Korvosa

“Why do I live here? Why live in the most regimented, law-abiding, oppressive city this side of Bloodsworn Vale? Answer’s simple, mate. With the Sable Company flapping around in the clouds, Pewter Knights stomping around on the streets, and the Korvosan Guard caught between them, no one knows who’s got jurisdiction over what. You just gotta know when to hide and know when to bribe. Now, you wanna buy this magic dagger or not?”
—Corb “Birdtongue” Meever, Cerulean Society Fence
From acrobatic sky-borne battles between imps and pseudodragons to filth-covered otyughs bursting up from the sewers below, Korvosa offers numerous excitements both common and uncommon. Undead prowl the famed Vaults beneath Korvosa’s walled necropolis, all manner of vermin roam the rooftop city-within-a-city of the Shingles, and treacherous thieves and thugs patrol the slums of Bridgefront and Old Dock. Yet among all this danger and excitement the city thrives as a cultural and economic powerhouse—relatively speaking—with opportunities for any visitor, regardless of morals and guiding principles.
Those who live in Korvosa respect and admire ostentatious displays of wealth, power, or knowledge. They consider confidence and competence the greatest of assets, and they deride or heckle those who display weakness, indecisiveness, or inability. Korvosans are quick to judge and slow to forgive. 
Regulation and law dominate Korvosa and how it lives. The city’s charter, an officially sanctioned document created by Emperor Halleck IV, bears 247 amendments. These amendments add to the city’s unbreakable laws (those which no leader can modify, except by additional amendment) and are considered as binding and official as the charter itself. In addition, a thick, multivolume body of work spells out Korvosa’s many other laws and regulations, as well as the punishments for violating them.

Demographics

Korvosa is an isolated country with a population that is predominantly human, but of a variety of different ethnicities. Large amounts of the population are descendants of the original Masacali trade mission, with many more of descent from Bengion and it's territories. A decent enclave of the population hails from Talingrad, as do people from Kaarlsguard displaced in the civil war.
Among non-human populations the largest by far are the dwarves, immigrants of nearby Janderhoff, a small Taig specializing in black marble. Smaller enclaves of Dragonborn from Zir and native gnomes also occupy some areas of the city. A small but vocal enclave of halflings from Talingrad stick to the Old Korvosan quarter, demanding revolution.

