...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Empyrean

175 statements
33 feature instances
10 referencing feature instances

The Empyrean	type	TVTItem
The Empyrean	label	The Empyrean
The Empyrean	page	TheEmpyrean
The Empyrean	comment	The Empyrean is a new-adult fantasy series by Rebecca Yarros. The first book, Fourth Wing, was published in May 2023. The second book, Iron Flame, was published seven months later in November 2023. A third book, Onyx Storm, is set for release in January 2025.Navarre is a kingdom at war, and no soldiers are more vital to that war than the riders. Hardened, brave, and ruthless, every rider endures three years of deadly competition and relentless training, striving for the chance to be chosen by a dragon. Navarre's Rider Quadrant is a place where death can come for anyone, for any reason.Violet is a scribe. Tiny, studious, and chronically fragile, she knows her life depends on staying as far away from battle as possible. But her mother, renowned general Lilith Sorrengail, doesn't care. Every Sorrengail has been a rider, and she won't make an exception just because Violet fractures a bone every second week. So, at the age of twenty, Violet is forced into the first of many deadly trials, and (surprising everyone) the road to greatness...
The Empyrean	fetched	2024-04-05T02:51:52Z
The Empyrean	parsed	2024-04-05T02:51:52Z
The Empyrean	processingComment	Dropped link to HoistByTheirOwnPetard: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Empyrean	processingUnknown	HoistByTheirOwnPetard
The Empyrean	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Empyrean / int_12f078f3	type	Artistic License – Linguistics
The Empyrean / int_12f078f3	comment	Artistic License â€“ Linguistics: The series uses several Scottish Gaelic words and names, mostly when it comes to the dragons, but they're not always utilised correctly (the author admitted at the launch of Iron Flame that she didn't have much experience with the language when she began writing the series and only got tutoring after writing the first two books, including not knowing how to pronounce "Gaelic" properlynote with Scottish Gaelic, it's pronounced closer to "gaa-lik" rather than the common mispronunciation "gay-lik"). This includes the use of the word "gormfaileas" to mean "blue shadow" ("gorm" meaning "blue", "faileas" meaning "shadow"); because the noun usually comes before the adjective in Gaelic, it should actually be written as "faileas gorm". It's far from the only instance of Gaelic words being incorrectly combined or misspelled. It's also been noted that the audiobook narrator tends to struggle with the pronunciation of Gaelic.
The Empyrean / int_12f078f3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_12f078f3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_12f078f3
The Empyrean / int_1adcd502	type	Sins of Our Fathers
The Empyrean / int_1adcd502	comment	Sins of Our Fathers: The Navarre government forces rebels' children into the Rider Quadrant, which is technically more merciful than executing them. Some of the children actually lived, and got chosen by dragons.
The Empyrean / int_1adcd502	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_1adcd502	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_1adcd502
The Empyrean / int_1b65eaf3	type	The Caper
The Empyrean / int_1b65eaf3	comment	The Caper: One of the trainee squads' final assignments is to "steal" an object of military value from the base. It's meant to test how well they can work together without the benefit of an experienced, predetermined leader.
The Empyrean / int_1b65eaf3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_1b65eaf3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_1b65eaf3
The Empyrean / int_21321e38	type	Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing
The Empyrean / int_21321e38	comment	Gleeful and Grumpy Pairing: Andarna, the peppy baby dragon, and Tairn, the snarky adult dragon. They share a rider!...or would, if Andarna was big enough to carry anyone. Right now, she needs Tairn to carry her in a harness on long flights.
The Empyrean / int_21321e38	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_21321e38	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_21321e38
The Empyrean / int_2258ffbf	type	Betty and Veronica Switch
The Empyrean / int_2258ffbf	comment	Betty and Veronica Switch: The story's initial Love Triangle sees Dain as the Betty, Violet's longtime Childhood Friend whom she's been in love with forever, and Xaden as the Veronica, the son of the man who allegedly killed her brother and who is initially hostile to her, and yet who Violet can't help but be insanely attracted to. Over the course of the story, however, the characters of both men become more dynamic: Dain proves unable to put Violet before himself and his beliefs and would rather smother her potential than let her grow, while Xaden grows to care for her beyond the sake of his own survival and is willing to be cruel to her if it means she can grow strong enough to protect herself. Violet chooses Xaden, a decision that proves to be the correct one at the end of the book after Dain betrays her trust and knowingly allows her to go on a mission that is almost certain to end in her death.
