House Arkona

Although an old family that predates even the founding of the empire, by 4024 House Arkona had sunk into poverty and faced the very real threat of extinction. In desperation, Lord Garath Arkona of the Masacali Consulate took out a loan from House Jeggare of Bengion and purchased a lightly armed caravel he named Reprieve. Garath hired the smallest crew he could and, in the late spring, the Reprieve set sail for the spice coast. After many trials and setbacks, the Reprieve finally docked in the port city of Sihadriman in late summer, 4026. Lord Arkona, with his sociable brother and advisor Jaskar, explored Sihadriman for several weeks, trying desperately to fill the ship’s hold with spices, silks, and other luxuries. At long last, Garath found a seller and negotiated enough wares to fill the holds. The Reprieve set sail shortly thereafter and returned to his business partners in Bengion. Hearing of additional financial opportunity, the duo decided to abandon their holdings in the Masacali, and taking all their wealth with them, relocated to Korvosa along with their allies in House Jeggare. 
Historians suspect Garath and Jenkson encountered some kind of monumental event on their voyage, perhaps outrunning the law, for the two to be willing to abandon their home in the Masacali. The shipment they brought nearly sank the Reprieve, but it more than returned House Arkona fledgling.
Lord Garath and Jenkson Arkona indulged in nearly every vice available, from drugs to cruelty to pleasures of the flesh. Rather than bankrupt the family, they used their influence to acquire control over the trades in which they showed the most enjoyment. Over the course of the next 20 years, they took control of almost every tavern and brothel on Endrin Isle and allegedly founded at least two drug dens.
In 4049, both Garath and Jenkson disappeared without warning, only to be replaced by a previously unknown son and daughter, respectively. The new Lord Arkona and his female cousin picked up where their fathers left off, and, under their reign, the family gained increased influence in Korvosa’s small and much-suppressed underworld. As Korvosa grew and spread, so too did the number of vices and the number of people engaging in them. At the conclusion of the Cousins’ War, of all the noble families, House Arkona alone remained on Endrin Isle.
For the past two centuries, House Arkona has only increased its wealth and influence in the city. Apparently based on the tradition long ago established by Lord Garath and his brother, the house always answers to two leaders: The Lord Arkona (never a Lady Arkona) continues in some capacity to maintain the reputation for cruelty and coldness earned by Garath so long ago, while a close relative of the current lord acts as his right-hand man (or woman) and is the face of the family at gatherings of nobles. 
Nothing occurs in the back alleys or stinking vaults of Old Korvosa without House Arkona knowing about it. It is a poorly kept secret that the family controls or has influence over every major (and most minor) criminal enterprise in the city, from watered-down mead to murder. The current lord of the house, Glorio Arkona, attempts at every opportunity to lift up the poor and provide them with enough sustenance to survive. To that end, he has leveled several buildings the family owns, including a tavern and a brothel, to make room for massive low-rent tenement apartments. These actions have made Glorio the most popular nobleman among the city’s many poor and destitute and has caused no end of anxiousness and worry from his family members.

Type

Court, Noble

Ruling Organization

The Masacali Consulate

Leader Title

Korvosan Nobility

Location

Korvosa

Related Ranks & Titles

• Korvosan Nobility