Korvosa Gazetteer

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. East Shore has no wards to subdivide it.

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. It contains two of the city’s modern landmarks: the Great Tower and the Temple of Asmodeus. The cost of land in the ward more than doubles that of the next-most-expensive ward, Cliffside. Violent crimes rarely occur in the ward, although property crimes, especially burglary, occur with surprising and unfortunate regularity. Alone among all the wards in the city, Citadel Crest has no inns. Visitors instead can stay in one of the three noble-owned bed and breakfasts scattered throughout.
• Cliffside: Lesser nobles and not-quite-as-wealthy merchants live in Cliffside. Its claims to fame include the Gatefoot, Kendall Amphitheater, and a section of the Pillar Wall. Most of the ward’s wealth and political power crams itself up into the northern section of the ward and along the cliff that gives the ward its name. Two Sable Company watchhouses along the cliff and regular patrols from the Korvosan guard make this a relatively safe ward.
• 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. Most of the crimes that occur in University fall into the misdemeanor and petty categories, and it has suffered from the fewest murders of any similarly aged wards.

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. As the home district of both the Korvosan Guard and Sable Company, Midland has the fewest gangs and gang battles in the city. Despite that, the thieves’ guild does a brisk trade in the district thanks to the disproportionately high number of merchants, banks, and other commercial and financial concerns.

• High Bridge: Despite its proximity to West Dock, not every longshoreman and fisherman lives in High Bridge— roughly half live in the cheaper tenements of lower Pillar Hill. High Bridge does have its fair share of these hardworking 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 crosssection 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 tieflings 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 roughand-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. Unwelcome but stubborn druids frequent the docks, proselytizing the evils of civilization and urging fishermen and crabbers to release their catches back into the river. These unwashed scoff laws frequently cause minor skirmishes when they attempt to enforce their ideals with more than just words.

North Point

North Point, at the northwestern tip of mainland Korvosa, was the first 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.

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 f lat 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 f loors to extant structures. Over time, these makeshift f loors 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 trif les 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.

Southern Korvosa

The newest district officially added to the city

• 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.
• Gray: Once its own district, the cities sprawling cemeteries are no considered part of Southern Korvosa. Unlike all other districts in Korvosa, Gray’s residents mostly stay to themselves and are generally well-behaved. Of course, most of Gray’s residents are dead. Gray District holds four tiny wards (the smallest of the city): Gold ward, Everyman ward, Potter’s ward, and Sepulcher ward. Burial costs range from 1 cp for internment in Potter’s ward to 1,500 gp or more for Gold. The only living creatures who reside in Gray belong to the church of Pharasma and live within the temple.

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.

Orphanages

There are five state-run orphanages in Korvosa which take care of those children whose parents have died for one of the plenty reasons that can come up in everyday life in Korvosa. They are frequently inspected by the churches of Abadar and Sarenrae and provide early training for those children who show promise and will to enter the Sable Company and/or the Guard. Three are in Midland, the largest is in North Point's Mainshore ward and the smallest is in East Shore.

Speaking Korvosan

Crimes & Punishment

The Gallery at the Exemplary Execrable

Source: Edited versions of illustrations from Barlowe's Inferno, Wayne Barlowe, Morpheus International, 1st Edition, (December 8th, 1998)

The Noble Families of Korvosa

House Arabasti

The winner of The Cousins War, they took the Throne of Korvosa by Force. For a long time, The Arabasti’s sought to stay under the influence of Cheliax, trying to curry favor with the old Empire. King Eodred II however, has distanced The City from its homeland and sought to establish Korvosa as it’s own city state. House Arabasti lured the Hellknights, The Order of The Nail north, by funding the building of Citadel Vraid, half a days walk south west of the city. House Arabasti resides in Castle Korvosa. It is one of the original Dock Families.

With the passing of The Patriarch of House Arabasti, King Eodred Arabasti II, Queen Ileosa of Cheliax is his queen, and successor to The Arabasti house by marriage. The King had no known heirs, though he was a renowned womanizer.

House Arkona

After the Cousins War, House Arkona had been nigh unto Bankrupt. Siding with House Arabasti had been costly and they had lost much of their holdings. In desperation They took a loan from House Jeggare and took a huge gamble on buying a few ships, the Flagship had been aptly named The Reprieve, and sailing to Vudra on the Northern Coast of Garund, the southern Continent. They had returned with spices, exotic goods and the beginning of a trade route that launched them into one of the top 3 wealthiest families in Korvosa. House Arkona has embraced the Vudran Culture and provide endless assistance to the impoverished people of Korvosa. Glorio is called The Patriarch of The Poor. The Patriarch of House Arkona is Glorio Arkona, a middle aged man of good looks and charm. He has not taken a wife, and as such has no heirs. It is reputed he has an illicit relationship with his sister Melyia Arkona, who is second in line for House Arkona’s power. House Arkona resides in The Arkona Palace on Endrin Isle in Old Korvosa. They are one of the Original Dock Families and on the Peerage Review.

House Jeggare

The wealthiest family in Korvosa, House Jeggare controls easily 25% of all land holdings within the city. They are the chief financial backer of both The Korvosan Guard and Sable Company. A sensible and practical house, they are liked and respected but not revered by the people. The Matriarch of House Jeggare is Mercival Jeggare. They are among the original Dock Families and on The Peerage review. They are allied with the Church of Shelyn.

House Ornelos

The single most powerful family in Korvosa, whose patriarch Toff Ornelos is running The Acadamae, the most respected School of Magic in the West. They stay out of day to day politics and try to remain neutral in disputes. Toff followed the foot steps of The Undying Lord Volshyeneck Ornelos, who has been around for a century at least until he died in an unfortunate conflagration of magic on the top of the Hall of Summoning in 4607 AR. One of the original Dock Families and on the Peerage Review.

House Leroung

An old family in Cheliax, they have very old connections and ties throughout the Old Empire. They control The University of Korvosa. They are considered allied with almost every Noble House and try to steer clear of petty arguments instead looking to maintain law. The Matriarch is Eliasia Leroung. They are allied with The Church of Abadar. One of the original dock families and a member of The Peerage Review.

House Zenderholm

A House not recognized in far off Cheliax, yet none-the-less a powerful family in their own right. The family looks out for the future of Korvosa like no other and have been instrumental in severing ties with Cheliax. The Matriarch is Senior Arbiter Zenobia Zenderholm, who some say is more fond of ladies than men. A Member of The Peerage review.

House Carowyn

Generous supporters of the arts, Ausio and Olauren Carowyn have always relished the limelight. Every year they are contributing thousands of gold sails to the upcoming season at the Kendall Amphitheater, reserving box seats at the Marbledome, or hosting galas at their South Shore estate, the aging nobles find no scene too garish for to steal.

House Bromathan

Allied with the Temple of Saranrae, This house truly has the interest of the people in the forefront of their minds. A Minor house that was one of the original Dock Families, but not important enough to be on The Peerage review. The Patriarch is Lord Valdur Bromathan IV, a minor priest of Saranrae. Stable and steady in both the worst and best of times.

House Endrin

All but taken over by House Jeggare because of a marriage in the early years of Korvosa. House Endrin is a one of the original Dock Families, and a long standing history of military service. The Patriarch of House Endrin is Lord Ponchus III.

House Porphyria

The Exiled House. During the Cousins War, House Porphyria was on one side, House Arabasti the other. All the minor houses that House Porphyria had allied with were summarily destroyed. Only this old family house of Cheliax managed to survived, though all of their holdings were seized by House Arabasti. General Uril Krakon of House Porphyria, In Cheliax, has eyes on Korvosa however.