Vasselheim is the capital of human civilization on the continent of Issylra. It is predominantly a religious city with several districts, each dedicated to a patron deity. Vasselheim is sometimes called the Dawn City, the Cradle of Faith, or the Cradle of Creation, as it is considered the origin of civilization and various religions.
Society[]
The people of Vasselheim are generally rugged and stern. Many wear patchwork furs and have unkempt hair. The pious lifestyles and brutal environment of the Northwest make for hard living.[citation needed] In the frigid climate and isolation, food is precious, and everyday dinners are formal and ritualized, serving as reminders of their gratitude and devotion to the Prime Deities. Periodically throughout the year, elaborate feasts are held to honor the Prime Deities.[6]
The city's government is a theocracy. Each district of the city (and more importantly, the gods they represent) have equal status. As one Bastion put it, "Vasselheim is a divided and united city, as one."[7] Each district is self-governed by the highest lord of its priesthood: the "Dawn Marshal". In matters concerning the city as a whole, the Dawn Marshals meet in council to debate and decide on the matter (i.e. when the representatives of the various priesthoods met in the Platinum Sanctuary when Vecna threatened Vasselheim).[citation needed] Vasselheim has many guards, collectively called "the Bastion", that consist of volunteers from the various religions. The Bastions primarily operate within their respective districts but also serve as the militia if the city were to be attacked.[citation needed]
Arcane magic is largely frowned upon in Vasselheim. Mages aren't trusted, due to the fallout after the Age of Arcanum, so any public display of semi-powerful magic that isn't divine in nature will draw attention and require an explanation by the keepers of order. Small fines and minor jail time may ensue.[8]
Economy[]
Vasselheim proudly exports enchanted potions, and Mertin Cyndrial claims that most potions one would see throughout the world in some way, shape, or form originated in Vasselheim.[9]
Notable people[]
Dawn Marshals of Vasselheim[10]
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Vord the Silver-Touched | NPC | Highbearer of the Scalebearers (Bahamut) |
| Groon | NPC | As of 812 PD, Earthbreaker of the Dawn Fist (Kord) |
| Ophera | NPC | High Hierophant of the Birthheart (Melora) |
| Curtis Uleas | NPC | Holy Curator of the Paramours (Erathis) |
| Pike Trickfoot | PC | Chosen of Sarenrae (Sarenrae) |
| The Maidens of the Raven Queen | NPC | Two nameless twins, that speak on behalf of the goddess. Thus, they are considered to jointly be the de facto Dawn Marshal. |
| Quethir Droh | NPC | As of 843 PD, Dawn Marshal and warrior of the Dawn Fist (Kord) |
Others
- Gloria Ios: Foreign outreach for the Arcana Pansophical.
- Osysa: A gynosphinx residing in a secret temple beneath the Slayer's Take guildhall.
- Vanessa Cyndrial: Guildmaster of the Slayer's Take.
- Vespin Chloras: In the Age of Arcanum, a famous archmage. Released the Betrayer Gods from their planar prisons, bringing about the Calamity.[11]
Description[]
Fan art of the city of Vasselheim, by Brandon Chang.[art 2]
Located in the region of Othanzia near Vesper Timberland, the city itself is built around a massive mountain called the Heaven's Stair[12] approximately 20–30 miles inland from the Ozmit Sea. Vasselheim has many walls, varying in age and composition, armed with dragon-headed ballistae. The streets are unpaved and made mostly of packed mud. The only conventional way to enter the city is by foot, as the journey to Vasselheim is considered a religious pilgrimage. In the case of an emergency, a haphazard skyship platform has been constructed on top of a mill.
Vasselheim has a large mining operation for cobalt in the mountain. Many of the stores tend to sell supplies for miners and workers that operate in the mountain.
All across the city are signal braziers, which when burning white and orange signify imminent threat. In 843 PD during the gathering of Exandrian Accord forces in Vasselheim, the braziers burned bluish green, symbolizing the unification of the participants and the presence of important but not immediate danger.[13] When the forces departed for the battle, the beacons began burning bright white and orange.[14]
Silver Talon's Reach[]
The Silver Talon's Reach is a district dedicated to the worship of Bahamut, the god of life and order.[15] It placed at the very northern part of the town attached to the Heaven's Stair.[16] The priesthood for this district are the Scalebearers.
