Maðúšýï

The Maðúšýï, or Matousai, were a large raiding group that operated primarily in the Amoŋot Desert. They were based in the Hýyó-Hayïd, the group of cities located in the southern half of the Desert, and lasted from 25019 to 24811 AYM.

The Maðúšýï were formed by the Úrïsic Expedition, the last of the Yarpalïŋ-Ýmïlýrhonid, as a means of gathering military support for the Ïlýrhonid and Kairn Tribes' war, that is, the Ylaeintughian Civil War, against the Varonith-Callauz, who had taken over major cities on the eastern border of the Desert when they left the Ïlýrhonidian Tribe in 25020 AYM. Through conducting frequent raids and skirmishes on the Callauzians, the Maðúšýï diverted key resources from the war front and delayed the fall of the Kairn and Ïlýrhonidian Tribes until 22699 AYM, well after the Maðúšýï's dissolution.

Beside being organized chiefly to distract and disorient the Callauzians, the Maðúšýï conducted numerous raids on the Hýyó-Wýðúr as well, resulting in their defeat in the First Varonian War in 24976 AYM and the decline of their military strength. This was further compounded by the Matousian Civil War in 24910 AYM, which saw the Tauhudarb, a subsidiary branch of the Maðúšýïan army, split off and form a distinct territory in the area between the Hýyó-Wýðúr and Hýyó-Hayïd. From then until its dissolution, the Maðúšýï focused its efforts towards its conflict with the Callauzians, and almost caused its total destruction, by splitting it into the states of Lienorak and Viderent. In 24811 AYM, however, a large deposit of silicon rock was found in the cliffs near the city of Yuževhït, thus allowing for self-sufficiency and erasing the need for raiding.

Thus, the Maðúšýï underwent a massive reformation, in which a stable economic system was developed and the military was decreased. This was the start of what is known as the state of Týmðúr. This change had massive consequences; the Second Varonian War, sparked by the actions of the Tauhudarb, resulted in a sound defeat even as Týmðúr lent a considerable amount of manpower, and the Callauzians successfully defeated the Kairn and Ïlýrhonidian Tribes in 22699 AYM by bartering with the Týmðúr. Both of these events further alienated the Tauhudarb from the Týmðúr, and pitted them against each other in the Varonian Civil War, which the latter was able to endure despite heavy casualties.

Considered a member of the Heta-Alšewharžar, the Maðúšýï are well-known as one of the primary factors contributing to the relative constancy of the time, which is known as the Ýmor-Maðúšýï in their honor; the Ylaeintughian Civil War had no real progress at that time from either side, the city-states of the northern Desert, the Hýyo-Wýðúr, were kept separate and under their own individual jurisdiction, and any such overshoot conducted by the Maðúšýï was beaten back into the status quo, most evidently in the First Varonian War. This Ýmor-Maðúšýï lasted from 25019 to 24910 AYM, when the Tauhudarb split off, thus reducing the power of the Maðúšýï.

Prelude

Hýyó-Hayïd

Main Article: Hýyó-Hayïd

The Maðúšýï were an evolution of the Hýyó-Hayïd, that is, the cities of the southern Amoŋot Desert, which were formed in the Hayïdic Expedition of 25032 AYM. This region differs from the northern reaches of the Desert in two ways.

First, due to its placement facing the ocean in the gap between the Nuzowli Mountain Range to the east and the Arbin Watershed to the west, the winds of the Ëriðorn Ocean, deflected across either of the two mountains, are instead funnelled into this aforementioned gap, where they build up into gusts ranging 100-250 km/h.

Secondly, multiple factors, including the close proximity of other coastal regions like the Arbin Bay, the influences of Ëmar and Úlim, and the aforementioned winds, the Hýyó-Hayïd rest upon a series of towering cliffs, stretching from 500 meters up to 950-1000 meters in height from the sea level. The sheer size of this cliff face renders it extremely susceptile to erosion, causing the rocks here to be extremely fragile, and this fragility increases exponentially as one moves towards the coastline.

