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Korvosa!
The largest city in Varisia, Korvosa is home to 16,637 humans,
739 dwarves,
371 elves,
369 halflings,
184 half-elves,
186 “other”,
and, as of tonight – the 13th of Neth, 4707 AR, with moments to go before midnight –, one shadow.
In Which Evil Is Paid Unto Law & Korvosa Falls To Darkness
little-Cheliax
Toff Ornelos is Korvosa's most powerful wizard - as far as anyone knows - but he's far from its only wizard.
little-Cheliax
Page 138 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide V 3.5 presents a way to determine how many characters of each class reside in a city. According to this method, the average population of a large city like Korvosa includes 3 11th-level wizards, 6 5th-level wizards, 12 2nd-level wizards, and 24 1st-level wizards.
Those are rookie numbers. Korvosa laughs at them.
The Academae in Korvosa is more than two hundred years old, founded in 4473 AR by Lord Volshyenek Ornelos, AKA the the Undying Lord Volshyenek Ornelos AKA Lord Volshyenek Ornelos the Eternal. Alas, Volshy was cut down in the prime of his life, at the tender age of 209. But the school lives on.
The Academae is the premier school of magic in Varisia, with a world-wide reputation. It's also a deathtrap. Three in every ten students die.
There are older schools of magic. Schools with more extensive libraries. Halls of learning that better culture the mind. Other wizard colleges produce better-rounded individuals.
Well-rounded individuals who yammer away in coffee shops and wash Korvosa's laundry. The Academae trains wizards.
Give ten years of your life to the Academae, and they will teach you what magic you can learn. Dropping out is not an option, and if after ten years you can't pass their final exam, they give you to the necromancers. You can't graduate unless you're second circle; most make third, many fourth and some even fifth.
Hopefuls are drawn from as far away as Geb and the Mwangi Expanse. Some fail at the entrance exams, others had no intention of even trying and were just attracted to the scene. They apprentice under one of Korvosa's many wizards and get an Academae education second-hand. Or enroll at Theumanexus College, which styles itself as a competitor.
We'll say one in ten adult Korvosans can at least cast cantrips, or 1,230. 615 of them have 1st-circle spells or better, 300 have 3rd, 100 4th. About twenty can cast at 5th-circle; some Academae professors, all eight of the deans, the rare Academae student, and unaffiliateds like the Headmaster of Theumanexus College. At least seven have 6th-circle spells. Toff Ornelos has 7th and 8th.
In terms of spells, if they all had combat spells prepared in all their slots, Korvosa's arcanists would have between them something less than[1]:
8th – 2
7th – 3
6th – 28
5th – 80
4th – 400
3rd – 1,200
2nd – 2,000
1st – 2,460
cantrips – technically infinite
-
1. This an overestimate by almost half-again, since it assumes everyone save Toff Ornelos has four slots for even their highest circles of spell.
little-Cheliax
If each of the 508 shadows which exist as of 12:09 AM were huddled immovably in a 20 foot radius sphere waiting to die, if each of the 5th level spells were a 10d6 cone of cold and each of the 3rd level spells were a 5d6 fireball, Korvosa's wizards could kill every shadow in the city 319 times over.
challenge-rating-three
Let's assume that every round for four rounds 20 fifth-circle wizards, 80 fourth-circle wizards, and 200 third-circles each find five targets clustered together for a fireball (which will take all the third circle arcane spells in Korvosa; it's a good thing they were all prepared and fireballs), further assume that no shadow ever saves against a spell cast by a 5th circle wizard, that the 4th-circle casters all do 8d6, and that the damage is used perfectly efficiently (never, for instance, wasting damage by needing a whole 5d6 fireball to finish off a group reduced to 2 HP).
Korvosa's collective arcanists could deal 9,850 damage, enough for 518 shadows.
challenge-rating-three
How many can they really get?
When they're lining up a solid shot every couple rounds if they're lucky?
When they have less than four blast spells prepared?
When if they make themselves a target they could get jumped by a shadow and dropped inside a round?
Is it, perchance, less than 508 shadows in a minute and a half?
This is a wild guess, but I'm thinking it maybe might just be something less than 508 shadows in a minute and a half.
Damage spells aren't going to do anything that hundreds of sixth-level archers couldn't.
I guess wizardry isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
burn-it-all-down
One in eight of Korvosa's wizards are necromancy specialists; that's more than 50 wizards with the feat Command Undead and enough hitdice to control a shadow. Several with enough hitdice to Command multiple shadows, and a small handful with the spell command undead prepared. They'll be enough to protect the Vaults.
burn-it-all-down
Round 94 (12:09:24)
The most time-sensitive part is done. Toff puts away his rod of Quicken Spell.
Teleport.
burn-it-all-down
Toff Ornelos hangs four hundred feet above the Narrows, breathing smoke and watching the city burn.
His desperate countrymen, clutching children and their precious things, scream and push as they shuffle away from undead pursuit. Some gave up the bridges as a bad job, they're trying to swim the channel.
Wiser than they knew.
Wall of fire.
He's got that layabout Lord Volshyenek whispering in his mind's ear.
<What's it to you if I have. You couldn't bestir yourself for the shadows. You don't love Korvosa.>
The Eternal Lord
Straight to the fucking histrionics. This is the first Volshyenek has heard about shadows. He's on a different plane entirely, and shadows are hard to see.
burn-it-all-down
Yet you notice when I leave my home, you overbearing old man.
You're aware of the shadows now. Will you leap into action?
Teleport.
burn-it-all-down
Then shut up.
Useless vegetable.
You'll never live another minute, regardless how long you dodge the psychopomps.