Dragon Raja

Cover art for the first volume
Author	Lee Yeongdo
Original title	드래곤 라자 (Korean)
Cover artist	Paperback - Jung Bohwan; hardcover - Lee Su-yeon, Kim Hyeong-gyun
Language	Korean
Series	Lee Yeongdo's Dragon Raja
Genre	Fantasy novel
Published	1998 (Golden Bough) (paperback) 2008 (Golden Bough) (hardcover)
Publication place	South Korea
Media type	Print (Paperback; hardcover)
ISBN	89-8273-052-4 (Paperback, 12 volumes); 978-89-60172579 (Hardcover, 8 volumes)
Preceded by	A Scene from a Laboratory
Followed by	Future Walker

Dragon Raja (Korean:드래곤 라자; abbreviated as 드라) is the first series of fantasy web novels written by Lee Yeongdo, one of the most famous fantasy novelists in South Korea. The books chronicle the adventures of a 17-year-old boy Hutch Nedval(also spelled as Hoochie Nedval), his mentor Karl Heltant and his friend Sanson Percival, all of whom are from the poor town of Fief Heltant in the Kingdom of Bysus.^[1] The main story arc, told in the first-person by Hoochie, concerns the three's quest to rescue their people from the black dragon Amurtaht by finding money to pay the ransom; then to find and protect a lost dragon raja girl, who would serve as the bridge between people and dragons and stop a crimson dragon that terrorized the continent 20 years ago.

Lee showcased his first chapters of Dragon Raja on 3 October 1997 on a serial forum of an online service provider, Hitel. For the duration of 6 months after the initial debut he updated approximately 12,000 pages of wongoji (a Korean form of Genkō yōshi), a material length equivalent to that of 1715 letter pages, and the story gained explosive popularity on the forum. Golden Bough, an imprint of Minumsa Publishing Group purchased the publishing rights, and Dragon Raja was published upon its completion in 12 paperback volumes.^[2]

Prior to 1998 the fantasy genre in Korea, specifically its medievalist form, was considered unsubstantial and unaccounted for by many, especially the press and the literary world. But Dragon Raja was an immediate success, and became the best-selling fantasy title in Korea that grew to be a million seller. As of 2011, Dragon Raja has sold close to 2 million copies in 4 languages.^[3][4][5]

The success of Dragon Raja prompted two big phenomenon in the Korean publishing industry. First, fantasy literature "gained the attention of publishers and writers as the new goldmine" and opened the new era for Korean fantasy market.^[3] Speculative fiction also gained more support in the literary world, and more writers of "serious literature" began using fantasy and science fiction elements in their works.^[3] Secondly, the amount of online serials getting published increased greatly, in mostly "genre literature" (Korean: 장르문학, genre munak), which is a Korean umbrella term for genre of novels including romance, fantasy, wuxia, science fiction and mystery.^[6] Once published, it also took relatively less time for such online fiction, or Internet literature (Korean: 인터넷문학, Inteonet munhak), to be adapted into other media, and also in more varied forms. In the case of Dragon Raja was adapted into games, radio drama, and textbook texts.^[3]

Plot

Sojourn to the capital

Amurtaht the black dragon's existence has plagued Fief Heltant for long, and the king has sent the white dragon Catselprime and his raja, a young son of the House of Halschteil to subdue the black dragon. A blind wizard Tyburn arrives at Heltant and helps guard the town while during the battle with Amurtaht. Hoochie helps Tyburn, who gives him in return a pair of Ogre Power Gauntlets or OPG, which gives the wearer great muscle power. The news comes that Catselprime has lost to Amurtaht and died, while the remnants of soldiers including Hoochie's father have been taken prisoner by Amurtaht, who demands a ransom of an enormous amount for their release. Hoochie, Karl and Sanson set out on a journey to the capital Bysus Impel, to report the news of battle to the king and to attain aids for the ransom.

