Rand al'Thor
More familiarly referred to simply as Rand, he moves beyond the realm of mere protagonist quite quickly. He is, let there be no doubt, the hero of the story - not just this novel, but the entire series. This entry in the series put him to the test in a variety of ways that will reveal the true essence of his heroic status. A confrontation with a Big Bad named Ba'alzamon in a dream results in Rand being overwhelmed by when he doe the hero thing by refusing to join the dark side…er, the Darkfriends.
Egwene al'Vere
Or just plain Egwene. The centerpiece of her appearance in this entry in the series is that she receives instruction on channeling from Aes Sedai which does not turn out too well in the short run. A rebel at heart, she violates the strict code of when channeling is allowed and draws the ire of her nemesis Renna.
Nynaeve al'Meara
Nynaeave also receives lessons in channeling but manages to avoid the fate of being collared that befalls Egwene as she and Elayne manage to both make their escape. She will, however, plot to rescue Egwene. In addition, the storyline here includes her being tested to become one of the Accepted and a vision of marriage to Lan.
Perrin and Mat
Objects of great power define the role of Perrin in this installment. The Amyrlin requests he accompany Rand to search for the Horn of Valere and the ruby dagger. Along with Mat and Ingtar, this plotline eventually results in the recovering of both leading to Perrin’s interaction with yet another great object: he will carry the Dragon Banner for the Heroes of the Horn while Mat is tasked with actually sounding the horn.
Moiraine
The Lady Moriaine is all-in on the prophecy that Rand is the Dragon Reborn in this book. In fact, she is the one of those who imparts the full veracity of this fact to the hero. Being acquainted with such things, she also takes it upon herself to make sure Rand looks the part as well actually being the part. And through the intermediary action of Ingtar, the Dragon Banner itself is delivered to Rand.
