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incident is marked by confusion, and a factual, detailed account of
what actually took place has never been forthcoming. It appears
that the royal family was invited to the commercial enclave to
receive a special gift from the Queen of Nyissa. Upon their arrival
at the Nyissan compound, they were attacked by seven Nyissan
merchants armed with the traditional poisoned knives of their race.
The king, the queen, the crown prince and his wife and two of their
three children were killed, but no trace of the remaining prince was
ever found. Two of the Nyissan merchants survived the assault by
the Rivan guards and were at length persuaded to reveal their
connection to the Nyissan Queen.
The resulting war between the Alorn Kingdoms and Nyissa was
perhaps one of the most brilliant military campaigns in the history
of the west, which fact raises serious doubts about the customary
dismissal of the Alorns as barbarian Berserks. A series of hit and run
raids on the Nyissan coast by Cherek raiders diverted the attention
of the snake people while a vast force of Drasnian Infantry and
Algarian Cavalry made the seemingly impossible trek across the
mountains of western Tolnedra and attacked down the upper
reaches of the River of the Serpent. An expeditionary force of Rivans
ascended the River of the Woods and made a swift overland attack
on the Nyissan capital of Sthiss Tor, entering the city while a
majority of the Nyissan army was in the east attempting to hold off the
invading Algarians and Drasnians and the remainder of their force
was trying to repel a major landing of the Cherek fleet at the mouths
of the River of the Serpent.
Before she died, Queen Salmissra XXCVii was persuaded to
reveal to the leader of the Rivan force precisely what had been
behind the assassination, but the leader, Brand (who was later
chosen to the post of Warder of Riva) did not reveal that information
to anyone but the Alorn Kings.
* This account differs markedly from the one in Belgarath the Sorcerer.
The Tolnedran Emperor attempted to intercede, but the Alorns
proceeded to systematically destroy the entire kingdom of Nyissa,
pulling down the city of Sthiss Tor, burning towns and villages and
driving the inhabitants into the jungles. So savage was this Alorn
extermination that for five hundred years the entire country
appeared depopulated, and only after that length of time were the
frightened Nyissans persuaded to come out of the trees and begin
the process of rebuilding their capital.
In some measure due to the enormous volume of trade which was
being destroyed and the tremendous loss of revenue resulting, a
Tolnedran force moved south to restrain the Alorn barbarians, but
they were met at the River of the Woods by an overwhelming force
of Drasnians, Algarians and Cherek Berserks. It was not until that
point that it was fully realized in Tol Honeth the actual size of
the Alorn army on our southern border. The commander of the
Tolnedran Legions prudently decided not to interfere with the
Alorns but merely positioned his force along the north bank of the
River of the Woods to protect the integrity of Tolnedran territory.
The twelve hundred years which followed the destruction of
Nyissa was spent by the Rivans in their endless (and futile) quest
for the heir to the Rivan Throne. Persistent rumors based on the
sketchy and confused testimony of witnesses to the assassination
maintained that the youngest son of the Crown Prince, a boy of
nine, escaped the knives of the Nyissans by plunging into the sea.
* Geran becomes a boy of six in Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the
Sorceress.
Had this in fact been the case, the child would surely have perished,