The Holy City of Abbashan

 

Art by Magnus Schramm , source

The Holy City of Abbashan is found in the western half of Ylaruam, in the desert well away from the coast. It relies on a network of oases though the naturally occuring pools with vegetation around them are all found a few miles from the city. The city draws its water from wells that connect to the same underground aquifer that feeds the oases. The city grows some of its food around these oases though it is supplemented by imports of food from the coast, typically coming through the port town of Jaboor. 

Abbashan is the capital of the Abbashan Emirate, and is the seat of power for the Emir who has recently added Jaboor to his fiefdom. Abbashan City has a population of 7,200, the vast majority of whom are Alasiyani desert dwellers. They are devout and observant of the Eternal Truth (the official religion of Ylaruam), though less charitable visitors might call them quite strict and uptight. 

The Holy City got its title from back in the days of Al-Kalim, the founder of The Eternal Truth, who was born here. Although he established Ylaruam city as his capital,  he often returned to Abbashan to visit his family when he was able to. It is also said that Al-Kalim started writing the Nahmeh in Abbashan. There are also apocryphal stories of Al-Kalim in Abbashan that most followers take with a grain of salt but which the faithful of Abbashan insist are true. 

The centre of Abbashan is dominated by a huge mosque, cylindrical in structure with a dome over 600 yards wide covering it which contains the Shrine of Abbashan, marking the spot where it is believed Al-Kalim was born. It is supported by seven massive buttresses that stretch out through the city acting as walls to divide it up into seven sectors. There are smaller mosques in each sector. The sectors are:

• The Foreigners sector in the west
• The Clerks' Sector in the southwest
• The Artisan Sector in the south
• The Smelting Sector in the southeast
• The Garrison Sector in the east & northeast
• The Palace Sector in the northeast and north
• The Monastic Sector in the northwest

Religion and Laws

For the last fifty years or so the city has been under the sway of a particularly conservative faction of clerics and soldiers called the Al-Fassaad. They are centred here but also have members in Jaboor and Fabia. Al-Fassaad considers itself very devout though others might say they are bossy, strict and perhaps a bit fanatical. Al-Fassaad does not like foreigners, secularism, immodesty or vanity and is quite wary of commerce, viewing greed and luxury as dangerous distractions from the Eternal Truth. This is similar to the faction in Jaboor but whereas in Jaboor Al-Fassaad are a vocal minority who cannot dictate policy, in Abbashan they are all but in power, with advisers to the Emir openly espousing Al-Fassaad's viewpoint and senior clerics in the central mosque promoting Al-Fassaad as the "proper" way to the Eternal Truth, questioning the faith and discipline of any who suggest a more relaxed approach. Since the rise of Al-Fassaad the following laws now apply in Abbashan:

• All people, especially women, must be modestly dressed, covering their torsos, shoulders and hips, and preferably more if the situation allows it. Full body coverage is preferable. Minor infringements will cost a fine of up to 50gp, major infringments (public indecency and the like) on pain of flogging. The threshold will vary from enforcer to enforcer. 
• All residents of Abbashan are expected to follow the edicts and daily practices of the Eternal Truth on pain of expulsion from the city. This even applies to foreigners and self-professed non-believers. No exceptions. 
• All foreigners from outside Ylaruam are to stay within the Foreigners Quarter on pain of expulsion from the city. Those caught sneaking back in will be assumed to be spies or chaos cultists and thus dealt with in the harshest possible manner. Those who are native to the Emirates but not to Abbashan can only stay in the Foreign Sector, and although they can visit the other sectors during the day they must return to the Foreign sector or leave the city by nightfall. Exceptions to this must be escorted by the City Guard (e.g. foreigners with an audience with a senior figure). 
• "Sorcery" (magic user spells) must not be cast within the city. If no actual harm is done then it is a fine, usually up to 1000gp depending on how sinister and "chaotic" the spell appears to be. If people are harmed or there is significant property damage then the penalty can escalate accordingly, up to and including banishment or death. 
• Chaos worship and aiding and abetting those chaos worshippers and chaotic monsters is punishable by death. This is one of the few laws that has been revised and now definitive evidence and testimony from at least two witnesses is required, since in the past this law was used in ill-judged "witch-hunts" with innocent people (particularly foreigners) being executed on very questionable evidence. 
• Those trafficking in illicit goods such as alcohol, mind-altering substances (such as tobacco and coffee) and decadent luxury items will be fined up to double the value of goods seized and banished from the city. Those only having enough for personal use (again the threshold is variable) will have their goods seized and will be fined the value of said goods. 

There are other laws but they follow similar patterns. 

Economy

Abbashan does not have a particularly thriving economy, mainly due to the town government's attitude towards outsiders and also an ascetic wariness of greed and materialism. Traders from outside Ylaruam are distrusted and restricted to the Foreigners' Sector, while Ylari merchants from outside Abbashan are only slightly more tolerated. Most of the town's food is grown around the local oases, though some is imported from elsewhere in Ylaruam - very little is "foreign" food, which is often deemed decadent and probably unsafe. Taxes are quite heavy to support the clerics who tend the mosques and the soldiers who guard the town. The town and the local area does not have much mineral wealth and as most of the food grown is consumed within the town it exports very little. 

