The History of Vasilias Vol. II: Great Vassos, Holy City of Vasilias

The History of Vasilias is a series of books on Vasilias and other important figures in the mythology written by a halfling named Thernio Fimbledon. Thernio was himself not a highly religious individual, preferring instead to try and do unbiased studies of different religions. Though The History of Vasilias is a long series, spanning several volumes, some of them have been, unfortunately, lost to time. After the Mallus there were several volumes lost such as Volumes III (The Seven Kingdoms), VI (Forms of Worship), and the fabled final volume, added much later by another scholar, Volume IX (Last Words and Destruction). The fabled Volume IX was written immediately after The Mallus, but do to the utter chaos of the time, the transcript was lost and the volume never printed.

The Book itself is a fine looking red book with a purple piece of fine fabric attached to the seam to act as a book mark. There are gold straps on the spine of the book, acting as decorative set-pieces, and the front of the book has the symbol of Vasilias engraved in brown. The symbol, of course, is two Hands, One in a closed fist holding a mighty scepter, the other lower and open giving grain.

## Content

### Prologue

*"'...And lo, when the spring sun shone over the fields, the light of day touched the first humans. The Vassoans rose, and Vasilias smiled.' So sayeth the Vasonomicon. These lines are those which tell of the first human's birth. The birth of the Vassoan people. Believed to be their God's chosen people, the Vassoans are devout Vasilian Worshippers and house most of the myths and tales of Vasilias from the Golden Era. After Vasilias raised the Vassoans from dirt, he and his army of angels constructed the mighty Walls around the farmlands of Vassos and placed their magics over them to protect the fields. Though not called Vassos yet, these acts of unity between the celestials and Vassoan humans is what fueled early Vassoan culture. Their religious fanaticism, their desire for knowledge, and the wide breadth of their eventual cities influence all come from these early interactions.*

### Chapter I: The Kingdom of Vasilias

*Early in the Golden Era, after the Seven Crops of Vasilias had been sown and reaped, construction of Vasilias' Kingdom began. The Kingdom of Vasilias was a grand city, home to the Vassoan people, and his angel armies. The construction of The Kingdom of Vasilias began when Vasilias and his angels and his Vassoans constructed Vasilias' throne room in the top of a ziggurat in the middle of his Kingdom. In the center of The Fields of Human Creation, he raised his throne. Then, taking his rightful place as king over the Vassoans, Vasilias sat upon the throne and commanded the construction of the rest of his Kingdom.*

*When he ascended to his throne, he was attended to by his angels. However, one Vassoan was chosen to serve Vasilias, the first priest of Vasilias. Efstathios Kappou listened to the divine words of Vasilias and acted as his divine messenger for the Vassoan people. Efstathios is an important figure to Vassoan Mythology, for it is believed by them that Vasilias' choosing of one of their race was meant to be another symbol that they were his chosen people. Efstathios led Vassoan worship, sacrifices, and delievered his lord's will to the people.*

*In these earliest days, Vasilias ruled over mankind as their king. Some malcontents - the lost crops of Vasilias - did not heed his kingship or power. However, to the Seven Kingdoms of Vasilias, his authority was unquestioned. To enforce his will, he had his army of angels to back him up, and to bring peace and law to the land he had his daughter. Though eventually Auria and her protector Exypnok left The Kingdom of Vasilias, they still had a great effect on the Vassoans and taught them law and order. Meanwhile, Vasilias' solar and lieutenant of his army, Naha, enforced peace among the people. Life was good, people were prosperous and happy. Eventually, however, all good things must end.*

### Chapter II: The Four Knights of Vasilias

*Then came the fateful end of the Golden Era. Vasilias retreated up to the great mountain with the other gods. However, before he did so, he had chosen four champions to take his throne. For although the angels had been his primary forces in the Golden Era, some Vassoan humans rose to the top and were recognized by Vasilias himself for their strength, skill, and abilities.*

*Dimitrios Nicolatsis, a brave warrior and devout man. He proved his worth to Vasilias when he defended the farms of The Kingdom to the South-West. He and a troop of 1,000 men fought off 2,700 Orc raiders. The surviving orcs moved even more southwards. After protecting the peasent farmers and their crops, he was considered a hero. For his sure heart and battle skill, Vasilias gifted him an even greater legion of human warriors and the honor of knighthood. A castle was constructed to the south-west for Dimitirios, within the farming villages he had helped to protect. One night, while bathing in a stream that went nearby his castle, the divine image of Vasilias formed in the river-bed. He told Dimitrios that he and three other warrior would share the kingship of Vassos, and work together to overcome difficulty, as was the human way.*

