Kaladin is a former slave who rose to become a highly respected Knight Radiant and the leader of the Windrunners. Burdened by his inability to protect everyone, he suffers from severe battle shock and depression. After Dalinar removes him from active combat duty, Kaladin returns to his medical training under his father. He focuses on developing new psychological treatments and group therapy for others suffering from battle trauma in Urithiru.

Dalinar is the King of Urithiru and the leader of the Knights Radiant coalition. Once a bloodthirsty warlord, he now attempts to lead humanity against the god Odium with diplomacy, strategy, and honor. He works to understand his developing magical abilities as a Bondsmith and is writing a memoir to challenge traditional Vorin religious beliefs.

Navani is the Queen Mother of Alethkar and a brilliant artifabrian who designs magical technology. When a Fused force invades the tower city of Urithiru, she negotiates a surrender to prevent a massacre of the unconscious Radiants. She attempts to protect the tower's secrets while conducting research into magical energy under the watchful eye of her captor.

Shallan is a Lightweaver Knight Radiant with a traumatic past. To cope with her childhood abuse and the actions she took to survive it, she relies heavily on magical personas named Veil and Radiant. She travels to the spren dimension on a diplomatic mission while secretly working as an agent for the Ghostbloods organization.

Adolin is the heir to the Alethi throne and a highly skilled duelist. Unlike his strict father, he is charming, openly supportive of his friends, and deeply caring toward his wife. He volunteers to lead a dangerous envoy mission to plead with the hostile honorspren for military aid, eventually demanding to stand trial on behalf of all humanity.

Jasnah is the reigning Queen of Alethkar and a renowned scholar of history. She flouts Alethi gender traditions by actively participating in military strategy and wearing magical armor into battle. She uses her absolute authority to force progressive social reforms on her kingdom, including the abolition of slavery.

Taravangian is the seemingly frail king of Kharbranth. Years ago, he made a secret pact with the enemy god Odium to spare his own city, agreeing to act as a traitor to the human coalition. Thanks to magical intervention, he experiences fluctuating days of extreme genius and deep compassion as he attempts to direct humanity's survival.

Venli is one of the last surviving listeners, now serving the ancient Fused who have commandeered singer bodies. Guilt-ridden over causing her people's near-extinction, she secretly bonds a Radiant spren, granting her powers she must hide from her masters. She quietly recruits dissatisfied singers in hopes of escaping Fused control.

Raboniel is an ancient, highly intelligent Fused commander known for her strategic brilliance. Unlike other Fused, she respects human technological advancements and scholarly pursuits. She leads the occupation of Urithiru and forces Navani into a scientific collaboration, seeking to discover a permanent end to the war.

Moash is a former bridgeman and friend to Kaladin who betrayed humanity to serve Odium. Operating under the name Vyre, he has been magically stripped of his negative emotions by his dark god, making him a ruthless and remorseless killer. He actively attempts to break Kaladin's spirit through psychological torment.

The Pursuer is a vengeful Fused warrior who obsesses over killing any human who has previously defeated him. After Kaladin destroys his physical body in Hearthstone, he is resurrected and fixates entirely on hunting Kaladin down during the occupation of Urithiru.

Sylphrena is an honorspren bonded to Kaladin. She is highly social, curious about humans, and unusually empathetic compared to other spren of her kind. She functions as Kaladin's emotional support, attempting to understand his psychological struggles and keeping him anchored during his darkest moments.

Pattern is a logicspren bonded to Shallan, manifesting visually as an intricate, moving geometric shape. He is highly analytical and fascinated by human lies and secrets. Though he lacks human emotional range, he cares deeply for Shallan's well-being and attempts to help her manage her dissociative personas.

The Stormfather is one of the three most powerful spren on the planet, manifesting as a massive face in the destructive highstorms. He is bonded to Dalinar, granting the king immense powers. He is generally merciless and distrustful of humans, prioritizing strength and battle prowess over diplomatic or social progress.

Lirin is a dedicated pacifist and skilled surgeon. He strictly adheres to his medical oath to preserve life, causing deep friction with his son, Kaladin, whose military career he heavily resents. Lirin mentors Kaladin in medicine during the occupation of Urithiru but struggles to accept his son's violent actions.

Hesina is Kaladin's mother and a pillar of support for her family. Unlike her husband Lirin, she understands the necessity of Kaladin's military service and refuses to judge him for fighting. She actively supports the resistance efforts during the occupation of Urithiru.

Teft is an older, experienced Windrunner and Kaladin's closest confidant. A recovering addict, he understands Kaladin's psychological pain better than most. He deliberately claims to suffer from battle shock so he can remain behind in Urithiru and support Kaladin through his depression.

Leshwi is a respected Fused commander with a strong sense of personal honor. Unlike many of her peers, she respects human warriors, particularly Kaladin, and forbids her troops from targeting noncombatants. She acts as Venli's immediate superior during the occupation of Urithiru.

Rlain is a singer who defected to the human side and served in Bridge Four. He struggles with his position as an outsider among humans while simultaneously being viewed as a traitor by his own species. During the invasion of Urithiru, he works as a vital spy and courier for the human resistance.

The Sibling is an ancient, powerful spren who acts as the mechanical and magical heart of the tower city Urithiru. Distrustful of humans after historical betrayals, the Sibling remains hidden until Raboniel's invasion forces them to seek Navani's help to prevent the tower's complete corruption.