5 things to remember about 'The Wheel of Time' before watching season 3

In season one, Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai who uses magic known as the One Power, and her trusty warrior Lan Mandragoran come to the Two Rivers village to find the Dragon Reborn — a reincarnated hero prophesied to save the world from the Dark One or destroy it.

They instead find five special villagers.

Rand al'Thor is the Dragon Reborn and one of the few men who can use the One Power, though the magic is driving him mad. His parents were Aiel, a tribe of skilled warriors, but he was raised by non-Aiel farmers who never told him about his heritage.

Mat Cauthon seems to have a connection to his past lives. Perrin Aybara is a Wolf Brother, a human with heightened senses who can telepathically communicate with Wolves.

Egwene al'Vere and Nynaeve al'Meara can use the One Power and are training to be Aes Sedai.

Along their journey, Rand and his friends have made allies, including Elayne Trakand (a princess of the Andor kingdom and an Aes Sedai trainee), Loial (an Ogier), Min Farshaw (a woman who can see people's futures), and Aviendha (an Aiel).

The Dark One is locked up in a special prison, but the Forsaken, powerful male and female Aes Sedai who were imprisoned centuries ago after they chose to follow the Dark One, have now been freed.

In the season two finale, Rand kills one of the Forsaken, Ishamael, during the Battle at Falme. Two more Forsaken have been shown onscreen: Lanfear, who is in love with the Dragon and wants to protect him from her fellow Forsaken, and Moghdien, who attacks Lanfear at the end of season two.

The others are waiting to attack Rand and his friends.

Rand's identity as the Dragon was revealed to the world in the season two finale, which will split the Aes Sedai community, led by the Amyrlin Seat. Some believe the best action is to work with the Dragon, and others want to cage and control him until he has defeated the Dark One.

A third group, known as the Black Ajah, are secret servants of the Dark One.

In season two, Liandrin, Nynaeve's mentor, reveals she is a member of the Black Ajah. She kidnaps Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne and hands them over to the Seanchan, an army from across the seas that enslaves women who can use the One Power and want to retake the kingdoms they say belong to their ancestors.

Nynaeve and Elayne escape, but Egwene is enslaved and tortured for days. The three women will want their revenge on Liandrin and the Black Ajah.

The Whitecloaks, also known as the Children of the Light, are a religious militia dedicated to eradicating evil and servants of the Dark One. However, they often just harm anyone who seems shifty, is an Aes Sedai, or looks different from an average human.

In season two, they attack Falme to get rid of the Seanchan, while Rand and his allies try to do the same. In the crossfire, Perrin fights the Whitecloaks and kills a general, Geofram Bornhald, in front of his son. The son, Dain, vowed revenge against Perrin, so The Whitecloaks will likely be a bigger problem in the future.

The Horn of Valere can resurrect heroes and is one of many special artifacts in "The Wheel of Time" needed for the final battle against the Dark One.

Mat blows the horn during the battle in Falme, which helps unlock part of his memories of his past lives. The resurrected heroes are the turning point in the fight against the Seanchan, leading to their retreat, but they will likely return.