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the Melcenes chosen to exploit their advantage and to pursue the
fleeing Angaraks up the broad valley of the Magan, it is entirely
possible that the course of history on the Mallorean continent might have
been radically different. Unaccountably, however, the Melcene forces
stopped their pursuit at the border between Delchin and Rengel,
allowing the Angarak army to escape.
The presence of a superior force to the southeast caused general
consternation in Mal Zeth. Baffled by the failure of the Melcene
Empire to pursue its advantage and more than a little afraid of their
eastern neighbors, the Angarak generals made overtures of peace
and were astonished when the Melcenes quickly agreed to
normalize relations. Trade agreements were drawn up, and the Angarak
traders were urged by the generals to devote all possible effort to the
procurement of horses. once again to the amazement of the
generals
, the Melcenes were quite willing to trade horses, though the
prices were extremely high. The officials of the Empire, however,
adamantly refused to even discuss the sale of elephants.
Thwarted in their expansion to the east, the authorities at Mal Zeth
turned their attention to the south and to Dalasia. The Dalasians
proved to be easy pickings for the more advanced Angaraks. They
were simple farmers and herdsmen with little skill for organization
and even less for war. The Angaraks simply moved into Dalasia,
expanded the somewhat rudimentary cities of the region and
established military protectorates. The entire business took less than ten
years.
While the military was stunningly successful in the Dalasian
protectorates, the Grolim priesthood immediately ran into
difficulties. Dalasian society was profoundly mystical, and the most
important people in it were the witches (of both genders) and the seers and
prophets. Dalasian thought moved in strange, alien directions which
the GrOlims found difficult to counter. The simple Dalasians rather
meekly accepted the forms of Angarak worship - in much the
same manner as they scrupulously paid their taxes - but there was,
none-theless, a subtle resistance in their conversion. The power of
the witches, seers and prophets remained unbroken, and the Grolims
worried continually that the sheep-like behavior of the simple
D I i g s y more ominous. It
seemed almost as if the Dalasians were amused by the increasingly
shrill exhortations of the Grolims and that there lurked somewhere
beneath the placid exterior an infinitely more profound and
sophisticated religion quite beyond the power of the Grolims to
comprehend. Moreover, despite rigorous efforts on the part of the Grolims
to locate and destroy them, it appeared that copies of the infamous
Mallorean Gospels still circulated in secret among the Dalasians.
Had events given them time, perhaps, the Grolims might
ultimately have succeeded in stamping out all traces of the secret
Dalasian religion in the protectorates, but it was at about this time
that a disaster occurred at Cthol Mishrak which was to change
forever the complexion of Angarak life.
Despite the most rigorous security measures imaginable, the
legendary Belgarath the Sorcerer, in the company of Cherek
Bearshoulders, King of Aloria, and of Cherek's three sons, came
unobserved to the Holy City of Angarak and stole the Orb of Aldur from
the iron tower of Torak in the very center of the City of Night.
Although a pursuit was immediately mounted to apprehend the
thieves, they were able, through some as yet undiscovered sorcery to
utilize the Orb itself to make good their escape.