Description
Korvosa's reigning King Eodred Arabasti II is feared by all the right people. His rule is steady, even if his insatiate appetites drain the city's coffers. His ability to navigate the rocks and shoals of Chelish diplomacy earned the city favorable trade aggreements with the Old Empire, but rumors persisted of the king's womanizing habits and his spendthrift ways. Despite his fondness for a soft touch, he has to date produced no heir to the throne, latest in a line of rulers affected by the Curse of the Crimson Throne. Edicts proclaim Eodred II the Saffron King, likening his reign to one of abundance, in which honey and spice flood the markets. The city's downtrodden have another name for Eodred, though — the Stirge King, a man whose squandering ways are slowly bleeding his city dry. Whispers of Eodred II's taste for scandalously young companionship have dogged the king throughout his rule, and thus when he finally wed, it was no surprise that his bride was barely a third of his age.