ACOTAR Lore

1. #1Illyrian

   Keys: Illyrian

   The Illyrians are a warrior race of faeries, living in the northern region of Illyria in the Night Court, considered by many to be violent and warmongering people.

   Illyrians usually form war-camps depending on their views, most camps have a rich culture with similar traditions. While they are unparalleled warriors, with a culture rich in stories and traditions, they are brutal and backward, particularly in regard to how they treat their females, choosing to train only the males. It's common practice to cripple the wings of females so they cannot fly, and they can keep them for breeding. This practice is called Clipping.

   Illyrians are neither High Fae nor lesser faeries, although a lot of the High Fae consider them as nothing more than expendable aerial cavalry at best and mindless soldiers grunts at worst. Most have a negative opinion about Illyrians.

   Illyrians do not like outsiders, especially High Fae who try to tell them what to do. They are obsessed with lineage and have their own princes and lords among them.

   In the Illyrian culture, tattoos are shown to be an important part. Once Illyrians are initiated as warriors, they are given certain tattoos for luck and glory on the battlefield. However, to become a true warrior, an Illyrian must perform the Blood Rite, where they go unarmed into the mountains and survive without any magic, necessities and with their wings bound.

   Some Illyrians are gifted Siphons, such as Cassian and Azriel, which give them advantages in battle by filtering raw power and transforming it into something more subtle and varied.

   Unlike High Fae, Illyrians have rounded ears. Rhysand is the sole exception for having pointed ears, as he is half-Illyrian and half-High Fae. They generally have dark hair and tan to golden-brown skin. Illyrians also have a pair of bat-like wings, and are trained to protect these at all costs. Some Night Court citizens view them as lesser faeries, however due to their human-like appearance, many Illyrians disagree with this assumption.

2. #2War-Camp

   Keys: war-band, legion, Illyrian Legion, war-camp

   War-Camps, also called war-bands, were the social unit structure used by groups of Illyrians within the Illyrian Mountains of the Night Court. Each was led by a war-lord, addressed as Lord, and contained Illyrian warriors along with their families and other non-combatants. Each war-camp functioned independently of the other, and were known to raid or feud among themselves. During times of war, the various war-camps would unite under the High Lord of the Night Court into the Illyrian Legion, which was considered the largest standing army in Prythian .

   Males within the war-camp were trained to join the Legion. Some would drop out of military training to become merchants, blacksmiths, shopkeepers, etc. Male children were trained to be warriors since they were eight, when they were literally thrown into the sparring arena by their mothers and left to fend for themselves. All female members were expected to do the domestic labor including cooking, cleaning, laundry, and child-rearing. Females who did not not perform their chores could be punished by camp-mothers or whatever males were in charge of them. They were trained to lower their eyes when in the presence of males. In some war-camps, it was standard for their wings to be cut when they had their first period.

   Under High Lord Rhysand's rule, Clipping was banned, but the more zealous camps, deep within the mountains still do it. When Amarantha came into power, some war-camps started wing-clipping again claiming it was to keep their women safe. He also worked to allow female Illyrians to train to join the Legion if they wished. Cassian has been trying to build an aerial fighting unit amongst the females, trying to prove that they have a place on the battlefield. So far, he's managed to train a few dedicated warriors, but the males make their life so miserable that many of them have left. Few war-lords let the girls train. Some camps have issued decrees that if a female was caught training, she was to be deemed unmarriageable. Rhysand claims he can't fight against things like that, not without slaughtering the leaders of each camp.

3. #3Clipping

   Keys: clipped, clipping

   Clipping, sometimes called cutting, is a traditional practice performed by some Illyrians as a way of controlling their females. Until Rhysand became High Lord, it was standard in many war-camps for Illyrian females to be clipped once they had their first period. The female was pinned in place and her wings extended. The central tendons were then cut. Just an incision in the right place, left to improperly heal, can cripple an Illyrian forever. Though they retained the ability to move their wings, the wings are no longer able to support them in the air, rendering them unable to fly. The damage was apparently irreversible. The wounds leave distinct scars on the wings.

   Rhysand considered the practice barbaric and banned the practice, though it would sometimes continue in secret. During Amarantha's reign, the practice returned in force, though it has waned again following Rhysand's return.

4. #4Mating

   Keys: mating, mate, mated, mating bond

   A Mate is the name given to the individual with whom a special and very rare bond is shared, the Mating Bond. It is similar to the real-world idea of "soulmates", but much, much stronger.

   The mating bond is described to appear as a link between the minds of the two Fae represented by different structures such as a bridge or string.

   Members of the Fae species are able to sense their mates, but only if the other side is Fae. If their mate is mortal, then this sense will be dulled.

   A mating bond can reveal itself at different times depending on the couple. For some, it snaps into place right when the pair meet, but for others, it can be years before the bond is discovered, and even longer before it is acknowledged.

   When the mating bond is accepted it is higher than the bond between a regular married couple and is considered very sacred.

   When the mating bond snaps into place between a male and female, the female must offer the male food so they can be mated. Once a female has done this, she has accepted the mating bond. This can be done in a public mating ceremony or privately where only the couple is present and the female offers the male food

   In a public mating ceremony, the mates swear their vows in front of a priestess and offer each other food. Then their friends and family bind their hands together with a length of black ribbon that remains until the mating is consummated.

   The mating does not guarantee the couple will be happy and in love forever. In fact, there are multiple cases of unhappily mated couples like Rhysand's mother and father or Tamlin's parents. This happens because the general idea of the mating bond is that both individuals are complete equals, but not necessarily romantically matched. With mating bonds concerning a male and female, the bond is also based on which pairing would create the strongest offspring.

   It is possible for same-sex couples to be mates, but alternate ceremonies for traditions such as the offering of food are unknown (it can be assumed, however, that simply one or both members offer the other food, regardless of gender).

   A mating bond can also be rejected. If a male is rejected by a female, the loss of his mate can drive him into madness.

   If the bond forms between two individuals and one is already married, the situation must be treated very delicately. The males will always feel an intrinsic sense of entitlement to their mate and could go as far as waging a duel or even war against their mate's chosen lover. In the Autumn Court specifically, a male can invoke the Blood Duel.

   If one of the mated pair dies, the loss is unbearable for the other as it feels like they have lost a part of their soul. Many Fae often decide they don't wish to live without their mate. However, certain Fae have avenged the deaths of their mates in a primal fury to punish the one who took them from them.

5. #5Frenzy

   Keys: frenzy

   Once the mating bond is accepted, the couple falls into a state called "The Frenzy" that can last from a few days to several weeks.

   If a male fae is not within the immediate vicinity of their mate, or unable to satisfy the sexual urges he feels toward her, they are driven to the brink of insanity from the desire they feel for their mate. They are possessive and obsessive and feel compelled to try to fuck and breed with their mates. This can be resisted, but it is agonizing, and incredibly difficult if they can see or smell their mate nearby. Some males cannot be in the same building as their mate if said mate does not want to have sex with them, lest they lose control or snap and do something to harm or force them.

   It goes back to the beasts that the Fae once were, and is believed to be a lingering instinct to ensure that the male impregnates the female.

   The length that a frenzy lasts can vary from couple to couple. Some couples do not leave the house for a week. Males get so volatile that it can be dangerous for them to be in public. Males of reason and education have been known to shatter a room and attack other males while the frenzy has a hold on them, simply because a male looked too long in the direction of his mate, too soon after their mating.

6. #6blood duel

   Keys: challenge, blood duel, duel

   The Blood Duel is a tradition of the Autumn Court, a battle to death so brutal that is only enacted in rare cases, including a male defending the mating bond.

7. #7Autumn court

   Keys: Lucien, Beron, autumn, court

   The Autumn Court is one of the seven courts of Prythian, and a Seasonal Court. It is known to be beautiful, cutthroat, and highly competitive, a court of foxes. The High Lord of Autumn, Beron Vanserra, is gifted with the power of fire and is known to be the oldest and the cruelest of all the High Lords. He rules the Autumn Court with his wife the Lady of the Autumn Court and his living sons.

   Eris Vanserra, the eldest child of Beron and his wife, hopes to kill his father and take the throne.

   The woods of the Autumn Court look like a jewelry box, a latticework of red, gold, brown, and green. The colors are so vivid that it's hard not to gawk and gape. Surrounding the forests of the Autumn Court are farmlands and fields, inhabited by the Lesser Faeries who work the land. It is a land of fertile valleys and jade streams that end in steep foothills that leaped into gray, snowcapped mountains mark the start of the shared range with the Winter Court to the north. It limits to the west with the Summer Court, while to the south is the Spring Court.

   The Forest House is the residence of the High Lord of the Autumn Court. It's located at the center of the Autumn Court is a sprawling complex, and has been built in and around the trees and rocks, with only its uppermost levels visible above the ground. Below, it tunnels a few levels into the stone. Its sprawl generates its size; it is possible to walk from one end of the House to the other, though it would take half the morning. There are layers and circles of sentries ringing it; in the trees, on the ground, atop the moss-coated shingles, and the stones of the House itself. No enemies approached Beron’s home without his knowledge. None left without his permission.

   When Prythian was formed, the land was split into seven Courts, the Autumn Court being one of them.

   Like all Courts, the Autumn Court is ruled by a High Lord, Beron Vanserra. Beron and his wife originally had seven sons: Lucien, Eris, and five other unnamed sons. Lucien was really the son of the High Lord of the Day Court, Helion, but was raised as one of Beron's sons.

   Five hundred years ago, Eris, the heir to the Autumn Court, was engaged to be married to Morrigan of the Night Court. However, when he discovered that Morrigan had lost her virginity to the Illyrian warrior Cassian, he refused the marriage. Morrigan was left on the border of the Autumn Court, naked with a note nailed to her womb saying that she was Eris' problem.

   Inhabitants of the Autumn Court tend to have hair of varying shades of red, brown or gold eyes—sometimes green, and pale skin.

   Beron is known to pay his farmers very poorly and so they are desperate for any extra wealth or favor they can receive.

8. #8Courts

   Keys: courts, solar, court, seasonal

   There are seven Courts that rule Prythian, each with a High Lord ruling over it. They are divided into two, the Seasonal Courts and the Solar Courts. There is also the symbolic eighth Court, called The Middle, which is considered sacred.

   The nature of the Seasonal Courts is linked to their High Lords, whose magic and will keeps them in eternal spring, summer, fall, or winter, like a strange stagnation.

   The Seasonal Courts refers to the four Prythian Courts that depend on the seasons, these are: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. These courts experience only one season all year long without variations and are exposed to the typical weather patterns, celebrations and holidays that are expected in that season. The alternate Courts represent the Solar Courts.

   Spring Court is ruled by Tamlin Summer Court is ruled by Tarquin Autumn Court is ruled by Beron Winter Court is ruled by Kallias

   The Solar Courts are of a more symbolic nature, each Court adhering to the laws of nature. All three Courts go through the rise and fall of the sun, however depending on their Court, it may be different for each. For example, the nights in the Night Court are said to be far more beautiful than those in other Courts.

   The Solar Courts refers to the three Prythian Courts that do not depend on the seasons, these are: Dawn, Day, and Night because as opposed to being named for a season as the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Courts, it refers to a time of day. While the Seasonal Courts experience only one season the Solar Courts experience all four seasons. And unlike what most expected, the Solar Courts do not alter the sun's path. Instead, the part of the day upon which the Court has been named is said to be the most beautiful. Thus, in the Dawn Court, the dawn is the most beautiful, likewise for the Day Court which has the most beautiful days and the Night Court which has the most beautiful nights.

   Dawn Court is ruled by Thesan Day Court is ruled by Helion Night Court is ruled by Rhysand and Feyre The Court of Nightmares The Court of Dreams

   Each Court of Prythian has an insignia with a design that symbolizes the Court.

   Spring Court's symbol is a blooming rose, symbolizing the season of spring. Summer Court's symbol is an ocean wave, symbolizing the season of summer. Autumn Court's symbol consists of fall leaves, symbolizing the season of autumn. Winter Court's symbol is an ice shard in the shape of a wolf, symbolizing winter. Dawn Court's symbol is the sun rising from between the mountains, symbolizing dawn. Day Court's symbol is the sun, symbolizing the day and sunlight. Night Court's symbol is a mountain dotted with three stars, symbolizing the night.

9. #9Spring Court

   Keys: Tamlin, Spring, spring court

   The Spring Court is one of the seven Courts of Prythian and one of the four Seasonal Courts. The High Lord of this Court is Tamlin, who's gifted with great strength and shapeshifting magic to change his form into a beast or the appearances of others.

   The Spring Court is a land of rolling green hills, lush forests, and clear, bottomless lakes. Magic didn’t just abound in the bumps and the hollows – it grew there. To the south, the Court borders the Wall and likewise the Mortal Realm. Its northern borders are the Summer Court and the Autumn Court.

   While the Spring Court boasts no cities, a large village is located close to the High Lord’s estate, less than five miles away. Most of the village was destroyed due to Amarantha; however, a tavern and a well in the middle of the village had been completely rebuilt.

   The manor is described as a sprawling estate veiled in roses and ivy, with patios and balconies and staircases sprouting from its alabaster sides. Amethyst irises and pale snowdrops and butter-yellow daffodils bloom in the balmy breeze of the Spring Court. A grand marble staircase leads to the giant oak doors of the estate. Inside, there are black-and-white checkered marble floors, countless doors, a sweeping staircase and vases overflowing with fat clusters of hydrangea.

   When Prythian was formed, the land was split into seven Courts, the Spring Court being one of them.

   During the War, the Spring Court allied with Hybern to keep the humans enslaved. Tamlin's father was High Lord at this time, a fickle and vicious Lord whom was very close to both the King of Hybern and Amarantha. Tamlin as a child often accompanied him on trips to Hybern.

   Amarantha eventually grew to desire Tamlin – to lust for him. Tamlin had come across stories from others about the War and knew what Amarantha, his father, and the king had done to faeries and humans alike. Tamlin also learns what she did to Jurian as punishment for her sister’s death. He was wary of her when she came to Prythian as the King of Hybern’s emissary, despite her attempts to lure him into her bed and the attempts to build trade between the two nations. He kept his distance. After his father's death, Tamlin became the High Lord.

