Coral (city)

Coral was a city on the east coast of Genabackis. Its citizens were referred to as Coralessians.Memories of Ice, Glossary, UK MMPB p.1183
Coral was amongst those cities that were overrun by the Pannion Domin. Its ruler, Prince Arard, fled to Capustan along with his loyal followers, the Coralessian Company.
It was a vital city in the Pannion Domin, and a stronghold for the Pannion Seer. 
==Topography==
Coral rose in tiers starting at the city's high, fortified walls in the north until reaching the Old Palace on the cliffs overlooking Coral Bay.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.879 The palace's outer wall was stronger than those surrounding the city, and its main structure was carved into the mountainside, a combination of raw rock and worked stone.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.881 The heart of the vast palace fortress was carved downwards into the rock. Despite years of attacks by Elingarth warships and pirates, it had never fallen. 
The deep, water-filled chasm known as Ortnal's Cut nearly bisected the city from west to east. Its western end opened into Coral Bay and was once home to the city's harbour. Instead of docks there were long piers and causeways carved into the cliffs. Above the harbour's mouth was netting spanning the Cut where locals known as cat-men tethered anchors and sway-lines to keep ships in place. The Cut was too deep for traditional anchors. The cat-men lived with their wives and children in sealskin-roofed huts and driftwood sheds built among the nets. After the city's occupation by the Pannion Domin, they had been starved by lack of sea-traffic, and the only cat-men still remaining were the salt-dried corpses still tangled in the harbour's nets.Memories of Ice, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.696-697
The city's north gate was a massive construction whose sheeted bronze doors protected an entrance just wide enough to admit a wagon. Outside the gate was a dry moat crossed by a narrow stone bridge. A trader road ran from the gate across an open field a sixth of a league across before following a serpentine route through forested parkland whose glades and coppiced trees had not been tended in several seasons.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.863-864 Half a league to west loomed a forested mountain.
==Economy==
Before the coming of the Pannion Domin, the city's harbour had once been crowded with trader ships. Fleets of fisherman plied the vast, rich shoals to the city's north and were often away for a week at a time.Memories of Ice, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.699
==Life under the Pannion Domin==
The city fell under the influence of the teachings of the Pannion Seer, and families became divided as many chose to embrace the Faith. Most joined the Tenescowri while others entered schooling as Seerdomin. Some chose to abandon the city and their loved ones altogether.Memories of Ice, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.699-700 After Prince Arard and his loyalists were driven from the city, Septarch Ultentha was placed in charge.Memories of Ice, Dramatis Personae
== Places of interest ==
*Fish District
*Grey Hill (park) 
*Catfolk Cut (also known as Ortnal's Cut)
*Old Palace (or keep)
*Royal ForestToll the Hounds, Black Coral & Environs map
*Scour Tavern
==Streets and Roads==
*Cart Square
*Fringe StaggerToll the Hounds, Chapter 2, US SFBC p.74
*Market StreetThe God is Not Willing, Chapter 18, US HC p.329
*Sword Street
==In Memories of Ice==
The citizens of Coral were found wanting by the Pannion Seer and he offered them up as a feast to the starving hordes of Anaster and his Tenescowri.Memories of Ice, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.418 After the Seer was driven from his fortress at Outlook by Lady Envy and her entourage, he made his new home at Coral bringing along his prisoner, Toc the Younger.Memories of Ice, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.699-700 He was joined by a vast cordon of mages, more than a thousand undead K'ell Hunters, the elite legions of his main army, and his demonic condors.Memories of Ice, Chapter 23, US SFBC p.845
Coral was later liberated at great cost at the Siege of Coral by the coalition of Dujek's 5th Army and Caladan Brood's Host. A pitched battle took place on the forested slopes to the west of the city and on the open grounds north of the city gate. Dujek's forces were inserted into the city itself by quorl under darkness where they fought Urdomen, Beklites, and Seerdomin, as well as K'ell Hunters. Black Moranth bombarded the city from above with Moranth munitions while the Old Palace was the site of the last official battle for the Bridgeburners.
