A Court of Frost and Starlight (ACOFAS) is the fourth installment and the first novella in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. Acting as a bridge between the first three books and setting up key character dynamics for the fifth installment, it provides a more slow and intimate look into the characters’ everyday lives. Taking place several months after the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOWAR), Feyre and her companions recuperate from the trauma and exhaustion of the War and prepare for Winter Solstice festivities in Velaris. This guide offers an in-depth look at the characters in ACOFAS. For a deeper exploration of the world, please visit the Ultimate ACOFAS World Guide.
NOTE: Major spoilers ahead for earlier installments and minor spoilers ahead for the current book.
Table of Contents
Who is in the Inner Circle of the Night Court in ACOFAS?

Feyre Archeron
Feyre Archeron is the High Lady of the Night Court and the first High Lady in all of Prythian. She use to be mortal but lost her life defeating Amarantha. In gratitude, each of the 7 High Lords of Prythian bestowed upon her a drop of their magic, thereby resurrecting her as a High Fae. Feyre throws herself into rebuilding Velaris and reconnects with her hobbies.

Amren
Amren is an ancient and otherworldly being, and acts as Rhysand’s Second-in-Command in the Night Court. She is capable of immense and unearthly power as was displayed in the War against Hybern. She is a newly resurrected High Fae and must adjust to her new body, namely remembering to eat solid foods.

Mor (the Morrigan)
Mor is a High Fae and Rhysand’s cousin, she is also the Third-in-Command of the Night Court. She is known for her confidence, battle prowess, and the power of Truth. Though her family once ruled the Night Court, they now reside in the Hewn City, and she remains estranged from them. Mor spends some alone time in reflection before embarking on Rhysand’s task to be an emissary to the many courts.

Rhysand
Rhysand is the half-Fae, half-Illyrian High Lord of the Night Court. He is a charismatic and powerful leader with the ability to mist or pulverize objects into a fine powder. He is also a Daemati, any Fae that are blessed by the Mother with the exceptional rare abilities to read and control the minds of others to various degrees. Rhysand focuses on aiding war casualties and rebuilding his court, while also enjoying time with Feyre.

Azriel
Azriel is an Illyrian bastard who had a cruel upbringing with his father and step-mother. He is also a Shadowsinger, a rare breed of Fae that is able to manipulate shadows, a skill which helped him become Rhysand’s Spymaster. At his full power, he wears 7 cobalt siphons. He is often quiet and reserved in his mannerisms. Azriel channels his energy into rebuilding Velaris and continues to monitor for threats.

Cassian
Cassian is an Illyrian bastard who had a difficult life as an orphan. Through pure grit and determination, he became a powerful warrior and later the Commander of the Night Court armies. At his full power, he wears 7 red siphons. He is often bold and brash, but fiercely loyal to Rhysand and Azriel. Cassian deals with unrest in some Illyrian war camps, while also trying to strengthen morale amongst his soldiers.

Nesta Archeron
Nesta is the eldest Archeron sister, she is proud, cold, and deeply resentful of their family’s misfortunes. She was closest to their mother, who valued Nesta for her potential marriage matches. Nesta grapples with the trauma of the War and the death of her father by drinking herself into a stupor every night. She rebuffs any attempts at friendliness or advice from her sisters.

Elain Archeron
Elain is the middle Archeron sister, she is gentle and kind, preferring to tend to her garden rather than deal with reality. Although she is the middle child, she is often protected by her sisters. Elain was Made into a Seer by the Cauldron and is slowly adjusting to life in the Night Court. She helps Feyre with Winter Solstice preparations and befriends Cerridwen and Nuala.
Who is in the Court of Dreams in ACOFAS?

Nuala
Nuala is a half-Fae and half-Wraith maid, she was one of the Shadow Maids that attended to Feyre while she was Under the Mountain. Like her twin, Cerridwen, she possesses the ability to manipulate shadows and is a maidservant in the Night Court.

