The Wheel of Time/Characters: Difference between revisions

Line 8:

== Ta'veren ==

== ~~'''~~Rand al'Thor~~'''~~ ==

== Rand al'Thor ==

[[File:~~RandAlThor_4537~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:RandAlThor 4537.jpg|frame]]

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...

Line 91:

----

== ~~'''~~Matrim Cauthon~~'''~~ ==

== Matrim Cauthon ==

[[File:~~Mat_3444~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Mat 3444.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 102:

* [[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.}}

* [[Because Destiny Says So]], Mat will have to: 1) give up half the light of the world to save the world; 2) come [[Back From the Dead]]; and 3) marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons. How they played out:

** [[Back From the Dead]]: {{spoiler|Happened either right then and there in Book 4, in which he is hanged but not killed, or in Book 5, when he is lightning'd to death by Rahvin but gets better when Rand kills Rahvin with [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique|balefire]], a spell which causes in-universe [[Rewrite~~|Rewrites~~]]. ([[Word of God]] is that it's the second, but Mat, who quite logically can't remember having died [[Timey-Wimey Ball|since, in the "official" timeline, he didn't]], thinks it's the first!)}}

** [[Back From the Dead]]: {{spoiler|Happened either right then and there in Book 4, in which he is hanged but not killed, or in Book 5, when he is lightning'd to death by Rahvin but gets better when Rand kills Rahvin with [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique|balefire]], a spell which causes in-universe [[Rewrite]]s. ([[Word of God]] is that it's the second, but Mat, who quite logically can't remember having died [[Timey-Wimey Ball|since, in the "official" timeline, he didn't]], thinks it's the first!)}}

** {{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}}.

Line 125:

* [[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]].

* [[Hypocritical Heartwarming]]: With a dash of [[Selective Obliviousness]]~~--repeatedly~~ Mat keeps insisting he wants to protect Olver from harmful influences and would like to know who among the Band is corrupting him with swearing and [[Casanova]] / [[Chivalrous Pervert]] tendencies. But it should be fairly clear to the reader that said person is...Mat himself.

* [[Hypocritical Heartwarming]]: With a dash of [[Selective Obliviousness]]—repeatedly Mat keeps insisting he wants to protect Olver from harmful influences and would like to know who among the Band is corrupting him with swearing and [[Casanova]] / [[Chivalrous Pervert]] tendencies. But it should be fairly clear to the reader that said person is...Mat himself.

* [[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.

** Unlike many examples, instead of ''wanting'' to be normal, Mat continually insists that [[Implausible Deniability|he]] ''[[Implausible Deniability|is]]'' [[Implausible Deniability|normal]], and is just an ordinary guy caught up in Aes Sedai business and Rand's destiny. Despite the fact that he has supernatural luck, an [[Anti-Magic]] medallion, the {{spoiler|memories of history's greatest generals, helped invent cannons, is probably the [[Badass Normal|best non-magical fighter]] in the series, and is married to the most powerful woman in the world.}} You sometimes get a sense that he knows he's lying to himself.

Line 150:

* [[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.)

** It's made clear that this was an accident. He was only trying to defend himself, and she got killed in the ~~process -- which~~ Mat was upset about, thinking to himself that he "kisses women, not kills them." In a later book, he makes a nearly fatal mistake in hesitating to kill another woman, with {{spoiler|Tuon}}coming to the rescue and commenting on his oddly endearing "weakness". Mat's not as bad about this as Rand, but he's still pretty bad.

** It's made clear that this was an accident. He was only trying to defend himself, and she got killed in the process—which Mat was upset about, thinking to himself that he "kisses women, not kills them." In a later book, he makes a nearly fatal mistake in hesitating to kill another woman, with {{spoiler|Tuon}}coming to the rescue and commenting on his oddly endearing "weakness". Mat's not as bad about this as Rand, but he's still pretty bad.

* [[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.)

----

== ~~'''~~Perrin Aybara~~'''~~ ==

== Perrin Aybara ==

[[File:~~Perrin_2757~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Perrin 2757.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 165:

* [[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]]...

* [[Drop the Hammer]]. Robert Jordan milks this ~~symbolism -- axe~~ vs hammer, creation vs destruction, Perrin the man vs Lord Goldeneyes the ~~leader -- for~~ all it's worth.

