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Lodoss: Raiden

Founding: Unknown, during the time of Kastuul
Sovereign: Nobody and Everybody
Location: Northwestern tip of Lodoss
Surrounding Cities: Honto (South), Hishi (North)

"Come thou to the city of anarchy,
Come thou to the city of kings.
Walk ye her streets of ruin,
Walk ye her streets of gold.
Welcome to the City of Chaos
Welcome to the City of Freedom!"
- Maar, Grassrunner Bard

Before the City of Raiden was founded, the inhabitants of the northern lands led a simple life of farming and fishing. Piracy in the Northern Sea has been a continuous bother for hundreds of years, and many coastal settlements were first built as pirate ports. Seven hundred years ago, when Lodoss was united under the power and influence of the Kingdom of Sorcery, the Kastuulian army was able to put a temporary halt to the pirates of the Raiden region.

During the turbulent times when Kastuul began to collapse, wars and rebellions raged across Lodoss. Raiden, a remote and distant region of Lodoss, soon became an exile country, where dissidents and criminals were deported. For the crimes of theft, debt, and military desertion, the sentence was often deportation to Raiden, a country that was still wild and largely unexplored. Rebels and others who resisted the reign of Kastuul were deported to the Great Straight Cliff on the northwestern cost, simply being drop off the ship and abandoned there. Many did not survive, but with the help of renegade pirates, the dissidents helped build a castle and created a thriving pirate community.

On the shores of the Bay of Raiden a large port city was slowly being built. Where there was once farmland, there were now heavily populated villages. Where once small fishing boats sat, now came great caravels burdened with a human cargo of rebels and criminals. The Port of Raiden was built to help receive then new arrivals, but in time the port came under commercial use as merchants and traders came to sell their goods to the "criminals" of Raiden. When civil war broke out, the Kingdom of Sorcery collapsed, dozens of small states, and kingdoms formed all warring with each other or territory and resources. Raiden, however, was already a sovereign state, even at the pinnacle of Kastuul's power. Being such, and being as remote and independent as it was, Raiden never saw the chaos and turmoil that strafed the lands of Lodoss.

Raiden prospered as Lodoss burned. Its wealth as a free state became staggering. Merchants from Alecrast traded with the port of Raiden, bringing gold and exotic goods from those distant, unknown lands. Raiden was destined to become the economic superpower of Lodoss.

Centuries ago, the city of Raiden was founded by the ancient Kingdom of Sorcery, Kastuul. But founded not as a town for the prosperous, Raiden was a deportation point for dissidents and criminals. And yet, when the Kingdom of Sorcery fell, only Raiden remained, and still stands as last city of Kastuul. The oldest standing city in Lodoss, Raiden has buildings and temples as old as seven to eight hundred years, some say even a thousand years old. There is no other city in Lodoss like it, and some say there never will be again.

In the ultimate paragon of irony, Raiden, once a town of common criminals and rebels, has turned itself into a sprawling city of unparalleled proportions. As if a dozen walled cities had grown together into one, the maze of its streets and roads, the disordered jumble of its towering walls, and its architectural diversity representative of every from in Lodoss past and present, Raiden is a city so enormous it is difficult to imagine. Raiden is a city without a king. No one claims to control Raiden, for the city has become an entity unto itself. Indeed, it is a city anarchy, yet even here there is order.

For nearly five hundred years the merchants of Alecrast have traded solely with Raiden. Raiden has thus become an exceedingly wealthy town, but as always, only a select few control the greater portion of the wealth. The great Maritime Mercantile, one of the primary Alecrastian import trade companies, has a gold coinage mint where the famous gold currency coin the Raiden Piece (RP) is minted, and accepted as the currency standard throughout all of Lodoss.

Merchants and traders from all across Lodoss come to Raiden to trade with each other as well as the grassrunner merchants from Alecrast. The city is a literal hive of commerce and trade, far more so than even Adan. For in Raiden there are no taxes, there are no tariffs—only goods, commerce, wealth, and ambition. Everything is for sale in Raiden, and anything can be purchased for a price. There are no laws, thus murder and theft are common place. Those who live in Raiden, born and raised in the City of Freedom, have learned that to survive you must be either a master or a slave. Those with money can buy protection, those without must place themselves under the protection of gold baron or mercantile.

The gates of Raiden stand ever open, ready for all who wish to enter. But think not of coming without a sword in hand, for in Raiden modern business is war.

Raiden is a city of constant change. It is dynamic, alive, and ever vibrant with an energy and power all its own. Some say Raiden is evolving by leaps and bounds, and its culture is so far removed from anything else in Lodoss it is hard to imagine. Raiden is the melting point for all the lands and people of Lodoss and distant Alecrast. As the famous grass-runner bard Maar once sung, Raiden is a city of great chaos, and yet, a city of even greater freedom.