The one thing that Abbashan has in its favour is its reputation as a holy city and birthplace of Al-Kalim Therefore pilgrims are an important source of income, even if they are concentrated in the Foreigners Sector. 

Military

Abbashan has a regular town guard of 200 soldiers, capable of both internal policing and occasional forays into the desert to deal with external threats. These regular soldiers are all 1st level fighters, equipped with leather armour, scimitars, leather and wood shields and either a longspear or a shortbow with 20 arrows. They are organised into 10 platoons of 20 soldiers each led by a sergeant (3rd level fighter).   

The religious establishments within Abbashan have their own military force, the Shrine Guardians. There are 120 shrine guardians, selected both for religious devotion and skill at arms. All are at least 2nd level fighters with scale mail, scimitars, shortbow and 20 arrows. As well as protecting the clerics and the mosques they also ensure that the laws and morality of Al-Fassaad are obeyed by the citizenry. They keep a particular eye on any foreigners and maintain a heavy presence in the Foreigners's Sector.

Almost all of the Shrine Guardians are with Al-Fassaad, and a number of the regular town guard are as well. However, other members of the town guard are not comfortable with a rival military force within the town. What if the clerics want to take over? Others point out that in a way the clerics already have, and the Shrine Guardians are there to not just protect the clerics themselves but also their authority.  There have been times when the town guard and the Shrine Guardians have disagreed on points of law and order, and the Emir's advisors have come down on the side of the Shrine Guardians. There is the feeling that the Shrine Guardians can overrule the town guard. 

The Agent of Chaos

Malakdir is a resident administrator who is in fact a secret cultist of Chaos, posing as a bureaucrat with a strong interest in The Eternal Truth and Al-Kalim. He turned to Chaos after being sickened by the harsh discipline of Al-Fassaad. Rather than trying to directly confront the forces of Law (which are overwhelmingly powerful here), he had decided to try to discredit them. This is proving quite interesting as the more fantatical elements of Al-Fassaad are on the one hand rock solid in their own faith in their interpretation of the Eternal Truth but are so difficult and intransigent in their beliefs that many outside of Al-Fassaad and Abbashan are disturbed and sometimes appalled by the faction’s behaviour and attitudes. Malakdir is trying to capitalise on this, and he has been talking to some senior clerics, quietly encouraging them to more extreme beliefs, usually with the cleric’s own devotion as the incentive. “It’s what Al-Kalim would want…” is a phrase Malakdir likes to use when suggesting an even tighter, intolerant policy. And if they hesitate or question how far they should go Malakdir will suggest that maybe their faith is not that strong. The end result is many normal people becoming fed up and even disgusted with this overzealous and often warped interpretation of the Eternal Truth, and leaving Abbashan for more tolerant places, bearing tales of Law gone too far and disillusion with religion. Malkadir has been surprised at how easy this has been - he feels he has not done much and most of this tension and intolerance is from the clerics of Al-Fassaad. He has just occasionally given them a nudge in the wrong direction.  It is possible that Malakdir has other chaotic allies who share the same goal within Abbashan but they are even more secretive. 

Notes on Alignment. 

Similar to my post on The Monastery of the Iron Eagle and its resident Heldannic Knights, the usual single-axis alignment system of Law-Neutrality-Chaos does not necessarily reflect what is going on with Al-Fassaad. Some members do not fit the usual description of Law being the good guys very well and yet they are staunch opponents of Chaos. Using the AD&D two-axis nine-alignment system they could definitely be described as Lawful Evil. In this case the evil is not selfishness and greed but hatred and intolerance of those who have different beliefs or even not enough beliefs. The ironic thing is that although the Heldannic Knights and Al-Fassaad are both intolerant and militant fanatics, they would view each other as clearly the wrong religion and nationality and therefore the enemy. As with that previous post, I can use the two-axis alignment system temporarily. 

NPCs of Abbashan

Malakdir, junior administrator for legal affairs
5th level cleric, human male, align Chaotic (AD&D chaotic neutral)
Str 8, Int 16, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13
Notable Equipment: Warhammer +1, Chain Mail, Amulet of Alignment Masking
Spells: Hold Person, Speak With Animals, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Magic

A disillusioned and angry cleric, Malakdir has turned his allegience to Chaos in a subtle and insidious way. He advises senior clerics on matters of law and order, and in this he is very clever and competent. Much of the time he does his job as expected but when he spots an opportunity to make the city government more intolerant (and thus more intolerable) he will try to steer his seniors in that direction. Malakdir tries to keep a low profile, only making suggestions rather than demands, and to everyone else he is just a minor bureaucrat. 

