Lŋórak

Lŋórak was the second leader of the Arðor-Úŋï, one of the three factions of the Crisis of 24982 AYM. He would serve in this capacity as the military commander for the Arðor-Úŋï from immediately after the Massacre and death of Rëžýnð, his predecessor, to the crucial Battle at the Palace, where he was seriously injured and succeeded by Ëðhýas. He is primarily known for his leadership during the controversial Massacre of the Krëšŋ-Ðórr, the Battle of Arhžvóo, and the Battle at the Palace, all of whom represent the bloodiest engagements in the entire Crisis. Following the expulsion of the entire Khólteð Family and the eruption of the Khólteðian Wars, he would become part of the hardlined Úŋïan tribe of Ðýhëk-Ýïr, where he would die in 24980 AYM from his injuries.

Biography

Early Life

Lŋórak is noted in the Žötó-Ïdhatón, the familial genealogical records, as being born in 25007 AYM, making him one of the youngest major military leaders in the entirety of the Crisis and the subsequent Khólteðian Wars. He was born at a time when growing resistance from the Arðor-Tal took center stage in familial politics, including the revelation that they had covertly dug an extensive tunnels system throughout the familial lands. Lŋórak would almost certainly have been influenced by this, especially given his actions later on as commander of the Úŋïans. This was bolstered by his proximity to Týyšat, the Hyvamto-Žö-Ýšïb or the Head of the Family, as well as his immediate family. By 24995 AYM, he would be as close to the royal family and was treated as a younger sibling to the heir-apparent Šïk-hórom and his brother Rëžýnð. He would likely thus share their views on the Fýr-Hŋýtor, although their exact views are lost to time.

Crisis of 24982 AYM

Under Rëžýnð

The Crisis of 24982 AYM would come about in 12 Anta-Eimarae, 24982 AYM, due to the death of Týyšat and the subsequent kidnapping of Šïk-hórom by Talian forces. The army that his brother Rëžýnð raised up and led is known as the Arðor-Úŋï, and Lŋórak quickly joined him as one of the main leaders of the Úŋïans during the assaults that took place between the two sides. These assaults took place at the borders of the Krëšŋ-Ðórr, inside of which Šïk-hórom was held captive. Rëžýnð would mount several assaults on the Talians, and on one of these assaults, he and a small band of Úŋïan broke through the Talian lines. In the resultant commotion, the Talians quickly patched up their lines, and thus prevented subsequent assaults from supporting him. Now trapped, Rëžýnð and this small band would fight desperately, with them all being felled by 15 Anta-Eimarae. This event is known as the Massacre of Rëžýnð, and it had deep psychological effects on Lŋórak, the exact details of which are still debated by historians. However, what is fairly agreed upon is that Lŋórak would possess an extremely vitriolic hatred of the Talians and the Talian cause, and thus set out to utterly destroy them.

As the 2nd Leader of the Arðor-Úŋï

Following the death of Rëžýnð, Lŋórak would quickly regain the helm of the Arðor-Úŋï. He would conduct several large-scale advances into the Krëšŋ-Ðórr that pushed the Talians further and further back. After rescuing Šïk-hórom in 22 Anta-Eimarae, he would controversially continue the advance, reaching all the way to the western edge of the Krëšŋ-Ðórr. When he reached it on 25 Anta-Eimarae, he would spend that day and the next committing a large-scale razing of the Krëšŋ-Ðórr, including the killing of around 2,000 civilians and soldiers. This is the Massacre of the Krëšŋ-Ðórr, one of the most brutal atrocities in the history of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, and it played a major part in diminishing public support for the Úŋïan cause and would directly lead to the emergence of the First-Phase Arðor-Kýï.

