Ash

Prythian is an island that is famously divided into seven territories known as Courts, each ruled by a powerful High Lord:

Seasonal Courts: These four courts are permanently locked in a single season.
o Spring Court: A land of eternal spring, lush forests, and rolling green hills; ruled by Tamlin.
o Summer Court: A coastal realm of sparkling seas and perpetual warmth; ruled by Tarquin.
o Autumn Court: Known for its forests of red and gold; ruled by Bereron.
o Winter Court: A frozen landscape of ice and snow; ruled by Kallias.
Solar Courts: These three courts are themed after times of day.
o Dawn Court: A realm of perpetual sunrise, known for its beauty and healing; ruled by Thesan.
o Day Court: A land of light, knowledge, and ancient libraries; ruled by Helion.
o Night Court: The largest and northernmost territory, famous for its mountains and starlight; ruled by Rhysand.
• The Wall: A magical barrier located at the southern border of the Spring Court that separates Prythian from the Mortal Lands where humans live.

The Night Court is a vast, mountainous territory in the far north of Prythian, the largest court, bordered by the Day Court.
Publicly perceived as dark and dangerous but secretly is a magical city of dreams and beauty.

Illyria is the rugged northern region of the Night Court. Unlike some of the other parts of the court, Illyria is not made up of villages or towns but of war-camps that are scattered throughout the Illyrian mountain range.

The Illyrian war-camps are the heartbeat of the Illyrian culture—rugged, unforgiving, and deeply traditional. These settlements are designed for survival and combat training rather than comfort.
The camps are typically perched on the sides of mountains or nestled in high-altitude valleys.
Structures made of stones and hide are usually built from grey mountain stone and heavy animal furs to keep out the biting alpine cold.
The Training Rings are the focal point of every camp. These are flat, dirt-packed circles where warriors and syphoned "bastards" spend from dawn until dusk sparring.
Those who have houses often have balconies or roof-access points rather than traditional front doors, as the residents frequently fly in and out.

The Illyrians are a warrior race of faeries that are known for their formidable aerial prowess and rigid culture, they serve as the primary military force for the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court.



Physical Characteristics
Wings: Their most defining feature is a pair of powerful, membranous bat-like wings.
Humanoid Appearance: Unlike the High Fae, Illyrians have rounded ears. They typically have dark hair and golden-brown or tanned skin.
Markings: Warriors are often adorned with intricate tattoos that symbolize luck, glory, and their personal history on the battlefield.
Magic and Siphons
Illyrians possess "raw" killing magic that is naturally unrefined and dangerous to use. To channel this power into precise weapons or shields, they use Siphons—colored gemstones (typically red, blue, or green). Most Illyria warriors are gifted with one or two siphons - with the most skilled warriors receiving up to seven.
Social Structure
They live in War-Camps governed by traditional (and often misogynistic) Camp Lords. Historically, females were kept from training and often suffered "clipping"—the horrific practice of having their wings bound or mutilated to prevent flight—though High Lord Rhysand has since banned this clipping is still practiced by some traditional families.

The war with Hybern was a massive conflict sparked by the King of Hybern’s desire to destroy the Wall that separated Prythian from the Mortal Lands and re-enslave humanity.

A brief summary:
The war against Hybern was defined by a brutal intersection of ancient magic and devastating martial technology. A primary highlight was the strategic use of the Cauldron, which served as a weapon of mass destruction capable of unraveling the very fabric of reality and nullifying Fae wards. In response, the Night Court warriors, Illyrians, utilized Siphons to channel raw power into concentrated magical blasts that played surgical roles in taking down high-value targets.

The conflict also saw the terrifying deployment of Hybern’s naval fleet, equipped with ash-wood harpoons and ash arrows designed specifically to pierce Fae skin and dampen their healing abilities. Hybern also used a magical blue substance called fae-bane (also called bloodbane) is a potent chemical compound used as a weapon, primarily by the King of Hybern. It is often described as a blue stone that can be ground into a fine powder to be used in air-borne attacks, used to tip arrows, or put into food or drink. Fae-bane causes power suppression (strength and magical) and anti-healing. In the end, the seven High-Lords of Prythian and their armies defeated the King and put an end to the threat to enslave humans and re-claim the mortal lands by the fae.

During the war with Hybern (A Court of Wings and Ruin) thousands of Illyrian warriors were killed and many of the camps threatened to rebel against the Night Court and the general of the Illyrian army, Cassien. It took time but the embers of revenge were smoldered throughout the camps, and the Illyrians began to rebuild their armies.

New camps were created that focused on the harnessing and use of fae-bane and ash weapons in their arsenal - a tactic that has been ruled as illegal among the High-Fae but the Illyrians saw as an opportunity to level the playing field. If the enemy was going to use ash and fae-bane, why shouldn't they? In these new war camps, the rules about "clipping" had gotten even stricter. The penalty for clipping a female against her will was now death to whomever performed the mutilation.

Names of the new or revamped War Camps:
Windstorm Ridge
Bloodwing Hold
Dreadfrost Camp
Ironash Peak