Cerridwen
Cerridwen is a half-Fae and half-Wraith maid, she was one of the Shadow Maids that attended to Feyre while she was Under the Mountain. Like her twin, Nuala, she possesses the ability to manipulate shadows and is a maidservant in the Night Court.

Neve
Neve is a talented jeweler in Velaris who owns her own store at the Palace of Thread and Jewels. She is a Tartera Fae, a species related to the Wraiths.

Ressina
Ressina is a local artist who resides in the Rainbow, she owns a studio and encourages Feyre to get back into painting.

Rita
Rita is a friendly Fae who lives in Velaris, she owns a popular bar that is frequently visited by the Night Court Inner Circle.

Madja
Madja is a High Fae healer in Velaris, she is Rhysand’s favorite healer and often attends to the Night Court Inner Circle’s wounds and ailments.

Aranea
Aranea is a local weaver in Velaris who sells hand-made blankets and tapestries in her gallery.

Polina
Polina was a local artist who died during the attack from the King of Hybern.

Polina's Sister
Polina's Sister moved her family out of Velaris after the attack from the King of Hybern.

Ellia
Ellia is a beautiful mare belonging to Mor.
Who are the Illyrians in ACOFAS?
The Illyrians are a unique warrior race of Fae who live in camps and clans in the northern mountains of the Night Court, who are known for their brutal training, rigid hierarchy, and emphasis on strength in battle. Illyrian males are expected to be warriors, with their culture revolving around combat and proving one’s worth through physical prowess. They are often considered “lesser fae” due to their human like appearance and rounded ears but also possess large, bat-like wings, making them exceptional aerial fighters. Illyrians have different magic than the High Fae and use siphons, special jewels built into their armor, to channel their magic for battle. Despite their fierceness, they often face discrimination from the High Fae, who deem them violent brutes. Certain clans even swore allegiance to Amarantha, likely from a mix of self-preservation, a mutual shared brutality, or a desire to see the High Fae oppressed. They have rather unprogressive views about the females of their race, such as the women are not allowed to train or bear arms, and are often relegated to child rearing and domestic chores. Some might even consider it barbaric that they have a tradition called Clipping, where they intentionally damage the wings of their women so they cannot fly. Unsurprisingly, they are not known to be friendly to outsiders.

Lord Devlon
Lord Devlon is an Illyrian war-lord who rules the Windhaven Camp. Although he is considered to be one of the more fair war-lords, he holds many superstitions against Illyrian women taking up arms.

Kallon
Kallon is an Illyrian warrior from the Ironcrest Camp, he is arrogant and insolent, often deliberately causing trouble.

Proteus
Proteus is a wealthy Illyrian merchant who owned a clothing shop in the Windhaven Camp. He was Emerie’s father and was abusive towards her and her mother growing up. He died in the war against the King of Hybern.

The War-Bands
The War-Bands are the primary social units of Illyrian society, made up of warriors and civilians alike. Every War-Band is led by a war-lord and although there is much infighting between the various War-Bands, during times of danger they all unite under the High Lord of the Night Court.

Rhysand's Sister
Rhysand's Sister was half-Fae and half-Illyrian just like her brother. Rhysand does not speak often about her but remembers she loved visiting the artists’ quarter in Velaris. She was murdered alongside her mother by Tamlin’s father in an ongoing court feud.

Rhysand's Mother
Rhysand's Mother was originally a seamstress in a war-camp, until she was discovered to be the Mate of the then High Lord of the Night Court. She made sure Rhysand was educated in both the Fae and Illyrian cultures and became a surrogate mother to Cassian and Azriel. She was killed by Tamlin’s father in an ongoing court feud.

Emerie
Emerie is an Illyrian from the Windhaven Camp, her mother died when she was a child and her father later clipped her wings. She misses flying and the sense of freedom it gave her. Her father recently died in the War, leaving her the family clothing shop and as she tries to manage it independently, she faces much opposition from her Illyrian relatives.