* [[Drop the Hammer]]. Robert Jordan milks this symbolism—axe vs hammer, creation vs destruction, Perrin the man vs Lord Goldeneyes the leader—for all it's worth.

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

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

Line 192:

== Others from the Two Rivers ==

== ~~'''~~Egwene al'Vere~~'''~~ ==

== Egwene al'Vere ==

[[File:~~Egwene_2761~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Egwene 2761.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 206:

* [[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.}}

* [[Dream Within a Dream]]: One of the mechanics of T'A'R is that you can visit other people's dreams. If that person has very strong feelings about you, they can yank you into their ~~dream -- which~~ is very dangerous in a world where [[Your Mind Makes It Real]]. Fortunately for Egwene, this turns into a bizarre [[Meet Cute]] that sets her up with her ''actual'' [[Love Interest]].

* [[Dream Within a Dream]]: One of the mechanics of T'A'R is that you can visit other people's dreams. If that person has very strong feelings about you, they can yank you into their dream—which is very dangerous in a world where [[Your Mind Makes It Real]]. Fortunately for Egwene, this turns into a bizarre [[Meet Cute]] that sets her up with her ''actual'' [[Love Interest]].

* [[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.

Line 222:

----

== ~~'''~~Nynaeve al'Meara~~'''~~ ==

== Nynaeve al'Meara ==

[[File:~~Nynaeve_5657~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Nynaeve 5657.jpg|frame]]

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.

* [[Badass]]: In addition to being able to handle more of the Power than most male channelers, until Book 9 she was also one of only ''three'' good-guy characters to have faced the Forsaken head-on. The second is Rand. The third had to resort to either [[Back Stab~~|Back Stabs~~]] with [[Death Ray~~|Death Rays~~]] or a [[Taking You with Me]] [[Heroic Sacrifice]].

* [[Badass]]: In addition to being able to handle more of the Power than most male channelers, until Book 9 she was also one of only ''three'' good-guy characters to have faced the Forsaken head-on. The second is Rand. The third had to resort to either [[Back Stab]]s with [[Death Ray]]s or a [[Taking You with Me]] [[Heroic Sacrifice]].

* [[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.]]

Line 255:

----

== ~~'''~~Bela~~'''~~ ==

== Bela ==

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]].

----

Line 266:

== ~~'''~~Elayne Trakand~~'''~~ ==

== Elayne Trakand ==

[[File:~~Elayne_9925~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Elayne 9925.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 298:

----

== ~~'''~~Morgase Trakand / Maighdin~~'''~~ ==

== Morgase Trakand / Maighdin ==

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

Line 312:

----

== ~~'''~~Gawyn Trakand~~'''~~ ==

== Gawyn Trakand ==

* [[Badass Normal]]

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

----

== ~~'''~~Galadedrid Damodred~~'''~~ ==

== Galadedrid Damodred ==

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}}.

Line 331:

----

== ~~'''~~Tigraine Mantear / Shaiel~~'''~~ ==

== Tigraine Mantear / Shaiel ==

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

Line 344:

== The White Tower ==

== ~~'''~~Aes Sedai (in general)~~'''~~ ==

== Aes Sedai (in general) ==

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.

Line 352:

* '''Red Ajah''': Devoted solely to hunting down and [[De-Power|DePowering]] male channelers, which often results in the men's [[Death by Despair]]. (Frequently, long before they have a chance to breed. And then everyone wonders why fewer and fewer channelers show up nowadays.) The average Red [[Does Not Like Men]] and is often a [[Straw Feminist]]. Only two Amyrlins in recorded history have been elected out of the Reds, and all of them were failures; during the story itself, a third puts both of the previous ones to shame.

* '''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.

* '''Green Ajah''': Also called the "Battle Ajah." Greens tend to be [[Action Girl~~|Action Girls~~]], and to explicitly Like Men in contrast to the Reds. They are the only Ajah to allow the bonding of more than one Warder, and the only Ajah where marriage (generally to one of those Warders; occasionally to all of them) isn't considered unusual.

* '''Green Ajah''': Also called the "Battle Ajah." Greens tend to be [[Action Girl]]s, and to explicitly Like Men in contrast to the Reds. They are the only Ajah to allow the bonding of more than one Warder, and the only Ajah where marriage (generally to one of those Warders; occasionally to all of them) isn't considered unusual.

