Kairn

The tribe of Kairn, often enunciated as Khërn, was a large tribe located in the Blivonic Valley that encompassed the majority of the Kairn River System, Nuzowli Mountain Range, and Volain Forest. The tribe also contained within it the tribe of Ïlýrhonid, which acted as a separate entity with its own government and civilians. The majority of Kairian civilians were descended from the Ýlëntuk Family, which created both the tribe of Kairn and that of its neighbor Varhoŋïð-Khalúš when it left the Ïlýrhonid Tribe in 25020 AYM. It is this lifelong feud between Kairn and Varhoŋïð-Khalúš that is the central issue of the Ýlëntukian Civil War.

The feud arose from the fact that, compared to their experiences living outside the tribal walls, the Family's time inside the Ïlýrhonid Tribe was rife with danger. The Family's tribal lands were assigned to be that closest to the Nuzowli Mountain Range, and it was thus the most affected by rockslides as well as the earthquakes and floods that had decimated the tribe during the Ýmor-Šapariž. When they left and settled in the Volain Forest, the overwhelming concensus among the Family members was that the Ïlýrhonid Tribe was mistaken in keeping the population within their walls. However, division arose about just how one was to convince the government to let them leave; the Khalúšians wanted to eradicate the government through military force, but the Kairnians wanted to coerce them via trade. Following the buildup of tensions culminating in the Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn, the Khalúšians would be driven out of the Forest, and the Kairnians would establish a system of defensive guard cities all around the Forest to prevent their furter incursions.

In 22699 AYM, Varonith-Callauz, who had partnered with Tiamthur in 22713 AYM, commenced their invasion of the Kairn tribe. Strengthened by Tiamthurrian troops, they easily defeated the Kairian army and captured the Elironid Tribe, which by now was deserted after a flash flood in 22711 AYM. The majority of Kairian citiens went into hiding in the Volain Forest, where they underwent major reforms and became the tribe of Hymlona.

Prelude

Arfarotï Period and the Ýmor-Šapariž

Main Article: Arfarotï, Ýmor-Šapariž

Although relatively united in the Arfarotï Period, the Ïlýrhonid Tribe would show its first signs of dissolution here, and in its last years, the Arfarotï saw the beginnings of dissolution of the Ýlëntuk Family as well.

The catalysts for this dissolution would become the rough frameworks for the periodization of the Ýmor-Šapariž (25110-25032 AYM). Natural disasters ravaged the landscape from 250100 to 25080 AYM and again from 25045 to 25021 AYM, and in both circumstances, the tribal government's rule was put into question. Concurrently, the Ýmor-Šapariž saw the emergence of the Žötó-Žimiara, members of all twelve families that seemed to be much more effective than the tribal government in curbing the effects of these disasters.

The first disaster period saw the first wave of Žötó-Žimiara, whose innovations were much more functional in nature and were primarily directed towards the curbing and alleviation of damage from these disasters. However, once the disasters wore off around 25080 AYM, the second wave of Žötó-Žimiara would emerge, redirecting the creativity of the first wave more towards cultural and artistic values, especially regarding the arts, architecture, and religion. Most importantly, however, the Žötó-Žimiara's contributions would far overshadow any attempt at relief the Ïlýrhonid government itself posed, and it is this dichotomy between the effectiveness of the family-native Žötó-Žimiara and the powerlessness of the relatively-foreign government that would fuel the tribal sentiment away from the government and towards a more individualized, Family-specific form of self-governance.

Of these many Žötó-Žimiara, Ašamóš and Žaðolý comprise those of the Ýlëntuk Family, and, relative to the contributions of the others, their effects spread past the Ýlëntuk Family and across the entire tribe, lending a certain gravitas to the Family's decisions and opinions during this period. More so than ever, however, the Family seemed to represent the Tribe as a whole, despite becoming fervently against its existence as time went on. As many historians have quipped, the Ýlëntuk Family seemed to move in the directions the other families went, but to a much greater degree; when the populace recoiled from something, the Ýlëntuk Family would recoil to an extreme amount, and when it rejoiced, the greatest cheering would be from the Ýlëntuk Family.

Žaðolý operated from 25113 to 25090 AYM and is considered one of if not the first member of the Žötó-Žimiara. He developed what is called the road and pit system, which arose from the use of records to predict where a boulder would fall during a rockslide. From these so-called 'impact zones', he would designate and carve out a series of deep gorge-like 'roads', which funneled the boulders away from houses and other structures and into designated 'holes', or deep pits used to store the rocks. Those lands far enough away from the initial impact zones were called 'safe zones', as those parts would theoretically become more safe due to the now-controlled paths of the rocks. Near the end of his life, and past his death, further roads were constructed to direct the stored rocks throughout the tribal lands.

Ašamóš operated later, from 25060 to 25035 AYM, and is known for constructing sculptures made from debris and rubble of dilapidated buildings in the family land. The many pieces of these structures were designed to lean on each other, thus allowing it to be self-supporting and extremely earthquake-resistant. Near the end of his life, this would spread past miniature structures to entire houses, and given the tribe-widethreat posed by earthquakes, it would also permeate the rest of the families' architectural styles.

