You might be wondering what in the world Catahli is. If you’re wondering that, then it means you haven’t read The Sacrifice of One.
SHAME!
SHAME!
SHAME!!!!!
Just kidding! But seriously, if you haven’t read The Sacrifice of One yet, you can sign up for a FREE copy HERE.
Moving on… Catahli, pronounced Kuh-tah-lee, is a mineral that appears in every Camilla book. It’s kind of foundational (no pun intended) to the society that Camilla lives in. It’s used for everything in her world, from constructing homes and buildings, to even using it as their currency in Elmyra.
Catahli is mined from chilly caves in the northern region of Elmyra. In its raw form it’s a beautiful iridescent light pink color, but as it passes through many hands and is exposed to the elements, Catahli dulls to a gray color. Whatever you do, don’t expose your Catahli to fire or extreme heat because IT WILL CRUMBLE INTO SAND!
Smooth, gray Catahli rings are used as money in Elmyra and that’s how Camilla and most of the country know the mineral. However, when Camilla travels to LilyAye in The Dark Ruler, she sees how artists can paint and dye the Catahli to make it beautiful again.
But that’s not all there is to Catahli. As I just said, Catahli is money and one human trait we can all agree on is that a lot of money can corrupt. Those Catahli caves I just spoke of, were once monopolized by a large family known as the Catahli Clan. They owned the mines, knew how to harvest it, and understood its secrets. (more on those secrets below)
In those times, the Catahli was well looked after and distributed throughout Elmyra with care. Citizens of Elmyra revered members of the Catahli clan. But it was only a matter of time before one of Elmyra’s Supreme Rulers took over the mines and held control of the money supply. From there, Elmyra slowly devolved into two classes: extremely poor and super wealthy.
Since Camilla falls into the extremely poor sector, you can see how this seemingly benign mineral actually greatly affected her life. Much of this history surrounding Catahli can be found in book #2, The Bear Gap Rebels. In that book, we also learn that Portia, Camilla’s mother, has a vested interested in Catahli.
Why? You ask…. Well, tiny spoiler ahead, Portia has learned to harness magical powers using Catahli. Yes, Catahli possesses a sort of magic. But you’ll have to read the books to learn more!
Remember, you can read book #1 in the Camilla Crim series for FREE by CLICKING HERE. If you’ve already read The Sacrifice of One but haven’t read the next book in the series, like… what are you waiting for? The Bear Gap Rebels delves deep into Camilla’s growing rebellion, Portia’s powers, and of course, the magical mineral known as Catahli.
Grab your copy of The Bear Gap Rebels by CLICKING HERE.
Until next time!
Emily
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