Menaulatolia (/mɛnaulatolia/ (Aeillan: /mɛnau̯latolia/))
Μεναουλατολια
Menaulatolia is the geographical center of the Aeillan Region, running between the Ilos and Tyros, and from the Transoria to the Sea. Though it is often considered somewhat backwards by those dwelling in the traditional centers of power for the Aeillan people, Menaulatolia has, in recent years become a major power thanks in large part due to the explosive growth in population, influence, and economic might in the form of the city of Artenos.
The realms of Menaulatolia are, comparatively, sparsely populated with scarcely over three million people living within them, the majority of whom are living along the coastal regions, particularly around Coastal Korentis and the Republic of Artenos. Much of the population lives in small agricultural villages with proper cities being exceptionally rare, except along the coast. The realm is somewhat wilder than most other areas of Aeilla as a result, though it is safer than the wild parts of the Western Reaches.
The realms of Menaulatolia were historically quite influential since the bulk of the Yulan-Tai civilization originated from the coastal reaches of Menaulatolia However, after the fall of the Yulan-Tai, the region calmed down, becoming something of a backwater, though eventually the coast would, during the Imperial and post-Imperial periods would become far more powerful as skilled trades began to concentrate in the coastal cities.
Geography
Menaulatolia is a large, centrally located region, mostly centered around Mount Menos, which serves relatively closely, as the geographical center of the whole region. The western and eastern fringes of the territory are bordered by the river valleys for the Ilos and Tyros Rivers, with its north being demarcated by the true wildlands of the Transoria, and the south of the region being the Yulan Ocean, though the Artenesian Sound is also considered are part of the region.
There are four major bands of terrain in the region, with the hilly, or even outright mountainous north of the region taking up most of the northern reaches of the Menaulatolia, followed by the great plains of Thenoia further to the south, which makes up the heartlands of the Exarchate of Korentis. Immediately south is another chain of hills before running into the coastal plains that are home to the majority of the regions population.
The Menaulatolia has, by Aeillan standards, relatively poor soil, with harvests for that region being smaller than elsewhere. Though most of the land is still arable, it is only moderately useful, and thus the relatively poor yields of the Menaulatolia necessitated the development of irrigation systems, which were augmented by the Felorans, and the habitual concentration of the population towards the coast where fishing could supplement the crop yields. Fishing ironically is quite good along the coast, especially near and within the Arteniesian Sound which possess some of the most productive fisheries anywhere near Galisea.
Ecosystem
Despite the relative lack of arable land in the Menaulatolia, most lands that are even remotely suitable for farming have been taken over by agriculture though much more land lies fallow in crop rotation cycles than is the norm for Aeilla. As a result, the natural state of much of the land, being warm semi-humid grassland, is allowed to grow throughout the region. Indeed gently rolling grassy hills and cropland make up the majority of lands within the Menaulatolia.
Mountainous odricine ecosystems are quite are, being limited mostly to Mount Menos and its surrounding peaks, and even the highest mountains are incapable of forming glaciers with only the summit of Menos having a small Odricine tundra. In the upplands however, there are more woodlands, which grow sheltered from the intensive coastal winds. These forests are relatively sparse however, lacking the great density of much of the rest of Aeilla's woodlands.
In the sound of Artenos, the primary ecosystem is a rich marine ecosystem, which is girded on all sides by grassy, thin soiled islands that make up the Artenesian Archipelago. It is for this reason that sentient settlements on the islands rely on fishing the sound for most of their food. The coastal regions generally are more fertile than the islands, but not overwhelmingly so.
Ecosystem Cycles
In the Menulatolia there are two primary seasons, summers and winters. The summers tend to be hot and dry, and indeed irrigation is needed to water any large scale agricultural settlements. The winters are warm, but much cooler than the summers, and extremely wet with vast amounts of rain blowing in from the Yulan Ocean. Along the coast, temperatures are regulated more effectively, though as a rule winds and rains are intense along the coast year round.
Fauna & Flora
The lands of the Menaulatolia are a less tamed region thanks to the comparatively smaller population, and as a result plantlife has flourished. A number of trees, shurbs and wild grasses have flourished in the wilder places of the region. The most famous of these is the Lunar Flower, which grows in unusually large quantities here.
In terms of animal life the usual batch of ruminant herd animals, smaller solitary herbivores, wolves and the like exist in plentiful numbers here. The hilly regions in particular are home to many avian creatures such as giant eagles, griffons, and wyverns, as well as much more monstrous creatures, especially Chimerae. It also home to the known world's population of harpies, a sad reminder of the scars of the Feloran Wars, and the purge after.
Natural Resources
In spite of the limited agricultural resources, the Menaulatolia is host to a relatively health supply of mineral resources, with decent quantities of iron being most useful in the modern era, but also a large quantiy of copper which has been used to make bronze with paired with tin from the Upper Tyros. Silver mines are rare, but not unheard of as well, with marble quaries rounding out the mineral wealth that is traded by denizens of the region.
History
The lands of the Menaulatolia were first settled by the peoples that would unify under the banner under the Yulan-Tai, having been settled, at least by peoples with a written language roughly 2,800 years ago. For the most part this settlement was primarily along the coast with few major colonies north of the coastal hills. These peoples, largely fishers and aquatic merchants became increasingly organized over the short span of a few centuries, with the Yulan-Tai Empire becoming a unified political force that would come to dominate the Menaulatolia as well many of the lands around it. The Yulan-Tai would go on to build great cities in the region, as their Empire expanded. Eventually the Empire would fall, and many of their settlements would fall into ruin.
In the early times after the fall of the Yulan-Tai would remain desolate, with only small villages surviving in the region, until the middle of the Forging Era. As the Ilosi and Tyroi began to expand out of their own homelands, the lands in the Menaulatolia were colonized by them with the first proper cities being reestablished in the area, Korentis being the largest and most famous of them. During the Imperial Period the region flourished, with several more cities such as Artenos, and most of all Antiokos coming into prominence at this time. The Late Imperial and the civil strife caused by it saw a further shift towards the Menaulatolia, at least until the Feloran Invasions.
During the Feloran Invasion period, the region of Menaulatolia would become the center of Feloran power in Aeilla, and pretty much the only region that was reliably and almost completely under Feloran control throughout the period save Artenos which was seized later. During this time many improvements were made to the infrastructure, especially in the field of irrigation, a well known Feloran specialty. After the Drowning of Antiokos, and the retreat of Felorans, the scourging of the region would leave many lasting scars on the Menaulatolia, with much of the region being depopulated somewhat by the purge. The Menaulatolia would be relatively desolate once again, becoming a hotbed of politics only with the ascension of Artenos in recent years.
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