City of Korvosa: Power in the Cracks
Korvosa is a city built on old bones and older bargains. Founded as a Chelish colony, ruled by a frail king and an ambitious queen, it balances on the edge of civil fracture. The marble still gleams, but the rot has set in deep. Law exists, but it serves coin. Order is enforced, but often for a fee. In Korvosa, power doesn’t flow from titles—it trickles through ledgers, secrets, and whispered threats.
Below are the factions, forces, and institutions currently shaping the game Kaelus Shade is playing.
Noble Houses
House Ornelos
Ancient, entrenched, and tied to the Acadamae. Their name carries weight, but behind their polished sigils lie secrets: blackmail, forbidden magic, and quiet coercion. Kaelus exposed one of their ledgers—without their knowledge. If they find out, they’ll come with fire.
House Jeggare
Old money with new problems. Kaelus rescued young Tyren Jeggare from a cult’s grip and earned a favor from Lord Aric Jeggare in return. The favor is real. So is the debt it implies. In Korvosa, everything comes with strings.
House Arkona
Distant, dangerous, and deeply embedded in Old Korvosa’s shadows. Lucette Arkona may yet play a role in this story—if she isn’t already pulling strings in secret. Their house motto could be: "We root out what you can’t see."
Criminal Underworld
The Cerulean Society
The iron hand in a velvet glove. Officially a security guild. In truth, the sanctioned syndicate that runs Korvosa’s streets. Bribes, blackmail, and bruisers. Kaelus isn’t on their radar—yet. But his moves are drawing attention.
Devargo Barvasi — The King of Spiders
Ruler of Eel’s End. A dangerous ally and worse enemy. Kaelus did a clean job for him, which earned respect. Barvasi plays the long game, and he never forgets who owes what.
The Split Knives
Petty turf rivals turned real threat. Led by “Slink” Daro, the Knives see Kaelus as competition. Their territory brushes Old Korvosa. Tensions are rising. Knives are being sharpened.
Cults and Secret Orders
The Red Moth
A cult masquerading as a salon—beautiful masks, beautiful lies, and identity-destroying rituals. Kaelus tore them apart from the inside. But their leader, the Attendant, may still be alive. Some masks cannot be unmade.
The Eye Cult
More whispered than seen. Connected to a strange glyph-slab now in Kaelus’s possession. Marked him. Watches him. Their purposes remain unknown, but their interest is chilling.
The Old Circle Beneath the Chapel
The ruined temple that houses Kaelus’s base hides something older—a binding circle, still faintly active. Rhyssa says it’s not of Aroden. No one knows who made it. No one touches it.
Arcane and Institutional Powers
The Acadamae
Korvosa’s magical university. Prestigious, aloof, and steeped in dangerous tradition. The Ornelos family has deep roots here. They claim to remain neutral in city politics. Everyone knows that’s a lie.
The Korvosan Guard
The city’s primary force of order. Some precincts are fair. Some are bought. Most just try to survive the shifting tides of noble orders and criminal pressure.
The Crown and the Quiet Crisis
King Eodred II
Old, ailing, and barely ruling. The city still pretends he holds the reins.
Queen Ileosa Arabasti
Young, beautiful, and gaining power by the day. Whispers say she married Eodred for the crown—and may not wait long to claim it outright. Her enemies call her ambitious. Her allies call her necessary.
This is the Korvosa Kaelus walks:
A city of power without mercy.
A game played in shadows.
And somewhere beneath it all, something old is stirring.