The most important history and lore aspects of Fourth Wing alphabetically sorted.
Battles and Wars[]
The Great War[]
The Great War was fought over six centuries ago and ended with the unification of Navarre. The war was fought by the First Six, and enemy was General Daramor and his forces. In response to the Great War, dragons claimed the western lands, gryphons the central ones, abandoning the Barrens and the memory of General Daramor.[1] Allies during this war include the Isle Kingdoms.[2]
Battle of Gianfar[]
This battle took place more than six centuries before the book's setting and it was pivotal to the unification of Navarre. The stronghold was not only set for siege, but was equipped with the first cross-bolt, which proved lethal against dragonkind. It was one of the final battles where gryphons and dragons actually worked alongside each other to annihilate the army of the Barrens. This battle took place before the invention of indoor plumbing.[3]
Tyrrish Rebellion[]
The Tyrrish people use the term "apostasy" whereas the Navarrians use the word "secession". The rebellion was led by Fen Riorson and concluded with the executions of all rebellion leaders. The rebellion leaders' children were forced to watch their parents' executions, were branded with rebellion relics by General Malgren's dragon, Codagh, and were then displaced and fostered by loyal high ranking families.
See The Second Rebellion for more information on the current rebellion.
Battle of Aretia[]
This battle took place during the Rebellion on July 1st, 628 AU. After the battle, July 1st was proclaimed Reunification Day and is celebrated throughout Navarre to honour the lives lost during the war to save the kingdom from the separatists and those saved by the Treaty of Aretia[4]. During this battle, Fen Riorson killed Brennan Sorrengail, and Naolin lost his life attempting to use his signet to bring Brennan back to life. According to Xaden, this was the same day he last spoke with his father before he was sent away for his own safety. Presumably the day Fen Riorson was taken captive by Navarre as a prisoner of war.
Recent Skirmishes[]
Battle of Strythmore[]
Not much is known about the details of the battle, but Mira Sorrengail went above and beyond the call of duty. Her bravery resulted in not only the destruction of a battery behind enemy lines but also saved the lives of an entire company of infantry. She was recommended for the Star of Navarre by Major Potsdam but was downgraded to the Order of the Talon by General Sorrengail. For her acts on the battlefield at Strythmore, Mira is well known and respected as a rider.
Chakir attack[]
It took place the same night as Violet's conscription, during the Fourth Wing novel timeline. The Eastern Wing experienced an attack an hour away from the village of Chakir by a drift of Braevi gryphons and fliers. The wards faltered along the top of the Esben Mountains which allowed the drift not only to enter Navarrian territory, but for their fliers to channel and wield sometime around midnight. This was not the first time the wards had faltered, one of the Wings dragons sensed the faltering ward which alerted the Riders and allowed them to reach the attack in time. Thirty-seven civilians were killed in the attack in the hour before The Eastern Wing could arrive but the Wing was able to repel the drift. The Wing suffered one injured dragon and one dead rider. The mountain village was at an altitude of just under ten thousand feet according to Professor Markham during Battle Brief, which is considered high for a planned gryphon attack because gryphons are not don't tolerate the thin air at such a high altitude and are thus less stable at channeling magic. The aftermath of the attack left some of the buildings of the village burned while others were merely looted, indicating that the enemy was looking for something as the village was not located in a gem mining district.[5]
Sumerton attack[]
It took place in the second week of December. A village in Sumerton, on the southern border, was ransacked and a supply convoy was looted. And the community storage in nearby caves was ransacked. More details are not given and despite the recent attack and the scroll's delivery from the Archives to Professor Markham, this battle is not covered in that day's Battle Brief nor is it taught by any teacher for the rest of the school year.
Resson[]
Tasked with War Games, Xaden Riorson led a riot of ten dragon riders to Athebyne. After receiving a missive from Colonel Aetos, the riot continued on to Resson where they encountered Venin riding Wyvern and defended the trading post long enough to help civilians evacuate. Two cadet riders were lost in the ensuing skirmish; Soliel Tolery, by draining, and Liam Mairi, by death of dragon, as well as their dragons Fuil and Deigh respectively.
