Abbey Rock

"A black spit of an island, far from anywhere anyone would want to go. And that's how the Sisterhood likes it. Here stands their fortress-convent. There are bear-traps that look friendlier than this."

Abbey Rock is a tiny island in the Southern Archipelago that harbors the Sisterhood's Island Convent, a small order of feisty nuns.

The convent is run by a sister of the Duchess, who is like her a survivor of the Second City. Sinning Jenny was raised here.

The Convent

"Like huge and deadly herons, the Sisters stalk along the very tops of the walls. You watch through a spy-glass as they leap and whirl, slashing at each other with a variety of frightening weapons. God! One of them just turned a somersault."

Prospective Vake-hunters are trained by the warrior nuns (yes, warrior nuns) on the island in preparation for battling their ultimate prey. This usually involves getting accosted by knives and other sharp objects (hope you have a gun). The nuns are as a whole very disciplined and steadfast, albeit rather curt and unwelcoming. On occasion however, they do occasionally give blessings like their job title implies. Every now and then, they hold the Feast of Saint Neot, the patron of fish.