Raseir is the second city under the sultanate of the Land of Shapeir and the sister to the capital city of Shapeir; actually the two cities have exactly the same layout and structure. Whereas Shapeir is built at the feet of the northern mountain range, Raseir is built at the southern mountain range, far to the east.
In some cases, it may also refer to the land of Raseir, the birthplace of the Katta[1]. Apparently located in the Middle East, Raseir lies east of Silmaria.[2]
The city is located alongside a major trade route, and receives a great deal of commerce comes from imports and exports. Raseir also exports vintage, the rarest of which found its way to Spielburg Castle.
History[]
Raseir and its sister city Shapeir were constructed around prominent Katta settlements within the area. The lifeblood of the cities are the magical, neverending refreshing springs of water which provide the cities with sustenance and shelter in an otherwise dead land. The Fountain Plaza was the heart of each city. The cities of Shapeir and Raseir were constructed as "mirror cities" of one another, with near-identical layouts. The Emir's palace in Raseir was designed to mirror the Sultan's in Shapeir, and vice versa.
The Katta[]
Of the two cities, Raseir was constructed in particularly close proximity to the Katta societies in the Shapeir Desert. No such settlements are seen in Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire, implying that most of the Katta migrated to Raseir. Indeed, many such Katta consider Raseir to be their native province, and it is also probably has the greatest concentration of Katta in any place on Gloriana. The humans grew fond of the Katta for their expertise in crafting, and many of them serve as humble, but sincere merchants and artisans living in harmony with the humans.
Tyrannical Rule[]
At some point prior to the second game, the Emir Arus al-Din, who normally answered to the will of ruling Sultan Harun al-Rashid, was deposed of by his treacherous Vizier, Ad Avis. He was transformed into a Saurus and removed from the city - whilst his passive brother was placed on the throne to serve as a figurehead. Ad Avis made his close accomplice, Khaveen, the new captain of the city guard - a cold and ruthless military commander, Khaveen enforced a police state of sorts over all peoples of Raseir.
Khaveen's greatest known act of cruelty was when he banished all the Katta from his city, harboring a deep hatred for their kind. Whilst most of them sough refuge in Shapeir where the Sultan had offered them peace and sanctuary with open arms, some fled to other nearby areas such as Fricana. The quality of life in Raseir declined as the magical well-spring of the Fountain Plaza that kept the city alive stopped flowing, placing its citizens at the mercy of Khaveen's state-regulated water distributions; this dependence made him more powerful.
According to Rakeesh, harsh laws and regulations were made more important than its people. Few visited the city any more and even fewer returned. Many other harsh regulations were made as well - for example, citizens required visas in order to leave or enter the city, and all women were forced to remain isolated in harems (probably at Ad Avis' suggestion). Raseir became a breeding ground for thugs and resistance movements, effectively falling into an Underground civil war. Efforts were made by Harun al-Rashid to restore contacts with Raseir, but they were halted by Ad Avis' magical tamperings.
It is said that Harun al-Rashid sent armies against Raseir but they were destroyed by a great wind[3] apparently controlled by Ad Avis.
Restoration[]
Eventually, a Hero was summoned to answer the call of the Sultanate by the two Katta Shameen and Shema. When he arrived in Raseir, he was intercepted in an alleyway by Ad Avis and hypnotized into thinking he was his friend and had to help acquire the Statue of Iblis from the Forbidden City of Suleiman in order to stop the new Emir. The Hero did just this, only learn that he was being manipulated by Ad Avis, and the Vizier was now preparing to summon the Marid Iblis in order to conquer all of Gloriana.
With the aid of a Djinn known as He Who Waits Behind, the Hero successfully defeated Ad Avis and Khaveen and restored peace to Raseir by replenishing its magic fountain. The Emir Arus al-Din was restored to his position of power, and the city prospered again. It is said that by Quest For Glory V: Dragon Fire that his neice, Zayishah, has become the new Emir of the city.
Locations[]
- Gate Plaza
- Blue Parrot Inn
- Raseir Palace
- Raseir's Plaza of the Fountain (Fountain Plaza, Fountain One)
- Apothecary of Raseir
- Plaza of the Palace
- Raseir Palace
- Raseir Dungeons (unknown location)
The western and northern parts of the city are blocked off by order of Khaveen.
Street names[]
Instead of their names, the streets have signs with dystopic mottos:
- Junub Tarik: You must carry your Visa at all times!
- Marrib Darb: You are being watched!
- Sharki Darb: Rules must be obeyed. Follow the system
- Wahir Darb: It is forbidden to be on the streets at night.
- Dahab Tarik: Women shall remain indoors and veiled at all times.
- Sultan Darb: Everything not mandatory is forbidden
- Shmali Tarik: The smuggling of water is a capital crime!
- Sahib Tarik: All men are equal.
- Effendi Darb: Some men are more equal than others.
- (Alley branching north off Effendi): Red Sauruses may be watered on Tuesdays and Thursdays; Green Sauruses may be watered every other Wednesday.
- Rani Tarik: Ignorance of the law is no excuse
- (Alley branching east off Rani): Suicide is punishable by death (this is the street you find yourself after escaping the dungeon)
- Tarik of Stars: An order from a guard is a rule.
Behind the scenes[]
- Raseir is an anagram for Sierra.
- The sequence in Raseir is notorious for having very few things to do and not being able to rest to pass the time (it is possible to rest only at night). Especially after giving the Visa to Zayishah the Hero isn't allowed to go out to the desert, and can only explore around. Technical guides suggest to adjust the Game Time Scale to Fastest. A way to jump a day is to help Zayishah and then wait in her room for about 5' when the guards arrive and directly put him to the Raseir Dungeons (which usually happens the next morning).
- The timelines cause a few problems. The first is when did Ad Avis take over Raseir? QFG1 originally set the take over about 3 years before QFG1 (QFG2 appears retcon the actual take over to 1 year before QFG1, but things were going bad up to 1.5 years before). QFG1 VGA completely removes the 3 year date instead implying that Kattas moved to Spielburg a year before (QFG2 suggests this as well). But to confuse things more the Money Changer in QFG3 seems to suggest 'years' since Ad Avis took over, as does Marrak in QFG5 (the latter has some unusually interpretations depending on which version of the timeline is examined).
References[]
- ↑ Marrak:"...a Katta from the land of Raseir, a desert birthplace of my people.", "Several years ago, my people were driven from our homeland and scattered with the winds by a most evil man who usurped the throne of Rasier from its rightful Emir. I have heard word that my homeland has been freed by a Hero, and the land is now ruled by a wise and gracious women."
- ↑ Marrak: "We Katta are desert people from the lands to the East."
- ↑ Shameen, when asked about
rumors