People of Raiden

There is no census in Raiden, but some have estimated the population of Raiden to be over twenty thousand (extremely large by Lodoss standards), all urban and discounting the farms and surrounding villages (such as Hishi and Honto). Raiden has a diverse racial population, though even here humans still constitute the majority. Dwarves, dark elves, grassrunners, and even goblins can be found in Raiden. High elves rarely come to Raiden, but there are always at least a few to be found here, usually looking to purchase a special item from Alecrast. The diversity of races has caused problems, and as can be expected, the dwarves and dark elves have carved out their own small niche of the city. Goblins who come to Raiden are often looked down upon, even though such goblins are the few intelligent and innovative ones of their race.

Port of Raiden

Raiden has the largest port on the island of Lodoss, and some say the entire world. The wharf and docks span the entire Bay of Raiden and down part of the Blazing River. Countless port companies own the various docks, and most charge a steep price for usage of the docks and port facilities. Many merchants simply anchor their ship in the middle of the bay and take their goods to shore by small boats (though this causes sever traffic problems in the bay). The Maritime Mercantile owns the largest facility, but uses it primarily for their own ships. Expect to pay 30 GP a day to keep a small boats docked, while docking a carrack or galley could cost over 10 Raidens a day!

The Raiden Shipworks is a large shipbuilding company located on the eastern side of the Bay. The Shipworks build countless small boats, and at least a dozen large ships every year. Most are bought by the various mercantiles or Alecrastian traders, but Flaim also buys some of their ships.

Because there are no real laws in Raiden, it is perfectly legal for a pirate ship to enter the port and dock. A pirate ship could even attack another ship in the middle of the bay. This rarely happens, however, because most of the merchant ships that come to Raiden are heavily armed, and there are always a few privateer warships in the Bay. A known pirate ship would not last one minute pulling into the Port of Raiden.

The merchants who come to Raiden by sea are well aware of the two major pirate outposts, one on Blue Dragon Island, and one at the pirate fortress on the Great Straight Cliff, and avoid these areas. Nevertheless, these pirates prowl the shipping lanes from Alecrast and from the southern and eastern sides of Lodoss. Thus, many ships coming to Raiden travel in large groups, or are escorted by privateer warships.

Religion in Raiden

Depending on how one looks at it, either Raiden has no religion, or it is the ultimate form of religious freedom. Anyone who comes to Raiden is free to worship however they chose, be it sacrificing screaming victims to Kardis or blessing the needy in the name of Falis. The only real temple is the Temple of Cha Za, where many merchants go to give offerings to their patron god. The priests who run the Temple of Cha Za are extremely wealthy.

Services in Raiden

There are more inns, taverns, and pubs in Raiden than any other place in Lodoss. A famous place of interest is the Sea Dragon Restaurant, overlooking the bay of Raiden from a high hill on the cost. You can often find Raiden's most popular celebrity, the Song Princess Lucia, performing at Sea Dragon Restaurant. The Black Pearl, the Grassrunner's Loft, and the Lighthouse are also exceedingly good restaurants, though not too fancy for the common patron.

There are more taverns and pubs than can be counted in Raiden, and new ones open every day. A few of the more colorful taverns are Castaway's, Barrels of Ale, Seaman's Mug, and Crossbones Tavern. One of the stranger clubs, located in the darker side of town, is known as the Black Raven—here the patrons dress in a similar fashion to Karla or Ashram. Some say the owners of the Black Raven are actually vampires...

As one could imagine, any service is available in Raiden, no matter how exotic or "illegal". Prostitution is an open and thriving business. Money can buy you anything in Raiden, no matter how pleasant or terrible, normal or perverse. If you can think it, Raiden has it.

Guilds in Raiden

There two major guilds in Raidens are both diametrically opposed and both headquartered here. These are the Merchants' Guild and the Thieves' Guild. The Merchants' Guild is "officially" headquartered in Adan, and unofficially so in Raiden. This is because the Maritime Mercantile is the primary supporter (some say owner) of the Merchants' Guild. The Raiden headquarters, however, is not recognized by the other nations of Lodoss because of certain guild taxation laws. But as far as merchants are concerned, Raiden is the headquarters of the Merchants' Guild.

The Thieves' Guild is known to have an influence in many city, and in those cities the Thieves' Guild is hidden in secret places, usually in the sewers or underground tunnels. In Raiden however, the Thieves' Guild location is well known, though it is located in the rougher, darker side of town where "good citizens" shouldn't be anyway (of course, "good" is meaningless in Raiden, and there are no real "citizens").

Other guilds in Raiden include the Mercenaries' Guild, the Privateers' Guild (the maritime version of the Mercenaries' Guild), the Seamens' Guild, and the Mages' Guild.

Surrounding Towns

Wildlands and Other Locales

Mountains: Great Straight Cliff, Luxruza Range, Fire Dragon Mountain
Bodies of Water: Raiden Bay, Blazing River, Silent Swamp, Rain Lake
Forests: Raiden Woods, Fairy Woods (Blue Dragon Island), Glassy Woods
Islands: Blue Dragon Island, Crossbone Island, Skull Island

Great Straight Cliff

The Great Straight Cliff was once part of a mountain range on Alecrast. When Marfa split Lodoss from Alecrast, the land separated across this mountain range, creating a shear cliff on the northwestern side of Lodoss, known simply as "the Great Straight Cliff". This Cliff drops off sharply into the ocean, and is nearly twenty-five hundred meters high!

