Corvo Attano

Corvo Attano
Biographical information
Age	39
Aliases	Masked Felon Masked Miscreant
Nation of origin	Karnaca, Serkonos
Current status	Determinant
Physical description
Gender	Male
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Brown
Personal information
Role	Assassin Lord Protector to the Empress
Weapon(s)	Natural abilities, Crossbow, Sword, Supernatural abilities
Allies	The Loyalist Conspiracy
Enemies	Assassination targets
Chronology
First appearance	Returning Home
Last appearance	The Light at the End

"You'd have to be lucky [to escape Coldridge]. And a complete madman. You'd have to be Corvo, in other words."

—A prisoner discussing escape from Coldridge Prison

Corvo Attano is the protagonist of Dishonored. Previously an agent and bodyguard to Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, Corvo is stripped of his title of Lord Protector and imprisoned by the usurper, Royal Spymaster Hiram Burrows, on the pretense of having murdered the Empress and abducted her daughter, Emily Kaldwin. After escaping from confinement on the eve of his execution, Corvo becomes an assassin for the Loyalist Conspiracy, eliminating Burrows' confederates to clear his name, avenge the Empress' death, and restore Emily to the throne.

Biography

Born to a lower class family in Karnaca on the 25th day of the Month of Nets, 1798, Corvo originally hails from the island of Serkonos and is the first Royal Protector born outside of Gristol. At age 16 he won the Blade Verbena, an annual sword duel festival, which earned him an early officer ranking. After serving in Serkonos for two years, Corvo was "assigned to serve the Empress as a diplomatic gesture" after impressing the Duke of Serkonos, but the specifics of this assignment are unknown.

He was later chosen to serve as Royal Protector to Jessamine Kaldwin, granting him a higher social status. He is described as being mysterious and quiet, with Wallace Higgins and Treavor Pendleton claiming that despite his high social standing, those at court know little about him.

Corvo and Jessamine became lovers in 1823, a relationship which they kept secret. However, their closeness did not go unnoticed by the general public, and rumors to that affect circulated throughout Dunwall. While several people (including Lydia, Treavor Pendleton, and Anton Sokolov) mention the affair to Corvo, it is never publicly acknowledged.

Corvo has a strong bond with Emily and often interacts with her in a familiar and affectionate manner. For instance, she asks him to play hide-and-seek with her on his return to Dunwall, which he can oblige, and she notes that he was teaching her climbing and defensive techniques prior to his trip around the isles. Corvo will also occasionally hug Emily or hold her hand, further displaying their closeness. Farley Havelock speculates in his journal that Emily may be Corvo's daughter. Emily's behavior toward Corvo suggests that she sees him as a father figure, but any biological relation between the two is deliberately left ambiguous.

Following his escape from Coldridge Prison with the help of the Loyalists, Corvo readily joins their group. Whether Corvo's primary goal after rescuing Emily is to restore Dunwall or exact revenge is determined by player choice and style.

Equipment and skills

Corvo is legendary for his efficient combat skills and stealth capabilities, and many guards and citizens can be heard gossiping about him to that effect. Guards in the Dunwall Sewers can be overheard discussing his formidable skill, with a senior guard recounting an instance where he "... saw [Corvo] fight three to one in the practice yard". Havelock also considers the possibility that Corvo's talents might make him dangerous even to the Conspiracy.

Corvo is capable of using unusual gadgetry, which aids him in both stealth and offensive situations. Corvo is highly proficient with both ranged and melee weapons, such as the crossbow and sword.

After Corvo's first encounter with the Outsider, he is branded with the Outsider's Mark and subsequently able to utilize supernatural abilities. These compliment and augment his already present skills, allowing him to jump higher, move faster and farther, utilize additional stealth and offensive techniques, and so on.

Items unique to Corvo are a supernatural item known as the Heart (bestowed on him by the Outsider) and his sword, crossbow, and mask, which were crafted by inventor Piero Joplin.

Trivia

• Corvo means "crow" or "raven" in both Italian and Portuguese.
• Corvo is the most recent of eight individuals granted powers by the Outsider.
• Corvo's true identity is largely unknown outside the Loyalist Conspiracy. The authorities do not realize that Corvo and the Masked Felon are the same man. However, Slackjaw hints that Corvo's true identity is known among the lower classes, saying, "Word is all over the street," when he is encountered in Granny Rags' lair.
• When she was alive, Corvo and the Empress occasionally enjoyed whiskey and cigars together privately.
• Corvo was meant to receive an Official Naval Commendation for his efforts in seeking aid for the plague crisis, but it was confiscated after his arrest. It can be stolen and sold by Daud in The Brigmore Witches.
• After the mission The Royal Physician, Emily gives Corvo a drawing of him without his mask, with the word "Daddy" in large letters above it.
• If Corvo completes his missions without ever being noticed, the posters will display a question mark instead of the image of his mask.

Gallery

Corvo removing his mask.

Corvo, as seen on the Dishonored box art.

Corvo against the backdrop of Dunwall.

Corvo face render.

Corvo mask render.

An in-game render of Corvo.

Corvo's appearance in the Dishonored debut trailer.

A masked Corvo seen in the debut trailer.

Corvo receiving the Outsider's mark.

Corvo visiting Samuel's grave.

Corvo and Emily in the high chaos ending.

Samuel, Corvo, and others celebrating at the Hound Pits Pub.

Corvo and Emily in the low chaos ending.

Corvo drop.png

Corvo attacking a guard.

Corvo waits for Daud to attack.

Corvo fights Daud.

Corvo before being killed by Daud in a dream.

Corvo chooses whether or not to kill Daud.

Corvo stands over Daud.

Corvo from the back.

Corvo's tarot card in the Special Edition Tarot Deck.

Corvo's tarot card in the Dishonored Game of the Year Edition Tarot Deck.

Artistic Renditions

(Low Chaos) Emily's drawing of Corvo without his mask.

(Medium Chaos) Emily's drawing of masked Corvo and a chaotic Dunwall.

(High Chaos) Emily's drawing of Corvo atop a mountain of corpses with a bloody sword.

(Low Chaos) Emily's final drawing of Corvo.

(High Chaos) Emily's final drawing of Corvo in his mask.

Wanted poster 01 d.jpg

A wanted poster of Corvo.

A wanted poster for the "Masked Miscreant".

Wanted poster, High Chaos.

Wanted poster, Ghost playthrough.

Wanted poster.

Concept Art

Concept art of Corvo.

Concept thumbnails for Corvo's face.

Concept thumbnails for Corvo's gear.

Concept art.

Concept art.

Concept art.