Thus, unlike the populations more inland, like the Hýyo-Wýðúr, who sustain themselves by mining the rocks below their feet, and those more eastward, like the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, whose height is greatly reduced by the Kairn River System and thus ideal for farming, the land here is extremely dangerous and unforgvingly sparse in materials. Thus, the Hayïdians are left to two main sources for nutrients: the Volain Forest to the east and the Arbin Watershed to the west, both of which lie at distances of 15-25 kilometers from the closest Hayïdic cities. Thus, simultaneous to the emergence of nutrient harvesting was the emergence of a collective togetherness within all Hayïdic cities, signified by a collection of roads first marked out around 25030-25029 AYM and improved upon by the Šókhekic Expedition of 25021-25019 AYM. This same expedition would also construct roads between the Hýyó-Hayïd and the Hýyó-Wýðúr, and within the Hýyó-Wýðúr itself, but these two sets of roads were not nearly used as much as those within the Hýyó-Hayïd.

Emergence and Influence of Varhoŋïð-Khalúš

Main Article: First Ýlëntukian War, Varhoŋïð-Khalúš

In 25020 AYM, the Ýlëntukian Civil War started in its first phase, the First Ýlëntukian War, when the Ýlëntuk Family ventured out of the Ïlýrhonid Tribe and into the Volain Forest. Their contesting opinions regarding the Ïlýrhonid Tribe divided the Family into the tribes of Kairn and Varhoŋïð-Khalúš, the former of whom was able to expel the latter from the Forest.

In essence, the rift between the two halves of the Ýlëntuk Family was an outgrowth of distrusting sentiments felt by nearly everyone in the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, mainly towards the Ïlýrhonidian government. The tribe had a long history of pursuing an isolationist style of living, exemplified by the Kavamïŋ-Ïlýrhonid, the tribal religion, which asserted the existence of monstrous beings called the Zar-Isyer-Akwor lurking outside the tribal walls. However, in the formative years of the Heta-Ýmor-Vëtam, especially between 25026 and 25025 AYM with the near-flawless success of the Wýðúric and Khýnýšic Expeditions, the Kavamïŋ-Ïlýrhonid was abolished, leading many into further suspicion about why this system was ever in place from the start. Coupled with huge waves of natural disasters that ravaged the tribe in the Arfarotï and Heta-Ýmor-Vëtam periods, and the government's inability to deal with these disasters, the overwhelming sentiment by the time of the Ýlëntuk Family's departure was one of immense distrust alongside a favoring of the idea of emigration, which had been made legal by the Hayïdic Expedition.

The Varhoŋïð-Khalúš tribe emulated and intensified this sentiment, due primarily to how easily they could provide for themselves within the Forest. Given their hardships within the Tribe, and this ease of living outside of it, the contrast between these two lifestyles saw their suspicions skyrocket, resulting in a steady preference towards military action, as the tribal government, in their eyes, was threatening the lives of the other families by not letting them beyond the tribal walls. Throughout the tribe's existence, the sentiment of the people was one of near-perpetual suspicion and extreme dislike towards the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, and the Kairn Tribe for fighting alongside them; the wider Ýlëntukian Civil War was mostly repeated attempts of the Khalúšians to conquer the Kairn and Ïlýrhonid Tribes, which was only achieved in 22711 AYM.

The Kairn tribe was made mostly of those who saw military action as being too excessive and preferred to use other tactics, like trading and bartering, to show the tribespeople the advantages of living outside the tribal walls. Far from the military extermination of the government, they believed that the government still had some use as being the mouthpiece of the tribe, serving as mediator between those on the outside and those inside. Thus, it would be worthwhile to spare them and, for many, to engage beneficially with them, as this would increase their chances of coercing the people in their favor.

From the Ýlëntuk Family's initial departure in 25020 AYM, the Family lasted around 4-6 months before permanently splitting into Kairn and Varhoŋïð-Khalúš via the Ambush of Ŋópïŋ-Arún-Khërn in 22 Wota-Eimarae, 25020 AYM. In the ensuing chaos, the Khalúšians were scattered and fled westward, out of the Volain Forest. The majority fled via the western fork of the Kairn River System, emerging at the city of Güðün, then run by the Öšdúu-Güðün and its ruler, Žlúnúyšat, since its founding in 25026 AYM. A smaller portion emerged in the southwestern edge of the Forest, ending up at the Hayïdic city of Óm-hayïd. In the coming months, the Öšdúu-Güðün would be deposed by the Khalúšians, and both Güðün and Óm-Hayïd would be forcibly taken over, with the original population being cast out.

Given the Hýyó-Hayïd's interdependence between cities, and Óm-Hayïd's proximity to, and thus the only stable access to, the Volain Forest and the Nuzowli Mountain Range, this sudden change was not taken lightly. However, given the significant threat posed by the weather conditions, barely any time had been spent concerning the building up of a military force, and the Hayïdians could not muster up strength to combat the Khalúšians.

