Abbas and the Orb of Velisiliod

The Central Myth of Abbasynia

The legendary tale of the mighty king Abbas and the Giant is well known throughout Abbasynia, known otherwise as the Northern Human Realms. It warns of excessive pride, showing that even the most capable and noble ruler can destroy himself.
Abbas was a mighty king of the Northern Realms. After centuries of tribal life and disunity, Abbas united the humans of northern Galzhür under his banner, and led them into a golden age hitherto unmatched in glamour. He used war only when necessary, preferring to broker a deal with each tribe of humans that he came across. Their chiefs would still hold power, but answer to him in times of need. If they accepted, they were brought into the Abbasinid fold as brothers and sisters, and they had more food and luxuries than ever they had had before. Those who refused were offered this gift three times. On the third refusal -- war. All who refused thrice were destroyed utterly and forced into the fledgling empire.
Finally, after 27 years of campaign, the north was united in what is now called Abbasynia. That ancient empire included all of Kampura, Gorgogi, and Brött, and extended south into the present day Chükan Jungle. But, having completed his life's work of unifying the humans, Abbas found that he was not sated. There were still many dark and evil creatures that roamed the land: wights and banshees, beholders, drakes, and many other dark creatures that came from the then smaller jungle. He resolved to wipe them out and cleanse his land of all evil. So it was for six years. Abbas slew beast after beast, monster after monster, yet there were always more that he did not see. He knew this, and he became obsessed with purifying the land. It was his doom.
Eventually, his quest brought him to the giant Grafnir, who lived at the foot of the volcano in the center of Abbasynia. Grafnir had been tasked by the divines to protect a strange relic that could give its possesor the power to "see" whatever they were looking for. Abbas desired the gift so that he could see where all the evil in his lands was hiding that he may finish his crusade. The giant told Abbas that the orb's power was far beyond what was ever meant for mortal men to hold -- that it would surely drive him to madness. Legend has it that Abbas then simply thanked the giant for this warning and asked that he and his retinue be allowed to encamp outside Grafnir's home for the night.
As any host should, Grafnir agreed. He had been tricked. When the moon shone full on the encampment that night, Abbas crept into the giant's hovel and found the orb cloaked, upon a stand of marble. He uncovered it, and slowly raised his hand to touch it and receive the gift. Thrice did he hesitate, but thrice did he steel himself. He grasped it. And he had what he sought. He and his retinue fled the giant's hovel, fearing the wrath of the gods.
At first, his gift allowed him to do exactly what he desired. His subjects rejoiced at their emperor's new gift. He slew the monsters that had long haunted their villages, killed the ghosts that plagued the trade routes, and hunted the beasts that had killed so much of their livestock. And then he started jailing the base men of his land who made life so difficult for others. And then he started executing them, first with trial, and then without when the trials were not fast enough to sate his appetite. The crimes of those whom he killed became more and more petty, until thieves and mass murderers shared the same fate. The peoples' delight slowly turned to fear and dread. Anyone could be taken, for any reason. The orb had driven him to madness after all. The sight that he was granted became more and more corrupted, as he began to see the evil in all men's hearts save his own.
For three years, his reign of terror tore apart the empire he had worked so hard to build. Widows and orphans soon outnumbered the men who were lucky enough to escape his judgement. The resistance to his rule began to grow. Slowly, at first, because of the fear of what he would do to those who opposed him. But, as it became more and more clear that his killing spree could only be ended by his assassination, the opposition grew. Finally, on the cusp of an open rebellion, Abbas vanished.
Some versions of the legend have it that Abbas simply knew his time was up and slipped away. Some say that he was finally slain by some beast which he was trying to kill. And yet others insist that his own inner circle finally betrayed him, fearing for their lives, and finally realizing what their lord had become. The most terrifying version of the myth is that he never really left Abbasynia at all, and is simply lying in wait for his time to come again. What is for sure is that he quite suddenly disappeared, leaving no heir to his broken throne. The following succession crisis is what resulted in the fracture of the empire into the modern kingdoms that we know today, each kingdom claiming to be the rightful heirs to the Abbasinid throne.

