Evelyn Gertruade deGrey (Female Chelaxian human, age 16) - Summoner. Evelyn has a decrepit shanty set up in the Grey district that gives her a place to sleep but that's about it.
Juliet D'Artangen (Female Varisian human, age 25) - Swashbuckler. Juliet keeps a low rent studio in Ridgefield, North Point, near the Posh and Turtle.
Lorick Dreck (Male Chelaxian human, age 21) - Monk. Lorick lives in Old Korvosa near the Old Dock, just out of view of the ocean but right in the middle of its region odor wise.
Tyenar Checkerdpage (Male Sylph, age unknown) - Investigator/Swashbuckler. Tyenar has been living in Alina's tavern. Following the death of Vaenathis, he may have to find alternative lodgings.
Xenia (Female Shoanti/Varisian human, age 27) - Sorceress. Xenia lives in Old Korvosa.
Obituaries:
Vaenathis "Vaen" Konnal (Male Half-Elf/Varisian, age 32) - Rogue. Vaen lived with his mother Alina in her tavern/inn, which is located in North Point. He was part of the group from the start, but was killed Moonday 19 Gozrahn in the Dead Warrens by two derro. Avenged shortly afterwards.
Gehenna (Female Tiefling, age 27) - White-haired Witch. Gehenna lived in a hovel located somewhere in, or around, the West Dock district. She was part of the group from the beginning, but tried to flee Korvosa (and more specifically, Gaedren Lamm) following the rescue from the Dead Warrens. Caught and murdered by Lamm the morning of Moonday 26 Gozrahn.
Cpt Melag Somelen (Male Chelish Human, age 26) Lorick was a reliable contact for the late Korosovan Guard Captain stationed near the Old Dock as Lorick tried to rebel against Lamm as discreetly as possible to undermine Lamm while keeping Miyoto safe. Died in the riots that took place in the aftermath of the King's death on Toilday 13 Gozran.
Davor One-Tusk (Male half-orc,age 37) - Davor's name, or nickname actually, came from the fact that one of his lower canine teeth was so big as to protrude from his mouth, making it look like it is a tusk, as well as making him speak with a rather distinctive slur; this latter trait may very well contribute to his being mean-spirited. A lieutenant of Gaedran Lamm, Davor was a bully through and through. Killed by Tyenar in the battle at Eel's End on Moonday 26 Gozran.
Gaedran Lamm (Male half-elf, age 76) - a cruel, callous snake, a plague on Korvosa’s forgotten children, a drug dealer, an extortionist and all-around despicable wretch. The self-styled 'King of Spiders' was a lean, compactly-built half-elf with close-cropped iron-grey hair and blue eyes. Whispers said that Lamm has the blood of fiends in him, and that he can communicate with spiders telepathically (this turned out to be a myth - Lamm had a pet Ettercap (name unkown) who controlled the spiders for him. Well-schooled in the credo, “secrets can kill,” Lamm earned his 'King of Spiders' moniker by collecting the secrets of many powerful personages throughout Korvosa and bending them to his influence. Another key to his success lay in the regular shipments of shiver he supplied, the funds from which ensure that his vice taxes are always paid on time. Now a presence in Korvosa's underworld for over 30 years, and no one daring provide reasons for the Korvosan Guard to object too loudly to his operation, Lamm was living proof that, sometimes, crime does pay. However, he crossed one too many people and was taken down, with Juliet delivering the killing blow, on Moonday 26 Gozran.
Grease-Fingered Ladzlo (Male Chelish human, age 28) - One Lamm's cronies, and a highly skilled burglar and safe-cracker; and those were his good qualities. He was an unreliable pesh-head and sleazebag; he had a grudge in particular against Juliet. Not helped when she bit him following one of his propositions. She then followed that up with some pointed observations from her sword, and he died in the battle at Eel's End on Moonday 26 Gozran.
Sia (Female Chelish Human, age 20) - Sia grew up in the streets with Lorick. She grew up to to become an expert thief and that's how she stayed on Lamm's good side, at least for a while. She didn't like the crime boss but she did well out of him. Promoted to be one of Lamm's lieutenants, Sia was sorely tempted by the wealth her lifestyle offered, but ultimately joined the rebellion against Lamm, paying for it with her life. She has the distinction of being the last person ever to be killed by Gaedren Lamm, dying from his poison blade on Moonday 26 Gozran.
Verik Vancaskerkin (Male Chelish human, age 27) - A former officer in the Korvosan Guard; went rogue in the worst possible way after the riots, taking over a butcher's shop and combining two hobbies of assassination and demagoguery (in this case, feeding of the poor) in the worst possible way. Died Fireday 16 Gozrahn, executed by two of his fellow Guardsmen.
Notable NPCs:
Ander (Male Chelish human, age 8) - Anders is 'brother' (true brother, half-brother, adopted, who the hells knows) of Grease-Fingered Ladzlo. Rumour holds that Anders became a Lamm at Ladzlo's instigation to pay off a debt of some sort. Prior to that, he had befriended Tyenar after the latter took a fall from one of the Shingle roofs. Disappeared during the fight on board the Eel's End on Moonday 26 Gozran; current whereabouts unknown.
Albert Ricci (Male Chelish human, age 49) - Albert is the owner of the opera house that employs Juliet; he has taken an interest in helping Juliet's career take flight. He doesn't know of Juliet's drug dealing or addictions, and to find out either would break the man's heart. Lives at his modest second-tier opera house (capacity about 100, eponymously named Ricci's), in the Slope Ward of Midland.
Alina (Female Varisian human,age 56) - Alina is Vaenathis’ mother. In her fifties, she is still a beautiful woman, although her spirit has dimmed due to her hardships of late. Kind and fair, she is not one to mince words, not afraid to speak her mind the consequences be damned if it is the right thing to do. Even though she is the proprietress of her own inn, business is almost nonexistent since her being accused of murder, a murder many feel she has indeed committed and believe she is only free due to a technicality. Her reputation ruined, she calls the inn her home, the establishment more than a little worse for wear as she lacks the money and the means to repair it. The inn is located in North Point. Currently mourning the death of her son Vaenathis, the blame for which she has laid at the PCs (fairly or not).