The trio attack a group of orc bandits that has killed a traveler, and the orcs begin chasing the trio for revenge. But Hoochie defeats them powered by his OPG. Repeated battles with the orcs bring Hoochie together with Iruril Serenial, a beautiful elf woman, and Axelhand Eindelf, an old magnanimous dwarf, both of whom become his friends. Hoochie and his party visits Lenus City and solves affairs with the city's arena, and at the next city they visit, Fief Carlyle, they face difficulties from a strange pathological phenomenon all over the city. They meet Edhelin, a troll priestess, and find out that the crisis is caused by Sacred Land, a curse that combines magical and divine powers. They find out that Djipenian agents are behind the curse, which was a military experiment for the current war between the Bysus and Djipen (pronounced: Jah-ee-pun). They take one of the agents, Unchai, as a witness in reporting the curse to the king.

As they reach the Brown Mountains just west of the capital, they meet Neria, a red-haired "nighthawk" or a thief that is a member of the thieves' guild, and Gilsian, a warrior on a bull with a chattering sword, who is revealed as Prince Gilsian Bysus, the older brother of the king and the ex-heir apparent.

The dragon Kradmesser and a missing girl

Throwing off the orcs' pursuit, the party finally arrives at the capital. They meet the king to bring the news of Catselprime's demise, and report the Djipenian operation. The king decides to help pay the ransom and they're delighted, but only briefly, for they find that there aren't enough jewels left in the capital. In the jewel mines of the Brown Mountains signs are observed of an awakening dragon that terrorized the continent 20 years ago: Kradmesser the Blazing Spear.

The House of Halschteil, the bloodline of dragon rajas, has a lost daughter. Hoochie and others hope that she is a dragon raja, so she can make the dragon raja's covenant with the awakened Kradmesser. The only thing known about her is her age and the red color of her hair.

While the party prepares for the trip to find the girl, a young nobleman Nexon Huritchell captures Neria and forces the party to steal a book with state secrets from the Halschteil mansion. The party works together to rescue both Neria and the book of secrets from Nexon's hands. Condemned of treason, Nexon attacks the party along with the vampire sorceress Shione. But Iruril returns in time to save the party from the vampire's threat.

Iruril has information about a girl in the Duchy of Ilse who may be the lost daughter of the Halschteils. They head to Ilse, along with Unchai to tell Djipen's plots to the Grand Duke of Ilse and gain Ilse's cooperation in the war. Karl and Unchai heads to the Duchy's capital, while Hoochie, Sanson, Neria and Iruril head to a temple of Teperi of Haflings and Crossroads, to hire Jereint Chimber, a young priest empowered to have the answer to any polar question. They head to the Port Del Hapa where they find Rennie who indeed turns out to be the dragon raja they were searching.

The next day, Port Del Hapa and several cities of Ilse are turned into Sacred Lands in the hands of Shione and Nexon, who, in the havoc and confusion that ensues, kidnaps Rennie.

Into the Eternal Forest

The party chases Nexon and his underlings into the mysterious Eternal Forest, where whoever enters, on certain conditions, are divided into separate selves with identical looks but divided memories. Iruril's wisdom saves the party, but Nexon and most of his underlings fall into panic and murder each other, including three of Nexon's selves. Nexon takes Rennie and survived subordinates into the Great Labyrinth of the Dragon Lord. The party follows them in through dangers of every shape and meets Dragon Lord, who offers them access to his treasures, enough to pay off Amurtaht's ransom and some more. After leaving the Great Labyrinth, the party ambushes Nexon to rescue Rennie and they rush back to Bysus.

Marquess Halschteil's conspiracy

At Red Mountains, they encounter Jigoleid, the blue dragon who fought the war for Bysus with another Halschteil raja. The raja released the dragon not only from the covenant with him but also from the battlefield with Djipan, to serious military consequences. The party stop by Kan Adium, a city in the middle of wild plain, where they face another attacks from the orcs, now a big army, and defeat them.

