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Raiden (ライデン, Raiden) is one of the countries on the continent of Lodoss. It is the site of Fire Dragon Mountain, where Parn, Deedlit, Kashue, Orson, Shiris and Ashram confront the fire dragon Shooting Star.

Overview[]

The free cities of Raiden[]

The city of Raiden is located in the northwest of Lodoss. Even at the start of its history, the region has prospered as a group of rare autonomous city-states. The area around Raiden is surrounded by the sea to the north and west and mountains to the east and south. Therefore, it is not suitable for farming, especially on the west side where the Great Straight Cliff, a large cliff with a sheer white surface, continues endlessly. It is said to be a trace of when the goddess Marfa separated Lodoss from the continent.

Raiden is governed by influential people; not kings or aristocrats, but rather a council of merchants responsible for the security and defence of Raiden. Mercenaries are hired in place of an army. The council consists of ten standing councillors who handle the decision-making with twenty non-executive councillors who oversee Raiden's policies. Not surprisingly, the councillors use their own concentrated wealth in order to take measures that are advantageous for their shops and companies. Raiden has a good natural harbour with frequent trade with the northern continent of Alecrast. As Raiden has monopolised trade with the continent, its profits are enormous. Raiden prospers as the second largest city on Lodoss after Allan. It is said that Raiden's top merchants are far wealthier than the kings of small nations.

Raiden's Social System[]

Raiden is run by a council system. Ten members decide and implement policies in line with the general consensus of the standing councillors. The chairman that governs the council is elected through a voting system, and the twenty non-executive councillors, who assist and monitor the standing councillors, are elected by recommendation or public election and are permanent. All members are permanent unless retirement or death takes them. Vacancies are filled in the same manner: consensus, recommendation, public election, etc., although hereditary successions are not uncommon. The councillor is an honorary position, and councillors are not compensated. If a standing councillor's finances go south, they must make up for it with private property. They cannot refuse as in reality, if they are a councillor, they should be extremely effective at accumulating finances. They also enjoy the privileges of their influence such as being able to amend policies to bring benefits to their companies or stores. But there is little chance of councillors going bust with all the wealth Raiden is amassing.

It is the responsibility of the council to maintain the security of Raiden and defend it against foreign enemies. Due to its financial strength, the city hires a large number of mercenaries to retain its military power. This prospect attracts many skilled warriors and military personnel from around Lodoss; thus, the army's foundation is solid. In the commercial city of Raiden, most of the citizens are involved in some kind of business, and if they have a talent for business, they will prosper. On the contrary, those who do not have commercial talent will lose to the competition and go broke in no time. Because of this, parents are very enthusiastic about educating their children and try to discover and nurture their child's talent as soon as possible. In Raiden, where there is no strict social division, greetings such as bowing and kneeling are not common. Raiden's traditional greeting is a warm physical embrace.

History[]

Foundation[]

In the northwest part of Raiden, there are high white cliffs that continue along the coast, and inland the land is rugged, with features such as the brown Lulauza Mountains. The mountainous land is not suitable for trade or agriculture. For this reason, many settlements were established along the coast. The small fishing village that would become the free city of Raiden itself was one of these settlements. However, the waters on its coast were deep. Even large sea vessels could approach the land without trouble; therefore, there were suitable conditions for a port. The sorcerers of the ancient kingdom also noticed the shape formed by the accumulation of earth and sand carried by the Fire River and built a port town in the area. This port city prospered by trading with the northern continent of Alecrast. However, it was destroyed during the turbulent period after the collapse of the ancient kingdom.

Raiden was already flourishing as a trading city by this time, and had the foundation to be politically and productively independent. Therefore, the city was saved by the wealth amassed by the maritime trade and it began to regain its former prosperity, until eventually, a king was crowned and the Kingdom of Raiden was established in the 168th year of the New Royal Calendar. This kingdom temporarily oppressed the small nations of Moss in the south. However, the kingdom collapsed in a form close to self-destruction due to the rebellion of merchants who valued their independence, although they had expanded their power. Thus, in the 274th year of the New Royal Calendar, it was decided that a council would rule the city via a collegial system. Since its inception, Raiden has become the number one commercial city in Lodoss, and continues to prosper.