History

Úrïsic Expedition

Main Article: Úrïsic Expedition

The Úrïsic Expedition, the fifth and last of the Yarpalïŋ-Ýmïlýrhonid, was the only expedition that took place after the formation of the Varhoŋïð-Khalúš tribe and the start of the First Ýlëntukian War. Created with the express prupose of raising up outside forces to help combat the Khalúšians, this Expedition was chiefly responsible for creating the Maðúšýï as a formative, powerful, and substantially organized group.

This was done in two ways. First, using background information like the ensuing First Ýlëntukian War, and combining it with the practical and geographical importance of Óm-Hayïd, the Expedition successfully tied Hayïdic interests with Ïlýrhonidian and Kairnian interests. Second, they brought with them a large supply of weapons, armor, and most importantly, military tactics. However, they would caution against a direct and permanent conquering of the southern cities, due to the Khalúšians' tendency to be extremely possessive of their territory; if a city were attacked, it would remain nearly abandoned for a year or two before rebuilding efforts would inevitably begin, at which point they would be once again vulnerable to attacks. Combined with the prospect of taking advantage of mining and logging operations in Óm-Hayïd, the Maðúšýï thus adopted a raiding strategy, such that they would be able to carry away these resources without having to conduct logging and mining operations themselves.

Reign of Gýbakk (25018-25001 AYM)

Separation of the Cities of the Hýyó-Hayïd

Gýbakk was the first ruler of the Maðúšýï, and is primarily responsible for laying the groundwork of what would become the tribe's military and organizational structure. This included the splitting of the Hýyó-Hayïd into two distinct halves. The eastern cities would serve as military outposts and house the population who would participate in these raids. The western cities would be mainly used for the gzthering of resources from sources like the Arbin Watershed, whose excess stock would be used as the basis for weapons and emergency rations.

In 25017 AYM, he led the first of around 37 raids made during his reign, and in 25010 AYM, he broadened Maðúšïan ambitions by conducting the first raid against the Hýyo-Wýðúr, the targets here being Vërðïm and Güðün.

Philosophy and Deeds

Gýbakk would cement the raiding style of his tribe as being one dominated by evasion and intimidation. This included hiding behind nearby obstacles, ambushing unwary passerbys, and holding people hostage. However, it was chiefly marked by the unwavering importance placed on the target, whether it was a supply of wood or rocks, some individual, or an entire city, to the point where one would suffer huge casualties in order to reach that goal. In the 37 confirmed and documented raids made during his reign, over 500 Maðúšïans died. Gýbakk himself would justify the high casualty by establishing a greater sense of nationality within the tribe. He emphasized the sacrificial nature of these raids as being threefold; to raid was to bolster Maðúšïan well-being through the resources looted, lessen the power and pride of those opposed, and assist the Ïlýrhonid and Kairn tribes, to whom the Maðúšýï tribe was bound.

Even so, the raiding style was extremely primitive in concept and strategy, especially when compared to those of his successors. The guiding principle was the mere concept of demoralization and destruction, and the result was equal parts a physical and emotional crumbling of the targets. However, these effects would also serve to instill so much fear into them that the cities would be abandoned in favor of newer ones farther away from the Maðúšýï territory. This would happen regarding Óm-hayïd, which was mostly abandoned in favor of Šahr-Óðlýn and Öðma-Amakoð around 25010 AYM. The Maðúšïans would then target these two cities in around 12 raids during Gýbakk's reign. On the 12th raid, under the direction of the Khalúšian king Hŋýïŋïkki, the Khalúšians would mount a large flanking movement from the destroyed city of Óm-Hayïd to the south. Being so far away from their own territory, Gýbakk was killed and the Maðúšïans would suffer one of their worst defeats in their history.

Reign of Úvremk (25001-24976 AYM)

Philosophy and Deeds

Úvremk was the second ruler of the Maðúšýï, reigning from his ascension to power in 25001 AYM to his death in the First Varhoŋïan War of 24976 AYM. In contrast to his predecessor, his attention was drawn almost exclusively to the sustaining of the tribe through tactical placements and timings of raids. In particular, he saw two main actions that the Khalúšians and the Hýyó-Wýðúr could potentially make: coalescence (that is, the formation of veritable large-scale tribes from piecemeal organizations) or surrender (the abandonment of a settlement for other, more secure areas). According to Úvremk, both of these options, which would place the Maðúšýï in peril, lay on either ends of a scale. If the raids were too weak and did not effectively isolate their targets, the target citizens would still afford access to and from other cities, thus raising the possibility of an alliance or joint effort between them. If te raids were too strong, the sheer amount of fear instilled in the targets and those around them would cause a likely-permanent abandonment and loss of these cities, thus causing the raids to have to stretch further beyond their territory and leave them vulnerable to ambushes and flanks, as was seen when Gýbakk died.

