The court of King Baird Cathor II of Ord is known for its subtle intrigues and stunning courtesans. Of all the jewels to grace the Bandit King’s court, Madelyn Corbeau might be the most brilliant, beautiful, and dangerous. She is able to impart world-changing revelations with a wink and convey more menace with a smile than a legion of assassins. At her pleasure armies are raised, fortunes won, and men’s lives ruined.
Born the daughter of an Ordic nobleman and a Llaelese courtesan, Madelyn spent her childhood between the courts of those two nations, receiving perhaps the best possible education for an intelligencer in the Iron Kingdoms. By the time she was of age, Madelyn was already an accomplished spy in the Bandit King’s service. Baird has long maintained the sovereignty of his kingdom amid the wars of western Immoren by employing one of the finest intelligence services of any nation. The competing agents of this network congregate at the king’s court where they deliver messages, match wits, and curry favor.
Madelyn rose to prominence not only by virtue of her intelligence and grace, but also because of her ruthlessness. She is welcome at all the civilized courts of western Immoren, and her rivals have as many reasons to hate and fear her as they do to envy her. Any who move against her are inexplicably destroyed; some are victims of scandal or financial disaster, while others simply disappear.
Having crushed countless enemies and made a small fortune for herself bartering favors and selling secrets, Corbeau’s ambitions turned to writing her own destiny. With contacts in every nation in western Immoren, it was a simple matter for her to uproot her household under the guise of a sabbatical to Caspia. She now sells her services as an advisor and intelligencer to any organization with coin to pay her staggering fees.
Madelyn’s knowledge of the armies, commanders, and tactics of the Iron Kingdoms is quickly growing encyclopedic. Despite rumors linking her to the court of Ord, the Llaelese Resistance, and even the Unseen Hand, both Cygnaran and Khadoran intelligence services believe her to be a free agent—though her true motivations remain unknown.
There is no city in which this canny intelligencer does not have friends, allies, and lovers. Her acquaintances can be found in the upper strata of every society, from the treacherous kayazy of Korsk to the scrutators of Imer. Such is her skill in diplomacy that even the dark masters of Cryx have enjoyed her services. She has hinted that she has even been the guest of the Iosan court—a claim that might be considered a vain delusion from anyone other than the incomparable Madelyn Corbeau.