With the Krëšŋ-Ðórr 'dealt with', Lŋórak would then set his sights on the northern territory of Khëlër-Ðórr, with the intention of wiping it out as well. However, the Talian commander Žúž-Akëð, who was aware of his purposes, used his battered army to create numerous disturbances to the east, inside the non-Talian territory. It is still up to speculation as to what compelled Lŋórak to go after him instead of continuing to raid the Khëlër-Ðórr, with the more compelling argument having to do with his personal character. The most dominant theory asserts that this direction was in line with his hatred of the Talians, just that he opted to remove their effective strength (the most capable point of resistance). However, other theories, primarily those formulated in the Nota-Alšewharžar tribes, prefer to show Lŋórak in a more ambivalent light, in that he was driven to attack Žúž-Akëð because they threatened the well-being of the civilians of the Khólteð, who he was meant to be defending.

Whatever the reason, Lŋórak's consequential decision to follow Žúž-Akëð led to the Battle of Arhžvóo on 15 Ulta-Eimarae, which beat back the Talians and forced them to flee even more to the east. In 22 Ulta-Eimarae, finally having them cornered in the Ëzó-Rhažóval, that is the Palace of the Head of the Family, Lŋórak would launch an assault at the cramped Palce building. The commotion and chaos of this Battle at the Palace caused him to be swept into the Palace itself, just as the fighting caused the second floor to collapseon top of him and thousands of other army members from both sides. The injuries on Lŋórak were severe; he sustained serious fractures in his skull (Оö-Ëtavú), and the open and festering wounds on at least three of his legs forced him to amputate them. All of these had deep psyhological effects on his psyche, and, unable to continue the duties of a military commander, he left this responsibility to his successor Ëðhýas. It would thus be the more mild-mannered Ëðhýas, and not the fiery Lŋórak, that signed the Ceasefire of Zïlëŋý.

Later Events in the Crisis

For the most part, Lŋórak would evade punishment for his actions as the leader of the Arðor-Úŋï. Still suffering from mental and physical issues (possibly an early and mild form of Yožiža) from his injuries, he would live out the rest of the days of the Crisis in a lonely hut at th far northern edge of the Úŋïan territory. During the month-long period of skirmishes between the Battle at the Palace and the 24982 AYM Ultimatum, both the Arðor-Tal and Arðor-Úŋï would experience major fractures, and the newly-created Úŋïan tribe of Ðýhëk-Ýïr, which was made of those most dedicated to the Úŋïan cause (particularly the eradication of the Talians) flocked to him and looked up to him as their leader. His condition deteriorating, Lŋórak was typically treated as an oracle, who gave advice on who to attack and when. Lŋórak himself likely found relief in this group, having experienced so much personal loss throughout his life. This is exemplified through a series of carvings on the walls of his hut, which he drew to pass the time, and whose contents include frequent mention of these Ðýhëkkians and his original brethren (namely Rëžýnð and Šïk-hórom).

As Part of Ðýhëk-Ýïr

When the Crisis was ended on 15 Geta-Eimarae due to the 24982 AYM Ultimatum, all 32 tribes were commanded by Zümiža to leave the Ïlýrhonid Tribe. Finding him invaluable to their mission, the Ðýhëkkians carried the now-bedridden Lŋórak all the way across the journey to the Tayzem Desert, and on the way, his condition would experience a dramatic shift once again. It seems that, from records relating to surviving parts of his skull, a severe lack of nutrients had led to the collapse of his Vanýst, almost completely inhibiting his ability to speak. He would still be able to communicate through writing, but knowing his situation, Lŋórak begged the Ðýhëkkians to move on and find a different leader. Still, they would carry him to their territory in the northeastern part of the Desert, and built a small hut (much like that of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe) around him. Although they would eventually heed his pleas, raising up Aškulvak, they would simultaneously raise him to a god-like status. Unlike other strongly-affiliated Úŋïan tribes, who placed much more importance on the deceased Rëžýnð and/or sometimes the still-living Šïk-hórom, the Ðýhëkkians saw Lŋórak as the epitome of what righteous aggression look live (through his violent campaigns) and what one had to give up in order to achieve the goals of the tribe (the debilitating injuries).

