Organizations

Waydon Endrin formed the Sable Company from the remnants of the marines who fought to hold the land now known as Endrin Isle at the founding of the city.

First by tradition, and later by an addendum to the city’s charter, the Sable Company does not answer to the leader of Korvosa, regardless of the leader’s title. Instead, the commandant of the Sable Company reports directly to the Seneschal of Castle Korvosa. The Commandant is also considered the heir-apperant to the role of Seneschal.

Commandant Marcus Thalassinus Endrin is the current leader of the hippogriff-mounted marines in defense of the skies and waters of Korvosa. Shipboard raids and airborne threats fall under the jurisdiction of the black-clad Sable Company, and its members offer aerial and amphibious support to Korvosan Guard operations. The Company relied on its ties with the Guard to coordinate efforts with the Hellknights and Acadamae (neither of which the Sable Company gets along with).

The Sable Company is a little more integrated than the Korvosan Guard, allowing any human member to rise as high as general of the company and any other member to gain the rank of major. To date, all leaders have been pureblood Chelaxians from noble families, but in theory any general can receive the promotion to Commandant.

The Korvosan Guard serves the city of Korvosa first, the city’s leader second, and the Church of Abadar third. It works closely with the monarch and high priest of Abadar to maintain order in the city, acting most often as a police force, but turning into a military operation whenever the city is threatened by external forces.

Descended from the regular army troops brought to Endrin Isle at the founding of the city, the Korvosan Guard possesses a long and proud history of serving the city and its leaders. Supported and augmented by the Church of Abadar, the Guard counts among its officers paladins and priests of the city god.

The Guard works closely with both the Order of the Nail and Sable Company, coordinating efforts among all three and relying on the Hellknights to muster Acadamae wizards when necessary in order to protect the city from every imaginable threat.

Field Marshal Cressida Kroft leads the nearly 700 soldiers of the Korvosan Guard, almost all of whom are human of Chelaxian descent. All other civilized races have representatives in the guard, as do Shoanti and Varisians. Despite an everincreasing integration of non-Chelaxians into its ranks, the Korvosan Guard remains steadfastly tied to its Chelaxian traditions. Only full-blooded Chelaxian humans can become generals or the field marshal, while only those with at least half-Chelaxian blood (including half-elves) can achieve a rank higher than captain.

The Hellknights of the the Order of the Nail are paid allies of the Korvosan government, and pursue their unyielding ideals of order and law from nearby Citadel Vraid. They are fanatical when confronted by behavior or events that fly against their strict worldview, but support the city only as long as they are compensated. It concerns itself with quelling "savage" practices and bringing their idea of civilization to the inhabitants of the wild frontier.

One of the original seven orders of Hellknights, the Order of the Nail was coaxed to relocate to Varisia in 4682 AR by Korvosa's Queen Domina. Although the belief of the Queen was that her invitation and generosity would make the Hellknights indebted to the crown, this was not the case, and the government has since held a decades-old grudge against the Order. The Hellknights instead pursue their own agenda and follow their own ideals of law and justice. Even so, they have aided the city on several occasions (after being well-compensated) and their subjugation of the surrounding wilds have been of assistance to the Korvosan crown. Feared and misunderstood by both the populace and the city guard, the Hellknights are sometimes referred to as "Domina's Devils".