   The Spring Court has a biannual Tithe, where its subjects pay a forced tribute. If unable to pay the consequences are disastrous. The bloodline of the High Lord of the Spring Court possesses five crowns. Tamlin wears a golden crown molded into a wreath of spring's first flowers, crafted with emeralds, sapphires, and amethyst.

   Known Residents: Alis (formerly) Alis's Nephews (formerly) Andras (Deceased) Bron Feyre Archeron (formerly) Hart Ianthe (deceased) Ianthe's Father Ianthe's Mother Ianthe's Sisters Lucien Vanserra (formerly) Spring Court Sentry Tamlin Water-wraiths

10. #10Summer Court

    Keys: summer court, Tarquin, summer

    The Summer Court is one of the seven Courts of Prythian and one of the four Seasonal Courts. Tarquin is the High Lord of the Summer Court and the youngest of all the High Lords.

    The Summer Court is bordered to south by the Spring Court. Its eastern border is the Autumn Court, and the northern border is the Winter Court.

    The Summer Court boasts four cities, one of which is the city of Adriata where the High Lord of Summer spends the last weeks of winter and first weeks of spring. A palace is built atop a mountain-island in the heart of a half-moon bay. The city circles the island on three sides and spreads toward the sparkling sea.

    The High Fae of the Summer Court, like their Lord, have dark skin, white or silver hair, and are generally clad in loose, light clothing. Their eyes, however, come in every color and shade. Their livery is blue and gold.

    Known Residents Alis Alis's Brother-in-law Alis's Cousin Alis's Nephews Alis's Sister Brutius (Deceased) Cresseida Nostrus (Deceased) Summer Court Advisers Tarquin Varian Water-wraiths

11. #11Winter Court

    Keys: Winter, Kallias, winter court, Viviane

    The Winter Court is one of the seven courts in Prythian and the northernmost of the Seasonal Courts.

    The Court is made up of towering, exquisite palaces, full of roaring hearths and is bedecked in evergreens. Carved sleighs are the court's preferred method of transport, hauled by velvet-antlered reindeer whose splayed hooves are ideal for ice and snow. The Winter Court's forces are well trained, but they often rely on the great, white bears that stalk the realm for any unwanted visitors. The army includes these white bears, which wore armor during times of war, and used white foxes as couriers, the foxes carrying messages strapped to their embroidered vests.

    The Winter Court's northern border is the Dawn Court, and its southern border is the Summer Court and Autumn Court.

    The High Fae of the Winter Court have hair that is snow-white or as dark as the blackest night, skin ranging from moon pale to rich brown. They tend to wear fur-lined clothing. Their court has many species of Lesser Fae. One looks like long-limbed creatures that are shards of ice given form, tall enough they could place banners atop war tents.

    When Prythian was formed, the land was split into seven Courts, the Winter Court being one of them.

    The High Lord of the Winter Court is the quiet and cunning Kallias. He is a pale-skinned man with a crown of ice. The Lady of the Winter Court, Viviane, is Kallias's wife and mate.

12. #12Dawn Court

    Keys: dawn court, Thesan

    The Dawn Court is one of the seven courts in Prythian, and one of the three Solar Courts.

    The Dawn Court is bordered on the north by the Day Court and to the south by Under the Mountain and the Winter Court. Its sky is cobalt and tinged by the rose remnants of sunrise long into the day, the edges of soft clouds gild with golden light. The air has lingering dewy freshness in the air. It is a lush, eternal countryside rich with the weight of summer upon it.

    Dawn's territory is set in small cities that specialized in tinkering, clockwork, and clever things. The towns were red-roofed villages with sparkling rivers.

    Thesan is the High Lord of the Dawn Court who "glowed the brightest of all" the High Lords.

    The colors of the Dawn Court are gold and red. They have a small aerial legion of winged faerie called Peregryn. The people sometimes dress in light, loose robes that are layered yet flattering.

13. #13Day Court

    Keys: Helion, Day court

    The Day Court is one of the seven courts of Prythian, and one of the three solar courts.

    The Day Court is bordered to the north by the Night Court, and to the south by the Dawn Court.

    When Prythian was formed, the land was split into seven Courts, the Day Court being one of them.

    The High Lord of the Day Court, Helion Spell-Cleaver, is a dark-skinned man clothed in white and gold colors. He is also Lucien Vanserra's biological father from an affair he had with the Lady of the Autumn Court hundreds of years ago.

    the Day Court had a thousand libraries that were personally looted by Amarantha, and that the Day Court has been responsible for archiving Prythian's knowledge of magic for centuries. The Day Court is known for its immense basin of knowledge and its people for their gift of inventing.

    Known Residents Helion (High Lord) Day Court Scholars Meallan Meallan's Mate Meallan's Son (Deceased)

14. #14Night Court

    Keys: night court, rhysand

    The Night Court is one of the seven Courts of Prythian and one of the three Solar Courts. Rhysand is the High Lord of the Night Court and Feyre Archeron is the High Lady of the Night Court. It is divided into two sub-Courts, the Court of Nightmares, and the lesser known Court of Dreams.

    The Night Court is a mountainous court located at the northernmost region of Prythian, and boasts the largest amount of territory out of all the courts. The Night Court is bordered to the south by the Day Court. Though it is called "The Night Court," it follows the cycle of day and night, as every Solar Court does. However, the Night Court's nights are more breathtaking than those of any other Court.

    Many citizens of the Night Court consider it to be divided into two sub-Courts. The Court of Nightmares is the name given to the Hewn City. It is a violent place with individuals who follow their own morals and those who disagreed with Rhysand's rule. This side of the Night Court is known by the rest of the world. However, the secret side of the Night Court is the Court of Dreams, otherwise known as the city of Velaris, and it is where Rhysand and his Inner Circle dwell. This city was protected and hidden by Rhysand from the rest of Prythian during Amarantha's rule as High Queen. Rhysand and his Inner Circle had to reveal Velaris to the Mortal Queens, who use that information to bargain with the King of Hybern, who then attacked Velaris.

    When Prythian was formed, the land was split into seven Courts, the Night Court being one of them. At one point, the Night Court was a violent place, ruled from the Hewn City by a High Lord. However, this changed when an ancient High Lord had hopes for it to become a better place. With this in mind, he sealed the borders and staged a coup. Then he eliminated the worst of the citizens who lived there and built Velaris. He established trade and peace within the Court and the city became known as "Court of Dreams." To preserve the peaceful city, the High Lord kept it a secret from the rest of Prythian and placed multiple spells around the city to protect it. It is even rumored that the High Lord cast his blood onto the stones and in the Sidra River to keep the place eternally safe.

    His ancestors continued keeping it a secret from the outside world for many millennia. However, the peace within the Court did not last, and the Court of Nightmares later resurfaced.

    Morrigan's family later ruled the Court, before eventually the powers of High Lord were passed to Rhysand's family. Rhy's father ruled the Night Court until he was killed by Tamlin. The powers were transferred to Rhysand who ruled Velaris and the Hewn City. Rhys appointed Amren as his Second-in-Command, Morrigan as his Third-in-Command, Cassian as the Commander of the Court's armies, and Azriel as spymaster. These individuals form the Inner Circle.

    When Amarantha began to frequent the Courts of Prythian, the Night Court was no exception, so the High Lord lost much of his powers because of her. As punishment for having assassinated the then High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin's father, who was a great ally of Amarantha and the King of Hybern during the War with humans, the son of the then High Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand, was taken as Amarantha's personal sex slave.

    The nobility of the Night Court fall into one of three categories. The first are those who hated Rhysand enough that when Amarantha took over, they joined her Court and later found themselves dead. The second are those who hated Rhysand enough to try to overthrow him and faced the consequences. The third are those who hated Rhysand, but not enough to be stupid and have since tolerated his rule, especially when it so rarely interferes with their miserable lives.

    The sigil of the Court is a mountain with three stars overhead.[2] Though some citizens in the Night Court have to pay taxes, there is no equivalent of the Spring Court Tithe in the court.

15. #15Inner Circle

    Keys: circle, inner circle

    The Inner Circle is a group of individuals who help Rhysand govern the Night Court. They comprise of:

    Rhysand - High Lord of the Court. Feyre Archeron - High Lady and former emissary to the Mortal Lands. Amren - Second-in-Command. Morrigan - Third-in-Command. Azriel - Spymaster. Cassian - Commander of the Night Court's armies. Elain Archeron - Seer Nesta Archeron - Valkyrie

16. #16Velaris

    Keys: court of dreams, velaris, city of starlight

    Velaris, also known as the Court of Dreams and the City of Starlight, is a hidden city on the western side of the Night Court of Prythian. Its inhabitants agree that Rhysand be their High Lord despite the fact that he is not fully High Fae being half Illyrian, whom their counterparts the inhabitants of the Court of Nightmares consider Lesser Faeries, it is for this reason that the inhabitants of said Court do not approve of him.

    The city remained hidden from Amarantha, thanks to Rhysand's fifty year sacrifice Under the Mountain. The walls of Velaris had not been breached in over five thousand years.

    Velaris is built like a crust atop rolling, steep hills. The hills are flanked by a broad, winding river the color of the deepest sapphire, the Sidra River, that snakes across the landscape into the sea. The Sidra River has ships with sails of varying shapes placed along it permanently, making it navigable. At the northern edge of Velaris, curved to where the river bent toward them and flowed into their shadows, tower, like eternal guardians of the city, a wall of flat-topped mountains of red stone. Their middle and larger peak has holes and windows built in the uppermost part of it, in fact, there is where the House of Wind, Rhysand's house for official business, caan be found. To the north are different kinds of mountains that surround the city across the river, which are a range of sharp peaks comparable to fish teeth cut through city's hills from the sea beyond.

    The city's buildings are crafted out of white marble, warm sandstone, and the same red stone of the flat-topped mountains that can be found on the northern edge of the city. Many quarters of Velaris are full of townhouses with green copper roofs and white chimneys.

    In Velaris many shops can be found with delicate tables and chairs scattered outside their cheery fronts, restaurants like the Restaurant where the Inner Circle go dining, and nightclubs like the Rita's. Many of these buildings are heated by warming spells.

    Velaris has four market squares called Palaces, two on the southern side of the Sidra River and two on the northern side. We know the name of only three of the four squares: the Palace of Thread and Jewels and the Palace of Bone and Salt that sell respectively jewels and food and are positioned on the southern side of the Sidra River, and, the Palace of Hoof and Leaf positioned on the northern side of the Sidra River and twin square to the Palace of Bone and Salt. They are white-stoned squares flanked by Tehran pillars supporting the carved and painted buildings that watch over them, and provide a covered walkway beneath the shops built into the street level.

    What Velaris is most known for is the artists' quarter, called the Rainbow of Velaris, home of performing artists, like the musicians, the dancers, and the actors. It is a brightly painted pocket of the city, built atop one of the hills that flowed right to the river's edge. In the Rainbow of Velaris there are around a hundred galleries, supply stores, potters' compounds, sculpture gardens, and anything in between. In this quarter there is a building with a golden top, the most famous of the five main theaters in the city. There are also other smaller theaters and an amphitheater on the sea cliff.

    There was a time when the Night Court was the Court of Nightmares and was ruled from the Hewn City. An ancient High Lord had a different vision, and rather than allowing the world to see his territory vulnerable at a time of change, he sealed the borders and staged a coup, eliminating the worst of the courtiers and predators, and then building Velaris for the dreamers, establishing trade and peace.

    To preserve it, he kept Velaris a secret, and so did his descendants. There are many spells on the city itself—laid by him, and his heirs, that make those who trade here unable to say anything about the city and possess the skill to convincingly lie in order to keep the origin of their goods and ships, hidden from the rest of the world. Rumor has it that an ancient High Lord doused his blood upon the stones and river to keep that spell eternal.

    Rhysand let everyone believe that the citizens of the Night Court were the worst kind of Fae possible, and that the Hewn City was the face of his people, so that no one who did not live on Velaris would know of its existence. He put his cousin Morrigan as overseer of both the Hewn City and Velaris. He lived in the latter and made occasional visits to the other to maintain his reputation as an evil ruler.

    In Under the Mountain, fifty years before the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, Amarantha tricked the High Lords into giving control over their powers to her. As Rhysand felt Amarantha ripping his power away, he used what little time he had to erase the city and the wards from the minds of the Court of Nightmares. He threw a shield around Velaris, binding it to his Inner Circle so that they had to remain or risk that protection collapsing, and used what little power he had left to tell them mind to mind what was happening as well as ordering them to stay away.

    Known Residents Amren Ananke Aranea Azriel Bryaxis Cassian Cerridwen Clotho Deirdre Elain Archeron Feyre Archeron Gwyneth Berdara Ilana Lorelei Lucien Vanserra Madja Merrill Morrigan Nesta Archeron Nuala Nyx Ressina Riven Rhysand Rita Roslin Sevenda

    Known Locations Amphitheater Amren's Apartment Aranea's Gallery Feyre's Studio House of Wind Lucien's Apartment Mr. Archeron's Gravesite Nesta's Apartment Neve's Shop Palace of Bone and Salt Palace of Hoof and Leaf Palace of Thread and Jewels Rainbow of Velaris Ressina's Studio Restaurant Rhysand's Treasure Chamber Rita's River House Sidra River The Cabin The Four Market Squares The Library The Town House Velaris Lingerie Shop Wolf's Den

    Velaris' breeze smells like salt and lemon verbena. When Mor confesses to Feyre that she prefers females, she tells her that Velaris is a haven for LGBTQ Fae, especially Rita's, the pleasure hall, where she spends almost every night. Rhysand says that Velaris was built to be viewed during the night. A legend says that the magic barriers that surround Velaris were built with the blood of an ancient High Lord of the Night Court, that he dropped into the stone and on the river.

