover.)

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: Mat tries to [[Screw Destiny]] on a regular basis, for instance by determinedly saddling his horse in Book 5 and deciding he will not participate in a major battle Rand is trying to win. But he sees some troops who are about to walk into an ambush and stops to warn them. {{spoiler|By the end of the day, he has taken command of that squad, enlarged it into a personal army, killed the enemy general in single combat, and become by popular acclaim the hero of the day.}} (In comparison, Rand spends his time playing artillery from a tower, which eventually gets knocked over by bad-guy lightning.)

 

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An apprentice blacksmith and son of farmers, careful with his strength, Perrin is the quiet one. He thinks, he's careful, he's spare with words. He is also, like his childhood friends Rand and Mat, a ''ta'veren'', and uniquely talented in his own right. He is the closest to the [[Farm Boy]] archetype of the [[Power Trio]], being close with his parents and mustering most of his followers and resources from their hometown of The Two Rivers.

* [[Becoming the Mask]]: Perrin hates that axe and wants to get rid of it. His personal [[The Obi-Wan|Obi-Wan]] tells him to throw it away only when he's started to like using it.

* [[The Blacksmith]]: Which aids in the selection of his ''other'' [[Weapon of Choice]]...

* [[Eyes of Gold]]: Eventually his epithet ("Perrin Goldeneyes")

* [[Farm Boy]]: He gets called this on a regular basis by Faile.

* [[First Girl Wins]]

* [[Gentle Giant]]

* [[Henpecked Husband]]: He dearly loves Faile, and he's very careful not to lose his temper in general. She would actually like it if he was more forceful.

* [[My Greatest Failure]]: In the fourth book, Perrin rushes home to protect his family. It doesn't work.

* [[Our Werewolves Are Different]]: Perrin is a "wolfbrother" and can communicate telepathically with wolves. He also has "wolf dreams" in which he ''is'' a wolf, Young Bull, and has met other wolfbrothers who have become [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock|Mode Locked]] in wolf-think, which only increases his fears of [[Becoming the Mask]]. Finally, he has the aforementioned [[Eyes of Gold]], not to mention enhanced senses.{{spoiler|Eventually he learns that the risk of [[Becoming the Mask]] was never really a threat, and strikes a balance with his wolf side}}

* [[Scarily Competent Tracker]]

* [[Sensor Character]]: Perrin's connection to wolves grants him a sense of sight and smell on par with that of a wolf. He routinely notices people walking up behind him by catching their scent before they make a sound.

* [[Winds of Destiny Change]]: ''Ta'veren'', remember?

** Played amusingly when Galina {{spoiler|(a Black Ajah Aes Sedai)}} needs an excuse to curry sympathy with the Shaido Aiel. She tells Perrin to hit her, which startles him away from ignoring everything else but rescuing Faile. Naturally, he refuses, even though it was Galina's request to be hit. Berelain does it for him.

 

 

== Others from the Two Rivers ==

 

A girl who grew up in Emond's Field with Rand, to whom she has a [[Childhood Marriage Promise]]. Being a [[Plucky Girl]], she insists on going on the adventure with Rand, and eventually finds out that she can channel. She then spends exactly half a book at [[Wizarding School]] before getting [[Idiot Ball]]'d into various adventures and misadventures. As with many (seemingly) secondary characters, she has become a leading character in her own right as the books progress.

* [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]]: In-universe, other characters tend to regard her as the most likeable and least annoying of the female [[Power Trio]] of herself, Nyneave, and Elayne. Which means that she can be [[Ungrateful Bastard|just as bitchy as they are]] (and sometimes [[Up to Eleven|even worse]]) without [[Moral Dissonance|anyone in-universe noticing]] or [[What the Hell, Hero?|calling her out on it.]]

* [[Childhood Marriage Promise]]: With Rand. Eventually broken with no ill feelings on either side. She is still good friends with Rand, and serves as an [[Honest Advisor]] to him at times. Which he often needs.

* [[Dream Land]]: ''Tel'aran'rhiod'', the World of Dreams. Egwene is a "dreamwalker" and can visit this place naturally, whereas most people just sort of flit in and out randomly. Eventually she goes to visit the local [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Proud Warrior Race]], the Aiel, who have people who specialize in dreamwalking.

* [[Dreaming of Things to Come]]: Egwene also has this ability, including an [[Either/Or Prophecy]] where one character will either kneel to her or kill her. {{spoiler|It was her [[Love Interest]] Gawyn.}} {{spoiler|He knelt.}}

* [[Girlish Pigtails]]: The Aiel threaten to put her in this if she doesn't shape up. They do, during a brief time. (They are also able to do this to her in ''Tel'aran'rhiod'' at will.)

* [[Guile Hero]]: As the Amyrlin.

* [[Promoted to Opening Titles]]: not literally, but Egwene started the series looking like a supporting character and love interest, but by now is absolutely integral to the plot. By some measures she's ''more'' important than Perrin and Mat.

* [[They Do]]: finally, as of Book 13.

* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: To Mat in Book 3. Unlike Nyneave and Elayne, has never made up for it. Also to Nynaeve, in several books, but especially in [[Break the Haughty|Book 5]]. [[Karma Houdini|Has never made up for that, either.]]

* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]: To Rand; or Rand to her (depending on which character you like better).

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A [[Tsundere]] of the highest caliber, Nynaeve was formerly the "Wisdom" (read: herb granny) of Emond's Field, despite being all of 24 when the books started. After Moiraine "kidnaps" Rand, Mat, Perrin and Egwene (Nynaeve's apprentice), Nynaeve rushes off to bring the kids back. Instead she gets roped into the adventure, especially after Moiraine notices that Nynaeve too can channel. Though she's the only Two Rivers character who hasn't become a main character in her own right, she's kept around [[The Big Guy|for her muscle]]: she is ''the'' strongest female channeler on the good-guy side.

 

* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: In ToM {{spoiler|Nynaeve reveals she used to wish that Rand would 'grow up' until he actually did 'grow up' by becoming as hard as ''cuendillar''.}}

* [[Break the Haughty]]: Undergoes this in Book 5 at the hands of [[The Rival|Moghedein]] and [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing|Egwene.]]

* [[Character Development]]: Starts off as one of the more annoying females, but unlike most she actually matures as the story continues. She even stops tugging her braid.

* [[Cowardly Lion]]: Undergoes a phase of this, which began during the [[Break the Haughty]] storyline in Book 5. The last mention of it was early in Book 7, which suggests that [[They Do|finally hooking up with Lan later in the same book]] snapped her out of it.

* [[Dye or Die]]

* [[First Girl Wins]]: Nynaeve is this to Lan. (Narrative-wise, at least; Lan's like twice her age, so it's really doubtful she's the first 'girl' he ever met ''ever''.)

* [[How Do I Shot Web?]]: "Wilders" manage to control their channeling by developing a "[[Restraining Bolt|mental block]]" to avoid knowing what it is they're actually doing. This block needs to be broken later so that the channeler can use the Power consistently. Nynaeve's is that [[Psychoactive Powers|she can't channel unless she's angry]], and it takes her ''seven books'' to get past it.

* [[Hypocritical Humor]]: a main perpetrator of it, due to a ferocious case of [[Selective Obliviousness]]. This may have something to do with the fandom's [[Love It or Hate It]] response to the character.

* [[The Medic]]: Nynaeve's main passion is Healing, up to and including inventing her own spells for it.