Death

Lŋórak would finally die around mid-24980 AYM, having been slowly eaten away by his injuries. Following his death, the Ðýhëkkians would not disturb the body nor the hut that surrounded it, instead bolstering the religious perception of him through rites and rituals. Some historians even assert that, due to the inability of Lŋórak to speak or move, his death was not even recognized until months or even years after his actual death. By the time the Ðýhëkkians were defeated and eventually assimilated into the Talian tribe of Múuŋ-Ýïr in 24978 AYM, Lŋórak's body had been so aged by weathering and by his injuries that it was rendered unrecognizable even by the Talians, and he was given a formal burial by the Múuŋians. This formal burial is the main reason why his corpse is still intact today, and why so much about his physical condition exists in the records.

Legacy

Of the many figures that are associated with the Crisis of 24982 AYM, perhaps none have enjoyed as controversial a legacy as Lŋórak. He is almost universally blamed for causing the Crisis to spiral completely out of the control of the Úŋïans, as he sharply diverged from the initial goal of merely rescuing Šïk-hórom and instead pursued a much more violent mission of eradicating the Talians altogether. The adoption of this new goal thus placed major doubts on the Úŋïans as a just and responsible force, and directly led to the creation of the Kýïan Tribes, whose presence prevented any and all returns to a 'lasting peace' through the Ceasefire of Zïlëŋý. In addition, his abrupt yet serious injuries at the Battle at the Palace suddenly placed the entire Úŋïan force in the hands of a comparably inept leader in Ëðhýas, who was unable to hold the rapidly diverging views of the Úŋïans together.

One must thus wonder why Lŋórak's consequential campaign of violence occurred, and what inside Lŋórak himself caused it to occur. This is one of the foremost and frequently debated questions regarding the Crisis, not least because of the extensively large role that Lŋórak played within it. The most common explanation is that Lŋórak was blinded by grief and rage upon the kidnapping of Šïk-hórom and the death of Rëžýnð, both of whom were seen as his blood brothers. This tends to paint Lŋórak in a sympathetic light, namely as a figure whose destructive tendencies were due solely to an innate desire to protect and avenge his family. However, other views place more culpability on Lŋórak the individual, typically through asserting that at least some part of his destructive nature was within him even before the familial tragedies that raised him to power, and that the Crisis was an awakening of these deeply innate parts of his psyche. Supporters of this view look towards other historical figures like Múýhörhat, who exemplified a comparable restraint in violence by using it only in a single instance, the Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn, to defend the Ïlýrhonid Tribe from the Varhoŋïð-Khalúš.

However, in terms of army management and leadership, Lŋórak was shown to have been highly innovative, if not entirely groundbreaking altogether. This mainly rests in his ability to galvanize a substantial force in following his own goals. In many ways, he became the lynchpin for the entire Úŋïan force in that his mere presence silenced doubters and prevented a splintering of the army. It is without doubt that the Úŋïan force reached its greatest and most effective extent under Lŋórak, albeit not exactly for the right goals. His tactics as well constituted a very early example of detailed army management, in which he watched over and commanded all parts of the army simultaneously in such battles like the large-scale assault following Rëžýnð's death and the later Battle of Arhžvóo. Although his army did not have discrete subdivisions, he was still able to use his army to an extremely large extent, with grandiose and simultaneous movements that utilized the entirety of the multi-pronged force. Parallels have often been drawn between the thorough management skills of Lŋórak and the near-fanatical dual-management of military and civil duties by Ðrhuvëškal, the first leader of the Kýïan tribe of Këhóš-Ýïr. Perhaps Lŋórak also wished to do the same, that is, usher in a new civic order through military means. Whether this was a genuine political vision or merely a projection by later chroniclers remains a matter of dispute.

Finally, Lŋórak also holds a special place in the medical sciences in that his corpse is one of the earliest surviving examples of the disease known as Yožiža, which is typically associated with the Yoži, the fundamental army unit of the Maðúšýï Tribe. In fact, this disease, of which its exact types are extremely diverse, is primarily associated with war and conflict irrespective of the exact participants. The comparatively well-preserved skeleton of Lŋórak, rediscovered in 19991 AYM, has been used in numerous studies, especially in its documentation of the entire process of deterioration, as well as the comparison against other Yožiža-afflicted individuals.