Alinys Milltall (Female halfling, age unknown) - A blacksmith best know for her rock-bottom prices and ability to transform even the most forlorn material into a serviceable weapon. This makes her an ideal destination for down-on-their-luck adventurers (such as Evelyn).
Ambassador Darvayne Gios Amprei (Male Chelish human, age 55) - the Chelish ambassador to Korvosa; he hosted a party on the night of the 10th Gozran which Juliet and Grease-fingered Ladzlo attended.
Bonekrak Brothers (Male Half-orc twins, age unknown) - A pair of toughs with an unsavoury reputation. First encountered guarding an alchemist Lamm wanted dead; they know how things work in Korvosa and backed off from the enounter of their own volition.
Captain Grau Soldado (Male Varisian human, age 26) - A youngish member of the Korvosan Guard, who works with Captain Somelen and is evidently trusted by him: enough to attend meetings with confidential informants when the Captain is busy. Was misled by Verik Vancaskerkin into thinking that the Guard were all destroyed by the riots; Vancaskerkin tried to recruit him into the Cow Hammer Boys, but Soldado refused. Disgusted by their activities, and despairing at the loss of his captain and (as he thought) the Guard, Soldado sought refuge in drink but was hauled back into things by the PCs. Kroft gave him the acting-Captain status as a punishment duty following the riots, but he has grown into the role. As a result of his work following the death of Gaedren Lamm, Kroft promoted him to full Captain.
Elrick Gios Amprei (Male Chelish human, age 21) - son of the Chelish ambassador and instrumental in Juliet's distraction ruse to let Grease-fingered Ladzlo do his thing during the party. Juliet later visited him to apologise, among other things. He is a devout Asmodean, although perhaps a little naive with it; seems basically good-natured apart from that. He and Juliet have a thing, of sorts (it's complicated).
Field Marshal Cressida Kroft (Female Chelish human, age 33) - Commander of the Korvosan guard, an attractive dark-haired woman who never seems to be out of the suit of red armour she wears with pride. She has held the city together in the riots following the King's death and has come to rely heavily on the PCs for their assistance in doing things the Guard cannot do, or cannot afford to be involved in.
Frufire Gellantara (Male Chelish human, age 59) - A priest of Pharasama. This elderly man is tasked with tending to the many graves in the Gray district and would often set out small gifts of food or clothing to the Lamms that are forced to wander their. Unbeknownst to Evelyn, the kindly man has helped her in the same way on numerous occasions. In gratitude for the rescue of Jepsara, he has entrusted the group with the Boneshard Wand, a powerful relic.
Ianril Onyxarm (Male dwarf, age 96) - A fighter and junior member of the Korvosan Guard. He's notorious as both a gossip and a lightweight when it comes to drinking. His constant ineptitude has had him catch and subsequently release Evelyn on dozens of occasions, and the two have grown cautiously familiar with one another as a result. Ianril was caught up in despair following the riots and the death of his former Captain, as well as at Vancaskerkin's rank betrayal of his duties. Following strong words from Evelyn, he reconscripted and has served well since then.
Ishani Dhatri (Male Vudran human, age 27) - He was first encountered providing healing services to the Guard following the riots. Has tended the PCs wounds on occasion when they are injured in service to Kroft. They have learned that he arrived in Korvosa from Vudra at a young age; his mother died shortly afterward, and he was looked after by the Church of Abadar, where he is now a priest; he apparently has a sister (name unknown) at the Academae.
Jepsara (Female Chelish human, age 12) - acolyte at the Cathedral of Pharasma; sister to Sura. Fell into the clutches of Rolth the necromancer and his derro buddies; rescued by our heroes.
Jezebel (Female tiefling Wizard, age 25) - Jezebel has golden hair, golden eyes, and an unrelenting ambition for power. A tiefling wizard who is currently a student at the Acadamae, Jezebel is one of Gehenna’s only “friends.” Having met Gehenna during one of the Acadamae’s infrequent recruitment drives, she has been determined to convince the fellow tiefling to join ever since. To that end, Jezebel has pointed out many times that Gehenna could make a proper life for herself within the Acadamae’s walls. There, tieflings are respected and feared “the way they ought to be.” Jezebel likes to wear expensive clothing, typically trousers and jackets that incorporate orange, red, and black into their designs. Although her eyesight is just fine, she likes to wear a pair of fake glasses, which she feels enhance her credibility as an arcane scholar. Jezebel's head sports two forward curving horns, and she has a long red tail. She was distraught at Gehenna's disappearance from Korvosa, and blames the PCs for stealing her away from the life she might otherwise have enjoyed with the tiefling. Attempted to kill them on 21 Gozran, but they subdued her and she was subsequently arrested by the Guard.
Jie, Bai-dao (Male Tian human, age 18) - Helps his uncle and aunt run a Tian store. Lorick encountered him when he broke into the store, but ended up making friends with the family.
Jie, Jin-ma (Male Tian human, age 45) - uncle of Bai-dao and cousin of Miyoto. He and his wife run the store that Lorick broke into and where he was confronted by Bai-dao. Evidently speaks very little Common.
Jie, Mei (Female Tian human, age 44) - married to Jin-ma, and owns the store with him.
Kadok (Male Shoanti child, age 11) - A young Shoanti boy living near the Docks district. Some time ago, the boy had boldly approached Gehenna’s home whilst she was working in her garden. She had been both greatly startled when he loudly announced his presence to her, and followed up with a proclamation that he was not afraid. Thoroughly bemused, Gehenna questioned the body and discovered that his friends had dared him to approach the “old witch’s hovel” as a test of courage. Kadok still visits Gehenna on occasion, having decided that the reclusive woman needs a “good conversation” now and then. Recently stayed in her shack when his Shoanti neighbourhood was burnt out and many of his friends and relatives were either killed or fled. Gehenna put in a word with Thousand Bones and the boy has since been reunited with his people.
