(magic travel blog)

Perhaps each of you has heard these words at least once in your life: grisha, darkling, ravka. Nope? Еhen we will definitely handle it. These words refer to the universe created by the American writer — Leigh Bardugo. And now I want to tell you more about each country. But firstly we’ll find out, or someone will just remember, what this story is about, to fully understand my little tour.

So, the series begins with the story of the girl Alina, who became a “living saint” during her lifetime (Sankta Alina), her friend from the orphanage Malyen, about Grisha (people who wield the small science) and the main antagonist of the whole series – Darkling.

This universe has 5 countries that can be told endlessly. So let’s start with probably the most important thing in this story.

Welcome to Ravka!

Ravka – is the main kingdom of the universe. It’s where most of the Grisha and a number of the main characters of the series are from, including Alina, Mal, and Darkling. 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.

Let’s start our story from the village where it all began – Keramzin.

It’s a small village in the south of Ravka and the location of the orphanage (the asylum for war orphans and war widows started by Duke Keramsov on his estate when he returned from war. It’s run by housekeeper-slash-headmistress Ana Kuya.) where Alina Starkov and Mal Oretsev grew up.

Then we go to Kribirsk, where Alina in a troop of cartographers was preparing to cross the Shadow Fold and where she first learned that she was Sun Summoner (Grisha Etherealki).

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.

Novokribirsk is located from Krybirsk through the Shadow Fold.

Novokribirsk – 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.

You ask me, “What is the Shadow Fold?”

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

The next one is Os Alta.

It is 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 royal family lives in the Grand Palace. It’s the winter residence of the royal family, currently the Lantsovs.

And Grishas also have their own palace – Little Palace. It’s a home of the Grisha Second Army. It’s situated near the Grand Palace in Os Alta and has extensive training grounds and laboratories for the various orders of Grisha to practice the Small Science.

And the last city in Ravka, which we’ll visit – Os Kervo.

Os Kervo – 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.

And this is the end of the first part of our tour!

*A few facts of the intersection of grishaverse with real life:
Ravka is based on 18th-century Tsarist Russia.
The Grand Palace is based on the real-life Peterhof in St. Petersburg.
The Little Palace is inspired by the Church of the Transfiguration in Kizhi Island, Russia.