Those trained in the service of the Farseer crown to undertake acts the throne cannot officially acknowledge - intelligence gathering, quiet removal of threats, and the protection of the royal family through means that diplomacy cannot provide. Fitz is trained in this role by Chade Fallstar, the king's own assassin, in the hidden passages of Buckkeep Castle. The Royal Assassins operate in complete secrecy, their existence unacknowledged by the court they serve.

A group of Skill-users trained to work in concert under the direction of the Farseer crown, their combined power amplifying what any individual could achieve alone. Coteries have served the Six Duchies across generations, but the art of forming and sustaining them has been lost and rediscovered multiple times. The coterie Fitz is eventually associated with is central to the resolution of the Red Ship Wars, and the question of what a coterie member owes to their companions and to the crown is one of the trilogy's recurring concerns.

Those in the Six Duchies who possess the Wit - a magic that allows bonding with animals and, at its deepest, a shared consciousness between human and beast. The Wit is regarded with deep suspicion and fear throughout the Six Duchies, associated with bestiality and moral corruption by official culture and the Farseer court. Those known to have the Wit face persecution, execution, and social exclusion, forcing most to conceal their ability entirely. FitzChivalry's possession of the Wit is among the most dangerous secrets of his life.