Ice Kingdom

Template:Infobox Location The Ice Kingdom is currently ruled by Queen Snowfall. It is the territory of the IceWings, and consists of the "head," or northern peninsula, of Pyrrhia. It borders the northern ocean, the Kingdom of Sand, and a portion of the Sky Kingdom.

Description

The Ice Kingdom is well-known for its sub-zero temperatures and freezing winds. There are islands with caves surrounding the IceWing palace, as well as dark green oceans studded with drifting pieces of ice. Distant splashes of whales and seals carry across the cool, quiet ice, and the smallest changes can be detected in the frozen world. Winter described the Ice Kingdom to be the safest and most purely beautiful place in Pyrrhia, a snowy landscape dotted with sheer cliffs and pure blue lakes. It is rare to find complete darkness, even at night; the Gift of Light is spread throughout the kingdom, and there are moon globes everywhere. There is a lot of open space, and the three moons glitter on everything: the snow, the palace, the frozen lakes, and the glaciers. According to Winter, cities in the Ice Kingdom are very carefully built. It is clear where the wealth and power are, who has it, and who can influence it.

The Ice Kingdom's land is mostly snowy, icy, cold tundra, with multiple glaciers adding to the overall shape of the kingdom. It is cold enough that almost everywhere is covered with snow. Darkstalker said that for tribes besides IceWings, the Ice Kingdom would be horrible to conquer. The map of Pyrrhia shows that there are areas of mountain and boreal forest in the Ice Kingdom, which are also snow-covered. Icebergs, ice sheets, and ice floes litter the sea around the kingdom.

Queen Snowfall's palace is located in the far north, on the peninsula. Inside the palace, there is a Moon Globe Tree created by the animus Frostbite, which is known as the Gift of Light.

It was mentioned in Darkstalker (Legends) that there were three other palaces in the Ice Kingdom.

Blaze's fortress was formerly located near the edge of the Ice Kingdom that bordered the Kingdom of Sand.

It was mentioned in The Hidden Kingdom that IceWings had taverns, but no further evidence of this has been found.

Wildlife

Wildlife
Animals Birds Hawks Penguins Snowy owls Ermines Foxes Hares Lynxes Polar bears Rabbits  Pinnipeds Wolves Caribou Seals  Elephant seals Walruses Sardines Whales Belugas Narwhals Plants Pine trees

Great Ice Cliff

The Great Ice Cliff is an animus touched wall that borders some of the Ice Kingdom and shoots large icicle spears at any dragon who is not an IceWing or an IceWing hybrid if they attempt to fly over the wall into the Ice Kingdom. It was an animus gift from an unnamed IceWing animus and was named the Gift of Defense. It was mentioned by Winter in Winter Turning when he and Hailstorm flew over it. The only way for a dragon that's from another tribe to fly over without getting killed is to put on one of three animus-touched bracelets that prevent the Great Ice Cliff's effects. These bracelets were called the Gift of Diplomacy. The reason the IceWings only have three bracelets could possibly be because it would prevent large groups of dragons from other tribes from entering the Ice Kingdom.

In Darkstalker, Prince Arctic took Whiteout towards the IceWing territory to offer her talons in marriage in exchange for Foeslayer's life. The Cliff also lets IceWing hybrids pass over it safely as well since Typhoon says that being half IceWing is IceWing enough.

In the epilogue of The Poison Jungle, Queen Snowfall asked Jerboa II to extend the Great Ice Cliff to protect them from the LeafWings and SilkWings, but not only did she not want to, but Jerboa was also unable to complete her request due to animus magic currently being broken.

Diamond Caves

The Diamond Caves are a system of ice caverns within the Ice Kingdom where the Diamond Trial takes place. They were named after the trial's creator, Queen Diamond. It is also known as the Gift of Vengeance. These caves are also where Foeslayer was trapped until Winter set her free in Winter Turning. Winter mentions that Queen Diamond used her animus power more than once to create the Diamond Caves, and then to imprison Foeslayer. 

They are a series of caves and caverns made mostly of ice, filled with stalactites and stalagmites like any other cavern, located at the north-westernmost peninsula on Pyrrhia. Near Foeslayer's cave, there is an uncountable amount of frozen IceWing dragonets, who all died during the Diamond Trial. An underground river runs near the entrance to the cave, into a dark chasm.

History

In The Hidden Kingdom, Glory and Jambu traveled to the Ice Kingdom to find Blaze disguised as two IceWings. They tested her to see if she was worthy of the next ruler of the SandWings. Deathbringer was hiding near the border, possibly meaning that he lived in the Ice Kingdom while waiting for Blaze and the dragonets. There he attempted to kill her with sharp metal disks from the Night Kingdom.

In Queen Snowfall's palace, the courtyard grows a tree made of ice. This is called the Moon Globe Tree. Growing on the tree are moon globes, which are sources of light and can be picked by passing dragons. This tree was made by an animus dragon named Frostbite, who is mentioned in Winter Turning.

There is also a group of narwhal horns enchanted by Queen Diamond, known as the gift of healing, in the case of an IceWing hurting another IceWing or themselves with frostbreath. It is mentioned that Queen Diamond might have regretted making this her gift to the IceWings because it is only really used for younger dragonets who were playing around.

There is also a trio of animus touched pools, known as the gift of sustenance,  that produces a seal to swim by every time an IceWing reaches in. However, only the lowest-ranked dragons use it as dragons in the higher circles consider it a weakness to eat food that so easily came to you.

And finally, among the mentioned animus touched objects, there is also a wall that acts as a shield for the IceWings and it is called the Great Ice Cliff. If any dragon that was not an IceWing tried to cross or fly over it, they would immediately be impaled by an ice spear and killed. According to book ten, Darkness of Dragons, hybrids will count as full IceWings when crossing over the wall.

Trivia

• One of Blaze's soldiers decided to explore the Ice Kingdom, but as soon as she flew over the Great Ice Cliff, she was impaled by an ice spear, resulting in her death. Her snow-blanketed body was found alongside the Cliff. The blankets were frozen to her, making her look like a SeaWing at first glance.
• The whereabouts of the Gift of Diplomacy is unknown since it was stolen by NightWing visitors when Arctic ran away with Foeslayer.
• Snowfall called the Great Ice Cliff useless; likely because even if it didn't exist, any tribes entering the Ice Kingdom would be killed by its freezing temperatures.

Gallery

• The Ice Kingdom on the map of Pyrrhia
  The Ice Kingdom on the map of Pyrrhia
• The Ice Kingdom up close. Map by Mike Schley. Zooming done by Bloodfrost of the IceWings.
  The Ice Kingdom up close. Map by Mike Schley. Zooming done by Bloodfrost of the IceWings.
• 
  Winter and the Ice Kingdom on the cover of Winter Turning
• 
  The Ice Kingdom on the cover of Runaway

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References

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