The Empyrean / int_2258ffbf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_2258ffbf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_2258ffbf
The Empyrean / int_2317bc85	type	Tampering with Food and Drink
The Empyrean / int_2317bc85	comment	Tampering with Food and Drink: Violetâ€™s method for weakening her competition before she has to fight them
The Empyrean / int_2317bc85	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_2317bc85	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_2317bc85
The Empyrean / int_2a02e5c9	type	Guile Hero
The Empyrean / int_2a02e5c9	comment	Guile Hero: Violet, whose physical capability and threat are minimal compared to most of the Rider Quadrant, but whose intelligence far surpasses just about everyone else there. One of her professors, who taught both of Violet's older siblings, outright tells her she's the smartest of General Sorrengail's children, and that is her greatest strength.
The Empyrean / int_2a02e5c9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_2a02e5c9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_2a02e5c9
The Empyrean / int_440d1d0b	type	Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
The Empyrean / int_440d1d0b	comment	Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: What Tyrrendor was really trying to do when they attempted to secede from Navarre. They couldn't stand to let the rest of the world suffer at the hands of the venin on their own, especially since the venin would enter their borders soon enough should Poromiel fall, and attempted secession so they could aid their counterparts. The Navarre government could not let that happen since it would leave the rest of the country vulnerable to the venin (and likely reveal the truth about their coverup to the kingdom as a whole), so they brought the province to heel and forced them to remain integrated with the rest of the country. The last words of Fen Riorson, Xaden's father and the leader of the rebellion, was to call them all cowards.
The Empyrean / int_440d1d0b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_440d1d0b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_440d1d0b
The Empyrean / int_4bf3d8d7	type	Personality Powers
The Empyrean / int_4bf3d8d7	comment	Personality Powers: It's discussed in-universe that signet powers are either A), an extension of the wielder's personality, or B), what the wielder feels they need most. Because the setting hasn't invented electric technology yet, Violet thinks that her electrokinesis has no use outside of killing people, and is disturbed by what that says about her.
The Empyrean / int_4bf3d8d7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_4bf3d8d7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_4bf3d8d7
The Empyrean / int_556a4863	type	Virtue Is Weakness
The Empyrean / int_556a4863	comment	Virtue Is Weakness: One of the reasons Violet is singled out is because of her perceived weakness. Thanks to her more compassionate nature, relative fragility, and minimal training compared to the other cadets (many of whom have been training to be riders all their lives), she is an instant target for many of the more Darwinistic members of the Rider Quadrant. Even after she proves she's not nearly as incapable as many of them initially assumed her to be, people still use this as an excuse to try and get rid of her, as a veil for their jealousy over her success.
The Empyrean / int_556a4863	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_556a4863	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_556a4863
The Empyrean / int_5979acea	type	Fragile Speedster
The Empyrean / int_5979acea	comment	Fragile Speedster: Violet can take about two hits before nearing unconsciousness, but she's among the fastest and most agile candidates in her year. Her weapon of choice is daggers, which she is very good at throwing into people's vital organs. Her signet power upgrades her to a Squishy Wizard; not much tougher but capable of throwing full-fledged lightning bolts at people.
The Empyrean / int_5979acea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_5979acea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_5979acea
The Empyrean / int_5bec943d	type	Powerful, but Inaccurate
The Empyrean / int_5bec943d	comment	Powerful, but Inaccurate: Violet, whose first signet teacher trained her to produce a lot of lightning per minute, rather than lightning that actually hit targets. Not only does this sabotage her potential (as he intended) but it risks her dying from literal burnout.
The Empyrean / int_5bec943d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_5bec943d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_5bec943d
The Empyrean / int_5db7301f	type	Prophetic Names
The Empyrean / int_5db7301f	comment	Prophetic Names: Violet was named decades before she developed power over lightning. Blinding violet light is the last thing many of her enemies see.
