The Ravkan army of Grisha, based at the Little Palace in Os Alta. Under the command of the Darkling, the Second Army serves as both Ravka's most powerful military asset and a refuge for Grisha who would otherwise face persecution or conscription abroad.

People born with the ability to manipulate matter at its most fundamental level, known as the Small Science. Grisha are divided into three orders: the Corporalki (who work with living matter), the Etherealki (who work with natural elements), and the Materialki (who work with materials and chemical compounds). Persecuted in some countries and conscripted in others, Grisha occupy an uneasy position across the continent.

The noble court of the Ravkan Empire, centred on Os Alta. A world of politics, intrigue, and carefully maintained alliances, where proximity to the throne is both a prize and a danger.