Holy Pslams

The **Holy Pslams** are a compendium of texts written originally by Prince Julius D'lanastion I and revisited by his successors which serve as the basis for the fundamental beliefs of the D'lanastion Monarchy's House of Julius. Though several different versions have been distributed throughout the 6,000 years following its release by the original author, each volume contains the same sort of general basis and root-belief system, all of which would eventually aid in the establishment of the philosophy known as "Astfal ".

## The First Edition

The Holy Pslams were first believed to have been written around 21 A.F, several years - nearly a decade - prior-to the establishment of the House of D'lanastion and the D'lanastion Monarchy as an entity, its first author identified and stated as fact to be Julius I. The first edition contained the framework for what the House of Julius would build upon for its moral code, referencing a personified image of Belore (translating to 'the Sun') repeatedly, making it appear as though those that practiced the pseudo-religion contained in the book were beholden to the thought that the Sun was a God or divine being. The book is divided into several different chapters, each of which features a scripture or story which in some way relates back to the interconnection of Elves and Belore by either teaching moral lessons or preaching some fallacies as truth.

Though the book is largely open to interpretation in many cases, some parts of it remain adamant, especially in that Belore is a "divine being sent from those great cosmos, HE who shall guide us towards the everlasting LIGHT from the darkness which we hath seen and trembled before and within".

### Revisions Beneath Julius III

Julius III, known as one of the many authors involved in writing the texts of the Holy Pslams, is said to have revised the book from the original edition only a few years after he originally took his place as the successor of Julius II. Julius III, an extremely pious and zealous man, re-wrote several scriptures and simply added onto others, highlighting in particular the thought that Belore was an all-mighty and all-powerful being which the Elves should fear the wrath of should they go against the word of the pslams. Several controversial opinions have arisen from these series of recorded actions, one of which being the proposal that this was the start of the inevitably fascist-ideals which the House of Julius and brother-houses are infamous for throughout the Northern Territories.

## The Second Edition

The pslams were mostly unedited throughout the reign of the second Julius, though were inevitably re-written once more as soon as another Prince had come to power following that prince's death as well as that of his successor's. Julius IV, infamous for making ties to the House of the Imperator during the millennium 3,000 A.F, re-wrote a huge portion of the original pslams (save those which were left in their original form and were written by Julius I) to include a "conquest-like" aspect to many of the teachings. This is believed to have been done in order to make the transition of members from the House of the Imperator into the House of Julius a fluid process.

### Revisions Beneath Julius V

Responsible for the huge civil-conflict known as the Thousand Year Trials, Julius V's revisions to the second edition of the Holy Pslams are typically regarded as a revival of his the original prince's flare for "Thalassian Exceptionalism". Themes very similar to that which are presented throughout the House of Julius' politically-oriented side are thought to have first-originated from the teachings of these writings. Touching on Belore being a divine figure once more, though also exaggerating the fact that in order to gain power as a movement they would need more than spirit, Julius V was the first prince to introduce the idea of a philosophical system and rule over a religious one. His revisions were, at the time, seen as controversial; many members of the House of Julius instead opted for the older works of his predecessors.

## The Third Edition

In 4509 A.F, the greatest revisions to the pslams were made by the renowned prince Julius VII also known as Julius the Younger.It is during this time that the Church of the Holy Light had been formally introduced as the base system of belief to the House of Julius, and thus, the entirety of the structure of the house and its philosophies had changed for the better (at least, in the view of the general public). Julius, a well-known practitioner of the religion, rewrote the majority of the scriptures within the pslams to coordinate with the views of the Church, though still left a good portion open for interpretation. He insisted on a "loving and caring, compassionate and bold" sort of faith, though the teachings he would attempt to leave there would later be overrode by his successors who manipulated them into a message of dominance and conquest, as was the trend of his predecessors.

### Last Revisions Up to Present Day

Despite the fact that the House of Julius had parted from the Church of the Holy Light formally in 4,813 A.F, the majority of the pslams remained as they were considering that Julius VII had never thought to include the direct teachings in the texts, but instead, a general message. Once his successor - Julius VIII - took the throne, the majority of the pslams were still utilisied as a message, yet they were intended more for elves exclusively rather than other races within the population as a whole. In 5,812 A.F, Julius XII introduced "Astfal", building upon the principles of his predecessors, combining themes such as ultra-nationalism and service to a nation, as well as a code of honour which sets its roots in military service and the service of man to his nation, all while being beholden to the Sun as a life-giving force, rather than a divine one.

## Criticism

As expected, the Holy Pslams generate an ample amount of controversy throughout the Northern Territories and all of Quel'Thalas, as is expected of any text of its kind. Many scholars believe the text, while "beautifully written and well-spoken", is a stepping stone which leads to a downward slope of fascism and theocracy based on principle. The books are still translated, published, and distributed all throughout the Eastern Kingdoms, in most cases for academic and research purposes.