Dalinar is the Alethi highprince of war who seeks to unite the monarchs of Roshar into a coalition against the impending threat of Odium. A special kind of Radiant known as a bondsman, he receives visions from the Stormfather that guide his diplomatic missions. He struggles with massive gaps in his memory regarding his deceased first wife and experiences great internal conflict as he attempts to reconcile his violent past as a conqueror with his present desire to lead honorably.

Shallan is a young Lightweaver Radiant from Jah Keved who uses her illusion abilities to project alternate personas. She actively uses the confident persona "Radiant" and the sleuthing persona "Veil" to cope with her traumatic past and execute espionage missions. She investigates a string of copycat murders inside the tower while working as a spy for the secretive Ghostbloods organization.

Kaladin is a Windrunner Radiant and the captain of Dalinar's personal honor guard. Raised as a darkeyed surgeon's apprentice before being forced into enslavement, his new status as a Radiant technically elevates his social class. He suffers from severe depression and experiences a profound crisis of conscience upon realizing the newly awakened parshmen behave just like ordinary humans.

Adolin is the eldest son of Dalinar and a highly celebrated duelist within Alethi society. Unlike many of his family members and close associates, he is not a Knight Radiant and cannot wield magical abilities. He privately carries the heavy guilt of murdering Torol Sadeas while trying to support his father's diplomatic efforts and his betrothed's emotional struggles.

Renarin is Dalinar's younger son, an introverted young man who discovers his unique capacity to heal others and see visions. His physical frailty kept him off the battlefield for years, causing him to feel isolated in a highly militaristic society. He prefers quiet scholarship and observing structural patterns over engaging in politics or warfare.

Elhokar is the current King of Alethkar who realizes his past selfishness led his kingdom to the brink of ruin. Desperate to prove himself a capable man and ruler, he organizes a dangerous mission to save the besieged capital city of Kholinar. He looks to strong figures like Kaladin and Dalinar as models for the leadership he hopes to achieve.

Jasnah is a brilliant Alethi scholar, a known atheist, and an extraordinarily powerful Radiant. Having spent a long period trapped in the Cognitive Realm, she returns to find her previous research regarding the Voidbringers completely validated. She works aggressively to translate ancient gemstones and catch up on the political shifts that occurred during her absence.

Navani is an accomplished scholar, engineer, and the matriarch of the Kholin family. She essentially manages the logistical, scientific, and political operations of the Alethi forces within the tower. She actively pursues a romantic relationship with Dalinar, openly defying the Vorin church's rules against marrying a deceased husband's brother.

Kaladin is a Windrunner Radiant and the captain of Dalinar's personal honor guard. Raised as a darkeyed surgeon's apprentice before being forced into enslavement, his new status as a Radiant technically elevates his social class. He suffers from severe depression and experiences a profound crisis of conscience upon realizing the newly awakened parshmen behave just like ordinary humans.

Odium is a massively powerful, deity-like being who claims to represent passion rather than mindless hatred. He commands the Fused and the vast armies of awakened parshmen in a brutal campaign across Roshar. He views humanity as an infection to be eradicated and attempts to psychologically manipulate his adversaries to secure his victory.

Taravangian is the elderly king of the city-state Kharbranth and the nation of Jah Keved. A mysterious curse causes his intelligence and compassion to fluctuate inversely each day. While publicly supporting Dalinar's coalition, he secretly pursues his own highly calculated agenda to ensure the survival of his specific subjects, regardless of the cost to the rest of the world.

The Stormfather is a powerful god-spren who controls the highstorms sweeping across Roshar. As a cognitive shadow of the deceased god Honor, he provides Dalinar with visions designed to warn humanity about the returning Desolations. He is highly suspicious of human behavior and deeply reluctant to share the complete history of the ancient Knights Radiant.

Evi was Dalinar's first wife and a foreigner from the nation of Rira. Her identity and the circumstances of her tragic death were magically erased from Dalinar's mind by the Nightwatcher. In the flashbacks, she emerges as a woman deeply disturbed by the endless warfare of Alethkar, constantly pleading with Dalinar to show mercy to his enemies.

Venli is a listener scholar who originally orchestrated her people's transformation into new forms of power, inadvertently allowing the ancient Fused to claim their bodies. She now operates as a translator and speaker for Odium's forces, traveling between towns to recruit newly awakened singers. Privately, she feels intense guilt for destroying her race and begins to question her obedience to the Fused.

Moash is a former member of Bridge Four who fled the Alethi armies after betraying his oaths and attempting to assassinate King Elhokar. Now serving as an enslaved laborer pulling sleds for the parshmen, he observes that his new captors treat humans better than lighteyes treat darkeyes. His deep pessimism regarding humanity leads him to slowly align with the invading forces.

Syl is Kaladin's bonded honorspren, appearing frequently as a shifting ribbon of light or a small, translucent woman. She provides the spiritual connection necessary for Kaladin to wield his Windrunner abilities. She continually pushes Kaladin to process his grief and serves as an emotional anchor when he spirals into despair.

Pattern is a Cryptic spren bonded to Shallan, appearing in the Physical Realm as a complex, shifting geometric shape that typically hides on her clothing. He feeds on deep truths and lies, assisting Shallan with her espionage missions by picking locks and spying on conversations.

Gavilar is the deceased former King of Alethkar whose murder years prior set the events of the series in motion. He appears prominently in Dalinar's returning memories, which showcase the brothers brutally conquering rival territories together. As a young king, he was ambitious and focused on establishing an uncontested Alethi state.

Mraize is a high-ranking operative in the secretive Ghostbloods organization. He commands Shallan to investigate an unnatural presence within Urithiru and uses information about her deceased brother to ensure her compliance. He operates with an air of polite menace and possesses knowledge of forces far beyond Roshar.

Szeth is the former Assassin in White, originally from the isolated nation of Shinovar. Consumed with guilt over the world leaders he was forced to murder, he attempts to find a strict moral code to follow by training with the Skybreakers. He carries an incredibly dangerous, sentient sword named Nightblood that demands to destroy evil.

Lift is a young Edgedancer Radiant who unexpectedly befriends the Prime Aqasix of Azir. She processes food directly into Stormlight to power her abilities and approaches serious political situations with a completely irreverent attitude. Her unusual connection to Cultivation allows her to break the traditional rules of spren bonds.