Tyrrhos

## Heraldry

Head of the Delphan, the symbol of Tyrrhosi freedom

**Tyrrhos** is an island in the Tomyrian Sea and one of the two continents that make up the Old World. It is located southeast of Neuphany by the Strait of Espios. A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island.

The island is considered part of the greater Nine Fiefdoms, though Tyrrhos actually belongs to the Bank of Mandolin, with certain privileges sold to the House of Darcedon. As a territorial collectivity, Tyrrhos enjoys a greater degree of autonomy than other fiefdoms; for example, Tyrrhos is able to exercise limited executive powers and disallows foreign military on its soil, including Darcedon's army.

Tyrrhos is often considered a single region, **Medea** (literally, "the Mountain"). It is further divided into eight subregions: *Shashania* (literally, "Shadow of the Mountain"); *Margovia* (literally, "Borderlands"); *Lydia* (literally, "Laden Lands"); *Tiberia* (literally, "Riverlands"); *Argentia* (literally, "The Grey"); *Balencia* (literally "The Pale"); *Aramea* (literally "Aram's Lands"); and *Aurellia* (literally "The Ore Lands").

After being ruled by various kings and empires, Tyrrhos was briefly independent until it was the subject of centuries of war over its rights and administration. It was officially ceded by the Republic of Pria to the Republic of Cyravest, contested by Darcedon, and later given to the Bank of Mandolin as invested property. Due to Tyrrhos' historical ties with Neuphany, the island is usually discussed as being an extension of the greater continent. Tyrrhos has its own dialect for the Common tongue, and most of its citizens are multilingual based on their location.

## Geography

Tyrrhos is the most mountainous island found in the Tomyrian Sea, a "mountain in the sea." It is composed of sediment and granite, mostly.

It is 114 mi long at its longest stretch, 54 mi wide at its widest breadth, and has 611 mi of coastline. Tyrrhos is very mountainous, with Calcanem as the highest peak at 8,978 ft and around 120 other summits of more than 6,600 ft. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain. Forests make up a fifth of the island.

About 2,400 sq mi of its of 3,400 sq mi is open, untamed wilderness. In the east, seasonal rivers dot the landscape and run down from the mountain ranges that divide the island in a region known as the Thousand Rivers. The largest rivers are the Tongue and the Snaggletooth, however most of these rivers are seasonal, and are only given names by locals.

The island is divided into three major ecological zones by altitude. Below 2,000 ft is the coastal zone, which features a subtropical climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The natural vegetation are sparse forests, woodlands, and shrubs. The coastal lowlands are part of the shared ecoregion, in which forests and woodlands of evergreen oaks predominate, chiefly horned oak and cork oak. Much of the coastal lowlands have been cleared for agriculture, grazing, and logging, which have reduced the forests considerably. However, the former plains in the west were reconciled with the greater forests of the north, leading to former "desert lands" becoming dense forests.

From 2,000 to 5,900 ft is a temperate montane zone. The mountains are cooler and wetter, and home to the broadleaf forests, which supports diverse forests of oak, pine, and broadleaf deciduous trees, with vegetation more typical of the Neuphany's higher mountains. The population lives predominantly below 3,000 ft with only shepherds and hikers at beyond that.

Beyond 6,000 feet is a high alpine zone. Vegetation is sparse. This zone is mostly uninhabited.

### Climate

Under a dry, windswept sky, coastal regions are characterized by a hot-summer subtropical climate. Further inland, a warm-summer climate is more common. At the highest elevation locations, small areas with a subarctic climate and the rare cold-summer climate can be found.

The Gankunori Calculators record the highest year-round temperatures, with an annual average of 78 °F since CE 979. They also estimate that the sun shines over a clear sky more than three hundred days of the year.

### Ecology

Tyrrhos is perhaps most known for being the territory of mammoths, with *Shashania* being a region where historic ivory trade has been productive and a reason for the island's value to different nations. These massive mammals have few natural predators, though they are also few in number. Their only predator, the mountain tiger, is also scarce and elusive. On its coasts are various cetaceans in the Tomyrian, and on its western coast to the Ivory Sea, it is also a target for sea lions.

