Hyvamto-Maðúšýï

The Hyvamto-Maðúšýï was the king, or Hyvamto, of the Maðúšýï Tribe. Like other Hyvamto ranks, the ruler served chiefly as an embodiment of the tribe as a whole, and derived its legitimacy from successionary rules and customs that dealt highly with the Maðúšýïan philosophy and culture, this being most often tied to the raids and raid-centered lifestyle of the tribe itself.

However, unlike other Hyvamto ranks, the Hyvamto-Maðúšýï was also intrinsically tied to battle. In addition to being a diplomatic and political leader, the ruler would also be the head of the army, and would lead it in all major engagements across the Maðúšýï's lifetime. Thus, as additional aspects of the tribe not tied to battle were created, like the mining-centered cities of the west, these aspects were afforded tremendous amounts of freedom in how they conducted their operations. Later on, during the reign of Úvremk, the creation of multiple segments of the army would restrict the direct power of the Hyvamto-Maðúšýï further to one-fifth of the army, although the role still held broad-scale authority over all aspects of the tribe.

List of Hyvamto-Maðúšýï

• Gýbakk (25019 - 25001 AYM)
• Úvremk (25001 - 24976 AYM)
• Ökkúš (24976 - 24944 AYM)
• Ažohr (24944 - 24910 AYM)

Background

The Hyvamto-Maðúšýï was never really formally created, but merely assumed through the allegiance and tribal congealing that moulded and shaped the tribe. It governed the cities known as the Hýyó-Hayïd, which are based in the southern Amoŋot Desert. The geography of this region is integral to understanding the motivations of the community and the resultant tribe of Maðúšýï, as it would greatly push them towards the raiding lifestyle that is a key defining feature of their existence.

Geographical Background

Main Article: Hýyó-Hayïd

The Hýyó-Hayïd, that is, the cities of the southern Amoŋot Desert, are situated in a region that is exposed to the Ëriðorn Ocean in the south via the gap between the Nuzowli Mountain Range and the Arbin Watershed. That is, the winds in a 200-kilometer radius are all directed towards the gap, thus creating extremely high speeds and steep eroded cliff-faces and rock textures. Most importantly, it makes the ground become increasingly more fragile as one nears the coast, and as such, the Hýyó-Hayïd would be unable to freely use these rocks as those in other regions like the Hýyo-Wýðúr. Instead, they would have to travel all the way to the Arbin and Nuzowli Mountain Ranges, as well as the Volain Forest, to gather all th materials they would need for food, shelter, tools, and other such essentials. They would also need to cooperate between each other very often, forming tight bonds and very frequently used roads linking most if not all cities together. Of the many cities, the lynchpin would be Óm-hayïd. Being the only major Hayïdic city adjacent to both the Nuzowli Mountain Range and the Volain Forest, it was responsible for producing over half of the tribe's entire needs.

Emergence of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš

Main Article: Varhoŋïð-Khalúš

The tribe of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš was made from the low-class portion of the Ýlëntuk Family, which had left the Ïlýrhonid Tribe in 25020 AYM. It was formed alongside Kairn in a gradual process during the Family's half-year stay in the Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn, that is, the fork of the Kairn River System. The relative peace outside the Tribe, especially compared to the desolation and division within it, was such an increase in the Family's quality of life that they almost unanimously agreed that the rest of the families should be let out as well. However, they were divided on how to do this.

The Khalúšians were united in distrust of both Kairn and Ïlýrhonid Tribes, due to deep-seated resentment about their treatment during the Arfarotï. They preferred a more militant method of sidelining and perhaps even massacring the Ïlýrhonidian government and leading the families out directly. Kairnians, made of the high class and thus having had more amiable contact with the Ïlýrhonid government, instead preferred to expose the families to the exotic materials of the outside world via economic interactions.

The two tribes would slowly drift apart in ideology, coming to inhabit separate parts of the territory. This process would come to a violent climax in 22 Wota-Eimarae, 25020 AYM with the advent of the Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn. In this such event, the planned Khalúšian attack on the Ïlýrhonidian Tribe was thwarted and its members ambushed by Kairnians, who killed a substantial portion of the Khalúšians and scattered the rest. These fleeing populations would end up at the cities of Óm-Hayïd and Güðün. As this population accumulated, the Khalúšians would become more and more powerful, eventually expelling the local population and wresting control from the previous rulers. This would be the starting event for the First Ýlëntukian War (a subperiod of the larger Ýlëntukian Civil War), which would pit the Khalúšians against the combined forces of Kairn and Ïlýrhonid. These two allied tribes would be bound by the Pact of Kairn very soon after the Ambush.

Creation of the Maðúšýï

Main Article: Maðúšýï

The Maðúšýï was a raiding tribe that was created in 25019 AYM. It was mainly caused from the Úrïsic Expedition, the fifth and last Yarpalïŋ-Ýmïlýrhonid, which was sent out to garner allies for the Ïlýrhonid Tribe in their struggle with the Varhoŋïð-Khalúš tribe in a conflict known as the First Ýlëntukian War.