** [[Beyond the Impossible]]: A spell she discovers, which {{spoiler|heals [[Fate Worse Than Death|severing]]}}.

*** Another spell she discovers, which {{spoiler|heals taint-induced madness}}.

* [[Readings Are Off the Scale]]: Fortunately, Robert Jordan had the sense to avert actual [[Power Levels]], but it's known that Egwene is stronger than every living Aes Sedai by a large margin... and that Nynaeve is stronger than ''her'' by a large margin. The only channelers on this whole Characters page who equal or exceed her strength are 1) Rand and 2) Bad Guys.

* [[Recurring Boss]]: Moghedien, one of the Forsaken. [[It's Personal]] to both of them.

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Rand's horse at the beginning of the series, she gets passed around to different characters and has ended up seeing quite a bit of the world. Like Narg, below, she has become something of a literal [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]. Joking [[Fanon]] holds that Rand is a [[Decoy Protagonist]], and Bela will destroy the Dark One with her [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Belafire]].

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The Daughter-Heir of Andor. Elayne, like most daughters of House Trakand, was sent to [[Wizarding School|The White Tower]] to study with the Aes Sedai. However, unlike most daughters of House Trakand, this is not merely a formality in Elayne's case: she can actually channel, and she will be the first Aes Sedai on the Lion Throne in some years. In the meanwhile, she gets swept up into the grand scheme of things, partially because she becomes friends with Egwene and partially because she's got a thing for Rand.

* [[Badass Princess]]

* [[Blue Eyes]]: Rand notes when he first sees her that her eyes are "bluer than he could believe."

** It's later mentioned that the term "princess" is known, but is considered terribly old-fashioned.

* [[Hair of Gold]]

* [[Mindlink Mates]]: With Rand, eventually, via Warder bond.

* [[Not Staying for Breakfast]]: Rand, after he and Elayne finally find a room with a bed. (He ''does'' have a world to save.)

** Oh, and Gawyn is enamored of Egwene.

** And yes, this does mean that Galad is half-brothers with Rand. Of the three, only Rand has made the connection, and he hasn't told anybody. Besides, while he's half-brothers with Galad, Elayne is half-siblings with Galad's ''other'' half, so it's not as if Rand and Elayne are [[Kissing Cousins]] by any meaningful standard.

* [[Power Levels]]: Explicitly mentioned as being of similar strength to Egwene.

* [[Tempting Fate]]: Because Min has had a viewing that her twins will be born healthy, Elayne thinks she has [[Plot Armor]] until their birth. Other characters, Min included, are [[Genre Savvy]] enough to note that Elayne [[Wrong Genre Savvy|might be outsmarting herself here]].

** {{spoiler|And, surprise surprise, it happened. In Towers of Midnight, Elayne is stabbed in the stomach whilst interrogating the Black Ajah. She survives, but appears to have learned her lesson.}}

* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: To Mat in Book 3. She has since made up for it.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Aviendha and Birgitte call her and Nyneave out for being Ungrateful Bastards to Mat.

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Queen of Andor, mother of Elayne and Gawyn, step-mother of Galad.

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* [[Badass Normal]]

* [[Master Swordsman]]: Became a blademaster when he killed Hammar (his own trainer) during the tower schism.

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Son of the disappeared former Daughter-Heir Tigraine, adopted by Morgase when she married his father and gained the throne. He is half-brother to Elayne and Gawyn through his father {{spoiler|and Rand through his mother}}.

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Former Daughter-Heir, mother of Galad {{spoiler|and Rand}}

 

* [[The Determinator]]: Abandoning her old life she enters the Aiel Waste in search of the Maidens of the Spear, pressing on after her horse dies and after she runs out of water, she is found near death but refuses to be deterred from joining them. {{spoiler|Later she goes into battle despite being pregnant and dies on a battlefield after giving birth (to Rand).}}

* [[Posthumous Character]]: Died twenty years before the series begins but had a very serious impact on the world first.

 

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== The White Tower ==

 

 

Aes Sedai are the [[Witch Species]] of the story. Remember how male channelers inevitably go mad and die? That means only women can safely channel, and do so under the aegis of the Aes Sedai. They run a [[Wizarding School]], the "White Tower," in the city of Tar Valon, and have representatives all over the world. While they aren't technically a nation, they are still a force to be reckoned with politically and militarily, and their leader, "The Amyrlin Seat," is certainly the most powerful person on the continent.

Aes Sedai affiliate themselves into seven sub-families, or "Ajah"s:

 

* '''Blue Ajah''': Devoted to "causes", which seems to mean [[Chronic Hero Syndrome]]. (And hey, [[Underdogs Never Lose]].) Blues tend to be idealistic and charismatic. They are the second-smallest Ajah numerically, but still the most influential, and more Amyrlins have been elected out of the Blues than from the next two Ajahs combined.

* '''Yellow Ajah''': [[The Medic]], The Organization. While all Aes Sedai are taught the spells for healing, Yellows are best at it and most interested in it. Beware, though: an Aes Sedai's gift is never free.

* '''Brown Ajah''': [[The Smart Guy]], The Organization. Browns love knowledge and can disappear for years into old libraries; they have a reputation for being [[Cloudcuckoolander|CloudCuckooLanders]]... though, when an Aes Sedai is involved, [[Obfuscating Stupidity|you should always be careful]].

* '''White Ajah''': [[The Spock]], The Organization. Whites do logic, and little else; they can be extremely stoic.

* '''Black Ajah''': If you ask an Aes Sedai whether there really ''is'' a secret organization of [[The Mole|Darkfriends]] within the Tower, she will kill you with a [[Fascinating Eyebrow]]. And lightning. And, until about Book 3, there was no hard evidence that the Black Ajah ''did'' exist. But it does. These are Aes Sedai who serve The Shadow, and it's known that they are spread throughout the Tower hierarchy; almost anybody can be one, and there have been multiple attempts to root them out, of varying success.

 

* [[Romantic Two-Girl Friendship]]: "Pillow friends".

* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: [[In-Universe|Aes Sedai can get very... strongheaded]].

* [[Witch Species]]

* [[Wizards Live Longer]]: Though, curiously, the Oath Rod seems to act as a [[Restraining Bolt]] on maximum lifespan as well as behavior. (This may be due to the fact that the Oath Rod is actually repurposed Phlebotinum: back in the Age of Legends, it was used to keep paroled criminals from going back to their old ways.)

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A "Warder" is a warrior, typically a man, who has [[Sword and Sorcerer|sworn service to an Aes Sedai]]. They are typically confidantes, bodyguards and accomplices, occasionally lovers and/or husbands. A Warder is typically either trained in combat at the White Tower or was already really good to begin with. They are attached to their Aes Sedai via the "Warder bond," a [[Psychic Link]] that verges into [[Synchronization]]. The vast majority of Warders are men, though it is not known if this is a hard-and-fast rule or just custom; the only Aes Sedai (Elayne Trakand) with a female Warder ([[The Archer|Birgitte Silverbow]]) has managed to keep that affiliation secret thus far. Visually, Warders are known for their cloaks, which have chameleonic properties.

 

* [[Determinator]]

* [[Lightning Bruiser]]

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In addition to all the standard Aes Sedai habits, Moiraine exhibits the following tropes:

 

** [[Badass Bookworm]]

** [[Badass Princess]]: Close enough, anyway.

* [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]]: Balefire. She scolds Rand for using it in Book 5, despite having done so herself in Book 3, although that may have more to do with typical Aes Sedai "We know better of the Power than everyone" attitude than the balefire itself, as she seems fully aware that it is the only reliable way to kill Darkhounds.

* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Moiraine has that whole "Aes Sedai poise" down to a science. While no defrosting has actually happened yet, the fandom can read between the lines.

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Introduced to the story merely as Moiraine's Warder, a bodyguard with a [[Mindlink Mates]] [[Psychic Bond]] and some other sundry skills, Lan is later revealed to be the [[Last of His Kind]]: he is the crown prince and only surviving citizen of the nation of Malkier, which was overrun by [[The Usual Adversaries]] and the [[Garden of Evil]] when he was still a babe at the breast. Condemned to wage a one-man war against the Shadow, Moiraine managed to distract him by dangling that whole "[[Save This Person Save the World]]" thing in front of him, and he has protected her ever since.

* [[Badass Normal]]: He is probably literally the single deadliest non-channeler ''in the entire world''.

* [[Determinator]]: Here is the oath that Malkieri kings swear, and which Lan is still following:

** [[Death Seeker]], more or less, as a result: after all, he has to avenge an entire goddamn country.

** [[Honor Before Reason]]

* [[Married At Sea]]

** [[Author Appeal]]: Lan and Nynaeve get married by a Sea Folk captain, who have a custom that whoever gives commands in public must take them in private. [[Brains and Brawn|Nynaeve is the brains, Lan is the brawn]]. [[Conveniently-Common Kink|You can see where this is going]].

* [[Pillars of Moral Character]]

* [[Rightful King Returns]]

* [[Static Character]]

* [[Take Up My Sword]]

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: "[[Badass Creed|Duty is heavier than a mountain; death is lighter than a feather]]."

'''Lan:''' "[[The Stoic|When you die]]." }}

 

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* [[Busman's Vocabulary]]: She hails from the port city of Tear, and her dialogue often includes fish analogies.

* [[Chickification]]: When presented with her [[Love Interest]] ({{spoiler|Gareth Bryne}}).

* [[Determinator]]

* {{spoiler|[[Fate Worse Than Death]]: is impeached as Amyrlin. And stilled.}}

* [[Guile Hero]]: You can see her thoughts as she does this to everyone in Salidar.

----

 

 

An Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah, formerly the adviser to Queen Morgase of Andor, [[Jerkass|and a monumental bitch with delusions of grandeur]]. Was Accepted when Siuan and Moiraine were novices, and an Aes Sedai for five years when they were Accepted. Always disliked them, but also did her best to ensure they would both become Aes Sedai since they were both so strong in the One Power and the White Tower would need them for the Last Battle. [[Seers|Has the Foretelling]]. Attached herself to Morgase because she (secretly) Foretold the Trakand line would be instrumental in defeating the Dark One. Eventually, she instigated a coup (encouraged by [[Evil Chancellor|Alviarin]] and, though she didn't know it, [[The Man Behind the Man|Mesaana]]) to tear down Siuan Sanche and install herself as the Amyrlin Seat. From there she proceeded to become an arrogant, vain, petty tyrant.

* [[Light Is Not Good]]: While she isn't a Darkfriend, Elaida is certainly not a hero, yet she is still on the side of the Light. In the end her idiocy, stubbornness, pride, and outright bitchiness cause as much trouble for Rand and his allies as anything the Shadow does.

* [[Not So Different]]: With Siuan Sanche. Each rose from humble (or at least obscure) beginnings to become Amyrlin Seat, each was one of the most powerful Aes Sedai of her generation, each knew the Last Battle was coming and tried to prepare for it. But where Siuan wanted to merely guide Rand, Elaida tried to control and contain him, and while they both wanted to save the world, Elaida wanted to do so in a way that would give her fame and greatness. [[Foil|Despite the similarities]], they have always hated each other.

* [[Pride]]

** {{spoiler|[[Pride Before a Fall]]}}

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: Despite everything, she isn't a Black. Her Foretelling warned her (and rightly so) of the pain and devastation that would occur with Rand's coming, she genuinely believed Siuan was leading the Aes Sedai and the world to ruin, and much of her early 'villainy' was brought about due to Alviarin's manipulations. Even the torture Rand undergoes, while nominally sanctioned by her, was Galina's idea and not something she decreed, having only wanted the Dragon Reborn brought to her to keep him (and the world) safe until the Last Battle. (Of course, [[Idiot Ball|that would have kept him from fulfilling the prophecies]]...) In the end her egotism, nastiness, and ignorance are as much due to Fain's corruption as her own failings, so there's no way to know what would have happened if he hadn't influenced her. A good example of her extremism, though, aside from the whole gentling men thing and her treatment of Rand, is one which dates to well before any tainting: her claim that channeling men are 'unbelievers'--that is, that because they channel (even though they can't help it), something which will lead to insanity and death and is therefore against the Pattern and the will of the Creator, they must not believe in the Light.

* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: Elaida had basically attached herself to House Trakand of Andor because she had a fortelling that the royal line of Andor would be all important in the Last Battle. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, as it turns out, Rand Al'Thor, the prophesised saviour of the world just happens to be the son of a previous heir to the throne who went AWOL. Whoops.}}.

 

----

 

 

The Highest of the Red Ajah {{spoiler|and one of the two second in commands of the Black Ajah.}}. Elaida puts her in charge of the expedition to capture Rand. This {{spoiler|fails and she is captured by the Shaido Aiel, tortured, and made to swear an Oath of obedience on a second Oath Rod and ultimately broken.}}.

----

 

 

A dreamy Brown Ajah who is very interested in books. Is smarter and more observant than she appears. Helps Perrin in the Two Rivers, then goes off to advise Rand. {{spoiler|Later returns to the White Tower where she kills herself to betray the Black Ajah.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Redemption Equals Death]]}}

 

 

One of the oldest and most respected Aes Sedai alive (possibly ''the'' most in both categories), Cadsuane is something of a living legend for her adventures, the number of male channelers she's managed to deal with, and for being one of the Most Triumphant Examples of an [[Iron Lady]] to walk the halls of fiction. She appears out of nowhere (that is, Ghealdan) in the seventh book to add herself to the growing list of hangers-on around Rand, and the two have a very contentious relationship.

== Independent Characters ==

 

 

A traveling gleeman who happens to be in Emond's Field, Thomdril Merrilin gets caught up in the mad flight out of the Two Rivers. While Moiraine fits the "wise mentor" aspect of [[The Obi-Wan]], Thom has the "old man" side of it. He also has that [[Theme Naming|name that sounds suspiciously like "Merlin"]]. Of course, in true Gandalf fashion, he performs a Save-Yourself-style [[Heroic Sacrifice]] (practically shouted "Fly, you fools!"), and then comes back later in Book 2, though via careful escape as opposed to reincarnation. He then becomes a peripheral character, eventually becoming trapped with Mat in Ebou Dar.

* [[Guile Hero]]

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Although he survives.

* [[My Greatest Failure]]: His nephew, Owyn, was a male channeler whom he wasn't able to save.

* [[Mysterious Past]]: An extremely talented performer who is well-versed in politics... is wasting time traveling to backwater villages? Would this have anything to do with tales about Elayne's mother Morgase and her lover, a bard, whom she suddenly became angry with and had chased out? Is that why Elayne seems to find him familiar?

----

 

 

Min is a little older than Rand, and wears men's clothing and has short curly hair, which he finds pretty sophisticated. Moiraine consults her once she's managed to drag everyone out of the Two Rivers, wanting to know what Min's "viewings" say about her charges. It takes another six or seven books for her to become important to the plot, but once she does...