Government

Barely more powerful than the lord magistrates who preceded them, the monarchs of Korvosa must share power with the strict governmental entities extant at the founding of the monarchy. The following descriptions provide an overview of the city’s most powerful governmental forces:
Arbiters: More than judges, the arbiters also have legislative oversight. Any declaration the king makes must first face review from the arbiters, who vote on its legality both in regards to the Korvosa City Charter and the latest known laws of Sardis. By charter amendment, seven arbiters must examine a monarchial decree and five of them must accept it in order for it to become law. If the arbiters review and reject a decree, one of those who voted against it must advise the king on what he can do to make the decree more acceptable to Korvosan and Imperial law.
The main task of arbiters, however, is to try criminal cases and settle civil disputes. Depending on the gravity of the crime, as many as nine arbiters might try a single case (they always try cases in odd-numbered groups to eliminate stalemates). For most crimes and for all civil disputes, though, a single arbiter oversees the proceedings. His judgment carries the authority of the city’s leader, although a convicted criminal may appeal the punishment handed down (but not the verdict) to the king. Most people don’t know they have this right, and thus it is rarely invoked. At most, the king must review a half-dozen cases a month.
Magistrates: With the creation of the monarchy, the magistrates and their bureaucratic underlings struggled to justify their existences to the city’s first king, the beloved Eodred I. Fortunately for them, Eodred I believed strongly indelegating responsibilities, and during his reign the number of magistrates and their staffs ballooned. Queen Domina halved the number of magistrates, but, since her death, many of those she cut have returned. Today, city hall houses no fewer than 23 magistrates, with a combined staff of nearly a hundred. No one exactly knows what the magistrates or their staffs do, but most Korvosans suspect the entire purpose of city hall is to waste the time and money of the city’s people. Brief descriptions of Korvosa’s most prominent three magistrates (those who seem to actually do something constructive, no matter how hated) follow.
Magistrate of Commerce: The most hated man in Korvosa, Magistrate of Commerce Garrick Tann oversees the collection of taxes in the city. Contrary to popular belief, he does not set the tax rate; he only enforces it. Regardless of the truth, the people of Korvosa—as do people of all civilizations—hate the tax man. In addition to his primary duty of tax collection, the magistrate of commerce has two other onerous tasks that win him no friends: he is charged with breaking unions and regulating city fees. As the union breaker, the magistrate of commerce must work closely with the city’s military organizations to crack down on attempts to form guilds.
Magistrate of Expenditures: One of the best-loved men in Korvosa, Magistrate of Expenditures Syl Gar spends the money collected by the magistrate of commerce. This spending includes maintenance of the city’s public buildings (including Seawatch Tower of Castle Korvosa) and the payment of its employees (including both the Korvosan Guard and the Sable Order). Merchants and smiths welcome the magistrate of expenditures wherever he goes, as his arrival portends the spending of money or the establishment of contracts.
Magistrate of Regulation: Frequently a priest of Abadar, the magistrate of regulation is charged with maintaining fixed weights and measurements, so everyone within the city may operate on level playing fields. Magistrate Lolia Perenne and her underlings scour the city looking for faulty scales, shaved coins, and other attempts by merchants and customers to cheat one another.
Monarch: At the top of the political power dynamic sits the city’s monarch, currently King Eodred II, son of Queen Domina the Great. King Eodred enjoys expanded monarchial power wrested from the nobles and ministers by his powerful and popular mother. He controls Korvosa more fully than any previous monarch, but he still only barely retains power. Unlike the people in his harem who serve him without complaint, the city of Korvosa is a fickle and demanding mistress.
King Eodred’s declarations from atop the Crimson Throne become law almost by default, although the arbiters retain the ability to counter any foolish whim of his that violates the city’s charter (and its 247 amendments) or Imperial law. By convention, the commandant of the Sable Company offered his group’s loyalty to the rightful ruler of the city when Eodred took the throne. Unlike the field marshal of the Korvosan Guard, however, Commandant Marcus Endrin does not report directly to King Eodred, but rather to the seneschal of Castle Korvosa, Neolandus Kalepopolis. King Eodred did place Korvosan Guard’s leader, Field Marshal Cressida Kroft, in power, as the city’s charter dictates he must, and he expects (and receives) full cooperation from Field Marshal Kroft in return. In times of need, the king can trust the Lictor of the Order of Pewter to send troops into the city—just so long as the city has gold with which to pay.
Other groups within the city cannot openly defy the king, although, when their individual members unite, they can cause the monarchy headaches. One member of each of the five Great Houses sits on the Peerage Review, an advisory council the monarch cannot dismiss but need not heed. Politics and wisdom dictate, however, that King Eodred II at least listen to the arguments presented by the review, as its members do have the power to contradict a ruler’s orders to the Korvosan Guard. Because the king cannot regulate every aspect of the city, nor would he want to, a set of magistrates (to whom the title of lord magistrate once belonged) divides responsibilities within the city.
It was by invitation of the seneschal that Korvosa’s first monarch, King Eodred I, took up residence in the castle, and up until Queen Domina’s reign the seneschal retained the right to evict the monarch from the castle. The beloved queen, however, influenced the passage of one of the last charter amendments, granting the monarch permanent residence within the castle as long as he bears the family name of Arabasti. A clause in the amendment allows for a monarch’s eviction (which only removes him from the castle, not from power), but doing so requires a unanimous vote from all five representatives of the Great Houses, the seneschal, and one arbiter chosen at random.
Sitting upon the Crimson Throne does bring with it a considerable drawback. The Curse of the Crimson Throne manifests itself in two forms. First, no monarch of the city has died of natural causes—all perished at the hands of another, whether subtly or quite overtly. Second, no monarch has yet produced an heir while ruling. Queen Domina is the only parent among the city’s monarchs, and she brought her adult son with her from Cheliax when she came to Korvosa.
Peerage Review: These leaders of the five Great Houses form an advisory board for the monarch, but they possess almost no actual power over city policy whatsoever. A unanimous vote by the peerage can, however, contradict a monarch’s direct order to the Korvosan Guard, forcing the guard to return to Citadel Volshyenek. Although this power exists within an amendment to the city charter, it has never been invoked. For the most part, the monarchs have worked closely with the Peerage Review members.

