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Velaris, also known as the Court of Dreams and the City of Starlight, is a hidden city on the western side of the Night Court of Prythian.

Its inhabitants agree that Rhysand be their High Lord despite the fact that he is not fully High Fae being half Illyrian, whom their counterparts the inhabitants of the Court of Nightmares consider Lesser Faeries, it is for this reason that the inhabitants of said Court do not approve of him.

The city remained hidden from Amarantha, thanks to Rhysand's fifty year sacrifice Under the Mountain. The walls of Velaris had not been breached in over five thousand years.

Description[]

Velaris is built like a crust atop rolling, steep hills. The hills are flanked by a broad, winding river the color of the deepest sapphire, the Sidra River, that snakes across the landscape into the sea. The Sidra River has ships with sails of varying shapes placed along it permanently, making it navigable. At the northern edge of Velaris, curved to where the river bent toward them and flowed into their shadows, tower, like eternal guardians of the city, a wall of flat-topped mountains of red stone. Their middle and larger peak has holes and windows built in the uppermost part of it, in fact, there is where the House of Wind, Rhysand's house for official business, can be found. To the north are different kinds of mountains that surround the city across the river, which are a range of sharp peaks comparable to fish teeth cut through city's hills from the sea beyond.

The city's buildings are crafted out of white marble, warm sandstone, and the same red stone of the flat-topped mountains that can be found on the northern edge of the city. Many quarters of Velaris are full of townhouses with green copper roofs and white chimneys.

In Velaris many shops can be found with delicate tables and chairs scattered outside their cheery fronts, restaurants like the Restaurant where the Inner Circle go dining, and nightclubs like the Rita's. Many of these buildings are heated by warming spells.

Velaris has four market squares called Palaces, two on the southern side of the Sidra River and two on the northern side. We know the name of only three of the four squares: the Palace of Thread and Jewels and the Palace of Bone and Salt that sell respectively jewels and food and are positioned on the southern side of the Sidra River, and, the Palace of Hoof and Leaf positioned on the northern side of the Sidra River and twin square to the Palace of Bone and Salt. They are white-stoned squares flanked by Tehran pillars supporting the carved and painted buildings that watch over them, and provide a covered walkway beneath the shops built into the street level.

What Velaris is most known for is the artists' quarter, called the Rainbow of Velaris, home of performing artists, like the musicians, the dancers, and the actors. It is a brightly painted pocket of the city, built atop one of the hills that flowed right to the river's edge. In the Rainbow of Velaris there are around a hundred galleries, supply stores, potters' compounds, sculpture gardens, and anything in between. In this quarter there is a building with a golden top, the most famous of the five main theaters in the city. There are also other smaller theaters and an amphitheater on the sea cliff.

History[]

There was a time when the Night Court was the Court of Nightmares and was ruled from the Hewn City. An ancient High Lord had a different vision, and rather than allowing the world to see his territory vulnerable at a time of change, he sealed the borders and staged a coup, eliminating the worst of the courtiers and predators, and then building Velaris for the dreamers, establishing trade and peace.

To preserve it, he kept Velaris a secret, and so did his descendants. There are many spells on the city itself—laid by him, and his heirs, that make those who trade here unable to say anything about the city and possess the skill to convincingly lie in order to keep the origin of their goods and ships, hidden from the rest of the world. Rumor has it that an ancient High Lord doused his blood upon the stones and river to keep that spell eternal.

Rhysand let everyone believe that the citizens of the Night Court were the worst kind of Fae possible, and that the Hewn City was the face of his people, so that no one who did not live on Velaris would know of its existence. He put his cousin Morrigan as overseer of both the Hewn City and Velaris. He lived in the latter and made occasional visits to the other to maintain his reputation as an evil ruler.

In Under the Mountain, fifty years before the events of A Court of Thorns and Roses, Amarantha tricked the High Lords into giving control over their powers to her. As Rhysand felt Amarantha ripping his power away, he used what little time he had to erase the city and the wards from the minds of the Court of Nightmares. He threw a shield around Velaris, binding it to his Inner Circle so that they had to remain or risk that protection collapsing, and used what little power he had left to tell them mind to mind what was happening as well as ordering them to stay away.

A Court of Mist and Fury[]

After Feyre leaves Tamlin for good and goes to live with Rhys, he takes her to Velaris after she swears not to reveal the secret. Rhysand takes her to live in the House of Wind, his personal residence, and also shows her the town house, where the members of his Inner Circle live (with the exception of Amren) and where guests other than family are received.

