Öšdúu-Güðün

The Öšdúu-Güðün was a short-lived government that ruled over the city of Güðün from 25026 to 25019 AYM. A member of the Öšdúu system of governments that presided over the individual cities of the Hýyo-Wýðúr, it was overthrown when the tribe of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš was established. This makes it by far the shortest-lived of the Öšdúu, although the city of Güðün would still maintain a leadership role in the Khalúšian territory under Hŋýïŋïkki and the king-like role of the Ðhýúŋðókk.

History

Prelude

The city of Güðün was founded during the Wýðúric Expedition of 25027-25026 AYM by Wýðúr, the leader of the Expedition. This was the site of the third Wëbëlup-Wýðúr, the series of long poles planted into the ground to serve as tracking markers for the Expedition. Due to its proximity to the Volain Forest and the western source of the Kairn River System , the city of Güðün was meant to be a quickly-developed haven for those emigrating out of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe via the Kairn River.

This purpose was realized in the months following the successful report of the Expedition; the town grew from 500 to 4000 in a matter of days, with a significant portion of the emigrations also traveling out to other Wëbëlup-Wýðúr. These birthed the cities of Vërðïm (11th Wëbëlup-Wýðúr), Lómóhüd (5th/6th), Kal-Haðü (14th) and Óvarhën (22nd). Thus, Güðün became less of a mere expeditionary town and more of a city within a larger developing space. Combined with its increased population, this produced a need for a higher authority to maintain order.

Establishment and Historical Records

The Öšdúu-Güðün was founded by Žlúnúyšat, who would rule for all 6 years of its existence. Žlúnúyšat had been handpicked by Wýðúr to lead a section of his Expedition, and he oversaw the gathering of materials and the construction of the city. Thus, he was the most worthy candidate to be the leader of the city as well, and in this role he was highly efficient. However, little contemporary sources exist beyond the Šókhekic Expedition of 25021 AYM, and there exists no reliable source dating between or talking about the period between 25026 and 25021 AYM. As such, Žlúnúýšat's reign is only really evaluated through comparison between the 25026 AYM and 25021 AYM sources. However, we do know that, due to Žlúnúýšat's affiliation with the Wýðúric Expedition, and the proximity to the Forest and to the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, the city of Güðün was the foremost location for those adhering to the Ëvoðo-Reïlýrhonid cultural viewpoint, that is, the viewpoints aligning with the culture of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe.

Reign

Overall, his brief reign saw a massive expansion in the city layout from being centered moderately far away from the Volain Forest to being adjacent to and even inside it by 25021 AYM. This rendered its center being located instead at one extreme end of the now-ovalish shape. Through this expansion, the city would adopt a stance of being a gateway to the Desert, frequently and abundantly receiving emigrants from the Ïlýrhonid Tribe. Although first busying itself with the adequate readying of these travelers for further travel westward, the city would soon transition to the caretaking of the travelers as permanent residents, as the isolation established by the other Öšdúu would cause the travelers to build up in Güðün itself. For that reason, the city would quickly become the most populous, sporting 55-60% of the total population of the Hýyo-Wýðúr by 25021 AYM. In addition, far from building and adhering to walled city boundaries like the other Öšdúu, the city would instead allow the free building of settlements up to the Forest limit, with no real laws on structure and organization. In such a way, the Öšdúu-Güðün acted more like a caretaker than a strict legal authority, concerned primarily with the accessibility, transport, and provision of the city resources (rocks, wood, and other materials of the Forest) from the harvest points to the city inhabitants.

Downfall and Aftermath

Departure of the Ýlëntuk Family and the Establishment of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš

The downfall of the Öšdúu-Güðün was caused by the tribe of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš, which was formed from members of the Ýlëntuk Family. The Family had left in mid-25020 AYM by sailing up the Kairn River System and settling at the fork of the river, or the Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn. There, in a process lasting about half a year, the Family would drift apart into the tribes of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš and Kairn. The central dispute over this was what to do regarding the Ïlýrhonidian tribal government, with the Khalúšians pursuing a more militant approach and the Kairnians championing a more economic one. Following the Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn, the Khalúšians would be defeated and chased out of the Volain Forest. Most of these would flee northwestward, by way of the west fork of the Kairn River, thus landing them at the city of Güðün. A lesser amount would flee southwestward and encounter the Hýyó-Hayïdic City of Óm-hayïd. In the ensuing months, both of these cities would be engulfed by the sudden population increase. Upon gaining enough leverage, both of these would have their governments ousted and their local population evicted. By mid-Ulta-Eimarae, this process would be complete. However, behind these surface details, the chaos of this time period renders detailed aspects of this usurpation lost to history.

Resettlement of the Civilians

For the city of Güðün, this was especially catastrophic due to the huge population of the city. With so many civilians suddenly without a home, many fled to the other Hýyó-Wýðúr cities, but due to the widespread isolation between cities, many became involved in the growing crime scene that arose in these areas. Rather, most of the civilians, including Žlúnúýšat, turned southwestward and formed the city of Varand. Due to the location of the city, and the ties it would make with those to the south of it, Varand would become an important member of the Hýyó-Hayïd. Throughout the lifetime of the Maðúšýï and its successor the Ðú-Üdarr, Varand and Ožërhýŋ would serve as gateway cities between the Hýyó-Hayïd and the Hýyó-Wýðúr. While the latter would become heavily involved in the trade scene of the Hýyó-Wýðúr, the former, due to the circumstances of the eviction from Güðün, would become similarly devoted to the Maðúšïan cause.

Khalúšian Occupation of the