Industry & Trade

Numismatics

The Bank of Abadar mints uniquely Korvosan coins used throughout Varisia. Korvosa ties the value of its coins to those of Bengion and Sardis, such that Imperial coins are also considered legal tender in the city.
Copper Pinch: Usually referred to as simply a pinch (plural and singular), dropping “copper.” Calling multiple copper coins “pinches” elicits laughs and painful tweaks on the arm or backside.
Silver Shield: Frequently called by its full name to differentiate it from the shields used for protection.
Gold Sail: Always called by its full name to differentiate it from the similar term “sails”.
Platinum Crown: Occasionally referred to as simply a crown, dropping “platinum.”

Taxes

Like everybody else, the people of Korvosa hate to pay taxes. The city does not cripple its inhabitants with taxes, but it does have a few notable fee structures Any dinghy, boat, or ship that docks in Korvosa must pay a dock fee. The fee ranges from 1 sp to 100 gp depending on the size of the vessel and the location of the dock. Only 20% of this fee goes to the city—the dock’s owner takes the rest.
Korvosa’s high property tax is based on an outdated system that calculates it based on the square footage of a building’s ground floor. A convoluted formula modifies this simple conceit by accounting for multistory buildings, additional residents, and a mixture of uses within the same building. Because the care and feeding of sins and vices comprises a healthy percentage of the city’s underworld operations, and because taxing them directly is far too difficult, the city recently enacted vice taxes.
Those who practice such activities gain amnesty from prosecution if they claim the income and pay the proper dues. Violent crimes never gain amnesty from this program.

Districts

There are 8 main districts of Korvosa, some possess additional subpages. each has their own connected page with additional details. They are listed below: 

1. The Acadamae 
2. Old Korvosa
3. North Point
4. The Heights 
5. Midland
6. East Shore
7. South Shore
8. Gray

Two other unique features of Korvosa are also worth tracking, the Shingles and the Vaults with their own separate pages.

Guilds and Factions

By charter amendment, Korvosa does not allow merchants, laborers, or tradesmen to form guilds (worse still, in workmen’s eyes, it does allow for criminals to form a thieves’ guild—currently the Cerulean Society). This practice these groups from price-fixing, the city’s main concern, and allows the city to maintain control over much of its labor force. Most workers within the city are self-employed or work for a master to whom they apprenticed in their youths. The city relies on these cottage industries and the skilled workers who make them profitable, so of course it has one entire volume of laws and regulations devoted to the protection and rights of workers. Thanks to the Korvosan drive to succeed, though, the city’s merchants also do well for themselves.

History

The History of Korvosa has only been written over the last few hundred years. it is presented here in bullet points: 

• Before the coming of the Masacali Consulates expeditionary force, the land where Korvosa would stand was owned by the Shoanti tribes, who protected the Grand Mastaba at the center of Korvosa.
• iI 3970 Field Marshal Jakthion Korvosa of the Masacali Consulate led a small group of pioneers through the bloodsworn vale into Korvosa. A series of battles followed before Korvosa was able to construct a palisade at the mouth of the river after a nearly month long battle. 
• In the spring Field Marshal Korvosa received orders that the Consulate had defunded his mission, and that the emperor of the consulate was dead. Korvosa denied instructions to return home, and prepared for a siege. 
• By luck, a trade ship from Bengion to Talingrad observed the actions of the consulate, and provided assistance, giving two dozen marines, and setting off to request reinforcements from the emperor in exchange for trade rights. 
• A year later the imperial forces returned, and were immediately routed near the shores of Endrin Isle. Korvosa's men took the opportunity to intercept, pincering the shoanti from both sides and relieving his own reinforcements. 
• Field Marshal Korvosa and sergeant at arms Waydon Endrin of Bengion were the highest ranking commanders still alive after the victory, and founded the settlement of fort Korvosa. 
• Waydon Endrin formed the Sable Company from the remaining Marines still alive. 
• For 22 years fort Korvosa grew as a center of trappers, hunters, and adventurers, struggling against Shoanti onslaught, and receiving progressively more and more reinforcements from Bengion. These naval reinforcements wrest control of the sea from the Shoanti, and established a permenant trade port. 
• The Shoanti's greatest counterattack would come in 3994, when a great fire swept through the palisade of the fort due to fire bombing ships lauched by the Shoanti and killing Field Marshal Korvosa. Bengion responded with a flotilla of ships, turning the balance of power against the Shoanti.
• Wars would be fought for the next 20 years, until the Shoanti would be forced off of the Great Mastaba. The area that would become Korvosa had officially been conquered. 
• Additional Bengion immigrants would flood the city over the next hundred years, during which time the Acadamae would be founded, the shoanti would be pushed further back, the university of Korvosa would be founded, and the mythical figure Blackjack would first emerge in the growing city. 
• After the succession of Sardis from the empire of Bengion, Korvosan nationalists proclaimed lord Eodred of house Arabasti King of Korvosa, a position never acknowledge by the imperial senate. 
• Following king Eodred I's reign, King Cardraith would briefly rule. King Cardraith would be assassinated in favor of the Masacali born King Chadris. 
• King Chadris would be overthrown by popular support in favor of the Sardasian born Queen Domina, considered the most popular monarch in Korvosa's history.
• Queen Domina would be succeeded by the current king Eodred II, a deeply unpopular monarch. 
• Korvosa celebrated its 300 year anniversary just four years ago.