Kieyanna (Female Half-elf, age 28) - Kieyanna, or Key as Vaenathis tends to call her, is a "lady of the night" who frequents Korvosa's North Point, though she does have a tendency to move around. She, like Vaen, is a half-elf and a striking one at that. They are close friends and despite the almost perpetual flirting, or teasing as they call it, their relationship has never gone beyond friendship. They will share a meal, they will share a drink, they may even share a room, but they have not shared a bed. They met almost as soon as Vaen stepped foot in Korvosa, and consider one another kindred spirits. She was attacked on the night of the riots, with the PCs coming to her rescue. The rainbow-eyed half-elf has since flitted in and out of their lives.
Petrivar (Male Chelish human, age 59) - Petrivar is a tattoo artist who claims to have fled Cheliax many years previously. Following the riots, his workshop and studio were damaged and he has been unable to pay Lamm's 'taxes.'
Miyoto (Male Tian Human, age 63) - Miyoto is a refugee from Tian Xia. Was living in a hovel in the neighbourhood that Lorrimor operated in as a Little Lamm. Took to tutoring Lorrimor as a monk after seeing Lorick's potential. Is now a prisoner in one of Lamm's dungeons to ensure Lorrmior's loyalty.
Queen Ileosa Arrabasti I (Female Chelish human, age 22) - the grieving young widow of the late king; the PCs retrieved her brooch and were rewarded with gold and a position as aid to the Korvosan Guard.
Rolth (Male human(?), age unknown) - a feared necromancer of ill repute; has a den in the Dead Warrens. Came to the party's attention when they were called on to retrieve the corpse of Ghaekan, nephew to Thousand Bones.
Ruan Mirukova (Male Varisian human, age 24) - Korvosa's foremost player of the ocarina, a Varisian folk instrument that is fiendishly hard to master (played well, it makes saints and angels weep; otherwise it sounds like a cat being put through a mincer). He gives regular performances at the Marbledome and is well known to those in the arts. His sister Svetalta sings in the chorus line at Ricci's with Juliet.
Ruprecht (Male tiefling, age 35) - Elrick's valet and general aide. Silent and very hard to read.
Sabina Merrin (Female Chelish human, age 24) - A very attractive young woman who has the duties of being the Queen's handmaiden (and possibly more besides, according to rumour); she introduced the PCs to the queen and escorted them out again, but not before being subjected to one of Juliet's monologues.
Sura (Female Chelish human, age 15) - acolyte at the Cathedral of Pharasma; reduced Evelyn to speechlessness with her impudent questions. Sister of Jepsara. Very grateful for the safe return of her sister.
Svetalta Mirukova (Female Varisian human, age 21) - sister of Ruan; she sings in the chorus at Ricci's (she has far too much talent for that, but in this city, if you're obviously Varisian, you have to be twice as good to get half as far). She has made it clear to Juliet that she is unimpressed with her attempts to distance herself from her Varisian heritage.
Thaliel Tansiel (Male human, age 48) - Thaliel is Juliet's father, and has a warm and cool relationship with his daughter. In reality, Juliet reminds the elder Tansiel of himself when he was younger, and he appreciates her wit, resourcefulness, and even stubbornness. However, he is very careful not to show Juliet much appreciation, lest he appear to showing favorites (especially to a bastard!). He did however gift his daughter with his fencing blade, a weapon he was quite fond of in his younger days, much to the chagrin of his other children. Lives in a townhouse in South Shore, along Shoreline Way.
Thousand Bones (Male Shoanti human, age 71) - a vastly respected elder of the Skoan-Quah, the Clan of the Skull. Has been in negotiations with the Korvosan government to try and keep the peace between Korvosa and the Shoanti tribes. Gehenna brought Kadok's plight to his attention and the old man expressed his gratitude.
Timmor (Male Taldan human, age 12) - Timmor, or Tim, or “Half Pint”, is one of Gaedren Lamm’s “Little Lamms”. The boy, an orphan like the others who share that moniker, is small for his age, but what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in courage and recklessness. Able to think on his feet and as agile as a cat, he has a foul mouth, at least taking into account that he is a kid, although he tends to invent curse words more than actually use established one. As such, sometimes it is difficult to tell if he is swearing at you or paying you a compliment. He has taken a liking to Vaen ever since the half-elf rescued him from members of a rival gang, even if his idea of a “thank you” was to call his rescuer “half-ears”, whatever that is. Got to know Tyenar through the sylph's friendship with Ander, and conferred on him the nickname "Fairyfoot" which the other Lambs seem to have picked up on. A chief instigator of the rebellion against Lamm, Timmor disappeared during the fight on board the Eel's End on Moonday 26 Gozran; current whereabouts unknown.
Tivera (Female Taldan human, age 23) - Xenia's soul-sister, ever since the caravan rescued her from what was left of her farm after orcs had raided it. Has fallen in with drugs and that has led her - and Xenia - into Lamm's clutches. Rescued on Moonday 26 Gozran following the fight at Eel's End.
Tybalt Tansiel (Male Elf, age unknown) - Tybalt, or Ty as Juliet has come to call him, claims to be Juliet's brother. And over the last year Ty has proved himself loyal and helpful - to Juliet at least. To others, Ty can come off as almost a Storval Wolf, all teeth and hunger, and Juliet's pretty sure her brother has buried a dagger in the back of some sucker at least once. As a drug dealer and addict in the employ of Lamm, Tybalt is also a constant agitation and source of worry for his sister, as he is not always in control of himself, and ultimately, Juliet can't be sure where the young elf's loyalties lie. He crashes on various floors and couches throughout Old Korvosa and the west and north sides of the mainland, depending on who he has and hasn't worn out his welcome with. Disappeared during the fight on board the Eel's End on Moonday 26 Gozran; current whereabouts unknown.