Ultimately, the Pannion Seer and his forces were defeated. The Old Palace was destroyed by the intentional fall of Moon's Spawn atop it. The majority of the Coral's citizens were reduced to feast-piles or killed during the fighting.Memories of Ice, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.880Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.973
During the liberation of Coral, the Tiste Andii unveiled Kurald Galain overhead, causing Coral to fall into eternal Darkness. As Korlat explained, "the unveiling of Kurald Galain … is a permanent manifestation. The city now lies as much within the Tiste Andii warren as within this world."Memories of Ice, Chapter 25 Coral became the new home of the Tiste Andii and was renamed Black Coral.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25 
Itkovian's Gift, later known as the Barrow of the Redeemer, was constructed outside the city's north gate to honour Itkovian.Memories of Ice, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.989
== Black Coral ==
thumb|200x200px|Silanah at Black Coral by [https://www.instagram.com/shadaan_studios/ Shadaan]
With the destruction of their floating fortress-city of Moon's Spawn in the assault on Coral, the Tiste Andii took Black Coral as their main place of residence and stayed there for some time under their lord Anomander Rake. The New Palace took the place of the Pannion Seer's fallen keep, and Silanah became a seemingly permanent fixture atop the palace's obsidian Dragon Tower.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 2, US SFBC p.57-58 As a result of the unveiling of Kurald Galain during the siege of the city, perpetual darkness cloaked Black Coral for almost a third of a league in all directions. Strange Andiian plants grew in the newcomers' walled and rooftop gardens.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.470
The overthrow of the Pannion Domin saw a return of trade. The Outwater Market so crowded the avenues and lanes of the "fiercely lit" Fish District, that fishmongers were forced to hire porters to carry their wares in from their carts parked in Cart Square. Outwater Market was so named because the majority of its stock came from waters beyond the veil surrounding the city, although pale, gem-eyed Cadaver eels from Coral Bay's Nightwater could be found for sale. The Andiian District south of treeless Grey Hill Park and centred around the New Palace was scarcely lit by street lanterns compared to those districts populated by humans. But even in their own district, few Andii could be found in the streets.
From the city's north-facing gate, a pilgrim track led to the Great Barrow, where Itkovian was entombed. The enormous, circular mound was surrounded by a Pilgrim camp that had all the appearance of an encamped army lit by smoky cookfires. A cobbled road ran between lesser barrows closer to the city containing the bodies of hundreds who had perished during the Siege of Coral. This included Malazans, Grey Swords, Rhivi, Tiste Andii, and K'Chain Che'Malle. To the west rose longer barrows holding the bodies of fallen citizens and the soldiers of the city.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 4, US SFBC p.127-128
In the forested hills where the Bridgeburners had made their stand, the slopes were still covered with shattered, charred trees, fragments of mangled armour, the occasional leather boot, and bones jutting from the dead soil here and there.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 12, US SFBC p.465
== Places of interest ==
*Andiian District
*Barrow of the Redeemer
*New Palace
*Outwater Market
*Pilgrim camp
==In Toll the Hounds==
Itkovian came to be worshipped as the Redeemer and a Pilgrim camp of worshippers grew around the Barrow of the Redeemer where his body lay just outside the veil of Darkness cloaking Black Coral. Former Pannion Domin soldiers who chafed under Tiste Andii rule formed an insurgent group known as the Liberators, operating both in the city and under Gradithan's rule in the camp. 
The cult of the Dying God corrupted the city and camp through the spread of the addictive beverage, Kelyk. The Dying God himself came to Black Coral, while Rake was away in Darujhistan, intending to corrupt the Tiste Andii and seize control of Kurald Galain. The god was defeated in the Temple of Shadow by the efforts of Endest Silann, Mother Dark, and the Redeemer.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24
Through Anomander Rake's sacrifice, the wandering Gate of Darkness was relocated from The wagon within Dragnipur to Black Coral, and a humbled Mother Dark came back to her people. Once more, the souls of the Tiste Andii found their way to her side in death.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.978/984/986 Rake's son, Nimander Golit, took his father's place as Lord of the Tiste Andii in Black Coral.Toll the Hounds, Epilogue, US SFBC p.1004
==In The Crippled God==
However, with the opening of the gate to Kurald Galain in the heart of Black Coral the Andii left the city for their original capital of Kharkanas.
==In Assail==
The bard Fisher kel Tath heard rumours that many Andii left Black Coral for the island of Drift Avalii.Assail (novel), Chapter 5 
==Notes and references==
Category:Cities
 
Category:Genabackis
de:Korall
pl:Koral
es:Coral (ciudad)