- Heaven's Stair Mountain: A giant mountain that bisects the northern portion of Vasselheim [17]. It looks over the entirety of the city,[18] and is named for the seemingly endless stairway leading upward from a massive silver gate at its base.[19]
- The Platinum Sanctuary: The oldest known temple to Bahamut in the world. The Horn of Orcus that Vox Machina recovered from K'Varn is interred here.
The Braving Grounds[]
Fan art of Vasselheim's Dragonhead Ballistas, by Brandon Chang.[art 3]
The Braving Grounds District is dedicated to the deity of war Kord. The district is the west part of the city, which greets weary travelers incoming from Glasswalk Road. It runs northward from the city through the Vesper Timberland and toward the Zenwick Mountains. The Braving ground's priesthood is the warriors of the Dawn Fist.
- The Crucible: An arena fighting pit where Grog challenged the previously reigning champion, known as Kern "the Hammer".
- Statue of Kord: Atop the Trial Forge, a gargantuan statue of Kord loomed over the entire district. The statue depicted a musclebound titan of a figure standing heroically with a giant beard, bracers on his arms, and one knee raised.[20]
- The Trial Forge: The local sacred temple to the patron god, Kord. It also served as a meditation and physical training center.[21]
- The Temple of Renewal: A recently discovered ancient temple of Sarenrae within the Braving Grounds. It had been buried under the fallen tower of Syrac. Pike led this temple's restoration efforts after arriving at Vasselheim and before returning to Emon. Though Sarenrae's following and priesthood in the city are much smaller than those of other districts, Pike is still afforded the same respect as any other Dawn Marshal.
The Quadroads[]
The Quadroads District venerates the law and civilization associated with the god Erathis. The district is named for the four roads, incoming from every other district of Vasselheim. They form two main routes and meet up together in the middle of the city[22] into a large bazaar.[23] Its priesthood is known as the Holy Paramours.
- The Crown of Erathis: The temple to Erathis in the Quadroads, overseen by a priesthood known as the "Holy Paramours"
- The Slayer's Take: A local hunting guild which Vox Machina were coerced into joining.
- Forscythia's Shop: The home of the hag Forscythia.
- Bazaar: Accommodates mostly foreign, traders selling exported goods.[24] Former location of Cidrick Gillsman.
The Abundant Terrace[]
- → Main article: The Abundant Terrace.
The Abundant Terrace is the district of Vasselheim devoted to the worship of Melora, goddess of the wilderness and the sea.[25] Located in the western part of the city,[26] it consists mostly of wooded areas and farmland and provides most of the food for Vasselheim. Various enchantments in the district keep the weather mild, allowing for year-long harvests from its orchards.[27]
Fan art of the Birthheart, by Kent Davis.[art 4]
- The Birthheart: The main temple to Melora, which is an ascending series of tiered and irrigated gardens.
- Midnight Breath Tavern: A tavern co-owned by Dagon.[28]
The Duskmeadow[]
The Duskmeadow District is dedicated to the worship of the goddess of fate and death, the Raven Queen. The district celebrates death as a part of life and appears lively in contrast to the other parts of town. The buildings are dark, but the morbid celebration is constant here. Its priesthood is the leaderless order of dark-veiled maidens of the Raven Queen known as the Trust of Winter.[29]
- Raven's Crest: The Gothic cathedral dedicated to the worship of the Raven Queen.
- The Amaranthine Oubliette: The prison of Vasselheim.
- The Catacombs: An underground structure in which the dead of Vasselheim are interred. Currently sealed because of the Dark Bloom.[30]
- The Velvet Cabaret: A place of leisure for wealthy guests.
Notable locations[]
- The Cobalt Vault: This archive of the Cobalt Soul is one of Exandria's leading libraries, ranking with that in Rexxentrum on the continent of Wildemount. The High Curator of Vasselheim shares dual and equal leadership over the entire structure of the Cobalt Soul with the High Curator of Rexxentrum, Yudala Fon.