This Expedition's chief accomplishment was using its former ties with the Hýyó-Hayïd as well as the previously-stirred emotions regarding the takeover of Óm-Hayïd, to facilitate the creation of the Maðúšýï. However, it would not engage itself with the specifics in the tribe's geopolitics and social identity, instead leaving it to the local population to decide how this tribe would run in all aspects. The most important effect the Expedition had was incorporating the Maðúšýï into the Pact of Kairn as a third member. This would bind it to the goal of defeating the Khalúšians, which would dominate tribal interests for the Maðúšýï's entire lifetime.

The tribe's creation was a fully-fledged organization was not a grand leap; the interconnected nature of the Hýyó-Hayïd cities already ensured that it operated as a coherent group since its inception. The only major thing that would change was the 'objective' of the tribe, that is, the goal they work towards. In addition to the goal of basic sustenance, the inhabitants would be given another external goal of assisting in the war against the Khalúšians. In this mission they would commit themselves fully, fueled with vengeance, and it is in this state that the tribe would create the Hyvamto-Maðúšýï.

Powers and Duties

The power of the Hyvamto-Maðúšýï was extremely loose and informal. Unlike oth Hyvamto-type governments, which were characterized with highly-defined measures by which the ruler would govern, the tribe of Maðúšýï largely functioned the same way it did before the Úrïsic Expedition. The Hyvamto-Maðúšýï was merely seen as the director of the tribe's mission towards combat, and the local population would still sustain themselves the same way as before. His decrees were seen as vital to his mission, but only so; any breach past it into the self-sustenance realm was simply disregarded. The exception to this was any action that would help improve the tribe's ability to sustain itself.

In practice, the war philosophy, or Tžý, became the most important and influential part of the Hyvamto-Maðúšýï's power. This philosophy, which served as a codex on the various motives, strategies, and cultural values regarding the tribal raids, became semi-religious in how it influenced the tribe's actions. This philosophy would experience a near-steady growth period through the lifetime of the Maðúšýï tribe as both it and its targets evolved.

The Hyvamto-Maðúšýï derived the legitimacy of its rule from this hyperfocus on the raiding aspect of tribal life. He had no real elevation above the rest of the population but was merely the champion of the mission to which the role was devoted. He would be so determined in this respect that he represented someone that had little to no care for self-sustenance, willing to sacrifice himself for the mission assigned to him. This is why most individuals in this role died in battle.

From this intense devotion, it was implied or at least assumed that the Hyvamto-Maðúšýï would be by far the most knowledgeable on the arts of war and of conflict. One followed him solely because of this trust in his skills and strategic ability. In this precarious dependence, the role had absolute power, but persistent failures or misgivings may erode this trust and thus anull the efficacy right then and there.

History

Reign of Gýbakk (25019 - 25001 AYM)

Gýbakk took charge during and after the Úrïsic Expedition and was instrumental in defining the limits and powers of the role. He based his settlement and those of his successors at Žënhðwör, a city directly west of Óm-Hayïd, and separated the Hýyó-Hayïd into western and eastern portions. The western portion, which consisted of 80% of the physical tribal land, was set aside solely for gathering resources from the Arbin Watershed. The eastern portion, consisting of the cities of Žënhðwör, Hayïd-Entëž, and Šül-Hötëv, became hyperfocused on raiding.

Tžý-Gýbakk

The Tžý-Gýbakk, that is, his philosophy, dealt with the reasons and motives behind raiding. In the early years of the tribe, the motivation for raiding was almost always fueled by pure vengeance, especially for the takeover of Óm-hayïd. Gýbakk, knowing that these sentiments would cool down after a while, and realizing the efficacy of these raids in gathering resources for the tribe, wanted to sustain these attacks. He would do so by providing three different reasons, which formed the crux of his philosophy.

• To gather resources for tribal sustenance
• To diminish and weaken enemies, thus protecting the tribe
• To fulfill the tribe's obligations to the Kairn and Ïlýrhonid Tribes

In addition to merely providing these reasons, he would shape tribal life around this, creating a cult-like devotion to the prospect of raiding in the eastern portion of the tribe. In the 35+ raids that occurred in his reign, the hordes that entered the target cities and took resources were disorganized, chaotic and manic in their methods. Gýbakk gave them free reign in regards to whatever actions one could do, so long as it served the purposes of any of the three reasons.

This triple-reason philosophy would serve Gýbakk's purposes nicely, and by 25015 AYM, the Maðúšýï had included the Hýyo-Wýðúr as a target alongside the Khalúšians. In 25010 AYM, the Khalúšians, ravaged by these attacks, abandoned Óm-Hayïd and instead settled in the newly-constructed twin cities of Šahr-Óðlýn and Öðma-Amakoð, which subsequently became the new targets for the Maðúšýï.

