The Lockeheart Gang

Karnaca, also known as "The Jewel of the South at the Edge of the World", is the capital city of Serkonos, located in the eastern portion of the nation and at the southernmost tip of the Empire.

Billed as a major metropolis where cultures and customs from all over the Empire are integrated into daily life, Karnaca is heavily favored as a tourist destination for the elite and upper classes. Karnaca maintains its own notable police force, the Grand Serkonan Guard, which serves as both the military and urban protection.

The city grew with each wave of settlers from all over the Isles. The first were settlers from Morley, struck by the 1803 Morley Famine, who started building a village, Clemente Landing, on the other side of the city. Later, wealthy trade companies from Dunwall restructured the city proper, building boulevards and even the Grand Serkonos Canal which splits the island in two. The locals are known as hardworking people.

The city is located in a bay surrounded by high cliffs and lush forests, and contains a large and developed port. It also boasts a large silver mine, the Wind Corridor built in 1810, and the Royal Conservatory of Serkonos inaugurated in 1819. The city is partially powered by wind turbines, taking advantage of high winds in the area, as well as imported whale oil from Gristol. Power lines can be spotted near the coast and going up the mountain.

Karnaca Harbor: The city's harbor extends along the bay's shores, from the fisheries to the opening of the Grand Serkonan Canal, and from Point Abele to Point Batista.

Campo Seta Dockyards: Karnaca's dockyard district and one of its port, also home to a fishery. Two stations, Bandera Passage and Addermire, serve the district, with the latter being the only land access to the Addermire Institute.

Aventa Quarter: A district built on the side of a cliff in the Northwest of Karnaca, with steep mountainous terrain and separated in lower and upper areas. Atop Aventa is Kirin Jindosh's Clockwork Mansion. A carriage station allows access to both levels and the mansion.

Cyria Gardens: Located to the Northeast of Karnaca. It is known for its large, towering trees which create a canopy of vegetation around the area. The Royal Conservatory is found there.

Dust District: Formerly known as the Batista Mining District, the Dust District is built close to Shindaerey Peak, and in close range of the Sirhrocco Currents and the Wind Corridor. The district has been devastated by dust storms because of the Duke's management of the mines, earning it its new name.

Palace District: The district is located along Point Abele, near the Grand Palace. The carriage station there is the only land access to the ducal palace.
Northern Campo Seta District: An industrial district located North from the dockyards, where the Albarca Baths are located.

Upper Cyria District: Located above the Cyria Gardens, this gated community overlooks much of the city and is populated by some of its richest people. The Dolores Michaels Deposit & Loan Bank is located there.

Clemente Landing: The old quarter of Karnaca, located east from Batista. It was originally a village built by settlers from Morley following the Morley Famine of 1803.

The Abbey of the Everyman, or simply the Abbey, is a religious order in the world of the Dishonored franchise, spread and enforced by Overseers and headed by the High Overseer. Based in the cities of Whitecliff and Dunwall, the Abbey's ideology centers on the belief that "the universe is unknowably vast and swarming with all manner of dangerous spirits and forces, most of which are hostile to man's existence". The primary goal of the Abbey is to stand against the Outsider, but it is also tasked with civil matters, such as officiating marriages and regulating the Isles' calendar and the Fugue Feast. Under Lord Regent Hiram Burrows, the Overseers of the Abbey are granted the full authority of a civilian police force.

Currently led by the new High Overseer, Arther Drull. He has made it his mission to purge Karanaca of the occult and any who have a mild interest in it.

The Abbey has no stated deity (and indeed opposes worship in the traditional sense), although it places special importance on astrological and cosmological movements - the organization regulates the calendar based on the observation of cosmological signs, and in eulogies, the deceased is bade to "fade and merge with the Cosmos". The Abbey follows a strict set of doctrines known as the Seven Strictures, which dictate how followers of the Abbey should conduct themselves. Citizens are encouraged to place all their devotion and faith in the institution of the Abbey, particularly the High Overseer. Thus, the Abbey is generally regarded as a spiritual watchdog.

According to developer Harvey Smith, the Abbey believes that the world was created when "the Void issued forth the worlds and stars, swirling around that great, birthing abyss". He also states that the followers of the Abbey believe that "plants and animals arose from the primordial chaos, with humanity separating itself from the beasts of the earth. Dread spirits poured forth from the Void and set about plaguing all men and women, attempting to create discord in their hearts. And since creation, the entirety of the Cosmos has been slowly returning to the Void, pulled back toward eventual destruction".

The Abbey permits no other religions and opposes all acts of magic and witchcraft, in addition condemning those who diverge from the Abbey's ways. As the Outsider is the source of all magic in the world, the Abbey disavows him and actively combats his temptation of mortals.

The Abbey practices the burning of witches and heretics even in the industrialized age, as well as the destruction of supernatural objects, such as runes and bone charms. Conversely, the Abbey is generally accepting of technology, with electrical lighting and broadcast systems common in the Office of the High Overseer. The Abbey even states that the technological progress of the present time eliminates any excuse for the practice of witchcraft.

The Trials of Aptitude

Children who have the "proper inclination" for the position of Overseer are "marked" by the Abbey and observed for several months to "determine whether this inclination is supported by cosmological conditions and other signs, ongoing throughout the year". Those found to be worthy are abducted from their homes and, after several months of spiritual preparation, make a pilgrimage to Whitecliff. There they undergo the Trials of Aptitude, which determine who among them is worthy to become an Overseer, and who must be "put down".

The Feast of Painted Kettles and the Dance of Investiture

In the event of an acting High Overseers' death, a group known as the Ascending Circle made up of senior Overseers, Vice Overseers from various enclaves, senior Sisters of the Oracular Order and the High Oracle announces the Feast of Painted Kettles, commencing deliberations over who should be appointed to the position of High Overseer. When a new High Overseer is chosen, a ceremony called the Dance of Investiture commences.