* '''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.

* '''Grey Ajah''': An organization consisting solely of [[Mediator~~|Mediators~~]], Grays spend a lot of time in politics, helping to smooth over ruffled feathers and raw tempers. Any time a major treaty happens or someone backs down from a war, you can expect a Gray to have been involved.

* '''Grey Ajah''': An organization consisting solely of [[Mediator]]s, Grays spend a lot of time in politics, helping to smooth over ruffled feathers and raw tempers. Any time a major treaty happens or someone backs down from a war, you can expect a Gray to have been involved.

* '''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.

Line 381:

----

== ~~'''~~Warders (in general)~~'''~~ ==

== Warders (in general) ==

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.

Line 394:

----

== ~~'''~~Moiraine Damodred~~'''~~ ==

== Moiraine Damodred ==

[[File:~~Moiraine_7627~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Moiraine 7627.jpg|frame]]

An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, Moiraine starts the series off as [[The Obi-Wan]], parading into the [[Doomed Hometown]] and effortlessly singling out the main characters. The fact that Rand & Co are somewhat [[Genre Savvy]] to her doesn't help a ~~bit -- but~~ in any case, she's not here to beguile them, but rather to protect them. Eighteen years ago, [[The Chosen One|the Dragon]] was reborn. Moiraine has been searching for him ever since, and has finally narrowed it down to one of three boys in Emond's Field. The fact that the [[Big Bad]] sends [[The Usual Adversaries]] in just confirms it. So Moiraine gets them out of there, with an express intent to guide the Dragon Reborn, teach him, and protect him until it's time to fight the [[Final Boss]] ~~-- and~~, also, to figure out which of the three he is...

An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, Moiraine starts the series off as [[The Obi-Wan]], parading into the [[Doomed Hometown]] and effortlessly singling out the main characters. The fact that Rand & Co are somewhat [[Genre Savvy]] to her doesn't help a bit—but in any case, she's not here to beguile them, but rather to protect them. Eighteen years ago, [[The Chosen One|the Dragon]] was reborn. Moiraine has been searching for him ever since, and has finally narrowed it down to one of three boys in Emond's Field. The fact that the [[Big Bad]] sends [[The Usual Adversaries]] in just confirms it. So Moiraine gets them out of there, with an express intent to guide the Dragon Reborn, teach him, and protect him until it's time to fight the [[Final Boss]]—and, also, to figure out which of the three he is...

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

Line 418:

----

== ~~'''~~Lan Mandragoran~~'''~~ ==

== Lan Mandragoran ==

[[File:~~Lan_5072~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Lan 5072.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 450:

----

== ~~'''~~Siuan Sanche~~'''~~ ==

== Siuan Sanche ==

[[File:~~Siuan_930~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Siuan 930.jpg|frame]]

Introduced into the story as [[Try to Fit That on A Business Card|The Watcher of the Seals, The Flame of Tar Valon, The Amyrlin Seat]]. What this means is that she is the elected leader of the Aes Sedai and, as such, basically the most powerful person alive. She and Moiraine went to school together and are co-conspirators in the "[[Save This Person Save the World|Save the Dragon, Save the World]]" plan.

Line 470:

----

== ~~'''~~Elaida do Avriny a' Roihan~~'''~~ ==

== Elaida do Avriny a' Roihan ==

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.

Line 496:

----

== ~~'''~~Galina Casban~~'''~~ ==

== Galina Casban ==

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.}}.

Line 513:

----

== ~~'''~~Verin Mathwin~~'''~~ ==

== Verin Mathwin ==

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.}}

Line 534:

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

== ~~'''~~Cadsuane Melaidhrin~~'''~~ ==

== Cadsuane Melaidhrin ==

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.

Line 555:

== Independent Characters ==

== ~~'''~~Thom Merrilin~~'''~~ ==

== Thom Merrilin ==

[[File:~~Thom_2438~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Thom 2438.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 574:

----

== ~~'''~~Min Farshaw~~'''~~ ==

== Min Farshaw ==

[[File:~~Min_8565~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Min 8565.jpg|frame]]

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...

Line 585:

* [[Love At First Sight]]: To Rand.

