Ólpësŋë

Ólpësŋë was a prominent Këhóšian military general (Khlúðŋúmïr) of the Ýïrúl War who died at the First Battle of Vëlaš-Ïmrú. He was the first Khlúðŋúmïr of the Vakýë-Ëŋšïk, a position he held from the section's establishment until his death.

Biography

Early Years

Ólpësŋë was born around 25015-12 AYM in the Ïlýrhonid Tribe as part of the burgeoning Khólteð Family. His presence in the Žötó-Ïdhatón shows that he was almost certainly not a member of the Fýr-Hŋýtor, but his smudged date of birth (from injury and decay of the genealogical records themselves) prevents an accurate reading of his birthdate.

Ólpësŋë was one of only a moderate amount of known Family members to be born in the lull that dominated the entire tribe from 25100 to around 25000 AYM. This was largely due to a number of different events, including the rise of the Žötó-Žimiara and the battering of the tribe through two prolonged periods of natural disasters. By the time of his birth, the Tribe was a radically different place, having gone from a severely isolationist community to one actively pursuing alliances and relations with external tribes. The present conflict was that of the First Ýlëntukian War, which lasted from 25019 to 25003 AYM and forced the Ïlýrhonid Tribe to adopt widespread defensive measures, namely the Aparaŋ-Ïlýrhonid. Paranoia and a lack of information led them to sustain these practices all through to 24995 AYM.

The social upheaval that dominated the tribe during this period led to instability and insecurity within each Family. The Khólteð Family was known for a variety of these vagabond groups that wandered the streets and adopted identities almost entirely different from that of the Family as a whole. Ólpësŋë was a member of one of these groups, and grew up in these disorganized communities.

Crisis of 24982 AYM

The Crisis of 24982 AYM was, in some respects, a blessing for these vagabond groups. It saw the entire Khólteðtian way of life upended as the government (now the Arðor-Úŋï) was entirely busied with its conflict with the Arðor-Tal. The violent clashes, particularly in the Massacre of the Krëšŋ-Ðórr, Battle of Arhžvóo and Battle at the Palace, reduced faith in the central familial government and created a diverse array of groups called the Arðor-Kýï, who each had independent views for the future of the Family and what it ought to do. These differences in opinions quickly led to a series of violent clashes within these groups, called the Kýïan Wars, that were mostly decided by the relative strength of the groups, thus forcing each one to amass as many members as possible. Ólpësŋë and his vagabond group joined the tribe of Këhóš-Ýïr at the personal request of a friend, Ðrhuvëškal, who was the absolute leader of the tribe and the main architect behind their military actions.

The Këhóšians’ goals were twofold. Mainly, they wanted to reach towards the Ëzó-Rhažóval, the Palace of the Hyvamto-Žö-Ýšïb, which was the symbolic seat of power and whose occupancy seemed to represent legitimate rulership in the eyes of many groups. However, they wanted to deny others, particularly the groups farther away from the Palace, from achieving the same goal. As such, these two goals meant two different fronts, one northeastwards (towards the Palace) and one southwestward (towards the other groups). Ólpësŋë himself was part of the latter, but both fronts were commanded simultaneously by Ðrhuvëškal. This responsibility ultimately led to the latter’s death in the last days of the Crisis, when Zümiža issued the 24982 AYM Ultimatum, thus forcibly ending the conflict and expelling all members of the Family out of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe. This left the Këhóšian Tribe desperately without leadership in the succeeding conflict, the Khólteðian Wars.

Ýïrúl War

The Khólteðtian Wars began in late-Heta-Eimarae, 24981 AYM, and lasted all the way into 24977 AYM. It was not a unified conflict, but numerous subconflicts that erupted across the entire Family after their initial settlement in the Tayzem Desert. The first of these conflicts was that of the Ýïrúl War, an extended conflict, initially between Këhóš-Ýïr and Ýbašý-Ýïr, in which Ólpësŋë took extensive part. However, he would not live to see the end of it, nor the branching out of this conflict to its largest extent between five separate tribes.

