[Locke.]

All the new characters and actors (the bits in spoiler tabs aren't really spoilers, they just explain who the character is)

Character: Stannis Baratheon

Spoiler:

Stannis is the younger brother of the late King Robert and the older brother of the self-declared King Renly. Of everyone in Westeros, Stannis has the best claim to the throne, considering that the newly crowned King Joffrey is actually the bastard son of Robert's wife Cersei and her twin brother Jaime.

Stannis isn't very congenial, and isn't very well-liked. He is counseled by the mysterious and dangerous Lady Melisandre, a priestess of a new and powerful religion who isn't afraid to use her mystical powers to Stannis's gain.

Character: Lady Melisandre

Spoiler:

She's probably the most-talked-about new character of the second season: Lady Melisandre is as mysterious as she is dangerous. Known as the "Red Priestess," Melisandre worships the 'Lord of Light,' a deity known as R'hllor, through whom she can apparently perform feats of magic. Melisandre serves as an advisor to King Stannis and almost never leaves his side. A proponent of eradicating the old religions of Westeros and replaceing them with her new one, Melisandre believes that R'hllor wants Stannis to gain the Iron Throne, and she'll do anything -- and kill anyone -- to get him there.

Character: Davos Seaworth

Spoiler:

Davos is also known by his nickname "The Onion Knight," which he received after he smuggled various foods (including onions) to Stannis Baratheon during the siege of Storm's End. Stannis granted him a knighthood, but also commanded that Davos pay for his crimes by losing digits off each finger of his left hand. Seeing wisdom in Stannis's justice, Davos became one of Stannis's most loyal followers and one of his most trusted advisors, going so far as to wear the bones of his severed digits in a bag around his neck for luck.

By the time season 2 starts, Stannis has declared himself king, and Davos is growing wearing of Lady Melisandre, who is attempting to eradicate the traditional religion of the Seven and replace it with worship of her god, R'hllor, the Lord of Light. It's through Davos's eyes that we'll see the storylines of Stannis and Melisandre.

Character: Jeyne Westerling

Spoiler:

It's likely that we'll be seeing more of Robb Stark in the second season of Game of Thrones than we did in the second book of the series, which is why we're getting introduced to Jeyne Westerling much earlier than we were in the books. Robb meets Jeyne after he is wounded in battle and she tends to him. Yes, this story is going exactly where you think it is.

The producers have promised us a love story for the show's second season, and the dynamic between Robb and Jeyne is that love story. There's something standing in the way of their happiness, though: Robb's already engaged in a political betrothal with a girl from House Frey. Expect dramatic tension to result.

Character: Alton Lannister

Spoiler:

Well, here's the thing: nobody really knows who he is. Alton Lannister isn't a character in any of the five existing A Song of Ice and Fire books. The best guess of most fans is that Alton will fill the role of Cleos Frey from the books. Frey, who doesn't come into importance until the third book, is the result of a Lannister/Frey marriage, and it could be likely that Alton Lannister is the result of the writers wanting to put a stress on his Lannister heritage. If he is filling the role of Cleos, it's likely that we'll see him as a prisoner of war alongside Jaime Lannister in Robb Stark's camp when the second season starts. He is of lesser importance to the Lannisters than Jaime, of course, but his Lannister heritage still holds weight with his family.

Character: Brienne of Tarth

Spoiler:

Also known as the Warrior-Maid of Tarth, and (derisively) Brienne the Beauty, Brienne is a freakishly tall and uncannily ugly aspiring knight, who comes to serve Lord Renly as part of his Rainbow Guard (yes, one of Westeros's few gay characters employs a 'Rainbow Guard'). Brienne secretly harbors affections for Renly, though he either is oblivious to them or chooses to ignore them. Despite this attraction, however, Brienne is more than a competent knight -- however, don't expect that to gain her any respect in the male-dominated society of Westeros.

Character: Roose Bolton

Spoiler:

Roose Bolton is a nasty character. While he's a liege lord of the King in the North Robb Stark, that doesn't make him a good person. He's quite ruthless and cunning, despite appearing normal and mild-mannered. The Game of Thrones equivalent of a health freak, Bolton undergoes leechings to 'cleanse' himself, and as such gains the name "The Leech Lord." He has a bastard son, Ramsay, who's even more ruthless than he is. Of the characters we've met in the first season, Bolton will most likely interact with Arya Stark the most during the show's sophomore season.