Úvremk thus used and expanded upon the existing philosophy of Gýbakk to include this idea of a 'balanced violence' that consisted of a controlled and highly systematic way of looting. Primarily, the targets shifted to become only the supplies, with a secondary mission being to inflict just enough casualties to scare the rest away. Seeing this revised philosophy as being the crown jewel of his reign, Úvremk would embark on more than 95 raids and other military actions throughout his career.

During the second half of Úvremk's reign, around 25083 AYM, the growing population of the tribe caused Úvremk to break up the Maðúšýï's raiding party into 5 separate groups, which were each to be directed and led, independent of the others, by a separate leader.

First Varhoŋïan War

The 24976 AYM First Varhoŋïan War arose at the end of his reign due to the Maðúšýï's jealousy towards the city of Ožërhýŋ, which was situated in the stretch of Desert between the Hýyó-Hayïd and the Hýyo-Wýðúr. Established in 25000 AYM and ruled by members of the Farïnýð Family, it gained attention from both sides because of its rampant mining of the Kirfür-Arbin, that is, the Rocks of the Arbin Watershed. The Hýyó-Wýðúr, in the late months of 24977 AYM, had raised the intention of establishing trade relations with Ožërhýŋ. The Maðúšýï were worried regarding two things. First, the expansion of Ožërhýŋian operations southwards, whereupon they would collide with those of the western Hýyó-Hayïd. Second, the trade relations that, according to Úvremk's philosophy, would result in a grand coalescence of the Wýðúrian cities, thus mounting a massive threat to the efficacy of their raids.

Thus, in response, Úvremk would intimidate the Öšdúu-Ožërhýŋ, which was led by Að-Haŋaï, into severing relations in favor of those with the Maðúšýï. This action is typically regarded as the start of the First Varhoŋïan War. The First Varonian Trade Coalition would be established in response, consisting of armies from the cities of Lómóhüd, Kal-Haðü, and Vërðïm.

It is in the First Varhoŋian War that Úvremk's philosophy would be tested the most. Throughout the early and middle months of 24976 AYM, they conducted many successful raids on the Hýyó-Wýðúr, especially the newly-created city of Ýhïm-Óhöš. While the raids themselves did much to break down the morale of their target cities, they were not well-equipped to completely pacify them. As such, whatever damage they did would be rebuilt within a short period.

Úvremk would revise his strategy in Anta-Eimarae, using his segmented army to isolate and harass each city. Each segment would act and attack independently, but all with the main goal of reducing communications between cities to a bare minimum. While some leaders would choose to attack forcefully and repeatedly, others would be more focused on the simple act of intimidation, consisting of killing only a select few. It is this massive shift in the military style of the Maðúšýï that is often lauded by historians as one of the first instances of military strategy, especially strategy for the long-term tribal longevity.

Indeed, Úvremk's use of all five segments of his army in this intimidation endeavour likely caused two things: the Maðúšýï's defeat in the War, and the extension of its lifetime by more than 150 years. Around late-Ulta-Eimarae, Gršáŋvšäŋžl, the Ðhýúŋðókk of the Khalúšians, became aware of the fighting taking place. Wishing to exact revenge on the Maðúšýï for the earlier raids and gain the attention and favor of the Hýyó-Wýðúr he launched a massive campaign on the Hýyó-Hayïd, demolishing and razing the eastern cities like Hayïd-Entëž. From there, he would diverge northwards, aiming to rush the segmented portions of the Maðúšýïan army down one by one. Úvremk's portion, which was at work tearing at the city of Vërðïm, was struck first and decimated, with Úvremk himself being killed. Another, that guarding the city of Lómóhüd to the north, was similarly wiped out. The other three, having received word, banded together and fought a delaying action before retreating back southwards.

