Shadow and Bone Locations

The country to the north of Ravka. Fjerda is both highly militarized and highly superstitious, thus, they are constantly skirmishing with Ravka on the borders. They also hate and fear the Grisha and purposely round up any detected Grisha within their borders for execution. Fjerda is based on the Nordic countries.

A small village in the south of Ravka and the location of the orphanage where Alina Starkov and Mal Oretsev grew up.

Kerch is an island nation to the east of Shu Han in the middle of the True Sea. As the hub of all international trade and main global shipping port, Kerch has amassed a great deal of wealth and has the leverage to remain neutral in international conflicts. Thanks also to its wealth, Kerch has an extensive criminal industry. Slavery is technically illegal in Kerch, but it doesn't stop wealthy merchants and powerful crime bosses from using Grisha and lost souls as indentured servants. Kerch is based on the Dutch Republic of the 18th century with some Victorian London and New York thrown in.

Ketterdam is the capital city of Kerch and the epicenter of Kerch's booming criminal underworld. On the surface, it's the center of international trade, but everyone knows it's Ketterdam's powerful crime gangs that really run the city. As some say, having a gun being pulled on you is basically Ketterdam's equivalent of a handshake. Ketterdam is inspired by Amsterdam and Antwerp with some seedy Las Vegas.

Kribirsk is a city that was previously in central Ravka but now sits on the east side of the Shadow Fold and serves as the crossing point for that side. It was once a small town in the middle of nowhere but has since built up to become a bustling port as the last stop before crossing the fold to the west.

The western counterpart to Kribirsk, Novokribirsk was an equally small town that exploded in size when it became the entry point to the Shadow Fold from the west.

The capital of Ravka. It's the political and cultural center of Ravka, being both where the royal family is located half the year and where the Grisha live and train. Most of the rich and aristocratic families of Ravka live in Os Alta, meaning Ravka's diminishing wealth flows into the city rather than to the people.

The second most important and second-largest city in Ravka next to Os Alta. It's situated in the west of Ravka on the shores of the True Sea. As such, it's cut off from the rest of Ravka by the Shadow Fold. However, it freely receives all the trade and supplies choked off from the rest of Ravka. A movement to separate from the rest of Ravka and become the country of West Ravka is gaining ground in Os Kervo.

The main kingdom of the series. It's where most of the Grisha and a number of the main characters of the series are from, including Alina, Mal, and General Kirigan. Ravka is constantly at war with Fjerda to the north and Shu Han to the south. It's also dealing with a brewing civil war thanks to the country's resources drying up due to the Shadow Fold cutting off trade and supply routes. Ravka is the only country to fully embrace the Grisha, making them its Second Army and affording them elite status in society. Ravka is based on 18th-century Tsarist Russia.

Also known as the Unsea, the Shadow Fold is a swath of near-impenetrable darkness filled with volcra and other monsters that cleaves the kingdom of Ravka in two. Legend has it the Black Heretic created the Fold ages ago, but no one knows exactly how it was made.

The kingdom to the south of and currently at war with Ravka. Shu Han is a scientifically and technologically advanced nation, though that's due largely to its inhumane treatment of and experiments on its Grisha. Shu Han is a matriarchal monarchy currently ruled by the Taban family. Shu Han is based on Mongolia and China.