Vordal reports that Queen Salmissra watched these lethal games with a reptilian amusement, not even turning a hair when her most trusted advisor quite suddenly turned black in the face, fell to the floor in violent convulsions and died frothing at the mouth like a mad dog. Nyissan Queens learn quite early to develop no permanent attachments. Their training is so rigorously bound by eons-old tradition and their lives so circumscribed by ritual that there is very little in the way of appearance or personality that distinguishes one Queen from her predecessors or her successors.
At long length Vordal was able to conclude the treaty with the Nyissans, a difficult task since frequently the negotiator with whom he was dealing died quite suddenly in the midst of the most sensitive negotiations. The treaty provided for a commercial compound near the docks at Sthiss Tor, and Tolnedran merchants were rigidly restricted to that compound. While it is certainly not the best treaty ever concluded, the Nyissans’ seemingly inexhaustible supply of good red Angarak gold makes it easier to put up with the restrictions. Further, the Nyissans’ phlegmatic turn of mind renders them indifferent to the intricacies of bargaining, and they will generally pay without question any price that is asked. Thus it is that trade with the snake people is highly profitable, but few if any Tolnedran merchants are ever comfortable in Sthiss Tor. Most will limit themselves to two or three voyages up the River of the Serpent. The profits are enormous, but there is something about the Nyissans that compels even the greediest to soon depart.
The most celebrated event in the history of Nyissa was the Alorn invasion in 4002–3 as a result of the Nyissan assassination of the Rivan King, Gorek the Wise. The motivation behind this apparently senseless act has never been fully disclosed, although the Alorn Kings were able to extract it in detail from Queen Salmissra XXXIII before she died. It is generally assumed that there was Angarak involvement in the plot, but why the Angaraks would hold such enmity toward the monarch of a remote island is unclear. Beyond this, one wonders what could conceivably have been offered to a Nyissan Queen to purchase her cooperation.
Whatever Salmissra’s motives, the act was indisputably hers, and the Alorn retribution was swift and terrible. As previously discussed, the combined forces of Cherek, Drasnia, Algaria and the Isle of the Winds made quick work of the Nyissans. Following their victory, the Alorns systematically and savagely destroyed the entire nation, tearing down the towns and burning the villages. All Nyissans who fell into their hands were ruthlessly put to the sword. Once again it was only the jungles that prevented the snake people from being totally exterminated.
So brutal had been the destruction of Nyissa by the Alorns that for five hundred years and despite frequent searches by Tolnedran expeditions, no sign was visible that any Nyissans survived the holocaust. Then, and only gradually, did the snake people emerge from the jungles to begin timidly rebuilding the capital at Sthiss Tor. Amazingly, it appears that the Queen continued to dominate Nyissan life even though her people had been scattered to the winds. Queen Salmissra LXXIII emerged from the jungles as imperious as had been her predecessors and so closely resembling the face on ancient coinage that many had the eerie feeling that she was the same woman.
The cause for this resemblance, however, had come to light during one of the Tolnedran expeditions into Nyissa following the Alorn invasion. In the vicinity of the capital were discovered several stately houses, each identical to the others, and in the sealed central hall of each house were discovered the skeletal remains of nineteen youthful females. Remnants of clothing indicated that all were identically dressed, and the remains were all precisely the same height. In the surrounding rooms were the remains of numerous other Nyissans as well—some in the garb of servants, others in the robes of priests. The reason for the unbroken line and the uncanny resemblance of each Queen to all who had passed before her became abundantly clear. At a certain stage in the life of a Queen, a search was made of the country to discover twenty young women who closely resembled her. At the time of the old Queen’s death, one of the twenty was chosen to succeed her. The rest were summarily put to death, along with their servants, teachers and priests, in order to prevent any effort to supplant the chosen one. In this manner, the Queen is made secure, and the line of succession is guaranteed.
