Ótaš-Hayïd

The Ótaš-Hayïd is the art and architectural style of the Hýyó-Hayïd and the various tribes that occupied the area, most prominently Maðúšýï and Týmðúr. It mainly exists in artifacts and remains of the largest cities, like Yuževhït and Óm-hayïd, which also became a melting pot of culture during the Nota-Alšewharžar era.

The Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd, also known as the Ótaš-Hayïd-Šókhekka, categorizes the time period from the initial settlement by the Hayïdic Expedition in 25032 AYM to the establishment of the Maðúšýï in 24019 AYM. It is named thus due to its vast documentation when the Šókhekic Expedition visited it in 25020 AYM. Its defining feature was its heavy use of holes to reduce stress on walls and allow airflow through the buildings.

The Nota-Ótaš-Hayïd, also known as the Ótaš-Maðúšýï, was the style dominant in the Maðúšian Tribe, from 25019 to 24811 AYM. Due to the heavy focus on raids, the architecture was not sustained and thus decayed rapidly. Around 24500 AYM, buildings were outfitted with specifically curved walls, and larger holes, directing wind through specific paths and thus allowing structural integrity to last from 5 years on average to 40-50.

The last period in the Ótaš-Hayïd was the Yota-Ótaš-Hayïd, or the Ótaš-Týmðúr, which was dominant in the Týmðúr from 24811 to 19962 AYM. The tribe's new identity as a monopoly of silicon caused an abundance of trade and thus introduced a number of new artstyles, especially from the Ðú-Üdarr and Khalúšian Tribes. However, the sheer size of the territory meant that most cultural exchange occurred right at or near the border with other tribes, leading to a gradual loss of influence of outside cultures as one went from the border to the center, which is around the city of Yuževhït.

The Environment of the Hýyó-Hayïd

Of all the artstyles in history, perhaps the one most dependent on its surroundings was the Hýyó-Hayïd. The main limitation of the area, and the defining aspect of the style, was the fragility of the ground. Due to the area being situated right in between the Nuzowli and Arbin Mountain Ranges, it is very exposed to wind and water, which has over time created scaling cliffs and prevented the accumulation of sediment. Thus, while other areas like the Ïlýrhonid Tribe and the Hýyo-Wýðúr could afford to dig into the ground, especially for farming crops and harvesting rocks, in the Hýyó-Hayïd, even a small amount of force into the ground could create large rockslides.

The only reliable source of construction material constituted the rocks of the Nuzowli Mountain Range and Arbin Watershed, as well as the wood of the Volain Forest. All three mark the bounds of the Hýyó-Hayïd area, and, save for Óm-Hayïd's proximity, they were upwards of 250 kilometers from the nearest cities, even at the peak of settlement. They also doubled as the source for food, further reducing the supply for construction. The most vulnerable area was right in the middle between the two mountain ranges, as the wind was all funneled through there. It was also the furthest from the geographical regions on either side, so the few cities located there had much fewer inhabitants and structures than those on either side.

Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd (25032-25019 AYM)

The Heta-Ótaš-Hayïd was the first major architectural style prevalent in the Hýyó-Hayïd. It is mainly found in the old plans of the cities of Óm-hayïd, Tý-hayïd and Yuževhït, the first major cities to exist in the Hýyó-Hayïd.

It drew largely upon, and was an extension of, Ïlýrhonid styles, especially the Ótaš-Žötó-Žimiara style and its subcategory, the Ótaš-Ašamóš style. These were the product of the Žötó-Žimiara, a collection of individuals from all twelve families who were extremely influential in how they changed the Ïlýrhonid way of life. Of these, Ašamóš' contribution, that is, the use of smaller debris instead of traditional slabs to build houses, saw the most widespread attention. The incorporation of more numerous pieces, many of which could move against each other and thus contribute to the overall flexbility, made for a more earthquake-resistant style of architecture, and it was used across the tribe.

This Ótaš-Ašamóš style was carried over from the Ïlýrhonid Tribe to the Hýyó-Hayïd by the members of the Hayïdic Expedition, the first such recorded venture outside the tribe, in 25032 AYM. They built three cities: Óm-hayïd, Tý-hayïd, and Yuževhït, which became the start of the Hýyó-Hayïd collection of cities. The city of Óm-Hayïd was the first, and by far the closest to the Volain Forest and the Nuzowli Mountain Range. Because it was shielded from wind and erosion, the architecture there was extremely like that of the Ótaš-Ašamóš. However, because the debris and scrap type was common only to the Ïlýrhonid Tribe (and was a result of a long period of settlement), the Ótaš-Ašamóš was refined during this period to fit the new materials of the area, which originated from both the forest and mountains. Over 300 structures existed there at its peak, compared to 35-155 in the other Hýyó-Hayïd cities.

Following its creation, the Expedition proceeded to venture out westward and were quickly caught unprepared by the violent climate of the area. The resultant cities of Tý-Hayïd and Yuževhït were both situated about 300 kilometers from the Arbin Mountain Range, which they did not discover. As such, they could not build much, especially given how little they brought, and their initial placements were marked with the dead bodies of those that had starved to death. These saw much development in further ventures, not by expeditions, but by wanderers, in the time period until 25019 AYM. This was fueled most by an overpopulation of Óm-Hayïd, and a desire to remain closed-in despite the harsh weather. Thus, instead of forming new cities, they opted to travel to Tý-Hayïd and Yuževhït, whereupon further exploration resulted in the discovery of the Arbin Watershed in 25017-16 AYM.

The style in those two cities, and all others situated far away from Óm-Hayïd, was one dominated by brick shapes, which is due to the Arbin Rock's incorporation of water, resulting in a type of rock capable of fracturing very neatly, but only to a certain degree. Water's interactions with the silicon, especially the direction of flow, impacts the directions of these fractures, and in places with lots of water flow, the turbulence and, if applicable, the multiple directions of flow can create shapes not ideal for building. These bricks, the first of their kind, often had two parallel clean-cut sides, but four other rough-cut sides. In turn, this meant that they could not line up easily with each other along these rough edges, resulting in buildings with an abundance of holes in the brickwork.

A typical house in these two cities was dome- or cylinder-shaped; if the latter, it often had no roof. They were extremely thin, often having just enough room to house a single individual, and the walls extended up to the tip of the Matošu, that is, as high as they could reach as is. The curved sides served to redirect vast swaths of wind around the building rather than take the full blunt of it. Furthermore, the city plan was a rough triangular shape, directed towards the wind, such that each house stood directly in front of the gaps between two other houses. Thus, the wind would be divided into smaller bursts that would evenly distribute itself through the streets, serving as a natural way to rid them of dust and debris while greatly reducing the pressure felt by the houses. However, the strict layout meant that decorations and variations in building styles were only limited to the walls, which most early settlers found less important than the overall stability of the structure. Furthermore, the first few houses were much more exposed to the wind, and records show that they deteriorated much faster than any of the others.

Nota-Ótaš-Hayïd (25019-24811 AYM)

The Nota-Ótaš-Hayïd was the dominant art and architectural style during the Ýmor-Maðúšýï, the period in which the Maðúšýï were most powerful. With their attention focused chiefly towards raids towards their neighbors, the raiding group of the Maðúšýï which operated in the eastern portion of the Hýyó-Hayïd, saw little-to-no change in architectural style. In fact, the cultural views at the time were dominated by a preference for the run-down and debilitated.