The Five Dragons

The Five Dragons refer to the collective economies of Nova Lumia, Silverwall, Seacastle, Highlake, and Titan’s Nest which have, in the recent few centuries, experienced rapid economic and industrial growth as well an increase in the standard of living. Nova Lumia and Silverwall have emerged as global financial centers whereas Highlake and Seacastle have developed into world-leading manufacturing centers courtesy their various cottage industries and vast pools of skilled artisans. In terms of tonnage, more raw material passes through Titan’s Nest than any other port on the Illian coast, although these items are typically low-cost materials that are expensive to transport and do not yield substantial profit except in bulk-goods such as timber and marble, for example.

Much of this growth has been attributed to the Great Peace of the Empire’s golden age; with few external threats, the cities have been able to devote resources to non-military applications. Perhaps more importantly, the world has expanded in the last two hundred years—the discovery of a third continent has yielded emerging markets with the Five Dragons were eager to exploit. There has been a ripple effect in the trade-zone; where one city grows in size and wealth, it has more wealth to import goods being shipped out by its neighbors—this in turn creates more wealth and more activity as the industries in their respective cities continues to grow.