The third book in Rebecca Yarros’s the Empyrean series, Onyx Storm, was released earlier this year, and with its arrival came new revelations aplenty. The series follows the life of Violet Sorrengail after she joins the Riders Quadrant of Basgiath War College—an intense and deadly program for future dragon riders in the kingdom of Navarre. The Empyrean is expected to be five books in total, though no release date has been set for the final two installments. One thing that is for certain as the story continues to unfold is the importance of not only the saga’s human characters, but their dragon counterparts.
Whether you’ve listened to the entirety of the Empyrean series thus far and just want a quick reference, or you’re looking to get into the first audiobook and want to be prepared, check out this essential guide to the dragons you’ll find there. But fair warning—spoilers for the first three books of the series abound in this guide, so proceed with caution!
What role do dragons play in the Empyrean series?
To start, it’s best to review a quick history of the relationship between dragons and humans. Six hundred years prior to the events of Fourth Wing, a group of six humans, known as the First Six, approached dragonkind and struck up a mutually beneficial solution to save both species from attack. The humans bonded with dragons, and together they created the wards, magical barriers that keep the kingdom of Navarre protected from external forces. Dragons needed humans in order to physically weave the wards, and humans needed the dragons' magic to power them.
Thus, the Vale, the dragons' hatching grounds in Navarre, were protected from enemy magic as were the humans living inside the wards, since no magic (except that of dragons) can function inside its boundary. In the years since, outposts were established where alloys made partly from dragon egg shells extended the reach of the circular wards to cover more distance. The practice of humans bonding dragons and the strange symbiosis between the two species remains strong by the time Violet crosses the parapet into the Riders Quadrant.
How do dragons choose their riders in Fourth Wing?
In order to maintain the relationship between humans and dragons and therefore protection of the wards, members of the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath train both to fight in battle and to attract a dragon to bond with them. As part of their first year in the college, they participate in an event called Threshing in which students attempt to get one of the dragons who have elected to bond that year to choose them.
To bond, a dragon must first seek approval from the head of their den, called the Right of Benefaction, before they can attend Threshing and choose a rider. It’s noted in Fourth Wing that increasingly fewer dragons opt to bond as the years pass. There is no one trait that guarantees a dragon will bond to a student. Instead, each dragon selects their rider based on their own criteria, criteria that isn’t often shared. Dragons’ choices in general often remain a mystery to humans, their symbiotic relationship not a wholly transparent one. One thing is clear, though—dragons choose their rider; the rider does not choose their dragon. Threshing can be a dangerous event for the students, with dragons’ short tempers sometimes ending the lives of some hopeful or overly arrogant riders.
In Fourth Wing, it’s noted by one rider that they felt compelled toward the dragon they ended up bonding with, but for Violet, it was her act of courage to defend a vulnerable dragon that earns her the bond of not one but two dragons: Tairn and Andarna. As a note here, bonding two dragons had—as far as the professors at Basgiath expressed—never been done until Violet’s Threshing.
After Threshing, the dragons who bonded to students use their magic to leave a relic on their rider's skin, a tattoo-like image somewhere on their body, often in the shape of the dragon itself. It’s a mark to represent the power of the bond between them, an honor they bestow upon riders they deem worthy.
The relationship between dragons and dragonriders
The relationship between dragons and their riders is extremely intimate and vulnerable. Once bonded, dragons and their riders can speak directly into each other’s minds in a form of telepathy. They can sense each other through their bond, both in proximity and emotionally. For example, one can feel when their counterpart is angry or in danger.
Once bonded, a human can no longer survive without their dragon. If a dragon dies, the rider dies. It’s a bond that only ends in death for humans and, as such, is one they’ll fight for intensely. The bond is slightly less permanent for dragons, who can continue living if their rider dies. However, they are deeply affected by the death of their rider and in rare cases of an extremely close bond, they, too, can perish should their rider pass away.
What are signets?
Through their bond, humans can channel the magic power of dragons to do lesser magic like moving objects or unlocking doors, but also to wield great powers called signets. Signets manifest in the months after a bond is formed at Threshing, and there can be fatal consequences for the rider if the signet does not manifest. These magic abilities can range from controlling the weather to fire-wielding to mending and beyond. Signets are unique to the rider, the dragon, and the bond between them. The more powerful a dragon and the more powerful the bond, the more power the rider can channel into their signets. Signets are said to be based on the personality or needs of the rider who develops them.
Riders can develop a second signet if the dragon they bond to previously bonded one of their family members. However, there is a high risk of the rider going mad rather than developing a second signet, and as such, dragons are forbidden from forming bonds with relatives of any of their previous riders. At this point in the series, characters with second signets have largely kept these abilities secret. In Onyx Storm, it is also teased that the presence of a rebellion relic (a mark on the children of parents who led a rebellion against Navarre) may allow for the manifestation of a second signet.
What are the different types of dragons?
Prior to the end of the events of Iron Flame and preceding the storyline in Onyx Storm, it was thought that there were only six colors of dragons. Each color has a general personality and temperament that students at Basgiath are taught about before Threshing, so they know how best to approach or handle an encounter with each type. These six colors were:
Blue: Blue dragons are known for their size and their ruthlessness.
Red: Red dragons have the quickest temper. Students are warned not to look them in the eye.
Orange: Orange dragons are the most unpredictable, which could be a good or bad thing depending on whether that unpredictability works in a rider’s favor.
Black: Black dragons are the rarest and the smartest of the dragons, known for their cunning intellect.
Brown: Brown dragons are known for their loyalty. Students are warned not to show trepidation to a brown dragon.
Green: Green dragons are thought to be the most intelligent of the dragons. They’re more rational and have a more stable connection with magic.