Gršaŋvšaŋžl, hoping to get recognition and praise for his actions, would trot into the city of Vërðïm, but the citizens and the king were both heavily focused on the damages it caused. Almost all the cities held by the Maðúšýï saw the comparative conditions of the other cities as those of competitors. Those well-off prided themselves on a situation well-handled, while those heavily damaged grew resentful and distrusting of those who seemingly would not help them. Indeed, Úvremk's strategy had deeply antagonized each city towards each other, and Gršaŋvšaŋžl was forced to go back to his tribe empty-handed. As such, Úvremk's sacrifice, as it was known, delayed both the meddling of the Khalúšians in the economy of the Hýyó-Wýðúr and the coalescence of the Öšdúu city-states of the Hýyó-Wýðúr, and effectively cooled relations with the city of Ožërhýŋ. The Maðúšýï, meanwhile, would rebuild all their cities by mid-24974 AYM and continue raiding under the leadership of Ökkúš.

Culture and Artstyle

Being a raiding group, the Maðúšïan cultural style is outlined in the Heta- and Nota-Ótaš-Hayïd. However, the differing purposes and ways of life in the western cities and the eastern cities effectively produced two separate cultures, which each prioritized different things.

Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd

The dominant style of the Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd was in place in the years 25032-25019 AYM, that is, the years before the establishment of the Maðúšýï, had been the use and adaptation of the Ótaš-Ašamóš style, which consists of using irregular pieces of debris to make structurally-durable houses. For those in Óm-hayïd, which was shielded from the harsh winds, the debris would be replaced by a mixture of bark and wood from the Volain Forest and stone from the Nuzowli Mountain Range. However, when they began to venture past the safety of Óm-Hayïd, the Ótaš-Ašamóš proved ineffective against the winds and the brittleness of the ground, and as such, structures there almost exclusively used brick-like pieces from the Arbin Watershed. These bricks, resulting from exposure to water, have two naturally-straight fracture planes, but the other four sides result in very jagged, irregular textures. This meant that the bricks could not fit into each other snugly and thus forced structures to have substantial windflow inside them.

In terms of city planning as a whole, cities became small collections of hut-like structures arranged geometrically, typically in triangular shapes. One point of that triangle would face directly into the wind, and the hut that was there would bear the most brunt of the wind. This house would be placed in front of the space between two other houses, and so on, with the wind being divided and pacified as it flowed past each house. This would also be the city's main dusting agent, which would clear the streets of loose sediment and dust particles.

Nota-Ótaš-Hayïd

The Nota-Ótaš-Hayïd is a blanket term that describes the culture of the Maðúšýï Tribe throughout all its history, from 25019 to 24811 AYM. Here, the different styles already determined in the Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd further diverged as the Hýyó-Hayïd was split into the western half, responsible for the collection of goods from the Arbin Watershed, and the eastern half, responsible for the actual raiding.

The western cities, primarily oriented for the production and transportation of goods, thus became focused on efficiency and safety. Being the engine of the tribe, these two notions would be essential in preserving and sustaining the entire tribe. This came in tandem with experiments regarding wind, which would prove extensively useful throughout the tribe's lifespan.

The safety was the first to be considered; the blunt force provided by the wind was beginning to take its toll, and beginning in 25010 AYM, the cities began to experiment with purposefully creating holes in the walls, first in the form of simple rudimentary holes made by removing bricks in the walls, and later on, the framing of these holes, in a fashion not dissimilar from an oculus, with specifically designated bricks. This was reinforced by materials from the Volain Forest, whose more fluidly-shaped wood, and the wisp-like vines, provided easy materials for the circular shapes of holes and for additional windbreakers. Thus, typical houses of the early Maðúšýï tribe involved the following:

• A large oculus, 3-6 cm in diameter, facing towards the wind.
• Drape-like vines attached to the oculus, breaking up the laminar wind into disparate gusts
• Many smaller holes, of 0.25-1 cm in diameter, on the opposite side of the house. These were either formed from the jagged bricks of the Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd or, if the owner is prestigious enough, from the same methods used to form the large oculus.

The eastern side of the Maðúšýï, which became progressively more devoted towards raiding, developed a cultural identity that favored decay and neglect, both of their own structures and of their targets. The rationale was that a proper Maðúšïan would be entirely dedicated to the prospect of raiding. Thus, having aspects like their own living quarters and other associated property be neglected and deteriorating, to the point of being barely functional, would be proof that the dedication of the individual was so great that he was leaving all other aspects of his life behind to devote himself to raiding, and thus, the good of the tribe.