*Spiridion Lorakos, reeve and founder of Spirdas, a noble knight and politician. He fought under the command of Anok for a while, until he was formally recognized for his skill and prowess in combat against enemy kingdoms. He was rewarded with his own human troop to command for his bravery in combat, refusing to surrender even when all other human combatants died against their enemy. Luckily, the angelic warriors of Vasilias were able to back him up. For holding his own with holy warriors, he not only received his troops but became an official knight of Vasilias, serving under Anok. After some years serving Anok with his troops, he moved out of The Kingdom of Vasilias. He and his troops settled right outside the western gates of The Kingdoms. Slowly, peasants from foreign lands began to travel to The Kingdom so as to be 'in his majesty's glorious kingdom' as one first-hand account recalls. Many of these peasants, due to concerns of over-population, had no choice but to live amongst Spiridion's men in the new-found town of Spirdas. While still considered a part of Vasilias' kingdom, Spiridion had rule over it and became the town's reeve. He and his troops protected the villagers. One night, Spiridion, in his tower, looking out over his town, received a vision. A vision from none other than Vasilias himself. He appeared in the night sky made up of stars and moonlight, and spoke unto Spirdion that he was proud and noble man, and that he and three others had been chosen to rule his kingdom upon his departure.*

*Zaharias Baliades was a holy knight of Vasilias, and even trained with his army. He wielded celestial powers that made him near unconquerable in battle. He fought side by side in a divine army with Munkir against demon invaders, and was able to help quell their rampages and close their portals. For his success in The Battle of the Gate, Zaharias and a troop of human warriors were elected to go defend the eastern gate. A mighty stronghold was constructed near the gate for Zaharias and his army, who were said to fight with angelic weapons of light. Zaharias himself, was said to be in some way divine. Some say that he was the offspring of a lesser angel and human; others that he was half-god and descendent from Vasilias himself. However, there are no records to show that he was in any way a divine offspring, in fact the case is quite the opposite. His ancestors can be tracked back to up to seven generations, so it is unlikely that there was any divine influence within him. However, his fighting style and elegance in battle was comparable to some of Vasilias' most skilled angels. For that reason, one day, while training in his stronghold's courtyard, a giant hawk appeared to Zaharias. At first he was taken aback, but then the hawk spoke with the booming voice of Vasilias. He told him that he must leave his Kingdom, and that the throne would be split between Zaharias and three other knights.*

*Vladimos Tassides, arcana-smith and warrior for Vasilias. Vladimos is the man known for trying to best an angel in forgery. Broúntzok, weapon-smith of Vasilias, was an angel who outfitted Vasilias' army. Vladimos challenged him to a forgery contest, wherein they both had to make short-swords. The winner would become Vasilias' weapon-smith, and the loser would perish. They both got to work, clanging their hammers against hot iron. In the end, Broúntzok won. However, in an act of mercy, Vasilias said that Vladimos would not die but rather serve his human armies. Vladimos was sent to the iron and bronze mines in the North-west to work the metals of the earth. When the stronghold came under the attack of Orc raids, however, Vladimos armed the miners and was able to hold back the attackers. Though many of the untrained miners died, the land was saved, and so Vasilias rewarded Vladimos with a knighthood and troop of men to continue to defend the mines. A big castle was constructed for Vladimos to reside and work in. One day, while forging in the top of his tower, from the flying sparks that his hammer made when banging down on the hot iron came a small flame. He quickly tried to extinguish it, but it would not go out. Then, the face of Vasilias was formed from blue flame and his voice spoke out to Vladimos, telling him of his departure and the other three knights.*

### Chapter III: The Civil War of the Four Knights

*Now the Four Knights had been chosen and brought to the throne room. However, it was not long until they began to bicker. That same day they met in the throne room, a fight broke out between Zaharias and Vladimos. When trying to figure out how to rule as a group, Vladimos began to divvy up different sections of the Kingdom. Zaharias disagreed, saying that he wished for them to share all the lands, but split up responsibilities. Dimitrios accused Zaharias of simply trying to give himself the most power by giving himself leadership over the human army of the Kingdom. Spiridion shot back, accusing Vladimos of trying to keep the most profitable parts of the Kingdom for himself. A fight broke out, and Spiridion stabbed Dimitrios in the arm. That's when the Civil War of The Four Knights started. Vladimos helped Dimitrios retreat, while Spridion and Zaharias prepared their troops.*

