The world of Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean series has expanded far beyond Basgiath War College. What begins in Fourth Wing with Navarre, Poromiel and the Barrens grows significantly in Iron Flame as the story moves through Aretia, border outposts and new parts of the Continent — before Onyx Storm takes Violet and her companions across the sea to the mysterious Isle Kingdoms.
This complete Fourth Wing map guide covers the Continent from Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, then expands into our Onyx Storm map of the Isle Kingdoms, including Deverelli, Unnbriel, Hedotis, Zehyllna and the Minor Isles.
Some locations appear on the official maps included with the books. Others — particularly the Isle Kingdoms introduced in Onyx Storm — have to be reconstructed from directions, travel times and geographic descriptions given in the text.
Major location spoilers for Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm below.
Contents
Empyrean World Map at a Glance
The known world of the Empyrean series can currently be divided into four major geographic regions:
| Region | What It Is | Important Locations |
|---|---|---|
| Navarre | The main kingdom and home of the dragon riders | Basgiath, the Vale, Aretia, Samara |
| Poromiel | The kingdom east of Navarre | Cordyn, Zolya, Braevick, Krovla, Cygnisen |
| The Barrens | Desolate territory east of Poromiel | Strongly associated with the venin |
| The Isle Kingdoms | Islands south of the main Continent | Deverelli, Unnbriel, Hedotis, Zehyllna |
The first two books remain focused mainly on the Continent. Onyx Storm dramatically expands the map by taking the story south into the Isle Kingdoms.
Fourth Wing Map
Where Does Fourth Wing Take Place?
Most of Fourth Wing takes place in Navarre, one of the two major kingdoms on the Continent. Navarre occupies the western side of the landmass, while Poromiel lies to the east. Beyond Poromiel are the largely devastated lands known as the Barrens. The natural border between Navarre and Poromiel is formed largely by the Esben Mountains, making this region strategically important throughout the series. Navarre itself is divided into six provinces:
Poromiel consists of three known provinces:
Basgiath War College
Basgiath War College is the central setting of Fourth Wing and one of the most important locations in the entire series. Located in Morraine Province, Basgiath trains Navarre’s military through four quadrants:
- Riders Quadrant
- Scribe Quadrant
- Healer Quadrant
- Infantry Quadrant
The Riders Quadrant is where Violet Sorrengail enters training and where most of the first book takes place. Basgiath is also close to one of the most important places in Navarre: the Vale.
The Vale
The Vale is the protected territory where Navarre’s dragons live, hatch their young and choose riders. It is also deeply connected to Navarre’s ward system. The power protecting the kingdom is tied to the dragons and the magical foundations created by the original riders. Threshing takes place within the Vale each year, when first-year cadets attempt to bond with dragons.
Aretia and Tyrrendor
Aretia lies in the province of Tyrrendor, the largest and most mountainous province in Navarre. House Riorson once used Aretia as its seat, and the city served as the capital of Tyrrendor until the Tyrrish Rebellion destroyed it. Although Fourth Wing mentions Aretia, the city becomes far more important in Iron Flame. Difficult terrain, including the Cliffs of Dralor, naturally protects Tyrrendor along Navarre’s eastern and southern frontier.
Athebyne and Resson
Athebyne is a military outpost near Navarre’s border with Poromiel and becomes especially important at the end of Fourth Wing. During War Games, Violet, Xaden and the marked ones are sent toward Athebyne, bringing them close to the conflict Navarre has kept hidden from most of its citizens.
Nearby Resson, across the border in Poromiel, is the site of the battle where Violet encounters venin and wyvern firsthand. The events at Resson radically change her understanding of the war and make the geography beyond Navarre’s wards central to the rest of the series.
Iron Flame Map
Iron Flame expands the world beyond Basgiath and makes the geography of Navarre, Tyrrendor and Poromiel much more important.
Aretia
Aretia becomes one of the central locations in Iron Flame. The city lies in eastern Tyrrendor, around an eighteen-hour dragon flight from Basgiath. It was burned after the rebellion but has gradually been rebuilt. Riorson House — Xaden’s ancestral home — sits here, while the surrounding valley, mountains and caves provide protection for the resistance. Aretia also becomes important because of its connection to the wards and the ancient history of Navarre.
