Realm Breaker

As Corayne and her Companions travel to different regions, they witness several different remnants of abandoned Cor infrastructure, and these edifices become a recurring symbol that loosely supports The Dynamics of Family and Legacy. For Corayne, visual reminders of the Cor empire—such as the old Cor roads or the subterranean remnants of the Cor city beneath Ascal—serve as visual touchstones that tangibly connect her with her ancestors and the father she never knew. When Corayne savors the view of the old monuments, “[h]er body hum[s] in reply, calling out to something long since gone” (160).

However, although Corayne feels a sense of family legacy emanating from these places, the meaning changes for Erida and Sorasa. In Erida’s case, the remnants of the old empire fuel her ambitions of conquest, as she believes that the royal family members of Galland “are the successors to Old Cor, the rightful empire, the glory of the Ward” (120). The Cor remnants therefore become a cornerstone to her attempts to rationalize her lust for conquest. For Sorasa, however, the remnants of the Cor empire force her to recall the oppressive regime that they set up on Ibal. Conversely, any landscape that lacks these remnants, therefore, becomes a source of pride for her, as is demonstrated when Corayne asks whether the statues in Almasad depict Cor kings. In answer to this question, Sorasa asks rhetorically, “Do those look like northern conquerors to you?” and gives her companion “a proud smile” (409). The remnants therefore attest to Allward’s divisive history of oppression, homecoming, and resilience.