Riga

The Nomadic Nation of Riga is headed by King Dmitrius and is situated on the plains along the Shantanian Divide, placing them closer to Caynea than Lestalia. They have gone through a lot of leaders lately, due to the unrest of their citizens. Riga, by nature, is a somewhat militaristic society, tending to favor leaders that are not afraid to draw swords and fight for their country.

The Rigans are hardened barbarians - or at least, that's what Caynea would lead their people to believe. The fact is, Riga is very much misunderstood, mainly owing to their constant state of civil war, and the fact that none of their leaders has lasted longer than two years, save for a select few. Many of their leaders were rather unremarkable, but the few that lasted were highly regarded by their people as powerful negotiators, charismatic servants of the people, or awe-inspiring warlords.

In keeping with the Fire Emblem tradition of borrowing kingdoms' names from real ancient cities and nations, Riga is actually named for the Latvian city of Riga, which was founded in 1201.

History

Riga was "founded" roughly around S.R. 50, by a wandering swordsman of the same name. He sought a place to rest, after a long day of training, and set up his tent on a patch of grass. There, he slept for the night, and when he woke up, he found many others like him that also pitched their tents around his. Thinking such an occurrence to be strange, he decided to remain where he was to see how long it would last. The community formed itself over the space of a week, of refugees, travelers, and wandering merchants. When Riga addressed the people, they all admitted the true reason for pitching their tents near him; they were fellow swordsmen who had heard of his reputation and wished to duel with him.

Flattered that so many wished to duel him, Riga accepted, on the condition that they all duel with him at the same time. The people assumed that they, having the advantage of numbers, would easily overtake Riga and defeat him. But Riga, displaying far superior willpower and endurance (as well as a number of clever tricks), fought all of them and won, killing nobody in the process. The multitude admitted defeat and named him their king. Riga's first order of his people was to turn the field of tents into a respectable town. The people obeyed and constructed the Kingdom of Riga.

King Riga remained King for around 15 years, until somewhere in S.R. 65, when he was assassinated by a man named Mordecai. Mordecai ruled with an iron fist for five years before being eliminated by his sister, Marceline. Marceline's rule was not even half that of her brother's, being publicly executed by the people after just over two years.

Riga remained in a state of governmental flux, with leaders coming and going until S.R. 226, the day Gregor Caynea defeated the ice demon Kasiell. The Rigans took notice of this magnificent deed and ceased their fighting, electing a more diplomatic leader named Irenka. Irenka did not believe in war, and successfully ordered her populace to stand down. Hers was the longest rule of Riga, lasting nearly 25 years when she died of natural causes, with no heir. Various other not-so-notable rulers attempted to take control of the kingdom, none lasting longer than half a year. The next great leader of Riga appeared around S.R. 339, making a point during his short reign (only one year) to enact various laws that would ultimately serve to keep the population happy, such as detailed criminal punishment systems for thieves and murderers. This leader mysteriously disappeared one year after taking the throne, much to the population's disappointment. (He was presumably stolen and murdered, in a fit of irony.)

The most recent King of the Rigans was once a warlord, having taken control of three cities while serving under the previous king. This warlord, Dmitrius, was disgusted with the orders he followed - including being forced to capture and kill innocents - so he promptly slew the king and took the crown himself. Dmitrius' first order, just a year before Caynea's planned invasion, was disarmament of the entire country. Many weapons and suits of armor were melted down into more useful tools such as farming equipment or building materials. This left Riga very vulnerable to an attack, but ensured that the kingdom would prosper for the first time in many hundreds of years...until word got around.

Incomplete List of Rigan Leaders

• King Riga (50 - 65) - Original founder of the nation of Riga. Assassinated by Mordecai.
• Mordecai (65 - 70) - Assassinated by Marceline.
• Marceline (70 - 72) - Publicly executed by the Rigan people.
• Irenka (226 - 251) - Died of natural causes.
• Godolfus (339 - 340) - Disappeared under mysterious circumstances (removed by Finders).
• Dmitrius (597 - *) - Current king, ordered disarmament for the betterment of Rigan survival without need for unnecessary bloodshed.

Society

The lifestyle of a Rigan hasn't changed much in the last five hundred years; the "empire" is still comprised of roughly 80% tents and only 20% actual buildings (the few citizens willing to renounce their nomadic lives), including the King's House, which to most would seem like an ordinary cottage of no more than five small rooms, but compared to the rest of town is relatively luxurious. Many of the tents have been converted to slightly more permanent fixtures, with the canvas of the tents having been reinforced with wood pillars and rafters to prevent the tents from collapsing during heavy weather. Most tents are here to stay and are more or less permanently ingrained into the ground. While many Rigans believe that they are not meant to be ruled over, they have slowly come to accept that without order, they will die out.

Rigan Economy

Riga, being a nomadic nation, does not have a currency of their own. Trade and commerce are limited to bartering, but generally accept currencies from all nations, assuming the vendor knows what they are (Gozen currency tends not to be accepted due to it being generally confusing to non-Gozenjin).