The Këhóš-Ýïr at the beginning of the Ýïrúl wars was still reeling after the death of Ðrhüveškal, and thus dangerously vulnerable and uncoordinated. It occupied a stretch of land that bordered the Tlïvhakk Ocean, and its entry into the Ŋaraïðúl Strait. This allowed them extremely nutrient-rich waters and thus extensive farming operations began along the coast. Three major urban complexes were created, called Ïšš-Ðahŋú, Öšërk-Ðahŋú, and Vakýë-Ðahŋú, which were situated in the southern, middle, and northern parts of the coast, respectively, and Ólpësŋë would settle in the northernmost of the three. Upon the outset of the Ýbašïan raids on the small Këhóšian towns further inland, these coastal cities did not notice; it was only upon the direct engagement of the Ýbašïans at Kúr-Ïžït that the Këhóšians were roused into action. Hrülïšakr became the first to hold the newly-created role of Khlúkúrmïr, in a way a delayed successor to Ðrhuvëškal, and distinct armies called Ëŋšïk were created from the able-bodied members of the populace. Ólpësŋë was a member of the Ïšš-Ëŋšïk and fought under Úreŋod for a number of engagements (including at Ïšš-Ënðó) before being transferred to the Vakýë-Ëŋšïk to be its commander. He would serve as the southern prong in a double-fronted assault (alongside the Öšërk-Ëŋšïk in the north, led by Müžúökrš) that sought to recapture the inland towns starting from those most westwards (closest to the coastal towns). His first mission in that respect was to target the ruined city of Vëlaš-Ïmrú, then occupied by the Ýbašïan commander Kóvað.

Battles of Vëlaš-Ïmrú and Death

Ólpësŋë, being still quite young, was recorded as often relying upon the information and advice of his own army members. He chose to cultivate a community-based system in the army, positioning himself as much less the leader and more so its overseer. In the First Battle of Vëlaš-Ïmrú, his army members scouted the city and noted that Kóvað was positioned for a flank on both sides of the main avenue. Ólpësŋë thus chose to conduct a large assault from the west strictly through the main avenue, which, due to the small size, could not fit all elements of his army in. Those still waiting on the outside instead served as watchers and guarders, to monitor the behavior of Kóvað's army as to whether the sides of Kóvað's army would go for an assault or fold in amidst crumbling stability. They would hold out for surprisingly long before caving in, but when they did, Ólpësŋë had these waiting groups rush in through holes in the city's crumbling walls, picking off scattered Ýbašïans, but they were not fast enough to entirely surround them, and Kóvað and his army reconvened with another Ýbašïan general, Šófëð, in the eastern outskirts of the city.

In the aftermath of the First Battle of Vëlaš-Ïmrú, Ólpësŋë would attempt to rebuild several segments of wall, intending that these would restrict their enemies' possible movements. This decision would prove fatal, as a few days later, the newly-rejuvenated combined force of Kóvað and Šófëð would attack right at these rebuilding points and thus slaughter those at the walls before the Këhóšians could muster up a defense. The immediacy and unpredicted nature of the attack meant that Ólpësŋë could only muster up a hasty defense before engaging in a multi-hour-long fight. The two lines would form along various streets of the city three blocks away from each other. Instead, they relied on the streets as cover, as the Ýbašïans' attacks were rendered easily predictable due to this layout of the city. However, this was but a front for the real Ýbašïan attack, composed of 500 men, that would circumvent the city and attack from the west, trapping the Këhóšians between two fronts. Upon impact, these 500 soldiers took the Këhóšians by pure surprise, and because Ólpësŋë had positioned himself at the very center of his own line (the site of the main western avenue that the 500 soldiers charged down), he was killed almost immediately. From there, the leaderless and scattered Vakýë-Ëŋšïk was torn in twain, and mounted small-scale resistances and assaults in discrete parts west of the city for several hours. This occurred until the Öšërk-Ëŋšïk, led by Müžúökrš, arrived and relieved the beleaguered remnants of Ólpësŋë's army. This set the stage for the Third Battle of Vëlaš-Ïmrú, where the pursuing Ýbašïans under Ðúrýlór were routed by Müžúökrš. It was only in the aftermath of the Third Battle that the Këhóšians tended to the dead, including the body of Ólpësŋë himself.

Legacy

The Legacy of Ólpësŋë was and has been complicated. It is true that he is not nearly as celebrated as Müžúökrš and Hrülïšakr, as his only recorded battle was the one in which he died. Furthermore, the army (the Vakýë-Ëŋšïk) that he had led was so beaten up during that battle that it was immediately merged with the survivors of the Öšërk-Ëŋšïk and his position was subsequently abolished. There are also suspicions that his status as a vagabond and vagrant during the years leading up to the Crisis put many individuals on edge. Despite these preconceptions, Ólpësŋë was still seen in part as a devoted leader, and as the first such leader to die in battle, his death crossed a hurdle that had previously been a source of contention and hesitancy. Müžúökrš and Hrülïšakr would understandably laud Ólpësŋë as a heroic figure in the aftermath of his death, but the Këhóšian populace as a whole had been very hesitant to follow them into battle due to the threat of death.