Korhal

"As you may know from your research, Captain, Korhal was a hotbed of anti-Confederate sentiment for years. The Confederacy hoped to contain Korhal's civil unrest by decimating it and its population with a massive nuclear barrage. Though the radiation levels on the planet are at an all time low, its surface is now nothing more than a smoldering desert."

- United Earth Directorate Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov before an assault on Korhal IV

Korhal IV was one of the founding worlds upon which the Terran Confederacy was built. A world of affluence and enlightenment, Korhal contributed greatly to the military and technological advancements of the Terran Confederacy.

Korhal possesses at least one moon, its size in the sky indicating that it may be tidally locked with the planet. Astrogeographically, it is located at the heart of the Koprulu Sector.

In StarCraft II, Korhal's tileset changes from desert to city. Is is set to appear in some missions in StarCraft II.

Planetology
Korhal had a dense atmosphere and used to be a lush, temperate and warm world before its destruction. Afterward it became a desert, and had to be detoxified.

History
Korhal was founded by the Terran Confederacy. By 2478 it was considered an old colony. Styrling Academy itself had buildings almost a hundred years old by that point.

The Rebellion of Korhal

 * Main article: Rebellion of Korhal

The planet's populace rose up against the Confederacy, led by its Senator, Angus Mengsk, eventually driving away the Confederate military. The Confederates retaliated by assassinating Mengsk, but he was replaced by his more dangerous son, Arcturus.

The Confederacy was especially worried about a potential loss of Korhal because it was their "crown jewel", used to explain the benefits to their rivals, the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojans, why they should join the Confederacy. The rebellion would destroy that public image. In addition, the Confederacy made a lot of money from the Korhallian colonists, and many groups tied to both Korhal and the Confederacy stood to lose a great deal of money if Korhal succeeded in declaring independence.

The junior Mengsk led the Rebellion of Korhal against the Confederacy, amassing a huge army on Korhal and creating an alliance with the Umojan Protectorate. In retaliation for the alliance, the Confederacy launched a massive planetary bombardment of nuclear weaponry aimed at eliminating the dissent, killing four million people, transforming the planet into a nuclear desert and causing mutations in surviving organisms, such as scantids.

Many of the survivors of the rebellion called themselves the Sons of Korhal, and some others joined other rebel organizations. This attack hardened the remaining men and women of Korhal into some of the fiercest warriors in the Koprulu Sector. Due to the nuclear devastation of their homeworld, they have demonstrated complete willingness to use their own nuclear arsenal against any potential enemy.

The New Order
"Korhal will be great again, I have no doubt, but it will never be what it once was."

- Arcturus Mengsk

By the time of the fall of the Confederacy, the planet had detoxified enough to allow resettlement at high cost, using Dominion tax dollars. In addition, it has been modernized and beautified, with statues of Arcturus Mengsk commonplace.

Sons of Korhal leader Arcturus Mengsk made it the throne world of the Terran Dominion, the successor to the Sons of Korhal.

During the United Earth Directorate invasion of the Koprulu Sector, the UED conquered Korhal and populated it with their captive Zerg.

It was during this period that the Dark Templar terrorist, Ulrezaj, hid warped khaydarin crystals on the planet, protected by Schezar's Scavengers and his enslaved zerg. The Scavengers left the world when they were defeated by protoss forces led by Praetor Mojo.

The planet fell into the hands of the Terran Dominion again when an alliance between the Dominion, Praetor Fenix's protoss refugee warriors, Raynor's Raiders and Infested Kerrigan's Zerg Swarm defeated the UED and their enslaved zerg. Kerrigan left the world, but not before unleashing a surprise attack on her former allies.

Arcturus Mengsk later returned to Korhal with his ragtag fleet that was defeated at Char to rebuild his glorious empire.

Establishments

 * Golden Library
 * Mengsk Summer Villa

Installations

 * Korhal Incarceration Facility
 * Korhal IV Primary Resocialization Center
 * Simonson Munitions Factory

Landforms

 * Martial Field
 * Scorpion Ravine

Regions

 * Broken Mesa
 * Keresh Province

Settlements

 * Augustgrad (capital)
 * Fairstens
 * Styrling (former capital, also served as a military base)

Space Platforms

 * Aurora (formerly)
 * Numerous others