17. #17Rita's

    Keys: rita's, pleasure hall

    Rita's is a pleasure hall in Velaris where people can dance and gamble. Rhysand's Inner Circle often frequent this establishment, particularly Morrigan who visits Rita's the most. It is an LGBTQ hangout.

    The owner of Rita's is interested in women.

    The last time Cassian was intimate with a female was a month before Amarantha had fallen and it had been with a female he met at Rita's. They headed to the alley outside the pleasure hall and had sex against the brick wall. It was only swift release for them both, and it was over within minutes.

    According to Mor, it took her four centuries to convince Azriel to come with her to Rita's, which shows how old the pleasure hall is.

18. #18Shadowsingers

    Keys: shadowsingers, shadow, shadowsinger

    Shadowsingers are a special kind of faeries that have the ability to wield and control shadows. They can hear and feel things others can't and can merge into the shadows as well as transport through them.

    Shadowsingers are very rare, and the only known living shadowsinger is the Night Court's spymaster, Azriel. Like daemati, shadowsingers are coveted by courts and territories across the world.

    The powers of a shadowsinger are as secret and mysterious as the shadows themselves. They are incredibly stealthy. They are often surrounded by shadows and are said to have the ability to feel and hear things from them that others can't. They can control and manipulate shadows, merging into them or using them to transport in a manner similar to winnowing.

    Azriel is the only known shadowsinger. They are incredibly rare.

19. #19Winnowing

    Keys: winnowing, winnowed, winnow

    Winnowing is the name given to the ability to transport oneself to a different location. It is magic only the most powerful Fae possess as it requires a great deal of concentration and strength. This power is not tied to any court, like other powers. It is dependent on the user's own reserve of power and training. Certain locations such as the House of Wind are protected against people winnowing directly inside.

20. #20Court of Nightmares

    Keys: Nightmares, Court of Nightmares, Hewn City

    The Hewn City, also known as the Court of Nightmares, is one of the two main cities of the Night Court of Prythian. It's located under the mountains of the Night Court and is the domain of High Lord Rhysand.

    Unlike Under the Mountain, which was a series of halls and rooms and levels, the Hewn City is a true city within the mountain. There are avenues, separate buildings with spires, homes, and bridges. It is an entire metropolis carved from the dark stone of the mountain itself. Every surface is carved with lovely, hideous artwork: figures dance and fornicate, beg and revel, pillars are carved to look like curling vines of night-blooming flowers. Water runs throughout the city in little streams and rivers tapped from the heart of the mountain itself. The mountain-city is lit with silvery bobbing faelights.

    The Hewn City is ruled from a castle inside the mountain, which is the official seat of the High Lord of the Night Court. The gates to the castle are carved into great, scaled black beasts coiled together in a nest of claws and fangs, sleeping and fighting or devouring each other. Between them flow vines of jasmine and moonflowers. The throne room within is of polished ebony on every surface, the floor highly polished enough Feyre could see her face in it when she kneeled and lowered her head. More of the beasts from the gates are carved around the countless columns supporting the onyx ceiling, which is so high the gloom hides its finer details. Atop a dais is a throne that has been fashioned out of a few of the beasts, a head snaking around either side of the back as if they watch over the High Lord's shoulders.

    The castle's council chambers was nearly as large as its throne room. It was carved from the same dark rock, pillars fashioned after those entangled beasts, having a high domed ceiling. It had a mammoth table of black glass that split the room in two, shaped a bit like a lightning bolt. The table's corners were left long and jagged so they were as sharp as a razor, capable of injury if one was not careful.

    Its inhabitants do not agree that Rhysand is their High Lord since he is not completely a High Fae being half-Illyrian, whom the inhabitants of the city consider Lesser Faeries. Rhysand gave the Hewn City to those who hated him, but not enough to be stupid and have since tolerated his rule, especially when it so rarely interferes with their lives. Only High Fae live within, the members dress in finery. Guards are dressed in white and grey, the color of the mountain, so they can blend into it.

    Said to have been the inspiration behind the decor and design of Amarantha's famed Court, Under the Mountain, after visiting the Hewn City, since she never knew of the existence of the Court of Dreams. The residents of the Hewn City are known for their heartlessness and cruelty. Here, even Feyre had to resist the urge to thank servants who served her as here, no one thanked anyone. They took what was theirs and offered no gratitude or apologies for it.

    Traditionally, the Hewn City was the home of the High Lord of the Night Court and the place from which he governs his territory. However, in the case of Rhysand, he vastly prefers Velaris and the Court of Dreams. Rhysand has assigned Morrigan to be in charge of Hewn City, but the inhabitants of the Hewn City are ruled primarily by Keir, who serves as a Steward for Rhysand, making the Court of Nightmares a haven for all those who oppose Rhysand's practices or philosophies and preferring instead the ancestral values of the treacherous Night Court. They're happy to stay in the Hewn City, rarely leaving, ruling themselves, and being as wicked as they please, for all eternity.

    The place is known as the "Court of Nightmares" due to the occupants' violent principles, and is believed to be an honest representation of the Night Court by their fellow Prythians, since its counterpart is the Court of Dreams or Velaris, where the inhabitants live happily and apart from the world, for few are privy to the well-guarded knowledge of the secret existence of Velaris and the Court of Dreams.

21. #21Amarantha

    Keys: The Never-Fading Flower, The Deceiver, High Queen of Prythian, The Lady of the Mountain, Amarantha

    Amarantha was born in Hybern, an island kingdom near Prythian. At the time, it was ruled by a king who hated mortals and was furious at the idea of signing a treaty with them.

    Amarantha was the King of Hybern's greatest general, and found a great ally in the then-High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin's father, who did not want to set his mortal slaves free. As his ally, Tamlin's father frequented Hybern and occasionally took Tamlin with him, so Amarantha began to woo the young man and wanted him to be her lover, but Tamlin always refused her offers.

    She had a sister named Clythia who during the war between faeries and mortals fell in love with one of the main commanders of the human armies, Jurian, who used her to get information about fae. Amarantha loved her sister and could see that Jurian was simply using her for information, however, she was unable to convince Clythia of this fact and couldn't bring herself to kill Jurian when it would hurt her sister. After months of pretending he loved her, Jurian brutally murdered Clythia, crucified her with ash wood, and cut her to pieces for Amarantha to find. Upon learning of this, Amarantha's wrath was said to have been able to bring the skies down, but the King of Hybern ordered her to stand down. Jurian's actions caused Amarantha to develop a deep hatred of mortals.

    Amarantha eventually took revenge on the human and had her final confrontation with Jurian and defeated him after a long battle. She then tortured him for weeks, and ignored the King of Hybern's orders to march to his aid until she'd killed Jurian, an act that cost him the War. After Jurian was killed, she kept his finger bone to make a necklace and one of his eyes, and embedded his life force within the stolen body parts. Because of this, Jurian was unable to pass on into the afterlife and was damned to an eternal half life, trapped within the artifacts. His eye, which was kept within Amarantha's glass ring, was noted to move at certain times, as Jurian was still alive and aware of what was happening around him.

    After the Treaty was made, Amarantha butchered her own slaves rather than free them.

    One hundred years before ACOTAR, Amarantha returned to Prythian as an emissary from Hybern. She went from court to court, charming the High Lords with talk of more trade between Prythian, more communication, more sharing of assets. She also made amends for her actions during the War. Amarantha was even called the "Never-Fading Flower." Centuries had passed since the War and the High Lords believed her when she said her sister's death had changed her. Her actions re-opened trade between the two countries but unbeknownst to anyone, including the King of Hybern, the ships that brought Hybern goods also brought her own personal forces. She intended to take Prythian for her own and use it as a staging ground to destroy the mortal lands, with or without the king's blessing.

    Fifty years after her arrival, she tricked the seven High Lords out of their power, using a spell stolen from the King and drugging their drinks with a special potion. She took control of Prythian within days and proclaimed herself High Queen of Prythian. She then set up her court in Under the Mountain, a sacred place for Prythian.

    As punishment for Rhysand's father having killed her great ally, the then High Lord of the Spring Court, Amarantha took Rhysand, now High Lord of the Night Court, as her sex slave. Rhysand complied but secretly hated her.

    Amarantha had attempted to win over Tamlin for the past hundred years but he refused, wary after her past cruelty. Now weakened and wanting to improve things, Tamlin sent his friend and emissary, Lucien Vanserra, to try to treat for peace between them. Amarantha refused and when Lucien told her to return to the shit-hole she'd crawled out of, she was so enraged she gouged out one of Lucien's eyes with her fingernail and scarred his face. Tamlin, Lucien and all other creatures, High and Lesser Faeries alike, grew to fear Amarantha for her actions. Tamlin himself was left sick at his friend's condition.

    After that, Amarantha hosted a masquerade at Under the Mountain, supposedly a party to make amends for what she did to Lucien. It was a masquerade so he wouldn't have to reveal the scarring on his face and the entire Spring Court was to attend, even servants, and wear masks. Once everyone was assembled, she claimed they could have peace if Tamlin became her consort. After what she did to Lucien, Tamlin refused to even let her touch him, and said he'd soon take a human to his bed - marry a human - than touch her. Tamlin went on to say that her own sister had even preferred a human's company to hers, choosing Jurian over her, as he now did.

    Amarantha cursed Tamlin for this and turned his heart to stone. She said he now had 49 years (seven times seven years) before he had to join her as her consort, unless he completed her challenge. If he did, she would even end the spell and return his power. Tamlin was to find a human girl who both hated the fae and would be willing to marry him. This girl had to kill one of his own fae in an unprovoked attack, killing the faerie for hatred alone as Jurian had done to her sister. Tamlin was forced to shapeshift his own soldiers into wolves and send them across the Wall to be killed. Amarantha was certain that it was impossible for the same girl who slaughtered a faerie in cold blood to fall in love with one, and so this was, to her, a guaranteed way to force Tamlin to wed Amarantha. The girl would also have to say to his face she loved him and mean it with her entire heart. Knowing humans were preoccupied with beauty, Amarantha went a step further and bound the masks the Spring Court wore. The girl would have to be willing to look beneath his mask and fall in love with his soul, not his handsome face. The faerie were also banned from telling the girl anything about her or the challenge, leading the Spring Court to lie about a "blight" that had attacked their people.

    Forty years ago, three of the High Lords attempted to overthrow her: Day, Summer, and Winter. They did not even get to the point of open rebellion before Amarantha learned of it and killed them and most of their families. To prevent them from doing this again, she used the High Lords' stolen powers to bind the faeries of the court to their land. They could not travel to other Fae territories to organize now. Now they had to use whatever humans that were foolish enough to cross the Wall to serve as messengers - the Children of the Blessed. They tried to send the mortals, mostly young women, to other faerie territories to ask for help, but Amarantha caught them before they left Prythian's shores and tortured them to death.

    The High Lords and their courts are made to stay with her at Under the Mountain where she can torment them as she pleased. The Spring Court was an exception and allowed to remain on their land until Tamlin's curse timed out. Others, if they groveled and served her, were allowed a bit more freedom to come and go from Under the Mountain as they wished. Rhysand was one of these exceptions, serving as her personal prostitute and using this status to his advantage.

    The King of Hybern was aware of Amarantha's actions but did not attempt to stop her. He used her to test the strength of Pyrthian and its High Lords in preparation for his future invasion. As the years of Tamlin's curse passed, Amarantha sent all manner of monstrous faeries against his borders to test his strength.

    Amarantha tore the wings of a Summer Court faerie from his shoulders, leaving only stumps, and dumped him into the Spring Court to further torment Tamlin. Tamlin found him and brought him back to his manor, but the bleeding faerie died from his injuries shortly afterwards. Feyre was there and held the faerie's hand, comforting him until he died.

    Amarantha later wished to kill the High Lord of the Winter Court for treachery, but Rhysand convinced her to spare the High Lord. That night she forced Rhysand to serve her sexually but not before inadvertently ordering the slaughter of two dozen Winter Court children as punishment and sent a daemati to destroy their minds. Since Rhysand was also a daemati, Kallias, the High Lord Rhysand saved, believed he destroyed their minds. Word of this slaughter later reached Tamlin's manor. Unable to tell Feyre about Amarantha, Tamlin and Lucien told her the blight killed them.

    During the Calanmai, Rhysand convinced Amarantha to let him leave Under the Mountain, promising he would bring back traitors. She agreed, unaware that he was merely tracking down Feyre, his mate, having realized she was now in Prythian. Rhysand later returned with three male faeries who had harassed Feyre, having broken into their minds and rewrote their memories so they thought they were planning to rebel and confessed as much to Amarantha. They were eventually tortured to death and Amarantha was pleased with Rhysand's "success."

    The day after the ceremony of Summer Solstice, Lucien and Feyre were having lunch when Tamlin sensed the presence of Rhysand. Rhysand was sent by Amarantha to remind Tamlin that the agreed time was running out. Tamlin concealed Feyre with glamour for this Rhysand didn't notice her at first, but when he realized that there were three plates on the table, he asked him where his companion was. When Tamlin told him that they were already gone Rhysand dispersed the glamour and said that he remembered Feyre from Calanmai. Lucien lied saying that she was his girlfriend. Rhysand read Feyre's thoughts to verify, and discovered that she was thinking of Tamlin. This made Rhysand realize the Spring Court faeries' deception, and that Feyre was in love with Tamlin.

    He threatened to tell Amarantha about Feyre's presence in Tamlin's life, and Tamlin and Lucien had to bow to prevent him from doing so. Before leaving he asked Feyre what her name was, and she lied, claming the name "Clare Beddor". When Rhysand arrived Under the Mountain, he told Amarantha what he had learned

    At the end of the forty-nine year term given by Amarantha to Tamlin to find a human who hated the Fae with all her heart and loved him, thus freeing him from his curse, the entire Spring Court was brought to Under the Mountain. The Beddor family home, with the family inside, was set on fire and Clare was abducted and tortured to death.