* [[It's Not You, It's My Enemies]]: She's the only one on whom this doesn't work.

* [[Knife Nut]]

** Subverted, she had a viewing that she knew meant she would love him, but she wasn't in love with him at the time.

* [[Oracular Urchin]]: When Min looks at you, sometimes she'll see an image. About half the time she knows what it means. Whatever it is, and whether she knows what it means or not, it will ''always'' come true. ''Wheel of Time'' fansites will often have an entire [[Wild Mass Guess]] section devoted exclusively to Min's "viewings" (as they're called) and [[Chekhov's Gun|how they might play out]].

* [[Real Women Never Wear Dresses]]: [[Invoked|Which is why Min doesn't.]]

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Her most recent adopted role has been to pore over the Prophecies and philosophical notes for anything that can give an edge to Rand in the Last Battle. She's the one who comes up with the plan to {{spoiler|destroy the Dark One's seals}}.

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: Whatever Min sees, it comes true. No matter how she warns the victim, it comes true. ...[[Failure Is the Only Option|She's learned to keep certain viewings to herself]].

 

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An [[Our Giants Are Bigger|Ogier]] who escaped his ''stedding'' in search of adventure and good books. The Ogier have [[Gentle Giant]] and botany as their [[Planet of Hats|Hats]]; by their standards, Loial is considered quite hasty. After finding out who Rand is, he decides that his life's work will be to chronicle the life and times of The Dragon Reborn, but most of the time he ends up hanging out with Perrin.

----

 

 

A Wolfbrother like Perrin, who teaches him about his abilities early in the series and reappears later on to aid him in his adventures.

----

 

 

A "False Dragon", Taim once declared himself the Dragon Reborn as a publicity stunt. Obviously, he's not, but that didn't stop the chaos. Unlike most False Dragons, Taim can actually channel (and very strongly too), and escaped soon after he was captured by Aes Sedai (which is more than can be said for Logain Ablar). He unexpectedly shows up in Book 6 (though he had been [[The Ghost]] since Book 2) and is placed in command of Rand's personal [[Wizarding School]], "The Black Tower," where male channelers train to become ''Asha'man'' and fight in The Last Battle. [[The Starscream|Taim's agenda is not Rand's]].

* [[Devil in Plain Sight]]: He's a boundlessly ambitious military commander who's been channeling for a decade with no sign of madness, who resents the Dragon, and whose subordinates ''avoid speaking his name, preferring instead to refer to him by a vaguely ominous-sounding word in the Old Tongue''. Logain seems to be the only person to see any danger signs in this.

* [[Manipulative Bastard]]

* [[The Resenter]]

* [[Red Herring]]: {{spoiler|Taim is introduced in the same book as Demandred, only a few chapters after Demandred gets an important task from the Dark One. When he and Rand come face to face for the first time, Lews Therin starts screaming about killing the Forsaken in Rand's head. At the end of the book, after Taim plays an integral part in the climax, Demandred is lauded for the success of his plan by the Dark One. Despite the obvious hints, Robert Jordan confirmed that Taim is not Demandred in disguise.}} Despite this, he is still likely one of the Forsaken, as at one point he refers to Asha'man being "severed", which is a term for stilling used in the Age of Legends.

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AKA Zarine Bashere, she took the name Faile as an alias while a Hunter for the Horn. She is Perrin's love interest {{spoiler|and later, his wife}}. She is described as taller than average with long, dark hair, tilted eyes, and a prominent "Saldean nose".

* [[The Masochism Tango]]: With Perrin.

* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: While this does represent [[Mars and Venus Gender Contrast|the majority of relationships in the Wheel of Time universe]], it is especially poignant with her. Due to her cultural norms, she expects Perrin to play along with this. He, however, can't understand why she gets angry when he tries to calm her down and reason with her, rather than yell at her.

* [[Tsundere]]: Comes from a culture where this is the norm, but made worse by a [[Culture Clash]] with Perrin.

 

== The Aiel ==

 

 

 

A Maiden of the Spear from the Nine Valleys sept of the Tardaad Aiel, Aviendha crosses into the "wetlands" in Book 3 along with a bunch of other Aiel in search of "[[The Chosen One|He Who Comes With The Dawn]]." She becomes friends with Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne and eventually joins forces with them. Later it is revealed that she too can channel, being roughly on par in power with Egwene and Elayne, with whom she eventually becomes BFF. When Elayne needs to go have her own campaign separate from Rand, she has Aviendha promise to watch out for him and make sure Rand stays loyal. The Aiel elders also assign her to be Rand's local guide, teaching him the customs and ways of his people. This causes a lot of conflict for Aviendha, because (according to one of Min's viewings) Rand is fated to fall in love with three women, and Aviendha is one of them...

* [[Blood Brothers|Blood Sisters]]: With Elayne, eventually.

* [[The Chief's Daughter]]: Subverted. She's Rhuarc's niece, but because the Aiel are a meritocracy, this has no special privilege associated with it ([[Truth in Television]] for many of the Native American tribes the Aiel were based on). Still ends up with the hero, though.

* [[Green Eyed Red Head]]

* [[Heroes Want Redheads]]

* [[Intimate Healing]]: At one point, to escape her own [[Unrequited Love]], Aviendha teleports her way into a blizzard. Rand has to resort to that whole "sharing body warmth while naked" thing. [[One Thing Led to Another]], and one [[Sexy Discretion Shot]] later...

* [[Power Levels]]: Again, on par with Egwene and Elayne. Remember that this ties her for second place on the "strongest female channelers alive" list.

* [[Tsundere]]: At first anyway. More so than the rest of the female characters.

 

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The Clan Chief of the Taardad Aiel and one of Rand's closest supporters. As is not unusual among the Aiel, he has two wives, Amys and Lian. He journeyed into the Westlands along with Aviendha in search of He Who Comes With The Dawn. Rhuarc is there when Rand first takes Callandor from the Stone of Tear and reveals that the Aiel are actually the fabled People of the Dragon.

----

 

 

A Jumai Aiel of the Shaido clan, one of the main non-darkfriend antagonists to Rand. She opposed recognition of Rand as Car'a'carn and supported her husband, Couladin, in his bid for power. Once he is defeated in battle she takes on the role as leader of the Shaido. She wages a war of pillage and plunder across the Westlands, taking many people prisoner as ''gai'shain'', including Faile, which launches Perrin into his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]].

* [[Blondes Are Evil]]: Not a very nice person. So much so that her own people only follow her because of [[Honor Before Reason]].

* [[Dark-Skinned Blond]]: Like all Aiel, is tanned by the sun of the Three-Fold Land.

* [[Locked Out of the Loop]]: Although she is called a Wise One and is acting clan chief, she has never been to Rhuidean, unlike other Wise Ones in the Shaido, who know that Rand's revelation of the Aiel history is perfectly true.

* [[The Vamp]]: Only married her first husband because he was a clan chief. Hooked up with his successor after he died. Determined to capture Rand, rape him to get some heirs to secure her rule, then murder him.

----

 

A Wise One from the Jarra sept. Sorilea is barely able to channel, but is one of the oldest and most revered Wise Ones. She has a formidable and forceful personality and can be quite frightening.

 

* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: As a Wise One, she's an expert in dishing these out. For instance, forced an apprentice to search through a giant pile of sand for one specific red grain of sand as punishment for speaking out of turn.

