Mallorean Empire

The **Mallorean Empire** is a major Angarak nation that occupies the entire Eastern continent, which is also called Mallorea. It was briefly visited during *The Belgariad* and much more extensively during *The Malloreon*.

Mallorea is the ancestral home of the Angarak people, and following the re-arrangement of the world underwent massive social changes. Originally dominated by Torak from the High Places of Korim, the geographical alterations had now swamped the God's former residence. He relocated to the city of Cthol Mishrak in extreme northwestern Mallorea, on the shores of the Sea of the East. Meanwhile, the near-collapse of Angarak society saw the military take control, all but abandoning the once-dominant Grolim priesthood.

Unable to integrate into this new power structure, the Grolims fled to the northern mountains of the new continent, settling at the city of Mal Yaska under the Disciple Urvon, whilst the military—and the majority of the Angarak remnant—settled in a fertile valley in the midlands, building the city Mal Zeth.

Off the eastern shores of the new continent were the Melcene Islands. Originally separate, but close to, the proto-continent, the Islands were swamped and almost destroyed in the Cracking of the World. The bulk of the people were now left trying to survive on a pitifully small landmass. The administration, a ponderous bureaucracy, eventually decided to expand the Melcene race to the new continent, which was already inhabited by several primitive kingdoms. The Melcene Empire was described as being sophisticated and technologically superior to the Angaraks of the second millennium; they also had horse- and elephant cavalry as well as war chariots.

On the eastern coastline of Mallorea are the Melcene provinces of Gandahar, Darshiva, Peldane, Celanta, and Rengel. This is bordered in the north by the Seven Kingdoms of Karanda, and in the southwest by the Dalasian Protectorates, which stretches right to the western coast of Mallorea. The northwest portion of Mallorea was uninhabited until the arrival of the Angaraks.

The naturally fractious Angarak people, still divided between the secular Mal Yaska and the military Mal Zeth, continued to skirmish and fight, until Torak Himself issued an order to cease, and instead subdue the indigenous peoples of Mallorea. Forced into an uneasy alliance, Grolim and generals arranged a campaign against the neighbouring peoples, the loose confederation of primitive nations known as the Seven Kingdoms of Karanda. The trained and experienced Angaraks soon defeat the resistance of the Karandese, and with the fate of millions at stake, one of the most critical decisions in Angarak society was made.

The Grolims were preparing for a massive of sacrifice to Torak, but the General Staff saw an opportunity to assimilate the Karandese, providing a vassal state and expanding the burgeoning Angarak empire. Both options were presented to Torak, who—in a break with his usual bloodlust—sided with the military and demanded the subjugation of the Karandese to Angarak religion and governance. The Grolim priesthood reluctantly agreed and replaced the existing religion of demon worship, thus doubling the size of the Angarak presence in Mallorea.

In the southeast, Melcena was expanding its borders through far more peaceful means. The bureaucracy, aiming always for efficiency, preferred to simply absorb the coastline kingdoms, and rule through the existing royalty of each country.

With the Angaraks expanding east and the Melcenes expanding west contact was inevitable. Legend has it that the Melcene army, supported by formidable elephant cavalry from Gandahar, utterly devastated a numerically superior Angarak army. The Angarak commanders realised they could not succeed in conflict against the advanced Melcene forces. They offered a tentative peace to the Melcenes, who readily accepted; the bureaucrats could see Angarak numbers would eventually swamp the fledgling Melcene empire. The Angarak forces then turned their attention to the sprawling Dalasian territories, seemingly inhabited by simple village folk, thus consolidating their hold on the entire continent. This wary peace between the two dominant power systems of Mallorea was strained by several minor conflicts, but it is clear that neither side was willing to commit its entire might. In an attempt to foster peace—and no doubt conduct some information gathering—influential families of Melcene despatched young men to live with senior military officers of Angarak, and vice-versa, creating a generation of men with awareness of both sides and unintentionally setting the scene for the greatest political shift on the continent to date.