The people of the Two Rivers - the remote, insular region of Andor where the story begins - form the core of the main cast. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve all come from Emond's Field and the surrounding villages. Two Rivers folk are known for their stubbornness (which they call determination), their skill with the longbow, their suspicion of outsiders, and their fierce loyalty to one another. As the series progresses, the Two Rivers transforms from a forgotten backwater into a significant power in its own right, largely because of the people it produced. Their shared origin is a constant point of connection for the main characters even as their paths diverge across the world.

The Aes Sedai are an ancient and powerful sisterhood of women who can channel the One Power - the fundamental force that drives the Wheel of Time. Based in the White Tower in Tar Valon, they are divided into seven Ajahs, each dedicated to a different purpose: the Red Ajah hunts male channellers, the Blue pursues justice and causes, the Green stands ready for the Last Battle, the Yellow heals, the White seeks philosophical truth, the Brown preserves knowledge, and the Grey mediates disputes. Aes Sedai are bound by the Three Oaths - they cannot speak a lie, cannot make a weapon for a man to kill with, and cannot use the Power as a weapon except in defence. These Oaths, spoken into a ter'angreal called the Oath Rod, physically shorten their lives. The organisation is led by the Amyrlin Seat, effectively a queen among the sisters, supported by the Hall of the Tower.