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

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: ''Twice''~~--her~~ horrifying viewing from the start of ''The Shadow Rising'' prompts her to rush to Siuan in warning...but in doing so she arouses not only Gawyn's suspicions, but also Elaida's, thus leading her to recall the connections between Min, Rand, and Siuan and thus orchestrate the very coup the vision had warned of. As one of Egwene's [[Dreaming of Things to Come|prophetic dreams]] put it, she "walked right through a steel trap, setting it off without even seeing it". Then in ''Lord of Chaos'', her panicked viewing of the Salidar embassy, pain and torture for Rand, and there being thirteen Aes Sedai, leads to Rand fleeing Caemlyn for Cairhien...[[You Can't Fight Fate|where the exact thing she viewed comes to pass]] via Galina and the Tower delegation. Both cases also double as a [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]~~--which~~ Min is [[Genre Savvy|aware often happens]] to those she tells of her viewings, [[Genre Blind|yet she fell prey to it anyway]].

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: ''Twice''—her horrifying viewing from the start of ''The Shadow Rising'' prompts her to rush to Siuan in warning...but in doing so she arouses not only Gawyn's suspicions, but also Elaida's, thus leading her to recall the connections between Min, Rand, and Siuan and thus orchestrate the very coup the vision had warned of. As one of Egwene's [[Dreaming of Things to Come|prophetic dreams]] put it, she "walked right through a steel trap, setting it off without even seeing it". Then in ''Lord of Chaos'', her panicked viewing of the Salidar embassy, pain and torture for Rand, and there being thirteen Aes Sedai, leads to Rand fleeing Caemlyn for Cairhien...[[You Can't Fight Fate|where the exact thing she viewed comes to pass]] via Galina and the Tower delegation. Both cases also double as a [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]—which Min is [[Genre Savvy|aware often happens]] to those she tells of her viewings, [[Genre Blind|yet she fell prey to it anyway]].

* [[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.]]

* [[Strangled by the Red String]]: [[In-Universe|This is how she views it.]] She saw a vision of her falling in love with Rand in book 1, and spent the next book complaining about it. She first expresses attraction to Rand near the end of Book 2, but at the beginning of Book 3 is [[Put on a Bus]] by Moiraine. That bus arrives at The White Tower at the beginning of Book 4, where she stays (essentially) until arriving at Rand's location at Book 6. [[Their First Time]] is straight out of a [[Hurt Comfort Fic]]. (She even ''describes'' it as "comforting each other," with Rand giving her "[[Is That What They're Calling It Now?]]" eyebrows.)

* [[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}}.

* [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]]: Min is essentially both sides of this ~~dichotomy -- especially~~ when she goes into hiding at The White Tower and Siuan forces her to masquerade as an "Elmindreda" to throw people off the trail.

* [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]]: Min is essentially both sides of this dichotomy—especially when she goes into hiding at The White Tower and Siuan forces her to masquerade as an "Elmindreda" to throw people off the trail.

* [[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]].

----

== ~~'''~~Loial~~'''~~ ==

== Loial ==

[[File:~~Loial_4318~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Loial 4318.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 617:

----

== ~~'''~~Elyas Machera~~'''~~ ==

== Elyas Machera ==

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

Line 634:

----

== ~~'''~~Mazrim Taim~~'''~~ ==

== Mazrim Taim ==

[[File:~~TaimSmaller_8536~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:TaimSmaller 8536.jpg|frame]]

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]].

Line 651:

----

== ~~'''~~Faile~~'''~~ ==

== Faile ==

[[File:~~Faile_2451~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Faile 2451.jpg|frame]]

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".

Line 671:

The Aiel are a race that live beyond the Spine of the World and every single one of them is a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]. Ever since [[The End of the World as We Know It|The Breaking of the World]] they have scratched out an existance in the [[Thirsty Desert|Three-Fold Land]] waging constant wars amongst themselves for scarce resources which has forged them into a highly efficient fighting force, much a like a similar [[Dune|desert-dwelling people]]. They follow a complex set of rules and social moores that can be [[Honor Before Reason|confusing to outsiders]]. The history of their people is a [[Empire with a Dark Secret|dark and shameful secret]]. Those aspiring to be Clan Chiefs or Wise Ones must travel to their abandoned holy city of Rhuidean in order to learn this history. Only about one in three return, the rest suffer from [[Go Mad From the Revelation]].

== ~~'''~~Aviendha~~'''~~ ==

== Aviendha ==

[[File:~~Aviendha_6656~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Aviendha 6656.jpg|frame]]

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...