- Titan's Block: The name given to the area inside and around the now dead and unmoving earth titan, since people have used it to built new homes and even businesses, incorporating it into the city.[31] Abjurative glyphs have been carved in the tunnels inside the primordial's corpse, to prevent it from moving ever again, even if someone tries to reanimate it.[32]
Outskirts[]
This area of the city is quiet, if somewhat run down, with places that obviously need a new coat of paint, and at least one neglected park with dying vegetation.[35]
- Timpani Guff's apartment: Messy home that served as the first base of operations for the Re-Slayer's Take.
- Grimm Heldwell's mansion: A two-story stone and iron building, with a menacing-looking fence and a garden. By 839 PD the property was in a severe state of abandonment, and both the neglected garden and the wooden elements inside the house had begun to rot. Under the mansion there are tunnels that lead to a strange obelisk with druidic runes,[36] and to a dungeon connected to a funerary chamber.[37]
Unidentified location[]
- Siren's Succor: A bar in Vasselheim[38]
- Cluttered Cloister: A bar in Vasselheim in 843 PD catering to the clergy with both alcoholic and non- drinks. According to a worker there named Jeanine, her boss is a great fan of Vox Machina.[39]
- Temple to The Dawnfather: A three-tiered temple, manned by multiple priests. Outside is a bell made of enchanted, translucent metal that glows at night, rung at the zenith of the day.[40]
- A Taste of Tal'Dorei: One of these restaurants had been opened in the Dawn City around 839 PD.[41]
History[]
Vasselheim is the oldest known bastion of civilization in the world. Most human (and perhaps pre-elf and pre-dwarf) civilization stemmed from this city, which is believed to be tens of thousands of years old. The oldest temples to the main deities of good and neutrality have been uncovered within the city, and as such it is considered the holiest place in the modern world. It has therefore been through many wars and conflicts. Those that live within it do so because they feel that they can fight against this, and they call it a privilege to exist in this harsh landscape as devotion to their respective deities. Because it is such a holy place, the arcane is considered profane in public and very carefully controlled otherwise.[42]
The city of Vasselheim is the only city to have survived every catastrophe that has destroyed Exandria: from the elemental chaos of its Founding to the wars between gods during the Calamity. As the oldest civilization and center of religion in the world, Vasselheim is functionally the spiritual center of the world.[43] It is the place where the Prime Deities announced their self-exile through the creation of the Divine Gate, an event called the Divergence.[44]
Following the Dawn War, in which Bahamut helped defend Vasselheim, the platinum dragon shed a tear for the sacrifices his devoted followers had made in the war. From that tear was born a crystal, the Star of Exaltation, which was preserved for millennia, until shortly after 510 PD, when the city came under a terrible siege. The crystal was used as a focus in a ritual to bring Bahamut's intervention to defend Vasselheim, and this expended the last of the crystal's power and destroyed it on the Material Plane.[45]
Defending against Vecna[]
When Vecna ascended to godhood, he made Vasselheim his primary target. His "miracle" to prove his divinity and recruit more worshipers would be to destroy the spiritual center of the Prime Deities and literally place his own city (Thar Amphala) on top of the rubble. The council of Vasselheim sent word across Exandria, requesting aid. J'mon Sa Ord eagerly offered aid from Ank'Harel (bringing all the Hands of Ord to Vasselheim), and Tal'Dorei pledged their support as well. However, King Bertrand Dwendal refused to mobilize against Vecna until the threat was confirmed to have reached Wildemount and the borders of the Dwendalian Empire.
Vecna had reanimated a deceased Earth Titan and placed Thar Amphala atop it. While Vox Machina stealthily made their way up through the Crypts of Thomara (inside the titan), the allied forces fought against Vecna's forces. An arcane barrier guarded Thar Amphala from exterior assault, so Vox Machina's mission to banish Vecna with the Tome of Isolation became imperative.