Samara
Samara is a remote military outpost in Elsum Province, near the Poromiel border. Its position in the Esben Mountains makes it strategically important, particularly as attacks along Navarre’s eastern frontier intensify. Violet spends significant time here during Iron Flame because Xaden is stationed at the outpost.
Cordyn
Cordyn lies in the southern Poromiel province of Krovla. It is the home of Viscount Tecarus, whose estate becomes a major location in Iron Flame. Cordyn is especially important geographically because it sits much farther south than many of the locations visited earlier in the series. That becomes even more relevant in Onyx Storm, since Cordyn effectively becomes the jumping-off point for the journey toward the Isle Kingdoms.
Zolya
Zolya is located in Braevick, one of Poromiel’s three provinces, and is home to Cliffsbane Flight Academy, where gryphon fliers train. Its fate in Iron Flame shows how far the venin threat has already spread through Poromiel and why the eastern side of the Continent matters so much to the wider war.
The Barrens
The Barrens lie east of Poromiel. They are largely destroyed, drained lands associated with the rise and expansion of the venin. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that the war is not simply Navarre versus Poromiel. The greater threat originates farther east, where venin have drained magic from the land and continue pushing west.
That geographic progression is important:
Navarre → Poromiel → the Barrens
It helps explain why Poromiel has been under pressure for years while Navarre remained comparatively protected behind its wards.
Onyx Storm Map
Onyx Storm expands the known world more dramatically than either of the first two books. Violet leaves the familiar geography of Navarre and Poromiel and travels south across the sea in search of allies and answers. The major new region is known collectively as the Isle Kingdoms.
Where Are the Isle Kingdoms?
The Isles lie south of the main Continent. Unlike Navarre and Poromiel, Onyx Storm does not provide an official detailed map showing the exact positions of the major islands. Instead, readers can reconstruct their locations using clues throughout the book, including:
- dragon flight times
- ship travel times
- compass directions
- trading routes
- climate
- coastlines
- neighboring islands
Our Onyx Storm map therefore represents a fan-created reconstruction based on the geographic clues in the book, rather than an official map.
Onyx Storm Isle Kingdoms at a Glance
| Image | Name | Ruler | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Deverelli | King Courtlyn | Deverelli doesn’t worship gods and is widely known as a trade-first isle with a focus on science. |
 | Unnbriel | Queen Marlis | The isle is devoted to Dunne, goddess of war, and is famed for its trials by combat. |
 | Hedotis | Triumvirate council | Also called the Isle of Wisdom, known for its libraries, pastel attire, and devotion to Hedeon, the god of wisdom. |
 | Zehyllna | Queen of Zehyllna | The island is known for white beaches, waterfalls, and its worship of Zihnal, the god of luck. |
 | Minor Isles | — | Uninhabited, dense with jungle and high in magic concentration. One isle is marked by black-sand beaches and a hollow-tipped peak. |
Deverelli
Deverelli sits at the southernmost edge of the major Isle Kingdoms. A dragon can reach it from Cordyn in roughly twelve hours, while the journey takes about two days by ship. Geographically, white beaches, turquoise water and green hills shape its tropical landscape, while the capital city of Matyas sits partly hidden among the trees. Culturally, Deverelli differs from many parts of the Empyrean world because its people do not worship gods. Instead, the island places greater emphasis on:
- science
- alchemy
- education
- trade
That relative neutrality helps make Deverelli an important commercial center. East of the main island is a smaller barrier island containing wealthy estates, private docks and ships. Based on the twelve-hour flight described in the book, Deverelli can be placed directly south of Cordyn on our reconstruction.
Unnbriel
Unnbriel, also known as the Isle of Dunne, lies west of Deverelli. The journey takes approximately nine hours by dragon. Its climate remains hot and humid, with pale beaches giving way to rockier terrain and heavily vegetated hills farther inland. The capital, Eistol, is heavily fortified and positioned on a high hill. Unnbriel worships Dunne, the goddess of war. Its society places enormous importance on combat, and visitors may have to prove themselves through trial by combat before they can enter the royal court. Queen Marlis rules the island.
Hedotis
Hedotis is also known as the Isle of Wisdom or the Isle of Hedeon. It lies roughly thirteen hours from Unnbriel by dragon. Compared with the warmer eastern islands, Hedotis has a slightly cooler climate and unusually pale vegetation. Its capital is Vidirys.
A triumvirate council rules the island and supports a strong intellectual culture centered around learning, libraries and the worship of Hedeon, the god of wisdom.
