Korvosa
Government
Districts
The city drew largely from disparate groups, but much of the architecture is derivative of the old empire of and it still wears that heritage proudly on every building, tower, and rooftop. As the oldest human settlement in Quarren (a claim frequently challenged by the port-city of Grayfox), Korvosa considers itself the founding seat of civilization in an otherwise lawless region. Thanks to the city and the spread of its people, Quarren’s Western shore has become a relatively safe place to live. Korvosa sits at the end of Conqueror's Bay, where the Jeggare River meets the sea. The city fills the spit of land formed by two sharp turns in the river, covers Endrin Isle (which splits the river at its mouth), and spreads to a few outlying areas on the far shore of the Jeggare. It stands on two hills: Garrison Hill on Endrin Isle and Citadel Hill on the mainland. The Narrows of Saint Alika separates Endrin Isle from the shore. The city is divided into seven districts, many of which are further subdivided into wards.
East ShoreThe only district beyond the channel of the Jeggare River, East Shore is home to a handful of noble houses closely tied to the military of the city, as well as the struggling Theumanexus College .
GrayUnlike all other districts in Korvosa, Gray’s residents generally keep to themselves and are well behaved. Of course, most of Gray’s residents are dead. The only living creatures who reside in Gray belong to the church of Sonath and live within the temple. Outside of the priests and those visiting the dead, the district is largely home to many vagrants and is often used as a place for less than legal trade deals that can’t be performed at the ports or markets.
HeightsStanding atop Citadel Hill, the Heights District has a commanding view of the rest of the city, which its residents look down on—both figuratively and literally. Nearly all of Korvosa’s power players reside in the Heights, including the monarchy.
MidlandWhen most people think of Korvosa, they think of the cosmopolitan and friendly district of Midland. As the home district of both the Korvosan Guard and The Sable Company, Midland has the fewest open gang fights in the city—although the thieves’ guild does a brisk trade in the district thanks to the disproportionately high number of merchants, shops, and other commercial and financial concerns.
North PointThe first structures of the city were founded here by the fishermen and farmers who sought to build a life after the Breaking. As such, North Point houses many of the city’s oldest non-noble families. The greater district of North Point covers the entire northern end of the city and holds Korvosa’s seat of municipal power (City Hall), the city’s courthouse (Longacre Building), and the Bank of Abadar.
Old KorvosaAs its name implies, Old Korvosa is old. It covers all of Endrin Isle, most of which is covered by Garrison Hill. Atop Garrison Hill stands the stone wall of Fort Korvosa, while the imposing blackmarble Palace Arkona dominates the northwest corner of the island.
South ShoreThe newest district, South Shore became a part of Korvosa only a quarter-century ago. It contains the Pantheon of Many, a massive temple dedicated to most of Breon’s most popular deities. South Shore’s population consists mainly of the city’s nouveau riche hoping to escape the cramped conditions found elsewhere in the city.
Guilds and Factions
The Cerulean Society is Korvosa’s thieves’ guild, and it monitors, controls, or influences almost all illegal activities of any noticeable size in the city. More than a dozen gangs work the streets, Vaults, and Shingles of Korvosa, but most of them answer in some way to the Cerulean Society (or else do not survive long). Hastily hushed rumors put one of the noble houses as the de facto leadership behind the thieves’ guild.
History
Conflict, misery, and division define the history of Korvosa. As a small fishing village turned island fortress at the edge of a hostile and untamed land, Korvosa evolved over time into a bustling and energetic trade center. Several distinct periods define the history of Korvosa from its tumultuous founding to its current turmoil. Before the city’s founding, the site on which Korvosa stands was sacred to the Shoanti, although most have forgotten why. They knew only that the large pyramid atop the hill at the mouth of the river was to be guarded at all costs and that no one was ever to enter it. For hundreds of years, they kept this promise, even after the Breaking leveled everything around the ancient structure. As more and more survivors swarmed to the coastal region, war was quickly sparked between the growing population and the remains of the Shoanti tribe. Out of the bloody conflict rose a field marshal Jacobin Korvosa of the old empire. He led many successful raids against the Shoanti, driving them into the new and hellish wastes and jungles that had become Quarren’s center.
Shortly after the final conflict, the newly named Magistrate Jacobin was killed in his sleep, and his homestead burned down in Shoanti fashion, plunging the burgeoning civilization into chaos anew. Out of the anarchy that ensued a council was established consisting of several of Korvosa's ranking officers and some still wealthy nobles and merchants. In honor of the Field Marshal’s toil and sacrifice, the city that emerged from the strife and madness was given his namesake. Two short centuries of prosperity followed before havoc reared its head anew and threatened to consume the city once more. Powerful houses possessed of lofty -and perhaps manufactured- claims from before The Breaking demanded larger stakes while equally heady merchant lords and militaristic magistrates sought to line their coin purses even more. Infighting and political assassination threatened to bring the city to its knees while civil war always loomed on the horizon. The council was replaced several times after a suspicious fire claimed half its members or secret coups brought swift regime changes.
As all hell seemed about to break loose, a noble by the name of Viktor Borisovitch help catalyze the founding of the Ninth Order of Hellknights and seized the city in a swift but brutal take over. The noble houses where reduced to a tenth their power as those who would not yield were quickly and violently butchered in the streets. With few remaining to oppose him, and with the backing of the freshly founded and zealous Hellknights, Viktor Borisovitch took hold of the great city, reigning it back from the edge of oblivion, folding several of the outlying settlements and farmland into his holdings, and established himself as Monarch of Korvosa. Order was quick to follow as the king brought the city’s notorious thieves to some modicum of order by brokering the establishment of the Cerulean Society. That semblance of peace has lasted till now, but tension builds in the streets and the current king, Eodred Arabasti II, lays deathly ill with no true heir but a rumored usurper to take his place.
Points of interest
Five major landmarks give Korvosa a distinctive skyline: the ancient and massive structures of Castle Korvosa, Pillar Wall, and Gatefoot, as well as the more practically sized Great Tower and Hall of Summoning, which have stood for less than 50 years. In addition to these landmarks, several locations unique to the city bear mention.
The AcadamaeShrouded in secrecy, the campus’s 30-foot-high walls only barely conceal the grand Hall of Summoning. Visitors and residents cannot hope to ignore the presence of the Acadamae, and since very few people unconnected with the college know what happens within it, the place births abundant (and sometimes ludicrous) rumors.
Castle KorvosaThe centerpiece of the city, Castle Korvosa towers over the Heights. Multiple lord magistrates, seneschals, and monarchs have added to the castle over the past three centuries. As such, despite a relatively consistent neo-[ ] styling, the castle’s main towers and interior buildings are crammed together haphazardly
The ShinglesPermanent and semi-permanent homes, roads, and safehouses appear on roofs throughout the most crowded parts of the city. These rooftop communities and the pathways that connect them are collectively known as the Shingles.
The VaultsMost cities have sewers. Some can even claim dungeons beneath them. Yet few have as complex a system of subterranean tunnels quite like the Vaults of Korvosa. Modern Korvosa stands atop the remains of at least two other civilizations and integrates both of them in its design.
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