There is also considerable birdlife in Tyrrhos, with the most notable examples being the giant vulture, the blood hawk, the gale falcon, the rock falcon, the cockatrice, the red eagle, and the bard owl.

### Prehistory and antiquity

The origin of the name Tyrrhos is subject to much debate and remains a mystery. To the Ancient Hellastians, it was known as *Kastrel,* mentioned multiple times in various forms in the epic *The Madelian*, but was later exclusively referenced as *Tyrrhos*. It is believed to be derived from the Tirahni people, but this little is certain.

From its habitation by the Subrason in the early Eras of Bronze, its people spread beyond the Old World until their sudden disappearance, being replaced by humans thereafter.

After a brief occupation by the Perths, colonization by the ancient Hellastians, and an only slightly longer occupation by Omerads, it was incorporated by the Dinamid Republic at the end of the First Perthic War and, with Neuphany, in 140 NCE, became a province of the Dinamid Republic. The Dinamians, who built a colony in Port Bruche, considered Tyrrhos as one of the most backward regions of all of Dinam. The island produced sheep, honey, resin and wax, and exported many slaves, not well considered because of their fierce and rebellious character. Moreover, it was known for its cheap wines, and was used as place of relegation, one of the most famous exiles being the Dinamid philosopher Edica. Administratively, the island was divided into *pievas*, which in the Mythic Ages became fiefdoms, the basic administrative units of the island even today.

During the diffusion of the Saclis mystery, which arrived quite early from Neuphonic harbors, Tyrrhos was home to many martyrs and saints: among them, the most important being Saint Lancel, the patron of the island. Tyrrhos would later integrated by the God-Emperor Saturn into Ascani Merovia for this reason.

### The Mythic Ages and the Modern Era

In the Ninth Era, when Goodfellow rule officially collapsed, the island was invaded by the Falians. Briefly recovered by the Ascani, it was conquered by the exile Flavius Maricus, otherwise known as Maric. This led to a political arrangement between Tyrrhos and the Ascani, using it as an outpost against the Auber.

Calin the Bald, the Merovian king and Robaerigon's father, annexed the island in the Eleventh Era, officially recognized the elves of *Balencia*, expelled the Rones of Tyrrhos, and nominally granted Tyrrhosi rule to High Pontiff Velzar. From here, Auber threats increased and began occupation in the western part of the island.

In the first quarter of the Thirteenth Century, the Merchant Republics of Pria and Cyravest together freed the island from the threat of Auber invasion. After that, the island came under the influence of the Republic of Pria. Tyrrhos in this period experienced a massive immigration from Iselli, which gave to the island its present toponymy and led to the dialect of Tyrrhosi Common being adopted.

Due to this development, then began also the traditional division of Tyrrhos in two parts, along the main chain of mountains roughly going from the Galvanis to Port Bruche: the eastern Masadene, which is more populated, evolved and open to the commerce with Neuphany; and the western Great Divide, which is almost deserted, wild and remote. Pirates and Auber frequently attacked Tyrrhos, resulting in many Cyravine towers being erected.

The crushing defeat experienced by Pria in CE 799 in the Battle of Eloria against Cyravest had among its consequences the end of the Pri rule and the beginning of the Cyravine influence in Tyrrhos: this was contested much later by the House of Darcedon, who in CE 880 had received from the High Pontiff the investiture over Tyrrhos. A popular revolution against this and the feudal lords received the aid of Cyravest. After that, the Great Divide was ruled by a league of monks called the Gankunori.

The following century was a period of conflict known as the Grimshaw, when the Cyravine rule was contested by Darcedon, the local lords of Bellhaven, the Gankunori, and the High Pontiff: finally, in CE 973, Cyravest ceded the administration of the island to the local lords, who in turn were indebted to the main bank owned by the Mandolin dynasty, which brought peace.

#### Modern Age

Since the death of the High Pontiff, Tyrrhosi rule has been in flux, as it has been since its inception. Its current claim is still the Bank of Mandolin, making it mostly independent, however there is fear among the population that Darcedon will break its truce with the Mandolins and invade Tyrrhos as an attempt to secure an outpost against Arborea.