Vencarlo Orisini (Male Chelish human, middle-aged) - As an aristocrat, Orisini is reputed to be on the liberal side and has expressed dislike of the autocratic rule of the late king. This has earned him friends and enemies both. He is however much more well-known as a swordsman than as an aristocrat; he is the founder of Vencarlo's Academy of the Sword, based in Old Korvosa. Often imitated but never bettered, the Academy still produces some of the finest swordsmen (and women) in Korvosa. Juliet failed to recognise him when they first met, much to her mortification, but it's clear that he recognised the sword she carries.
Zellara (Female Varisian human, age unknown) - A fortune-teller with some clear magical abilities and skill with the Harrow deck. She pointed the PCs towards the jewel that was stolen from the queen and seems to be working behind the scenes to free the PCs from Lamm, who she claims was responsible for the death of her grand-daughter. She clearly has her own agenda though and a recent revisit to her abode revealed a number of additional and troubling complications: in particular, she admitted to being dead and claims to 'reside' in a set of Harrow cards currently carried by Evelyn. According to Evelyn, who seems to know about such things, Zellara's not a ghost, but something... else (unknown).
[Dice=Evelyn, Fort Save]d20+2[/dice]
[Dice=Juliet, Fort Save]d20+5[/dice]
[Dice=Lorick, Fort Save]d20+7[/dice]
[dice=Tyenar, Fort Save]d20+3[/dice]
[dice=Xenia, Fort Save]d20+2[/dice]
[Dice=Evelyn, Will Save ]d20+3[/dice]
[Dice=Juliet, Will Save ]d20+3[/dice]
[Dice=Lorick, Will Save ]d20+6[/dice]
[dice=Tyenar, Will Save]d20+4[/dice]
[dice=Xenia, Will Save]d20+4[/dice]
WELCOME TO KORVOSA
LN Large City
Corruption +2; Crime +2; Economy +4; Law +3; Lore +4; Society +2
Closed to outsiders, and thus shrouded 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, but since very few people unconnected with the college know what happens within it, the place births abundant (and sometimes ludicrous) rumors.
East Shore:
The 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.
E1. Theumanexus College: The campus for this small wizard school occupies the grounds of the former manor of House Galdur. Where the Acadamae only teaches specialists, Theumanexus offers a generalist approach to wizardry.
E2. Leftover’s: East Shore’s only inn contains 12 two-person rooms in addition to its large, cozy common room. It charges standard rates and offers standard amenities for an inn. The one-armed innkeeper is a retired soldier named Portenus Gaskelinni.
E3. Horse Shop: As its name implies, this establishment sells horses, as well as ponies, mules, donkeys, the occasional dromedary, and other pack and riding animals.
E4. Shoreline Drinkhall: This most popular of the few taverns in East Shore does steady business every hour of every day.
Grey:
Unlike all other districts in Korvosa, Grey’s residents mostly stay to themselves and are generally well-behaved. Of course, most of Grey’s residents are dead.
G1. Grand Cathedral of Pharasma: In the center of Sepulcher ward stands this, the largest building of the district. As the off ice and home of Bishop Keppira d’Bear of the Fateful Church of Pharasma and a retinue of lower-ranking clerics and faithful warriors, the Grand Cathedral acts as a barracks, temple, and keep. Its high, black-marble walls contain few windows (more on the second floor than the first, but even those are mostly just arrow slits). The Grand Cathedral has served as a secure location multiple times, and despite a half-dozen sieges by undead, it has yet to fall.
G2. Great Tomb of Leadership: One of the largest crypts in Gold ward is the Great Tomb of Leadership, a heavily secured and constantly guarded building that contains the entrance to a vast Vault. This Vault holds the bodies of past military leaders and the city’s most decorated soldiers. At all times, one marine and one soldier stand guard in front of the tomb, with another pair patrolling nearby.
The Heights:
Standing 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 queen herself. The Heights District holds three wards: Citadel Crest, Cliffside, and University.
Citadel Crest: Citadel Crest is the wealthiest ward in Korvosa, with more than a dozen noble families and twice that many powerful merchants living within.
Cliffside: Lesser nobles and not-quite-as-wealthy merchants live in Cliffside.
University: The seat of mundane higher learning in the city, this ward houses the University of Korvosa (thus the ward’s name), the grand Korvosan Museum, and a number of smaller schools and cultural locations of various kinds.
H1. Great Tower: Although the top of Castle Korvosa’s Seawatch Tower soars above every other building in Varisia (thanks to the immense pyramid that serves as the castle’s foundation), the Great Tower rivals some of the Thassilonian monuments as one of the tallest free-standing structures in the region. The windowless bottom floor of the tower houses the Sable Company’s main armory, which rumors claim holds dozens of magic weapons and suits of armor.
H2. Upslope House: Between the other two bed and breakfasts (the Frisky Unicorn and Tenna’s) in price but easily the largest of the three, Upslope House is large enough to count as an inn. Citadel Crest has an ordinance, however, preventing such establishments from operating within its borders. Upslope House can accommodate up to 22 people in its 10 rooms.
H3. The Frisky Unicorn: The least expensive (but far from cheap) of Citadel Crest’s bed and breakfasts, the Frisky Unicorn is larger than Tenna’s but smaller than Upslope House. The Frisky Unicorn provides little more than a posh room and three meals, and can house up to 13 people in its five rooms.
H4. Temple of Asmodeus: Built quickly in 4608 in the hopes of appeasing and attracting Cheliax’s new leadership.
H5. Gilded Orrery: Most of the profits made by the semi-independent Gilded Orrery funnel directly into the Acadamae’s coffers. Specializing in items and texts in support of conjuring, the store nonetheless stocks a wide and impressively deep selection of other magical wares and books of arcane lore.
H6. Jittery Quill: This low-key establishment serves both ale and coffee, making it the favorite haunt of university students and faculty alike. It stays open all hours, six days a week, closing every Oathday at noon and reopening at dusk the next day.
H7. Jeggare Museum: Built and operated by House Jeggare, this large museum houses hundreds (some say thousands) of artifacts pulled from ruins and Shoanti camps all across Varisia.