Line 691:

----

== ~~'''~~Rhuarc~~'''~~ ==

== Rhuarc ==

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.

Line 703:

----

== ~~'''~~Sevanna~~'''~~ ==

== Sevanna ==

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]].

Line 717:

----

== ~~'''~~Sorilea~~'''~~ ==

== Sorilea ==

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.

Line 725:

{{quote|"In my day, girls jumped when a Wise One said jump, and continued jumping until they were told to stop. As I am still alive, it is still my day. Need I make myself clearer?"}}

* [[Iron Lady]]

* [[Never Mess with Granny]]: Aes Sedai give [[~~Muggle|muggles~~]] nightmares. Cadsuane gives Aes Sedai nightmares. Sorelia gives ''Cadsuane'' nightmares.

* [[Never Mess with Granny]]: Aes Sedai give [[muggle]]s nightmares. Cadsuane gives Aes Sedai nightmares. Sorelia gives ''Cadsuane'' nightmares.

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

Line 732:

== The Whitecloaks ==

An organisation dedicated to fighting the Dark One wherever his influence appears. Sadly, the current Whitecloaks have devolved into fanatical [[Knight Templar~~|Knight Templars~~]] who arrest and torture anyone they even slightly suspect of being a Darkfriend. This extends to Aes Sedai, whom the Whitecloaks believe are the Dark One's foremost servants.

An organisation dedicated to fighting the Dark One wherever his influence appears. Sadly, the current Whitecloaks have devolved into fanatical [[Knight Templar]]s who arrest and torture anyone they even slightly suspect of being a Darkfriend. This extends to Aes Sedai, whom the Whitecloaks believe are the Dark One's foremost servants.

== ~~'''~~Pedron Niall~~'''~~ ==

== Pedron Niall ==

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.

Line 750:

Almost a thousand years before events in the book, the legendary king Artur Hawkwing (the [[King Arthur]] of the WoT universe) united the Westlands under his empire. He sent his son with a huge contingent of troops across the Aryth Ocean to the west to discover new lands for his kingdom. They never returned and were thought to be lost at sea. Hawkwing's empire eventually crumbled after his death, resulting in the independent nations of the series' present. However, the expedition survived the journey and set up a new empire in the continent they discovered. Utilizing the strange creatures native to the land as well as [[Empire with a Dark Secret|fearsome devices for controling channelers]], they conquered the indigenous peoples. Now, they are returning to the Westlands, determined to retake their homelands which they believe is their birthright and will stop at nothing to see the Hawkwing Empire restored.

== ~~'''~~Tuon~~'''~~ ==

== Tuon ==

[[File:~~Tuon_1456~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Tuon 1456.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 773:

----

== ~~'''~~Egeanin~~'''~~ ==

== Egeanin ==

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]].

Line 789:

----

== ~~'''~~Suroth~~'''~~ ==

== Suroth ==

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}}.

Line 824:

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...

The Forsaken are a [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] composed of [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]] ~~-- literally~~, since most of them took a [[Meaningful Rename]] after they turned to the Shadow. They are just one step below [[The Dragon]] ("Nae'blis") to the [[Big Bad]] himself; most of them are of the [[Card-Carrying Villain]] variety, and they often fight amongst themselves over who is going to ''be'' Nae'blis. (This level of [[Divided We Fall]] is implied to be one of the main reasons why The Shadow hasn't won yet, though it's also something the Dark One is implied to actively look for in lieutenants: it prefers [[Complete Monster~~|Complete Monsters~~]] over stabler but less evil minions.) They are here in the story's "present day" with all their knowledge from the Age Of Legends intact, and the one thing everyone agrees on, both Light and Shadow, is that it's likely to be a [[Curb Stomp Battle]] once they start taking the fight to today's backwards yokels.

The Forsaken are a [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] composed of [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]—literally, since most of them took a [[Meaningful Rename]] after they turned to the Shadow. They are just one step below [[The Dragon]] ("Nae'blis") to the [[Big Bad]] himself; most of them are of the [[Card-Carrying Villain]] variety, and they often fight amongst themselves over who is going to ''be'' Nae'blis. (This level of [[Divided We Fall]] is implied to be one of the main reasons why The Shadow hasn't won yet, though it's also something the Dark One is implied to actively look for in lieutenants: it prefers [[Complete Monster]]s over stabler but less evil minions.) They are here in the story's "present day" with all their knowledge from the Age Of Legends intact, and the one thing everyone agrees on, both Light and Shadow, is that it's likely to be a [[Curb Stomp Battle]] once they start taking the fight to today's backwards yokels.