* [[Establishing Character Moment]]

* [[Iron Lady]]

* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: She's one of the oldest of the Wise Ones.

 

== The Whitecloaks ==

 

 

The Lord Captain Commander of the Whitecloaks by the time the story begins. Niall is renowned as one of the Five Great Captains, with few enemies defeating him once and none twice. Niall believes Rand to be another False Dragon and his every move is calculated to both bring him down and expand the influence of the Whitecloaks.

 

== Seanchan ==

 

 

 

Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag is the second and favorite daughter of the Empress of the Seanchan Empire. She comes to the Westlands to oversee the Return and ensure that the nations there are reunited under the Empire's rule. As such, she becomes another non-darkfriend antagonist to Rand. While she agrees that the world needs to be united when the Last Battle comes, it must be under Seanchan's banner and the Dragon Reborn must kneel to the Empress.

* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Sort of, but not due to stupidity. Her very non-standard upbringing and life causes her to have very strange reactions to things that keep catching Mat off-guard. Attempts on her life are regarded as minor annoyances, but very simple everyday activities are fascinating new experiences to her.

* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Has grown fond of her new husband, to a degree.

* [[Ironic Echo]]: Gives Mat's [[Accidental Marriage]] Vows back to him word for word. "Matrim Cauthon is my husband. [[Rule of Three|Matrim Cauthon is my husband.]] Matrim Cauthon is my [[Precision F-Strike|bloody]] husband."

* [[Lady of War]]: Despite her demure appearance, she is deadly to her enemies and is exceptionally skilled at hand-to-hand combat.

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Egeanin Tamarath was a ship captain in the Seanchan fleet. After the fall of Falme, she is sent to the Westlands to help round up escaped ''sul'dam'' and ''damane''. After realizing that much of what she knew about channelers was wrong, she suffers a [[To Be Lawful or Good|crisis of conscience]].

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High Lady Suroth Sabelle Meldarath is in charge of securing a foothold in the Westlands to prepare for the return of the Seanchan. She is a cold and calculating individual who does not tolerate dissention amongst her ranks. Although she suffers a great defeat early on, her subsequent victories elsewhere lead some to believe that she may have secret ambitions inappropriate for her station. {{spoiler|This is later verified as she is a Darkfriend under Semirhage with plans to make her the new Empress}}.

== The Shadow & Darkfriends ==

 

 

The ultimate evil, equal and opposite of [[God|the Creator]], imprisoned by him at the beginning of time. Partially released during the War of Power and resealed by mortals, his ultimate goal is complete freedom and the annihilation of reality.

 

* [[I Have Many Names]]: Or at least many epithets. Father of Lies, Sightblinder, Leafblighter, Lord of the Grave, Grassburner...

* [[Name's the Same]]: There are many fictional characters called The Dark One

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Shai'tan.

* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]

* [[Ultimate Evil]]

 

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In the previous War Of Power, Lews lead the forces of light supported by a team of lieutenants and trusted advisers. Many died, but a many also turned cloak and joined with The Shadow and The Dark One. These best-and-brightest were called "The Chosen" by the servants of the Shadow, "The Forsaken" by everyone else. There where oringaly somwhere around thirty of these ranging in skill from tactical generals to doctors, scientists, artists, philosophers and so on, [[Thirteen Is Unlucky|thirteen]] surived, sealed inside Shaylo Ghoul at the some moment the Lews placed the Thirteen Seals on The Dark One, but with the Seals wearing down, they are starting to get free...

 

 

* '''Aginor / {{spoiler|Osan'gar}} / {{spoiler|Corlan Dashiva}} / Ishar Morrad Chuain:'''

 

Formerly known as Ishar Morrad Chuain, he was a famous biologist, but his lack of ethics got his licesne revoked so he turned to the Shadow for more....''creative freedom''. He created most the Shadowspawn that still terrorize the world an Age latter.

 

** [[Evilutionary Biologist]]: Created [[Our Orcs Are Different|trollocs]] and other Shadowspawn, and thus indirectly created the Myrddraal.

** [[Mad Scientist]]: Turned to the Shadow because, hey, when your boss is an omnicidal force of utter evil, nobody bothers you about ethics in your research.

** {{spoiler|[[Reincarnation]]: Aginor is killed off after 5 pages of fight scene in the first book, but The Dark One eventually manages to stick his soul into someone else's body. The same happens with Balthamel, Ishamael and Lanfear. He then went into hiding, spending several books as an unimportant secondary character, managing to accomplish little of importance... then he teleported onto the wrong hilltop at the wrong time and got glassed again. Poor bugger.}}

** [[Unskilled but Strong]]: He's second-strongest of the male Forsaken, but he's neither a fighter nor a general. Even his choice of cover identity isn't great; a number of savvy fans noticed that ''something'' was up with the man, though (in fairness) few thought there would be a freaking ''Forsaken'' [[Hidden in Plain Sight]].

 

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* '''Asmodean / Jasin Natael / Joar Addam Nessosin:'''

 

 

** [[A Lighter Shade of Black]]: He's definitely the nicest of the Forsaken. And as compliments go, [[Damning With Faint Praise|that's not one]].

** [[Evil Is Petty]]: In the previous Age, while Governor of his assigned domains in the service of the Dark One, he didn't really get up to many atrocities (compared to the rest, that is); ''however'', he ''did'' order every single musician, artist and any professional creative talent he could get his hands on to be ''maimed''- they lived, but they could no longer perform their craft. He particularly focused on those who had slighted him, were rivals, or had suggested he would never amount to anything.

** [[Heel Face Turn]]: Forced on him by Lanfear, who threatened to arrange for his death unless he taught Rand to channel.

*** [[Famous Last Words]]: "[[Oh Crap|You? No!]]"

** [[Punch Clock Villain]]: Was lured to The Shadow because immortality would give him the chance to... [[Stupid Evil|listen to more music]]??

** [[Shrug of God]]: {{spoiler|His murderer was left ambiguous, leading to an entire rainforest of [[Epileptic Trees]]. Robert Jordan, who claimed the answer was "[http://www.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/2000/12/12/jordan/index.html intuitively obvious]" and also [[Professor X Likes Watching Teenagers Sweat|Likes Watching Readers Sweat]], never gave a definitive answer, promising only to sneak the info into the last book if he could. [[Author Existence Failure|He couldn't]], but his [[Replacement Goldfish]] Brandon Sanderson made sure to ask Harriet Dougal who had done it so that ''he'' could publicize it. (The killer: Graendal.)}}

** [[Villain Team-Up]]: He and Lanfear formed one. {{spoiler|It didn't end well for him.}}

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* '''Balthamel / {{spoiler|Aran'gar}}/ {{spoiler|Halima Saranov}} / Eval Ramman:'''

 

The ''anti-Mat'', he was a historian in the Age Of Legends famous for his study of primitive and extinct cultures, but is better remembered as a gambling, womanizing, jack ass. He had major anger management issues that eventually lead him to the Shadow in order to dodge a [[Restraining Bolt]] against using the power for Violence. He ran an intelligence network unmatched by any of the other Chosen except for Moghedien. His most remembered evil deed was raising and organizing breeding camps for humans to be fed to the Trolloc armies. {{spoiler|He is resurrected in a female body part way into the series}}.