Character: Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Spoiler:

Daenerys, after the death of her Sun-and-Stars, Khal Drogo, will move on to the merchant city of Quarth, where she intends to look for ways to travel back to Westeros -- after she's built up an army with which to do so. One of the characters she'll meet from Qarth is the elaborately named Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a Qartheen merchant who owns the ships that Daenerys needs. He'll offer her guidance as she faces various challenges, though he doesn't exactly come off as the most trustworthy character.

Character: Jaqen H'ghar

Spoiler:

Much like the actor who portrays him, Jaqen H'ghar doesn't have the easiest name to spell. But phonetics isn't the only mystery surrounding the character of H'ghar, who we glimpsed briefly in the season one finale. We didn't see his face, of course; he was shrouded under a hood. He was also chained in a cage with two other nasty-looking characters.

H'ghar is part of Arya Stark's season two storyline, and he's one of the reasons that it's one of the most interesting arcs of the season. It's really difficult to say anything more without spoiling some plot details, so I'll just say this: he'll probably be one of the characters you talk about all season long.

Character: Margaery Tyrell

Spoiler:

Margaery Tyrell is the bride of the self-proclaimed King Renly Baratheon. This very political marriage allied the powerful House Tyrell with Renly, making his claim to the throne even more divisive for Westeros. It should be no surprise that Margaery's marriage with Renly is loveless; Renly is carrying on an affair with Margaery's brother Loras, "The Knight of Flowers." While that relationship was only hinted at in the book series, it was blatantly shown in the show's first season, which could possibly give the relationship between Renly, Margaery, and Loras a different angle than it had in the book.

Character: Yara Greyjoy

Spoiler:

In the books, her name is Asha Greyjoy. She's Theon Greyjoy's long-lost sister. Well, rather, Theon is her long-lost brother. She's a clever, cunning, and fierce warrior who commands her own fleet of ships. Raised by her father as an heir, Yara will clash with Theon after their unusual reunion.

Character: Craster

Spoiler:

Craster's a nasty fellow, one of the nastiest we'll meet on Game of Thrones. He's a wildling who lives north of the wall, and though he is hospitable to the traveling members of the Night's Watch, that doesn't mean he is by any stretch of the imagination a good person. Let me put it to you this way: his family has more incest than the Lannisters.

Craster has nineteen wives, most of whom are his own daughters. You read that right. Whenever he has a new daughter, he waits for her to grow up before she becomes his wife, too. And his sons... Well, he very mysteriously doesn't have any sons.

Character: Gilly

Spoiler:

One of Craster's daughters is a girl named Gilly. Pregnant with Craster's child, Gilly is afraid of what her father-husband will do if she gives birth to a son -- according to her, he'll take it into the wilderness and sacrifice it. She pleads with Samwell Tarly for help, and he agrees, sending her to Jon Snow, much to the latter's annoyance.

Character: "Dolorous Edd" Tollett

Spoiler:

Edd is a sad-sack member of the Night's Watch who ventures north of the wall with Lord Commander Jeor Mormont and Jon Snow. He's a minor character at best, but he injects a little bit of humor into the bleak, snow-covered scenes he's in.

Think of him as Game of Thrones' Eeyore.

Character: Hallyne the Pyromancer

Spoiler:

ut of all of these new characters, there haven't been any additions to the King's Landing side of the story, where Joffrey has just been crowned king. Tyrion Lannister is on his way to serve as Hand of the King at his father's behest, and one of his duties as Hand will be to ensure that King's Landing has proper defenses for the sure-to-come battles with the rival, self-declared kings.

To do this, Tyrion will employ pyromancer Hallyne to create a secret weapon that will turn the tide of battle should it ever come to be used. As head of the Alchemist's Guild, Hallyne agrees to help Tyrion with this new weapon, which, as you guessed from Hallyne's title, will involve fire.

Character: Maester Cressen

Spoiler:

We'll be introduced to Stannis Baratheon, Lady Melisandre, and Davos Seaworth through the eyes of the aging Maester Cressen, an advisor to King Stannis who, in the first scene of the book, struggles against Lady Melisandre for Stannis's favor. After Cressen is humiliated for his efforts, he concocts a scheme to once again become the King's most trusted advisor -- though things don't turn out the way he would have hoped thanks to the power of Lady Melisandre.