Cassian's Mother
Cassian's Mother was an Illyrian war-camp laundress, who bore Cassian out of wedlock to an Illyrian warrior, she couldn’t or wouldn’t remember.

Azriel's Mother
Little is known about Azriel’s Mother, other than she bore Azriel out of wedlock to an already married Illyrian Lord and likely faced much stigma.
Who are the mortals in ACOFAS?

Mr. Archeron
The Archeron sisters' father was once a wealthy merchant, but he lost everything after a failed venture. His leg was crippled by his creditors, while his spirit was broken by his misfortunes. His mission to the Continent was revealed, he had been gathering further forces to help his daughters in the War, which was crucial to Hybern's defeat.

Mrs. Archeron
The Archeron sisters' mother died of typhus when the sisters were still young. She was strict and domineering and favored Nesta over her other daughters. However, she recognized an inner strength in Feyre and made her promise to take care of the family after her death.

Lord Graysen
Lord Graysen is the son of a wealthy lord, Graysen and his family despise the High Fae and built extensive fortifications around their estates. He was engaged to Elain Archeron but he called off the engagement when she became High Fae.
Who is in the Spring Court in ACOFAS?

Tamlin
Tamlin is the High Lord of the Spring Court, he is able to shape shift into any form he desires and is also able to shape shift others. He is a powerful but tormented High Fae. Tamlin is embittered and broken after the War, his people have fled the Spring Court and he refuses any aid as his Court crumbles around him.

Ianthe
Ianthe was a High Fae priestess from the Spring Court, known for her beauty and ambitions. Her father was a close ally to Tamlin’s family and she grew up alongside Tamlin. She betrayed Feyre multiple times and eventually met her demise at the Weaver’s Cottage.
Who is in the Summer Court in ACOFAS?

Tarquin
Tarquin is the High Lord of the Summer Court, he is also the youngest High Lord and although he lacks experience, he is very kind. He is able to control water as well as winnow, the ability to transport oneself instantaneously.

Cresseida
Cresseida is a High Fae and Princess of Adriata, she is cousin to Tarquin and older sister to Varian. She is friendly and flirty and has the ability to create glamours and illusions.

Varian
Varian is a High Fae and Prince of Adriata, he is cousin to Tarquin and captain of Tarquin's guards. He harbors feelings for Amren and is Cresseida’s younger brother.

The Summer Court Armada
The Summer Court has the most powerful naval fleet and armada in Prythian. As a coastal territory heavily reliant on the ocean, their military strength is heavily concentrated on the water.
Who is in the Autumn Court in ACOFAS?

Beron Vanserra
Beron Vanserra is the High Lord of the Autumn Court, and is noted for his cruelty, greed, and maliciousness. His main powers are his ability to control fire as well as winnowing. He has seven sons, five of whom are still living.

Lady of the Autumn Court
Wife to High Lord Beron, the Lady of the Autumn Court is Lucien’s mother and has always lived under the oppression of her husband. Like many of the Autumn Court, she is able to control fire.

Eris Vanserra
Eris Vanserra is the eldest son of High Lord Beron and is also Lucien’s eldest brother. He often comes across as cocky and arrogant as the heir apparent to the Autumn Court.

Autumn Court Princelings
Beron and the Lady of the Autumn Court initially had seven sons. Besides Lucien and Eris, there are only three surviving sons, who are all vying for their father's title.
Who is in the Winter Court in ACOFAS?

Kallias
Kallias is the High Lord of the Winter Court, he is able to manipulate ice and also winnow. He is cautious and reserved in his behavior and has a habit of wearing fur even in the warmer courts.

Viviane
Viviane is Lady of the Winter Court and Kallias’ mate. She is noted for her warmth and kindness. She is old friends with Mor and is not afraid to speak her mind. She also ruled the Winter Court while Kallias was Under the Mountain.

Viviane's Sister
Viviane’s sister is a High Fae of the Winter Court. Although little is known about her, she appeared alongside Viviane during the war preparations against Hybern. They are often mistaken for twins.