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

[[File:~~Aginor_5444~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Aginor 5444.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 842:

----

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

[[File:~~Asmodean_9096~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Asmodean 9096.jpg|frame]]

A famed musician and composure of the Age Of Legends and the least violent of all the Forsaken. He is neither a schemer nor a general, and the only reason he turned to The Shadow was so that he could gain immortality and have enough time to learn every song ever written. However he ''is'' still a ruthless jerk, and [[Moral Event Horizon|stilled his own mother]] among other terrible crimes. He favors Lanfear as an ally and is the weakest of the Male Forsaken (still bounds ahead of most men in the current age). {{spoiler|His death is one of the single most famous mysteries in the series, fans arguing for years over who it was.}}

Line 852:

*** [[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]]??

*** To be more specific, he wished to be immortal so that he could spend eternity perfecting his musical talent and become the greatest musician who ever lived. A bit petty, yes, but considering he was a [[Child Prodigy]] who became something of a [[White Dwarf Starlet]] after he grew up, it's a bit more ~~understandable--akin~~ to wanting to live forever so you can read every book in existence, or so you have the time to find cures for all diseases. The things people will do for their art...

*** To be more specific, he wished to be immortal so that he could spend eternity perfecting his musical talent and become the greatest musician who ever lived. A bit petty, yes, but considering he was a [[Child Prodigy]] who became something of a [[White Dwarf Starlet]] after he grew up, it's a bit more understandable—akin to wanting to live forever so you can read every book in existence, or so you have the time to find cures for all diseases. The things people will do for their art...

** [[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.}}

Line 858:

----

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

[[File:~~Balthamel_8949~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Balthamel 8949.jpg|frame]]

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}}.

Line 873:

----

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

[[File:~~Belal_9553~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Belal 9553.jpg|frame]]

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}}

Line 900:

** [[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.

** [[The Strategist]]: '''The''' best general on the side of the Shadow, and the only one of the Forsaken whose [[Secret Identity]] is still intact as we enter the final book.

** [[The Un-Reveal]]: Only one book left, and Demandred is the only Forsaken with complete anonymity: he rules a country, but nobody knows ~~which--and~~, as of RJ's death, his cover identity had never appeared "on-screen". While there are about [[Fanon|forty]] [[Wild Mass Guessing|million]] [[Epileptic Trees|theories]], the truth is that we do not know who he is masquerading as, and we are not supposed to.

** [[The Un-Reveal]]: Only one book left, and Demandred is the only Forsaken with complete anonymity: he rules a country, but nobody knows which—and, as of RJ's death, his cover identity had never appeared "on-screen". While there are about [[Fanon|forty]] [[Wild Mass Guessing|million]] [[Epileptic Trees|theories]], the truth is that we do not know who he is masquerading as, and we are not supposed to.

*** [[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.

*** Amusingly, as we head into the final book Demandred ''is'' the only Forsaken remaining with uncompromised agency. {{spoiler|Everyone else is either dead, on the run, never ''had'' political influence to begin with (looking at you, Moridin) or is being punished by having their souls stuck in [[Soul Jar~~|Soul Jars~~]]. Which are around the neck of [[The Dragon]]. This particular plan seems to have worked for once!}}

*** Amusingly, as we head into the final book Demandred ''is'' the only Forsaken remaining with uncompromised agency. {{spoiler|Everyone else is either dead, on the run, never ''had'' political influence to begin with (looking at you, Moridin) or is being punished by having their souls stuck in [[Soul Jar]]s. Which are around the neck of [[The Dragon]]. This particular plan seems to have worked for once!}}

----

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

[[File:~~Graendal_4788~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Graendal 4788.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 931:

----

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

[[File:~~Ishamael_470~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Ishamael 470.jpg|frame]]

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).