H8. University of Korvosa: While it pales next to the grandeur of the Acadamae and does not carry with it the additional prestige inherent in magic, the University of Korvosa nonetheless possesses its own reputation for greatness.
H9. The Wise Dragon Inn: Prospective students of the University of Korvosa f ill this large inn in the spring and summer months. During the school year, though, activity drops off sharply (usually just parents visiting their university students) and rooms are always available. The inn serves no alcohol in its attached restaurant.
H10. Tenna’s: Smallest of the three bed and breakfasts in Citadel Crest, Tenna’s stands on Volshyenek Loop across from the manor grounds of House Ornelos. While the most expensive, Tenna’s makes up for its price by offering the most amenities in Korvosa: scented baths, massages, manicures and pedicures, a valet, and three lavish meals, to name only a few. Tenna’s can hold up to 11 guests in four rooms, all of which - according to rumour - are warded from magical scrying. Certainly the place has an air of discretion, and jealously guards the identities of its clientele... Rumour also holds that if you are without a 'companion' for your room, the management can procure one - for a price.
H11. Marbledome: This gleaming fixture is home to Korvosa’s opera company. Owned by House Jeggare but managed by the tyrannical Touran Palastus (known more for his temper than his managerial talent).
H12. Kendall Amphitheater: Korvosa’s proximity to the sea and its extensive and famous Vaults make sinkholes a relatively common phenomenon in the city. Kendall Amphitheater hangs partially suspended above a sinkhole’s opening.
H13. Crested Falcon: One of the most expensive (and easily the most over-priced) restaurants in Korvosa, the Crested Falcon caters to the whims of the city’s elite. The menu changes each day and only relates what the kitchen has in stock. Patrons may request any meal made from the listed foods on hand, and only find out the cost of their meals during the check-out process. To ask for the price ahead of time is a serious social faux pas.
H14. Temple of Sarenrae: The turreted temple of Sarenrae stands in a relatively sparse area atop Citadel Hill, where it can absorb the sun’s warming, healing light unobstructed.
H15. The Overlook: Teetering on the edge of the Merciless Cliffs, the Overlook gets a little closer to falling into the raging surf below every year. This hint of danger carries over to the tavern’s offerings: Asa Hemrich, the Overlook’s owner and bartender, offers a drink he calls This-n-That. Anyone who can finish off a This-n-That earns Asa’s respect and gets to drink for free the rest of the night. Asa makes a This-n-That several times every week, but he only has to give away free alcohol once or twice a month.
Midland:
When most people think of Korvosa, they think of the cosmopolitan and friendly district of Midland. Situated on the leeward side of Citadel Hill, Midland stretches from the end of Enderin’s Wall south to Gray District and the Pillar Wall. It rises from sea level to climb the eastern slope of Citadel Hill, where it ends just below the summit line. Midland encompasses the wards of High Bridge, Pillar Hill, Slope, and West Dock.
Citadel Volshyenek: The headquarters of the Korvosan Guard stands within Midland but belongs to no ward. See area M5 for the full description of the citadel.
High Bridge: Despite its proximity to West Dock, not every longshoreman and f isherman lives in High Bridge — roughly half live in the cheaper tenements of lower Pillar Hill. High Bridge does have its fair share of these hard-working folk, as well as the families of Korvosan Guards and Sable Company marines stationed nearby. Like the rest of the district, though, the ward also houses a wide cross-section of different kinds of people.
Pillar Hill: The most demographically diverse ward in Midland —and indeed, the entire city—Pillar Hill houses both fabulously wealthy merchants in its northern corner, beneath the shadow of Castle Korvosa, and hard-working laborers and longshoremen along the Pillar Wall south of Pillar Hill Boulevard. In addition to its wide distribution of wealth, the ward also claims variety in the races and ethnicities of its residents. Every human ethnic group represented in Korvosa (which is far from all of them) can claim at least one member in Pillar Hill. In addition, members of all seven civilized races and tief lings call Pillar Hill home, as do a few creatures normally considered “monsters” by humans, though these residents generally
stay to themselves.
Slope: As its name implies, this ward exists on the eastern slope of Citadel Hill and overlooks West Dock and the Jeggare River. Despite its proximity to rough-and-tumble West Dock, Slope holds numerous libraries, museums, and other places of culture. Slope also houses
the third-highest concentration of educated people in the city, behind only University ward and the Acadamae. The Losen engineers brought to the city to build the Great Tower settled in this ward and formed a small neighborhood with the few Gebbites in the city. As a
result, Korvosa has access to authentic and exotic (for Varisia) south-Garund foods and fashions.
West Dock: This rugged ward contains no residences. It does house an extensive number of warehouses, fish processing facilities, and the remains of a block dedicated solely to meatpacking. The prevailing winds push the meaty stink of the ward southeast, providing Citadel
Volshyenek and much of High Bridge with unending waves of unpleasantness.
M1. Bookmaker: Wizards, sages, and scholars flock to Korvosa’s largest bookstore.
M2. Bailer’s Retreat: This rough tavern frequently serves recently released prisoners of Citadel Volshyenek’s jails. Because of that it also serves strong coffee to a high number of Korvosan Guards. Brawls between the two infrequently erupt but very quickly end.
M3. Gold Market: Korvosa’s largest market serves as the main attraction in Midland. People from all over the city descend daily on the stands, stalls, and tents that form the backbone of the open-air market. Vendors hawk a variety of wares, mostly foodstuffs and minor crafts, in the wide semicircular plaza between Eodred’s Circle and Eodred’s Walk.
M4. Eodred’s Walk: Fourteen shops form the semicircular face of Eodred’s Walk. They stand separated from Eodred’s Circle by a daily riot of color, activity, and scents that make up the Gold Market. These permanent establishments and the transient vendors of the market form a symbiotic relationship.
M5. Citadel Volshyenek: Named for the Eternal Lord, Lord Volshyenek Ornelos, who paid for most of its construction, this impressive citadel houses the headquarters and main garrison of the Korvosan Guard.
