History Characters / TheWheelOfTime

* MoralEventHorizon: Though there are number of points where the reader might hate him, the in-story example would be for Perrin in ''Towers of Midnight'' when he [[spoiler:kills Hopper]].
* TheMunchausen / MilesGloriosus: 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, and even gets Emond's Field in greater danger from the Shadowspawn and Whitecloaks alike.

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 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.

* CareerKiller: His job under the Shadow, though he also indulges for his own pleasure (and

An Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah, formerly the adviser to Queen Morgase of Andor. 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 [[EvilChancellor Alviarin]] and, though she didn't know it, [[TheManBehindTheMan Mesaana]]) to tear down Suian Sanche and install herself as the Amyrlin Seat. From there she proceeded to become an arrogant, vain, petty tyrant.

* [[PingPongProtagonist Ping Pong Antagonist]]: With how much she got yanked around by Alviarin, Mesaana, Galina, and any number of Black Ajah behind the scenes, not to mention adding Fain into the mix, and it's any wonder she survived as long as she did or managed to do anything right--[[FailureIsTheOnlyOption wait, she didn't]]. It's enough to make the reader feel sorry for her, once in a while, especially when it becomes clear she really is trying, in her own way, to serve the Light. She just has very SkewedPriorities.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: 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, [[IdiotBall 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 'unbelivers'--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.

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Why was she summoned back to WizardingSchool? So that they could make her a puppet Amyrlin, of course! Egwene has other ideas, which aforementioned Level In Badinass helps her achieve. (Seriously. She's in charge of a rebel faction of Aes Sedai, but just via PillarsOfMoralCharacter she manages to get ''all'' the legitimate ones to defect to ''her''!)

*** [[spoiler:As of the ToM prologue, no she isn't. She escaped by making Delana use the Compulsion, then gated out when she realised what was going on.]]

* FirstGirlWins: Seems to be going this way with [[spoiler:Thom]].

* {{Badass}}: How {{badass}}? He fights Toram Riatin, a noted blademaster, while Rand goes after Fain. Jordan doesn't bother describing the duel; it's just assumed that Lan won effortlessly. And Riatin beat Rand, who is no slouch with a sword himself, in Book 7 (though to be sure he had to use some [[AttackItsWeakPoint foul play]] to do so).

** TheMole (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:IGotBetter: Or so Book 11 would have us claim. As she ''hasn't'' gotten fully better yet, Mat, Thom and bit character Noal Charin are staging a rescue mission...]]

* {{Badass}}: How {{badass}}? He fights Toram, a noted blademaster, while Rand goes after Fain. Jordan doesn't bother describing the duel; it's just assumed that Lan won effortlessly.

* MysteriousPast: 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 gleeman, whom she suddenly became angry with and had chased out? Is that why Elayne seems to find him familiar? [[Spoiler: ''Yes.'' After Elayne finds out, their relationship gets...complicated. She starts out by flirting with him, then starts seeing him as a father figure and trying to make sure he dresses warmly and stays out of the rain.]]

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 "[[TheChosenOne 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 Egwene needs to go have her own adventures separate from Rand, she has Aviendha promise to watch out for him and make sure Rand stays loyal to Elayne. Likewise, the Aiel elders assign her to be Rand's liaison, teaching him the customs and ways of the Aiel. This causes a lot of conflict for her, because (according to one of Min's viewings) Rand is fated to fall in love with three women, and Aviendha is herself one of them...

* HonorBeforeReason: She ''is'' a ProudWarriorRaceGuy. (Ironically, she eventually breaks her word to Elayne, making her either the first dishonorable character of the series or the first sane one. Maybe both.)

* StrangledByTheRedString: To a lesser extent than the other members of "[[FanNickname Rand's Harem]]", since she actually accompanies him during Books 4 - 6. He eventually separates her from him via [=~It's Not You, It's My Enemies~=].
** Actually it's more that she wanted to leave so she could talk to Elayne.

** NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast; Her name is the Old Tongue word for "spider".

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Why was she summoned back to WizardingSchool? So that they could make her a puppet Amyrlin, of course! Egwene has other ideas, which aforementioned Level In Badass helps her achieve. (Seriously. She's in charge of a rebel faction of Aes Sedai, but just via PillarsOfMoralCharacter she manages to get ''all'' the legitimate ones to defect to ''her''!)

* {{Badass}}: The second-best Forsaken-killer next to [[TheChosenOne Rand]].

** And as of Book 13, all three have now come true, with half the light of the world being not quite what might have been expected. [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].

* MasterSwordsman: Rand's first teacher, as a matter of fact.

** EvilutionaryBiologist: Created [[OurOrcsAreDifferent trollocs]] and other shadowspawn, and thus indirectly created the Myrdraal.

The Myrdraal are mutant [[GoddamnOrks 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 Myrdraal, 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...

* FanNickname: 'Fade' is common in-universe slang for a myrdraal. Therefore Haran is 'Superfade'.

* LargeAndInCharge: Ordinary myrdraal are human-sized. Haran is almost half again as big.

Originally a darkfriend sent to spy on the Two Rivers, Fain was forcibly recruited by Ishamael and some myrdraal 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 EvilChancellor Mordeth. Now he pursues revenge against both the Dragon and the Dark One, and he may well have the power to accomplish it.

* WildCard

* UpperClassTwit: How Mat looks upon every noble alive. (Including himself, since he's now married to the empress of the Americas. Rand only rules Europe. Parts of Europe.)

* '''Red Ajah''': Devoted solely to hunting down and {{DePower}}ing male channelers, which often results in the men's DeathByDespair. (Frequently, long before they have a chance to breed. And then everyone wonders why fewer and fewer channelers show up nowadays.) The average Red DoesNotLikeMen and is often a StrawFeminist. Only three Amyrlins (Aes Sedai presidents) have been elected out of the Reds, all failures.
* '''Blue Ajah''': Devoted to "causes", which seems to mean ChronicHeroSyndrome. (And hey, UnderdogsNeverLose.) Blues tend to be idealistic. They are the 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}}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''': TheMedic, The Organization. While all Aes Sedai are taught the spells for healing, Yellows are best at it and most interested in it.
* '''Brown Ajah''': TheSmartGuy, The Organization. Browns love knowledge and can disappear for years into old libraries; they have a reputation for being {{CloudCuckooLander}}s. Though, when an Aes Sedai is involved, you should always be careful. The story's most prominent Brown character, Verin Mathwin, is such an expert at ObfuscatingStupidity that, even after chapters from ''her own point of view'', readers ''still'' didn't know what she was up to--or even ''which side she was on''. And then [[CrowningMoment/TheWheelOfTime we found out]].
* '''White Ajah''': TheSpock, The Organization. Whites do logic, and little else; they can be extremely stoic that way. There haven't been many prominent White characters, so little else can be said at the moment.
* '''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, 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 [[TheMole Moles]] within the Tower, she will kill you with a FascinatingEyebrow. And lightning. And, until about Book 3, there was no actual 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.

* KnifeNut: Teaches this skill to Mat and Min.

* [=~You Can't Fight Fate~=]: "[[{{Catchphrase}} Duty is heavier than a mountain; death is lighter than a feather]]."

* [=~Wouldn't Hit A Girl~=]: He comes from the same background as Rand and Mat, but it doesn't come up as much.