*Zaharias and Spiridion did not act quickly enough though, for Zaharias had to travel all the way to the eastern gate while Spridion's men had grown drunk and disorderly. They began demanding taxes from the inhabitants of Spirdas, and had begun to be greatly disliked. While Dimitrios faced a similar problem, for his men had become content to demand food and tax from the southwestern farming villages, Vladimos was the most ready to spring forth his troops. They marched down from the north and met with the troop of Dimitrios, who had been outfitted and armed with great nervousness. Dimitrios' men, as well as Spiridion's, had not seen much action since the early years of their formation. However they were sent out for battle nonetheless. Vlad's 3,000 men and Dimitrios' 2,000. They marched across The Kingdom, sowing destruction and ill tidings. The people of the kingdom began to evacuate as Zaharias, with a troop of 4,000 met them at the eastern gates of the Kingdom. There they warred for some time, until Zaharias' men became threatened with annihilation.*

*From the west however, Spiridion led 3,000 warriors, and clashed with Vlad's men. While Zaharias' remaining 2,000ish men tore through Dimitrios' men, Vlad's had to fight through the onslaught from the west or else be destroyed. Vlad's men were able to fend off Spiridion's men, causing them to retreat back to Spirdas. Meanwhile, Vlad fled back to the north to regroup his men. Dimitrios tried to retreat back to his castle, where he had another 1,500 men in waiting, defending the castle; but alas Zaharias' men were skilled and well-equipped. With their holy weapons, they slew Dimitrios' army, and Zaharias himself met Dimitrios in battle. Still wounded from his earlier scuffle with Spiridion, he was an easy kill for one so skilled as Zaharias.*

*It is said that Dimitrios' final act was one of repentence. He shouted out, after being disarmed, that he had made a mistake. That the four of them should have been unified instead of divided. That Vasilias left them his Kingdom not so they may destroy it with war, but so that they strengthen it with the resilience and sheer brilliance of human determination. He fell to his knees before the enraged Zaharias, and asked him if it was not too late. Whether Zaharias heard him or not, he gave no sign.*

*Zaharias finished what Spiridion had started, completely removing his left arm with one fell swoop of his gleaming longsword. Then, with another great stroke of his shining long sword, he beheaded Dimitrios. With the blood of the first knight on his hands, it is said that the weapons of his army ceased to shine with radiant light; instead they seemed to absorb all light so that the weapons were completely and utterly black and devoid of light*

*Zaharias gathered the 2,000 men he left at his stronghold to hold defense, and marched with them through the Kingdom, ransacking and destroying much of it. When he exited the western gate, he and his men hunkered down at Spirdas to plan their next move with Spiridion.*

### Chapter IV: The Four Priests and the founding of Great Vassos

*For a few months Spiridion and Zaharias planned their next move. Meanwhile, however, the city began to be reinhabited by an unlikely group. Four Vasilian priests, who called themselves the "True Heirs," were devout men who could trace their lineage all the way back to Efstathios Kappou. They began to shelter refugees in the walls of Vassos, and repair the destruction left by the knights while they were in the fields warring and battling. Mostly however, it was just waiting. Waiting for the enemy to make a move. This suited the priests quite well, however, and life began to return to the center of The Kingdom. The Four Priests assumed the shared throne and decided to rename the Kingdom. They refounded The Kingdom as a city under the theocratic rule of four High-Priests. They named the city Great Vassos, for their beloved God. Each of the Four Priests played a specific role and had their own job.*

*Mathaios Mallilis was the Mouth of Vasilias, and it was his job to run the public temples, as well as act as the diplomat and face of the four. Any public announcements or important rituals were held by the well-liked Mathaios. In his youth, he was a rascal. Always getting into some trouble. One day he found himself behind a set of bars and it changed his life. He became a devout Vasilian and was a preacher in the Temples before the war. His parents told him of what life was like in the Golden Era, years he was to young to remember. He wished for a hearkening back to those days, when life was sweet like honey, and days drifted lazily by. Now, every day was a struggle; and indeed he did make this very argument to the other three priests after they confirmed their lineages. So it was Mathaios who convinced the men to return to The Kingdom after they had escaped to the small trading town south-east of The Kingdom, known as Knidea, several months prior. Indeed it worked, and Mathaios was by for the most liked of the four. However, as with any public face there are those who loathe him. They say his charming and devout personality hide a hideous soul, lacking of humanity. Such criticisms come from 'pagan' literature.*