The Winter Court Army
The Winter Court’s army is one of the most diverse in Prythian, consisting largely of lesser Fae alongside an array of formidable creatures, including polar bears, reindeer, and strange, long-limbed ice creatures.

Briar
Briar is a young mortal woman who was a member of the Children of the Blessed. She was captured by Hybern's forces and later rescued by Feyre. She is now healing in the Winter Court.
Who is in the Dawn Court in ACOFAS?

Thesan
Thesan is the High Lord of the Dawn Court, he has exceptional healing abilities and is also able to winnow. He is said to glow the brightest amongst all the High Lords and has a calming personality.

Captain of the Peregryns
The Captain of the Peregryn aerial legion is a formidable warrior and also Thesan’s lover.

The Peregryns
The Peregryns are a race of winged fae that live in the Dawn Court and make up Thesan’s aerial army. Like their namesake, they have colorful feathered wings that come in a range of colors and patterns from browns and whites to gold and black.

The Healers
The Dawn Court is renowned for its gifted healers, whose remarkable knowledge of medicine and restorative magic brings hope and healing to those in need.
Who is in the Day Court in ACOFAS?

Helion
Helion is the High Lord of the Day Court, he is incredibly powerful with multiple skills, from air and light manipulation to shape-shifting and winnowing, but he is most noted for his ability to detect and break spells, giving him the moniker ‘Spell-Cleaver.’ While he puts on a serious front, he is good-natured and flirtatious.

The Day Court Scholars
The Day Court scholars are renowned throughout Prythian for preserving and studying ancient magical knowledge, history, and lore. With vast libraries and archives at their disposal, they are among the realm’s foremost researchers,
Who is in the Court of Nightmares in ACOFAS?

Keir
Keir is the Steward of the Hewn City also known as the Court of Nightmares. He is Mor’s father and has a strained relationship with her, she remembers him as a mean and hateful person.

Mor's Mother
Mor's Mother resides in the Hewn City alongside Keir, she is estranged from her daughter and views her as a disappointment. Mor does not like speaking about her.

The Darkbringers
The Darkbringers are a legion of elite warriors from the Court of Nightmares. They are highly trained but often left underutilized.
Who is in the Band of Exiles in ACOFAS?

Vassa
Vassa is the mortal Queen of Scythia, she was sold by the other Mortal Queens to the dark sorcerer Koschei. He enchanted her to turn into a firebird by day and human by night and also bound her to his lake. However, he granted her a temporary reprieve to join the War against Hybern. She currently resides with Lucien and Jurian in the Mortal Lands in a manor gifted to them by Lord Graysen. She is still searching for a way to break her curse.

Jurian
Jurian is a legendary human general from the Human Fae War, who helped free the humans from Fae enslavement. He incurred Amarantha’s everlasting wrath for murdering her sister, and as punishment she tortured him and bound his soul and eye to a ring for eternity. The King of Hybern used the Cauldron to resurrect him into a new human body. He later found companionship with Lucien and Vassa.

Lucien Vanserra
Lucien Vanserra is the youngest High Fae lordling of the Autumn Court, he has 6 older brothers and is uninterested in royal titles. He fled his court and found refuge in the Spring Court as Tamlin’s emissary and confidante. He bears no love for his family. With the Spring Court now in tatters and Tamlin refusing his aid, Lucien feels forlorn but finds companionship with Jurian and Vassa.
What magical creatures are in ACOFAS?

The Suriel
The Suriel was a skeletal and ancient faerie that was said to be older than the continent of Prythian itself. It was all-knowing and had to answer any questions truthfully if captured. It was an unlikely ally to Feyre, but was killed by Ianthe during the War.

Bryaxis
Bryaxis is an amorphous creature of darkness that was imprisoned at the bottom of the library in Velaris. She fed on fear and was able to shape-shift. She is considered an entity of pure terror. Feyre enlisted her help in the War against Hybern, but in the aftermath, she was able to escape.
Who are the death gods in ACOFAS?

