Fourth Wing's Venin & Wyvern Explained: Powers, Purpose & How People Are Turned

There are several villainous characters in Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean Series, but the venin and their wyvern definitely pose the greatest threat to the remaining narrative. The venin, also known as dark wielders, are a species of human that has been irreversibly altered by choosing to wield forbidden magic. While Iron Flame's ending finally saw the impending war with the venin play out, the conflict isn't likely to stop there—as the next Fourth Wing book will reveal even more about their species.

The venin and their wyvern—creatures similar to dragons—were long believed to be fictitious bedtime stories for many characters in the world of the Empyrean Series. And it wasn't until the end of Fourth Wing that the fables about dark wielders turned out to be true. While Iron Flame sees characters struggle to grasp their new reality, the venin and their wyvern are sure to play a significant role in the upcoming release of Onyx Storm.

How Someone Becomes Venin

They Must Take Power From The Earth

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros on a smoky background with red veins

To become venin, one must draw or channel magic directly from the earth—an act that is seen as corruptible to one's soul. Becoming venin is a conscious, irreversible decision—and only the person wielding said power can choose to take it. The consequences of taking power directly is what causes the venin to become a warped, disfigured version of themselves—making their eyes become a vibrant red, with a river of distended red veins branching out from them. Their faces are also described as being gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and thin lips—making them almost appear no longer human.

However, when first becoming venin, the transition is less gruesome. There are stages in which someone can progress through Fourth Wing's venin ranks—starting as an initiate, before becoming an asim, sage, or maven. Each stage is met with new distinct features, further corruption, and even more power. One would progress through each stage as they took more power directly from the earth—a temptation that is hard to fight once begun. This plays off one of Yarros' favorite quotes, stating "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

What Do The Venin Want?

They Are In A Constant State Of Hunger For More Power

Onyx Storm Book Cover on purple lightning background

Ultimately, the venin are searching for even more power—as the power they've stolen acts similarly to some sort of addictive drug. Due to this, they are stuck in a constant state of hunger, searching to drain power from every avenue—especially Basgiath's vale. The vale holds a lot of power because it is home to the dragon hatching grounds. The magical energy the vale generates acts as a protective shield over Navarre, and helps to fire the wards.

Aside from more power, the venin also have an odd obsession with Violet Sorrengail. Violet is known to be one of the most powerful dragon riders, and her strong bond with Tairn makes her so. The venin constantly refer to Violet as "the one who wields the sky", even knowing of her power before she first sees them in Resson. According to Fourth Wing theories, this could also be because her power allows her to control the dragons—all of whom have access to extremely powerful magic the venin want.

What Powers Venin Have

Their Arsenal Is Actually Pretty Significant

The cover of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros with smoke and a fiery red ring in the background

While Yarros has yet to explore exactly what becoming a venin can provide in terms of magic, there are several scenarios that highlight their already extensive list of abilities. The battle at Resson in Fourth Wing is the first instance in which their powers are shown—and Violet and her friends note a few of the abilities the venin are capable of wielding. For instance, the venin are able to wield fire, but it's very different from fire-wielding riders. They are also able to cause mass amounts of destruction, as is seen with the rock slide.

This is likely the tip of the iceberg, and Yarros will continue to develop their powers in Onyx Storm.

We also know from Jack and Violet's sparring session in Fourth Wing—where Jack has been confirmed to already be venin—that the venin can project pain. This ability was initially thought to be Jack's signet, but Yarros confirmed it was indeed a venin power. In Iron Flame, it's also noted they can wield gravity, forcing their opponents to rise into the sky or kneel on the ground. Aside from their magical abilities, they are also extremely quick to adapt to fighting styles. This is likely the tip of the iceberg, and Yarros will continue to develop their powers in Onyx Storm.

Who Are The Known Venin In The Empyrean Series

Only A Handful Of Characters Are Actually Named

As seen in Iron Flame, there are hundreds of unnamed venin Violet and her friends will have to fight in the pending war. However, there are a few characters we already know to be venin. The first is Jack Barlowe—Violet's nemesis, and frequent tormentor. In Iron Flame, Jack is revealed to be alive—a shocking fact considering most believed him to be dead after the events of Fourth Wing. However, it's later revealed his character was venin even before the war games—and he was not killed.

There's also the mysterious venin sage, and while not named, he plays an important role throughout the narrative for both Violet and Xaden. His character somehow turns up in each of their dreams, tormenting them and telling each they will choose to turn venin. However, this is only true for one of their characters—as Xaden turns venin at the end of Iron Flame. In a desperate attempt to save Violet, Xaden chooses to draw power from the source in order to defeat the sage, but ends up dooming himself in the process.

How Are Wyvern Created?

The Venin Use Runes To Bring Them To Life

The cover of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros in front of a gold and green background with dragons flying

Wyverns are creatures that are brought to life through a venin's magical power to compete against the riders' dragons. This is achieved through the use of runes, in which a venin will channel power into them—in contrast to how riders channel power from their dragons. Yarros explains in Iron Flame that runes are strands of magic pulled from a source of power, woven for a specific use, and then placed into an object—in this case, a wyvern.

We also learn that wyverns, because they are created through magic, have no power when crossing into warded areas—such as Aretia's or Navarre's wards. And in chapter fifty-seven of Iron Flame, Violet and Mira discover the carcass of a wyvern is filled with onyx stones marked with complex runes.

How Powerful Are Wyvern Compared To Dragons?

They Are Very Similar, But The Wyvern Have Some Advantages

The cover of Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing with a fiery dragon in the background

In both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, wyvern are described to be very similar to dragons—albeit with some differences. For instance, a wyvern is much larger than the average dragon, and their overall size helps them to overpower smaller dragons. Wyvern are gray in color, have poisonous barbed tails, and can breathe several different colors of fire—including blue, green, and cherry red, all of which give them different abilities.

A wyvern's most distinct quality when compared to dragons is that they have two legs instead of four—lacking front legs, and instead depend on their membranous wings to propel them when landing. One advantage is that their fire can harm a dragon's rider, but a dragon's fire is incapable of harming the venin. The dragons can choose to speak mind-to-mind if they wish, but wyverns are part of a collective hive-mind, processing and sharing information instantaneously—a huge advantage in battle.

How Can Venin & Wyvern Be Killed?

There Are Only Three Known Ways To Kill A Venin

One reason the venin are so powerful is due to their inability to be killed by normal means. The venin are impervious to dragon fire and all other weapons, but can be killed with specially forged alloy daggers imbued with a rider's power—but from Onyx Storm's excerpt, it seems they also start to lose power after killing a venin. Thankfully, once a venin is killed, the wyvern they created will die also. This is one of the only ways to kill a wyvern—aside from having a very large and powerful dragon snap their necks.

Thankfully, once a venin is killed, the wyvern they created will die also.

In addition, Violet's powerful lightning signet is able to kill a venin when targeted efficiently—which proves to be extremely useful in Iron Flame's final battle. Yarros has yet to explain how this is possible, but Andarna is also able to kill a venin with her dragon fire in Iron Flame—something that the venin are typically immune to. It's possible this will become a larger focus in the next Empyrean Series sequel, and hopefully provide the riders with another weapon against the venin.

zo/span>lentz