Grasili
Grasili is a wildly liberal and flamboyant coastal city in Sayaffallah with a deep Orthodox history and influence on most of the architecture. The population today of Grasili is 7,202,150 (7.2 million).
Georgraphy and temperature
Geography
The city is a coastal city extending into the southernmost sea with tropical plants growing within its limits and date palms all along its coastline. The city features some small rolling hills to the north and to the distant northwest but for the most part the city is flat and prone to flooding during typhoons and large scale rain events.
Temperature
The temperature within Grasili is tropical typically not going below 26C(80F) in the winter and not rising above 37C (98.9F) in the summer time. Its proximity to the ocean means that cooling breezes exist all year long and typically are strongest in the fall and spring with the least amount of wind falling in the winter period of Grasili's climate calendar.
History
Early history
Grasili was founded by Orthodox missionaries in 1310 and later occupied by a garrison of 6,000 Orthodox soldiers who defended the city as an enclave of Orthodoxy. The Basilica De Grasili was constructed by order of the Archbishop of Grasili in 1340 and completed by 1410 making it the largest building in the city and the tallest. On its roof were several parapets manned by Orthodox soldiers allowing them to see far distances out to sea to determine whether or not enemy ships were incoming to the city or not.
Grasili at this time was a citadel surrounded on all sides by several thick white washed walls with soldiers manning guard posts on the roof to watch who was coming in through the gates on the land side and who was entering through the hand cranked hydraulic gates on the sea side of the harbor. The citadel formed a vital protection also from the sea keeping the waves at bay as they crashed against the outer walls and the wind from whipping through the streets.
Islamic Invasion
In 1600 the Islamic tribes attempted 6 times to invade Grasili failing each time and on the 6th attempt the Islamic Tribes signed the Agreement of Grasili which maintained Grasili as an independent city state functioning as an enclave of Orthodoxy. This agreement stipulated and allowed for peace and trade between the Islamic Empire and the City State of Grasili. Grasili prospered under this agreement and soon made the decision to take down some of their walls in 1820 to allow for even greater levels of growth as the city ballooned in size to over 2,600 residents by 1830.
Typhoon of 1840
In 1840 the sea walls were breached by 60ft (18 meter) waves which rocketed over the tops of the walls and crashed against the roofs of buildings nestled against the sea wall area. The walls were quickly destroyed by these waves and large gaping holes were created. The city began to flood around 9 in the evening on June 2, 1940 and the waters came to the rooftop level by 2 in the morning of June 3, 1840. When the waters subsided it was believed that over 260,000 people perished in the Typhoon and over 6,000 buildings were wiped out, taken away or destroyed by the force of the waves and the flooding throughout the city.
To this day June 2 & 3 are city wide holidays with the flags lowered to half staff and in the evenings at 11pm over 260,000 candles are placed in the water as the Orthodox priests chant funeral rites until midnight at which time everyone either disperses or waits until the last candle drifts out of sight.
Revolution of 1900
The national revolution in Sayaffallah in 1900 saw the end of Islamic rule throughout the country but in Grasili it saw celebrations and a sense of unease as to what the future would bring. However this unease would not last as approximately six months later the city would vote unanimously to ask to join the nation of Sayaffallah under its new government. Terms of agreement were drafted and so long as Orthodoxy and Islam are able to cohabit equally in the country the city will remain a part of Sayaffallah.
December 1, 1901 saw the agreement come into full force and the flag of Grasili was lowered and the Sayaffallan flag was raised. So great was the divide in public opinion that flags of mourning in the traditional black were lowered across windows throughout the city and in other parts people protested strongly by blocking traffic. The police attempted to clear the protesters but many of the police ended up joining the protesters after hearing their impassioned arguments. Many in the historical community say that the instant the police joined the protesters it started the counter-government expressions that would become more prominent in the 1970s.
Referendum of 1910
In 1910 Grasili under popular protest held a referendum and voted overwhelmingly to return to being a city state separate from Sayaffallah. This referendum was the result of steadily building popular opinion from 1900 onward to 1910 specifically the creation of the Women's League of Grasili which mobilized women from across the city to protests and rallies against Grasili giving up its independence. The decision to leave Sayaffallah was met with fury from Bellissimomare which called the vote a sham and ordered the city to comply with the terms of the agreement or face military action from the nation itself.
In May of 1910 the City of Grasili held an emergency meeting and met with representatives of Sayaffallah but at the conclusion of the meeting no agreement was had and both sides returned to their respective home locations. By June 1910 Grasili held another vote to decide with finality whether or not they would remain as a part of Sayaffallah and this vote was a confirmed departure from Sayaffallah.
