IceWing palace

Template:Infobox LocationThe IceWing palace is located on the far northern edge of the Ice Kingdom. The palace is occupied by the IceWing queen and aristocratic IceWings who are ranked in the Third circle or above.

Description

The IceWing palace is astonishing: the Gift of Splendor, designed, built, and enchanted centuries ago by a pair of animus twins, with magic that ensured its wall of ice never melted, never cracked, and could never be harmed by outside attack. It soars miles into the air, with towers and balconies and spires that pierce the clouds. It contains a great number of rooms on many various levels.

It is composed of a thousand different shades of glittering blue, with its interior walls being cool and smooth. The lights of the palace shimmer blue-green-silver, like captured starlight. The dark ocean surrounding it serves as a mirror, sending the same lights dancing in blurred mimicry around the base of the palace. A galaxy of smaller lights spiral out in five curved arms from the palace, illuminating the homes of lower aristocrats, the training schools that are open all night, and the shimmering ice sculpture gardens.

There is a grand entrance to the palace: a set of crystal-studded gates about halfway up the central keep. They are carved in the shapes of giant dragon wings, matching the small ice sculptures of dragons and wings and talons that top all of the columns and finials. It is possible to fly over the palace walls into the interior courtyards, but that is considered gouache and career suicide. According to IceWing protocol, visitors wait at the gates to be admitted.

There is a vast entrance hall that leads to three arched openings leading to the central courtyard. The Gift of Elegance provides pale blue stars that seem to drift through the otherwise bare, translucent walls of the palace. Up close, small, phosphorescent glass snowflakes are seen encased in the ice, glowing silvery blue as they fell, mimicking the weather outside.

The pristine central courtyard is covered in snow, a vast space dominated by the two most important gifts in IceWing history: the Gifts of Light and Order. The Tree of Light's frost-kissed twigs, leaves, and branches are identical to that of a normal tree. It has eternal life, and its moon globes grow year-round, with a new bud growing on the tree immediately after a moon globe has been taken. Under the Tree of Light, there is a long path to the wall of Circle rankings. There are many windows in the palace that overlook the courtyard.

There is a palace library containing a few old scrolls about the Diamond Trial.

Winter's room was described to have one window overlooking the central courtyard, with a shelf of ice serving as a bed and two warm, white polar bear rugs on the floor. Narwhal was also mentioned to have personal chambers somewhere in the palace.

Winter was mentioned to have a flight training tower.

Book Appearances

Winter Turning

After Hailstorm and Winter returned to the Ice Kingdom, they were admitted at the palace gates. Once let through, they obtained one moon globe each from the Tree of Light. Once in the central courtyard, they were assessed by Narwhal. Winter then went to sleep in his room, and attended a rankings ceremony the next morning, in which Hailstorm and Winter were given their new rankings.

Gallery

• 
  The IceWing palace from the cover of Winter Turning, by Joy Ang
• IceWing Kingdom location from A NightWing guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia, by Joy Ang
  IceWing Kingdom location from A NightWing guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia, by Joy Ang

References

pl:Pałac królowej Lodowiec ru:Ледяной дворец