By the time the second period of natural disasters began in 25045 AYM, the Ýlëntuk Family was radically different, as they had rallied around the contributions of Ašamóš and Zaðolý. Indeed, their tribal land was a broken-up, maze-like landscape due to the road and pit system, and between these gorges, the little slivers of raised land bore the Ótaš-Ašamóš stylized houses. However, both of these would be overrun by the second period of natural disasters, whose sheer ferocity caused the Kairn River System to flood, thus clogging up and rendering the road and pit system overly sluggish, and causing rockslides in new places not predicted by Žaðolý, thus steamrolling over the houses built on so-called 'safe areas' and often times simply raining down on and crushing the houses outright.

Other Families experienced a similarly harsh time in this second period, and as such, public sentiment seemed to forgo the notion of a Family-led system of individual governance but instead favored the outright emigration from the tribal territory, as it was perceived to be way too dangerous to continue living there. For the Ýlëntuk Family, however, this sentiment towards emigration, called the Ýmïlýrhonid Movement, was amplified by a substantial degree above that of the other families, for several reasons.

First, the controversy regarding Ržüýŋ, a prominent member of the Žötó-Žimiara, had deeply shaken the tribal faith in the central government. Ržüýŋ was the only member from the Farïnýð Family, and became fascinated with the idea that the Kavamïŋ-Ïlýrhonid, the state religion, was instead a governmental tool used to hem the populace inside the walls of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe out of fear. His assertion and belief in the falsehood of the Kavamïŋ-Ïlýrhonid, the creation of his own counter-religion, the Kavamïŋ-Züýŋ, and his death from suspicious circumstances in 25044 AYM raised tribal concerns about the encroachment of governmental power. For the Ýlëntuk Family in particular, who had at least harbored sentiments cordial to that of Ržüýŋ, a wave of fear arose about the government going after them as well, especially since their contributions had arguably been more widespread than Ržüýŋ's were.

Second, in light of the tribe-wide struggle in the second period of the natural disasters, Anirhož, the Hyvamto-Re-Elironid, issued a private letter to the Ýlëntuk Family in 25035 AYM. In this letter he admitted that, due to the Family's unique circumstances, there was no feasible way to alleviate their hardships without further burdening those of the other 11 families. This letter would become known as the Nüvraŋ-Ýlëntuk and was highly publicized throughout the tribe. In the Family, this was seen as the final admission of failure from the government, and it is around this time that the Family began making definitive plans for a departure.

All of these factors contributed not only to a social and emotional divergence away from the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, but uniquely, a movement towards a much tighter familial unity.

Heta-Ýmor-Vëtam

Main Article: Heta-Ýmor-Vëtam

The Heta-Ýmor-Vëtam began with the five Expeditions known as the Yarpalïŋ-Ýmïlýrhonid. Like all other Families, it reeled when the Hayïdic Expedition reported a casualty count of 800-900, became skeptical when the Wýðúric Expedition reported highly contradictory results, and rejoiced when the Khýnýšic Expedition firmly disproved the Kavamïŋ-Ïlýrhonid and led to its Abolishment. However, unlike those of other families, its unity forbade the wanton emigration that occurred following it. In contrast to emigration levels that reached 15-30% of their population in other families, only 0.5% of the Ýlëntuk Family was reported to have broken off and left the Tribe.

It is around 25022 AYM that the Ýlëntuk Family began seriously planning to departure the Tribe. To do this, they had Šókhekka, a prominent member of the Family, form an expeditionary force and gain the government's approval. Conveniently, the government, led now by the newly-coronated Zümiža, had pivoted to a doctrine of pursuing diplomatic relations with the outside settlers. Thus, to get a picture of the current geopolitical situation, he gladly allowed Šókhekka to form what would become the Šókhekic Expedition, which would set off in 5 Nota-Eimarae, 25021 AYM.

What occurred during the two years that the Expedition was outside the Tribe remains a mystery, as little records from both the Ýlëntuk Family and the Ïlýrhonid Tribe survive. The most likely option is that suspicions were raised about Šókhekka's connection to the Ýlëntuk Family, and as such, the Family was forced to leave before the Expedition came back. There also is, however, a strong possibility that this was an altered tale made by the tribe of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš to paint the Ïlýrhonid Tribe in a bad light.

Departure of the Family

The actual departure of the Family occurred around mid-25020 AYM, anywhere from Anta-Eimarae to Suta-Eimarae. Sailing up the Kairn River, they would enter the Volain Forest and settle at the Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn, or the fork of the Kairn River. While the exact events occurred between the dates accounted for by the Ïlýrhonid records (the Gaðërïŋ-Hýša), they pick up again in around 16 Ulta-Eimarae, 25020 AYM, with the Gaðërïŋ-Ýlëntuk, a collection of speeches, declarations, and other such documents written/spoken during the brief time period in which the Ýlëntuk Family was still united.