Since their one excursion into the realm of international affairs ended so disastrously, the Nyissans have remained steadfastly neutral. Much concern existed in the Imperial court at Tol Honeth during the invasion of the Angaraks under Kal-Torak in the 49th century over the possibility that a second column of Angaraks and Malloreans might be proceeding secretly through the jungles of the snake people to strike across Tolnedra’s southern border and thus crush the west in a vast pincer movement. Given the proximity of Nyissa to the western reaches of Cthol Murgos and the peculiar relationship of the snake people with the Angaraks, this possibility was all too real. As a result, Imperial legions fortified the northern banks of the River of the Woods, and the bulk of Tolnedra’s forces were moved to the south and garrisoned at Tol Borune and at Tol Rane in order to counter any such attack. Despite fearful casualties, continuous patrols probed northern Nyissa for any evidence of the expected Angarak approach.
Queen Salmissra vigorously protested the Tolnedran violation of the territorial integrity of her realm, but was put off with a series of diplomatically worded notes from the Emperor himself.
In the end, of course, the expected second front failed to materialize, and we must concede that the diversion of the thirty-seven legions to the south weakened Tolnedra’s ability to participate in the decisive Battle of Vo Mimbre and may in some measure have contributed to the humiliation of the Empire in the infamous accords which followed that battle.
Following the Angarak war, Nyissans have again resumed the slave-trade, although the relative peace which has prevailed in the west since that upheaval has severely limited the number of captives available to them. A few years after the war, Nyissan merchants began buying up foodstuffs in the west, always paying the highest prices. This sudden change contributed noticeably to the food shortage resulting from the destruction of the Algarian herds. It is suspected that the Nyissans were acting as agents for the Murgos, and that the food shortage had spread virtually across the entire continent.
In recent years, Nyissan traders and merchants have been much in evidence in all parts of the west even more so than during the short period of Nyissan commercial dominance as a result of the closing of both the North and the South Caravan Routes. As always, the motives of the Serpent Queen in Sthiss Tor are a mystery.
The present Queen, Salmissra XCIX, appears to be a somewhat more strong-minded ruler than have been many of her precursors who were merely pawns in the control of various court functionaries. Her age, of course, is indeterminate as a result of the use of certain closely guarded herbal compounds reserved for her alone which have the apparent capability of retarding or halting entirely the more visible ravages of the aging process.
NOTE
From time immemorial there have been rumors, myths, legends, folklore and a good deal of just plain nonsense circulated about the Nyissan Queen. Many of these are too ludicrous or grotesque to bear repeating. One story has her the same original Salmissra who is restored every so many years to youth and beauty by feeding, vampire-like upon various sacrificial victims. There is often gross speculation about her sex-life—one group contending she is a virgin, another contending that she is driven by the drugs she uses into abnormal sexual voracity, yet a third contending that as high priestess of snake cult she couples only with serpents.
Quite obviously, most of this is too ridiculous to merit refutation. These facts we know: The Nyissan Queen has never been observed to have had children. The Nyissan Queen has never been observed to have had a husband. From this we must conclude that she is required to maintain the appearance at least of celibacy during her reign. Any other speculation is sheer waste of time and quite certainly is no area of investigation for any proper scholar.63
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Nyissa
COINAGE
Nyissan coins are triangular, and their weights are not exact (Nyissans routinely shave the edges of coins)
GOLD
‘The Golden Queen’ a 5 oz. double triangle with a likeness of Salmissra in each quarter worth about $625.00
‘Golden Half Queen’ 2½ oz. triangle worth about $312.50
‘Golden Quarter Queen’ 1¼ oz. triangle worth about $156.25
SILVER
Silver Queen—5 oz., worth about $31.25
Silver Half Queen—2½ oz., worth about $15.62
Silver Quarter Queen—1¼ oz., worth about $7.81
COPPER
A large triangular piece worth about 50 cents
COSTUME
Nyissan city dwellers wear loose robes of lightweight silk embroidered and decorated. In the country, shorter robes.
Nyissan men shave their heads.