M6. Creaky Hammock: Set up with a nautical theme, the Creaky Hammock tends to serve ships’ crews in port for a few days. Its attached tavern makes for loud nights and boisterous days, which led to the saying, “The only way to sleep in the Creaky Hammock is to drink yourself asleep.”
M7. Eodred’s Square: Forming a plaza just past the west end of High Bridge, the square makes a popular landmark that locals and visitors alike use to set up meetings or simply orient themselves within the ward.
M8. Pestico’s Dolls and Figurines: A doddering but gentle old man little more than a loud noise away from the grave, Vadid Pestico has lived and worked his entire life in Korvosa, crafting exquisite dolls for the city’s children.
North Point:
North Point, at the northwestern tip of mainland Korvosa, was the f irst section of the mainland settled by the descendants of the city’s Chelish founders. The district houses many of the city’s oldest non-noble families. North Point covers the entire northern end of the city and includes the wards Five Corners, Mainshore, Northgate, and Ridgefield. Korvosa’s seat of municipal power stands in North Point, as does the city’s courthouse and the Bank of Abadar.
Five Corners: This relatively crowded residential ward houses many of the city’s politicians and their underlings. The ward’s most distinguishing characteristic is Jeggare Circle, in the far northern corner. City historians frequently debate the origin of the ward’s name, with the two most popular schools of thought arguing that it relates to the number of other wards touching it or to the number of
sides the ward has.
Mainshore: The first Chelish encampment on the mainland was in modern-day Mainshore. Three battles took place here between the Chelish settlers and Shoanti to establish control of the land. Following the third battle, the garrison erected a wood palisade, which a stone wall later replaced (sections of which still stand and mark the boundaries of the ward). Mainshore remembers the blood spilled to establish and hold it, and dozens of plaques, statues, and memorials pepper the ward. The city’s truly old money still resides in Mainshore, although many buildings not belonging to these wealthy non-noble families show their age.
Northgate: Many visitors from the rest of Varisia first enter Korvosa in Northgate, as it is to this ward that the Longriver Bridge connects. Many of Korvosa’s non-noble elites and old-money families live in Northgate, although such moneyed folk slowly relocate onto the slopes and summit of Citadel Hill. As a result, the property values of Northgate are in a slow but steady decline.
Ridgefield: This ward once overlooked the Merciless Cliffs to the south, before the formation of Citadel Crest. Despite losing any connection to the ridge, the ward kept its name. Today, Ridgefield faces the poorest and most crowded ward in the city, and it too is plagued with poverty. Ridgefield serves as home to the Korvosan landmarks of the Avenue of Arms and the Posh and Turtle. Regardless of the poverty that hounds it from across the strait, Ridgefield
enjoys frequent but stilted economic growth and areas close to Citadel Crest and University are among the nicest in North Point. Ridgefield is, by far, the most economically diverse ward in the city.
N1. Laughing Wave Inn: The Laughing Wave is the oldest surviving inn on the mainland, being the only structure not razed by the Shoanti when they drove back the Chelish settlers during the Second Battle of Mainshore, in 4439. In many ways, the Laughing Wave shows its age, from its rounded steps to its sagging balconies. It remains a
favorite destination of visitors.
N2. The Dock Trade: This market of questionable legality operates in New Dock. Many of the goods sold within it appear freshly delivered, although most have some amount of minor damage to them. The Hellknights have for years attempted to link the wares sold in the Dock Trade with cargo reported missing from ship manifests. Their constant vigil has prevented the Dock Trade from growing much, and it remains the smallest of Korvosa’s open markets.
N3. Whitecaps: One of the oldest surviving inns on the mainland, Whitecaps is more than a century past its prime. It looks old, it smells old, and it even feels old once inside it. Despite its age and wear, though, Whitecaps remains a popular destination for visitors to the city. Whitecaps’s popularity comes not from any quality or service it provides, but rather for its reputation for being both clean and cheap. And secure.
N4. Longacre Building: The last stop for the city’s most violent criminals, the imposing Longacre Building, also known as Arbiter’s Hall, houses the feared arbiters of Korvosa. Despite their frightful reputation, the arbiters only have the worst criminals executed. Violent crimes and crimes against the city of Korvosa or the state of
Cheliax alone warrant the death penalty.
N5. City Hall: This large building, once the seat of governmental power in the city (prior to the creation of the monarchy), still houses the various ministries and the myriad offices of the growing bureaucracy.
N6. Bank of Abadar: More than just a temple to the god of cities, the Bank of Abadar also serves as the city’s main bank. The temple serves every banking need, such as security boxes (said to be the safest in Varisia), saving and investment accounts, loans, and even writs of credit. Beneath the temple, in well-guarded lead-lined chambers, the rumored Golden Vaults of Abadar house the Korvosan Mint.
N7. Three Rings Tavern: This quiet tavern belongs to retired adventurer and former Pathfinder Theandra Darklight (originally Theandra Mulnsk). Theandra earned enough coin as an adventurer to buy a decrepit tavern in Five Corners and fix up. A lithe beauty in her adventurous youth and starving childhood, Theandra took to the settled life with great gusto, and today she appears somewhere closer to matronly. Despite her indulgences, Theandra remains a good-natured and friendly person, ready to help a friend in need and always hungering for a tale of high adventure and derring-do.
N8. Sanctuary of Shelyn: The smallest of the independent temples in the city, the sanctuary of Shelyn ranks among Korvosa’s most beautiful buildings.
N9. Avenue of Arms: This bizarre landmark of the city extends from just east of the Great Tower along the riverfront to Burnt Bridge Boulevard. All along the wide thoroughfare rise silent and unsettling sentinels that predate the Chelish settlers who came here three centuries ago. These sentinels, exactly 127 human-looking stone arms, reach up from the rocky soil along the road at an even distance.
N10. Posh and Turtle: Situated at the west end of the famed but mysterious Avenue of Arms, the Posh and Turtle remains—as it has for more than a century—the finest inn and tavern in all of Korvosa. Upon entering the establishment, it is difficult not to notice the glass flooring overlooking a wide but shallow sea cave. Within the cave lives a 20-foot-long sea turtle named Old Tom, who grew too large to escape through the narrow opening back out to the ocean.