They arrive at the capital, and find out that Marquess Halschteil has been making plans to take hold of a raja who could make the covenant with Kradmesser, and use the legendary dragon's power to take over Bysus. The party hasten to take Rennie to the Brown Mountains where Kradmesser's lair is. In the mountains, they pass the Lake Levnane where lives the Fairyqueen Darenian who was Handrake the archmage's lover 300 years ago.

Kradmesser awakes

Kradmesser is awakened at last. Haschteil, Nexon and Hoochie's party race and fight against each other to meet the dragon first. Kradmesser however, reveals that he intends neither to destroy Bysus and the continent, nor to accept another covenant with a dragon raja. Nexon, who has succeeded the gift from his father, the previous raja to Kradmesser, convinces the dragon forcibly to make the dragon raja's covenant with him. When their covenant is complete, Shione the vampire reveals her true intention.

Main characters

People from Heltant

Hutch Nedval

Hutch Nedval (pronounced 'Hoo-chie Nedval')is the main protagonist and narrator of Dragon Raja. The book covers three months of the 17-year-old's magical autumn; the one autumn in a lifetime when amazing things can be done by those who realize it, from the time the leaves cover the earth to the time the first snowflake falls.

Hutch's father joins the expedition to defeat Amurtaht, to see the fall of the dragon that caused his wife's death. Thus, when the army loses and gets taken prisoner by Amurtaht, Hutch agrees to join Karl and Sanson on their trip to attain enough funds for the ransom to rescue the soldiers and his father. His lack of formal training in sword fight is compensated by the superhuman muscle power from the Ogre Power Gauntlets which the wizard Tyburn has presented him, and Hutch turns one of the most acrobatic fighters in the story.

Concept and creation

Lee is quoted to say that Hutch's name came from the first and last syllables of Huanmu-chi (Korean: 후안무치, Hanja: 厚顔無恥) which literally means "thick-skinned face no shame," or "acts brazen and feels no shame."^{[citation needed]}

Characterisation

Hardened by the precarious life in Fief Heltant, Hutch has a strong stomach for bloodshed and a fearless sense of humor. His quick wit and clever tongue solve many problems and his narration alternates constantly between philosophical lines of thought and moments of comic relief. Although not formally schooled, Hutch has been taken into a sort of tutelage under Karl, and is one of the most eloquent speakers in the story. He also enjoys singing greatly, and sings several ballads and sagas during the journey.

Family

Hutch is the only child of Fief Heltant's candlemaker, and is a future candlemaker candidate himself. Hutch's father brought up Hutch alone, after Hutch's mother was killed in a monsters' attack to the town. For most of the monsters that loom around the town are affected by Amurtaht, both Hutch and his father, like most of the townsfolk, see Amurtaht as the mortal enemy.

Karl Heltant

Karl Heltant is one of the main protagonists, along with Hoochie and Sanson. Karl is the Viscount of Heltant's younger half-brother, and when the Viscount and his army are taken prisoner by Amurtaht, Karl takes up the responsibility to report the news to the king and to find aids to release the prisoners. One of the most intelligent people in the novel, Karl often leads the party and his wisdom and decision is trusted by all.

Concept and creation

Lee is quoted to say that Karl was named as his mind and tongue are both sharp as knife, or kal (Korean: 칼).^{[citation needed]} Many of those who seek power such as King Nilsian and Nexon, attempt to persuade Karl to their side, so they can wield his mighty mind as their swords.

Characterisation

Karl is described as an ordinary looking man in his middle-age, with ordinary brown hair. He lives a quiet life alone at the edge of the Fief Heltant, in the forest of the Viscount. Karl has extensive knowledge in history, medicine, law, economy, politics, geology, ecology, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, character acting and horseback longbow archery. He is also hobby cidermaker and bibliographer. He also has taken the role of Hoochie's tutor, and the result of this tutelage can be seen in Hoochie's skills in narrating the story. Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Dragon_Raja
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