The Empyrean / int_5db7301f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_5db7301f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_5db7301f
The Empyrean / int_7188489c	type	Let the Past Burn
The Empyrean / int_7188489c	comment	Let the Past Burn: As part of their worship of Malek, the Navarre God of Death, when someone dies in Navarre all their personal effects are burned in fire as a sacrifice to him. Keeping even one thing after their death is viewed as blasphemy.
The Empyrean / int_7188489c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_7188489c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_7188489c
The Empyrean / int_7ae00dcc	type	Driven by Envy
The Empyrean / int_7ae00dcc	comment	Driven by Envy: Ironically, despite the Rider Quadrant being filled to the brim with the children of rebels who hate her mother for capturing and executing their parents, most of the attempts on Violet's life actually come from people who resent her for her talents and gifts despite her fragile body and the fact she only started training to be a rider six months prior to induction.
The Empyrean / int_7ae00dcc	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_7ae00dcc	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_7ae00dcc
The Empyrean / int_7d3f1d63	type	The Ending Changes Everything
The Empyrean / int_7d3f1d63	comment	The Ending Changes Everything: The ending of Fourth Wing will change the entire perspective of the narrative for the reader, particularly Xaden's initial relationship with Violet. Violet's brother Brennan is alive, and is in fact an ally of Xaden and a member of the revolution against Navarre's corrupt leadership. With that revelation, it becomes clear that Xaden never truly intended to kill Violet at all, but also casts new light on the characters of Violet and Brennan's mother and father, and how much they knew about the truth of Brennan's death.
The Empyrean / int_7d3f1d63	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_7d3f1d63	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_7d3f1d63
The Empyrean / int_83535879	type	Tall Poppy Syndrome
The Empyrean / int_83535879	comment	Tall Poppy Syndrome: Violet suffers this right from the get-go due to being the youngest child of a powerful general and the younger sibling of two powerful dragon riders in their own right. Her close friendship with Dain, who is already a squad leader, doesn't help either. As a result, many people do whatever they can to diminish her accomplishments to justify getting rid of her in the name of social darwinism. Her claiming and bonding with two dragons only makes it worse, and it takes the deaths of multiple people trying to kill her out of jealousy for people to get the message and leave her alone.
The Empyrean / int_83535879	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_83535879	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_83535879
The Empyrean / int_8573ac0a	type	The Social Darwinist
The Empyrean / int_8573ac0a	comment	The Social Darwinist: Navarre culture- especially that of its Rider Quadrant- is obsessed with the belief that culling a group's "weak link" is the only way for that group to survive. "Weak link" there can mean "someone whose dad was a criminal", "an intellectual prodigy who's physically frail", or "someone I don't think deserves the success they've had". Basically, just superficial traits that have no bearing on whether someone will have your back. It will come as no surprise to Genre Savvy readers that Navarre's leaders are evil, and losing the war- partly because they think nothing of throwing loyal, capable soldiers' lives away.
The Empyrean / int_8573ac0a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_8573ac0a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_8573ac0a
The Empyrean / int_8e5fdcd5	type	Once Killed a Man with a Noodle Implement
The Empyrean / int_8e5fdcd5	comment	Once Killed a Man with a Noodle Implement: Violet defeats Jack Barlowe (who has been antagonizing her for most of the book) by analyzing his diet and realizing he is deathly allergic to oranges. The next time they fight, she breaks a vial of orange extract against his teeth, crippling him just before he can choke her to death.
The Empyrean / int_8e5fdcd5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_8e5fdcd5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_8e5fdcd5
The Empyrean / int_90e31482	type	Laser-Guided Karma
The Empyrean / int_90e31482	comment	Laser-Guided Karma: Luca gets burnt to death by dragons after persistently making fun of Violet and Pryor for being weak.