The Fugue Feast

The Fugue Feast occurs after midnight on the last day of the calendar year, a period which is said to exist outside time. Any events that occur during this period are not recognized to have ever happened, giving the population free reign to commit inappropriate, immoral, and sometimes criminal acts without official consequence. Although it is unknown if the Fugue Feast is strictly a religious holiday, it falls to the High Overseer to officiate the ceremony, and to the Overseers to observe cosmological signs, which determine when the new year begins.

1. Wandering Gaze

“Restrict the Wandering Gaze that looks hither and yonder for some flashing thing that easily catches a man's fancy in one moment, but brings calamity in the next. For the eyes are never tired of seeing, nor are they quick to spot illusion. A man whose gaze is corrupted is like a warped mirror that has traded beauty for ugliness and ugliness for beauty. Instead, fix your eyes to what is edifying and to what is pure, and then you will be able to recognize the profane monuments of the Outsider.”


2. Lying Tongue

“Restrict the lying tongue that is like a spark in a man's mouth. It is such a little thing, yet from one spark an entire city may burn to the ground. The father of a lie will suffer a punishment compounded by each person relayed it. Better to live a life of silence than unleash a stream of untruth. The echoes of lies come back as the voice of the Outsider.”


3. Restless Hands

“Restrict the Restless Hands, which quickly become the workmates of the Outsider. Unfettered by honest labor, they rush to sordid gain, vain pursuits, and deeds of violence. Of what value are the hands that steal and kill and destroy? Instead, put your hands to the plow, the fork, and the spade. For even the lowliest labor that is rigorous squeezes the muscles as a sponge, rinsing impurities from the mind and body.”

4. Roving Feet

“Restrict roving feet that love to trespass. They pay no heed to the boundary stones of other men's fields. They wander into foreign lands, only to return with their soles blackened by iniquity. Where have you strayed that destruction now comes behind you? Would you walk across burning coals or broken glass? Then why do you prowl into the homes of the honest, or into the dens of hidden things, for the result is the same. You will fall into the Void! Instead, rest your feet on a firm foundation so that when the winds of the Outsider shriek against you, you will stand firm and not be overthrown.”


5. Rampant Hunger

“Restrict the Rampant Hunger or the intemperate will rise up among you like a virulent swarm, devouring everything wherever they go, even filth. For what goes into your body, poisons you, and if you eat filth then filth is what you will vomit up. Surely the glutton will sell away birthright, family, and friends for a morsel of meat.”


6. Wanton Flesh

“Restrict the Wanton Flesh. Truly, there is no quicker means by which a life can be upheaved and sifted than by the depredations of uncontrolled desire. What avail is the concourse of a prostitute? The attention of a loose companion? Nothing. And what of the fruit of such unions? Only sorrow is born, only misery is multiplied; within these things, the Outsider dwells.”


7. Errant Mind

“Restrict an errant mind before it becomes fractious and divided. Can two enemies occupy the same body? No, for the first will direct it one way, and the second another, until they stumble into a ditch and its neck is broken. Likewise, two contrary thoughts cannot long abide in a man's mind, or he will become weak-willed and subject to any heresy.”

The Outsider is a mysterious, morally ambiguous supernatural being, neither good nor evil. He usually appears to people of interest as a plain-looking young man with short brown hair and black eyes, wearing a brown coat, blue-grey pants and black boots.
Though many people worship him, such is considered heresy by the Abbey of the Everyman and punishable by extreme measures, up to and including death. Created to be the Void's representational figure,he appears to be the source of all magic in the world of the Dishonored franchise, and his shrines can be found across the Isles.

For reasons unknown his touch is no longer felt in the world, his whispers no longer heard. Some speculate he is merely watching, waiting but a terrified few think he is gone, his place in the Void empty to be filled by another, more horrible entity.

The Void is an alternate dimension in the Dishonored universe that "hungers for a representational, godlike entity", the Outsider being its current divine inhabitant. It consists of a series of floating islands in an organic and chaotic state, which contain uncanny representations of real world locales held in suspended animation.

While the purpose of the Void is not entirely clear, according to developer Harvey Smith, "The Void sometimes has a divine entity, and sometimes does not. Some last for thousands of years. Sometimes the gap between them lasts as long. Each takes on the attributes of the time or process that made them."However, it is unknown what other divinities have existed in the Void and how they were destroyed. These beings can be unmade in many ways, including by fading, abdicating, deicide, being accidentally destroyed, and being reclaimed by the Void. Despite this, "it's possible that somewhere people are still worshiping a prior Void divinity."

There exist cults of devotees on the fringes of society who worship the Void. Approximately 4,000 years ago, on the edges of the Void, the Outsider was made in a ritual by cultists who saw signs of his representational capacity. When his mortal life was brought to an end, he was "merged in part with the Void" and reborn a god. The site of his transfiguration remains intact and serves as a vault of power, which others are able to harness.

It is suggested that there is an otherworldly connection between the world of the Empire and the Void; events that take place within the natural world can appear as still scenes within the Void, such as the death of Jessamine Kaldwin and the abduction of Emily Kaldwin by the Pendleton twins. Harvey Smith notes that the Void "draws from one's mind", which in turn "influences the environment". The three endings of Dishonored are also shown through representations present in the Void.

There are various means of reaching the Void. While some are brought into the Void in their dreams, the dimension can be accessed directly from the natural world, as evidenced by Daud and Delilah Copperspoon. Outsider shrines also act as momentary conduits between the natural world and the Void, as individuals are brought into the Void when runes are taken from the shrine alters.

Some can still connect to the Void through certain artifacts and charms but the connection has grown weaker to some but stronger in others.