Welcome to the Grishaverse

From the shores of the Wandering Isle to the impenetreble darkness of the Shadow Fold, explore the Grishaverse. Scroll down to journey deeper into this realm.

The Bone Road

This deadly, iceberg-strewn passage between the True Sea and the Isenvee is rumored to be home to the legendary ice dragon, Rusalye (also known as the Sea Whip). Countless ships have wrecked on the nameless islands that appear and disappear in its mists. Only the most experienced Fjerdan fishermen and hunters come to the Bone Road. It is said to be where Sankt Nikolai, patron saint of sailors and lost causes, endured his trials.

Elbjen

Meaning “the elbows,” these are the northernmost peaks of the Sikurzoi—the mountain range that stretches across much of Ravka’s border with Shu Han. The range is home to the Spinning Wheel, an abandoned former pilgrimage site and observatory built into the hollowed out top of a mountain and later used as a base by Nikolai.

Fjerda

Separated from its southern neighbor Ravka by heavy forest and permafrost, Fjerda is well known for its advancements in military technology. This icy northern country is home to witchhunters called drüskelle, specially trained soldiers dedicated to capturing Grisha who are then tried and executed.

Fjerdans worship Djel, the Wellspring, and believe all the world is connected through His waters—the seas, the ice, the rivers and streams, the rain and storms. All feed Djel and are fed by him.

The capital city of Djerholm is one of the only places on Fjerda’s western coast that can be safely reached by sea. The second is the port settlement of Elling, located where the Stelge River meets the Isvenee.

While the majority of Fjerda’s inhabitants speak Fjerdan, the Hedjut people of the north have a dialect distinct from the common tongue.

Capital: Djerholm
Language: Fjerdan
Currency: Krydda
Ruler: Grimjer Family
Associated Characters: Matthias Helvar, Jarl Brum, Hanne Brum, Magnus Opjer, Agatha Grimjer, Rasmus Grimjer

DJERHOLM

The capital of Fjerda, this city is home to the Ice Court: a heavily defended fortress that is the seat of the Grimjer monarchy and a repository of Fjerda’s greatest treasures and most sacred religious relics.

In addition to the Ice Court, the city of Djerholm is characterized by its orderly streets, colorful homes and warehouses, and religious festivals, such as Hringkälla and Vinetkälla.

The Ice Court sits on a bluff overlooking the harbor at Djerholm. This legendary fortress is where the drüskelle live and train, and its defenses have never been successfully breached . . . but that doesn’t mean Kaz Brekker and his crew aren’t going to try.

Associated Characters: Jarl Brum, Hanne Brum, Matthias Helvar, Agatha Grimjer, Magnus Opjer

Kerch

Small but mighty, this island nation is a trade superpower that relies on its massive navy to defend its shipping routes. Despite the illegality, Grisha and others are often bound to wealthy merchants as indentured servants under terms that amount to slavery in Kerch.

The bustling city of Ketterdam is the nation’s capital, the hub of all international trade—legal and illegal—and home to a teeming criminal underworld. Tourists come from all over the world to try their luck and find their pleasures in the Barrel, where anything can be had for a price. It is also home to the Dregs, an infamous gang led by the notorious Kaz Brekker.

The Kerch people worship Ghezen, the god of industry and commerce, and consider prosperity a sign of divine favor. The main place of worship in Ketterdam is the Church of Barter, an impressive church built in the shape of Ghezen’s hand. The nation has no royalty but is instead governed by the Merchant Council, a group of merchants representing the oldest and wealthiest families in the country.

Capital: Ketterdam
Language: Kerch
Currency: Kruge
Associated Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Wylan van Eck, Pekka Rollins, Per Haskell, Hiram Schenke

Novyi Zem

A farming nation with a growing shipping trade, Novyi Zem is rich in natural resources and a chief exporter of the crop jurda. Because prosperous Novyi Zen is largely separated from global conflict by the expanse of the True Sea, it is popular with those seeking opportunity and anonymity—including Grisha, who are known among the Zemeni as zowa.

Novyi Zem is governed by locally elected ministers who meet twice a year to set policy for the country and allocate funds for each dominion and their armed forces. The Zemeni have a tradition, dating back to the Maradi family, of choosing their own family names.

Capital City: Shriftport
Language: Zemeni
Associated Characters: Jesper Fahey, Aditi Hilli, Leoni, Sankta Maradi, Kalem Kerko

Os Alta

Called the “dream city,” this is the political and cultural center of Ravka, the seat of the monarchy, and the nation’s capital.

Os Alta is two cities in one divided by a canal. The outer city is inhabited by peasants and resembles many of Ravka’s smaller poor villages, while the inner part of the city is home to the wealthy aristocrats and merchants, and is notable for its stately palaces, boulevards, fountains, and public gardens.

Among the rich and powerful in Os Alta is the ruling Lantsov family who reside at the Grand Palace, as well as the Darkling and his Grisha who train at the Little Palace.

