Blinded by wrath and wounded pride, Tus called upon the elite champions of Iran, demanding a warrior brave enough to ascend the heights, sever the head of the solitary archer on Mount Sepid-kuh, and bring it before the assembly. Hearing his lord's command, Rivniz—the gallant young son-in-law of Tus—girded his loins for battle, unaware that the thread of his destiny was running short.
Bahram, wise and god-fearing, stepped forward to stay the general's madness. He warned Tus to fear the Lord of the Sun and Moon, reminding him that the champion above was of royal seed, the brother of King Kay Khosrow, bearing the undeniable radiance of Prince Siyavash. But Tus turned a deaf ear to wisdom and commanded his horsemen to charge up the steep slopes. Seeing them ride forth, Bahram intercepted the warband, swearing to them that harm done to Siyavash's kin would bring nothing but disaster and divine retribution. Moved by Bahram's solemn testimony, the noble chieftains pulled their reins and turned back.
Yet Rivniz, driven by arrogance and stubborn ambition, pressed onward along the rugged paths of Charam, ascending Mount Sepid-kuh clad entirely in iron. From his high vantage point, Farud watched the solitary rider approach and turned to the veteran counselor Tokhar, realizing that Tus had mocked their overtures of peace. Tokhar identified the champion as Rivniz—the beloved son-in-law of Tus, the sole son of his lineage, cherished by forty sisters like blossoms of spring. Tokhar urged Farud to target the rider himself rather than his steed, so that the grief might pierce Tus's arrogant heart and teach him the bitter folly of waging war against his sovereign's brother.
Farud drew his mighty royal bow and loosed a swift poplar arrow. The missile struck with devastating force, pinning Rivniz's helmet to his armor and driving him lifeless into the dust. As the blood-stained warhorse galloped back down the mountain carrying its dead master, Tus looked upon the tragedy from afar, the world turning pitch black before his eyes as the bitter harvest of his own malice was laid bare.