Nyissan women wear elaborate and somewhat revealing gowns, lots of jewelry and a serpent crown. The fabric of her gown is almost transparent. Hair worn Egyptian-style. All body hair removed.
Armor—such as it is—chain-mail vest.
Weapons—short, poisoned knives, short bows with poisoned arrows.
Ceremonial swords and long-handled axes like Halberd.
COMMERCE
Nyissans are much into commerce. A great deal of profit is made in slaves and in trade. They seem indifferent to the finer points of haggling because the Angaraks pay so much for slaves (a form of life insurance). Nyissans are deceitful and not above giving short-weight and adulterating the product. They don’t trust each other much.
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
Again a theocracy. Salmissra is not only Queen, but also is high priestess. She is supreme, but the court functionaries wield a great deal of power. Court is rather like a cross between Egyptian and Chinese. Many functionaries are eunuchs. The Queen’s whim is law, thus everyone tries to stay on her good side to protect himself. Very political, very conniving, Byzantine.
Commoners are simply laborers, but slaves do all the heavy work. (Slaves have their tongues removed.)
RANK
THE QUEEN
Supreme Queen and High Priestess.
THE HIGH PRIESTS
Pretty heavy in the temple but not so much at court.
THE HIGH CHAMBERLAIN
The Queen’s chief Advisor—depending on the Queen, this is the one who more or less runs the country. Most Queens are preoccupied with their own diversions and he has full rein. A few, however, have been strong-minded enough to run things themselves.
ASSORTED FUNCTIONARIES OF THE COURT
These are, in effect, bureaucrats who handle various aspects of government. Much jealousy and bickering and so forth.
MODES OF ADDRESS
The Queen—‘Eternal Salmissra’, ‘Beloved of Issa’
The High Priests—‘Most High’
The High Chamberlain—‘My Lord High Chamberlain’
Others at Court—My Lord this or that (Title)
Commoners—Called by name only
Slaves—‘You’ or ‘Slave’
Note on the Queen: The drug she takes to keep her perpetually young is also a powerful aphrodisiac, and since she must dose with it daily, the Queen is in a perpetual state of sexual arousal. (It also inhibits—prevents—pregnancy.) It is this that makes most Queens docile. They are too busy satisfying their lusts to have time for government. Part of the duties of court functionaries are to service the Queen. She also keeps a stable of slaves for this purpose. Other drugs make them unnaturally potent.
Note on Drugs: The antidotes to the various poisons are usually addictive. Thus most Nyissans are addicts—euphoric and sometimes half-asleep. These addictions are what hold down the Nyissan birth-rate. The men are too doped-up to be much interested in sex. Nyissan women frequently turn to slaves for satisfaction, and lesbianism is quite common.
MANNERS
Elaborately formal. No open hostility. Hissing is considered a sign of respect.
HOLIDAYS
Erastide—Not all that important in Nyissa
Day of the Serpent—Issa’s Birthday
Day of Salmissra—Traditional birthday of the Queen
Festival of the Poison Ones—The day when Salmissra kisses a cobra—(a special drug she takes makes her odor pleasing to the snake so that he will not bite).
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES
Lots of snake-stuff—snake handling, etc. Day of the Serpent—a naked group-grope in the temple in company with a lot of nonvenomous snakes. Pet snakes are household gods. Etc., etc.
POPULATION
About 2 million Nyissans. 250,000 in Sthiss Tor.
THE ANGARAK KINGDOMS
NOTE
Because their history is so completely interwoven, it would be largely impractical and repetitious to deal with each of the Angarak Kingdoms separately. Indeed, while there are slight cultural differences between Nadraks, Thulls and Murgos, they are hardly more than those differences one might distinguish between the inhabitants of Tol Rane, Tol Honeth and Tol Vordue in Tolnedra. Further, because of the unity of their policy, it is perhaps useful to consider these kingdoms as little more than administrative districts of one single national entity.
