Mistral (kingdom)


 * For the other uses of "Mistral", see Mistral.

There's plenty of places to hide in Mistral. That's why you gotta know where to look.

Mistral  is one of the four kingdoms of Remnant in RWBY. It is located on the far eastern continent of the world. Like the rest of the kingdoms, it is governed by a ruling council.

Geography


Mistral is located on the continent of Anima, the second-largest landmass in Remnant. Mistral controls the most territory of all four Kingdoms, encompassing a wide range of ecosystems and many diverse cultures.

Some of the terrain includes steep wind-carved cliffs, where the region was first settled. The area to the west of Mistral is stated by Qrow Branwen to be filled with swamps where small human villages are known to exist, though it can be difficult to traverse due to the presence of Grimm.

Surrounding the main city is the city of Wind Path to its north and Kuchinashi to its south. Mistral is also home to the Mistral Trade Route, which is featured in a boardgame played by the members of Team RWBY.

History


Mistral's first inhabitants found shelter from the Grimm in the high cliffs, and from there came to build towns and cities along the walls. The population grew and began to expand its territory by utilizing the land.

Around eighty years before the beginning of the series, a massive ten-year conflict known as the Great War came to an end. In this war, Mistral allied with Mantle against Vale and Vacuo. Prior to the beginning of this war, Mistral settled a large territory in Anima and established an alliance with Mantle. The two traded frequently, and Mantle taught them how to form settlements in Anima's snowy northern region.

After an incident with the Grimm, Mantle came to believe that, if it controlled its citizens' emotions through the abolishment of the arts and self-expression, it would be safer from Grimm. Despite its strong artistic culture, Mistral followed suit so as not to lose the alliance. However, Mistral only placed the ban in the outer territories, allowing the central powers to continue living as they pleased. This contributed to the list of things Vale disliked about the two allied kingdoms, among which was the treatment of their own citizens, their use of slavery and their insistence that their way of life was what was best for everyone.

Eventually, Mistral and Vale both set their sights on settling the small islands and peninsulas on the east coast of Sanus. Vale's king decided to share the land with Mistral's settlers, despite the cries of his people. However, a riot broke out between two bands of settlers, which devolved into the first battle of the Great War. Due to their alliance, Mantle quickly came to Mistral's aid, and together, they fought Vale on both Sanus and Anima soil. Having established a presence in Vacuo, the two allied kingdoms were able to keep Vacuo out of the conflict, and some time into the war, they began pressuring the desert kingdom to join the war on their side. Fearing that they would conquer Vacuo, should Vale fall, the citizens of Vacuo pushed Mistral and Mantle out of their territory and allied themselves with Vale.

During the war, Grimm attacks increased worldwide, and as a result, Mistral lost many of its settlements to the creatures, some of which were never reclaimed.

The Great War finally came to an end with the deadliest battle in the war's history. Mistral and Mantle attempted to take Vacuo's Dust mines to cut off their enemy's supply. There, they were met with the king of Vale personally leading his army alongside Vacuo. It is said that he laid waste to countless men, but historians claim that this feat was aided by the unusually violent weather and Mantle's inexperience in desert combat.

With the war over, the leaders of the four kingdoms gathered on neutral ground on Vytal to form a treaty and plan the future of Remnant. There, the four kingdoms' governments were restructured, their territories were redistributed, slavery was abolished, the tradition of the Vytal Festival was begun and the king of Vale founded the four Huntsman Academies. Mistral's academy, Haven, was secretly given a Relic to safeguard. As a gift from Atlas, a Cross Continental Transmit tower was built on Haven's campus, enabling communication between Mistral and the other three kingdoms.

During the 40th Vytal Festival, the hosting kingdom, Vale, was attacked, and Beacon Academy and its Cross Continental Transmit tower were destroyed, cutting off Mistral's communication with the other three kingdoms.

Culture


Because it encompasses such a large area, Mistral has a very diverse range of lifestyles and cultures within its borders. Mistral's people have built their culture and technology around the geography and natural resources of the continent. All of Mistral's people are commonly linked by their respect for nature, particularly the sea and sky.

Mistral's populace is divided into two distinct classes. The upper classes of Mistral are world-renowned for their contributions to high society, such as architecture, theater and fashion.



However, the lower classes are of considerable ill-repute, composed of unsavory characters like thieves and assassins from all across Remnant who have come to Mistral to remain undetected. Mistral is also home to the largest black market in Remnant, where the services of assassins and even corrupt Huntsmen can be bought in the Kingdom if one has the funds to do so.

The large distances involved make outlying settlements like Wind Path and Kuchinashi harder for the council to govern, contributing to this corruption and making these settlements ideal hiding spots for those on the fringes of society.

Academy


Mistral is the location of Haven Academy, the academy Teams SSSN and ABRN attend, as well as where Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and possibly Neopolitan claim to hail from. Mistral is also presumably the location of Sanctum, the combat school attended by Pyrrha Nikos prior to Beacon Academy.

Sun Wukong emigrated from his birth kingdom of Vacuo to Mistral, where he also became a student at Haven Academy prior to the events of the series.

Mistral is the home of the annual Mistral Regional Tournament, presumed to be a combat tournament for huntsmen and huntresses. One of Pyrrha's major accomplishments is her record four consecutive tournament victories.

Sanctum Academy

 * Pyrrha Nikos

Haven Academy

 * Sun Wukong
 * Scarlet David
 * Sage Ayana
 * Neptune Vasilias
 * Arslan Altan
 * Bolin Hori
 * Reese Chloris
 * Nadir Shiko
 * Leonardo Lionheart

Others

 * Cinder Fall

Trivia

 * Mistral may be named after the cold, dry wind that blows from the northwest onto the French Mediterranean coast.
 * Mistral's architecture, fashion, and names are predominantly referenced to East Asian cultures such as Japan, Korea, and China.
 * As of Volume 3, the kingdom is represented by the color blue in the World of Remnant episodes. Vytal Festival tournament contestants from Mistral also have Aura monitors with a blue background.
 * The sea and sky are known to be important in Mistral's culture, which may be what the blue color is meant to represent.
 * The visual style of Mistral is inspired by Eastern cultures as well as the city of Ba Sing Se from Avatar: The Last Airbender.