Feyre, Rhysand and his Inner Circle spend most of their time in Velaris. The city is a well-guarded secret, the only people knowing that Velaris existed were the ones that were living there themselves. It is not on any map or mentioned in any book beyond those written there, as it has been successfully hidden from the world for many generations.

In order to gain the trust of the mortal queens of the human realm and gain the second half of the Book of Breathings, Rhysand shows them the existence of his city using the Veritas (an orb that allows the display of the truth), as proof of his intentions. But the mortal queens sell him out to the King of Hybern, who then sends a legion of his soldiers led by the Attor to attack the city. His forces are defeated by Feyre and the Inner Circle but not before damage is inflicted in different areas of the city, including the artist's quarter, nicknamed the Rainbow.

When Rhysand, Feyre, and his Inner Circle go to Hybern to destroy the Cauldron, Amren stays to defend the city while they are gone, as she is the only one powerful enough to stand a chance of holding the city until help can arrive.

A Court of Wings and Ruin[]

Following the events of Hybern at the end of A Court of Mist and Fury, Feyre's sisters Nesta and Elain, now High Fae, are taken to the House of Wind by Mor. When Feyre returns from the Spring Court accompanied by Lucien she stays at the town house and goes to see her sisters, only to find a furious Nesta and a desolate and empty Elain.

A Court of Frost and Starlight[]

The Inner Circle resides in Velaris, which is still under the effects of the war with Hybern. They are slowly rebuilding their homes and bringing their lives back to normality. The city brings happiness to those who wander about, but some, like Feyre, are still scared from previous events.

House of Sky and Breath[]

The following section contains details and spoilers for the Crescent City series
SPOILERS AHEAD!

After Bryce Quinlan manages to escape the Asteri by opening a gate to travel through the worlds to reach Hel in order to request aid from the Princes, she accidentally lands somewhere in Velaris near the Sidra River instead, carrying with her the Starsword. Azriel finds her, blindfolds her, and flies her to a residence, carrying her to the living room. There she meets the rest of the Inner Circle and Nesta.

Known Residents[]

Known Locations[]

Trivia[]

  • Velaris' breeze smells like salt and lemon verbena.
  • When Mor confesses to Feyre that she prefers females, she tells her that Velaris is a haven for LGBTQ Fae, especially Rita's, the pleasure hall, where she spends almost every night.
  • Rhysand says that Velaris was built to be viewed during the night.
  • A legend says that the magic barriers that surround Velaris were built with the blood of an ancient High Lord of the Night Court, that he dropped into the stone and on the river.
Night Court
Velaris Feyre Archeron · Rhysand · Nesta Archeron · Cassian · Elain Archeron · Azriel · Amren · Morrigan · Nyx · Lucien · Gwyneth Berdara · Nuala · Cerridwen · Ananke · Aranea · Aranea's Husband † · Bryaxis · Clotho · Deirdre · Ilana · Lorelei · Madja · Merrill · Neve · Polina † · Polina's Sister · Ressina · Rhysand's Father † · Rhysand's Grandfather † · Rhysand's Mother † · Rhysand's Sister † · Rita · Riven · Roslin · Sevenda · Unnamed Healer · Young Faerie Boy · Young Faerie Girl · Polina's Nieces · Polina's Nephews
Hewn City Darkbringers · Keir · Morrigan's Mother · Thanatos · Thanatos's Daughter
Illyria Azriel's Father · Azriel's Half-brothers · Azriel's Stepmother · Balthazar · Bellius † · Camp-mother · Cassian's Mother † · Cassian's Father · Devlon · Emerie · Emerie's Brother † · Emerie's Mother † · Enalius · Kallon † · Kallon's Father · Proteus
Locations Amphitheater · Amren's Apartment · Aranea's Gallery · Athelwood · Cesere · Dunmere · Emerie's Shop · Feyre's Studio · Hewn City · House of Wind · Illyria · Illyrian Mountains · Illyrian Steppes · Ironcrest Camp · Lucien's Apartment · Moonstone Palace · Mr. Archeron's Gravesite · Myrmidons · Nesta's Apartment · Neve's Shop · Night Court Inn · Night Court Lake · Palace of Bone and Salt · Palace of Hoof and Leaf · Palace of Thread and Jewels · Rainbow of Velaris · Ramiel · Ressina's Studio · Restaurant · Rhysand's Mother's House · Rhysand's Treasure Chamber · Rita's · River House · Sidra River · The Cabin · The Four Market Squares · The Library · The Prison · The Town House · Velaris · Velaris Lingerie Shop · War-Camps · Western Isles · Windhaven Camp · Wolf's Den
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