Associated Characters: Nikolai Lantsov, The Darkling, Alina Starkov, Zoya Nazyalensky, Genya Safin

Shu Han

Protected by the Sikurzoi mountain range to the north, Shu Han is ruled by the Taban queens, a matriarchal monarchy dating back hundreds of years. They rule from a palace in the capital city of Ahmrat Jen and are protected by the Tavgharad, a force of elite female warriors. The Shu pray to the Six Soldiers, whose temples can be found in the capital city – including that of Sankta Neyar, the patron saint of blacksmiths.

Shu Han has a weak navy but a massive land army and their mercenaries are prized throughout the world. Within the borders of Shu Han, Grisha are frequently captured and experimented on in an attempt to determine the root of their power—a practice long disavowed by the government.

Separated from Ravka by mountains, Shu Han exists in a perpetual state of summer despite the colder climate of its northern neighbor.

Capital: Ahmrat Jen
Language: Shu
Associated Characters: Ehri Kir-Taban, Makhi Kir-Taban, Mayu Kir-Kaat, Kuwei Yul-Bo

Ravka

Ravka is divided by the Unsea (otherwise known as the Shadow Fold), which has left it vulnerable and without access to its port cities on the True Sea.

Ravka is a monarchy ruled by the Lantsov dynasty and is protected by two branches of the military: the First Army, composed of ordinary and frequently ill-equipped soldiers, and the Second Army, made up of the Grisha and led by the Darkling. Ravka is generally considered a safe haven for Grisha as long as they’re willing to serve the crown.

Ravkans’ worship of the Saints was established as the state religion by the country’s first king, Yaromir Lanstov. The country’s capital city, Os Alta, is believed to be built atop the site of the First Altar.

While summers offer more warmth, the climate in Ravka is characteristically cold with snows in the winter and a permafrost at the northern border.

Capital: Os Alta
Language: Ravkan, Suli
Currency: Vlachka, Vlacki / Ravkan Currency
Ruler: Lantsov Dynasty
Associated Characters: The Darkling, Zoya Nazyalenksy, Nikolai Lantsov, Alina Starkov, Malyen Oretsev, The Apparat

The Wandering Isle

This lush, green country is home to the Kaelish people. Grisha blood is prized as a medical cure-all here, so people who show signs of Grisha power are killed for their blood.

Capital: Leflin
Language: Kaelish
Associated Characters: Pekka Rollins, Colm Fahey

Ketterdam

Bustling with trade, this is Kerch’s capital and home to the Exchange where merchants buy and sell shares under the motto Enjent, Voorhent, Almhent (Industry, Integrity, Prosperity.) Ketterdam is also known for its criminal underworld, teeming with brothels, gambling halls, and gangs.

Ketterdam was built on low land, so canals are used in addition to streets for transport between its many differing neighborhoods. The densely populated city is highly vulnerable to fire and disease, and even has a siren exclusively used to signal a quarantine.

Popular tourist attractions for the rich include the Boeksplein, Geldrenner Hotel, and the Church of the Barter; whereas the reckless are drawn more to the Barrel, where they can while away the hours at the Crow Club or the Candy Shop.

Associated Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Wylan van Eck, Nina Zenik, Matthias Helvar, Pekka Rollins, Heleen van Houden

Jelka and Vilki

Known as “the Fork and the Knife,” these two slate stone islands mark the entrance to the Bone Road. Although there are many mist-shrouded islands in the passage, only Jelka and Vicki are notorious enough to be named.

Tsibeya

Just south of Fjerda’s vast permafrost, Tsibeya is Ravka’s northernmost region. According to legend, the icy wilderness is said to be the home of Morozova’s magical stag.

The Unsea

Also known as the Shadow Fold, this stretch of darkness appeared in the Tula Valley centuries ago, and tore Ravka in two, separating the east from the country’s coastline and from the port cities of the west. Traversing the Unsea is the only way to provide landlocked East Ravka with critical supplies. These perilous journeys from East Ravka to West are accomplished via sandskiff, putting travelers at risk of attack by the volcra—flying creatures with a taste for human flesh and blood.

Ahmrat Jen

Home to the Taban palace, Ahmrat Jen is the seat of the Shu Han monarchy and its capital. The city stays warm and sunny year round, rendering its landscape perpetually lush and full of life. Ahmrat Jen is also home to the monastery where the legendary assassins, the Sages of Ahmrat Jen, are trained. Associated Characters: Dunyasha Lazareva, Makhi Kir-Taban, Ehri Kir-Taban

Sikurzoi

The Sikurzoi range stretches across most of Ravka’s eastern and southern border and marks the southernmost border with Shu Han. While its foothills are gentle and rolling, with soft slopes covered in tall grasses, its higher peaks are treacherous and covered in snow. Dva Stolba, or Two Mills, named after the ruins of mills at its entrance, is located near the southern foothills. During the Border Wars, Dva Stolba was a contested territory, sometimes owing allegiance to Ravka, sometimes to Shu Han. It is also home to the nameless settlement where Sankt Alina was born.