    Feyre learned of this and rushed to save her lover and the Spring Court, journeying to Under the Mountain to seek Amarantha. She was brought before the dark queen by the Attor, and publicly proclaimed her love for Tamlin. Amarantha was intrigued, and offered her a chance to prove her worth, her devotion to Tamlin, and win the freedom of the Spring Court. She decreed that Feyre must either complete three grueling tasks or answer her riddle. The answer to the riddle eluded Feyre so she opted for the tasks, and with the help of Lucien and Rhysand, successfully finished all three. Amarantha, clever and cruel, denied Feyre her prize, claiming that she only promised she would free the Spring Court if Feyre successfully completed her trials, but did not specify when. It was only in the case of the riddle that Amarantha promised immediate freedom. Amarantha then proceeded to publicly torture Feyre, and although both Tamlin and Rhysand attempted to save her, Amarantha killed her. However, in Feyre's final moments, she figured out the answer to the riddle and whispered it with her final breath.

    This utterance broke Amarantha's binding curse, freeing Tamlin, and the members of the Spring Court were able to remove their masks. Tamlin, having reclaimed his full power, killed Amarantha by stabbing Lucien's sword into her head and ripping out her throat with his teeth, in a mad fit of rage and grief. Once she died, all the seven Courts were also free from her dominating grasp and magic.

    Her actions left many High Lords stricken with trauma. Tamlin became more controlling and abusive as a result of the pain Amarantha inflicted.

    Amarantha's appearance didn't radiate darkness and bitterness but someone who had a charming allure. Though lovely she most certainly wasn't devastatingly beautiful. She had neatly braided red-gold hair, which wove elegantly through her golden crown. Her skin was white, which both complemented her ruby lips and her crown. Her elegance was shown to have an atmosphere of being contrived and cold. Being High Fae, she also had slightly pointed ears. Amarantha always wore a ring and necklace made from Jurian's eye and fingerbone.

    Amarantha was notably cruel and vindictive, and delighted in torturing others both physically and emotionally. She was ruthless, as seen by her treatment of her mortal slaves, and was willing to defy orders from her king, who was more powerful than her, in order to get her revenge. She was noted as being especially wretched and vicious during the War.

    Despite her sadistic nature, Amarantha did feel love for her younger sister, and was protective of her to the point of sparing Jurian so she wouldn't be hurt. It was her sister's death, at the hands of a mortal, that caused Amarantha to develop such hatred for them. Due to Jurian's betrayal, Amarantha also harbored the belief that mortals were fickle and unable to feel true love for faeries, as they would always betray them. She was always cruel, however Clythia's death left her even more so than before.

    Her sadism left Feyre with trauma, causing her to spiral into depression and not be able to bear the sight of the color red.

    Amarantha had very powerful magic, even more so after she stole power from the High Lords of Prythian. She was able to control faeries using this power, and to a lesser extent the High Lords themselves. She was also very knowledgeable about spells and curses, as she was able to cast long-lasting and very specific magic on her enemies, including binding a life force to body parts.

    High Fae Physiology: As High Fae, Amarantha had a variety of physical enhancements, including advanced healing, immortality, and increased speed, strength, and stamina. Powers of High Lords (Stolen): Fifty years after her arrival at Prythian, Amarantha revealed her true nature by using a spell stolen from the King to drug their drinks. She tricked all 7 high lords out of their power and proclaimed herself as High Queen of Prythian. She assumingly had control over these powers, bested only by the high lords themselves. When she died, all her stolen power instantaneously returned to the high lords.

    Amarantha's coat of arms is a sleeping dragon.

22. #22Under The Mountain

    Keys: Dusk Court, Under the Mountain, The Middle, Amarantha's Court

    Under the Mountain is the name of Amarantha's infernal court and place of rule, from which she ruled all of Prythian.

    Geographically, Under the Mountain is situated in the Middle, and borders the Winter Court to the south and the Dawn Court to the north.

    Under the Mountain's entrance is two ancient, enormous stone doors taller than Tamlin's manor, which led into a vast chamber carved from pale rock upheld by carved pillars. The carvings depicted faeries and High Fae and animals in various environments and states of movement - stories of Prythian. Chandeliers of jewels hung between the pillars, staining the red marble floor with color. This led to the throne room. There were many other passageways and rooms within the mountain, including dungeon cells, luxurious bedroom suites, and the Middengard Wyrm's maze.

    Amarantha fashioned and modeled Under the Mountain after the famed Court of Nightmares, located in the treacherous northern Night Court, ruled by High Lord Rhysand and presided over by the Steward Keir, father of Mor. When under Amarantha's control, there was a dais that had two black stone thrones, one for her and one for Tamlin.

    Under the Mountain was a sacred space for Prythian. Located in the Middle, it was in unclaimed territory, which made it a neutral meeting space for the land's High Lords.

    After the Treaty was signed preventing humans from being enslaved by the Fae, Amarantha broke away from the King of Hybern and began to frequent the Prythian Courts. She cleverly deceives the seven High Lords and took away their power, forcing them into submission. Amarantha named herself High Queen of Prythian and built her Court, to which all must answer, underground beneath the sacred Mountain of Prythian, which was renamed Under the Mountain.

    After the masquerade where Amarantha cursed all the Spring Court to wear their masks forever and also cursed their High Lord, Tamlin, to seek a human girl, with hatred towards the Fae in her heart, but who could love him, she ordered all the inhabitants of the Prythian Courts to live in Under the Mountain, except for the Spring Court, who was granted the benefit of living on their lands until the forty-nine year period Tamlin had to find the human who could break his curse had passed.

    This was the case with Rhysand, who is the High Lord of the Night Court, and as his father had killed Tamlin's father, who was an important ally of Amarantha and the King of Hybern during the war with humans, he had been taken as Amarantha's personal sex slave but could sometimes leave Under the Mountain. The Attor, a monstrous creature, could come and go from Under the Mountain as Amarantha used him to bring him those Fae whom she wanted to see.

23. #23Rhysand

    Keys: High Lord, Rhysand, Night Lord

    Rhysand is the most powerful High Lord in history and the current ruler of the Night Court, alongside Feyre Archeron.

    He is incredibly handsome and appears to be arrogant, careless, and cold at first. Rhysand was born to the then-High Lord of the Night Court and his mate, an Illyrian seamstress. He is half-High Fae, and half-Illyrian, and once had a younger sister.

    When Rhysand was eight, his mother took him to an Illyrian war camp to be trained as she did not want him to rely on his Fae powers alone. When he arrived, he met Cassian and they immediately despised each other. Cassian was born a bastard, so he was given nothing and had to find his own shelter and food. Rhysand saw him walking in the cold one night and realized for the first time what it was like to not be warm, safe, and cared for. The fact that Cassian would be forced to stay in the cold didn't sit well with Rhysand, so he went out and tracked Cassian to his tent, woke him up, and invited him to stay at his house.

    Even though they lived under the same roof, they still hated each other and only behaved because if one of them got into trouble or provoked the other, then neither of them ate that night. His mother also tutored Cassian, but it wasn't until Azriel arrived a year later that they decided to be allies. Rhysand and Cassian made Azriel's life a living hell, but Rhysand's mother had known Azriel's mother and decided to take him in. As they grew older, they realized that they had better odds of survival sticking together, and stopped tormenting one another.

    During various court functions over the years, Rhysand got to know Tamlin, the youngest son of the High Lord of Spring Court at the time. Being a half-breed Illyrian who had to prove himself and defend his power, Rhys saw what Tamlin was going through and befriended him. He sought Tamlin out whenever he was able to get away from war-camps or court and taught him some Illyrian techniques. His family disapproved and Tamlin's father was threatened by him, and because he thought he was weaker than both Tamlin and Rhysand, he wanted to prove that he wasn't.

    One day, Rhysand's mother and sister were traveling to the Illyrian war-camp to see him. He was supposed to meet them halfway, but he was busy training a new unit and decided to stay. Tamlin's father, brothers, and Tamlin himself set out into the Illyrian wilderness. He knew from Rhysand, where his mother and sister would be and that he had plans to see them. Rhysand was supposed to be there, and when they found out that he wasn't, they slaughtered his mother and sister anyway. They put their heads in boxes and sent them down the river, to the nearest camp. Tamlin's father kept their wings as trophies.

    When Rhysand and his father heard, they winnowed to the edge of the Spring Court that night, then went the rest of the way on foot to the manor. When they got there, Rhysand slew Tamlin's brothers on sight. He held their minds and rendered them helpless while he cut them into pieces, then melted their brains inside their skulls. However, when he got to the High Lord's bedroom, Rhysand found the High Lord and his wife dead, killed by his father, even after he had promised not to touch Tamlin's mother. Rhysand's father went for Tamlin's room next, and Rhys tried to stop him, but he didn't listen. Rhysand was going to kill Tamlin too, but couldn't let his father do it. He didn't care that Tamlin had been there, had allowed them to kill his mother and sister, that he'd come to kill Rhys because he didn't want to risk standing against them. He was done with death, so he stopped his father before the door. When his father tried to go through him, Tamlin opened the door and saw them both, and smelled the blood spilled from his father's room, and killed Rhys' father in one blow.

    Moments later, the powers from the two deceased High Lords shifted to both of them respectively, crowning them both as the new High Lords of their courts. After that, Rhys ran from the Spring Court, and harbored a deep hatred for one another ever since.

    When the War between mortals and faeries started Rhysand was 28 years old. He, like the rest of the Night Court, fought on the side of mortals. As the High Lord of the Spring Court was a close ally of the King of Hybern and his commander Amarantha, once she seized power from the seven High Lords of Prythian, she took Rhysand as her personal sex slave as punishment for being the son of the man who killed his greatest ally in the war against humans.

    From then on, Rhysand was forced to live with her Under the Mountain and indulge her carnal desires and perform the tasks she gave him. This would give him severe post-traumatic stress.

    Rhysand is described to be tall, heartbreakingly handsome and has short blue-black hair, like a raven's feathers, and violet eyes with flecks of silver like starlight. He has tan skin, however, he was also once pale because he was forced Under the Mountain for so long, and gained back his coloring after spending time in Velaris. He also has tattoos decorating his arms and muscular chest. He has tattoos on both of his knees of mountains with 3 stars on top of the mountains, representing that he will bow for nothing and no one but his crown. He has a small, curling tattoo behind his ear, for his deal with the Weaver. He also has a tattoo on his left forearm, wrist to elbow, for his promise to move on to the next life at the same time as Feyre.

    He has giant, smooth membranous wings that are flecked with a hint of iridescence and are clawed like a bat's that he can summon and hide at will. He wears rich clothing, cloaked in tendrils of night: an ebony tunic brocaded with gold and silver, dark pants, and black boots that reached his knees.

    His beauty and handsomeness are said to be legendary, greater so far than anyone else's in Prythian. He radiates sensual grace and ease and keeps his composure most of the time.

    In his beast form, Rhys has dark feathers or scales, wings, elongated canines, talons, and the face of a terrifying creature

    He is very arrogant, as he knows exactly how handsome he is, occasionally throwing jokes and comments about his heartbreaking beauty. He is extremely dark in terms of his behavior and has an air of mystery, swagger, and sensuality surrounding him. He handles things with a certain level of casualness, courteousness, and grace that is as savage and dangerous as it is beautiful and remarkable. But most of this is just a mask. Under it, he's a kind, generous and humble person. He is a "shameless flirt", and an expert at manipulation, deception, trickery, and lies. He is also able to hide his emotions flawlessly most of the time.

    However, even though he acts careless and cruel, he does really care about things and will do anything, and sacrifice anything, to keep them safe and unharmed. He loves his wings and flying, he adores the Court of Dreams and above all else, cherishes Feyre. He chose to defend and fight alongside Feyre against Amarantha, even though it would have probably cost him his life, had she not solved the riddle. As Amarantha targeted him to be her whore, he suffered from a lot of emotional trauma that he hides with deadly grace and ease. However, beneath the shadows and coldness he seems to always portray, he loves very fiercely and passionately for the people he really cares about. However he tends to think that he knows what is best for them, such as when he hid the information about Feyre's pregnancy from her.

    Rhysand has an extreme amount of power, that exceeds the amount of any of the seven high lords. He is the most powerful Fae in the history of Prythian, this is because he had natural magic before he was crowned, he's a hybrid of a High Fae father and a demi-fae mother. His mother's sub-race of fae, the Ilyrians are known for being extremely powerful. A scene where it is demonstrated is in the meeting of the High Lords, where they remember the extent of his power and what he can do with it.

    Darkness manipulation: Rhys can manipulate and control shadows and darkness. Daemati powers: Rhys is a Daemati, meaning he has powers relating to mind control and invasion. Memory manipulation: He can change people's memories at will, as well as manipulating them to ignore the memory, such as in the instances of Varian and Cresseida. Mind reading: He is adept at reading someone's mind and memories. This was a skill that Amarantha greatly benefited from. Flight: Through his Illyrian wings which he was not born with but conjures through magic, Rhysand is able to fly. He is also capable of holding people in his arms, while he flies. Winnowing: Through training, Rhysand has developed the ability to transport himself to a different location, including short distances and long. Illyrian combat: He's been training in Illyrian war-camps since he was eight. He has the ability to fight with weaponry and in hand-to-hand combat. Rhysand is far better than other warriors, but Cassian is the only other that can beat him. Misting: Rhysand is capable of turning the bodies of enemies into a misted version of themselves, effectively killing them in less than a second, with little more than a thought.

    Rhysand smells like rain, salt, and citrus. His right knee was injured in the war five hundred years ago. He wears a simple silver ring bought in Velaris, representing his bond with Feyre. When he was a boy Rhys loved to sneak out of the House of Wind by leaping out of his window to fly all night over Velaris. When his mother discovered this, after scolding him, she occasionally joined. Rhysand does not like or share his surname. It is a tradition between Rhys, Cassian and Azriel since they were children to go on the morning of Winter Solstice to the Cabin and build forts out of snow. Then they would have a snowball fight all morning.

24. #24The cabin

    Keys: Cabin

    It's located in a remote part of the Illyrian Mountains. It stands tucked between two upper fangs of the mountains, which shelter it from the wind. There is nothing around for as far as the eye can see.

