Nahr Alab (nəɦr əlɑˈb)

"The Nahr Alab is the most important artery in the body of the Malikate. Were it severed or poisoned, famine would claim them."

— Arvandus, Court Wizard of Creoda

The Nahr Alab is the largest river on the island of Saba. It forms the border between the Maila Muhafazah and the Bhujangga Muhafazah, two of the richest and most productive areas on the island, before reaching the sea at the city of Giri, a major port on the northeastern coast. The Naga named it Abu‑Narû, the parent of all rivers, and believe it is an incarnation of the first river ever to flow across the worlds.

When the Malika of Saba conquered the island of Saba, one of her first acts was to force all the Naga who lived along the river to move, so that she could distribute the fertile land to her soldiers. The Naga consider this expulsion to be one of her greatest crimes against their people, and the reclamation of the Abu‑Narû is said to be one of the first priorities of the Nagavirosha when they arise.

Notable Spirits

During the Nagarajya, the Deva of the Nahr Alab manifested as a long serpent of brown water, with the head of a Naga and whiskers of a catfish. But when the Naga were forcibly removed and a new population that was largerly Telmun took up residence, the narrative environment around the Deva changed. To the Telmuns, Abu‑Narû sounded like the croaking of a frog, and from this seed sprang the tale of the Frog-Hearted God, Ḫubu‑Narû. Over only a few years, the power of this new story, delivered through the Egregoric Force, forced Abu‑Narû into a new incarnation as Ḫubu‑Narû. While the Deva still retains the memory of their former life (thanks to those Naga who hold the memory of Abu‑Narû in their minds), that identity has faded into the background and no longer manifests.

In the tale of Ḫubu‑Narû, the Deva takes the form of a giant human, who rests beneath the muddy waters of the Nahr Alab. Once upon a time, Ḫubu‑Narû could rise up from the river, and ruled over all the land he could see. But his brother of the land was angered by this, and decided to kill Ḫubu‑Narû for his temerity to rule both water and island.

Ḫubu‑Narû's brother came to him, and offered him jugs of fine wine, supposedly in tribute to the river-god's might. Ḫubu‑Narû accepted the wine, and drank it all down in a single evening, and then lay down to sleep upon the riverbed. While he slept, Ḫubu‑Narû's brother crept into the river with his knife, and quickly cut out Ḫubu‑Narû's heart and fled back to the land. Ḫubu‑Narû flailed and thrashed, sending great floods across the land, but his brother knew that soon Ḫubu‑Narû would perish, and his brother could claim all he wished.

And that would have happened, if not for a frog. This frog leapt into the hole where Ḫubu‑Narû's heart should have been, and began to croak out a heartbeat. Ḫubu‑Narû stilled at this, and with each croak felt life returning to him. Somehow, the frog took the place of his missing heart, and kept Ḫubu‑Narû from dying. But it was not a true heart, and it did not return Ḫubu‑Narû to his full power. Ever since gaining his frog heart, Ḫubu‑Narû has been bound to the river, and unable to walk over the land. His brother now stays away from the riverbank, and has hidden the heart of Ḫubu‑Narû somewhere beyond the river's reach, so that Ḫubu‑Narû cannot take revenge upon him. And so it is to this day.

Geography

The Nahr Alab runs for a little more than 370 miles, beginning in the Jibal Al-Junun mountain range and passing northward through the most fertile lands on the island of Saba. It is a broad, slow-moving, and muddy river, whose spring floods fertilize the land on either side. The banks are frequently swampy, and the region is home to frogs, waterbirds, and many species of fish.

Alternative Name(s)

Abu‑Narû

Type

River

Location under

Saba

Owning Organization

Malikate of Saba

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