Fan art of Vasselheim celebrating Vecna's defeat, by Kent Davis.[art 5]
As Vox Machina battled the Whispered One atop the ruined Tower of Entropis, the Earth Titan had reached the outskirts of Vasselheim and had begun smashing the Braving Grounds district. When Vecna was banished beyond the Divine Gate, the Earth Titan ceased to be reanimated and remained motionless where it had been standing: at the base of the Heaven's Stair. With the defeat of Vecna, the people rejoiced and Vox Machina were hailed as the saviors of Vasselheim, if not all of Exandria; and at some point after that they started expanding the city to include the titan itself, creating elevators to access it, build in it, and use it for gardening, mining, and potentially living.[46]
Stolen documents and the Apogee Solstice[]
At some point between 812 and 843 PD members of the Grim Verity discovered what they termed "upsetting inconsistencies in historical presentation" relating to the red moon Ruidus.[47] Three members of this group, Baryn Vestisho, Janina, and Arnold Drot broke into the temple of Erathis in Vasselheim,[48] managing to steal ancient texts referring to the two forgotten gods Vordo and Ethedok, their destruction by the entity Predathos, and Predathos's subsequent imprisonment in the newly-created red moon Ruidus. Drot was captured during the break-in and was given to the Platinum Sanctuary, but his two companions escaped to Marquet.[49] Because of this, and since it was desired that the existence of these documents and their contents remain a secret, Vasselheim sent agents to retrieve them and capture those connected to the theft; two Judicators were sent to the Aydinlan Seminary in Yios.[50]
In 843 PD, in the months prior to the apogee solstice, the temples in Vasselheim began to prepare, taking a particular interest in those locations in which the leylines were projected to form a new nexus (such as Hearthdell), reasserting their influence in those places through new temples or more military presence in order to control them.[51] Since the Dawn City was also aware that Ludinus Da'leth and the Ruby Vanguard were trying to use the solstice to release the God Eater from his prison, they sent skyships to the Tishtan excavation site in Marquet, as well as several agents and at least one Judicator to stop him; however, one of the ships was shot down, the Judicator was killed, and the remaining skyships arrived too late, witnessing the activation of the Malleus Key.[52] After that, Vasselheim started actively acting against their enemies in Marquet, sending more skyships and even one of their Dawn Marshals, Quethir Droh. He and three skyships stopped over Bassuras on their way to the Red Center, where they were attacked by local mercenaries and suffered some casualties.[53]
Most of the forces that surrounded the Red Center were from Vasselheim. It was revealed that some form of innate power from the Reilora was diminishing divine magic in the area, lessening healing spells, for example.[54]
Bell's Hells and Essek Thelyss, attempting to teleport to Eiselcross despite its interference with magical travel, were redirected to a series of cold, mountainous areas across the world. One of their inadvertent destinations was a snowy glade in a forest of densely packed pine trees, near which they saw snow rabbits and caught a boar.[55] Climbing to the top of one tree, Fearne Calloway beheld a valley with scattered wisps of smoke, and thought she saw, many miles away, a frozen lake and a massive mountain on the side of which was situated a very large city with multiple layers of high battlements.[56] This seems to describe the Vesper Timberland, with Vasselheim visible in the distance.
The next day Essek Teleported Bells Hells to Vasselheim after they discovered the fall of the Exandrian Accord forces around the base of the Bloody Bridge. The Dawn City had become in the last few days a refuge and rallying point for people and soldiers escaping the consequences of the apogee solstice, as well as the meeting point for the Accord. However, Vasselheim had also been dealing with problems possibly caused by the dense ley line tethers above it, which included the Dark Bloom, causing their guards to be particularly cautious.[57] At that moment, Vasselheim was one of the three cities gathering armies for the Accord, along with Whitestone and Ank'Harel.[58]
Behind the scenes[]
Matthew Mercer noted that Vasselheim has "somewhat Norse" influences,[59] and the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting sourcebook more specifically says Issylra's cities are inspired by 12th-century Norway, centered around religious sites and relics reminiscent of ancient Mesopotamian and Sumerian temples.[60]
Trivia[]
- Selling illegal products (such as exotic animals) can be punished with decades of jail time.[61]
References[]
- ↑ See "Enter Vasselheim" (1x16) at 0:40:38.
- ↑ See "Return to Vasselheim" (1x43) at 0:05:59.
- ↑ See "Enter Vasselheim" (1x16) at 0:40:38.
- ↑ See "Return to Vasselheim" (1x43) at 0:05:59.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 12.
- ↑ Exquisite Exandria: The Official Cookbook of Critical Role, p. 77.
- ↑ See "The Ominous March" (1x109) at 1:20:28.
- ↑ Matt Mercer explained in a Reddit post.
- ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 48:38.
