 The events of the book take place in only a (relatively) tiny section of the Half-Continent, and it is a testament to Cornish's worldbuilding, as well as the substantial appendices at the end of each book, that many other places are named or alluded to within the story.The world of the Half-Continent is based around 18-19th century European culture, bearing some Gormenghastian traits as well as German influences.Much of the terminology and the names of the bickering city-states that constitute the Empire are drawn from the Holy Roman Empire.