The patrol reports from Battle Brief later reported that the trading post was charred for miles and stated that Navarre would have to find a new location for quarterly trades with Poromiel. [6]
Riders involved; Xaden Riorson, Garrick Tavis, Soliel Tolery, Masen Sanborn, Imogen Cardulo, Bodhi Durran, Ciaran, Eya, Liam Mairi, and Violet Sorrengail.
Samara Attack[]
Occured after the fliers received news that half of the Riders Quadrant had deserted the War College. One dragon was injured but no riders were lost in the attack according to the Second Rebellion's sources. Mainly because there was only one dragon present for the attack. The wards hadn't failed but the Fliers had been able to infiltrate the post and killed a dozen infantry before two fliers were killed in the lowest level of the fortress. They were likely looking for weaponry (the only reason for fliers to attack Navarrian outposts directly.)
Important Historical Dates[]
- 1 AU - Unification of Navarre.
- Provinces of Luceras, Morraine, Elsum, Deaconshire, Tyrrendor, and Calldyr unify. Unified under the first wards and adopted a common language that mostly blended their existing cultures together. Tyrrendor was the last to swear fealty.
- 1-2 AU - The Migration of the First Year.
- Allowed those in, what is now current day Poromiel, the chance to live within the protection of the Navarrian wards. However this migration was limited to one year, anyone that attempted afterwards was turned away.
- 234 AU - Beginning of War with Poromiel. A 400+ year war with the Kingdom of Poromiel
- 328 AU - Second Cygni Incursion. A 4 day skirmish that resulted in Cygnisen being absorbed into the Kingdom of Poromiel
- (date unknown) Trade Agreement of Resson. Signed "more than 200 years ago" prior to 634 AU
- Est. 435 AU - Second Krovlan Uprising.
- roughly 200 years prior to the events of Iron Flame. Commanding Generals of the Riders and Commanding General of the Army used to be separate positions prior to the uprising. Afterwards the Commander of the Riders began commanding all of Navarre's military forces. [7]
- 627 AU - Beginning of Tyrrish Rebellion.
- July 1, 628 AU - Battle of Aretia & Reunification Day
- Final battle wherein Navarre defeated Tyrrendor. Brennan is killed and revived during this battle. Fen Riorson was captured by General Lilith Sorrengail. The Battle of Aretia was the official final battle ending the Tyrrish Rebellion. Following Fen Riorson's capture, the heads of Tyrrish noble homes who led the rebellion were executed at Calldyr (including Fen Riorson). The children of those condemned to death were forced to watch the executions of their family members. In accordance with The Treaty of Aretia, the city was burned by dragon fire ending the separatist movement. During the burning of Aretia, Riorson house and a few other building made mostly of stone survived.
- 628 AU - End of Tyrrish Rebellion.
Current Timeline of Events[]
To find a detailed timeline of current events that occur in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, please see the above link.
Important Days[]
- Conscription Day - mid to late July
- Presentation Day- September 29th
- Threshing - October 1st
Treaties and Agreements[]
Trade Agreement of Resson[]
The trade agreement was signed more than two hundered years ago, and it ensures the exchange of meat and lumber from Navarre for the cloth and agriculture within Poromiel four times a year at the Athebyne outpost on the border of Krovla and Tyrrendor.[8]
Treaty of Aretia[]
"As for the 107 innocents, the children of the executed officers, they now carry what shall be known as the rebellion relic, transferred by the dragon who carried out the king's justice. And to show the mercy of our great king, they will all be conscripted into the prestigious Riders Quadrant at Basgiath so they may prove their loyalty to our kingdom with their service or with their death." -Addendum 4.2, The Treaty of Aretia[9]
Treaty of Arif[]
This treaty was the agreement between Navarre and Krovla for the mutually shared airspace for both dragons and gryphons over a narrow strip of the Esben Mountains, between Sumerton and Draithus.[10]
Books and Literature[]
a detailed page featuring compiled excerpts from all literature, letters, and other important documents from the Empyrean Series is featured here
Languages[]
for more information about the current, and dead, languages featured within the series please see the link above.
Religion[]
for more information see more linked above
Flora[]
For more information see the link above
Food[]
- Honeyed biscuits - served in Riorson House
- Milk
- Cake (chocolate and butterscotch)
- Oranges