There is a small stretch of beach at the base of the cliff, formed mostly from fallen rocks and fine grains of sand washed up from the sea. During the Kingdom of Sorcery, rebels and dissidents were dropped off along his remote beach as a form of exile. Many died here, and this area became known as the Beach of Bones. As Kastuul declined, pirates once more terrorized the seas. Those rebels who did survive on the Beach of Bones worked with these pirates to build a massive fortress at the base of the Cliff, literally carving it out of the rock itself. The many caves and water coves along the cliff became ports to many pirate vessels.

Today, most of the pirate activity in the Northern Sea originates from either the Pirate Fortress at the Great Straight Cliff, or from Blue Dragon Island, and many pirates patrol between these to locations hunting for their prey. The stone fortress is heavily armed, and has successfully driven back fleets from Valis, Flaim, and Moss. The watery caves in the cliff lead into hidden cavern ports bustling with pirate activity. These cave ports are large enough to hold carracks (the common pirate ship), and some even galleys.

Mariners should steer well away from the Great Straight Cliff.

Blue Dragon Island

Blue Dragon Island is located just north of Lodoss, off the coast of Raiden. The Water Dragon Abram once inhabited the reefs and underwater caves of Blue Dragon Island, hence the name.

Pirates often make base on Blue Dragon Island, or in the small Islands surrounding it. Crossbone Island and Skull Island are two such islands. Both of these islands have a rudimentary pirate port, deserted most of the time, but still frequented by pirates and adventurers alike. Many treasure hunters go to explore Crossbone and Skull Islands in the search of buried pirate treasure, but most return unsuccessful, or never.

Mariners should be warned, a dangerous coral reef lies on the southern side of the island. Unless you have a very accurate pirate map, all approaches to the islands should be from the northeast.

Blue Dragon Island itself has several areas of note. On the norther side of the island is Blue Dragon Cave. There are two entrances to this cave. One is underwater on the northern coast of the island, which Abram used to enter and leave his watery cavern domain. The other is a surface cave which leads through many tunnels and caverns, and finally down to the black underground sea where Abram once lurked. The underground sea is connected to the ocean, and somewhere in it's depths lays Abram's vast treasure.

The Fairy Woods are on the eastern side of the island, and are the home of many fairy spirits. There are a few dark elf and centaur villages as well, so travelers should be cautious not to trespass. The island is quite mountainous, and wyverns make their nests on the northern coastal cliffs. These wyverns are wild, unlike the wyverns of Moss, and should be avoided. The mountains to the south are home to many griffins.

Wildlands

West of Flaim and Valis, and north of Moss, is a region of land unclaimed by any nation. These are the Wildlands, an area of foreboding mountains and vast plains. Scattered villages of a tribal people lie isolated through the Wildlands, but for the most part the area is unpopulated. The Fire Dragon Shooting Star once plagued these lands, and was the primary cause for it's severe unpopularity.

Fire Dragon Mountain is the most renowned location in the Wildlands, but the Silent Swamp and Castle of Karla are also great landmarks, being so close to the borders of Flaim and Valis.

Fire Dragon Mountain

In the northern mountains of the Wildlands, near Raiden, is the great active volcano, Fire Dragon Mountain. Fire Dragon Mountain has long been in a constant state of activity for as long as anyone can remember, but has never erupted violently.

The ancient dragon, Shooting Star, lived in Fire Dragon Mountain (hence the name), but the demon dragon has since perished. Shooting Star lived within the volcano itself, but hoarded his treasure in a vast cave on the south side of the mountain. The caves are old lava tunnels, and one such tunnel leads out to the eastern side of the mountain, and is popularly known as the Dragon's Pass. Adventurers who sought to slay the dragon often took this tunnel to enter the volcano, but Shooting Star had the tunnels heavily booby trapped.

Shooting Star's treasure is thought to have been lost when part of of the volcano collapsed. Adventurers may seek this treasure, but any expedition may be fruitless.

Silent Swamp

The Silent Swamp and Rain Lake are actually the same body of water. The Castle of Karl is located in the center of the lake, on the northern end of the swamp. The Silent Swamp is fulled with all the putrid life of swampy regions, including snakes, reptiles and lurking monsters. The pass from Flaim to Valis crosses close to the swamp, and at one point, crosses the eastern edge of the swamp. This is considered the most dangerous stretch of the journey from Flaim to Valis, and was in fact where Kashue first encountered Karla.

The swamp and the lake were created when the floating Shardrune of Steel Towers city crashed into the earth when Kastuul fell. Karla's castle is a tower of the sunken city.

Castle of Karla

The Castle of Karla sits in the center of Rain Lake, though most people regard this desolate ruin as a nameless ruin of Kastuul. It is often deserted and stripped of anything of value. Much of the castle is flooded and filled with filth. Even when Karla is present within the castle, it remains rundown and seems uninhabited. Despite the belief that the castle contains a vast treasure of magical items, adventurers are advised to steer well away.

Alania | Flaim | Kanon | Marmo | Moss | Raiden | Valis

Lodoss | Alecrast & Azarn Islands | Djana En & Crystania | Chaos Land & Farland