Egwene al'Vere

Egwene al'Vere is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.

The youngest of five daughters, Egwene grew up in Emond's Field alongside Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara and Nynaeve al'Meara. Though friends with all of them, she was particularly close with Rand, whom (it was assumed by all and sundry) she would marry when they both came of age. She was also apprentice Wisdom to Nynaeve.

Winternight changed all that. When Trollocs invaded the Two Rivers region, Rand, Mat and Perrin were spirited away by Moiraine Damodred Aes Sedai for their own protection; Egwene went with them. Moiraine had an agenda: she had discovered that Egwene had the spark and could learn to channel; it was Moiraine's intent to bring her to Tar Valon to train; when Nynaeve chased after them, Moiraine decided to include her as well.

On the journey to Shienar and The Eye of the World, Egwene and Perrin were separated from the rest of the party. She was present when Perrin met Elyas Machera and learned of his Wolfbrother heritage, and she is one of very few characters who knows the truth of his golden eyes and occasional bouts of wolfish behavior. At his request, she has kept this secret.

After the events at the Eye of the World, Egwene and Nynaeve were brought to Tar Valon, where they met Elayne Trakand and Min Farshaw. Over the course of their training they were tricked into following Liandrin Sedai, a Red sister who turned out to be Black. She led them through the Ways and into Falme, where Egwene was given to the Seanchan to become a damane. Egwene, always strong-spirited, hated being a damane more than anything. Nynaeve and Elayne (who had avoided capture) managed to break her out, and Egwene's strength in the One Power was drastically heightened by the rigors of her damane duties, but to this day she cannot stand the idea of being collared again.

Verin Sedai brought them back to the Tower after the events at Falme. Egwene was discovered to be a Dreamer, one who could easily enter the Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams, while sleeping. Besides exploring this new facet of her life, Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve were charged with a top secret task: to hunt out the Black Ajah. While they had been away, Liandrin and twelve other Black sisters had fled the Tower after stealing many ter'angreal and killing a number of sisters and other Tower personnel. The three girls set out for Tear to find them, and were in the Stone of Tear when Rand al'Thor drew Callandor from and proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn.

After the Stone of Tear, Egwene parted ways with Elayne and Nynaeve and chose to follow Rand to the Waste, so she could learn from the Aiel Wise Ones how be a Dreamer. Although Aes Sedai know much more about saidar than the Wise Ones, the Wise Ones could take the Aes Sedai to school concerning Tel'aran'rhiod. Becoming an informal apprentice to the Wise Ones, she also took to heart ji'e'toh, the honor code of the Aiel. After the Tower-Salidar split, she was chosen by the Hall of the Salidar Tower to become their Amyrlin Seat, in opposition of Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan, who sat in the White Tower. The Salidar Hall cited her as a fresh face who had not been involved in the Breaking of the Tower, and strong in the One Power. In reality, certain members of the Hall wanted mostly to use her as a puppet. Egwene took former Amyrlin Siuan Sanche as her advisor and has been slowly breaking the Salidar Hall of the idea that she can be controlled, especially when she taught them Traveling, a Talent she had rediscovered without any form guidance or assistance whatsoever.

She has raised an army with the help of Gareth Bryne, the brilliant general who used to be in service of Queen Morgase of Andor (mother of Elayne Trakand and, nominally, ruler of the Two Rivers). Egwene is leading her sisters and army to war against Elaida. When last we saw her, she was camped outside Tar Valon and, after breaking the White Tower's suppoedly impregnable defenses, was captured. Her Keeper is Sheriam Bayanar of the Blue, but she is mainly advised by Siuan Sanche. Unfortunately, she is unknowingly at the mercy of Halima Saranov, AKA Aran'gar. This Forsaken, a man reincarnated as a woman and thus employing saidin, has been orchestrating a subtle Power-wrought mental and psychological attack on Egwene for several months, afflicting her with headaches that only Halima's massages can cure. S/he is now one of Egwene's most trusted attendants.

Egwene and Rand severed their romantic ties in The Shadow Rising, and today Rand has his harem and Egwene is enamored of Gawyn Trakand, Elayne's older brother. However, they remain good friends, and she is perhaps the only person in existence who can go head-to-head with the 'new' steel-hearted Rand--not to mention Nynaeve. She is described as incredibly beautiful, with large brown eyes and dark hair. She is also one of the strongest channelers seen in over a thousand years; Elayne and Aviendha are her equals and, among women, only Nynaeve, Moghedien and Lanfear of the Forsaken (though not Cyndane), and one or two newer characters such as Alivia stand above her in terms of raw power.