Floating Fortress of Shasarazade

The Floating Fortress of Shasarazade (水上砦シャサラザード, Suijiyo Toride Shasarazādo, Water Fortress Shasarazade) is a fortress which appears in Suikoden. It was a vital defensive citadel for the Scarlet Moon Empire's capital city Gregminster.

Information
The Floating Fortress of Shasarazade, despite its name, is not literally a floating fortress. The fortress itself lies on land on the western banks of the Tolna Canal with fortifications extending across the canal. As such, it is a key defensive structure for the capital city of Gregminster along with the Fortress of Kwaba.

Shasarazade also served as the base of the Scarlet Moon Imperial Navy and its commander Sonya Shulen. Although the fortress was considered extremely difficult to attack, Shasarazade has been approached by pirates several times; most notably when the pirate leader Anji pinned a wedding dress to its walls, taunting Sonya Shulen's unwed status.

In the latter stages of the Gate Rune War Shasarazade was chosen as the Toran Liberation Army's entrance to Gregminster precisely because it was believed to be unassailable by the liberation forces. Although the battle ended in victory for the rebel forces, Sanchez, a spy who had hidden in the army thus far without detection, stabbed Mathiu Silverberg, the head strategist of the Liberation Army, and set fire to the fortress prematurely, endangering many lives.

Music
The Floating Fortress of Shasarazade's exterior theme in Suikoden is the song "Gate", which is song 16 on disc 2 of the Genso Suikoden Original Game Soundtrack. Its interior actually has no background music, with the only sounds being the rushing water of the fortress itself.

Shasarazade shares "Gate" as its theme with most "fortress"-style locations throughout the game, including the Fortress of Kwaba, Pannu Yakuta Castle, the Fortress of Garan, the Fortress of Lorimar, the Northern Checkpoint, and Moravia.