Sayaffallah reacted angrily and cut off trade from the city and ordered that it comply with the agreement if it desired to see a normalized relationship. The city refused and instead lowered the flag of Sayaffallah and replaced it with the independent flag of Grasili. Grasili then signed trade agreements with the surrounding communities ensuring that it would continue to receive vital goods and access to services needed to continue to prosper.
Accident of 1924
On December 1, 1924 a milk truck collided with a petroleum laden van outside of the Cathedral of Grasili sparking a large fire that consumed the front belfry of the Cathedral. The fire spread to two other buildings before it was contained however the damage to the Cathedral was so extensive that it required the Cathedral to be shut and closed while structural engineers came and surveyed the damage and assessed what would be needed to make it safe for entry again. The inspectors concluded that the roofing would need to be replaced at that additional supports would need to be added along the buttresses to shore up areas weakened by the heat of the fire.
The Archdiocese of Grasili began raising funds and by 1926 they had enough funds raised in order to rebuild the cathedral and restore it to its former glory. By 1931 the Cathedral was finished rebuilding and soon had a full reopening ceremony which concluded with the first mass held in the cathedral since the original fire had dismantled so much of its front exterior and interior supports.
Treaty of 1934
In 1934 piracy began to be a major issue for the city of Grasili as large vessels would approach the city and then at gunpoint demand cash payments in exchange for a maintaining of the peace. The two times in which payments were not given a firefight was held between the occupants of these boats and police personnel on the shore leaving 6 injured and 2 dead on the police side and an unknown number dead on the piracy side. These pirates were traced to offshore islands approximately 100 miles from Grasili. The government of Grasili met and decided to formally hold a referendum to become a part of Sayaffallah again so they could receive protection from these piracy threats
In an overwhelming vote that stipulated after 200 years time the matter would be reviewed again, the people of Grasili voted with over 92% of the vote to rejoin Sayaffallah and in a ceremony still remembered fondly the flag of Sayaffallah was raised alongside that of the Grasili flag marking a key moment that Grasili retained its identity while becoming a part of something much larger than itself. Yet Grasili never fully identified as a part of Sayaffallah never putting up a bust of the Sultan as many other cities voluntarily did and never recognizing the Parliament of the Nation by placing a photograph of the Prime Minister in their Town Hall buildings.
Student protests of 1970
By 1970 the city had expanded even further with a population of 5,225,100 making it one of the preeminent largest cities in the country and its primary school of higher learning was booming as well with major demographic shifts and a burgeoning irreverence for the traditions that made up Sayaffallah's national culture. In 1970 the students of the University of Freedom in Grasili announced they would be holding a festival marking the independence of Grasili in the past. The administration of the university authorized and agreed to allow the festival to be held however the Council of Educators issued a rare decision calling the festival to be against the principles of the nation and that it should not be held thus canceling it not by local authority but national authority.
This decision infuriated the administration of the University who said that the students had every right to hold a festival that honored the history of Grasili. The Council of Educators fired back a quick missive stating that if it was held in contravention of their ruling that the University would be closed by the Council of Educators and stripped of its academic accreditation. This prompted the students to intervene and to shutdown the University themselves by not attending any classes. For the first time in the history of the nation of Sayaffallah an entire university had 100% of its students skipping classes for an entire week and instead marching in the streets decrying everything from the Sultan to the Council of Educators to the Islamic shared identity of Sayaffallah.
On a national scale these student protests were volatile and brought condemnation from across Sayaffallah with many saying that these students were intentionally trying to bring down society within the country and were trying to spark a revolution. However this national reaction towards the student protests only strengthened them to an even stronger point. When the students began marching towards the town hall they were met by a wall of police standing non threateningly behind wooden barricades and then the students stopped and became silent and one after another speakers came forwards and began to debate with a spokesman from the police. And eventually in the great tradition of Grasili the debate began to have a winner as more police began to cross over to the side of the students with some just leaving and going home altogether. Over four hours of debate passed and by the fifth hour the police spokesman extended his hand and gave a smile and shook hands with the students and formally crossed over marking all police as either going home or crossing to the students side. And hand in hand they marched to the town hall and sang the national songs of Grasili.
This image of police and students walking hand in hand electrified Sayaffallah and public opinion became intensely divided with many supporting the students and others not. In the interests of preserving the peace the Sultan ordered for the first time ever that the Council of Educators reverse their ruling and allow the students to hold their festival and then announced that he would attend the festival if the students wanted. The students thanked the Sultan formally for his intervention but then stated that they did not think the attendance of the Sultan would be necessary and left it at that.
Creation of Grasili Renegades
The Grasili Pink Monarch Lions formed as a project by college students in 1971 as a counter-culture movement making fun of the monarchy and the popular traditions of Sayaffallah. The team was a professional grade soccer team and they applied for membership in the Sayaffallan Royal League but were turned down for being a "non serious team" The team each year after being turned down marched in the streets with a live lion that had been dyed pink with non toxic paint as their official mascot in protest of the decision of the SRL.
