Athebyne is a mountainside outpost in the Tyrrendor province.
Geography[]
Athebyne is located in the Tyrrendor province, near the border of Krovla, Poromiel. It is used as a trading post between Navarre and Poromiel due to the Trade Agreement of Resson.[1] This makes it one of the most strategic yet vulnerable garrisons, as it is located beyond the safety of the wards.[2][3] Just beyond the border lies the small village of Resson, home to roughly 300 Poromiel civilians, accessible by a wide, gravelly path that winds down the mountainside—a twenty-minute walk from the outpost.[4][5]
Athebyne is designed just like Montserrat. It is a simple, square fortress that includes four towers, stone crenellations along the battlements and thick ramparts. It also features a portcullis leading to a courtyard consisting of a rocky terrain. The structure rises four floors high, with the fourth floor leading to an open-air observation point overlooking the valley and the trading post 1,000 feet below.[4] The outpost is perched on the edge of the Esben mountain range, surrounded by a forest with enormous evergreens and a field.[6] Nearby, about twenty minutes from Athebyne, lies the closest lake.[7][8]
The outpost includes its own flight field, making it capable of accommodating dragons, though the fortress walls are barely thick enough to launch one. Athebyne's commander is Major Kallista Neema, Executive Officer of the Southern Wing.[4]
History[]
Raids and Reinforcements[]
The first mention of Athebyne is in a letter from Major Kallista Neema to General Lilith Sorrengail regarding the raids around Athebyne, which have caused the Wing to become spread too thin. The dire situation causes the Major to request reinforcements to Athebyne because they are also protecting civilians living there.[2]
Covert Missions[]
The second mention of Athebyne is when Violet Sorrengail asks Xaden Riorson where he was the night that she saw him in the courtyard just before Gauntlet and Presentation. Xaden tells her that he was in Athebyne, but that he cannot tell her any more information.[9] Later it is discovered that Dain Aetos read her memories not long after that interaction, and that is why Xaden and the group he chose were sent to Athebyne to die during War Games.[4]
Violet learns that Athebyne was serving as the base from where Xaden and his team of marked ones were distributing alloy daggers to the gryphon fliers of Poromiel to bolster their defense against the venin and wyvern.[4]
The Battle of Resson[]
During War Games, the group arrived at Athebyne to find the outpost abandoned, with an envelope addressed to Xaden. The letter, from Colonel Aetos, presented Xaden with a choice: either defend the nearby trading post of Resson and its citizens from the venin and wyvern—where they were expected to die—or leave the people to their fate and continue on to Elutval. The letter stated that this was a test of Xaden's command. If they departed immediately upon receiving the missive, they could reach the new Fourth Wing headquarters at Eltuval in time to carry out their orders for War Games; however, abandoning Resson would mean its destruction at the hands of the venin.[4]
The group stays to defend Resson, successfully defeating four venin and their wyvern, but the victory comes at a heavy cost. Soleil Telery and Liam Mairi, along with their dragons, Fuil and Deigh, die, and Violet is knocked unconscious from a poisonous dagger. To save Violet's life, Xaden decides to take her to Aretia, where the nearest mender is located.[5][10]
The Aftermath[]
The first mention of Athebyne occurs at Riorson House, during The Assembly meeting to discuss what to do with the cadets following the events of Fourth Wing and their arrival in Aretia. Ultimately, it is determined that the cadets need to return to Basgiath to protect the remaining marked ones from harm and to ensure the continued production of alloy daggers for the revolution.[11]
The cadets return to Basgiath during the graduation ceremony, interrupting the courtyard proceedings as Captain Fitzgibbons reads their names from the death roll. Xaden explains their six-day absence, attributing it to a surprise gryphon attack at the lake and Colonel Aetos for emptying the outpost while seeking aid. He presents the missive written by Colonel Aetos to General Sorrengail as evidence.[8]
Later, during the first battle brief class of the new year, Professor Devera reveals that Athebyne was attacked by a drift of two dozen gryphons fliers. The attack occurred at midnight, targeting the armory while most of the stationed dragon riders were on patrol. The riders sought to steal weapons to defend against the venin. They defeated the gryphons with three dragons and infantry support. However, four riders, including Professor Devera, were wounded in the attack.[12] It is also noted throughout Iron Flame that all cadets who fought at the Battle of Resson have been enduring increasing assassination attempts at Basgiath, orchestrated by Colonel Aetos in fear that they might expose the truth about the venin.[12][13][14][15][16]
Negotiation Talks[]
Athebyne is selected as the meeting location when General Melgren requests to speak with a representative of the revolutionary movement.[17] During the meeting, General Melgren predicts that an upcoming decisive battle on Solstice will be lost at Samara, falling to the venin. He warns that the fall of Samara would reduce the wards to their natural limits, granting the venin greater access to Navarre. To prevent this, he requests the revolution's assistance, since the marked ones create an unforeseeable outcome. In exchange, he offers King Tauri's word of respect for their independence. However, The Assembly rejects the offer, leaving Navarre to face its fate alone.[6]
Notable Locations[]
Unnamed Lake[]
A lake located 20 minutes from Athebyne, often used as a resting point and drinking spot for traveling dragons, as evidenced by the trampled grass along its edges. The lake’s surface is described as being smooth as glass. One edge of the water is bordered by a thick forest and heavy boulders, while the shore is lined with mossy edges.[7][8]
The lake also serves as a significant location where Xaden and the marked ones arranged to exchange a shipment of weapons with Syrena Cordella and other gryphon fliers. However, the meeting took place a day earlier than originally planned.[4][7]
Resson[]
A small village just beyond the border of Poromiel, Resson serves as both a home to roughly 300 civilians and a key trading post. According to the Trade Agreement of Resson, the village facilitates the exchange of meat and lumber from Navarre for Poromiel’s cloth and agricultural goods four times a year at Athebyne.[1] The village is located within a valley, a thousand feet below Athebyne, and the trading post is accessible via a wide gravel path that winds down the mountainside, roughly a 20-minute walk from Athebyne.[4]
Resson is enclosed by a circular stone wall, with the roofs of several buildings visible just above it. At the center of the village stands a wooden clock tower. A nearby mine entrance carved into the mountainside served as a shelter for civilians during the Battle of Resson. A few outbuildings line the road leading to the mine. The village also features a clinic, a school, multiple rows of open-air market stalls, and a rocky hillside just outside its walls.[5]
The Battle of Resson left the village in ruins. Although Professor Markham later informs the cadets during a battle briefing that the trading post was leveled due to Poromish unrest, the true cause was the devastation of the battle.[12] Over the centuries, the trading post has been frequently attacked and has changed hands no fewer than eleven times.[7]
Gallery[]
TBA
Trivia[]
- Violet receives a letter from Mira Sorrengail about her reassignment to Athebyne, but the next time Violet sees her sister, Mira is stationed at Samara instead.[14]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fourth Wing, Chapter 2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fourth Wing, Chapter 25
- ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 33
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Fourth Wing, Chapter 35
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Fourth Wing, Chapter 36
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Iron Flame, Chapter 57
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Fourth Wing, Chapter 34
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Iron Flame, Chapter 4
- ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 31
- ↑ Fourth Wing, Chapter 37
- ↑ Iron Flame, Chapter 1
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Iron Flame, Chapter 9
- ↑ Iron Flame, Chapter 10
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Iron Flame, Chapter 11
- ↑ Iron Flame, Chapter 21
- ↑ Iron Flame, Chapter 30
- ↑ Iron Flame, Chapter 56