 

** [[The Casanova]]

** {{spoiler|[[Deader Than Dead]] as of book 13}}, courtesy of {{spoiler|Graendal}}.

** [[Depraved Bisexual]]: {{spoiler|As Aran'gar.}}

** [[Gender Bender]]: {{spoiler|Balthamel was a man, but was reincarnated as a woman by The Dark One.}}

** [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: {{spoiler|An aran'gar is a dagger dipped in slow poison.}}

 

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* '''Be'lal / {{spoiler|High Lord Samon}} / Duram Laddel Cham:'''

 

A general of the Shadow, and Master Swordsmen. He was one of Lews's closest friends before jealously lead him to turn to the Shadow. {{spoiler|The First Forsaken to ''actually'' be killed off}}

** [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: Went to the Shadow because he envied Lews Therin Telamon. Also envied Lanfear and Ishamael.

** [[Master Swordsman]]: ''Reinvented'' swordfighting as a martial art with Lews Therin (before his defection).

** {{spoiler|[[We Hardly Knew Ye]]: Introduced late in Book 3. Balefired a couple pages later. [[Deader Than Dead]], so he's not coming back. [[Anticlimax Boss|Whoops]].}}

 

* '''Demandred / Barid Bel Medar/ {{spoiler|We Still Don't Know}}:'''

 

 

 

** [[Always Second Best]]: To Lews Therin, to the point where trying to prove himself better than Lews Therin is pretty much his [[Freudian Excuse]].

*** [[Romantic Runner-Up]]

*** [[The Resenter]]

** [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] / [[Evil Is Petty]] / [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: One of the first things he did as general of the Shadow was feed entire cities to Trollocs; specifically, he went after cities he felt slighted him while he was on the side of the Light.

** [[Shadow Archetype]]: [[All There in the Manual|As the Guide puts it]], "almost" is the story of his life in relation to Lews Therin. He was born shortly after him, almost as old; he was very good looking except for his hooked-nose, almost as handsome; he was almost as strong in the One Power; he was almost as best-selling an author; he was almost as brilliant as general, he almost got the girl, etc., etc. His [[Face Heel Turn]] was explicitly prompted when Lews was chosen as the top general of the Light over him, as his [[Berserk Button]] is being told he is second to Lews in ''anything''. Now he's transferred that rivalrly to Rand. Of course, being slightly inferior to the most [[Badass]] man on the planet means that you are still incredibly [[Badass]] yourself, which makes him a very, very dangerous enemy.

*** [[Jossed]]: The popular "Taimandred" theory that Demandred is masquerading as Mazrim Taim. (Notably, Jordan rarely Jossed anything over the course of his life. Some fans still think he changed it out of spite.)

** [[Villain Team-Up]]: He, Mesaana and Semirhage have an alliance to eliminate their mutual rivals and not betray each other until they are the last of the Forsaken remaining. Of course they never trust each other.

 

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* '''Graendal / {{spoiler|Lady Basene}} / Kamarile Maradim Nindar:'''

 

One of the Shadow's most dangerous and competent servants. Graendal was born Kamarile Maradim Nindar and she was a famous psychologist for nearly four hundred years, able to heal mental afflictions even use of the One Power could not cure. She was also a distinct ascetic, living an unadorned life free of physical and mental pleasures. Of course, she also placed these same impossible standards on the rest of the world and felt that anyone that couldn't hold to them was morally inferior. Eventually she snapped from the realization the world would never live up to her expectations, and was general not a good place. She did a completely moral 180, creating the alter ego of "Graendal" that was the pure opposite of everything Nindar had been: lusty, indulgent, selfish, and vain.

 

** [[Bad Powers, Bad People]] / [[Good Powers, Bad People]]: She appears on both tropes, which note that she is very good at [[Mind Control]] because of her background in psychology as an analyst and therapist.

** [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]: She will use anything as an excuse to backstab her fellow Forsaken like {{spoiler|Asmodean }} and {{spoiler|Aran'gar }} . Of course any of the other Forsaken would have done the same in her position.

** [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]]: Averted. She can perfectly understand good unlike Moridin who does not seem to understand why Rand would feel regret for killing thousands of people in order to kill an enemy. Of course since [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]] is the largest flaw of The Shadow, this is part of what makes her among their greatest assets.

** [[Faith Heel Turn]]: She was (in)famous for her ascetic lifestyle and high moral standards before turning to the Shadow, but though she was popular with the masses for this in private those who knew her greatly disliked her because she always judged them by her ridiculously high and rigid standards, basically being a [[Holier Than Thou]] [[Narcissist]]. She pledged to the Dark One after she realized that ''nobody'' could meet her standards, and went to the opposite extreme as a purposely immoral hedonist out of spite.

** [[The Hedonist]]

** [[Jerkass]]: Pushed Mesaana's [[Berserk Button]] in Lord of Chaos for no real reason.

** [[Mind Control]]: The best of the Forsaken at Compulsion and uses it in various degrees for almost everything.

** [[Start of Darkness]]: Her POV in ''Towers of Midnight'' shows she and several of the other Forsaken had these happen to them long ago. She then uses Semirhage as a counter example of someone who was always utterly evil.

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* '''Ishamael / "Ba'alzamon" / {{spoiler|Moridin}} / Elan Morin Tedronai''':

A famous philosopher and writer in the Age Of Legends and one of Lews closest friends. He is the most powerful of the Forsaken and their leader. Incredibly intelligent he has profound insight into the nature of the Wheel of Time and the struggle between the Dark One and the Dragon. He is unique among the Forsaken as being the only member of the group who didn't join for the promise of power or immortality, but because his logic concluded that the Dark One must inevitably win against the Dragon, and therefore the only path was to join him and rule for a time. All of the other Forsaken believe him to be insane, though some of Ishamael's statements which are taken to be mad are in fact simply esoteric beyond what the other Forsaken are capable of understanding (he brief talk on Chaos Theory at one of their meetings while burning a rat alive).

 

 

** [[A God Am I]]: Occasionally, he thinks that he is The Dark One himself, or an aspect thereof. It's not totally clear if he's wrong, either.

** [[Ax Crazy]]: The other Forsaken agree he's nuts.

** [[Bad Powers, Bad People]]: The True Power, which is like the One Power but derives from The Dark One, and is much more dangerous and addictive.

** [[The Chessmaster]]: Bonus points for being an actual master of this verse's version of chess.

** [[Dark Messiah]]: Sees himself as this, representing The Dark One as a counterpart to The Dragon, who is [[The Messiah]] for The Pattern. {{spoiler|He's right}}

** [[The Dragon]]: Moridin was officially named Nae'blis.

** [[Disc One Final Boss]]: In the first three books, everyone thought he actually ''was'' the Dark One (Moiraine figured out his true identity after {{spoiler|his death}}), and that when Rand killed him it was all over. Boy were they wrong...

** [[Jossed]]: {{spoiler|Robert Jordan reacted with surprise/disgust to the idea that Moridin was the mysterious "You!" at the end of Book 5, thus turning "and then [[Meaningful Name|death]] took him" into a horrific pun.}}

** [[The Man Behind the Man]]: Ishamael was not fully imprisoned, and, calling himself Ba'alzamon, was able to influence events unopposed for a couple of millennia. For instance, he started a world war.

** [[The Philosopher]]: Seems [[Genre Savvy]] to the endless repetition of the Wheel of Time.

*** [[Nietzsche Wannabe]]: The philosophical outlook he ultimately arrived at, which led him to ally with the Dark One in the first place. Ironically Rand is the Nietzschean Superman who has managed to accept [[Eternal Recurrance]] while Ishamael's failure at this led to his downfall.