Old Korvosa:
As its name implies, Old Korvosa is old. It covers all of Endrin Isle, which rises from sea level along the southern shore on the Narrows of Saint Alika to a 200-foot-high escarpment on the seaward north side. At the foot of Garrison Hill, as this steep incline is called, sits the beehive-like hovel of Bridgefront. Old Dock stands on the relatively flat eastern protrusion of the island. Atop Garrison Hill stands the stone wall of Fort Korvosa, completed in 4438. The imposing black-marble Palace Arkona dominates Old Korvosa, while the remains of the original wooden palisade slowly rot near
the gate into the ward.
Bridgefront: When the people of Bridgefront ran out of room to erect more buildings, they started adding makeshift floors to extant structures. Over time, these makeshift floors gained their own rooftop lean-tos. Spaces between buildings became fair game as well, with ladders and long poles crossing gaps over increasingly narrow roads. Bridgefront occupies a narrow spit of land at the base of Garrison Hill, reaching only three blocks inland from the strait. In those three blocks, though, live more than a tenth of the city’s population, including almost eight-tenths of its poor and destitute.
Fort Korvosa: Less a ward than a moldering citadel, the second incarnation of Fort Korvosa stands atop Garrison Hill and overlooks both Old Korvosa and Conqueror’s Bay. The high granite walls around the fort have received no maintenance since their completion, and have begun to crumble as a result. Thanks to an arrangement made
between House Arkona and the city, Palace Arkona, along with its many side buildings, provides the home to the ward’s only permanent residents (the noble family and its servants). On the opposite side of the ward stands the whitewashed buildings of the Endrin Military Academy.
Garrison Hill: Crammed in the narrow confine between the towering walls of Fort Korvosa and the towering humanity of Bridgefront, Garrison Hill rises up on the eastern slope of its eponymous hill. The streets here widen out from the cramped alleys of Bridgefront, although it is more accurate to say they retain their original widths and have not been encroached upon by the spreading mass of shanties. Residents of Garrison Hill struggle against the oozing spread of destitution in the nearby wards.
Old Dock: If not for the festering poverty and unwholesome growth that is Bridgefront, Old Dock would be considered the city’s most run-down and least-desirable ward. In many ways, though, it actually does bear those dubious distinctions. Whereas the people of Bridgefront mostly lead honest if poverty-stricken lives, those of Old Dock rarely burden themselves with such trifles as legality, morality, or compassion. Indeed, rough-and-tumble Old Dock accounts for more than half the city’s violent crimes, despite frequent, heavy patrols by the Korvosan Guard.
O1. Palace Arkona: Palace Arkona is as black a place as its exterior of Janderhoff black marble. Treble-headed elephants, peacocks with sabers, and tigers with carven eyes gaze from the walls of the palace and over the gardens beyond. This massive manor houses Old Korvosa’s de facto ruling family, the inscrutable but feared House Arkona.
The bizarre architectural embellishments and decorations of the palace come from distant Vudra, whose imports made House Arkona the power it is today. A massive black-marble and wrought-iron wall surrounds the property, and guards both human and otherwise patrol the yards and ruthlessly eject trespassers.
O2. Old City Hall: This dark-brick building, sometimes affectionately called the Charcoal Palace, was the tallest building in Varisia for more than 50 years. The Arvensoar in Magnimar stole away that distinction for more than a decade (an honor Korvosa reclaimed with the completion of the North Tower of Castle Korvosa). Charcoal Palace served as city hall for 60 years. It was the first building completed after the Great Fire (it was already half-completed at the time) and it remained the city’s seat of power until Remsev Ornelos moved his government to the current city hall in 4489.
O3. Orsini Academy: This famed sword school stands in the heart of the city’s ancient center. Its grand archway and balcony shade a pair of wide and ornate oak doors, the knockers carved in the shape of an imp and pseudodragon locked in mortal combat. The sound of steel on steel and the soft whisper of leather soles issue forth at all hours of daylight and sometimes deep into the night. Men and women, mostly young scions of noble houses, dressed in white from head to toe and wearing meshed-wire masks practice the many elegant skills of fencing. Due to his increasing age and an old injury, Vencarlo Orisini himself rarely bothers to instruct these days, allowing one of his senior students, Dengaro, to lead the class in exercises.
O4: Endrin Military Academy: These whitewashed buildings act as barracks for Fort Korvosa’s small garrison of Korvosan Guards and Sable Company trainees, as well as classrooms and sparring rings. Within these storied buildings, foul-mouthed drill sergeants have taught new recruits how to be Sable Company marines for decades.
O5. Reefclaw Run Market: Fresh seafood remains the order of the day at this market, as it has for almost three centuries. Everything from Alikan oysters (their pink pearls since removed) to jigsaw sharks shows up here over the course of a week.
O6. Sticky Mermaid: A fixture of Old Dock for more than two centuries, the Sticky Mermaid has seen more than its share of bar fights and death. This unwholesome tavern serves an unruly clientele made all the rougher by fishjack, a particularly potent spirit served only here and garnished with fermented eggs of Jeggare River salmon.
O7: Jeggare’s Jug: One of the many small pubs that fill Old Dock and the first drinking establishment built in Korvosa.
O8. Copper-Beater Hall: Copper bars from Janderhoff and Baslwief get dropped off in one of the large indoor bins of this wide building. Inside, dozens of ear-plugged smiths spend their days at wide anvils beating the copper bars into sheets, rods, plates, and other simple
forms used in construction.
