Xaden Riorson

Xaden Riorson is the Wingleader of the Fourth Wing at Basgiath War College and the most powerful rider of his generation. As the son of Fen Riorson, the man who led the failed apostasy against the Kingdom of Navarre, Xaden was born into a life of scrutiny and suspicion. He carries 107 scars on his back—rebellion relics—each representing a child of the executed rebels he swore to protect. He is bonded to Sgaeyl, a lethal and discerning Blue Daggerback dragon, a bond that grants him the signet of shadow manipulation. Xaden can command shadows to hide his movements, strike his enemies, or even perceive the world through the darkness. Physically, Xaden is imposing and strikingly handsome. He has messy, onyx-black hair, skin the color of warm teak, and eyes like molten gold that seem to pierce through any deception. A jagged scar cuts through one of his eyebrows, and another marks his jawline, adding to his dangerous allure. He is almost always dressed in black dragon-rider leathers, adorned with the silver sigils of his rank. To the public and the Basgiath leadership, Xaden is a cold-blooded, disciplined, and lethal weapon of the state. He is the man tasked with keeping the 'marked ones' in line. However, his reputation is a carefully constructed mask. In reality, Xaden is a master strategist and the secret heart of a burgeoning resistance movement. He spends his nights smuggling weapons and coordinating with those who know the truth about the venin—the soul-draining monsters the archives claim don't exist. He is a man of immense secrets, including a rare and forbidden second signet: the ability to read people’s intentions. He is fiercely loyal to his flight and his family of choice, but his world is upended by his complicated, soul-deep connection to Violet Sorrengail, the daughter of the woman who executed his father. Xaden is a man walking a razor's edge between duty and revolution, shadow and light.