GEOGRAPHY
The Angarak Kingdoms, consisting of Gar og Nadrak, Mishrak ac Thull and Cthol Murgos, lie along the eastern edge of the continent. The most notable features of the kingdoms are the vast stretches of inhospitable mountains, barren steppes and dreary wastelands. While their lands are rich in mineral wealth, the Angaraks have never fully exploited those riches.
Gar Og Nadrak
The northern-most of the kingdoms is covered with vast forests in its central and north central portions and with the inevitable and towering mountains to the west and north. To the east and south, moor-lands stretch to the shores of the Eastern Sea. Two major rivers, the Cordu and the Drak on Du flow generally southeasterly, joining at Yar Turak in the central moors to form the Greater River Cordu which empties into the sea at the site of the twin cities of Yar Marak and Thull Zelik, the eastern termini of the North Caravan Route. The only other population center of any significance in Gar og Nadrak, aside from the capital of Yar Nadrak, is the fortified city of Yar Gurak on the northwest border with Drasnia. It is generally believed that to the northeast lies the land bridge to the endless reaches of Mallorea, although the Nadraks refuse to confirm this. The evidence of this bridge and the possibility of another caravan route across it, while largely presumptive, is borne out by the fact that vessels observed in the ports at Yar Marak and in Thull Zelik in Mishrak ac Thull are coastal scows incapable (or so observers from Cherek have informed us) of sustained ocean voyages. Our friends from Cherek further advise us that the Angaraks are woefully poor seamen and would be unable to sustain any significant transoceanic commerce. Thus, since Mallorean trade articles—silks, spices and jewelry for the most part— appear regularly in the inventories of Nadrak merchants, it must be assumed that there exists some dependable route to the east.
Mishrak Ac Thull
This is the central Angarak Kingdom. Again, its western boundary with Algaria is mountainous and the eastern foothills are tree-covered, a southern continuation of the vast forests of Nadrak. Aside from the northern River Cordu, which forms the northeastern boundary with Gar og Nadrak, the land of the Thulls is drained only by the River Mardu, and their capital of Thull Mardu is located on an island in that river some hundred leagues inland. Extensive grasslands lie to the north of the River Mardu, and significant cattle herds are grazed in that area of late. (Probably developed as a result of the serious meat-famine which followed the Angaraks’ disastrous adventure in the west.) To the south in the foothills of the mountains a sparsely timbered belt exists which soon gives way to the empty reaches of the wastes of Murgos. The southern boundary of Mishrak ac Thull is the Taur River.
Cthol Murgos
This southern Angarak Kingdom is the most bleak and
uninviting. The seaport of Rak Goska at the mouth of the Taur is the only city of any size in Cthol Murgos, aside from the theological capital at Rak Cthol, and forms the eastern terminus of the South Caravan Route.
Cthol Murgos is, by any civilized standard, an uninhabitable wasteland. Because of the aridity of the country, agriculture is minimal, and the Murgos must import virtually all their foodstuffs. The bleak coastline is backed for a hundred leagues with the bleak wastes of Murgos; there is again, as in Mishrak ac Thull, a narrow belt of stunted trees; and then there is only the endless barren waste of the southern mountains.64
The only geographic feature worthy of note in those mountains is the vast, flat Wasteland of Murgos just to the west of the first range of mountains. The area, perhaps a hundred leagues wide and three hundred long, appears to have been a huge inland sea at some time in the dim reaches of the pre-historic past. Either the sea was drained during some cataclysmic geological upheaval, or a drastic change in climate to the present aridity caused it to gradually dry up. Whatever the reason, only the sea-bed remains. Enormous stretches of barren salt-flats are interspersed with endless expanses of black sand and ridges of tumbled basalt slabs. Somewhere near the center of the wasteland is the Tarn of Cthok, a foul-smelling lake seething with chemical salts and so noxious that even the vultures of Cthol Murgos are frequently overcome by the fumes as they fly over it and fall into the water and perish. The marge of the lake is a bubbling quagmire, forever churned by stinking gasses rising from the very bowels of the earth.
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