In 1979 however the SRL decision was changed when a lone member of the SRL commission flipped giving the team the support it needed to become an official team. In honor of that flip vote the team was unanimously renamed the Grasili Renegades a name it holds to this day with its comical pink lion mascot known as Sultini the Lion. The day it was accepted into the SRL was the day that the city changed into a thriving party town with the entire section of the coast nearest the university turned into "Pink Town" with all buildings painted pink and all cars in that district required to be pink if parked on public streets. Pink Town to this day remains a vibrant section of nightlife, hotels and restaurants forming a vital backbone to the city of Grasili.
1980 National Championship
In 1980 the Grasili Renegades won their 3rd National Championship and plans were put in place for the creation of a stadium and on July 1, 1990 the stadium was opened with much fanfare and the flag of Grasili was raised on the parapets of the stadium making it officially open to the public. That season the Grasili Renegades went on to win their 4th National Championship and it was commemorated with the creation of the Hall of Champions at Renegade Stadium to house all of the trophies and decorations awarded to the team during their time in the SRL.
The Grasili Renegades were honored later that year as the official soccer team of Grasili and the team was given a 50% purchase by the city ensuring that it would always remain a part of Grasili long into the future. Many of the original players and supporters from 10 years earlier showed up for the ceremony honoring the Renegades and the museum was opened the following day highlighting the history, the fandom and the ultras of the team.
Economy and growth
Tourism
Grasili sees an influx of 3.4 million visitors each year in tourism to the city which accounts for over 44% of its annual income in a given fiscal year. Tourism primarily focuses on the seafront areas with large beach hotels and resorts spread out across the coastline of Grasili while the other half focuses on the historical attractions and also tourists coming as part of business related tourism centering around conferences and other events being held at the same time as an individuals vacation period. In the past 5 years Grasili has worked to increase its influx of tourism so as to attract a wider amount of business
Fishery and seafood
Due to its proximity to a large salt water ocean Grasili has an extensive seafood industry much of which can be observed on Fisher Wharf which is closed to the public but the public can observe from large Plexiglas enclosures watching as fish is unloaded from the holds of boats that have just arrived and then separated for sale to various restaurants. Much of the fish is sold at the Grasili Fish Market which has two sections one for commercial sales in bulk and the other for public sales much of which allows the consumer to select quantity rather than buying in bulk amounts.
Typical sales see swordfish, sailfish, perch, pike and some controlled shark meat as well as squid, octopus, chowder and caviar being sold in the Grasili Fish Market. Net volume typically increases during prime months of June-August while December-March tend to be the slower times of seafood sales in the area of Grasili.
Petroleum refinement
Grasili has the third largest petroleum refinement facility in Sayaffallah with a bulk of its petroleum going through refinement process in Grasili and then directly exported through the Grasili Petroleum Port which is a highly secure port for petroleum distribution on a global scale.
Notable sights
Cathedral of Grasili
The Orthodox Cathedral of Grasili is a magnificent structure spanning back to the founding of the city by Orthodox missionaries in the 1300s. The cathedral has room for 450,000 people to sit comfortably with an additional space in the square outside of the cathedral for another 400,000 people to stand and listen to the service happening inside. The cathedral is acoustically perfect with the ability to project to the square outside of the doors and the nave screens are opened to the square. The organ within the cathedral has over 62,000 pipes and room in the balcony for a full sized orchestra to perform.
The Cathedral of Grasili is the seat of the Archbishop of Grasili and the Palace of the Archbishop is directly across the square from the Cathedral. On Holy weeks and Othodox holidays the entire square fills with people who are there to witness the procession of relics and other sacred objects into the cathedral for various services and ceremonies.
Palace of the Archbishop of Grasili
Built in 1415 and finished in 1416 the Archbishop's Palace is still in use today as the residence of the Archbishop of Grasili. However its state rooms are now fully open to the public with the Archbishop only taking 3 rooms for his private apartments in the building on a separate wing of the building. The rooms are elaborately laid out and include the chapel of the Archbishop with its gilded windows and small dome over the altar. Each day the Archbishop leads out in small services in the morning in the chapel of the residence which is open to those with an invitation from the Archdiocese to attend.
The palace is also notable for being the first palace constructed within Grasili and residence for the Archbishop for over 500 years and never needing a major renovation other than a few structural engineering updates in the early 1910s to fix a leaking roof. The building was designed by the missionaries that came to the city originally and the sketches were left for future builders to use in the building of the palace. To the left of the palace set behind the main facade is the residence for the Cathedral priests and monks with priests on the second floor and monks on the third floor and the first being an open communal area. The building to the right of the palace is the residence of the Mother Superior of the Convent which supplies the choir for the Cathedral at each mass.