The Bone Carver
The Bone Carver was a primordial being able to see parts of the future and was highly sought after for his clairvoyancy skills. He appeared differently to everyone who saw him and traded in knowledge and secrets, often revealing cryptic truths in exchange for intriguing stories or items. He revealed that he was twin brother to Stryga, the Weaver, and that Koschei was their older brother. He died in the War against Hybern.

The Weaver Stryga
The Weaver was an ancient crone who wove on her loom in a secluded cottage. She appeared old and frail with milky blind eyes but ate those who trespassed into her cottage and fortified her home with the bones, fat, and hair of her victims. She was one of the most formidable creatures in Prythian. She was twin sister to the Bone Carver and Koschei was their older brother. She also died in the War against Hybern.

Koschei
Koschei is a dark and omnipotent sorcerer, he was bound to a lake on the Continent eons ago by an ancient Fae warrioress. He has been trying to break his bondage but to no avail, and has become known for enchanting and imprisoning women to his lake. No one knows what he does with his prisoners. He is the older brother to the Bone Carver and the Weaver and like his siblings, they came from another world.
Who are the holy figures in ACOFAS?

Cauldron
The Cauldron is an ancient and powerful artifact that is semi-sentient and believed to be the source of all life and magic in Prythian. It has immense power to create and destroy, as well as transform objects and beings into more powerful versions of themselves.

The Mother
The primordial Mother is the main deity of Prythian, she unleashed the mysterious contents of the Cauldron by tipping it over and thereby created Prythian and the known world. She is a mythical and omnipotent figure that represents nurture, fate, and life.
Who are the historical figures in ACOFAS?

Amarantha
Amarantha was originally a military commander in the King of Hybern’s forces, she was sent to Prythian 100 years ago as an emissary but went rogue and took over Prythian for herself. She anointed herself the High Queen of Prythian and stole the Fae’s magic for 50 years and held them hostage at her court Under the Mountain, until the arrival of Feyre Archeron.

Clythia
Clythia was Amarantha’s younger sister, she was once a gifted Fae commander in the King of Hybern’s forces. However, she fell in love with Jurian, who used her for information and then killed her when he had no further use for her. Her death was a huge blow to Amarantha.

Prince Drakon
Drakon was a half-Fae, half-Seraphim Prince, he was sympathetic to the humans’ cause and did not believe the High Fae had the right to keep humans as slaves. He later fought alongside Jurian’s human rebellion in the War.

Miryam
Miryam was a half-Fae, half-human slave from the Black Land on the Continent. The Fae Queen of the Black Land gifted Miryam to a Fae Prince, Drakon, as an engagement gift. However, he was disgusted by the gift and freed Miryam instead.

Nephelle
Nephelle was a Seraphim in Drakon’s legion, but she was born with small, deformed wings so she could not fly with armor or equipment and became a cartographer instead. She became best friends with Miryam.

The Seraphim
The Seraphim are a species of winged Fae that follow Prince Drakon. They are fierce aerial warriors with white angel-like wings and are considered to be the counterparts to the Illyrians.
Who are the antagonists in ACOFAS?

The King of Hybern
The King of Hybern was an enigmatic and cruel ruler of Hybern, he believed humans were insignificant pests and sought to destroy the Treaty that ended human enslavement in Prythian. He was killed by Elain and Nesta in the recent War.

Hybern's Forces
Hybern’s forces were a formidable, well-trained Fae army. Many of its warriors were centuries old, bringing generations of combat experience and knowledge to the battlefield. However, they were defeated by the Night Court and their coalition of allies.

The Mortal Queens
The Mortal Queens are powerful rulers of the human realm on the Continent. They began turning on each other and allied themselves with the King of Hybern in exchange for eternal youth, beauty, and immortality. They sold Vassa to the death lord Koschei and murdered Demetra.
Where to buy A Court of Frost and Starlight
Erosophony is a passion project celebrating books and stories. I do not own any characters or books mentioned here. All art on this site is my interpretation and AI-generated, all images belong to Erosophony. The links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!