Line 942:

** [[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}}

** [[Despair Event Horizon]]: It is implied by Rand's comments to {{spoiler|Moridin}} in the World of Dreams that it was Elan Morin reaching the same conclusion as Rand did on Dragonmount at the end of ''The Gathering Storm'' that led him to become a [[Nietzsche Wannabe]] in the first ~~place--he~~ just didn't have an [[Epiphany Therapy]] to bring him back from the brink. This, coupled with Graendal's thoughts on Elan Morin [[Start of Darkness|once having been good]] like herself, may suggest Moridin could possibly be brought back to the Light ( {{spoiler|particularly with Nynaeve's ability to heal insanity}}), but since unlike Rand he has no one to love or protect, chances of this are very slim.

** [[Despair Event Horizon]]: It is implied by Rand's comments to {{spoiler|Moridin}} in the World of Dreams that it was Elan Morin reaching the same conclusion as Rand did on Dragonmount at the end of ''The Gathering Storm'' that led him to become a [[Nietzsche Wannabe]] in the first place—he just didn't have an [[Epiphany Therapy]] to bring him back from the brink. This, coupled with Graendal's thoughts on Elan Morin [[Start of Darkness|once having been good]] like herself, may suggest Moridin could possibly be brought back to the Light ( {{spoiler|particularly with Nynaeve's ability to heal insanity}}), but since unlike Rand he has no one to love or protect, chances of this are very slim.

** [[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...

Line 966:

----

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

[[File:~~Lanfear_1822~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Lanfear 1822.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 977:

** [[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).

** [[Go-Karting with Bowser]]: Lanfear is the bad-guy character most willing to help Rand, or at least not hurt him. This is partially due to [[Unrequited Love]], and partially because she is constantly trying to get him to [[Turn to The Dark Side]]. Particularly, she wants to join forces with ~~him -- the~~ two strongest channelers ~~alive -- defeat~~ both The Creator and The Dark One, and set themselves up as [[God-Emperor|God Emperors]]. {{spoiler|When this fails....}}

** [[Go-Karting with Bowser]]: Lanfear is the bad-guy character most willing to help Rand, or at least not hurt him. This is partially due to [[Unrequited Love]], and partially because she is constantly trying to get him to [[Turn to The Dark Side]]. Particularly, she wants to join forces with him—the two strongest channelers alive—defeat both The Creator and The Dark One, and set themselves up as [[God-Emperor|God Emperors]]. {{spoiler|When this fails....}}

** [[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.}}

Line 1,003:

----

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

[[File:~~Mesaana_7115~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Mesaana 7115.jpg|frame]]

"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}}.

Line 1,020:

----

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

[[File:~~Moghedien_5926~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Moghedien 5926.jpg|frame]]

"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.

Line 1,037:

----

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

[[File:~~Rahvin_1423~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Rahvin 1423.jpg|frame]]

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

Line 1,047:

----

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

[[File:~~Sammael_1686~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Sammael 1686.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 1,062:

----

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

[[File:~~Semirhage_6857~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Semirhage 6857.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 1,101:

'''Padan Fain'''

[[File:~~Fain_8831~~.jpg|frame]]

[[File:Fain 8831.jpg|frame]]

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.

Line 1,129:

'''Slayer'''

Once two different ~~men -- Lord~~ Luc, brother of Tigraine and blood-uncle to Rand, and Isam, cousin to ~~Lan--who~~ had a destined encounter in the Blight; Luc was there because he'd been sent by a Foretelling made by Gitara Moroso ([[The Chessmaster|the same one]] who foretold Rand's birth ''and'' sent Tigraine off to the Waste to become a Maiden of the Spear), while Isam was there because he was trying to reclaim Malkier after his mother colluded with the Darkfriend Cowin Fairheart to betray it to the Shadow. Now they have somehow become one entity and act as Chief Assassin of the Dark.

Once two different men—Lord Luc, brother of Tigraine and blood-uncle to Rand, and Isam, cousin to Lan—who had a destined encounter in the Blight; Luc was there because he'd been sent by a Foretelling made by Gitara Moroso ([[The Chessmaster|the same one]] who foretold Rand's birth ''and'' sent Tigraine off to the Waste to become a Maiden of the Spear), while Isam was there because he was trying to reclaim Malkier after his mother colluded with the Darkfriend Cowin Fairheart to betray it to the Shadow. Now they have somehow become one entity and act as Chief Assassin of the Dark.

