Vród-Ydap

The Vród-Ydap is a piece of caked earth, cloth, and/or anyone protective material applied and fastened to the eye (Vöród) of an Ibrófeneð. It is most often used in combat or in scenarios that pose major potential for injury, as the eye's proximity to the brain (Súro) renders it a uniquely vulnerable spot. Of course, its major downside is that one cannot see through that covered eye, and it is for that reason that at least one eye is left uncovered and unprotected at all times. There exist many different configurations depending on which eyes are covered and which are left uncovered.

For much of its history, particularly in the Ýmor-Maðúšýï, the Vród-Ydap was closely associated with the Maðúšýï, whose heavily raid-centered lifestyle made them frequent wearers since as early as 25015 AYM. These would make them one of the earliest such technologies invented outside the Ïlýrhonid Tribe, and one of the only garment-like pieces to exist for a long time.

History

Vród-Ydap-Arbin

There exist no such records of the Vród-Ydap being used within the Ïlýrhonid Tribe prior to its first mention in the context of the Maðúšýï. As such, most historians agree that the Vród-Ydap was invented and developed by the Maðúšýï themselves, in the form of the Vród-Ydap-Arbin. These were named after the material used to make them.

Kirfür-Arbin

The secret to early versions of the Vród-Ydap was to use rocks from the Arbin Watershed, which are known by the name Kirfür-Arbin. This rock is special in that the waves of water flowing down its surface allow it to accumulate layers and form a stiff, planar sheet of fused sediment, whose indentations and irregularities were smoothed out by each wave. This created a glossy finish and a near-perfect smoothed surface, which was why the material saw heavy use in construction and filtration, among others.

Kirfür-Arbin thus quickly became a staple of the western cities of the Hýyó-Hayïd, which are also known as the Hýhïd-Tëžem. Because most of the Watershed was heavly wooded, the initial years after the discovery of Kirfür-Arbin were almost entirely focused on the use of these smoothed flat pieces. Soon, however, mining operations that went deeper and deeper into the area saw that, in areas exposed to the sun, the extreme heat caused the pieces to become near-liquid, whereupon they would adopt the shapes of the currents and form beautifully-carved specimens. These pieces needed to very specifically located; while the heat of the sun alone could very well allow deformation, the coolness of the water would render this heat ineffective. Thus, these pieces were not found in the riverbed itself, but in the edge, as the rising and lowering of the tide would allow heating and washing at just the right amounts to achieve these deep-grooved patterns.

These pieces were coveted by the Hýhïd-Tëžem, who valued their beauty and rarity in equal measure. This would also be the first exposure to the idea of heat as a means to deform the material, which had not otherwise been encountered before due to the high cooling winds that ravaged the Hýyó-Hayïd.

Formation

Around 25013-11 AYM, the eastern cities of the Maðúšýï would begin to take interest in this material as an armor component. The idea was to have a bowl-like object, shallow enough to resemble the curvature of the Žëša (head) of the Ibrófeneð, and set it out in direct heat, preferrably in an area with little to no wind. Upon melting, it would mold into the shape of the bowl, at which point the finished Vród-Ydap-Arbin would be cooled in the shade and the bowl would be removed.

The main dilemma with this was that it revolved heavily around the sun being visible and unblocked, and the wind being near-nonexistant. Even as they built circular buildings with walls low enough to block wind but let sunlight through, the month-long day and night cycles posed huge limitations to the Maðúšýïan raid-centered lifestyle. By 25005 AYM, the tribe was setting up large fields solely dedicated to the making of Vród-Ydap-Arbin en masse, such that by the time the day turned to night, the excess supply would be enough to sustain the tribe's raids through to the next daylight.

Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ

The Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ was the second recorded type of Vród-Ydap, and was used extensively by the inhabitants of the Hýyó-Wýðúr, that is, the cities of the northern Amoŋot Desert. Its name (Fýtaŋ referring to an assemblage or building up) refers to the method of creation, which used disparate pieces from the firm rock of the Hýyo-Wýðúr and melded them together right on the eye of the individual. Like the Vród-Ydap-Arbin, it relied on heat to conform the rock to the specific curved shape. However, unlike it, it would fuse onto the eye of the Ibrófeneð directly and not on a mold, meaning that each Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ was already personalized to the wearer. To prevent pieces from entering the eye itself, a round gem-like object would be carefully set inside the hole, where, during the melding process, it would expand slightly to fill the gaps and create an airtight seal.

The Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ was used most often in the years before and during the First Varhoŋïan War of 24976 AYM. THe idea would be first introduced to them through the Maðúšýïan raids on the Hýyó-Wýðúr starting in 25010 AYM, but the Vr'ód-Ydap-Fýtaŋ only saw deliberate use as an armor component from around 24988 AYM onwards. The most likely reasoning would be the fact that the rocks used to make it were already being used in large amounts for building construction and food source, and mining operations used to make it were already making the ground unstable. Nonetheless, the earliest, most primitive types of Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ would be made through not the direct mining process, but through the collecting and assembly of leftover debris from the rock's other uses, like digestive sediments, debris, and rubble.

Due to the disparate nature of these pieces, the Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ was significantly more fragile than its southern counterpart. It often resulted in a decrease in thickness as one moved to the edges of the eye, and the process of melding required such a long time that the resultant cover would need to be carefully scraped off afterwards, often causing damage to the eye itself. Nonetheless, its lower density made its wearers more agile, and in some cases, the act of striking it would cause the pieces to fly off, acting as a makeshift distraction or defensive mechanism.

The Hýyó-Wýðú could never resolve the disparity in sheer toughness between the Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ and Vród-Ydap-Arbin, and as a result, the former only saw a very limited use in battle. Instead, the vast majority of its use was focused on mining, whereupon debris and falling rubble would be shielded against. However, because the danger came mostly from above and not from the sides, these Vród-Ydap-Fýtaŋ covered the entire body, not just the eyes.