    It's warded so no one can winnow in. Upon entering, there is a main, wood-paneled room consisting of a kitchen to the right, a living area with a leather sofa covered in furs to the left, a small hall in the back that leads to two bedrooms, a shared bathing room, and nothing else. There's a hearth that is large enough to warm the whole place.

    It responds to magic. Its residents is able to unlock the door, start a fire, warm the water, and provide food with a wave of their hand. The house has been spelled to take care of the needs of anyone inside, doing things like filling the tub, changing the sheets on the bed, etc, they just need to wish or speak for things and it'll be done.

    In the bathing room is a deep, sunken tub in the floor, large enough to accommodate Illyrian wings. The counters in the kitchen are made from wood and there is also a stove in the kitchen. There is a small dining table between the kitchen and living area. The bedrooms each contain a set of drawers, closets, and large beds. There is also a supply closet in the main area.

    The cabin is not common, because everything had been made and appointed with care, but casual. It is the sole place where the inner circle can come and not be anyone but themselves - a family, instead of lords or ladies or generals or spies.

    Morrigan and Rhysand used to get sent to the cabin for "reflection" when they were younger. Rhys used to smuggle in books and booze for Mor.

    Rhysand, Azriel, and Cassian used to come to the cabin to get drunk for a week straight every autumn.

    The cabin is where Feyre and Rhysand accepted and consummated their mating bond.

25. #25Azriel

    Keys: Spymaster, Az, the shadowsinger, Azriel

    Azriel is an Illyrian and member of the Night Court. He is the spymaster shadowsinger of Rhysand and belongs to his Inner Circle. He is a childhood friend of Rhysand and Cassian.

    He is considered to be one of the most powerful Illyrians in Prythian history, along with Rhysand and Cassian.

    Azriel is the bastard son of an Illyrian lord. For eleven years he lived with his father, stepmother, and two older half-brothers. The two boys and their mother were cruel and spoiled. While living in his father's keep, his stepmother kept Azriel in a cell with no windows or light. He was allowed to come out only for an hour a day, and to see his mother for one hour every week. He was not allowed to train or fly, even when his Illyrian instincts urged him to do so.

    When he was eight, his two cruel half-brothers decided it would be fun to see what happened when you mixed an Illyrian's quick healing gifts with oil and fire. They poured oil on his hands and lit them on fire. His father's warriors heard Azriel's screaming, and rescued him but not quick enough to save his hands, leaving them permanently scarred.

    At the age of eleven, he was dumped in the Illyrian training camp, Windhaven, where he was well received by the camp lords due to his shadowsinging gifts. He eventually met Rhysand and Cassian, as they were training at the same camp. At this point, like Cassian, Rhysand's mother took him in, for she was a friend to Azriel's mother.

    When Rhysand's father saw that his son had started to rival him in power and had allied with the two most powerful Illyrian warriors in history, he separated them in fear that they would eventually turn against him. Rhysand was given command over a legion, Azriel was kept as his personal shadowsinger, and Cassian was appointed as a foot soldier.

    Once Rhysand became the High Lord of the Night Court, Azriel was appointed as spymaster and became part of his Inner Circle.

    Azriel is not very fond of finding gifts for people. Azriel suffers from frequent headaches, often caused by his friends. Azriel smells like night-chilled mist and cedar. Azriel's voice is described as dark, smooth, and cold as shadows given form. It is low, almost flat. Between Azriel, Rhysand, and Cassian, Azriel has the biggest wingspan. Azriel is a freak in bed. Azriel can sing. It is a tradition between Rhys, Cassian and Azriel since they were children to go on the morning of Winter Solstice to the Cabin and build forts out of snow. Then they would have a snowball fight all morning. On the Winter Solstice day after the end of the War with Hybern Azriel achieved his 199th victory. Azriel is two years older than Rhys.

    Azriel is described as classically beautiful, but near-unreadable. He is tall, with dark hair, golden-brown skin, and massive Illyrian wings. His eyes are hazel and the planes of his face are elegant. His Illyrian training is described to have shaped his body to be extremely powerful and muscular. He has brutal scars on both hands. Azriel is constantly surrounded by shadows as if even the light shied from him. A cocoon of silence seems to pulse around him.

    Illyrian warriors typically wear one or two Siphons to channel their raw power into magic, but Azriel requires seven cobalt Siphons to maintain his power. He keeps his dagger, Truth-Teller sheathed at his thigh.

    Azriel is an enigmatic and somewhat mysterious figure due to his shadowy persona and nature as a Shadowsinger. His role requires him to see and hear a lot while staying in the shadows, thus he tends to be quiet and keeps his thoughts to himself, observing from the shadows. However, beneath his guarded exterior lies a loyal, protective and gentle nature towards those he considers family. Azriel struggles with self-confidence and self-worth due to his traumatic past of abuse, which has made him cautious with trust and reticent with his emotions. His dry, somewhat morbid sense of humor helps him cope, making dark jokes to lighten serious situations. Overall, Azriel's combination of skills, abilities and tragic history have shaped him into a quietly observant and withdrawn figure, yet with loyalty and kindness towards those who have earned his trust.

    Azriel is a shadowsinger and is physically powerful due to his Illyrian background. As a shadowsinger, he has the predisposition to hear and feel things others can't. He can merge into shadows and move throughout them. He is also the bearer of the magical knife, Truth-Teller.

    Azriel has a romantic interest in Mor, yet he has never acted upon his feelings. Mor told Feyre that his inhibitions are probably related to the fact that he believes he is not worthy of Mor.

    However, his feelings aren't returned by Morrigan as she confessed to Feyre that she preferred the company of females to males. Azriel does not know this, however, and continues to quietly pine away for her.

    Nuala and Cerridwen, the half-breed twins work as Rhysand's personal servants and spies. They also answer to Azriel as he trained them and the twins report to him on spymaster matters.

26. #26Ironcrest

    Keys: Illyrian, Ironcrest, war-camp

    Ironcrest Camp is one of the many Illyrian camps on the Night Court.

    This camp is located somewhere in the Illyrian Mountains of the Night Court, a few hours' flight from Windhaven Camp. It is a rival camp to Windhaven.

    After the end of the war against Hybern several members of the camp are in the list that Azriel has compiled of the Illyrians who try to cause animosity among the warriors by speaking badly about their High Lord, Rhysand, and the commander of the Court's armies, Cassian, generally encouraged by Kallon, the son of the Lord of the camp.

27. #27Windhaven

    Keys: Illyrian, Devlon, windhaven camp, Windhaven, War-camp

    Windhaven Camp is a war-camp located in Illyria. It is ruled by Devlon. It is located somewhere in the Illyrian Mountains in the Night Court. It's is described as a cold and harsh Illyrian war-camp built near the top of a forested mountain. It is built using bare rock and mud, interrupted only by crude, easy-to-pack tents centered around large fire pits. Near the tree line, a dozen permanent buildings are erected of the gray mountain stone. On the opposite end of the camp, there are sparring and training rings fully stocked with various weapons, weights and training supplies. The camp radiates a lack of warmth and joy.

    Cassian, Azriel, and Rhysand met in the camp, where they became like brothers, inseparably loyal. Cassian spent the longest amount of time there out of the three of them, and before he was taken in by Rhysand's mother, he lived on the outskirts of the camp, in tents, only receiving shelter, food, and belongings that he was able to win in fights.

    This camp is a known rival to another Illyrian camp named Ironcrest Camp, which is a few hours flight from Windhaven's location.

28. #28Tanwyn

    Keys: Tanwyn

    Tanwyn was a Valkyrie and Cassian's former lover.

    Tanwyn was in the Valkyrie ranks. At some point, she met Cassian and they became lovers.

    She participated in the War where she rode at the head of the battle in the Gollian Mountains and didn't come back alive from the mountain's pass.

    Cassian describes Tanwyn as "bold-hearted" with "a smile like a storm". She was Cassian's first lover beyond the Night Court's borders.

29. #29Valkyrie

    Keys: Valkyrie, Valkyries, Female warrior

    The Valkyries are a clan of female warriors from all species. They are better and braver fighters than the Illyrians.

    Valkyries were wiped out during the War five hundred years ago. According to Cassian, there is speculation that the few survivors of the war made themselves cease to exist to avoid the shame of their loss. The history and training of the Valkyries was passed down orally, so any accounts we have come from what passing historians, philosophers, or traders wrote down. However, the Valkyries legacy has been revived by Nesta Archeron, Gwyneth Berdara, and Emerie.

    Valkyries were fearless and brilliant individual fighters. But their true strength lay in being a highly trained unit.

    They used their shields as weapons.

    Mind-Stilling One Valkyrie technique was "mind-stilling". They used it to calm their minds and emotions. Some of them did it three or four times a day. But basically, it is the act of sitting and quieting the mind. It requires constant practice. It involved deep breathing and becoming aware of one's body and then learning to let go. They used it to stay calm in the face of their fears, to calm themselves after a hard struggle, and to fight the inner demons they possessed.

    They found heightened emotions distracting in the face of an opponent. They trained their minds into a weapon as sharp as any blade. Being able to maintain their composure, to know how to reach that place of calm in the midst of battle, made them imperturbable opponents.

    They did these exercises multiple times a day.

    Steps for mind-stilling: Get into a comfortable seated position. Alert, but at ease. The spine should touch the cushions or floor, the feet should be flat on the floor, while the hands should lightly rest on the knees. Now take three deep breaths, in through your nose for a count of six, out through your mouth for a count of six. After you finish the third breath, close your eyes, and keep breathing. Don’t overthink it, just close your eyes and keep breathing. Take five breaths. Now let your breathing steady, and focus on the sounds around you. Acknowledge them, then let them fade away. Now survey your body. Starting at your head, slowly working down to your toes, assess how you’re feeling. Note if there are sore spots, if there are spots that feel good. Now, you should assess how you are feeling. Don’t dwell on it, but just acknowledge it. Now we’re going to work on focused breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Do ten of them, then start over. If a thought pops up, acknowledge it, then send it on its way. Tell yourself, "I am the rock against which the surf crashes." Your thoughts are the surf. Let them crash over you. Start over if you lose count. When you finish your next set of ten, stop counting your breaths and just let your mind do as it wishes. We’ll do that for a few heartbeats, then stop. The goal is to work up to longer and longer periods of this. It should feel like this: The mind lingers. Doesn't wander. It's just sitting there. Contented. Resting. Like a cat curled at her feet. Stilled. Begin to sink back into your body. Mark the sounds around you. Mark the feeling in your fingers, your toes. Open your eyes.

    Known Valkyries Current Nesta Archeron Gwyneth Berdara Emerie Roslin Deirdre Ananke Ilana Lorelei Former Tanwyn

30. #30Faerie

    Keys: faeries, lesser faeries, Fae, high fae, fey, fairies, fairy

    Faeries or Fae are immortal magical beings highly feared by mortals.

    Faeries live north of the Wall in Prythian, or in other kingdoms such as the kingdom of Hybern, and in other realms.

    Types of Faeries There are two main types of faeries:

    High Fae: humanoid Fae who were made specifically to be the rulers of all faeries. Lesser Faeries: faeries that don't look human and serve other purposes.

    Special Faeries Daemati: are faeries that have the ability to walk into another person's mind. They are able to read, influence, and even shatter someone's mind, depending on their training and power. Shadowsingers: have the power of shadows and are able to control, transport, and meld into them. They are among the rare few who have the ability to hear and feel things others can't, making them excellent spymasters. Seers: are a rare type of faerie that is able to predict the future through visions. Similar to shadowsingers, they are able to sense and experience things others cannot and therefore are very valuable to those in the presence of one.

    Females Fae female's menstrual cycle doesn't work like human cycles. In fact Fae have very painful cycles two times a year, supposedly every 6 months. We can also suppose that Fae female reach sexual maturity later than the average human age as we were told that Rhysand's mother first bled when she was eighteen and Morrigan first bled when she was seventeen. In certain Fae communities, like the Illyrians and in the Hewn City, once a female has bled she is ready to immediately be married to a male of her family's choosing and at this point she has to provide him offspring.

    Many years before the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses humans lived in the realms of the Fae as slaves. After the War, the humans manage to free themselves and the faeries are forced to sign a Treaty that prevent them from enslaving humans again and have to create a magical wall that divides the kingdoms of the Fae from the realms of mortals.

    Since then, humans hate faeries and the hatred is transmitted from generation to generation, as well as the knowledge that is had of this brutal species, such as:

    The only material that prevents them from healing is the ash wood, They hate iron, iron charms keep faeries away, They can not lie, Faeries can't cross the wall, Faeries like silver. Of all these legends, only the first one turns out to be true since Lucien Vanserra tells Feyre Archeron that iron does not bother them at all and that they can lie all they want, that they have circulated that rumor so that humans would think that everything faeries say is the truth.

    The Children of the Blessed are humans, mostly young women, who believe the faeries are good and worship them like gods. They wear silver bracelets, possibly to mimic the ones that the High Priestesses wear, and try to enroll people to cross the wall into Prythian. They are regarded in a very bad light in the human lands, and even the Fae do not take much liking to them, using them only for entertainment or as game.

31. #31Mortal

    Keys: mortal, human, mundane

    Mortals or Humans are those individuals belonging to the human race. Mortals don't possess magic.

    Many years before the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses mortals lived in the realms of the faeries as slaves.

    Mortals had been forced to build them "glorious, sprawling civilizations" and "temples to their feral gods."

    After the War, mortals managed to free themselves and faeries were forced to sign a Treaty that prevented them from enslaving them again and had to create a magical wall that divided the realms of the faeries from the realms of mortals.

    Since then, mortals have hated the faeries and the hatred is passed down from generation to generation, as well as the knowledge that is had of this brutal species, such as that the only material that prevents them from healing is the Ash wood, that they hate iron and they can not lie. Many mortals wear iron as protection against Fae.

    Of all these legends, only the first one turns out to be true since Lucien Vanserra tells Feyre Archeron that iron does not bother them at all and that they can lie all they want. They had circulated that rumor so that mortals would think that everything fairies say is the truth.

