Ilias Kostides

Ilias Kostides was the King of Ilaka, reigning from **485PR** to his death from the Hilan Plague in **502PR**. He was a controversial but popular leader, leading the nation through a series of struggles.

## Birth

Ilias was the son of King Thodris II and Queen Valentina, born in **466PR** in the capital, Kras. His early life is shrouded in mystery, hidden by the Royal Family.

## Reign

When King Thodris II died in **485PR**, Ilias ascended the throne. Ilaka at the time was struggling with a series of issues, mainly financially from a series of missteps from his father and corruption in the ranks of the Tax Collectors.

As a show of strength in the next year, Ilias quickly cracked down on the corruption in the Tax Collectors, executing the ring leaders and placing many in the mines near Serdica.

In **487PR** Ilias enacted heavy taxation on the city of Helicules, targeting the original populace there first in order to keep the Ilakan citizens happy, but eventually had to target them too. Expecting anger and resentment, he required the taxes to pay off a lot of the debt that the nation had accumulated, using what remained to update a lot of their agricultural sector. Unknowingly, he caused the creation of the Pro-Carto Faction led by Zinon Carto.

More difficulties came to his reign in **489PR** when the nation suffered extensive raiding from the Northern Tribes and the Lorenzen Kingdom. It didn’t take long for Zinon Carto to capitalise on the situation, starting the Carton War.

### Carton War

*See: Carton War*

The Carton War was a complete embarrassment for Ilias, unable to send the full might of his army to take the city of Helicules, now in open rebellion. When his soldiers did arrive they were defeated in the Battle of the Carto Empire, giving legitimacy to the rebels.

The next year, the rebels took the town of Aecae and the area South of Helicules. Then, they too started raiding the lands of Ilaka, who were finally able to quell the Northern Tribes and force them to pay tribute.

#### Talks with Zinon Carto

King Ilias eventually succumbed to pressure and entered official talks with Zinon Carto. Since Ilias was a stubborn man, it took some time, but eventually he agreed to ending the war and recognising the Carto Empire as an independent nation. The only benefit he got was that the Cartons would not step foot in Ilakan controlled lands for the next 30 years, letting him prepare for an eventual invasion.

### Backlash and Reforms

Now with less land, Ilias needed the support of his people that were about to rebel against him. Thus, he enacted a series of reforms to the nation, building a series of mines near Serdica, using the knowledge of the captured Dwarves to his advantage.

When it came to labour, he used slaves from the Northern Tribes and prisoners from the Lorenzen Kingdom. Despite losing a lot of land, he was able to begin paying off the debt again.

### Invasion of the Lorenzen Kingdom

*See: Invasion of the Lorenzen Kingdom*

During the times of backlash and reforms, the Lorenzen Kingdom was currently at war with the Nirvan Republic, called the Second Lorenzen War. As it was of interest to him and the region, King Ilias made sure to watch the reports closely, hearing about the Lorenzen defeat in the Battle for Clemmensen.

Happy, and wanting a distraction from the situation the Ilakans were still in, he declared war on the Lorenzen Kingdom and began his invasion in **493PR**. His army was commanded by Perkules Architsis, a trusted general of his who helped beat the Northern Tribes.

#### Battle for Laurid

*See: Battle for Laurid*

Despite it being a costly victory for Perkules, the battle went relatively well for the Ilakans, capturing the hold of Laurid from the weakened Lorenzens. With new access to the mountains, Ilias began plans to create mines.

#### Negotations with the Nirvans

Ilias was eventually contacted by Gallio Aebutus, leader of the Calenus Faction and representative from the Nirvan Republic. Initially, he wanted none of it, simply ignoring any messages sent.

Though, after private thought in his study, Ilias opened up to discussion, realising that he could spend less resources and time fighting if the Lorenzens had already been defeated by the Nirvans. They came to the decision that wherever the decisive battle against the Lorenzens was, he would claim everything East.

This presented him with two unique advantages: 1, the rest of his conquest would be much easier, now that the Lorenzens were defeated and 2, no matter who won, they would be weak and unable to either backtrack on their deal or stop the Ilakan advance.

#### Battle of Dalsgaard

*Main Article: Battle of Dalsgaard*

The Battle of Dalsgaard was a decisive victory for the Nirvans, allowing the Ilakans to slowly move up and claim everything East of the battle.

When Perkules returned to Kras, Ilias made sure to honour and award the general for his actions, including the soldiers that he commanded.

### Economic Growth

Now that the invasion was over, Ilias and the Ilakans had gained enough resources and land to make up for their losses in the Carton War. Using his reforms, they were quickly reaching a good level of economic prosperity, paying back their debts within the next 5 years.

This actually made King Ilias incredibly popular, despite his loss in the previous war.

### Plague of the 5th Century

*See: Plague of the 5th Century*

Aligned with Ilias’s luck as monarch, the world was soon hit with the Plague of the 5th Century, starting in Ilaka no less. From there, it spread to Gonarundu, the Nirvan Republic, Uhek and further into the Carto Empire, Hashin, Tamwull, Trosstin and other nations outside of South-East Arlec.

Mimicking their neighbours in Gonarundu, Ilias enacted a series of policies that meant that people were to isolate if they showed any signs, under threat of death. He later made a policy making it so that anyone out of their homes must be wearing full-clothing, ignoring the hot times.

In the mines near Serdica, he made it so they had a split shift. Half would work for 10 hours, and then swap with another group. This meant if anyone were to become infected, they would be removed from the mine and isolated, either killing the workers or defeating the virus. This managed to save the economy from going into debt, but only kept them barely neutral during the pandemic.

## Death

Ilias caught the Hilan Plague sometime in **502PR** when visiting the people. There, his condition quickly deteriorated, becoming bedridden and black veins all over his body. Some of the best priests, doctors and clerics in the country came to heal him but found out that the strain he had was magical, rejecting all efforts.

On July 16 **502PR**, the infection shut down his organs, killing him. His wife, Irida, was next to him.

## Succession

With the King unexpectedly dead, Crown Prince Argiris became the next monarch. Since he was only 13 at the time, he would have his mother, Irida, take over as Queen Regent until he reached the age of 15, where he would be ceremoniously crowned.

A small issue occurred when Silas Kostides, Uncle of Ilias, claimed the throne, but was quickly quelled by the guards, unable to gain any legitimacy since the Crown Prince had already been named.

## Marriage and Family

Ilias married his cousin, Irida in **484PR** while he was still Crown Prince. The wedding was mainly private, kept within the realm of Kras Castle. The two finished their ceremony by eating a fruit from the Kostides tree in the Kras Gardens.

The couple welcomed their first child in **489PR**, a boy named Argiris Kostides. In **497PR** he was named Crown Prince.

They welcomed two more children, a son and daughter in **491PR** and **495PR** respectively.

## Legacy

Ilias is seen as one of the few good Kings in Ilaka, making up for his mistakes in the Carton War and saving the Kingdom from near destruction. His economic and agricultural reforms would be used for years to come, helping the nation survive difficulty after difficulty.

At his funeral, people threw their valuables onto his coffin, hoping to give him a good chance in the afterlife if he had the support of the people.