Rediton was started by a group of
human settlers who did not
want to live in the hierarchical structures of the other states.
Initially they
fished the seas beyond their rocky coastline and ran a few sheep up in
the
hills. It was a
tough life, but they
started to attract a number of like minded souls, including a few
‘outlaws’
that had been chased out of Laroy.
It
really started to grow when some dwarven prospectors discovered the
copper vein
in the local cave system.
The Dwarves were members of a large group of Dwarves that had joined
together
to try and find a suitable location to build a joint stronghold. They were mainly miner and
smelting clans,
although there were also mine guards, prospectors and leaders included
in the
group as well.
Before long they had
colonised the local cave system and started a dwarven stronghold,
almost within
Rediton itself. The
Rediton population didn’t
know how to handle this at first and skirmishes broke out between the
two
groups – although a eventually a peace was brokered by an passing
half-elf
bard. Before long, the dwarves discovered that the mine also produced
some
precious-stones, and discovered the marble fields at about the same
time. Rather than
advertise these finds, they sent
agents throughout the land to search for the skills they needed, and
eventually
found a newly arrived group of gnomes with the right skills. They were contacted and
offered a suitable
set of caves to build in, so long as they would integrate into the
wider
community. This
group, who had been
chased out of a village called Granitehome, took the offer and moved in
‘en
masse’.
As the village grew into a
town, they
enlarged the natural harbour and built new defences, and (for a short
while)
the village became a haven for smugglers and, it is rumoured, pirates. However, it wasn’t long
before these were
chased out in favour of ships captains with small fast boats that could
move
goods along the coast quickly and easily.
Sure, some of these small ships may
have carried a few cargoes where the locals forgot to pay tax, and they
may have provided safe passage for
people who were persona non grata in their own state, but there is no
evidence
that Rediton has ever been a haven for smugglers or pirates!
Over a half of the population are human and almost a quarter
are dwarven, while
Gnomes and Halflings make up most of the rest.
Having said that, Rediton boasts one of the largest
populations of
half-Elves and half-Orcs in The Alliance (at least in %age terms) perhaps its diverse makeup
makes these
‘lonely’ races feel at home.
Now-a-days Rediton exports copper (as coins and as ingots) marble,
either
prepared to be used in floors and walls, as statuary, or as blocks of
marble
suitable for carving. Their
‘native’
food supplies come from fishing boats, the goats that are kept in the
mountains, and an underground mushroom farm that the dwarves maintain. Rediton is also able to
export barrels of
salt fish, and provide fast local transport from its harbour. The single road that winds
between Gonma and
Rediton is windy and treacherous, however, there are a few trade
caravans that
pass along it, many bringing in new settlers or refugees with them.
Unlike any other settlement in The Alliance, Rediton is a democracy,
with every
adult individual getting to cast a vote.
The population vote for local representatives who form the
Rediton
council. The
council members elect a
mayor from among their own number.
The
current mayor of Rediton is a Halfling merchant called Eldon Gallowley. He was once a
swashbuckling ship’s captain
and now owns a flotilla of small, fast ships that operate out
of
Rediton. Unlike
many other Halflings,
Eldon chooses to dress flamboyantly and often wears a bright half-cloak
over a
white shirt, with a short sword by his side, and strikes heroic
poses when addressing the populace.