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

Line 1,169:

'''Shadowspawn'''

Artificial beings created by Aginor during the War of Power, the Shadowspawn are notable for being [[~~Always Chaotic~~ Evil]] and forming the bulk of the Dark One's forces. There are many different kinds of Shadowspawn, but the most notable are discussed below:

Artificial beings created by Aginor during the War of Power, the Shadowspawn are notable for being [[Exclusively Evil]] and forming the bulk of the Dark One's forces. There are many different kinds of Shadowspawn, but the most notable are discussed below:

Line 1,176:

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.

** [[~~Always Chaotic~~ Evil]]: They're basically exceptionally aggressive, bloodthirsty animals; though they have their own language (and some speak the human language as well), your average Trolloc isn't interested in much but fighting and killing and their intelligence is generally subhuman.

** [[Exclusively Evil]]: They're basically exceptionally aggressive, bloodthirsty animals; though they have their own language (and some speak the human language as well), your average Trolloc isn't interested in much but fighting and killing and their intelligence is generally subhuman.

** [[Dumb Muscle]]: It's about all they're good for.

** [[I'm a Humanitarian]]: Trollocs will eat just about anything with meat on it, and that includes humans. They'll usually eat their captives, and darkfriends are sometimes threatened with being fed to them to ensure obedience.

Line 1,187:

* '''Myrddraal'''

Throwbacks to the Trollocs' human heritage, Myrddraal make up less than 5% of the Trolloc population but are by far the most important. More human-looking- and far more intelligent- than their cousins, they generally serve as [[Elite Mooks]] or [[Mook Lieutenant~~|Mook Lieutenants~~]] and without their presence making Trollocs function as an effective fighting force would be all but impossible.

Throwbacks to the Trollocs' human heritage, Myrddraal make up less than 5% of the Trolloc population but are by far the most important. More human-looking- and far more intelligent- than their cousins, they generally serve as [[Elite Mooks]] or [[Mook Lieutenant]]s and without their presence making Trollocs function as an effective fighting force would be all but impossible.

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

** [[~~Always Chaotic~~ Evil]]: Though unlike Trollocs, Myrddraal are smart enough to know exactly what they're doing. As such, they represent a more cold-blooded, calculated form of evil.

** [[Exclusively Evil]]: Though unlike Trollocs, Myrddraal are smart enough to know exactly what they're doing. As such, they represent a more cold-blooded, calculated form of evil.

** [[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]]

Line 1,196:

** [[Emotion Bomb]]: They can induce fear with a look.

** [[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.

** [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: The original meaning of this ~~phrase--one~~ of the favorite things Fades enjoy doing to mortals (and, to judge from Shaidar Haran, to use as punishment for female Forsaken) is rape. Whenever a child results from such a union, the mother usually [[Death by Childbirth|dies in childbirth]]. Usually.

** [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: The original meaning of this phrase—one of the favorite things Fades enjoy doing to mortals (and, to judge from Shaidar Haran, to use as punishment for female Forsaken) is rape. Whenever a child results from such a union, the mother usually [[Death by Childbirth|dies in childbirth]]. Usually.

** [[Genius Bruiser]]: They're noted for their cunning, but they're also deadlier warriors than regular Trollocs and can cut through all but the most [[Badass]] humans with ease.

** [[Humanoid Abomination]]

Line 1,211:

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.

** [[~~Always Chaotic~~ Evil]]

** [[Exclusively Evil]]

** [[Black Eyes of Evil]]

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

Line 1,220:

* '''Gray Men'''

These are standard human Darkfriends who have surrendered their souls to the Shadow. In exchange, they get turned into [[Ridiculously Average Guy~~|Ridiculously Average Guys~~]] who can enter without anyone noticing, which serves them well in their role as assassins.

These are standard human Darkfriends who have surrendered their souls to the Shadow. In exchange, they get turned into [[Ridiculously Average Guy]]s who can enter without anyone noticing, which serves them well in their role as assassins.

* [[Beneath Notice]]: [[Invoked]]. Grey Men are typically written into the narration as an [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]], inviting ''The Reader'' to overlook them. [[Double Take~~|Double Takes~~]] can follow, both [[In-Universe]] and out.

* [[Beneath Notice]]: [[Invoked]]. Grey Men are typically written into the narration as an [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]], inviting ''The Reader'' to overlook them. [[Double Take]]s can follow, both [[In-Universe]] and out.

* [[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.