- ↑ See "The Ominous March" (1x109) from 1:23:42 through 1:24:30.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 15.
- ↑ See "Return to Vasselheim" (1x43) at 2:00:42. The Heaven's Stair was mentioned again at 2:02:05.
- ↑ See "Assault on the Malleus Key" (3x113) at 0:51:16.
- ↑ See "Assault on the Malleus Key" (3x113) at 1:52:03.
- ↑ See "Return to Vasselheim" (1x43) at 2:02:46.
- ↑ See "Dangerous Dealings" (1x42) at 3:25:22.
- ↑ See "Return to Vasselheim" (1x43) at 2:00:43.
- ↑ See "Return to Vasselheim" (1x43) at 2:02:05.
- ↑ See "Cages" (3x103) at 3:25:50.
- ↑ See "The Rematch" (1x23) at 2:19:36.
- ↑ See "The Rematch" (1x23) from 2:19:24 through 2:24:02.
- ↑ See "Dangerous Dealings" (1x42) at 3:25:01. The part about four roads is mostly made up but kind of makes sense. Matt explicitly hasn't said, "four roads meet up in the Quadroads district" however, it is surrounded by four districts, flowing into center one (Quadroads)
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 3" (1x20) at 0:51:29.
- ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 0:48:34.
- ↑ See "Loose Ends" (1x84) at 2:44:31.
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 1" (1x18) at 49:05.
- ↑ See "Loose Ends" (1x84) at 2:48:58.
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 1" (1x18) at 0:51:25.
- ↑ See "The Search For Grog" (Sx42) at 0:32:41.
- ↑ See "Cages" (3x103) at 3:19:56.
- ↑ See "In the Shadow of War" (3x110) at 2:10:05.
- ↑ See "In the Shadow of War" (3x110) at 2:19:27.
- ↑ See "In the Shadow of War" (3x110) at 2:08:11.
- ↑ See "In the Shadow of War" (3x110) at 2:53:33.
- ↑ See "The Voiceless Village" (RTx04).
- ↑ See "The Decomposing Domicile" (RT2x13).
- ↑ See "The Hopeless Hostages" (RT2x14).
- ↑ See "Voice of the Tempest" (1x90) at 3:09:08.
- ↑ See "The Assembling of Legends" (3x112) at 3:06:54.
- ↑ See "Assault on the Malleus Key" (3x113) at 1:16:16.
- ↑ See "The Decomposing Domicile" (RT2x13).
- ↑ See "Enter Vasselheim" (1x16) at 45:12.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 159.
- ↑ Exquisite Exandria: The Official Cookbook of Critical Role, p. 77.
- ↑ See "Enter Vasselheim" (1x16) from 1:06:53 through 1:12:28.
- ↑ See "Cages" (3x103) at 3:15:15.
- ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 2:50:37.
- ↑ See "Dark Portents" (3x29) at 2:54:42.
- ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 2:51:57.
- ↑ See "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) at 2:38:02.
- ↑ See "Crisis of Faith" (3x61) at 4:16:07.
- ↑ See "The Apogee Solstice" (3x51).
- ↑ See "Embattled in Bassuras" (3x70) at 4:29:40.
- ↑ See "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76) at 2:03:25.
- ↑ See "Shadows New and Old" (3x96) at 2:14:24. See also 2:18:08 and 2:20:50.
- ↑ See "Shadows New and Old" (3x96) at 2:23:00.
- ↑ See "Cages" (3x103) from 3:00:49 through 3:09:25.
- ↑ See "In the Shadow of War" (3x110) at 1:04:41.
- ↑
Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "Little bit of Column A & B. Ank'Harel is distinctly Arabic in influence, Vasselheim is somewhat Norse, etc" (2016-02-02) — in reply to @orangeinah: "@matthewmercer question I thought of today: is any of the world mythology based on real cultures, fantasy tropes, or some combination?"
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 98.
- ↑ See "The Masked Man" (RT2x02).
Art:
- ↑ Official art of Vasselheim, by Kent Davis from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 2:46. Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the city of Vasselheim, by Brandon Chang (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vasselheim's Dragonhead Ballistas, by Brandon Chang (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Birthheart, by Kent Davis (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vasselheim celebrating Vecna's defeat, by Kent Davis (source). Used with permission.
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