There are also six tail types that dragons may have: scorpiontail, daggertail, morningstartail, swordtail, clubtail, and feathertail. Dragons are referred to by both their color and their tail type together. For example, a dragon would be referred to as a Black Daggertail or a Blue Scorpiontail or a Brown Clubtail. Tails are not specific to a dragon color, but instead develop per a dragon’s choice and need. The tails appear and function like the objects they're named after: a dagger-like point on a daggertail or a club at the end of the clubtail. They can be used as weapons in battle.
In the events of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, it was thought that feathertails were another breed of dragon. They are golden in appearance, and were believed to abstain from bonding because they don’t believe in violence. However, after bonding with Andarna, a feathertail, Violet learns that feathertails are actually juvenile dragons who haven’t reached adulthood yet. Feathertails don’t have claws, nor can they breathe fire. However, they can grant humans the use of their full power, draining themselves in the process. This power does not necessarily match the signet power that would result from a bond. As such, dragons keep the knowledge that feathertails can share their power a secret to prevent feathertails from being hunted down by power-hungry people or enemies.
After Andarna goes through the Dreamless Sleep, an aging process for dragons, she emerges with black-looking scales. Violet assumes she's Black like Tairn, however, at the end of Iron Flame, Violet discovers that Andarna isn’t actually a Black dragon, but part of a seventh type of dragon. The events of Onyx Storm reveal the name of her coloring: Irid. Irids are named for their ability to appear in different colors, a nod to the word iridescent. Irids can also manipulate and use magic in a way other dragons cannot.
Dragon politics, hierarchies, and mates in Fourth Wing
As Violet notes throughout the series, the inner workings of dragons and their societies are often left a mystery to humans. What we do know is dragons defer to the head of their dens and to elder dragons. There is some additional form of hierarchy among the dragons; however, how that is determined isn’t known by humans.
While the humans of the series reference the gods they believe in, dragons do not appear to believe in them. They also do not answer to humans, instead allowing the presence of humans in their lives, more than anything, to keep their hatching grounds protected through the wards. If they had to choose between their rider and their hatching grounds, dragons would choose their hatching grounds no matter how close their bond with their rider is.
Humans may not make demands of dragons nor make decisions on dragons’ behalf. Human laws don’t apply to dragons either. Dragons are bound by the Empyrean, the governing body over dragonkind. The Empyrean’s meetings are blocked off from humans, even riders, and their workings are secret.
Dragons can mate, and after mating, dragons cannot be separated from their mate for longer than a few days before their health begins to decline. The relationship between mated dragons is even more sacred than that of a dragon and their rider. It’s deeper than love as humans know it; it’s a bond required to continue their survival. As such, mated dragons are stationed together so as not to separate them from each other.
Who are the most important dragons in the series so far?
There are dozens of dragons you’ll meet while listening to the Empyrean series, but here are a few of the most prominent and significant to the story.
Tairneanach: Tairneanach, a.k.a. Tairn, is a Black Morningstartail. He is one of the most powerful dragons, and the second largest on the Continent. He bonds with Violet in Fourth Wing during her Threshing. In terms of personality, he’s often gruff with Violet, but in an affectionate way. He is more than a century old and very proper; however, he will submit himself to things other dragons might deem humiliating, such as bowing to allow Violet to get on his back more easily. He expects greatness out of Violet because he knows she can achieve it, and is quick to acknowledge when she does well. When others attempt to attack her, he’s aggressive without hesitation. Tairn is mated with Sgaeyl.
Andarnaurram: Andarnaurram, a.k.a. Andarna, is an Irid Scorpiontail whom we first meet as a feathertail when she bonds with Violet at Threshing. After she experiences the Dreamless Sleep, she grows in size and is no longer gold, but a black color that seemingly changes with her environment. During the Dreamless Sleep, one of her wings didn’t fully develop, making it difficult for Andarna to fly long distances.
Sgaeyl: Sgaeyl is a Blue Daggertail with blue eyes. She is notoriously vicious and one of the most powerful dragons alive. Sgaeyl is bonded to Xaden Riorson, and mates with Tairn. As such, she can talk to Violet, and Tairn can talk to Xaden. Listeners won’t hear much from her, though, as she doesn’t use the bond to talk to Violet often, but when she does, she’s short and to the point.
Codagh: Codagh is a Black Swordtail and one of the elder dragons. He is bonded to General Melgren, the general of the entire Navarrian military, and is from the same den as Tairn. Codagh is the largest dragon on the Continent, and his wings are said to be scarred from battle.
Cath: Cath is a Red Swordtail bonded to Dain Aetos, Violet’s childhood friend.
Baide: Baide is an Orange Scorpiontail bonded to Jack Barlowe, a fellow student and enemy of Violet’s.
Feirge: Feirge is a Green Daggertail bonded to Rhiannon Matthias, Violet’s best friend at Basgiath.
Aotrom: Aotrom is a Brown Swordtail bonded to Ridoc Gamlyn, one of Violet’s squadmates.
Sliseag: Sliseag is a Red Swordtail bonded to Sawyer, another of Violet’s squadmates.
Deigh: Deigh is a Red Daggertail bonded to Liam Mairi, a lifelong friend of Xaden’s.
Solas: Solas is an Orange Daggertail bonded to Professor Varish. Both Solas and Varish are particularly cruel and are enemies of Violet and Tairn.
Aimsir: Aimsir is a Brown dragon with an unknown tail type who bonded to Lillith Sorrengail, Violet’s mother.
Teine: Teine is a Green Clubtail bonded to Mira Sorrengail, Violet's sister.
Marbh: Marbh is an Orange Daggertail bonded to Brennan Aisereigh, a.k.a. Brennan Sorrengail, Violet's brother, who is presumed dead for most of the events of Fourth Wing.