O9. Eel’s End: Eel’s End is a clot of ships at the eastern end of the Narrows on Old Korvosa, a tangle of five ships permanently moored to one of the longer piers there. With only a 20-foot gap between these ships and the wall to the south, Eel’s End effectively restricts entry into the Narrows from the east to all but the smallest vessels. Although Eel’s End consists of five decommissioned ships of varying
sizes, the entire area is referred to as one location by Korvosans — a location under the rule of Gaedren Lamm, known (among other titles) as the King of Spiders; both for his strange empathy with the long-legged creatures, and the complicated webs he weaves that seem to catch so many (rich and poor alike), leaving them at his mercy. Not that he has any. The four smaller ships that comprise Eel’s End are the Goldenhawk (now a flophouse for drunkards and derelicts to sleep it off ), the Twin Tigers (a raucous gambling hall), the House of Clouds (a brothel), and the Dragon’s Breath (a drug den). The proprietors of these establishments pay
significant rent to Lamm. The largest of the five is Eel’s End itself, a decommissioned warship that serves as Lamm's headquarters and the base of operations for his various underground pursuits. Lamm maintains just enough legality to keep the Korvosan Guard from interfering with all of the businesses in Eel’s End, but at the same time his regulations of what goes on here are far more strict (and his punishments far more severe) than anything the Guard themselves would enforce.
O10. Exemplary Execrables: Refurnished with gaudy gold-colored paint and massive glass “gems,” this former temple of Aroden has found a new life as the home of a perverse and detestable theater of all things foul, gore-slicked, and unnaturally pornographic.
O11. Temple of Aroden: Old and crumbling, the temple of Aroden has lost almost all of its former splendor.
O12. The Travelling Man: This small tavern’s main claim to fame is its proximity to one of the otyugh plugs used by the city to feed its otyugh allies. People flock to the Travelling Man every Oathday, when a small contingent of Korvosan Guards winch open the plug and throw in relatively fresh meat and produce. The attraction isn’t the feeding, it’s the chance that a otyugh decides to rampage and burst out of the plug, which happens once or twice a year. As a result, the front wall of the Travelling Man is exceedingly thick, as are its barred windows.
O13. Hessim, Newby, and Sage Paint Manufactory: This curious place is a twisted and sagging shopfront that displays hundreds of tiny jars and pots, brushes, canvases, and easels. Even from the street, the building smells of turpentine, linseed, and oil.
O14. The Ironworks: One of the largest buildings in Old Korvosa, and indeed the city, the Ironworks takes in pig iron from Janderhoff and recycled slag bought for almost nothing and, in turn, spits out wrought iron works in a wide range of quality.
South Shore:
The newest district officially added to the city, South Shore became a part of Korvosa in 4684, when Queen Domina set the first foundation stone for the Pantheon of Many. South Shore’s population consists mainly of the city’s nouveau riche hoping to escape the cramped conditions elsewhere in the city. No wards divide South Shore. A small enclave built specifically as an embassy for Mierani elves stands in the ward.
S1. Orkatto’s Feathers and Fur: Collectors and wealthy nobles of South Gate acquire exotic pets or oddities to add to their menageries from Orkatto’s. It is filled with caged wonders, from rainbow-plumed songbirds and snowdust badgers to emerald-back nightbelly boas and even the odd dream spider (for Orkatto’s more shady clientele).
S2. Green Market: This small, fully enclosed market specializes in food, clothing, and commodities the residents of the city need to survive, but it also provides jewelry and other luxuries for the nobles of the city. Merchants here are expressly forbidden from selling weapons, armor, or magic.
S3. Bard’s End: Standing just a block from Kendall Amphitheater, Korvosa’s largest inn provides a place to stay for those who have traveled long and far. Visiting actors of varying fame frequent the Bard’s End, as do musicians, performers, and actual bards. A relatively small stage dominates the inn’s common room, and a night never goes by without some kind of performance being held.
S4. Jade Circle: This green-painted, domed building glitters like a giant emerald in the sun. Banners of Korvosa’s oldest noble houses wave on poles jutting from the second floor open-air balcony. Behind its lacquered latticework doors is a cacophony of scents and delicate delights, from the teahouse’s famed porcelains to its exotic fare. The Jade Circle is the swankiest site in South Shore. By day, young noblewomen accompany their mothers here for a spot of the most exotic fragrant teas from Osirion and even the distant sandalwood shores of Tian Xia. By night, young bravos bolster their spirits with mulled wines as they share a rousing tale of the silver market’s ups and downs, or discuss the merits of various fighting styles (rapier and
dagger is currently en vogue).
S5 . Pantheon of Many: Completed in 4706 and built in anticipation of Korvosa’s tercentennial, the Pantheon of Many holds within its massive octagonal white-marbled walls shrines to 17 different deities. Of the twenty main deities of Golarion, only Gorum, Lamashtu, and Rovagug do not have shrines within the pantheon.
The Shingles:
The Shingles came into being only a few decades ago, when urban renewal projects on Endrin Isle pushed Old Korvosa’s poorest people into Bridgefront. As people flooded into the area, they quickly ran out of room. Taking a cue from Kaer Maga, they built upward, with
lean-tos and shacks creating impromptu third stories on many of the ward’s buildings. These temporary third stories gave way to more permanent additions, which in turn received tents and shacks atop them. Over time, this progression of haphazard permanency gave rise to a ramshackle wall of residences reaching as high as five floors in some places.
These cramped and irregular roof lines gave homes to some of the city’s poorest and most desperate people. The children of these impoverished people grew up on the roofs of Bridgefront and thought little of traversing the ward by moving above it. Over time, they learned that other sections of the city with equally dense roof lines could also provide hidden and convenient paths. At first, these young daredevils only used the roofs as highways and called running along the rooftops “shingle dashing.” As the practice became more common and different underworld elements saw potential in its use, permanent and semi-permanent waypoints, structures, and safehouses appeared on roofs throughout the most crowded parts of the city. Eventually, these rooftop communities became known collectively as the Shingles.
No accurate map of the Shingles exists, as almost by definition the neighborhood is in a constant state of flux. Generalizations, of course, can provide a basic overview of the Shingles’ features within a ward, but exact directions to a particular residence or shop defy description. The Shingles do not exist as a continuous layer that blankets the roofs of the city. Rather, large swaths of Korvosa remain free of the phenomenon, with areas under the Shingles being large islands surrounded by clear roofs.