    Feyre, Elain, and Nesta Archeron were members of this race, before being Made into High Fae.

32. #32Made

    Keys: made, made beings, made objects, being made, unmade

    Being Made is a magical process in which an object or a being is turned into something more. Only Made beings can speak certain spells and summon certain powers.[1] Made beings and objects can usually recognize other Made beings and objects. Made beings can wield Made objects' magic. Additionally, since "like calls to like" Made beings can track Made objects.

    Made objects are immune to certain magic like the power of the Blood Rite. Carrying a Made object can protect the wearer from the effects of another.

    The opposite of being Made is being Unmade, which means to be destroyed.

    Uses A mortal can be turned into a High Fae. It can be done with the aid of the Cauldron, like in Nesta and Elain Archeron's case, or thanks to great power, like the power of all the seven High Lords, like in Feyre Archeron's case. To create powerful magical weapons that are sentient. The process makes them gain their own self-awareness and desires. They can't be found if they want to stay hidden. It can be done with the aid of the Cauldron, or it can be done by a Made being.

    Known Made Objects Ataraxia (Made by Nesta Archeron) Dread Trove (Cauldron-Made) The Crown The Harp The Mask The Horn Gwydion (Cauldron-Made) House of Wind (Made by Nesta Archeron) Nesta's Dagger (Made by Nesta Archeron) Nesta's Great Sword (Made by Nesta Archeron) Truth-Teller (Cauldron-Made) Bracelet Charms (Made by Nesta Archeron) Emerie's Charm Gwyneth's Charm Nesta's Charm Known Made Beings Amren (Made by herself) Briallyn (Cauldron-Made; later Unmade by Nesta Archeron) Elain Archeron (Cauldron-Made) Feyre Archeron (Made by the High Lords) Jurian (Cauldron-Made) Kelpies (Made by a god) Miryam (Made by an unknown Cauldron-Made object) Nesta Archeron (Cauldron-Made)

33. #33Blood Rite

    Keys: True warrior, blood rite, oristian, Illyrian Ceremony, carynthian, elite warrior, arktosian

    The Blood Rite is an Illyrian ceremony that is completed when a novice-warrior wants to progress to the status of a true warrior.

    The Blood Rite happens each year in early spring with hundreds entering the area of conifer forests and ravines around Ramiel in the Illyrian Mountains. The novice-warriors have their wings bound and lack weapons, magic, or Siphons. The only supplies they have are the clothes on their back. Novice-warriors from the same camp are split up when they start. They have one week to reach Ramiel, scale its side by hand, and touch the onyx monolith at the top to pass.

    Where the warriors are when it ends sorts them into one of the three echelons of warrior, named after their holy stars:

    Arktosian, the ones who don't make it to the mountain but survive; Oristian, the ones who make it to the mountain but don't reach the top; and Carynthian, the ones who scale the summit and are considered elite warriors. The area around Ramiel is closed the rest of the year to prevent novices from scouting the area to give themselves an advantage. It is generally considered unacceptable by Illyrians for outside forces to interfere with the Rite.

    During this time, novices must survive exposure, the creatures of the mountains, and each other as they race against time. Many Illyrians who enter the rite often kill each other for food, clothes, vengeance, or glory. Old feuds are played out, new ones born, and scores settled. Indeed, the Blood Rite offered a release for the dangerous tension within the Illyrian community. It was better to settle it in the Rite than risk civil war.

    At some point, Enalius drew a line in the dirt and held the ground against enemy hordes at the Pass on Ramiel. He died after defending the Pass for three days. He climbed with his guts hanging out to the sacred stone at the top and died there. The Blood Rite is done in his honor and the Pass was named "Pass of Enalius" after him.

    Devlon allowed Rhysand, Azriel, and Cassian to perform the Rite despite their status as crossbreed and bastards, respectively. Each started the Rite at a different location in the mountains, however, all three managed to find each other and survive together. They were the first to reach the onyx monolith that year.

    Nesta Archeron, Gwyneth Berdara, and Emerie are kidnapped and forced into participating in the Blood Rite by traditional Illyrian males who want to punish the females for believing themselves warriors. No one can intervene to save them and doing so condemns the people involved to execution. During the Blood Rite, they meet Balthazar who promises not to kill Nesta and whoever is with her as she is Feyre Cursebreaker's sister. The three manage to survive against all odds. Emerie and Gwyn become Carynthian reaching the summit, touching the onyx monolith, and Nesta becomes Oristian having stayed behind to hold the line at the Pass of Enalius so her friends could reach the monolith.

    No one knows who put the onyx monolith atop Ramiel.

34. #34Enalius

    Keys: god, illyrian, war-god, Ramiel, warrior god, Enalius, The first Illyrian

    Enalius is a warrior-god and the first Illyrian who died defending Ramiel from the ancient enemies. At some point, Enalius drew a line in the dirt and held the ground against enemy hordes at the Pass on Ramiel. He died after defending the Pass for three days. He climbed with his guts hanging out to the sacred stone at the top and died there. The Blood Rite is done in his honor and the Pass was named "Pass of Enalius" after him.

    Cassian's fighting style is said to be similar to Enalius.

35. #35Ramiel

    Keys: ramiel, illyria, mountains, holy mountain

    Ramiel is the Night Court and Illyrian's sacred mountain. It appears on the Night Court's insignia, and it is where the Illyrian Blood Rite takes place.

    Ramiel is located in the center of the Illyria region in the Night Court, and is regarded as the holy mountain of the court.

    The first ruler of the Night Court made Ramiel his court insignia, the mountain depicted with three stars on top, which are only visible for one week a year, when the Blood Rite is performed.

    Illyrian warriors who are ready to partake in the rite must reach the top of Ramiel and touch the onyx monolith located there. If they don't, they don't pass the rite and are not considered warriors.

36. #36Illyria

    Keys: Northern region, Illyria

    Illyria is the northern region of the Night Court.

    The region of Illyria includes steppes and mountains where there are multiple War-Camps where Illyrians live and train.

    When Prythian was conquered by the first High Lords the island was divided into seven courts. The northern region became part of the Night Court.

    A race of faeries different from the High Fae live in Illyria, a warrior race called Illyrian who differ from the High Fae more than anything by the lack of pointed ears, and for possessing wings that allow them to fly, reason why the High Fae consider them Lesser Faeries. Women are treated as inferior and it is customary to clip their wings.

    Cassian is the General Commander of the Illyrian armies.

37. #37Illyrian Mountains

    Keys: war-camps, ramiel, illyrian mountains, mountains

    The Ilyrian Mountains are a mountain range of Illyria located north in the Night Court. These mountains are where the Illyrian Blood Rite takes place.

    Known locations within the mountains include: Ramiel Windhaven Camp Ironcrest Camp War-Camps

38. #38Faebane

    Keys: bloodbane, toxin, poison, faebane

    Faebane, also known as Bloodbane, is a chemical compound that was used in poisoned arrows by soldiers of Hybern against Rhysand and his Inner Circle and later in the war between Hybern and Prythian. It neutralizes and suppresses High Fae powers. It is not unlike ash. It's a blue stone generally used in the form of handcuffs to capture Fae or as a fine powder created by grinding the stone.

    At the meeting of the High Lords in the Dawn Court, Thesan introduces a Fae alchemist named Nuan who developed an antidote for the effects of faebane. Using this, the forces of Prythian are no longer greatly affected by the compound, which is wielded as a chemical weapon by the King of Hybern during most battles.

    King of Hybern grows fruit trees in his private garden in his castle that are watered with water mixed with faebane.

39. #39Truth-Teller

    Keys: Truth-teller, Made Object, Gwydion, Azriel

    Truth-Teller is the name of Azriel's favorite magical knife that can help him discern the truth. Truth-Teller is an obsidian-hilted hunting knife with a dark scabbard embossed with the name in silver Illyrian runes.

    Truth-Teller is the twin to Gwydion, both forged from the iridium mined from the same meteorite. When the knife is near its twin Gwydion, it glows with dark light in response to Gwydion's white light. It has the power to Unmake things.

    Truth-Teller can Unmake things.

    There is a Fae prophecy from Midgard that says: "When knife and sword are reunited, so shall our people be", referring to Gwydion and Truth-Teller.

    Iridium is one of the rarest elements in the earth's crust.

40. #40Gwydion

    Keys: Made Objects, Starsword, legendary weapon, Gwydion

    Gwydion, also known as Starsword, is the last of the magic swords. It was taken to Midgard by Queen Theia and later used by Bryce Quinlan. It shares a bond with the Truth-Teller, and they call to each other.

    It is described to be as dark and beautiful as the night itself. Gwydion's power is described as holy, savior's light.

    The sword has a dark blade with a black hilt, and is made of iridium mined from a meteorite. It's the twin of Truth-Teller, the sword glowing with white light, starlight, while Truth-Teller glows with dark light.

    It was dipped into the Cauldron by Fionn who was accompanied by two other figures, one of which we know to be Theia. Gwydion, as well as the Truth-Teller, were Made with the Cauldron's warped powers and became the only weapons capable of defeating and overthrowing the Daglan.

    It is said by Amren that Gwydion has been gone for millennia, disappeared around the time the last of the Dread Trove went missing. Theia, the former High Queen of Prythian, had taken the two blades, the Horn and the Harp with her on her quest to conquer and colonise Midgard. While the Truth-Teller and the Harp returned to Prythian with Silene, Gwydion remained with Theia and would later be stolen by Pelias and kept in his bloodline until Byrce Quinlan, as Theia's female heir, managed to use it and later return it to the Night Court.

    Gwydion is the last known Cauldron-Made sword. It is capable of killing the unkillable. When it's close to its twin, the Truth-Teller, it glows with white light in response to the dagger's dark light When used with the Truth-Teller - and if wielded by those destined to wield them - these two blades open a portal to nowhere - a black hole. Only someone with Starlight powers can trigger its powers due to the blade being keyed to Theia's powers. There is a Fae prophecy from Midgard that says: "When knife and sword are reunited, so shall our people be", referring to Gwydion and Truth-Teller. Iridium is one of the rarest elements in the earth's crust. Carrying both Gwydion and the Truth-Teller is something that brings visible discomfort to Azriel.

41. #41Cauldron

    Keys: made beings, made objects, Made, creation, unmade, the mother, Cauldron, artifact

    The Cauldron is a powerful magical, sentient artifact that created and creates life. It is said that it holds everyone's fates. All life came and comes from the Cauldron - the Mother poured it into Prythian and from it, life blossomed. In order to function the Cauldron must be supported on its three feet, and as a way to prevent its power from being used in a bad way, the Fae from other worlds created the Book of Breathings, written in the Holy Tongue or Leshon Hakodesh. In it, explanations are given on how to nullify the power of the Cauldron. The book was divided into two parts and after the War between Fae and mortals, a part was given to the High Lord of the Summer Court for his care and the other was given to the Mortal Queens of that time. The part of the mortal queens could only be given to the Fae with free will since if one tried to steal it with magic or spell the queens to give it up, that half would be destroyed.

    The power of the Cauldron can revive dead people if their souls were preserved and it also allows mortals to become Fae if they have sufficient willpower. With the power of the Cauldron you can also destroy the Wall that was erected between the Fae kingdoms of the north and the Mortal Lands of the south.

    The three feet of the Cauldron were given to the Priestess and kept in three different temples.

    Daglan Rule Even though the Cauldron was of the world of the Fae, the Daglan quickly learned of its value and captured it. They used their powers to warp and twist it and turn it into something deadlier. It went from just being a tool of creation to one of destruction. The Daglan produced many horrors from it, including pets they liked to set free and hunt for sport. Some of these pets are still locked away in the Prison.[1]

    To defeat the Daglan, Theia, Fionn, and an unknown third Fae, used it to create weapons capable of defeating their masters: Gwydion and the Truth-Teller.

    It is unknown if the Cauldron has returned to its original, unwarped state.

    The King of Hybern began searching for the Cauldron after the Attor fled Under the Mountain upon witnessing the death of his former boss, Amarantha, and took with him the jewels she wore, which contained an eye and a finger bone with Jurian's soul. As Jurian had been the greatest defender of mortals in war and had loved a half-mortal, half-Fae woman named Miryam, the King planned to convince him to seek revenge for the abandonment of Miryam, who had left him for Drakon, a Fae prince. He said that with Jurian's help he could destroy the Wall they could coexist with mortals, when in reality he planned to dominate and enslave them as in ancient times.

    He first began by stealing the three feet of the Cauldron from the Priestess temples and upon learning of this, Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court realized what he intended and began to seek both parts of the Book of Breathings to nullify power from the Cauldron. To confirm his theory that the King wanted to resurrect Jurian, he travels with Feyre Archeron to the Prison to meet the Bone Carver at the Prison to bargain with him for any information he can give them about returning a soul to a body. The Bone Carver told them that it was possible to resurrect him if his soul had been preserved, and then he told them about the book and where they could find it: one half was in the Summer Court and the other in the palace of the mortal queens on the Continent. After asking questions of his own, the Bone Carver tells them the story of the Cauldron.

    According to the Bone Carver, the Cauldron existed before the High Fae and mortals. The world was born in the Cauldron. It fell into the wrong hands and great and horrible things were done with it. Eventually, it was stolen back at a great cost. Since it couldn't be destroyed without life ceasing to be, it was hidden and forgotten. Only with the Cauldron could something that is dead be reforged.

    The Bone Carver reveals that the Cauldron was hidden at the bottom of a frozen lake in Lapplund, but vanished a long time ago. He says that millennia before Rhysand was born, the Cauldron's three feet were successfully removed from its base in an attempt to dull its power. It worked, but barely. The feet were then hidden at three temples: Cesere, Sangravah, and Itica. Judging by the recent attacks on the three temples Rhysand and Feyre deduce that the King of Hybern has stolen the feet so that the Cauldron is at full power.

