Game of Thrones Season 3 Scoop: New Characters Revealed!

Days away from the Game of Thrones Season 2 finale, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss have come out and already dropped a few hints regarding 2013 and the third season of this HBO epic.

Specifically, the pair has announced just which characters will be present next year, largely in response to complaints from fans of George R.R. Martin that many have been missing from action so far.

"If you hurl 300 characters at an audience, the story collapses under the weight of too many faces, too many names, and too many subplots," Benioff tells EW. "We need to be just as mindful of the audience members who have never read the books as we are of the readers; the series will fail if we only appeal to those who already know the characters. So we try to be parsimonious about how many new roles we introduce to the story and when we introduce them.”

With that in mind, here's a look at who viewers will see in action on season three:

Mance Rayder: Heard about so far, but not yet seen. A former member of the Night’s Watch who is now “King Beyond the Wall."

Daario Naharis: A confident and seductive warrior.

Jojen Reed and Meera Reed: Siblings with unique insights.

Edmure Tully: A brash young member of the Tully family.

Ser Brynden Tully (The Blackfish): Catelyn Stark’s uncle.

Lady Selyse Florent: Stannis Baratheon’s wife.

Shireen: Stannis’ daughter.

Olenna Redwyne (The Queen of Thorns): Margaery Tyrell’s grandmother.

Beric Dondarrion: A knight who is the leader of the outlaw group Brotherhood Without Banners.

Thoros of Myr: A red priest who follows the same religion as Melisandre.

Tormund Giantsbane: A Wildling raider.