The Kurchal Empire (pronounced KUHR-chahl) was an ancient nation which covered large parts of the Circle Universe in former times. After the empire's fall, a new era began with the year 1 KF, meaning the first year after the fall of the Kurchal Empire. The books have reached all the way to 1043 KF.
Territories[]
The Empire extended from the Pebbled Sea all the way down to the Ithocot Sea, where the city-state of Tharios now lies. It is unknown if it extended to Namorn, as the country speaks a completely different language although they share the same calendar as the southern countries. Namorn is where the Haidheltac Empire stood, but it is unknown if the Kurchal and Haidheltac Empires existed at the same time, or if the Kurchal Empire fell in the area and then the Haidheltac Empire sprung up to lead to modern Namorn.
The Kurchal Empire also owned western Sotat, but not eastern, as Chammur was its own city 200 years before the fall of the Kurchal Empire.[1]
Culture[]
Language and Calendar[]
The empire gave the lands surrounding the Pebbled Sea their language—called Imperial or "Common", and a calendar.
The lack of Imperial in Namorn is indicative that the Kurchal Empire did not reach that far. Namorn may have adopted the calendar later, as they do have the same one as the countries around the Pebbled Sea.
Rituals[]
The people of the empire believed that only through the proper ceremonies could they ensure that the sun would rise every day.[2]
Entertainment[]
The Kurchal Empire had arenas where gladiators fought to the death.[3]
The empire's destruction[]
It is unknown, really, how it fell in its northern territories around the Pebbled Sea, but the main reason why it fell in the south near modern Tharios was due to the blood plague, an epidemic that wiped out masses of people. The blood plague was the main reason why Tharios was founded, and why death was seen as a corrupting influence that taints all in its path.
Real world connections[]
The Kurchal Empire is based off of ancient Rome, as seen with their conquests and entertainment.
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Street Magic, early chapters
- ↑ Daja's Book, Ch. 9 (pg. 157; Scholastic paperback)
- ↑ Shatterglass