The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of THE BELGARIAD and THE MALLOREON by Eddings David

Author:Eddings, David [Eddings, David]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780345435866
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 1999-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

It must be candidly admitted, however, that through the closing

centuries of the third millennium and throughout most of the fourth,

it was a basic tenet of Tolnedran policy to maintain the balance of

power between the contending Duchies of Mimbre and Asturia.

From a practical standpoint, it was to the enormous advantage of the

Empire to encourage the friction between the two contending

houses, since a strong and unified Arendia would have made the

development of the Tolnedran Empire an impossibility. It is of

course a truism that the Arendish Knights are one of the most

awesome forces in the west. Had the Arends been united at any time

during the third or fourth millennia, the Empire would never have

been, and the whole history of the west would have changed. The

stalemate between Mimbre and Asturia lasted until 3793 when the

Mimbrates concluded a secret treaty with Tolnedra. In return for

certain military assistance from the Empire (largely the removal of

restrictions upon Cherek freebooters and Algar raiders and the

northward march of a column of ten legions from Tol Vordue toward

Asturia's southern border) the Mimbrates pledged a limited

allegiance to the Tolnedran Emperor. This opportunity arose when the

continual warfare in Arendia had become a nuisance hindering the

construction of the Great West Road and an interference with

normal commerce.

The four-pronged attack against her so stretched the defensive

capability of the Asturians that their supply of manpower dried up,

and the nation collapsed into that most useless (and most typically

Arendish) defense - the retreat into fortified strongholds. The details

are gloomy and need not be repeated. The results were inevitable.

Asturia fell. Vo Astur was laid waste. The last Duke of Astur fell in

battle, and his family was all but exterminated. Asturia as a

recognizable nation was no more. It was, however, a weakened Mimbrate

Duke who was crowned the first unchallenged King of Arendia, and

the Tolnedran design in the west was complete. Arendia was no

longer a threat.

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