Reading the setting
Three terms to keep separate
The Empyrean concerns dragon governance. A den identifies a dragon group, while Basgiath War College is a human institution. Those terms describe different layers of the setting rather than three names for the same organization.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean · The Book Feed · Fourth Wing dragon guide
Reading notes · Fourth Wing
This section includes details from Fourth Wing. Change your reading progress when you’re ready.
Authority among dragons
The reviewed guide describes dragons deferring to den heads and elders. A dragon seeking to bond requests its den head’s approval, called the Right of Benefaction. Human officers do not simply assign dragons to cadets.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean
What riders are not told
Empyrean meetings exclude humans, including bonded riders. This creates a limit to the reader’s view through the human characters: their access to a dragon’s mind does not give them unrestricted access to dragon government.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean
A shared interest
The protection of hatching grounds helps explain the dragons’ cooperation with humans. The wards depend on their combined roles, but cooperation does not place dragon society under Navarre’s military command.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean
Common questions
Is the Empyrean a human military rank?
No. In the setting it refers to dragon governance.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean
Is a den the same as the Empyrean?
No. Dens are groups within dragon society; the Empyrean is its governing body.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean
Questions · Fourth Wing
This section includes details from Fourth Wing. Change your reading progress when you’re ready.
Do riders attend Empyrean meetings?
The reviewed guide states that humans are excluded, even when they are bonded riders.
Sources (may contain spoilers): Audible · Guide to the dragons of the Empyrean