Kaladin is a darkeyes soldier serving as the leader of Bridge Four and a personal bodyguard for the Kholin family. Once an enslaved bridgeman, he harbors a deep distrust of lighteyes due to past betrayals, particularly by Brightlord Amaram. He bonds with an honorspren and develops surgebinding abilities, forcing him to balance his morality, his duty to protect, and his desire for justice.

Shallan is a young lighteyed woman from Jah Keved, serving as a ward and student. She travels to the Shattered Plains to secure a betrothal to Adolin Kholin, hoping the alliance will save her family from financial ruin. As she studies, she develops her ability to Lightweave—manipulating light to create illusions—and works to uncover the ancient secrets of the Knights Radiant and the impending threat of the Voidbringers.

Dalinar is a powerful Highprince of Alethkar and uncle to King Elhokar. He suffers from visions during highstorms that urge him to unite the fractured Alethi highprinces against the Parshendi. Transitioning from a feared warrior to a diplomat, he attempts to lead by honorable example despite fierce political opposition from rivals like Sadeas.

Adolin is Dalinar's eldest son and a highly skilled duelist who wields a Shardblade and Shardplate. He enjoys the privileges of his lighteyed status but remains fiercely loyal to his father and protective of his family. He uses his dueling prowess to challenge his father's political enemies and secure the Kholin family's position in the warcamps.

Eshonai is the military leader of the Parshendi and their last remaining Shardbearer. She carries the immense burden of ensuring her people's survival against the Alethi armies. Seeking an end to the devastating war, she explores the dangerous possibility of taking on new physical forms to gain an advantage against humanity.

Sadeas is a ruthless Highprince who actively works to undermine Dalinar's efforts to unite Alethkar. He believes in a brutal, pragmatic approach to warfare and politics, prioritizing his own ambition and viewing Dalinar's honorable methods as a weakness to be exploited.

Brightlord Amaram is a highly respected Alethi general and a longtime friend of Dalinar. Beneath his pristine reputation lies a ruthless pragmatist who believes that amoral actions can be justified if they serve a greater good. He is directly responsible for the traumatic events that led to Kaladin's enslavement.

Known as the Assassin in White, Szeth is an exile from Shinovar who wields an Honorblade that grants him the powers of a Surgebinder. Condemned as "Truthless" by his people, he is bound to obey whoever holds his oathstone, forcing him to commit high-profile murders that plunge the world into chaos.

Jasnah is a brilliant Alethi scholar, sister to King Elhokar, and niece to Dalinar. She operates outside typical Alethi gender norms and religious expectations. She takes Shallan as her ward, intending to train her while researching the imminent return of the mythic Voidbringers.

Elhokar is the King of Alethkar. He struggles to command the respect of the highprinces and often relies on his uncle, Dalinar, to maintain order. He is paranoid about assassins following the murder of his father, Gavilar, and frequently displays a volatile, immature temperament when challenged.

Navani is the mother of Elhokar and Jasnah, and a brilliant scholar who specializes in the engineering of fabrials. She uses her intellect and political acumen to support Dalinar's campaign on the Shattered Plains, actively developing new technologies to assist archers and soldiers on the battlefield.

Syl is an honorspren, a magical entity bonded to Kaladin. She provides him with surgebinding abilities and acts as his moral compass. Defying the powerful Stormfather to help humanity, she constantly challenges Kaladin to act honorably and protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Pattern is a Cryptic, or liespren, bonded to Shallan. He takes the form of a complex, shifting geometric shape and encourages Shallan to acknowledge difficult truths about her past so she can unlock her full potential as a Lightweaver.

Moash is a skilled member of Bridge Four and one of Kaladin's closest friends. Like Kaladin, he harbors a deep resentment toward the lighteyed nobility. His anger is specifically directed at King Elhokar, whom he blames for the unjust imprisonment and subsequent deaths of his grandparents.

Wit nominally serves as King Elhokar's court jester, using his sharp tongue to mock the Alethi nobility. Beneath this guise, he is a mysterious and knowledgeable figure who travels widely and offers cryptic but crucial advice to individuals who possess magical abilities.

Renarin is Dalinar's younger son and Adolin's brother. He lacks his brother's physical prowess and struggles with fits of weakness, but he possesses a keen mind. Wanting to prove his worth, he joins Bridge Four to train and asks for instruction in fighting with Shardplate.

Taravangian is the elderly king of Kharbranth. Outwardly a benevolent ruler who funds hospitals, he hides a ruthless commitment to saving the world from the coming Desolation. He experiences fluctuating levels of intelligence each day due to a mysterious curse, making him highly unpredictable.

Tyn is a mercenary and skilled con artist who provides security for travelers heading toward the Shattered Plains. Recognizing Shallan's naiveté, she takes the young woman under her wing to teach her the arts of deception and grifting.

Mraize is a dangerous and enigmatic operative within the Ghostbloods, a secretive organization operating at the Shattered Plains. He maintains a calm, intimidating demeanor and seeks to employ capable individuals for the group's hidden agenda.

Zahel is a gruff swordmaster residing in the Kholin warcamp. He instructs lighteyes, including Renarin Kholin, in the proper use of Shardblades, and occasionally offers blunt but practical combat advice to Kaladin.

The Stormfather is a powerful, god-like spren who controls the highstorms that regularly sweep across the continent of Roshar. He is a strict entity who disapproves of honorspren bonding with humans, warning of the historical betrayals committed by the ancient Knights Radiant.

Venli is a Parshendi scholar and the sister of Eshonai. She dedicates her research to discovering new forms for her people to take, believing that accessing ancient, forgotten powers is the only way the Parshendi can survive their war against the Alethi.

Lift is a young, extremely agile thief who possesses surgebinding abilities. She travels with a spren companion and has the unique ability to metabolize food directly into Stormlight, which she uses to remove friction from her body and slide across surfaces.

Gawx is a young boy who accompanies Lift on a thieving mission inside the palace of Azir. His involvement in the heist results in an unexpected and drastic elevation in his political status.

Wyndle is a spren who follows the young thief Lift. He assists her by growing physical vines she can use to maneuver, though he frequently complains about her reckless behavior and lack of respect for his advice.

Graves is a lighteyed Alethi patriot who leads a secretive group plotting to remove King Elhokar from power. He believes that the king is fundamentally weak and that assassinating him is a necessary evil for the good of the kingdom.

Shen is a parshman assigned to Bridge Four. He struggles with his place in the heavily prejudiced Alethi society and keeps quiet about his origins, eventually forming a closer bond with Kaladin when offered a spear and a true position in the crew.

Helaran is Shallan's eldest brother. He is the only sibling who seems to escape the immediate madness of their household, though his secretive actions and frequent absences draw their father's severe wrath.

Balat is Shallan's older brother. He struggles under the abusive thumb of their father and desperately wants to run away with the woman he loves, seeking Shallan's help to escape the family's toxic environment.

Wikim is Shallan's older brother. He is deeply depressed and lonely, finding brief moments of comfort when Shallan encourages him to find happiness despite their family's grim circumstances.

Jushu is Shallan's older brother. He is a reckless gambler whose severe debts constantly threaten to tear the family apart, frequently placing him at the mercy of angry creditors.