From their initial resettlement to 22 Wota-Eimarae, 25020 AYM, a gradual shift occurred in the Family's population. This was precipitated not by some single event in the Family but simply the ease of living in the Forest compared to that of living inside the Ïlýrhonid Tribe. For the vast majority of the Family, especially those who had endured so much hardship during the Ýmor-Šapariž era, it was nonsensical that the government would still choose tribal confinement over well-being. Thus, all, or nearly all, of the members agreed that the Ïlýrhonid Tribe should let its inhabitants out, but they differed crucially on how this was to happen.

Many had harbored feelings of untrustworthiness and indignance at the government for so long that they were convinced they had to be destroyed by violent means. Others leaned more towards the use of economic methods like trade to coerce the government into favoring emigration. The former group would become Varhoŋïð-Khalúš, and the latter would become Kairn, but until 22 Wota-Eimarae, they were still formally one group. Instead, people would migrate to be more with those who shared their values, and as such, by Wota-Eimarae, 25020 AYM, the Khalúšians had grouped in the western banks of the river, while the Kairnians had settled in the central and eastern banks.

During this grand coalescing, both sides used speeches and the written word to group their respective proto-tribes under a series of common ideologies. These were given most prominently by what would become the future leaders of the tribes proper after their separation. This included, for the Khalúšians, Ŋïdúlúŋ and Hŋýïŋïkki, while the Kairnians mainly followed Múýhörhat and Löðkúlhöð. Over 550 tablets of this written/spoken literature was produced in the 3-4 months they spent in the Forest, representing one of the most prolific collections of literature to be written, especially in such a short timeframe, and certainly the most prolific of the Gaðërïŋ-Heta-Alšëwharžar, that is, the collection of literature dating back to the Heta-Alšewharžar.

The Ëvoðo-Súroy

Main Article: Ëvoðo-Súroy

One of the most prominent achievements recorded in the Gaðërïŋ-Ýlëntuk is what is known as the Ëvoðo-Súroy, or the Three-Brain Philosophy, which takes up a swath of the records stretching from GaÝl-525 to -566, or a total of 42 tablets. Together, they represent a monumental compromise taken up between the leaders (Múýhörhat and Löðkúlhöð) and the citizens of Kairn in 10 Wota-Eimarae, mere days before the cataclysmic date of 22 Wota-Eimarae.

Of the two groups, the Kairnians had been the more diverse of the two, both in terms of demographics and in terms of opinions. After all, the violence advocated by the Khalúšians did not agree with much of the population, and a substantial part of the Kairnians were members of the group simply out of disagreement with the Khalúšians. As such, much discussion was brewing about the true meaning of the Kairnian tribe, which was what the Ëvoðo-Súroy.

As a brief summary, the Ëvoðo-Súroy comprised three main points:

• The allotment of a quarter of the resources that had to be sent back to the Ïlýrhonid Tribe and its Families
• A simultaneous ramping up of resource collection paired with a reconnaissance mission into unexplored areas of the Volain Forest
• A sworn promise to carefully monitor the actions of the Khalúšians and react as necessary to prevent damage to any Kairnians, Ïlýrhonids, and their geographical territories

Thus, such a plan would fulfill the vast majority of, if not all, the concerns of the Tribesmen of Kairn. Nonetheless, it based itself on three tenets, each of them controversial at best: that the Ïlýrhonid government genuinely cared for the people and would change its mind on certain decisions if so fit, that the individual member, and, by extension, each of the Families, had free reign to leave the Ïlýrhonid Tribe at any time, and that the Ïlýrhonid Tribe as a whole could be a benefit towards the Kairnians in the long run, as a partner militarily, economically, politically, etc.

Beyond the scope of negotiations and tribal unity, the literature on these fourty tablets represents some of the most rhetorically dense and advanced literature of its time, and it became a source of tribal pride and a symbolic anchor on which to rally. It has thus dominated the politics and diplomacy of the Kairn tribe, and its eventual successor, Hymlona.

Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn

Main Article: Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn

Several months before, as the two sides were still formulating their ideologies, the Khalúšians began planning a grand raid on the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, with the express purpose of destroying the government and setting the populace free from the tribal walls. This raid would occur on 22 Wota-Eimarae, 25020 AYM, but before they could begin, the Kairnians, who had sensed anomalies in the Khalúšians' behavor, ambushed and massacred much of their population as they were getting ready. This also included Ŋïdúlúŋ, the leader of the planned raid and of the Khalúšians. Following this, the Kairnians chased and scattered the Khalúšians westward out of the Volain Forest, at which point the latter group, still frenzied and war-minded, ended up taking over and forcibly evicting the local populations of the nearby cities of Güðün and Óm-hayïd.

This Ambush, and the subsequent 'cleansing' of the Forest, is what is often seen as the formal beginning of both the Kairn and Varhoŋïð-Khalúš Tribes.

History