Katolis

Information
Demonym	Katolian
Capital	Katolis Capital
Form of government	Hereditary Monarchy
Head of State	King Ezran King Viren (formerly) King Harrow (formerly) King Atticus (formerly) The Orphan Queen (formerly)
Inhabitants	Humans Magical Creatures
Map

Katolis is the largest of the five Human Kingdoms, both in size and military might. Its signature colors are red and gold, and its banner bears the kingdom's seal, the uneven towers of Katolis Castle. As Katolis shares its border with Xadia, the kingdom has a long history of conflict and war with the magical lands to the East.

History

Katolis was formed as one of the five kingdoms following the Mage Wars, after the banishment of humanity to the western side of the continent. 300 years before the birth of Azymondias, a human orphan became the Queen of Katolis. At a later point, it was involved in further battles at the Border, and would station its soldiers to guard the Breach from attacks of Sunfire Elves.

Nine years before the birth of Azymondias, King Harrow, a descendant of the Orphan Queen, was crowned as the new king of Katolis seven sunsets after the death of his father, King Atticus. At some point, he was approached by Annika and Neha, the queens of Duren, who expressed their need for aid in fighting a building famine plaguing their kingdom. Following an idea of his advisor, Viren, King Harrow led his armies to the Border, where they intended to harvest the heart of a Magma Titan. However, after they had completed their mission, they were caught by the Dragon King, Avizandum. Viren, Queen Sarai, as well as Annika and Neha, stayed behind to combat Avizandum, allowing the rest of their people to escape with the titan's heart. During this fight, Katolis would lose Queen Sarai, as the Archdragon's attacks fatally wounded her.

Nine years after Sarai's death, King Harrow and Viren killed Avizandum using dark magic, and left behind the egg containing his only heir. Unbeknownst to King Harrow, Viren would steal the egg and hide it away inside a hidden chamber of the castle, leading all of Xadia, and even Viren's allies, to believe that it had been destroyed. In retaliation, the Dragon Queen Zubeia sent elven assassins to kill King Harrow and his son, Prince Ezran. However, Ezran and his half-brother Prince Callum managed to turn one of the assassins, Rayla, over to their side when they showed her the egg, and the three of them left for Xadia in the hopes of returning the egg to its mother. Despite this, the elves had succeeded in killing King Harrow, and Runaan, the leader of the assassins, sent word of their success to Zubeia before being captured.

Katolis barely had a day to mourn before Lord Viren held a funeral for the late king, against the tradition of seven days of mourning, and publicly announced the princes' deaths. However, before he could be crowned Lord Protector, General Amaya returned and announced that the princes were, in fact, alive, thwarting his attempt to seize power. Distrusting Viren's intentions, Amaya demanded find the princes, refusing to stand in as queen regent, and ordering her second-in-command, Commander Gren, to stay behind in Katolis to aid in finding the princes. However, Viren had Gren imprisoned in the castle dungeons as soon as Amaya left, and ordered his son, Soren, to assassinate the princes, believing they would make weak kings.

Viren later attempted to rally the High Council into calling a summit of the Pentarchy against the threat of Xadia as Sunfire Elf soldiers were gathering at the Border, but Opeli reminded him that only a monarch could call a summit, stressing that finding the princes was to remain their top priority. Thus, Viren went behind the High Council's back and used King Harrow's seal to call the summit. When he returned from the unsuccessful summit, Opeli had discovered his treachery and later had him arrested for treason.

Soon after Ezran had returned, he was approached by Prince Kasef of Neolandia, who wished to go to war against Xadia. Despite Opeli's suggestion to have a regent step in for him and take all kingly burdens from him until he would come of age, Ezran decided to honor his father's memory by refusing Kasef's request to ally with him, as he considered peace the wiser path. Unfortunately for Ezran, Prince Kasef would ally with Saleer and Viren, who would force him to give up his crown in exchange for an assured safety of his people. Following this ultimatum, Viren reclaimed the crown and attempted to win Katolis's army for his plans to march towards the Storm Spire, though failed to receive approval from the Katolian citizens. Meanwhile, Opeli, Corvus, Soren, and Barius helped Ezran to escape, then traveled to Duren to seek aid from Queen Aanya.

Katolian forces joined the battle at the Storm Spire, assisting the allied forces in their win over Viren's army. After the battle, Ezran was once again accepted as the king of Katolis.

Upon learning about Aaravos and his intention of escaping his prison, Ezran and the rest of Team Zym left the High Council in charge of Katolis before they went on their new quest of stopping the Startouch Elf.

Geography

Katolis is located in the Southeast of the Human Kingdoms and west of the Border. It is directly neighbored by both Del Bar and Duren. Katolis is known to be heavily forested, with several mountains and a few large lakes and rivers found within the region. The highest mountain of Katolis is Mount Kalik, located in the South of the kingdom, while the longest mountain range is located directly at the Border, east of the capital. Ocean points bordering at Katolis include Dragontail, Weeping Bay, and the Independent Isles.

