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the oldest military district in the kingdom and because it was
decided early on that Rak Coska would be the capital the nation
would present to the world.
In time, however, the Coska Dynasty became corrupt. The
trappings of power with no real power behind them all too frequently
leads to self-indulgence. While other kingdoms endure periodical
bad kings in the hope of better successors, Murgos tend to be more
abrupt. Thus, after several centuries of misrule by the admittedly
limited kings of the Goska Dynasty' the military commanders of the
other eight districts ruthlessly moved against the King and
exterminated him, together with all his heirs, ministers and functionaries.
The palace coup was followed by several decades of rule by a
military Junta until, once again in need of a figurehead to present to the
outside world, the generals offered the crown to the most capable of
their number, the commander of the District of Gorut. The General
of Gorut, however, declined to accept the crown unless the position
of king was given a bit more meaning. This procedure has been
repeated with every dynastic change-over until presently the King
of Cthol Murgos is the most nearly absolute monarch in the world.
The near-disaster which has enveloped Cthol Murgos for the past
several centuries has been the result of an hereditary affliction
strongly prevalent in the Urga Dynasty. The Urgas came to the
throne with much promise, but the inherited affliction appeared in
the second King, and has been almost inevitable in every Urga King
since. The insanity in the house of Urga is difficult to diagnose, but it
is characterized by extreme hysteria, suspicion, rapid fluctuation of
mood, and ritualized behavior. In no Urga King have these
symptoms been more pronounced than in the present occupant of the
throne, Taur Urgas, the tenth Urga King.
The reign of Taur Urgas of Cthol Murgos has been marked by the
fear and suspicion which are so characteristic of his disease. Though
the mad King fears and hates all Alorns (the Algars in particular), as
have all members of his family, Taur Urgas carries his suspicions
even further. He is fearful of a possible alliance between Tolnedra,
Arendia and the Alorn Kingdoms, and he has saturated the west
with his agents with instructions to stir up as much discord as
possible. The secret fear which haunts the sleep of Taur Urgas, however, is
the dread that Mallorea might move to play a greater role in the
destiny of the kingdoms of the western continent. It is evident that
the discovery in his youth that Mallorea was at least twice the size of
Cthol Murgos filled Taur Urgas with an unreasoning fear and
hatred. The contempt with which the average Murgo views the
Malloreans has in the case of their King crossed the line into open
hostility'
Thus, when the young Emperor 'Zakath ascended the throne at
Mal Zeth, Taur Urgas immediately instructed his agents to provide
him with the details of the new Emperor's background, education
and temperament. Their reply filled the King of the Murgos with
alarm. It appeared that 'Zakath was precisely the kind of man Taur
Urgas had feared would be the new ruler of the world's most
populous nation. Desperately, the King of the Murgos cast about in search
of a way to neutralize the Mallorean's obvious talents.
The opportunity Taur Urgas had been awaiting came when
reports filtered back to Rak Goska that 'Zakath was in love - or at
least strongly attracted. The lady in question was a Melcene girl of
high degree with a powerful family which had nonetheless fallen
upon difficult times. The conditions were perfect for the Murgo
King. Calling upon the almost unlimited wealth of blood-red gold
which yearly poured from the mines of Cthol Murgos, Taur Urgas