The Empyrean / int_90e31482	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_90e31482	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_90e31482
The Empyrean / int_959f08aa	type	Vetinari Job Security
The Empyrean / int_959f08aa	comment	Vetinari Job Security: Dragon riders are so rare and have risked so much to serve that they get a lot of perks infantry soldiers don't. Dragons themselves are more like diplomatic allies than livestock- and such vital allies that they have an unspoken license to kill any human who annoys them.
The Empyrean / int_959f08aa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_959f08aa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_959f08aa
The Empyrean / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Empyrean / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: The book of fables that Violet's father gifted her before his death. It turns out to be a forbidden book whose contents allude to the true conflict of the series. In addition, it foreshadows Brennan's survival, as his 'death' was around the same time that their father began growing cryptic in his discussions with Violet about the book.
The Empyrean / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_9d12bbc1
The Empyrean / int_ab1c1cca	type	Characters Dropping Like Flies
The Empyrean / int_ab1c1cca	comment	Characters Dropping Like Flies: In the first book alone, no less than ten named characters die, and of those ten four were the protagonist's friends. Despite the tragedy, however, it doesn't warrant so much as a raised eyebrow from the Rider Quadrant. Dragon riding is a very lethal profession and the series makes no bones about the fact that just about any character can die at any given time, no matter how capable they are. Violet notes that of those seeking to become a rider, around fifteen percent are usually killed during the entrance exam (crossing a slippery parapet wall that hangs over a ravine). Even more die during the training to prepare to become a rider, either due to the training itself or due to other cadets seeking to thin out the herd in order to better their chances of claiming a dragon. Even accomplishing the latter doesn't guarantee safety, as some will kill new riders while their bonds are weak in order to claim the dragons for themselves, while others die because they are unable to control their signet ability (basically, their personal superpower). Ultimately, of those that make it past the parapet, only twenty-five percent will usually make it to graduation.
The Empyrean / int_ab1c1cca	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_ab1c1cca	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_ab1c1cca
The Empyrean / int_affd30b0	type	Stupid Evil
The Empyrean / int_affd30b0	comment	Stupid Evil: Navarre's government, with the heavy implication it's a big part of the reason the war isn't going so well for them: Rider recruits have generally been training most of their lives, making them obviously valuable recruits even if they don't make it as riders. Rather than trying to ensure they survive and moving them to other areas should they fail, Navarre makes the training intentionally lethal and allows most of them to die, including allowing them to kill one another. Roughly 15% never even begin training, dying on the parapet instead. Their method of dealing with the children of rebels also deserves special mention. After forcing said children to watch their parents execution (at least SOME people objected to this part), they then force them to enter rider training, which is usually a volunteer duty. Obviously the assumption is that they'll mostly die in training, but inevitably some survive to become riders. The end result being that they have intentionally put a group of people with incredibly obvious dislike of Navarre's government into critically important positions of personal, political, and military power. Is anyone surprised when they end up using this power against Navarre?.
The Empyrean / int_affd30b0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_affd30b0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_affd30b0
The Empyrean / int_b10d7e8e	type	Head-in-the-Sand Management
The Empyrean / int_b10d7e8e	comment	Head-in-the-Sand Management: How Navarre has been run for the past four hundred years. After the venin showed up and started wreaking havoc, instead of allying with their Poromiel counterparts to fight and try to eradicate them together, Navarre closed its borders and essentially left the rest of the world to rot. And when one of their provinces decided to hell with that and tried to do the right thing by helping Poromiel anyway, the Navarre government branded them as rebels and traitors, brought the province to heel, and had the leadership there executed.
The Empyrean / int_b10d7e8e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_b10d7e8e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_b10d7e8e
The Empyrean / int_cc427069	type	Hard Work Hardly Works
The Empyrean / int_cc427069	comment	Hard Work Hardly Works: What a lot of Navarrians don't like to admit is that the rider system is not completely effort-based. If one of the few dragons around doesn't like you- and dragons are as prone to bigotry and foolishness as anyone else- it won't bond with you. Period. All of a cadet's effort and survival over the past year gets them note apart from the obvious benefit of army training is the chance that a dragon might choose them. It's sad, but it also makes sense: someone incapable of relying on a (potential) partner's judgment is not going to work well in a team. Also, while the brutality of the ridersâ€™ quadrant is officially supposed to weed out the weak, death is just as likely to be caused by pure dumb luck as anything else.