Points of interest

Korvosa sits at the end of Conqueror’s Bay, where the Jeggare River spills into the sea. The city fills the spit of land formed by two sharp turns in the Jeggare River and Endrin Isle (which splits the river at its mouth), with 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. Off the coast of the southern end of Citadel Hill rises Jeggare Isle, a small rock that juts from the sea and provides a foundation for Palin’s Lighthouse.
Five landmarks give Korvosa a distinctive skyline. Three of these landmarks exist on a truly colossal scale and have survived for millennia. Castle Korvosa stands atop a massive pyramid that rises to a flattened top. The Pillar Wall stretches across most of the southern end of Citadel Hill, a 100-foot-tall remainder of what once must have been a magnificent barrier. Just beyond the western terminus of the Pillar Wall stands the Gatefoot, which obviously originally belonged to a part of the wall and that likely served as part of a gateway of some kind. The other two landmarks, while impressive, do not come close to the size or grandeur of the ruins. Standing at the northernmost point of the Merciless Cliffs, the Great Tower reaches 270 feet in the air and serves several military roles for the city. Directly south of it stands the equally impressive Hall of Summoning, the center of operations for the Acadamae.
Besides its impressive landmarks, Korvosa’s other famed manmade features include its impressive walls (ruined and otherwise), its beautiful bridges, and its famed Vaults. These it points to with pride, but not all of its distinctivefeatures attract the attention of potential visitors and residents. Chief among the shameful features is the rooftop area of the city known as the Shingles, which serves as both a highway for bandits and a refuge for monsters, thieves, and other undesirables.

Climate

Built where the land meets the water and straddling a major river that dumps into the most prosperous clam field in Varisia, the lower sections of Korvosa face a huge, stinking problem: their own waste. Many of the sewers beneath Korvosa drain into massive cesspits to the south, but the isolated wards on Endrin Isle trust to an alternative means of disposal: otyughs. The otyughs of Korvosa have more than tripled in number (and can still only barely keep up with the city’s offal) since Lord Magistrate Dess Leroung imported them from Bengion almost two centuries ago.
Large steel plugs in the streets, opened by equally massive crank-driven winches, separate the city’s population from its surly waste disposers. These otyughs occasionally break out of the sewers and rampage through Korvosa, where they’re subsequently corralled and incarcerated again by guardsmen wielding longspears coated in tranquilizing poisons.

Founding Date

3970

Founders

• Field Marshal Korvosa

Type

City

Population

18,486

Related Ethnicities

• The Shoanti in Korvosa

Inhabitant Demonym

Korvosans

Location under

Varisia

Included Locations

• Castle Korvosa
• East Shore
• Gray District
• Midland District
• North Point District
• Old Korvosa
• South Shore District
• The Acadamae
• The Heights District
• The Shingles
• The Vaults

Owner/Ruler

King Eodred II

Additional Rulers/Owners

• Queen Ileosa Arabasti

Ruling/Owning Rank

King

Related Tradition (Primary)

• Holidays in Korvosa

Related Traditions

• Holidays in Korvosa