Historical Basis

To preface this discussion of the truth of this legend, dear readers, I must warn you that the truth of nearly every statement I am about to make is, in itself, uncertain and highly debated by scholars much more knowledgeable than I. While there is very little written record of Abbas or his rule, there are a few fragmentary pieces of evidence suggesting that there is some truth to the tale. The primary piece of evidence used by many scholars is the existence of a large, stone hovel near the foot of the aljabal alsamawii (or Mt. Aljabal), right around where the legend says it should be. Furthermore, there is a single marble stand in the hovel that archaeologists have confirmed could have held a spherical object in place (though we do not know the size of the possibly mythical orb). The giant that purportedly lived there was nowhere to be found, but that does not mean that no giant ever did inhabit the hovel. After all, something must have built it. The hovel is now the site of a rather impressive shrine, if I do say so myself. The shrine is to the Aspects, and a statue of Abbas in his glory days (when he was balanced) is present outside of the temple area.
The second group of evidence that we have for Abbas' rule revolves around evidence of the king himself. The fact that the myth is so widely spread throughout all three of the former Abbasinid kingdoms is reason enough to believe that at some point, each of them must have experienced a similar event which was commemorated in myth. More in question is whether the myth was developed independently in each region, or if it simply spread from one region to another over time. Among the most compelling evidence is the existence of an ancient palace in northeastern Gorgogi that features several statues of what appears to be a man holding an orb of some kind. The final piece of evidence often cited by scholars is the existence of the Abbasyniad, a massive volume written a century or so after the supposed disappearance of Abbas detailing Abbas' life and deeds. In fact, the Abbasyniad is the primary reference for the legend of Abbas, and is generally referred to as the "canonical version." Myself, I find the tome quite long and not too interesting, the writing being ancient and dull. Some find it to be an evocative work of art, and I must question their sanity for it!
What does all of this evidence suggest? Well, from what we can gather, there was very likely a king that unified Abbasynia between 400 and 434 AC. There also very likely was a giant that lived in a hovel near the foot of Mt. Aljabal, possibly around the same time as the rule of this "Abbas." The hovel of this giant also had the pillar described in the Abbasyniad, and would have been capable of holding a spherical object in place. Finally, with regard to the crusade against evil that supposedly happened during Abbas' reign, there is a surprising dearth of magical creatures and undesirable pests in Abbasynia, which could be do to some fanatical king killing them all off.
Taken altogether, I do not think it wise to dismiss the legend as simply that. It seems very possible that this Abbas is indeed still lurking in the shadows, and we cannot forget him. The legend is also key to understanding the culture of the northern realms, and the reason for their constant warfare and hatred of each other.

Spread

Unfortunately, the interesting tale of Abbas is not quite well known to those outside of Abbasynia. Since most other kingdoms see the northern human realms as barbaric wastelands of killing and death, they have rather little interest in the culture or people therein. Within Abbasynia, of course, it is a household tale that every man, woman, and child is taught. It is mostly used to justify the constant warfare present in the region, as well as to warn of the dangers of pride -- a prime example of how too much devotion to Dreïda can cause the destruction of everything you have built.

Variations & Mutation

As I have mentioned to you, there are many variations of this tale. Much of the tale remains the same throughout each variation: Abbas unites the tribes of the north, goes on a crusade to cleanse the land of evil, takes the orb from the giant, and then his reign of terror begins. The ending of the tale, however, is the part that most often changes. There are many versions of what happens to him, though I suspect that each version is simply a guess at what may have befallen the tyrant. Some versions have it that a small band of conspirators intercepted Abbas' entourage and assassinated him, some claim that it was his own inner circle that betrayed him. There are other versions where he is not assassinated at all, but simply killed by a beast that was beyond his ability to slay. In those versions where a beast slays Abbas, the beast is often quite a powerful being, such as a dragon, beholder, and even a lich in one version. Still other endings say that the Aspects themselves conspired to kill him after he became powerful enough to be a bother to them, or that they simply could not tolerate his imbalance any longer. The "official" ending of the Abbasyniad has it that he simply fled before he could be killed and is waiting for the proper time to re-emerge.

Cultural Reception

As previously stated, those outside of the north really have no care for this legend (except for scholars, of course), and so I shall discuss only the reception in Kampura, Gorgogi, and Brött.
In Kampura, the tale is used to justify the seemingly endless war against Gorgogi. There are a few passages near the end of the Abbasyniad which seem to suggest that the rightful heir was a Kampuran noble (unsurprising considering the author himself was from Kampura). Here it is taught that Kampura is destined to reunite Abbasynia and restore the rightful king to the throne.
Gorgogi has a slightly different take on the legend. While they too, use the tale to justify their war against Kampura by claiming that the Kampuran noble was, in fact a native of Gorgogi, and simply held lands in Kampura, they also use the tale to teach the miners of Abbasynia (who are near slaves) that they must obey the king of Gorgogi, or else their lives will be worse than presently. The tribes in the legend are used to show that before they were loyal to Abbas, they had horrible, rough lives, but after, they received all the food and wealth that they needed. In this way, the king most cleverly and deviously keeps his subject-slaves in line. It is a despicable practice, but shrewd and clever in its execution.
Brött has the most unique take of the three realms. Rather than using the legend to justify conflict, they praise Abbas for his cleverness, and teach that war should be avoided at all costs. Children are taught that being clever is a higher virtue than strength or speed or charisma. To them, it is better to be clever than to be strong. War is, in itself, not useful to the Brött -- but it can be useful as a tool to obtain what you desire, just as Abbas used it as a tool to unite Abbasynia.

In Literature

Other than the literature written by more modern scholars on the effect of the Abbasinid myths, the only ancient literature on the topic is the Abbasyniad itself. Many works have been derived from it, describing the likelihood of the events within, or their repercussions, but there are no other ancient sources for the Abbasinid empire.

In Art

In the northern realms, there are still, to this day, some statues made in those ancient times that reference the tale. Many artists today depict it, so central is it to the north's identity. The most famous work, of course, is the statue of Abbas outside of the temple to the Aspects in Gorgogi (the former giant's hovel). It depicts Abbas in his finest moment, just before grasping the orb, and is represented as having the perfect balance that is so sought after by Abbasynians to this day.

Date of First Recording

526 AC (Abbasyniad was written)

Date of Setting

430-467 AC