Lower Tyros Valley (/lowr tairos vali:/ (Aeillan: óskros tirou vále/))
Όσκρος Τύρου Βαλέ
The Lower Tyros Valley, the lands south of the hilly upplands where the river's reach opens into broad, flat plains, is a major agricultural center, and the breadbasket of Aeilla. The Lower Tyros is relatively densely populated, but with few major cities than would be the norm for its enormous population. It is however, a major center of Tyroi and broader Aeillan culture and religion.
The Lower Tyros is densely populated, with roughly seven or eight million sentient residents. This population tends to dispersed through a number larger towns and villages, with, comparatively speaking, few major cities. However, that being said, major influential political centers exist especially the Holy City of Thibaia, and the city of Polanis.
The Lower Tyros has been the ancient birthplace of human civilization in the region, with the first Yulan-Tai settlements appearing there at the dawn of Yulan-Tai civilization. It then became the second locus of the Tyroi civilization, gradually growing to eclipse the Upper Tyros in population, and often in political importance. Its status as ideal agricultural lands have made it a vitally important strategic resource for both each major civilization that occupied the land.
Geography
The Lower Tyros Valley is one of the larger regions of Aeilla. Its northern extreme is bounded by the Valaforoia and the Thymbric Hills, its southern by the Yulan Ocean, and the mouth of the Tyros. The east and west of the regions are defined by the hills, with the west being the border of the Menaulatolia, and the eastern ridgeline borders the Adricine scrublands.
The Lower Tyros Valley is primarily flat land with gently rolling hills existing almost exclusively on the fringes of the territory. The valley slopes at a slow but steady rate with the low point being the relatively broad, flat, and deep Tyros River. The end of the Valley comes where the river meets the sea, with the Tyros possessing a broad, flat, mouth.
The Lower Tyros has some of the richest soil in the known world, which is relatively well watered from modest precipitation, a major river, and extensive Yulani, Aeillan, and Feloran irrigation projects. This has resulted in heavy cultivation by sentient beings, and indeed the region is one of the most prosperous agricultural systems in the known world. This makes the Lower Tyros strategically important, and helps maintain the status of otherwise underdeveloped successor states.
Ecosystem
The Lower Tyros Valley has little in the way of a natural ecosystem with almost the entirety of the land area consumed by sentient agriculture. This means that most of the terrain consists of fruit trees, cereal, vegetable, and legume crops. Trees tend to be relatively short in the Lower Tyros as the windy weather makes it difficult to grow larger trees.
The Tyros River is relatively broad, flat, and slow, making it somewhat ideal for most forms of aquatic life. The Riverine ecosystem is more diverse with a wide range of aquatic plants and animals, mostly smaller in nature. Abutting the river itself are many freshwater wetlands, with a few brackish wetlands at the mouth of the river.
Ecosystem Cycles
The Lower Tyros river valley has the usually Aeillan ecosystemic cycle. This means there is a two season cycle between summers and winters. The summers are hot and dry, with temperatures routinely ranging from 27-33 degrees. The Winters conversely, are cooler than almost never falling below freezing, and much much wetter as a rule, with many storms blowing in off the Yulan Ocean.
Fauna & Flora
The local natural ecosystem has largely been entirely displaced by sentient agricultural efforts with only a small handful of spots where nature still reigns. This means that most plantlife serves the interests of agriculture. Most plant life therefore consists of fruit trees, and crops, especially cereals with some vegetables and legumes as well.
Animal life is likewise somewhat restricted, with most animals living in the region consisting of herded animals, especially large ruminants. Some predators still haunt the fields of the region, though most of the wolves, bears, and all of the wildcats, even most aerial predators have been aggressively exterminated by the sentient beings living there. Of note, the Aurochs are raised here in small numbers.
The aquatic ecosystem is more wild, with several species of indigenous aquatic plants especially river grasses and weeds make up the base of the food chain. Many species of small aquatic insects, amphibians, and fish also live in the river. With a few large species of fish, freshwater sharks, and crocodiles forming the top of the food chain.
Natural Resources
The region of the Lower Tyros is first and foremost well known for its rich agriculture. As a result of irrigation projects, rich soil, and solid ground water, the region is one of the most productive in the Known World. The produce grown here greatly exceeds the needs of the people living there, and food is exported throughout Aeilla, and overseas, and forms the bulk of the territory's economic outpout.
The mineral wealth of the Lower Tyros is not as significant as its organic. There are few deposits of iron especially in the hills, and a one major marble quarry. For the most part however, all mineral wealth in the region was extracted, and had been since at least the early Forging period, if not mined out and exploited by the Yulan-Tai.
History
The Lower Tyros Valley served as the homeland of the Yulan-Tai peoples with their first settlements being strung along the coast. The Yulan-Tai civilization grew steadily from roughly three thousand years ago, to become by far the dominant civilization of the region. The Yulan-Tai survived throughout the next thousand years, growing increasingly powerful with the Lower Tyros becoming the economically dominant heart of their civilization. After the War of Frozen Scales, the Yulan-Tai civilization collapsed, and the peoples there were scattered or even simply disappeared.
In the early era after the fall of the Yulan-Tai, the Tyroi people would move into the region, slowly at first, settling and intermixing with the few remaining Yulan-Tai, and slaves who had remained. This settlement would pick up throughout the Forging Era, with several cities such as Polanis, Thibaia, and Antiokos being settled around this time. The Ilosi Republic would conquer the Tyroi city states throughout the later Forging Period, establishing eventually the Aeillan Empire.
Throughout the Aeillan Period, the Lower Tyros would serve as the breadbasket of the Aeillan civilization. Aeillan irrigation projects would be utilized to maximize agricultural output. This tradition would continue during the Feloran Invasionary Period, when the region was one of the major centers of the Feloran occupation, they used their own highly advanced methods to further improve the irrigation. After the fall of the Empire, the Lower Tyros, though still vitally important became less influential in Aeillan politics.
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