Wildlife

Wildlife of Katolis include Banthers, Glow Toads, Leviathans, Sunray Monarchs, Xadian Songbirds, birds, deer, raccoons, squirrels, and wolves.

Culture and Customs

Katolis is home to a diverse population of humans, while elves are rarely seen and seem to avoid humans. Some inhabitants seems to believe in a version of Lady Justice. It is unknown how much power she holds in Katolian religion, however, her presence is significant enough to appear in Harrow's dream. They also believe in the afterlife, a place where people transcend to after dying. Before the battle at the Storm Spire, many Katolians believed that all elves were monstrous. In a story of Katolis, a Moonshadow Elf called Lasair goes by another name called "the Insidious", since they took things from the people of Katolis if they did not have their doors locked at night and left cold ashes in their place. One night, a child saw Lasair leave a flower behind, but it turned to ash by morning. While there were those that had mixed ideas if the child saw the elf or not, they agreed about Lasair's blossoms as a sign of proof that their hearts are pure and hands are clean.

Government

Katolis's form of government is a hereditary monarchy in which a monarch's firstborn inherits the crown, regardless of gender. It was ruled by the Orphan Queen 300 years before the birth of Azymondias, followed by her descendants, including King Atticus, King Harrow, and later, King Ezran, the current ruler of the kingdom. Katolis is the most advance of all the Human Kingdoms and well respected for its leadership. However, after King Harrow's death and Viren's usurpation of the throne, Katolis's inner relationships with the other Human Kingdoms have become more unstable.

Traditions and Laws

The king's seal, used to formally stamp messages and decrees

When a monarch of Katolis dies, the people mourn for their death for seven sunsets. Afterward, the crown is inherited by their firstborn child, regardless of gender. If the last monarch dies or abdicates while having no biological heir, or if no living relatives are deemed fit or interested in leadership, the Katolian High Council will select an unrelated orphaned individual as the next monarch, if said orphan is deserving of the role and willing to take on the challenge of ruling. However, it is currently unknown if this law was ever put into use before Viren usurped the throne, as Harrow and Ezran are said to be distant descendants of the Orphan Queen. If the chosen monarch is too young to make decisions on their own, they may choose a regent until they become of age.

For a lot of people in Katolis, winter officially begins on December 3rd, the birthday of the late Queen Sarai, honoring her sweet tooth with celebrations for baked goods and candy. In a fortunate twist of nature, this day is usually greeted by the year's first snow. Although there are many different traditions to celebrate, gathering in the capital is a common nighttime activity, as the main street of the city is traditionally decorated with candles and cedar tree branches. Vendors sell spiced cider from giant cauldrons, paired with pastries filled with pork or strong cheese originating from Duren.

Katolians celebrate birthdays with a local birthday song that has the exact same lyrics as Xadia's birthday song.

Fashion

The monarchs of Katolis wear a simple and asymmetrical golden crown. Though Ezran choose to wear a steel crown made from his fathers sword as a reminder of his teachings.

Food

Katolis grows a variety of its own food and also imports goods from their neighboring nation, Duren. One of Katolis delicacies includes jelly tarts, which are a favorite of the royal family. During winter, people tend to enjoy a cup of hot spiced cider, a seasonal drink mixed from apples and other fruit, as well as holiday spices, usually served with pieces of cinnamon.

Native food growing in Katolis includes moonberries, milkfruits, stone fruits, bogey berries, death berries, and winterberries.

Military

Katolis has the largest and strongest military in all of the five Human Kingdoms, which had been trained by Queen Sarai and General Amaya. Councilor Opeli stated her belief that if Katolis went to war with a number of the other Human Kingdoms, Katolis would have a good chance of victory, though at the cost of many soldiers' lives. The soldiers of Katolis don gray armor and are seen wielding shields, swords, and spears. As Katolis shares its borders with Xadia, the kingdom has a long history of conflict and war with the magical lands to the east. The military maintains a fortress at the Border which is occupied by the Standing Battalion, one of the best battalions of Katolis's military. The soldiers within the military are comprised of both men and women.

Standing Battalion

The Standing Battalion is one of Katolis's most powerful armies, serving under the leadership of General Amaya. The battalion is stationed at an important fortress at the Border and is on constant guard there. The crest of the Standing Battalion is a sword on a shield.

Crownguard

The Crownguard is an elite group of knights that are tasked to protect the monarch of Katolis and their family that is usually stationed at the castle of the city itself. Its ranks took heavy losses when they tried to protect King Harrow from a group of Moonshadow Elf assassins led by Runaan. Although the elves managed to kill King Harrow, the Crownguard knights were able to slay the elves and captured Runaan. The guard remained intact under the new rule of King Ezran.