** [[Power Levels]]: Again, Jordan is fairly vague with this, but it's stated multiple times that Ishamael was comparable in power to Lews Therin during the age of legends, and is probably the single strongest channeler of either gender in the modern world other than Rand. In the first three books, his complete insanity seems to have gotten in the way of his power, but now...

** [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]

 

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* '''Lanfear / {{spoiler|Cyndane}} / Mierin Eronaile:'''

 

Lews's ex-girlfriend, and the most powerful woman to ever channel. Ever. She became obsessed with winning him back by any means necessary, and one such experiment (meant to earn her glory that was sure would bring Lews back to her, despite him being married) is what originally freed the Dark One. She's skilled at scheming, lying, and manipulating to get what she wants, and she only wants one thing: Lews Therin back, even eons latter. The Dark One does not truly trust her because of this, but she is kept around because there is ''no one'' that knows him better.

** [[Faustian Rebellion]]: Her master plan.

** [[Generation Xerox]]: Lanfear seems to have dismissed any of the complications arising from the half-sided [[Reincarnation Romance]] she wants to start with Rand. Of course, he's fallen for a blonde, like he always does ([[Meaningful Name|Ilyena Sunhair]] was Lews Therin's wife).

** [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: If she so much as gets a hint of Rand being attracted to another woman, [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|bad things]] happen.

** [[If I Can't Have You]]: {{spoiler|She does not take Rand telling her he would never love one of the Forsaken very well.}}

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* '''Mesaana / {{spoiler|Danelle}} / Saine Tarasind:'''

 

"The Shadow Aymrlin" she is a teacher, organizer, and researcher from the Age Of Legends. She [[Evil Is Petty|got turned down for a field study and was regulated to a educator's role]], so she turned to the Shadow. As far as Forsaken go, she's pretty o.k. for a person ,though she still [[Moral Event Horizon|conditioned legions of children into a army of little monsters that where capable of murder]]. She is among the most dangerous because of her refusal to scheme and plot against and with the other Forsaken (though she does from a non-aggression pact with a Semirhage and Demandred) and instead focuses on the "down and dirty" aspects of winning this war. {{spoiler|Up until her death she is the most successful of all the Forsaken in doing this, causing a schism in the White Tower that nearly destroyed it and murdering countless Aes Sedai}}.

** [[Child Soldiers]]: Mesaana educated children to act like this. Even in the present day Mesaana's Children are remembered and feared.

** [[Dramatic Irony]]: Despite joining the Shadow for being relegated to a teaching job instead of research she is the only Forsaken to willingly teach others.

** [[The Man Behind the Man]]: She was secretly manipulating {{spoiler|Alviarin, who was in turn manipulating Elaida.}} She may also have been manipulating Galina and Katerine, and was certainly the one pulling the strings on Liandrin and her coven.

** [[The Mole]]: Is somewhere in the White Tower running the Black Ajah. Her sole identifying feature is that she once wore a dress with a brown hem. {{spoiler|Revealed to be Danelle.}}

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* '''Moghedien / {{spoiler|Marigan}} / Lillen Moiral:'''

 

"The Spider" Moghedien was oringally an investment advisor known Lilen Moiral, often looked down on even when she was part of the The Light, she cultivated a massive network of spies and assasins for the Shadow, using an image as a meek and little woman to lead many agents of the Light to their deaths. She escaped after being revealed as a tratior and killing thousands to engineer a distraction. She favors moving and striking "softly from the Shadows". She is a master of the World Of Dreams, making up for her lack-luster strength in the One Power.

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* '''Rahvin / {{spoiler|Lord Gaebril}} / Ared Mosinel:'''

 

A diplomat and megalomaniac, his specality was pushing regions into non-violent surrender to The Shadow.

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* '''Sammael / Lord Brend / Tel Janin Aellinsar:'''

 

One of the Chief generals for the Shadow, he was friends with Lews Therin Telamon, although it is not certain how deep this friendship ran; more likely he considered himself a rival to Lews Therin. He turned to the Shadow realtively late in the game, but still won major victories for them. He was scared in battle by Lews, a scar he refused to let he healed, swearing he would do so only after killing him.

* [[Chekhov MIA]]: {{spoiler|This was the theory on him for a long time, because, in the narration, Robert Jordan has him trapped between a [[Fog of Doom]] on one side and Rand throwing [[Deader Than Dead|balefire]] down the other... but has Rand let up at the last second, thinking, "[[No One Could Survive That]]." He ''didn't'' survive that, but Rand [[Never Found the Body]], so "[[He's Just Hiding]]" basically became [[Fanon]]. It was only after RJ [[Jossed]] the idea himself that everyone calmed down. "[[Word of God|Sammael is toast]]."}}

* [[Green-Eyed Monster]], [[The Resenter]]

* [[The Napoleon]]: Hated the fact that he was so short.

* [[Red Herring]]: In the most recent books, {{spoiler|someone is impersonating him to commandeer a bunch of Shadowspawn. If not for the [[Word of God]] above, this might have just resurrected (no pun intended) those old [[Chekhov MIA]] theories. In a way, they're true, since Sammael did still come back to serve a purpose--it just isn't actually him.}}

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* '''Semirhage / {{spoiler|Anath}} / Nemene Damendar Boann:'''

 

Batshit crazy and evil to the core, Semirhage required no corrupting. A world renown healer in the Age Of Legends, she was the [[Token Evil Teammate]] for The Light until The Hall Of Servants found out that she was torturing her patients as "payment" for Healing (as she felt they where unworthy of being saved). They gave her an ultimatum take a [[Restraining Bolt]] against her "pleasures" or be Severed from the One Power forever.. She said [[Fuck This Im Out Of Here]] and joined the Shadow, where she became one of their most valued assets.

** [[The Dreaded]]: During the War of Power, captives often commited suicide- even by ''biting their own wrists''- when they learnt they were being taken to her, to the point her minions had to take special precautions against it for all prisoners. At one point she was captured, but she freaked out the guards so much that they actually ''smuggled her out and set her free''. She was an incredibly sadistic torturer and [[Mad Scientist]], who enjoyed discovering new ways to make people suffer, and she has turned the [[Sadistic Choice]] into an art form. Her rep survived down to the Third Age.

** [[Flaw Exploitation]]: Knows Rand [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]]. Is a girl. See where this is going?

*** {{spoiler|[[Deader Than Dead]]}}

** [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: Being captured by her. Why? Because of the...

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The Myrddraal are mutant [[The Usual Adversaries|Trollocs]] which resemble pale humans with smooth skin where their eyes should be. Commonly used as commanders of the Dark One's armies, they are much more intelligent than their brethren and possess great fighting skills as well as minor magic, but are much weaker than the average channeler. Shaidar Haran, the most powerful of the Myrddraal, is a different story entirely, a fearsome creature that can command the loyalty and fear of even the Forsaken. Its true nature is the subject of much debate, but it is unarguably one of, if not the, most powerful weapons in the Dark One's arsenal- and might be something more...

* [[Fan Nickname]]: 'Fade' is common in-universe slang for a Myrddraal. Therefore Haran is 'Superfade'.

* [[Fighting a Shadow]]: The most common fan theory is that Haran is some sort of manifestation of the Dark One himself.

* [[Large and In Charge]]: Ordinary Myrddraal are human-sized. Haran is almost half again as big.

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: His means "Hand of the [[Dark Is Evil|Shadow]]".

