Lux Aurea was the capital of the Sunfire Elves and their crowning achievement. It was a gleaming city of gold that radiated beauty, pride, and military might,[1] before it was destroyed by monstrosities spawned by the corrupted Sunforge. It was obliterated after the Archdragons destroyed Aaravos's mortal form during their final battle, triggering an explosion that annihilated the entire city.[2]
History[]
Lux Aurea was built inside Xadia at an unknown point of history, as far back as the time of Elarion,[3] and eventually became the stronghold of the Sunfire Elves, leaving their original capital in ruins.[4] Long ago, a King of Lux Aurea became a tyrannical ruler after descending into madness. His reign was then challenged when his brother, the first Golden Knight of Lux Aurea, rallied his armies and rebelled, sparking a conflict that would be known as the "War of Blood and Ash". The Golden Knight then realized that his rebellion only brought more death and destruction, so he challenged his brother to a Royal Blood Duel. The knight was able to kill his vile brother and became the new King of Lux Aurea.[5] Royal Blood Duels continued to be practiced in Lux Aurea until Queen Aditi made it illegal due to its barbaric nature.[6]
Queen Aditi ruled Lux Aurea during the reigns of Luna Tenebris[7] and Avizandum[8] until she was killed by Aaravos.[9] The monarchy of Lux Aurea was eventually succeeded by her descendants, with Khessa being one of the more recent monarchs.[10] While her sister was ruling, Janai was named the Golden Knight of Lux Aurea while fighting for her city at the Breach.
Lux Aurea was attacked when Viren infiltrated the city under the pretense of sharing information about Queen Aditi's demise. By allowing Aaravos's caterpillar to enter the city's palace, he enabled Aaravos to corrupt Pharos's Sun staff, as well as the Sunforge. During this event, Queen Khessa was murdered by Aaravos.[11] The city was since then abandoned due to the corrupted Sunforge radiating monstrosities, which were going rampant in the city and left it in ruins. Despite the efforts of adventurers, the city remained destroyed, and the monstrosities continued to prowl its streets during the night due to their hatred of sunlight.[12][13]
Following his liberation, Aaravos arrived at Lux Aurea to use the Sun Orb to destroy the Sun and create an Eternal Night.[14] However, his plans were foiled through the combined efforts of Team Zym and the Archdragons. The Archdragons' sacrifice in destroying Aaravos's mortal form resulted in a tremendous explosion that incinerated all of Lux Aurea.[2]
Geography[]
Lux Aurea is located near the Midnight Desert, in the Northeast of the Border and west of the Storm Spire. It is built on flat lands, which are surrounded by tall mountains and hills, as well as vast meadows, not far from the Frozen Sea.[11][15]
Architecture[]
The Sunfire Elves revere the Archdragon Sol Regem and have designed much of Lux Aurea's architecture to resemble his horns.[16] Most of the city's rooftops are made of gold, while their house walls include shades of white, cream, blue, gray, and black. Green bushes, patches of grass, and even trees decorate the city streets.
Culture and Customs[]
Lux Aurea was home to both fearless warriors intensely devoted to martial prowess, as well as some of the greatest artisans and smiths in Xadia.[3]
Government[]
Lux Aurea's form of government is a hereditary monarchy, in which both male and female members may assume the throne,[17] and that goes back hundreds of generations.[3] Female monarchs are known as "Sunfire Queens". Khessa was addressed as "Your Radiance", rather than the ordinary "Your Highness", though it is unclear if all monarchs were addressed in such a fashion.[18][11] The last ruler of Lux Aurea was Queen Khessa, while her younger sister Janai is stated to be the heir to the throne.[15] It is currently unknown if a ruler is present, due to the city lying in ruins.[12]
Fashion[]
The clothing of Lux Aurea's Sunfire Elf residents are gold, red, brown, orange, black, and white in color. Nobilities and soldiers tend to wear golden headpieces in front of their horns.
Beliefs[]
The Sunfire Elves of Lux Aurea revere the Archdragon Sol Regem. To purify any corruption afflicted to someone by dark magic, they rely on exposing a person to the Sunforge, where its magic cleanses all evil from their body. The cleansing is able to reduce a person to nothing, however, if the corruption has progressed too far.[18][11]
The residents of Lux Aurea are also familiar with the story of the blood-drinking Moonshadow Elf Kim'dael and how Queen Aditi bound her into serving the royal family.[19]
Military[]
Lux Aurea has a large and powerful military force called the Sunfire Armies that include both male and female Sunfire Elves. Each of the six Sunfire Armies is commanded by six elite generals known as the "Six Horns",[20] which were named after Sol Regem's horns.[21] The soldiers are garbed in red, black, brown, white, and golden armor with golden headpieces in front of their horns.