    The Bone Carver also states that aside from raising the dead, the Cauldron could also be used to destroy the Wall. He explains that the Cauldron is pure energy and power. And like any magic, it can be depleted. The Bone Carver continues, saying that when the Cauldron was made, its dark maker used the last of the molten ore to forge a book, the Book of Breathings. This book contains the secrets of the Cauldron.

    Once all three feet were gathered, he was able to use the power of the Cauldron to resurrect Jurian and make him his ally. Then he sent him to the mainland to talk to the queens and when they learned that he had fought for mortals in the war and discovered that one of the queens had given their half of the book to Rhysand, they allied with him and told him about Velaris, so the King sent a legion to attack the city.

    After Amren cracked the spell to nullify the Cauldron, Feyre, Morrigan, Cassian and Azriel went to Hybern but Feyre joined the two halves of the book believing that only then would she manage to take away its power and that caused the King to realize their interference and trap them. When Feyre and her friends face the King of Hybern in his castle. They discover he has used the Cauldron to resurrect Jurian. As a demonstration to the Mortal Queens, who wanted to become High Fae and rule forever, the King uses the Cauldron to forcefully Made Feyre's two sisters, Elain Archeron and Nesta Archeron, into High Fae by dipping them into it.

    During the Final Battle, the King of Hybern uses the power of the Cauldron to burn entire swathes of soldiers into fine ash within seconds. He first turns this power on the Illyrian army in the sky, destroying an entire regiment that Cassian had been leading. Cassian only barely escaped his death as a result of Nesta calling out to him. Cassian dropped out of the sky at the cry, his loyalty to her safety taking precedence. In doing so, he dodged the Cauldron's burning-light spell entirely. His soldiers, however, were not so lucky. They were turned instantly to ash.

    After Feyre's sister, Nesta, recovered from her shocking magical transformation resulting from her being forcibly dipped into the Cauldron, it was revealed that she had managed to take considerable magical power from the Cauldron during their brief exchange. As such, she can sense the Cauldron's presence, its power, and its intended use in advance. The Cauldron as revenge took the beauty and youth of the first mortal queen who tried to use it to become Fae, but gave her immortality anyway.

    During the night after the High Lords meeting in the Dawn Court, Nesta felt that something was not right and the answer to this feeling came the next day, during a new meeting, in where the King of Hybern unleashed the power of the Cauldron and destroyed the Wall.

    The Cauldron, under the control of the King of Hybern, is eventually brought with him from Hybern to Prythian via ship to the site where the final battle is to be fought. It is situated on a rocky mountain face above the field, near the King's pavilion.

    During the Final Battle, the King of Hybern uses the power of the Cauldron to burn entire swathes of soldiers into fine ash within seconds. He first turns this power on the Illyrian army in the sky, destroying an entire regiment that Cassian had been leading. Cassian only barely escaped his death as a result of Nesta calling out to him. Cassian dropped out of the sky at the cry, his loyalty to her safety taking precedence. In doing so, he dodged the Cauldron's burning-light spell entirely. His soldiers, however, were not so lucky. They were turned instantly to ash.

    The second attack by the Cauldron was directed on the foot soldiers on the ground, where the Bone Carver was cutting through Hybern's army with his death magic, having agreed to fight for Feyre's cause. The Cauldron's power was unleashed against him, and in a blinding flash of heat and light, it slammed into the Bone Carver, disintegrating him completely in the blink of an eye. Feyre, witnessing the attack, was shocked by its raw, destructive power.

    Exhausted of its strength and needing time to replenish its power, the Cauldron was out of commission following the second attack. Feyre and Amren, following Stryga the Weaver, make their way up the mountain to the King's pavilion, intending to destroy the Cauldron. Stryga is killed by the King of Hybern. Afterward, Nesta and Cassian fight the King to distract him, so Feyre and Amren sneak around and get to the Cauldron.

    As they approach the Cauldron, Amren reveals her real intention: not to destroy the Cauldron, but to use its power to strip her of her Fae form, so she might take up her real form and be unleashed upon Hybern's forces. Her intended sacrifice, she insists, will end the war quickly in favor of Prythian. Feyre agrees to help Amren and watches as her friend descends beneath the surface of the black water inside the Cauldron.

    A moment later, Amren's true form - that of a fiery Angel of Retribution - breaks the surface of the black water and escapes the Cauldron, rising up into the world once more to attack Hybern's forces. She defeats them, but the cost is she burns herself out entirely until she is no more.

    Amren's release breaks the Cauldron, and it begins leaking a type of anti-matter (a black ooze that eats up everything living) into the world. To stop it, Feyre and Rhysand together use their magic to seal the Cauldron's rift. The effort costs Rhysand his life and nearly does the same to Feyre.

    Fortunately, Rhysand is saved by the other High Lords (in a manner similar to how Feyre was saved by them at the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses), and as he rises once more, he tells Feyre that while he was inside the Void of the Cauldron, he felt a familiar presence nearby. He reaches into the Cauldron's black water and draws out a wet, sputtering Amren, who has survived the transition. The Cauldron, she says, transformed her physical body when she shed her otherworldly power. Henceforth, she is Fae (and appears as a female of the High Fae).

    After the war, Feyre and Rhysand give the cauldron over to Drakon and Miryam in an attempt to prevent feuding between the High Lords over what happens to the Cauldron. Drakon and Miryam agree to bring it back and keep it hidden on their island that has remained hidden for centuries.

    The cauldron is a vast bowl of darkest iron, so large multiple people could have used it as bathtub. It has a physical shape, yet there had been no bottom. Just a chasm of freezing water that had soon become utter darkness. According to the Fae, the Cauldron was where the world was created. All life originated from within it, and it has unimaginable power. It was taken by malevolent beings who used its power for horrible deeds, including forging wicked things within it. It was eventually stolen back and, because it couldn't be destroyed, was hidden and forgotten.

    Abilities The Cauldron can do the following:

    Raise the dead. Turn Mortals into Fae. Shatter powerful magic spells and wards. Burn living creatures into ash within seconds with an attack that contains the same heat and light as the sun. Create wicked creatures and objects.

    Weakness The Cauldron's only weakness is the Book of Breathings, a book made from the last of the molten ore used to forge the Cauldron. The Book contains spells to negate the Cauldron's power or control it. The book can only be used by that which was reforged or Made.

    Trivia It is common in Fae realms for the expression "By the Cauldron!" to be used, as if the Cauldron were a divine force. It was later revealed that the Cauldron's function of assuring the mutual destruction of the world if it was ever destroyed was an ability it did not possess originally. After the Daglan had come to Prythian, they had gained access to the Cauldron and along with using it to create various weapons and creatures of immense power, had also tied it to the very soul of the world. Essentially creating a "kill switch" to destroy their conquered world as a precaution to protect their "interest". The Cauldron purrs in the presence of Elain Archeron.

42. #42Mother

    Keys: divine, god, goddess, The mother, divine entity

    Cauldron save you. Mother hold you. Pass through the gates, and smell that immortal land of milk and honey. Fear no evil. Feel no pain. Go, and enter eternity. –Prayer to the Mother when someone is dying.

    The Mother is one of the divine entities of the faeries, and has a dark counterpart called the Dark Mother.

    She was the one that spilled the Cauldron's content creating Prythian and all the known world.

    Faeries often use the word 'mother' in everyday speech. They make exclamations about this deity, such as "thank the Mother" or "by the Mother". So it can be assumed that she is one of the few deities in which they believe, despite having taken away belief in deities from mortals when they enslaved them. She is given the same hierarchy as the Cauldron, as they use the word similarly in everyday language in phrases like "by the Cauldron!".

43. #43Dark Mother

    Keys: divine, The dark mother, god, naga, deity, the mother, goddess, evil goddess

    The Dark Mother is a deity that the naga believe in. She is presumably the evil counterpart of the Mother.

44. #44Naga

    Keys: dark mother, evil, lesser fey, dark legends, Naga

    The Naga are a species of faeries that enjoy torturing and eating mortals. Many of the dark legends about faeries that mortals have are inspired by the naga.

    The naga are faeries with a male humanoid body, and serpentine features. They are covered completely in dark scales, and have powerful arms with polished, black talons. It's huge, almond-shaped eyes are amber in color. Their teeth are razor-sharp and their tongue is silver and forked.

    The naga believe in the Dark Mother, who is presumably the evil counterpart of the Mother.

45. #45Suriel

    Keys: faeries, the suriel, ancient fey, Suriel

    Suriel are a species of malevolent faeries who are bound to answer truthfully any questions asked of them by those who catch them.

    They cannot lie and are not members of any Court. They cannot cross running water.

    The Suriel are said to be older than Prythian, and even older than "the bones of this world." The Cauldron, however, is older than the Suriel.

    Suriel can be found in groves of young birch trees in the Western Woods, and has a weakness for freshly slaughtered chickens.

    Suriel are usually tall and thin, veiled in dark, tattered robes so thin that the hard knobs of its spine can be seen. They have a hunched back, spindly, scabby gray arms, and yellowed, cracked fingernails. Its head is bald and its teeth are gray and horrifically large. Its feet are described as bare and gnarled.

    Its voice is described as at once one and many, old and young, and beautiful and grotesque. Suriel can smell when they are being lied to.

46. #46Daglan

    Keys: Wild Hunt, Daglan, Asteri, Overlords

    The Daglan ruled for millennia, enslaving the faeries and the humans. They were petty and cruel and drank the magic of the land like wine. They delighted in terrorizing the faeries and humans under their control. They created the Wild Hunt as a way to keep the faeries and humans in line. They'd gather a host of their fiercest, most merciless warriors and grant them free rein to kill as they pleased. They possessed mighty, monstrous beasts—hounds, that they used to run prey to ground before they tortured and killed them.

    The Daglans were overthrown by Fionn using the great sword Gwydion.

47. #47Prythian

    Keys: realm, country, Prythian

    Prythian is one of the Faerie realms in existence in the world. It is divided into seven courts, each ruled by a High Lord.

    Prythian is composed of seven separately ruled lands called "courts" consisting of four seasonal courts: the Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring Courts, and three solar courts: the Night, the Day, and Dawn Courts. It also borders the Mortal Lands to the south, with the only separation between them being the Wall, and lies east of the Kingdom of Hybern.

    The geography of the seasonal courts begins with the Spring Court, the southernmost court, and the only court to border the wall that separates the Mortal Lands from Prythian. North of the Spring Court lies the Summer and Autumn Courts, Summer to the west, and Autumn to the east. The fourth and final seasonal court is the Winter Court, which lies north of the Summer and Autumn Courts.

    North of the seasonal courts resides the three solar courts: the Night Court, the Day Court, and the Dawn Court. The Dawn Court resides north of the Winter Court and is known for its mountain palace in the clouds. Continuing North of the Dawn Court is the Day Court, the court said to contain much of Prythian's history within its abundance of libraries. Occupying the land to the far north is the Night Court, the largest and most feared of all of the courts.

    According to the Fae, the entire world, including Prythian, the Kingdom of Hybern, and the Mortal Lands, was birthed from a magical object of extreme and unimaginable power called The Cauldron.

    Prythian is a realm of faeries divided into seven Courts: Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring, Autumn, Spring, Dawn, Day and Night. Each of them is ruled by a High Fae with unmatched power, they can be said to be made of power themselves.

    Five hundred years prior to the beginning of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the lands of the mortal humans and the immortal Fae had no separation between them. Many Fae from Prythian and the Kingdom of Hybern abused and mistreated humans, often holding them as slaves. This, along with other factors, is what drove the humans to begin the War, a conflict which forced the immortal Fae of Prythian to choose to fight alongside the humans to help them gain their freedom or to join the King of Hybern and his ruthless commander Amarantha to defeat the humans and continue their enslavement. At the end of the War, a Treaty was established between the Fae and the humans abolishing human enslavement by the Fae and ordering the separation of Prythian from the Mortal Lands by the enormous, invisible structure called The Wall. It also stated that the Fae must remain in Prythian. If a Fae were to cross over into the Mortal Lands, the humans have a right to dispose of that Fae however they choose.

    The wall is located on the southern border of the Spring Court and is two days away from the village where Feyre Archeron and her family lived.

    After the war with the humans ended, Amarantha, the main commander of the army of the King of Hybern, appeared in the Courts and cleverly seized most of the powers of the High Lords and proclaimed herself as the High Queen of Prythian.

    She established her stronghold beneath the Sacred Mountain of Prythian and christened her lands Under the Mountain, where she forced all citizens of the Courts to reside except for the Spring Court, since she had given the High Lord, Tamlin, forty-nine years to break a curse she had cast upon him.

48. #48Hybern

    Keys: realm, Hybern, country

    Hybern is a faerie kingdom island located west of Prythian.

    Hybern's geography is varied. The map of it shows pictures of mountain ranges and clusters. Closer to the King of Hybern's castle, there were tall bone-white cliffs high above the waves. Their tops were flat and grassy, leading to a terrain of sloping, barren hills. Feyre described it as having an overwhelming sense of nothingness and no animal life beside faeries has been identified as living there.

    The faeries that do live there include High Fae and various Lesser Fae species. Many of its High Fae inhabitants are described as having pale or ruddy skin, as well as black eyes. Their eyes appear soulless and cold from centuries of indulging in cruelty, even those of the nameless courtiers who reside at the King of Hybern's castle.

    No humans reside in Hybern, as it is fully north of the Wall.

    The political power was focused on one king instead of being split between several High Lords. The king had a number of Commanders, which included Amarantha, Prince Dagdan, and Princess Brannagh. Two of his elite hunters were the Ravens, a pair of High Fae who would be sent to retrieve things the King of Hybern wanted.

    The symbol of Hybern is unknown but a picture of Hybern showed a small crown in the center. As the same map showed Prythian's courts and included their symbols, this may be Hybern's.

    Hybern soldiers wore grey jackets with bone white thread. The jackets had Hybern's coat of arms on their upper right shoulder.

    Hybern had many deposits of faebane, which Hybern regularly used. Their army made great use of faebane in battle, spreading it as a fine mist like chemical gas, lacing the food with powdered faebane to slowly defeat the magic of those who happened to eat it, tipping their arrows with faebane stones so they could pierce magical shields, and even shackling enemies with faebane to contain them.

