Ormyn Gos

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Ormyn Gos /'ʌrmiːn gʌs/ was a Jeen and then Jeenor under Opol Dolysoh. A lover of Byskoh Losoh, he staged a coup with her in an attempt to overthrow Opol, but the coup failed.

Military career

Ormyn was an influential Jeen in Opol's army, probably making his name during the first years of Opol's reign and possibly in campaigns against the Meledesians. He then made Jeenor after a campaign against the Oaleed in 1797 FR, where he led a decisive attack, was injured, but continued to fight and lead his troops.

A coup against Opol

At some point in the 1790s Ormyn and Byskoh became lovers. By this time Byskoh had already made several attempts at assassiating Opol, so it's not clear how sincere were her feelings for Ormyn. Through his influence, Byskoh began building up support for her claim to power. In 1801 she and Ormyn were able to receive the support of almost half of Opol's army. Deciding that this is enough and that most others would follow, they attacked the palace, but at the last minute several Jeens reneged on their support and stayed out. The attack failed and Ormyn Gos fled Gaskal with his troops, while Byskoh was captured.

Nevertheless, Ormyn was a war hero and his bid for power became widely known. Several Jeens decided to follow him and left Gaskal. However, over the course of the next 2 years Ormyn's army, instead of preparing for another confrontation with Gaskal or choosing to organize into an independent force, aimlessly moved from one location to another, sometimes traveling hundreds of kilometers and then setting up camp. This mysterious behavior puzzled historians, as Ormyn was in a position to level a serious challenge against Opol. Instead, his aimless wandering lost him many supporters. The momentum of the coup also died down.

Later it was revealed that Ormyn was tricked.

When he heard that Byskoh was forgiven by Opol and was now by his side, he was sure that she managed to fool her husband and still intends on overthrowing him. Ormyn therefore made several attempts at contacting her, but his messengers were apprehended and bribed by Uroh Undin, who began an elaborate correspondence with him. According to the surviving letters, this correspondence took over 2 years, with Undin having Ormyn take part in a number of coup attempts, all of which were entirely fabricated by Undin. For example, at some point Undin, responding as if he were Byskoh, had Ormyn move his troops to Fidoh during winter, claiming that Opol will visit the settlement by a particular month, using a particular road, and that Ormyn must ambush the royal convoy, only to then send him a letter in late February, explaining that the trip was canceled and he must move his troops to Marij, where Opol plans to visit a town on the border with the Oaleed forces. Ormyn complained in response that a number of his supporters left him after this ordeal.

Interestingly enough, it seems that Undin was acting on his own accord and did not communicate any of this to Opol or to Byskoh or to anyone in Gaskal. Instead, he simply stopped responding to Ormyn in 1803 FR, apparently for no particular reason. It is speculated that he simply got bored of the charade.

In 1805 FR Ormyn's scant forces were confronted at Gaajmas by Opol and Byskoh, and defeated. Ormyn was also killed during the encounter.

Health

Different sources describe Ormyn's disability following his injury in the 1797 Oaleed campaign differently: Porteek briefly mentions him as "a one-legged scoundrel", an inscription on the wall in a palace in Gaskal describes the hero of a war against Oaleed as "a warrior without an arm but with a very brave heart", Gaskal documents talk about a Jeen made Jeenor in 1797 named Gos, "who has so bravely sacrificed his legs in a noble war against our enemies".