Bushiri Al-Abbashani, High Cleric of the Holy Shrine of Abbashan
15th level cleric, human male, align Lawful (AD&D lawful evil)
Str 13, Int 13, Wis 16, Dex 10, Con 11, Cha 15
Notable Equipment: Mace +3 +5 vs Undead, Chain Mail +3, Shield +2, Holy Symbol,
Notable Spells: 6th level: Aerial Servant, Cureall, Barrier, 5th level: Commune, Dispel Evil, Quest, 4th level: Neutralise Poison, Protection from Evil 10' r, Create Water

Bushiri is the highest religious authority in Abbashan, second only to those in Ylaruam City itself. He and many of those around him see him as the next best thing to Al-Kalim himself and in matters of religion and morality he will brook no dissent. He is particularly concerned with what he sees as the watering down and ignoring what he believes is the correct version of the Eternal Truth. It was his tutor and master, Benharath the Devout, who wrote down and taught the ideas behind  Al-Fassaad and therefore sowed the seeds for this strict religous movement, and Bushiri sees it as his duty to maintain the momentum of this movement. Bushiri is fastidious, taking a lot of time in washing (the main purpose of preparing Create Water spells is so he has a suppy of water he knows is clean), and also keeping things neat, tidy and in their proper order. He extends this view to society around him, hoping to keep his followers on the right path, and ready to expunge any "unclean" elements from Abbashan, whether they be unbelievers, "sorcerous" magic users, foreigners or demihumans. 

Rakdathi the Swiftblade, Commander of the Shrine Guardians
14th level fighter, human male, align Lawful (AD&D lawful neutral)
Str 16, Int 12, Wis 13,  Dex 16, Con 13, Cha 14
Notable Equipment: Banded Armour +2, Two-Handed Sword +3 +5 vs Magic Users

Rathdaki is the leader of the Shrine Guardians. He is utterly loyal to Bushiri and will follow orders without question. When left to his own devices or making his own judgements he can be quite reasonable and is really more interested in keeping everyone safe, especially the clerics at the central shrine. But he often ends up enforcing the harsher judgements of the clerics which he does because he is absolutely certain that they speak on behalf of the Eternal Truth, and the Eternal Truth is never wrong. 

Kurramor Shadaan, Commander of the Town Guard
10th level fighter, human female, align Lawful (AD&D lawful neutral)
Str 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 14, Con 15, Cha 14
Notable Equipment: Banded Armour +1, Scimitar +3, Shield +1

Kurramor does her best at keeping Abbashan safe and keeps her guardsmen patrolling both inside and outside town. She considers herself a good follower of the Eternal Truth and would never openly disagree with the clerics, but she is getting more fed up with her troops being sidelined in favour of the Shrine Guardians. If pressed or if she thinks she can confide, she will say that she thinks the clerics of Al-Fassaad have gone too far in their distrust of visiting fellow Ylaris from outside Abbashan, especially non-Alasiyans, and it all seems a little paranoid. 

Druthorni the Zealous, Deputy High Cleric of the Monastic Sector
12th level cleric, human female, align Lawful (AD&D lawful evil)
Str 9, Int 13, Wis 17, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 10
Notable Equipment: Banded Armour +2, Staff of Striking (+ Power Word Stun on each successful hit)
Notable Spells: 5th level: Quest, Insect Plague, Cure Critical Wounds, 4th level: Create Water, Neutralise Poison, Sticks to Snakes, Speak with Plants, 3rd level: Continual Light, Locate Object, Remove Curse/Curse x2

Druthorni is a bully and a nasty piece of work. Whereas Bushiri may see the upset he causes as necessary in the name of the Eternal Truth, Druthorni actually enjoys pushing people around and making them miserable. Of course, she will always justfy what she does in terms of maintaining discipline and keeping Abbashan safe from undesirable elements. Druthorni has upset enough people around Abbashan that she has good right to be a bit paranoid - there are some who really would like to get rid of her, therefore she never trusts anybody. She has a contingent of 5 Shrine Guardians at her beck and call at all times, and she sometimes gets them to do her dirty work. 

Andano Shaldir

5th level Thief/2nd level Darokin Merchant, Human male, align Neutral (AD&D neutral good)

Str 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Cha 13

Notable Equipment: Leather Armour +2, Ring of Desert Survival, Scimitar +2, Elven Boots

Andano is a trader from Jaboor who has been around Abbashan enough times to know how things work here. He is frequently skirting the edge of the law, bringing in goods that the followers of Al-Fassaad would not approve of. He is generally found in the Foreigners Sector but he has visited other sectors of the city. During the daytime as a native of Ylaruam he is allowed to enter the other sectors to do business as long as he is back in the Foreigners Sector at sundown. However, he sometimes uses his thief skills to sneak around the city at night. He is sympathetic to most people who get into trouble in Abbashan and will sometimes advise such folks how to avoid the attentions of the Shrine Guardians. He knows many of the back alleys and hidden tunnels around the town that even the Shrine Guardians do not know about.