The crest of the Crownguard displays a simplified version of the uneven towers of Katolis Castle nestled into a black and white shield surrounded by a golden edge. These colors are also often represented in armor worn by guards.

Notable Locations

Katolis Castle

Katolis Castle is home to the royal family, where King Ezran lives and rules with the help of his High Council. Inside the castle are the throne room, a library, the royal chambers, training grounds, as well as a dungeon. The castle itself stands on a rock, surrounded by a large moat and connected to the mainland through a bridge. According to Callum, he used to get lost a lot as a kid after first moving in.

The castle

The castle from above

The castle at sunrise

Callum's bedroom

Callum's bedroom

Ezran's bedroom

Library

Dungeon passage

Plaza

Castle Chambers

The castle chambers are located inside the dungeons of Katolis Castle and are used by Viren and Claudia to study and cast dark magic. To enter them, a specific combination is required to be pressed on a stone wall, following a pattern of "rock, rock, stone, rock, stone, stone, rock, stone, rock, rock", which will reveal a staircase leading into the room. It is also the place where Runaan and Gren were held captive.

Bakery

The bakery is located within the town and is owned by the baker Barius, who provides the castle with treats, such as his popular jelly tarts.

Banther Lodge

The Bather Lodge is a vacation lodge of the royal family of Katolis. It is located deeply inside the Katolian forest. The lodge is named after the Banther, an animal native to the forest surrounding it.

Cursed Caldera

The Cursed Caldera is a mountain peak located near a village. Villagers avoid it, due to rumors of it being haunted and infested with monstrous creatures. In reality, the monsters are merely harmless illusions cast by the Moonshadow Elf mage Lujanne, who uses them to keep humans away from the Moon Nexus, which is located near the peak.

Hidden Grotto

The hidden grotto is located near Mount Kalik and was originally shown to Claudia by her mother, Lissa. It is known to be home to wisps. This grotto proves that the Human Kingdoms are not completely devoid of magic, if you know where to look.

Mount Kalik

Mount Kalik is the tallest mountain within Katolis. According to Claudia, the storm that was contained within her Sky Primal Stone came from the top of Mount Kalik.

Noct

Noct is a quiet town in Katolis.

Puzzle House

The Puzzle House is the home of the dark mage Kpp'Ar and has been abandoned following his mysterious disappearance. The architecture of the house is filled with secret passages, trapdoors, and puzzles that can be deadly to reckless visitors.

Valley of Graves

The Valley of Graves is where the royalty of Katolis had been buried for generations, but not all of them earned their place in it.

Other

Katolis forest and stream

Katolis mountains

A town in Katolis

Doctor room

Katolis's capital

A tower in a Katolian town

Notable Figures

Royalty The Orphan Queen (Former Queen †) Atticus (Former King †) Harrow (Former King †) Sarai (Former Queen †) Ezran (King) Callum (Prince / High Mage) Viren (Former King / Former High Mage) Claudia (Former Princess / Former Mage)

High Council Opeli (High Cleric) Barius (Minister of Crusts and Jellies) Saleer (Former Councilman) Standing Battalion Amaya (General) Gren (Commander) Fen (Lieutenant)

Others Soren (Head Crownguard / Former Prince) Corvus (Crownguard) Marcos (Crownguard) Kpp'Ar (Dark Mage) Perran (Steward) Crow Lord (Head Messenger) Associate Crow Lord (Messenger Apprentice) Lucia (Chief Architect)

Gallery

Katolian "Jelly Tarts"

Katolian "Hot Spiced Cider"

The crowns of the King (left) and Queen (right)

Trivia

• The word "Katolis" means "Catholic" in Latvian.
• While the flag of Katolis bears the symbol of the two uneven towers, a newer version released in The Art of The Dragon Prince displays Katolis Castle as a whole. It is currently unclear if this update is canon to the series.
• Katolis's Valley of Graves was inspired by the Valley of Kings in Egypt, with memorials carved from the stone the canyon itself.
• Katolis is known to breed the best tracking hounds in all of the Human Kingdoms.
• The nature of Katolis was inspired by hand-painted backgrounds from several animated features.
• Katolis's royal family's favorite snack is based on real-life hamantanschen pastry.
• The Banther Lodge is named after a combination of the words "Bear" and "Panther", in relation to producer Justin Santistevan's childhood fear of bears and producer Aaron Ehasz's fear of panthers.
  • The Banther Lodge also shows a combination of 3D models and 2D paintings.
  • During the fight against Rayla despite Amaya smashing through the central beam in the room, it did not collapse the whole building, meaning it was a load-bearing beam.
  • The Lodge took inspiration from hunting lodges and mountain cabins.