Thyros
Thyros ( /ˈthaɪrɔs/ Thyridic: Týrod) is the name for the country located at the bottom of the Valmos Pensinula, in the west of Atheryin. Its name is derived from Thyriccós, the Proto-Thyridic word for homeland (literally land of my father). The population is primarily made up of Thyrids, although there is a heavy cosmopolitan element. Thyros has served as the capital province for many states, including the Kingdom of Thyros, the first and second Thyrosic Empires, and the Thyridic Commonwealth.
Landscape
Thyros possesses a temperate climate and is generally grassland with some forests and woodlands. This temperate climate dominates much of the realm, covering all of the central parts of Thyros and extending the the borders in some regions. To the north and east, the Eýn Mountains dominate the landscape, making them a heavy shadow over the western grazelands. To the far south, facing Navarshùn, the land is high in volcanic activity, thus soil in this region is much more fertile than in the rest of Thyros.
The Hýn River begins in Thyros, extending north into the rest of Valmos from there. The river is abundant with food, and thus the areas around the river tend to be far better off than the outlaying areas of Thyros. In addition to this, the river provides quick and easy transportation, and because of this, many ancient civilizations were based around it.
Civilisation
Over the years, the population of Thyros has shifted from rural dwellings into the more urban areas. During the early years of Thyros' history, there were virtually no large towns and, as such, the population was restricted to small villages and farms, with many amongst the population being in nomadic groups. With the rise of the first kingdoms, more people began to relocate from the villages into the larger towns, though the vast majority of the population stayed within the villages and farms.
The largest city in Thyros is Thyrra, which was the capital of the Thyrosic Empire at various times throughout its history, and has remained one of the most important cities in the Valmosi peninsula throughout its existence. Other cities of note include the secondary Imperial capital of Fallyn, the port cities of Lýsod and Andir, and the republican capital, Dalael (Standard Thyridic: Dalail).
Kingdom of Thyros
The Kingdom of Thyros was the first major political state to exist within the region commonly known as Thyros. It evolved out of a union of tribes and city states, based near modern-day Piruw. The Kingdom would later take its more recognisable form following a union with the neighboring Kingdom of Thyrra, and would briefly be known as the United Kingdom of Thyros and Thyrra before Thyrosic national identity overpowered that of the Thyrrans.
Government
The Kingdom of Thyros was an absolute monarchy, with the monarch formally having the final say on every matter of state. Originally, this suited the Kings well, with the Warlord Anshar and his descendants ruling over a small Kingdom at the very south of the continent. However as the position of Monarch became constitutionally enshrined, and with the eventual vast Kingdom, the Monarch would increasingly choose to delegate power to others. This served as the beginning of separate judicial and legislative branches of Thyrosic government, as well as creating an officer class within the military. In addition, as the Kings of Thyros controlled increasingly large amounts of land, they would grant administrative power over that land to trusted friends, advisers, and war heroes. This would begin the famed Thyrosic feudal system, which would last until the reign of Orpheus III.
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The Kingdom of Thyros was founded on the very southern tip of the Thyridic Peninsula by an unnamed Warlord, who Lyrian schollars mention in several books on the region.
The first concrete reference to the Kingdom of Thyros comes from Lyrian writer and poet Kimaira Daenos' mid-growth era book Kamunad'i Iun, Kafein a Myrka which mentions a small herding community around the town of Pavrah.
Later, the kingdom is said to have grown into a small regional power, and it is at this point that the Thyrids begin to record their own history.
In Growth 166, the kingdom entered into a royal marriage with the Grand Dukes of Thyrra and 14 years later, the crowns were unified. In Growth 180, the Kingdom of Thyros declared war on Tohrá and, following a bloody conflict, vassalised the Duchy. In 182, the Thyridic king was assassinated by a rouge Tohránian, and the kingdom fell into a state of disaster. The Duchy of Tohrá went back on its pledge of homage. In Growth 190, following a series of calamities, the kingdom was invaded by Warlord Sun-Hammer, who conquered the Kingdom within 12 years. Sun-Hammer declared himself king, and took on the more Thyridic name of Baltair.
King Baltair and his army soon adopted Thyros' customs and beliefs, and according to some, became more Thyridic than the Thyrids themselves. Baltair expanded the kingdom's northern borders and moved the capital from to Thyrra, and reigned for 68 years, living to the extra-ordinary age of 110.
By the time Baltair was dead, so were his children and grand children. His great grandson Eanraig became king and did little to improve the empire for most of his three decade reign, before securing the Duchy of Tohrá and a considerable portion of southern [[Túnsen]] in Zenith 160, following a war with the Duchy of Tohrá and the King