Year 473[]

Before the Demon War, Raiden made a lot of money in trade with the continent, and the region was on the rise. However, after the Demon King was released, one of the demon generals appeared in the area and led the demons against the trade ship off the coast of Raiden which suffered a great deal of damage. This demon was later defeated by Beld, the red-haired mercenary. Due to the circumstances of the disaster of the demons in Raiden, Aegis, the chairman of the council at the time, made a speech in which he declared to pay a bounty for every demon head. It is common knowledge that this declaration triggered the emergence of the Hundred Heroes; therefore, Raiden was then known as the “Heroes’ birthplace.” Since then, Raiden has amassed abundant financial power as a bounty for exterminating the demons. By using those funds to benefit their soldiers, they greatly contributed to the victory in the Demon War.

Year 510[]

The free city states of Raiden are the farthest north from the island of Marmo, and far from the main battlefield at Valis, so Raiden avoided much of the War of Heroes. Additionally, if Marmo had wanted to attack Raiden, it would have had to move through Valis and Flaim, or otherwise subjugate the Confederation of Moss. Due to its lack of involvement, Raiden continued to prosper even in the midst of the savage war. However, it was affected by the increase of refugees fleeing from the Marmo Empire, and various rebellions igniting across the island. This resulted in a major impact on Raiden’s economic base.

Years 512-515[]

Raiden was still a free city state that flourished through trade with the northern continent. However, refugees who lost their place in the War of Heroes pushed up the inhabitants to far larger numbers. As a result, food shortages occurred in the city and security deteriorated. In addition, the kingdom of Flaim was battling the demon dragon Shooting Star east of Raiden. By settling on the fire dragon’s hunting ground, they had enraged Shooting Star, causing it to attack the people of Raiden relentlessly. In consideration of these two overlapping incidents, Raiden sacrificed its autonomy and was taken in by the kingdom of Flaim. By doing so, they were able to avoid the collapse of urban functions. After that, the members of the council were welcomed as nobility of Flaim, and a governor of Raiden was selected by the king of Flaim.

Year 525[]

Raiden continued to thrive as part of Flaim and was responsible for the prosperity of the entire kingdom due to its continued monopoly on trade with Alecrast.

Locations[]

Commercial City of Raiden[]

Raiden is the largest commercial city on Lodoss island. The city has made its fortune from monopolising on trade with the northern continent of Alecrast. The first characteristic of the cityscape of Raiden is that it is regularly patrolled. As it was developed as a commercial city, the streets of Raiden are lined with various shops and inns. The cobblestone roads themselves are well maintained, some lanes are used exclusively to transport luggage and trade goods. The second characteristic is the influence of the culture of the continent found in buildings, etc. The city's temple is unlike the ones found in the other countries of Lodoss. There are frescoes detailed with faces of saints and stained glass windows depicting the appearance of the gods. The temple welcomes many visitors, partially due to this, and also to experience the dehumidification technology that can adjust the room temperature for maximum comfort. Walking through the cityscape of Raiden is also a feast for the eyes. The buildings, decorated with brightly coloured bricks, are a delight to behold. This is the result of the wealthy merchants decorating their mansions as well as the rest of the city.

Brown Mountains of Lulauza[]

Lulauza Mountains (ルラウザ山地, Rurauza sanchi), a mountainous area east of Raiden, is a rocky land. Mari plants are the only forms of vegetation that grow in the area. Around the eastern end of this mountainous area, on Fire Dragon Mountain, resides the demon dragon Shooting Star, one of the five chromatic dragons.

Blue Dragon Island[]

Blue Dragon Island (る青竜の島, ru sei ryū no shima) is a small island off the northern coast of Raiden, which is home to one of the five chromatic dragons, the water dragon Abram. Fae like merfolk and fairies also live on the island. The waters near Blue Dragon Island are the territory of Abram. Only a few powerful monsters such as sea serpents live there. For this reason, the area is a threat to sailors and is often avoided. However, there are pirates that brave the waters. There is little known of the merfolk race that inhabit the island and its surrounding waters. This is because they rarely come into contact with humans. But it is said that they have a tribal culture in harmony with nature, similar to the elves, and prey on violent sharks and other dangerous sea creatures. They worship Abram as a guardian deity, and in the depths of their village, there is rumored to be an underwater tunnel leading to the cave where the dragon resides.

Fire River[]

The Fire River (炎の川, Honō no kawa) is a river that flows west from Fire Dragon Mountain estuary. The boiling river flows east from Fire Dragon Mountain and travels through the fire dragon’s hunting grounds, and north into the sea. The city of Raiden was built and developed nearby.

People[]

Individuals who are from or who have sworn their allegiance to Raiden include:

Gallery[]

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