Upper Tyros Region (/ʌpr tairos ri:jen/ (Aeillan: su:pros tou tirou/))
Ψουπροσ του Τύρου
The Upper Tyros region, also known as the Hills of Tyros is a mountainous expanse spanning from the heads of the Tyros and Iskend Rivers, to the Valaforia. This region was historically the foundational basis of the Tyroi ethnic group, and maintains some of the oldest cities in Aeilla. Thanks to the city of Iskandris, it also has a darker reputation as the center maintaining the instution of Slavery throughout much of southern Galisea.
The Upper Tyros is more sparsely populated than the lower Tyros with roughly three and a half million people living in the area, and with comparatively few major cities. It is host to the prosperous semi-autonomous Principality of the Veroia as well as serving as the primary transit route for enslaved persons coming from the Terruk Steppe into the Yulan Ocean.
The Upper Tyros is a major center of Aeillan culture, as though it lacks in population density, many of the traditions, particularly those held over from the Yulan-Tai, originated in the population centers of the Upper Tyros. During the height of the Empire, the Upper Tyros was perhaps the most economically prosperous region of Aeilla save perhaps the capital itself, however as the Empire declined, and especially after its fall, the region has fallen on hard times.
Geography
The Upper Tyros is a fairly small territory. It is bounded to its north by the flatter terrain of Inner Huria, its east by the Indric Mountains, its west by the Transoria, and its south by the Valaforoia. It is defined by its relative hilliness, at least in comparison to the Ilos and the Lower Tyros. There are however a few lowlands, mostly in the Veroia, and in the interior of Troinae.
The Upper Tyros is a steadily escalating upland with the lands near the Valaforoia being, generally the lowest, and escalating to the branch, and the Iskend, which is practically within the Indric Mountains. The hills also, as a rule tend to become more and more closely linked with fewer valleys, aside from those along the primary two rivers themselves as one moves north. The lands of the Upper Tyros are generally quite rocky too, making it difficult to navigate.
The lands of the upper Tyros possess fertile soil. However, it is unfortunately, outside of the Veroia, quite difficult to actually till, thanks in large part to the dense rocks that are scattered throughout the topsoil. As a result, herding animals, especially goats, is generally seen as the better way of obtaining food, especially in the mountainous north.
Ecosystem
The Upper Tyros region generally still has a fair amount of its natural ecosystem with that consisting of a relatively wide variety of systems. Thanks to the mountainous terrain, one can encounter a number of ecosystems up to and including Odricine tundra, and even a vanishingly rare few permanent snowcaps. For the most part however, warm summer grass and scrublands make up the bullk of the territory, especially in the lowlands. The Veroia, generally is more humid than other regions, as the relatively open approach of oceanic winds doesn't stop here, and has some proper woodlands.
Ecosystem Cycles
The upper Tyros is rare in that it possesses a full range of four temperate seasons. The first is a cool, and generally dry spring, warming rapidly into a warm extremely dry summer. Autumns are warm and moist, but with little actual precipitation, and winters are of course cold, and generally quite wet, with the highlands even seeing some snowfall.
Fauna & Flora
Ther Upper Tyros has relatively sparse vegetation, with the bulk of species consisting of that which would survive in the meadowlands. Some trees can be found growing in thin forests spread out from one another, but most plant life consists of grasses, flowers, and shrubs. The most famous of these is the White Poppy which grows in small, but noteworthy amounts in the midlands.
In terms of Fauna, that which is favored to survive in the region mostly consists of of that which can adapt well to hilly and mountainous terrain. Thus many species of bird, small animals, and goats thrive in the region. Aerial predators such as wyverns dominate the skies of the Upper Tyros. Though they tend to keep to themselves, small tribes of cyclopes do live in the mountains. Though they used to be a significant problem, dedicated extermination efforts have eliminated most monstrous creatures that can't fly, and those that do must fear the many ballista that dot the settlement walls.
Natural Resources
The Upper Tyros is a middling farmland, with many areas extremely poorly suited to the task thanks to the dense rocks. These lands tend to be turned over to goatherds who can make the best use of the lands, or left to the wild. In the Veroia however, the lands are rich and plentiful, and make for some of the most agriculturally productive lands in Aeilla.
The Upper Tyros, thanks to its location bordering the Indric Mountains can claim to a wealth of mineral resources. Several large silver and gold veins have been found, especially in the north and despite decades of ruthless exploitation still have more to give. Tin is also quite common as well, and is often paired with copper from further south to make plentiful bronze. Additionally, good stones for building such as granite and marble can be found in abundance in the Upper Tyros.
History
The earliest written accounts of the Upper Tyros were made by Yulan-Tai peoples early in their expansion, as they sailed from their homelands downriver. The Upper Tyros was, according to them inhabited by "pink skinned savages" and was quickly colonized with the original peoples either subsumed or enslaved to the Yulan-Tai. This region was perhaps the most acculturated and integrated of the colonies of the Yulan-Tai, and thus retained an echo of their culture even as the Empire collapsed.
Iskandris, the center of Upper Tyroi civilization was, as a result of retaining some of the old Yulan-Tai civilization a wealthy, if despotic city-state dominating a network of client states when the land was first discovered by the Ilosi civilizations. War between the Ilosi Republic, and the came, and the Upper Tyros was conquered. The Tyroi people once again acculturated to their conquerors, and shortly afterward integrated into the nascent Aeillan culture, with the trade ports of the region quickly becoming incredibly prosperous as Iskandris became a major locus of the slave trade.
After the fall of the Aeillan Empire, the declining population of incoming slaves, weakened Iskandris, and the massive political instability in the early days after the Empire rocked the region to its core. As a result the Upper Tyros, except the Veroia went into steep decline, with Troinae especially suffering greately from the reduced trade. As power in Aeilla has shifted more fully towards the coast, so too has most of the economic might, and population, at the expense of the Upper Tyroi.
Alternative Name(s)
Hills of the Tyros
Type
Region
Location under
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