    Hybern's army consisted of both a High Fae ground force and an aerial legion of faerie from the same species as the Attor. When attacking Velaris, they launched a two-pronged attack from the sea. The aerial legion flew in to the city, most of them carrying a single Hybern ground soldier. When they reached Velaris, the Attor-like faeries swooped down to the ground, put the ground soldier on their feet, and then flew off to attack while the ground army also invaded.

    Both Hybern and Prythian are territories where faeries live. When mortals were slaves of the faerie, the King of Hybern had many of them in his territory. When the War between mortals and faeries began, the King appointed Amarantha as the main commander of his army and allied himself with the then High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin's father, to prevent mortals from freeing themselves, this being one of the kingdoms loyalists to slavery.

    During the war, Hybern fought with the faeries against the humans, seeking to keep their slaves. They considered humans their property. When the war was about to end and after their defeat, the Prythian Courts forced the King of Hybern to sign the Treaty guaranteeing that faeries would no longer enslave mortals. Still, they killed every human in their lands rather than free them. They were isolated by other faerie countries and the King of Hybern did not attempt to open new trade routes, letting his people sink into poverty and decay to strengthen their resentment at their conditions. Isolated, growing poorer, with no slaves to do their labor, their anger at the war's outcome grew. Hybern's people came to see the days before the war as a golden era and the centuries since as a dark age, one to be rectified and the Wall to be broken as soon as possible.

    Around 500 years after the war, Hybern sent Amarantha as an emissary to each court of Prythian, spreading peaceful tidings. She convinced the High Lords to have more communication, sharing of assets, and more trading between each country. Not long after, Amarantha stole the power of the High Lords through trickery and enslaved them to her, proclaiming herself the High Queen of Prythian.

    No humans are reported to live in Hybern, and any who do are not supposed to be there.

49. #49King of Hybern

    Keys: King, Hybern, King of Hybern

    The King of Hybern was the ruler of the island of Hybern.

    It is unknown when or how the king ascended to the throne of Hybern, but he was the ruler at the time of the human rebellion and fought on the side of the loyalists in the War. The king of Hybern adamantly refused to let his human slaves go, thus he put the ruthless Amarantha to the task of slaughtering them.

    To win the war, he decided to ally himself with the then High Lord of the Spring Court of Prythian, Tamlin's father, who did not want to free his human slaves either. During the time that their alliance lasted, Tamlin's father visited his castle numerous times, with Tamlin accompanying him on a few of them. It was at that moment that Amarantha met the future High Lord of the Spring Court and decided that she wanted him to be her lover.

    When the loyalists were defeated, Hybern along with the High Lords of Prythian were forced to sign the Treaty to free their human slaves to live in their own lands that would be separated from the Fae realms by the Wall, although Amarantha disobeyed the order, but did not give up any territory to the victors. For the next five hundred years the King nurtured his people's hatred and sense of injustice, preparing for an opportunity to wage a second war in which he would emerge the victor. He sent Amarantha to Prythian as an ambassador more the fifty years before the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, ordering her to find allies on the island. Instead, Amarantha tricked and enslaved the High Lords of Prythian and proclaimed herself up as the High Queen. The King was displeased by this development, but allowed Amarantha to rule as an experiment to see how well he could subjugate other faerie rulers when he went to war.

    After Amarantha was defeated, the Attor fled from Under the Mountain to Hybern to meet the King and bring him Jurian's fingerbone and eye, on which Amarantha had placed the soul of the latter. With the magic of the Cauldron the King intended to resurrect the human general Jurian to serve as an ambassador to the Mortal Queens and bring down the wall to once again conquer the Mortal Lands.

    He gave orders for his troops to raid various temples around Prythian and steal the feet of the Cauldron, killing the priestesses so there would be no witnesses.

    When Feyre Archeron is practicing in a forest near her family's estate, the Attor ambushes her and almost takes her with him to Hybern since the King had ordered him to do so but is captured by Rhysand and Azriel, temporarily thwarting the plans of the King, who had a large army waiting for the right moment to attack.

    The King then begins tracking Rhysand upon detecting his power, and sends his soldiers to attack him on two occasions: the first time outside the Hewn City and the second time when he was with Feyre in a forest in the Illyrian Mountains.

    When one of the mortal queens gives Rhysand and his Inner Circle half of the Book of Breathings, the other queens ally with Jurian and the King of Hybern offering them immortality for servitude, they reveal the truth about Velaris, so the King sends a legion of soldiers to attack the city, under the command of the Attor, who is killed by Feyre while trying to flee after the attack.

    When Feyre, Morrigan, Cassian and Azriel infiltrated his castle to nullify the Cauldron's power with the Book of Breathings they are discovered and the King sends Jurian to distract them while he places enchantments over the castle so that they could neither use their powers nor flee. Before he is able to isolate them, Rhysand appears and is also trapped with them. Jurian then shoots Azriel with a poisoned ash wood arrow, forcing them all to follow the King into the throne room. There they meet Tamlin and Lucien Vanserra, who have allied themselves with the King in exchange for severing Feyre's bond with Rhysand, and for his part the King could enter through the Spring Court to invade Prythian and destroy the wall. Then the mortal queens appear, bringing with them Nesta and Elain Archeron, who were delivered to the King by Ianthe, the High Priestess who accompanied Tamlin in the Spring Court. They are both turned into High Fae with the power of the Cauldron to show the queens that any mortal with willpower could become Fae. Feyre manages to break down the magical barriers of the King and tells Rhysand, through their bond, to get everyone, including her sisters, out of that place and then she pretends to have woken up from an enchantment put by Rhysand so that she would be by his side and forget about Tamlin. The King breaks the bond that united Rhysand and Feyre but only the bond created at the time they made the bargain whereby Feyre had to spend one week of each month in the Night Court, not their mating bond that made them mates nor the bond that bound them as High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court.

    The King sends his niece and nephew Dagdan and Brannagh to the Spring Court in order to determine where the wall was weakest and slowly poison the residents of Tamlin's manor.

    When Dagdan and Brannagh were killed by Feyre, he invaded the Spring Court as vengeance for their deaths.

    Wanting to retrieve the power that Nesta took from the Cauldron, the King uses his spell book so two of his Ravens can infiltrate Velaris to kidnap her, but the move backfires as they are attacked and killed by Rhysand and Bryaxis.

    He later uses the power of the Cauldron to destroy the wall and sends a legion to attack Adriata. During the battle he has a face-to-face encounter with Rhysand but when he tries to attack him he realizes that the King was not actually there, but is a magical projection.

    Later, when the Cauldron kidnaps Elain, Feyre goes to rescue her but is discovered as they ran away. She shot him with an ash wood arrow and he frees his naga-hounds but they manage to escape anyway.

    He does not appear in any of the following battles but during the final battle, he unveiled the cauldron's magical might, annihilating the Illyrian flying legions, Prythian soldiers and killing the Bone Carver in the process. He only leaves his camp when Nesta plans a distraction to get him away from the Cauldron. When he grasps her location he goes to find her and on the way he confronts Stryga, the Weaver, to whom he says that she is beautiful tricking her into lowering her guard, and when she tells him that he should bow to her he approaches and breaks her neck, then he feeds her to his naga-hounds.

    He goes to confront Nesta and finds her with Cassian. He winnows to Nesta's father and captures him using him as a human shield, so that Nesta could not kill him immediately. He then snaps her father's neck, breaking her spirit momentarily. A lengthy battle ensued, with the king attacking Cassian breaking his wings and one leg, Nesta refuses to leave him while the King looms over them. Before he can land the final blow, however, Elain surprises him from behind and stabs him in the neck with the knife Azriel had lent her, then Nesta approaches taking the knife and beheading him.

    The last time he is seen, the ravens are eating his corpse.

    After his death, the remaining Hybern forces continue to fight on, driven by the bloodlust and sense of outrage instilled in them since birth, until Amren enters the Cauldron and wipes them out to the last faerie. The state of Hybern after the death of their king is unknown at this time.

    While considered handsome by human standards, the King had ruddy skin and inky black hair framing a face that was considered rather plain compared to most High Fae. He wore sturdy, practical clothing instead of finery and had a muscular build, appearing in his forties if he were human. He had black eyes that burned with depthless hatred.

    The king was cunning and brutal, more than willing to sacrifice the lives of soldiers and even relatives in order to accomplish his goals. He was also willing to negotiate peacefully, as shown with the mortal queens and Tamlin. It is likely that the King always intended to betray them, however. He was also incredibly intelligent, tricking the Weaver of the Wood into letting her guard down so that he could kill her, then using the Archeron's father to ensure that Nesta did not kill him immediately.

    The king was an avid student of the magical arts, and kept many powerful spells within a spellbook that he carried at all times. It was he who learned where to find the Cauldron and how to reassemble it and use it as a weapon, and he was always eager to get his hands on a new piece of magic.

    His knowledge of magic, especially curses, was extreme. When the Inner Circle invade his castle to destroy the Cauldron, he casts a curse that shuts down their magic. The effects are similar to faebane, but without the mineral. Feyre and Rhysand are unable to even communicate through their mating bond. Feyre is able to break it, but only because she is uniquely Made. In addition to knowing spells, he has strong, raw power. When Tamlin attacked the King to try to save Feyre's sisters from the Cauldron, the king released white-hot magic that shoved him to the ground, despite his power as a High Lord, and leashed him. It created a collar of light around his neck and wrists, and while his magic flared he was unable to break the bindings.

50. #50Book of Breathings

    Keys: breathings, the book, book of breathings

    The Book of Breathings is a powerful magical item created by a race of faeries who feared the power of the Cauldron, and its purpose is to be able to nullify the Cauldron's magic.

    The Book was said to have been created using the last of the molten ore used to forge the Cauldron, formed of dark metal plates bound on three rings of gold, silver, and bronze. The Book is written in the Leshon Hakodesh, it contains spells to negate the Cauldron's power or to control it wholly.

    Before there were courts in Prythian there was a Cauldron, from which all things arose. A race of faeries from another world feared the use that could be made of the power of the Cauldron and so they created a Book with the secret to counteract its powers, written in the Holy Language, Leshon Hakodesh.

    So that the Book would not fall into the hands of someone who tried to destroy it, the Fae split it into two pieces, one was kept in the Summer Court and the other was given to the Mortal Queens, who protected it and the Book could not be stolen with magic, it had to be given of their own free will.

    This was part of the Treaty, but purely symbolic, because the Cauldron had been lost for millennia and was considered a mere myth. The Book was believed to be harmless because like calls to like, and only that which was Made can speak the spells in the Book and summon its power. No creature born of the earth can wield it, so the High Lords and humans dismissed it as little more than a historical heirloom.

    The book only can be used by made faeries otherwise they would be overwhelmed by its power.

    After Feyre Archeron defeats Amarantha in Under the Mountain, the Attor disappears taking the remains of Jurian and heads to Hybern to place himself under the command of the King of Hybern. He plans to use the powers of the Cauldron to resurrect Jurian to help him conquer the Mortal Lands again, but for that he has to make the Cauldron whole by gathering its three feet.

    Upon learning that the King is in search of the three feet and has already obtained two, Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court and Feyre pay a visit to the Bone Carver in the Prison and he tells them what the King can do, and that the Book can nullify the powers of the Cauldron. Knowing this, Rhysand sends a request to the Summer Court to pay them a visit and when it is accepted he travels to Adriata with Feyre and his Second-in-Command Amren.

    Once there, Feyre is able to trace half the Book to a temple that is most of the time submerged by the ocean, and using the powers she obtained from Tarquin, the High Lord of the Summer Court, when she was Made, she is able to enter the temple ruins and take half the Book, but not before it realizes she is not Tarquin and tries to drown her.

    Back at the Night Court, they discover that the Book is written in Leshon Hakodesh, an ancient language that only Amren can read. Days later their request to meet with the six mortal queens is accepted by the latter.

    Five of the six queens attend the meeting as apparently the sixth is ill. The meeting takes place at the Archeron's Estate between the queens and the delegation of Fae comprised of Rhysand, Feyre, Cassian, Azriel and Morrigan.

    The queens refuse to give their part of the Book as they have heard rumors about Rhysand's personality and his court and say that they will think about it only if he proves that those rumors are false. After having a little discussion with Nesta Archeron they leave.

    Some time later they meet again with the Fae, but this time only two of them attend. Rhysand shows them through the Veritas the truth about Velaris and tells them that the rumors of cruelty are propagated by himself to protect his city and its inhabitants. The queens are grateful for his trust but still say they have to think about whether to deliver half the Book or not. Before leaving, one of the queens, the oldest, shows them a letter sent to them by Rhysand saying that she loves Feyre and wants a better world where she can visit her sisters without facing hatred. After that they leave but under the chair of the other queen they find the other half of the Book that she has brought them since she read the letter and also wants a better world. She asks them not to say that she had given it to them, since if they find out they could kill her as they did with the sixth queen, who they had said was sick when she is not.

    After bringing the two parts together, Amren is not able to decipher the spell to nullify the Cauldron's power, and tells Feyre not to unite the two halves as it would be felt by faeries around the world. When they are in Hybern to render the Cauldron powerless, Feyre listens to what the two parts of the Book tell her and thinking that only in that way can they nullify the power of the Cauldron she unites them and that causes the King to detect their presence and catch them. When they manage to flee the kingdom, Rhysand takes both parts of the Book, much to the King's displeasure.

    Later Amren studies the Book endlessly to obtain the key that would allow them to nullify the power from the Cauldron but without success.

    When Feyre meets with the Suriel he tells her that the answer Amren was looking for was on the second page and the penultimate of the Book, but it is not the key to nullify the power of the Cauldron but to release her from her Fae body, which she did with the help of Feyre and when she frees herself the Cauldron breaks into three parts, leaving a void coming out of it that consumes everything. Looking for a way to contain it Feyre takes the Book looking for a spell but not understanding the language, throws the Book into the void out of frustration and the Book is not seen again.

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