The Empyrean / int_cc427069	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_cc427069	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_cc427069
The Empyrean / int_d41832cc	type	Written by the Winners
The Empyrean / int_d41832cc	comment	Written by the Winners: It's noted by many people, including Violet's father, that the Scribes are among the most powerful people in the kingdom due to their duties as the recorders of information and history. Something that becomes all too clear once it's revealed that the Scribes have been deliberately suppressing information about the venin and the truth about the Barren Lands to keep the populace ignorant of how they're essentially allowing their neighbors to die in order to save their own skins.
The Empyrean / int_d41832cc	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_d41832cc	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_d41832cc
The Empyrean / int_d66cd0e6	type	Training from Hell
The Empyrean / int_d66cd0e6	comment	Rider recruits have generally been training most of their lives, making them obviously valuable recruits even if they don't make it as riders. Rather than trying to ensure they survive and moving them to other areas should they fail, Navarre makes the training intentionally lethal and allows most of them to die, including allowing them to kill one another. Roughly 15% never even begin training, dying on the parapet instead.
The Empyrean / int_d66cd0e6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_d66cd0e6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_d66cd0e6
The Empyrean / int_e1b2070b	type	Chameleon Camouflage
The Empyrean / int_e1b2070b	comment	Chameleon Camouflage: Adult dragons of the seventh den can change their colour at will, which is the main reason no humans know the seventh den exists.
The Empyrean / int_e1b2070b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_e1b2070b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_e1b2070b
The Empyrean / int_e55d8627	type	Present Absence
The Empyrean / int_e55d8627	comment	Present Absence: Brennan Sorrengail, Violet and Mira's older brother, and their mother Lilith's pride and joy. A dragon-riding prodigy who served as the glue of the family, his death in a rebellion five years before the present storyline hit the family hard. Lilith grew even more severe, her husband developed heart problems that would take his life four years later, and Mira grew fiercely protective of Violet as a result. His death also serves as a major sticking point between Violet and Xaden early in their relationship, as Xaden's father Fen is the one who killed Brennan. Or so we are led to believe for the majority of the book.
The Empyrean / int_e55d8627	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_e55d8627	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_e55d8627
The Empyrean / int_e6c45b94	type	Samaritan Relationship Starter
The Empyrean / int_e6c45b94	comment	Samaritan Relationship Starter: Contrary to popular belief, many dragons (such as Tairn, Andarna, and Sgaeyl) choose a candidate because that candidate was kind. Other than the obvious benefit of not being linked telepathically to a jerk, this makes them more effective in war; rider units may spend years stationed together, and nobody wants to spend all that time with someone who makes a rider's (and therefore a fellow dragon's) life harder.
The Empyrean / int_e6c45b94	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_e6c45b94	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_e6c45b94
The Empyrean / int_e9e35e8f	type	Exact Words
The Empyrean / int_e9e35e8f	comment	Exact Words: Xaden's fellow rebel conscripts ask him when they're going to kill Violet (who they hate because she's related to the woman who executed their parents) early on in the first book. He tells them not to do anything and let him "deal with" her. In the end, he "deals with" her by getting her to switch sides. They don't like it, but his charisma as a leader is great enough (and Violet's help is useful enough) that they accept it.
The Empyrean / int_e9e35e8f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_e9e35e8f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_e9e35e8f
The Empyrean / int_name	type	ItemName
The Empyrean / int_name	comment
The Empyrean / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Empyrean / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Empyrean	hasFeature	The Empyrean / int_name
The Empyrean / int_name	itemName	The Empyrean

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

The Empyrean	hasFeature	American Literature (E to I) / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Betty and Veronica Switch / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Characters Dropping Like Flies / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Diagnosis of God / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Dragon Works / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Head-in-the-Sand Management / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Literature of the 2020s / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Physical Disability in Media / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Prophetic Names / int_d63c1d35
The Empyrean	hasFeature	Romantic Plot Tumor / int_d63c1d35

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.