Dain Aetos

Body & Build

Hair

• Light-brown curls, kept close-cropped.
• Neatly trimmed beard framing his jaw and lips.

Eyes & Skin

• Sandy-brown eyes, striking yet soft.
• Tanned skin with a scar along his chin, partly hidden by his beard.

Clothing & Gear

• Typically wears a pristine black rider uniform.
• Short-sleeved black tunic with dagger sheaths sewn into the leathers, each slot filled.
• Dragon relic: red dragon on his shoulder, usually covered by clothing.

Lesser Magic

Through his bond with Cath, Dain can perform lesser magic. This includes locking and unlocking doors without touching them, moving with preternatural speed, manipulating mage lights, powering ink pens, and placing runes.

Imbuing
Dain is capable of imbuing, a rare ability that allows a rider to leave power in stasis within an object. This skill comes naturally to only a handful of riders.

Signet

Retrocognition: Dain can read and feel another person’s memories through touch, narrowing his search by focusing on certain words. Because it requires physical contact, his ability is considered less of a security risk compared to inntinnsics. The military views him as a valuable tool for intelligence, though only select leadership are aware of his signet. Vice Commandant Varrish mentors him in developing this power. While Dain can channel significant magic through Cath, he admits early on that he is not yet adept at controlling it.

Languages

• Speaks the common language of Navarre.
• Fluent in sign language.
• Speaks Tyrrish.
• Specializes in Krovlish.
• Can read Old Lucerish, once used as a secret code with Violet.
• Skilled with bird-calls, used to communicate with Violet during childhood on the Krovlan border.

Violet Sorrengail	Dain grew up alongside Violet, and for years their bond was marked by trust and familiarity. While Violet harbored a childhood crush on him, their relationship grew strained after his overprotectiveness and eventual betrayal during Fourth Wing. Despite moments of reconciliation in Iron Flame and Onyx Storm, their relationship never becomes romantic.
Aaric Graycastle	Dain, Aaric (Cam Tauri), and Violet grew up together because of their parents’ military and political ties, often spending time together while their parents attended meetings. Later, as Wingleader, Dain assigns Aaric to Fourth Wing and helps keep his true identity hidden.
Commanding General Aetos	Colonel Aetos is Dain’s father. Their relationship appears distant in Fourth Wing. In Iron Flame, Dain begins to question his father’s actions during the War Games but doesn’t grasp the full truth until Violet shows him the memory of Resson. Confronted with his father’s betrayal, Dain kills Varrish and joins the Revolution, opposing everything his father stands for.
Amber Mavis	During his first year, Dain grew close to Amber Mavis, then a second-year. Their connection is strongly implied to have been more than friendship. When Amber later led a group of unbonded cadets in an attempt on Violet’s life, Dain refused to believe her guilt and pressured Violet to retract her accusation, deepening the rift between them.
Sloane Mairi	Dain’s relationship with Sloane is shaped by guilt over the death of her brother, Liam, for which he feels responsible. Over time, their dynamic shifts toward trust and mutual respect. In Onyx Storm, a turning point comes when Sloane channels energy from Dain into Brennan to save Mira’s life. Dain openly affirms her worth, telling her she is “life,” not merely a weapon, signaling the development of a deeper bond between them.

Dragon

Cath

Dain is bonded to Cath, a red dragon whose power allows him to channel both lesser magic and his rare signet of retrocognition. Cath’s relic is marked on Dain’s shoulder, usually concealed beneath his uniform. As a bonded pair, Cath strengthens Dain’s magical capacity, though even with this support Dain admits early on that he struggles with fully channeling the extent of his power.