*Lazaros Katsaras was the Hands of Vasilias, and it was his job to act as projects manager and commander of the small group of mercenaries hired to guard Vassos. This group eventually evolved into the esteemed 'Vassoan Guard' of Great Vassos, the elite faction who kept order in the city. Of course, that took time, but Lazaros acted as the catalyst when he hired the men to defend them. They were true and noble men, heirs of great fighters for Vasilias themselves. In his own youth, Lazaros had fought as a warrior. He wanted to train enough to be a great hero and priest of Vasilias, like his hero Zaharias Baliades; the man who could wield celestial power. He was able to join the Temple as a priest for Vasilais; however, he eventually became disillusioned when the fighting commenced. For a while he became rather depressed until hearing of Mathaios' plan, and being able to trace their lineages to Efstathios; well, it was almost as if it was a call to action from Vasilias himself. Lazaros agreed to Mathaios' plan and hired the aforementioned mercenaries.*

*Zinon Bokorus was called the Eyes and Ears of Vasilias, and he watched over Vassos. Several undercover temple intelligence groups were under his command; he was to root out malcontents as well as non-believers. In these days, those who did not recognize Vasilias' superiority were not allowed in Vassos. Any pagan or threat was dealt with by his spies. Zinon was always a man of the temple, even in his youth. As a boy he served as a Temple-Tender (the group of children who helped to clean, decorate, or complete other menial tasks regarding to the temple) and abandoned formal education in the sciences to chase a more philosophical and theological education. He studied, in his teenage years, at the temples in The Kingdom of Vasilias. When the war broke up he fled, with a group of refugees to the nearby Knidea. In Knidea, which was a small trading town to the north-east of Vassos, he met Mathaios and Lazaros. They recognized him from the temple, and decided to try and trace his lineage; for they knew his father and his father's father were devout men. Tracing his lineage to Efstathios was the easiest out of all them, for he actually turned out to be the most directly related to him. So, they approached Zinon and told him their plan. Zinon took little convincing. He had always felt a connection to that first priest of Vasilias, and now having it confirmed, he felt obligated to do right by his ancestor.*

*Vasileios Dangelis was called the Heart of Vasilias. Vasileios was something of a prodigy in the temple circles. He could memorize scripture and Vasonomican passages with ease. Being born to a devout family, Vasileios was strong in the faith and even named for Vasilias himself. One day, when he was barely a boy of ten, he fell through the thin ice while exploring the wintery woods with his friends. Being dragged from the freezing, biting waters, there was nigh a sign of life in the boy. His parents, being well-to-do, brought the boy to a great cleric of Vasilias, who by the grace of his god, was able to ressurect the boy from death. Henceforth, the boy had a connection to the God who's magic had saved him. It was said in times of confusion or darkness, he could hear the very voice of Vasilias. So, with his lineage true and his value immeasurable, the three priests sought Vasileios in Knidea. After they found and told him of their plan, he consulted Vasilias himself. An answer he did receive, and Vasilias gave their quest his divine sanction.*

*For the next couple years, while the remaining knights fought and died, the Four Priests reigned over Great Vassos, and began to see some prosperity. While the lands to the west lay in the wastes of war, Central Vassos as well as the east were well inhabited and people, though nervous, lived good enough lives. The time came, however, when the Civil War of the Four Knights saw it's end; and then the victor came to the Throne of Vasilias, seeking his lordship.*

### Chapter V: The Scorned King

*While the four priests revived The Kingdom, Spiridion and Zaharias plotted. The next several months consisted of Spiridion and Zaharias waiting for Vladimos to make a move and vice-versa. Occasionally they would send out small squadrons of men to scout ahead, but they would immediately fall to the arrows of the enemy.*

*However, after about a year and a half of this, Spiridion and Zaharias got tired of waiting. They decided they would attack Vladimos' mines from the north and the south, so they could besiege his stronghold. Zaharias was to go around, to the north west and take the long way to arrive behind Vladimos and attack him from the north. Meanwhile, Spiridion's forces would stage a head on assault in order to distract Vladimos.*