One of its most unusual physical characteristics is the prevalence of purple eyes among its inhabitants, linked to exposure to the mineral viladrite.
Zehyllna
Zehyllna lies farther northwest, beyond the regular sea trading routes. Approaching the island requires traveling through an archipelago of smaller islands. Its landscape is among the most distinctive introduced in Onyx Storm, with:
- white-sand beaches
- rivers
- waterfalls
- lush green vegetation
Unlike several of the other Isles, Zehyllna has its own accessible magic, although it is still weaker than the magic found on the Continent. The people worship Zihnal, the god of luck, and speak Zehylish. The capital, Xortrys, is surrounded by a curved waterfall and includes an enormous amphitheater.
The Minor Isles
Beyond the major kingdoms are numerous Minor Isles. Many are sparsely populated or completely uninhabited and are covered in dense jungle. They are particularly interesting because some contain unusually high concentrations of magic. One of the remote islands encountered during Violet’s journey has black-sand beaches and a distinctive hollow-tipped mountain. These islands become increasingly important as Onyx Storm begins revealing how dragons, magic and the wider world extend far beyond Navarre.
How We Mapped the Onyx Storm Isles
Because Rebecca Yarros has not published an official detailed map of the Isle Kingdoms, their exact arrangement remains partly interpretive. However, Onyx Storm gives enough travel times, directions and route descriptions to build a working reconstruction of the island chain.
Cordyn → Deverelli
Deverelli is described as the southernmost major isle. The journey from Cordyn is given as roughly a twelve-hour dragon flight due south, making this one of the clearest anchor points for the map.
Deverelli → Unnbriel
From Deverelli, the group continues toward Unnbriel. The route places the island to the west of Deverelli, with the journey taking roughly nine hours by dragon.
Unnbriel → Hedotis
The next major leg of the journey takes roughly thirteen hours to reach Hedotis and its capital, Vidirys. This travel time helps establish the spacing between the central Isle Kingdoms.
Hedotis → Zehyllna
After Hedotis, the group travels northwest along established trading routes before reaching Zehyllna. That directional clue is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for placing Zehyllna farther northwest than the other major Isles.
Zehyllna → Minor Isles
After leaving Zehyllna, the group continues northwest and eventually reaches the remote Minor Isles after a much longer flight. This places the Minor Isles beyond the main kingdoms and outside the regular trade routes.
Taken together, those clues allow us to create a working map of the southern island chain, though the exact distances and coastlines remain speculative.
Fourth Wing Map vs. Iron Flame Map vs. Onyx Storm Map
The easiest way to understand the Fourth Wing, Iron Flame and Onyx Storm maps is to look at how each book expands the known world.
Fourth Wing
Introduces the basic political geography:
Navarre + Poromiel + the Barrens
The story remains heavily centered on Basgiath War College.
Iron Flame
Expands the existing Continent:
Aretia + Tyrrendor + Samara + Cordyn + Zolya + more of Poromiel
The conflict becomes much more geographically complex as Violet moves beyond Basgiath.
Onyx Storm
Expands the world beyond the Continent:
Deverelli + Unnbriel + Hedotis + Zehyllna + the Minor Isles
For the first time, the series begins to feel like a genuinely international world rather than a conflict limited to Navarre and Poromiel.
Most Important Fourth Wing Locations to Remember
If you do not want to memorize the entire map, these are the locations that matter most:
Basgiath War College — where Violet becomes a rider.
The Vale — the dragons’ protected territory and hatching grounds.
Aretia — Xaden’s home and the former capital of Tyrrendor.
Athebyne / Resson — where Violet first learns the truth about the war.
Samara — strategic Navarrian border outpost.
Cordyn — Tecarus’s home in southern Poromiel and the gateway toward the Isles.
The Barrens — devastated eastern lands associated with the venin.
The Isle Kingdoms — the new southern powers introduced in Onyx Storm.
Is There an Official Onyx Storm Map?
There is an official map of the main Continent used throughout the Empyrean series, with updated editions revealing additional locations as the books expand the world. However, the full geography of the Isle Kingdoms is not shown on an official detailed map.
That is why our Isle map is a fan-created reconstruction rather than an official map. We used the directions, distances and location descriptions in Onyx Storm to place the islands relative to one another. However, as more books in the series are released, those positions may become clearer — and we will update the guide accordingly.
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