It would be in an ill-fated raid on these two cities that the Maðúšýï would suffer their first decisive defeat in the 25001 AYM Ambush of Šahr-Óðlýn and Öðma-Amakoð. Here, a large portion of the raiding army, including Gýbakk himself, was destroyed by a flanking maneuver carried out by Khalúšians hidden within the ruins of Óm-Hayïd.

Reign of Úvremk (25001 - 24976 AYM)

Úvremk was the successor to Gýbakk and once a devoted follower of the Tžý-Gýbakk. Grievously wounded at the Ambush of Šahr-Óðlýn and Öðma-Amakoð, he was able to limp back to Žënhðwör where he spent the next two weeks recovering. There, disillusioned by the failures encountered at the Ambush, he created the Tžý-Úvremk, which would propel him to becoming the next Hyvamto-Maðúšýï in 25001 AYM. This Tžý-Úvremk dealt not with the motives of raiding but the behavior and actions in raiding that would most effectively carry out the motives outlined by Gýbakk.

Tžý-Úvremk

The key component of this philosophy was the 'balanced' style of raiding. Úvremk observed how the manic and disorganized hordes of raiders pummeled and bludgeoned their targets in the Gýbakkian raids, and attributed that to why the Khalúšians permanently moved to the two cities northwards. This movement then forced the Maðúšýï to travel further to carry out these raids, leaving them vulnerable to attacks like those of the Ambush.

However, Úvremk also hypothesized that attacking too lightly would allow their targets to recover faster than usual and maybe even create alliances or defenses. He saw the growing adaptability to raids as a threat that had to be curbed, whether this adaptability was political alliances, physical barriers/distances, or even an abundance of fear. In order for the Maðúšýï to effectively conduct repeated assaults on the Khalúšians and the Wýðúrian cities, these factors had to be curtailed.

Alongside the notion of a 'balanced' raiding style, Úvremk also came up with a hypothetical cycle of raiding that would most effectively allow the Maðúšýï to gather resources. This consisted of the following:

• The Maðúšýï conduct an initial raid, scattering the population and carrying off their resources
• The population spends half a year to a full year scattered before revitalization begins
• During this revitalization, the city's infrastructure and industry is restarted
• The Maðúšýï allow 2 to 4 months for the population to settle down, but not so much that the town develops defensive mechanisms
• The Maðúšýï raid again, and the cycle restarts

The main steps the 'balanced' style targeted were the second and fourth ones. If a raid was too harsh, the population risked spending far more than one whole year scattered, perhaps not coming back at all, thus delaying or destroying the Maðúšýï's chances of extracting resources from them in the future. However, if a raid was too light, the population would come by in timespans earlier than half a year, thus also placing the revitalization process earlier and allowing the city to erect walls, guards, and other mechanisms of that kind by the time the next raid occurred.

The other major action Úvremk did in his reign was to separate the army into five segments, which was done in response to the growing population. These five segments were each governed by a general that was given absolute power over their respective segment, with Úvremk himself being one of these generals. At that time, tribal morale was at its peak and as such, Úvremk chose those generals with a drive and commitment towards the raiding cause that rivaled his own.

First Varhoŋïan War

Úvremk's reign was cut short by the emergence of the First Varhoŋïan War of 24976 AYM. It came about due to the rise of the nearby city of Ožërhýŋ as a powerful center of mining and a potential trading site for the Hýyó-Wýðúr. The Maðúšýï were concerned that the interactions between these cities would lead to the formation of trade alliances and eventually coherent organizations, both of which would become seriously more resistant to the raids. As such, Úvremk forced the Öšdúu-Ožërhýŋ, Að-Haŋaï, to sign the Pact of Ožërhýŋ, which instead restricted the city's geopolitical interactions to the Maðúšýï. In response, the Varonian Trade Coalition was formed between the cities of Lómóhüd, Vërðïm, and Kal-Haðü.

Although attaining several early victories, the Maðúšýï would suffer a defeat at the major Battle of Vërðïm-Ŋüž, leading Úvremk to shift his focus from targeting the Hýyó-Wýðúr as a whole towards targeting the connections between each city. Following fierce fighting at and around the Hýyó-Wýðúrian cities, the Coalition armies would become trapped within the cities and held there in siege by the Maðúšýïan army. From then until the end of the war, the five segments would take positions in the empty desert area between Wýðúrian cities, targeting communications, morale, and army maneuvers.

Due to the full commitment of the army segments towards this, Úvremk failed to protect against the Khalúšian forces led by Gršáŋvšaŋžl, who ravaged the eastern Hýyó-Hayïdic cities before turning back north and targeting each segment of the Maðúšýïan army one at a time. Three of these were caught unprepared and almost entirely destroyed, including Úvremk himself. The other two maneuvered themselves away, escaping back south to Maðúšýïan territory.

Reign of Ökkúš (24976 - 24944 AYM)

Ökkúš was the third leader of the Maðúšýï and one of two generals to survive the First Varoŋïan War. He