Rand al'Thor
The central hero of the entire Wheel of Time series does not feature quite as prominently in this entry as in most. His primary activity here is visiting the White Tower to inform Egwene of his plans to destroy all the remaining seals in the prison of the Dark One.
The Dark One
The Dark One is Rand’s opposite: he is the evil to Rand’s good in this long tale moving relentlessly—if slowly—toward a final showdown between the forces of benevolence and the forces of malevolence.
Egwene al'Vere
In her position as the Amyrlin Seat, Egwene welcomes Rand to the White Tower, but not so much his secret plan. She is convinced that it is far too dangerous, but fails to influence Rand. Frankly, to her this whole thing smacks of some sort of insanity.
Perrin Aybara
Although Rand is the overall protagonist of the series, it is not being unfair to suggest that Perrin is the main character in this specific entry. He has a lot going on including serious training for the showdown battle, being put on trial for manslaughter, the discovery of the dreamspike and ultimately its destruction. Still, the centerpiece of his story here is coming to terms with his inner wolf.
Mat Cauthon
Although not necessarily working as a team, the central narrative thread involving Mat and Elayne revolves around the construction of dragons which meet the exacting specifications outlined by Aludra. Once an agreement is finally made on the issue of how many either of them will finally get, the construction begins to kick into overdrive. Mat’s story winds up with his members of the gang—including Thom Merrilyn—finally reaching the place where Moiraine has been kept imprisoned. One member must be sacrificed, but there’s great news for Thom: she accepts his proposal.