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Originally a Darkfriend sent to spy on the Two Rivers, Fain was forcibly recruited by Ishamael and some Myrddraal to aid in the hunt for Rand. The resulting proceedings filled him with hate for both sides, and a chance encounter in the haunted city of Shadar Logoth left him merged with the spirit of the infamous [[Evil Chancellor]] Mordeth. Now he pursues revenge against both the Dragon and the Dark One, and he may well have the power to accomplish it.

* [[Ax Crazy]]

* [[Evil Chancellor]]: As Mordeth. He's weaseled his way into this role a couple of times as Fain, too.

* [[Fog of Doom]]: He is now followed around by Mashadar.

* [[From Nobody to Nightmare]]

* [[Night of the Living Mooks]]

* [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping]]: His speech tends to veer back and forth between the lower-class accent of Fain and the more cultured, sophisticated one of Mordeth. This happens largely unconsciously, and creepily, it'll occasionally happen in the middle of a sentence.

* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]

* [[Scarily Competent Tracker]]: Granted the ability to find Rand, Mat, and Perrin wherever they are. The painfulness of the process where he acquired this ability is the main reason he hates both the Dark One and the heroes.

* [[Wild Card]]: To the point that both sides have assassins actively trying to kill him throughout the series [most of them end up dead, the lucky ones just never find him, or get killed by Fain without using his [[Artifact of Doom]]].

* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]: Starts out as your average corrupt-but-sane Darkfriend. The more powers he gets, the more off his rocker he goes, until by the most recent books he's potentially one of the most powerful beings in the world and is ''completely freakin' nuts''.

 

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* [[Arch Enemy]]: To Perrin, partly due to opposing him in the Two Rivers but mostly due to his wolf-killing.

* [[Aristocrats Are Evil]]: Twice over! Though his Luc persona is much more nasty, it seems.

* [[Dream Land]]: He can enter it (in the flesh); make use of its morphability to fast travel, change things around him, and summon weapons; and stepping in and out of it is how he changes from one persona to the other.

* [[Egomaniac Hunter]]: Pretty much describes his interactions with the wolves. The way he acts toward Perrin, as well as the notion of killing Aes Sedai, puts him very close to crossing into [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game]] territory.

* [[Enemy to All Living Things]]: Or at least wolves, though no animal seems to particularly like him. [[Egomaniac Hunter|And with good reason]].

* [[Fusion Dance]]: It is still left unexplained exactly how the Shadow accomplished this gestalt, but the end result is a Switcher situation, where Luc and Isam can each take over the 'body' and adapt it to their appearance. Since "one did die and one did live" during their Blight confrontation, it's implied the one who died was Isam and the one who lived was Luc, since he seems unable to be Isam except in the World of Dreams, but this has yet to be confirmed and may not even be true. It's revealed he was Isam when he killed the two Black Ajah, and though that may have been done in the World of Dreams because dying there kills you in the real world too, it seems difficult to believe nailing tongues to a door would carry over. And the Trollocs in the Two Rivers called him Isam.

** Made even more confusing because we have no real reason to think Luc was a bad guy before the combining; he braved the incredibly dangerous [[Garden of Evil]] Blight at the mysterious command of Gitara without any real personal benefit, for instance. Isam was apparently a sort of evil counterpart of Lan already. But now they're both one weirdly combined [[Jerkass]].

* [[Moral Event Horizon]]: The in-universe example would be for Perrin in ''Towers of Midnight'' when he {{spoiler|kills Hopper}}.

* [[The Munchausen]] / [[Miles Gloriosus]]: Much of his behavior in the Two Rivers in ''The Shadow Rising'' crosses back and forth between these tropes, as it isn't clear how much of his bragging about his warrior skills and his knowledge of tactics is real. (Though Isam for certain, and probably Luc too, would have a good wealth of knowledge of both.) Even once it's revealed he really can do some of what he says, the trope is subverted since a great deal of his activity either conceals more nefarious doings, works at cross-purposes to Perrin, or even gets Emond's Field in greater danger from the Shadowspawn and Whitecloaks alike.

* [[Punch Clock Villain]]: In some ways, Isam seems like this, at least in how he treats Perrin.

'''Slayer''': No more than the wolf hates the stag. }}

* [[Ranger]]: A hunter who uses a bow and a [[Dual-Wielding|two swords]].

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One of the first Trollocs in the series and the only one given a distinctive name. Despite his early and ignominious death, he still fascinates the fandom on a level surpassed only by Bela, leading to his inclusion in lists where he really doesn't belong. For more information about the fandom's reaction to him, head over to [[YMMV/Wheel Of Time|YMMV]].

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Brutish, bloodthirsty beast-men, the Trollocs are the most commonly encountered Shadowspawn and are the standard [[Mooks]] for the Shadow. Though inhumanly large, strong, and aggressive, they're not very good soldiers and need someone or something else in command in order to be at all effective.

 

** [[Mooks]]

*** They were designed by [[Mad Scientist|Aginor]] as ideal soldiers... except Aginor had never seen real combat, and actually had no idea what makes for a good soldier.

 

* '''Myrddraal'''

 

 

** [[Alien Blood]]: It's ''acid''

** [[Black Cloak]]: The standard Myrddraal "uniform" consists of a [[Black Cloak]] worn over formfitting black armor. The cloak is particularly notable because it always hangs flat, never rippling in the wind.

** [[Creepy Monotone]]

** [[Eyeless Face]]: They resemble eerily pale and graceful humans except for the fact that they have only smooth skin where eyes and sockets should be.

** [[Humanoid Abomination]]

** [[Keystone Army]]: the simplest way for a Myrddraal to keep control of its fist of Trollocs is to bind them to it mentally. But if you kill the Myrddraal, its entire squad gets knocked over too.

** [[One-Gender Race]]: They all look male, but are usually referred to as "it" rather than "he" in narration. (This despite their proclivity to rape.)

*** In the first book, Rand gets the impression that they feel hatred for every living thing; near the end, we are told that both Myrddraal Padan Fain was assigned to (as well as the Trollocs) treated him like absolute dirt and verbally and physically abused him, and one forced him to sleep in a cooking cauldron every night to remind him of what will happen if he fails (ie. Trolloc food). Sounds less like [[The Stoic]] than The Eternally Malevolvent. Its also clear that they can feel fear; for instance, theof Mashadar and Shadar Logoth.

** [[Villain Forgot to Level Grind]]: In the first few books, they're terrifying. Later on, the protagonists can kill them with only slightly more difficulty than Trollocs, though they're still a terrible threat to most people in the setting.

 

* '''Draghkar'''

The Shadow's flying scouts and assassins, Draghkar are winged, humanoid creatures with the power to consume the souls of their victims. Fortunately they're said to be even less intelligent than Trollocs, but they're still deadly when under the command of a Myrddraal.

 

** [[Black Eyes of Evil]]

** [[Musical Assassin]]: They use their song to mesmerize their prey before swooping in for the kill/soul sucking

* '''Gray Men'''

 

 

* [[The Nondescript]]: Uses the superpowered version. They're next to impossible to see coming; they don't even trip the [[Spider Sense]] radar that channelers get with creatures of the Shadow. The only ways to survive a Grey Man attack are to get lucky (have their initial attempt miss or fail somehow, which reveals their presence), be ''very'' quick (they become a lot easier to notice right before they strike, because the "OH GOD HE HAS A KNIFE" mental response overrides their powers), or to have some other way of detecting them (Perrin, for example, can smell them coming).

* [[Non-Indicative Name]]: Yes, women can become Grey Men.