An important species in the Fourth Wing Series are Dragons. They are sentient, sovereign beings who choose riders—they do not tolerate weakness or coercion and will kill unworthy candidates. Each cadet in the Rider’s Quadrant will need to bond with a dragon. Bonding creates a mind-to-mind link and grants the rider access to draconic power. Dragons are fewer than cadets, making competition—and sabotage—part of the ecosystem. After bonding, a rider may manifest a unique signet (personal magical ability) shaped by the dragon–rider pairing. Dragon power fuels battlefield dominance and helps sustain the kingdom’s wards, whose stability is a constant strategic concern.

Fourth Wing Characters

One of the biggest reasons Fourth Wing exploded is because the characters are just that good. They’re messy, layered, and completely unforgettable.
At the center, of course, is Violet Sorrengail — the fragile-looking, chronically ill heroine who gets shoved into the Riders Quadrant even though she was supposed to be a Scribe. Then there’s Xaden Riorson, the shadow-wielding rebel leader who is as dangerous as he is magnetic. Together, their dynamic has basically set all of BookTok on fire.
But Fourth Wing doesn’t just give us a swoony main couple and call it a day. We also get:
Loyal friends who keep Violet grounded (looking at you, Rhiannon).
Complicated relationships that test her loyalty (Dain, we’re side-eyeing you).
Professors, generals, and rivals who remind us that Basgiath War College is not Hogwarts — it’s brutal, political, and sometimes downright cruel.

• Loyal friends who keep Violet grounded (looking at you, Rhiannon).
  
  
• Complicated relationships that test her loyalty (Dain, we’re side-eyeing you).
  
  
• Professors, generals, and rivals who remind us that Basgiath War College is not Hogwarts — it’s brutal, political, and sometimes downright cruel.

And there are a lot of names to juggle. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve pulled together every major character, their role at Basgiath, their dragon (if they have one), and their signet.

Fourth Wing Professors

The professors at Basgiath War College cover every aspect of a cadet’s training, from tactics to physical endurance and the study of dragons themselves.

The world of Fourth Wing

The Empyrean series is set in a war-torn continent where ancient magic and deadly creatures shape the balance of power. At the heart of the story is Navarre, a kingdom whose survival depends on dragons and the riders who bond with them. Its borders are protected by powerful wards, woven centuries ago, but those defenses are under constant threat from enemies like Poromiel, who fight with gryphon riders.
Amid this conflict stands Basgiath War College, the brutal training ground where cadets are pushed to bond with dragons or die trying. It’s here that the future of Navarre — and the fragile alliance between humans and dragons — is decided.

Navarre

The world of Fourth Wing centers on Navarre, a kingdom that depends on dragons for both strength and protection. Its borders are held by ancient wards, first woven during the Great War and powered by the Vale, the dragons’ sacred hatching ground.

Basgiath

Basgiath War College is Navarre’s state-run academy. Cadets are assigned to Rider, Scribe, Healer, or Infantry tracks.
Training blends field drills with classroom work (e.g., Battle Brief, strategy, survival, archives study). Rank, squad placements, and privileges come from performance rather than lineage. Basgiath is designed to certify competent officers and specialists for active borders.

• Purpose: train officers and specialists who can support and lead dragon-backed forces.
• Key spaces: parapet and training yards; lecture halls for Battle Brief and tactics; archives and infirmary.
• Culture: rules-heavy, merit-based, and publicly competitive; cooperation inside squads is expected.
• Outcomes: cadets advance by meeting benchmarks; failure to meet standards means reassignment, dismissal, or even death.

The Vale

The Vale is a bowl-shaped forested valley behind Basgiath War College and home to the dragons’ sacred hatching grounds. It provides a magical shield that protects Navarre. The valley’s entrance is at the narrowest part of the flight field by a waterfall. The process of Threshing occurs every year in a portion of the Vale.

Poromiel

Navarre’s main enemy is Poromiel, whose forces fight with gryphon riders — fast, disciplined opponents capable of challenging dragons in the skies.

The Barrens

The Barrens lie beyond Navarre’s wards. It’s a desolate, scarred wasteland where little life can survive. Once fertile, the land has been stripped bare over centuries of conflict, leaving behind cracked earth and ash-choked air.

Dragons in Fourth Wing

Dragons are at the very core of Fourth Wing. They are powerful, intelligent, and utterly independent — creatures who choose their riders, not the other way around. Bonding with a dragon unlocks a rider’s signet, but every cadet at Basgiath knows the risk: if a dragon doesn’t see you as worthy, you don’t walk away.

The dragon species in Fourth Wing is organized into dens, each tied to a distinct color and reputation:

• Black Den: immense, dominant, rare; raw power and presence (e.g., Tairn).
• Blue Den: fast, precise, battle-sharp (e.g., Sgaeyl).
• Green Den: cunning and tactical; favor strategic riders.
• Brown Den: steady, durable, built for endurance.
• Orange Den: bold, hot-tempered, aggressive flyers.
• Red Den: fierce, combustible energy; notorious for relentless offense.
• Irid (Iridescent) Dragons: Irids can shift the color of their scales to camouflage seamlessly with their surroundings. Unlike other dens, they are known as pacifists, refusing to take part in war.

Dragons also choose their tail type as they mature — from crushing clubtails to venomous scorpiontails.

Fourth Wing Signets: Powers & Abilities

In Fourth Wing, a rider’s greatest strength comes from their signet — a unique magical ability unlocked only through bonding with a dragon. No two signets are exactly alike, because they reflect the rider’s own nature and the strength of their connection to their dragon.

How Signets Work: When a dragon decides their rider is ready, they begin channeling their power through the bond. This manifests as a signet, a personal ability that can range from control over lightning or shadows to mental gifts like mind-reading or memory manipulation. The stronger the dragon and the deeper the bond, the more powerful the signet tends to be.