*Zaharias, with his 3,800 men began to travel west while Spiridion outfitted his 2,600 and began to march northwards towards Vlad's mines. Vlad's men saw Spiridion's men arming and marching, and warned their master immediately. So, as Spiridion's army marched into the cold dark mines of the north, Vlad rode with his men to meet him at the gates of his mighty and dark stronghold.*

*For several weeks the two armies stood at a deadlock in the gates of Vlad's Stronghold. Spiridion's army began to succumb rapidly to Vlad's men, whose lieutenants were armed with magical arcana-forged weapons. Even when his men's life became endangered so, he did not order a retreat. He was holding out hope for Zaharias. One day though, Spiridion and Vladimos himself met in battle. Vlad's weapon was sharp, strong, and radiated magical energy. One hit from his greataxe was like a thousand. It moved through the air with supernatural speed, and those who fell to it's chop were blasted back. So it was that against Spiridion and his two shortswords, that Vlad was able to land a hit that sent Spiridion flying back from the magic force.*

*Then from behind came the war cry of Zaharias' 3,800. They infilitrated Vlad's stronghold while he fought Spiridion and rushed from behind and flanked them. Vlad's men, now thrown into chaos, saw great losses. Zaharias joined battle against Vladimos with Spiridion. They fought for days in that battle, but eventually Vladimos swung his heavy great-axe and chopped Spiridion in his chest and knocked him fifteen feet back. Zaharias went to retrieve his bleeding body, but was stopped by Vladimos. walking in circles around eachother, staring the other one down, they engaged in combat once more.*

*The two fought desperately, but Zaharias' men began to weaken Vlad's. Before his forces could be completely decimated, Vlad ordered a retreat into his stronghold. While he did so, Zaharias grabbed Spiridion and his men set an encampment at the gates of Vlad's Stronghold. That same night, Spiridion succumbed to his wounds and died. Enraged, Zaharias wept. Once, he had cared for Vasilias. Now, in his opinion, his god had taken everything from him. With determination he rose and looked at the immense black-stone building before him. The next day he and his forces stormed the stronghold.*

*They attacked, with their weapons of darkness, and slew the remainder of Vlad's army. His army fought valiantly and until the end though, and because of that so too did Zaharias' army dwindle. Now, as both men's forces were declining, they met in battle again, this time on the rooftop of Vlad's black tower, which stood menacingly in the middle of his stronghold. The fight was intense and never was such a tremendous battle seen since. They exchanged blows, and nearly Vlad used his Axe to knock Zaharias off of the black rooftop. However, Zaharias caught himself, and deceiving Vlad, only pretended to fall. As Vlad approached the edge of the tower, Zaharias jumped up and swung his dark sword at Vlad's legs. Zaharias was able to completely sever Vlad's feet. As Zaharias raised himself to impale Vlad on his sword, Vlad crawled away. With his final act he cursed Zaharias to the pits. "You will never be a king" he is rumored to have said. "The people will listen not to you. Not to any of this. This war was folly. We were fools, Zaharias." then, as he looked woefully at the steep drop that was before him, over the edge of the roof, he added on mournfully, "And we all deserve the same fate." With that, he plunged himself into the depths below the tower, and fell into the stronghold courtyard - mangled, and broken.*

*Zaharias' remaining men fled during the battle, for their forces had been diminished to the point where the fear of death was greater than the fear of Zaharias. Slowly, the broken and bleeding Zaharias hobbled back to the throne which was rightfully his. When he came to the western gates of Vassos, he was greeted by Lazaros Katsaras and his Vassoan Guard. With no army, and no power left, Zaharias retreated to the south with his black longsword and was never seen again. Before he left, he swore revenge on the priests of Vasilias and promised that some day he would return to claim his rightful place on the throne.*

### Epilogue

*Throughout the years, Vassos has seen war, peace, prosperity, and destruction. It's history is rich and filled with remarkable tales that excites and fascinates. They also, however, provide a interesting insight into the minds and hearts of not only humans, but the of Vassoan people themselves. With how heavily Vasilias influenced their region and home city, it is no wonder that the Vassoans consider themselves chosen people. For the Vassoans are the people of Great Vassos, the Holy City of Vasilias.*