Sunforge Equipment[]
Sunforge equipment are rare pieces of weapon and armor created by the Sunfire Elves with the help of the Sunforge, which remain as hot as when they were forged for hundreds of years. The sheath they are kept in is inscribed with runes to protect the wielder from the extreme heat. It is said that Sunforge blades can cut through anything, even solid steel.[22] However, they are unable to cut through objects that have been imbued with magic.[23] Sunforge equipment is primarily used by the Sunfire Armies.
Food[]
Lux Aurea served "flambéed fire cake", a stack of chocolate and marshmallows prepared by a Sun mage, which arrived literally on fire and was considered a specialty.[24]
Notable Locations[]
Sunforge[]
The Sunforge is the nexus of the Sun Primal[25] and is the main power source of magical creatures connected to the Sun both physically and spiritually.[15] The large tower was originally fueled by a field of mirrors that concentrated the Sun's primal energy into its central orb and its disc rotated to aim the reflected beam onto the forge below.[16] It was capable of infusing weapons with ever-searing heat.[1] On certain days, the forge was powerful enough to create a Sunforge blade, a weapon that stays as hot as the moment it was created for hundreds of years.[26] It was eventually corrupted by Aaravos,[11] causing it to spawn monstrosities.[12] Before its corruption, its core strongly resembled the Sun. After its corruption, it turned pitch black, with red steams surrounding it.[11] Upon learning that Aaravos planned to use the Sun Orb to create an Eternal Night, Callum sent a letter to Amaya and Janai to protect it. Amaya and Janai decided to destroy the orb with Karim's help.[27] However, Karim's betrayal allowed Aaravos to use the orb to create a spectral staff that would allow him to create an Eternal Night.[14] During the final battle, Zubeia destroyed the staff and the Sun Orb to end the Eternal Night.[2]
The Palace[]
The palace of Lux Aurea is located beyond the Sunforge, and it was where the Sunfire Kings and Queens held court.[1][19]
Sunfire University[]
Sunfire University is a university that has the Twin-Tailed Inferno-Tooth Tiger as its mascot.[28]
Great Bookery[]
The Great Bookery of Lux Aurea is a massive library that houses a vast and diverse variety of books and scrolls, such as the Scrolls of the First Elves.[29] The building is circular, and stands three stories tall with an open design and large circular skylight. The three levels of the library are connected by four sets of switchback staircases and there are multiple alcoves along the walls of each level where the books are kept. On the first floor there are multiple round tables with chairs where people can read, and a front desk just after the Great Bookery's entrance, as well as a large golden book drop located behind the front desk.[28]
Prison[]
Lux Aurea's prison kept the worst of its wrongdoers in blisteringly uncomfortable rings of fire, as punishment for their crimes.[15]
Gallery[]
,_the_dragon_prince).png "Sunfire throne room (exterior (s3e7), the dragon prince).png (1.29 MB)")
Notable Figures[]
| Royalty | Military | Others |
Trivia[]
- The etymology of the city's name derives from the Latin "Lux", meaning "light" and "Aurea", meaning "golden". It translates to "Golden Light".
- In Netflix's closed-caption subtitles, the Sunforge is spelled as "Sun Forge", while official media refers to it as "Sunforge".
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Dragon Prince - World: Xadia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Book Seven, Chapter 9: "Nova"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tales of Xadia - Handbook
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Creators Answer the BIGGEST Season 4 Questions! Rayllum, Terry, & More Explained!
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 8: "Rex Igneous"
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 9: "Escape from Umber Tor"
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 4: "Through the Looking Glass"
- ↑ Book One, Chapter 1: "Echoes of Thunder" Prologue
- ↑ Book Five, Chapter 9: "Infantis Sanguine"
- ↑ Official Discord Q&A - Elves (Dec 08, 2022)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Book Three, Chapter 7: "Hearts of Cinder"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Tales of Xadia
- ↑ After Darkness
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Book Seven, Chapter 8: "Dying Light"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 The Art of The Dragon Prince
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Callum's Spellbook
- ↑ Reddit - Lux Aurea's throne - Janai's brother mention
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Book Three, Chapter 3: "Ghost"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Queen's Mercy
- ↑ Book Six, Chapter 2: "Love, War & Mushrooms"
- ↑ New York Comic Con 2021
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Website - Character and Item Reveal: Zym and Sunforge Blade
- ↑ Book One, Chapter 7: "The Dagger and the Wolf"
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Website - Kazi's and Ellis's Birthdays
- ↑ Creator Q&A 16.12.2019 - Nexus
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Twitter
- ↑ Book Seven, Chapter 7: "The Titan and the King"
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Book Five, Chapter 4: "The Great Bookery"
- ↑ Tales of Xadia - Official Handbook (Startouch Elves)
[]
| Locations | ||||||||||||
| Human Kingdoms | Del Bar • Duren • Evenere • Evrkynd • Garden of Innocence • Katolis • Moon Nexus • Neolandia • The Border | |||||||||||
| Xadia | Blacksteel Sanctum • Elarion • Innean • Lux Aurea • Scumport • Silvergrove • Star Scraper • Storm Spire • The Drakewood • Umber Tor | |||||||||||