Tarelios

Tarel, from Ancient Tarelion Tarelios, from taron elios, meaning land of writing, from Proto-Tarelion taron elio, meaning the same, ultimately from Proto-?? těr-, the participle form of ti̯r-, to write, and (e)li̯o, meaning land, was a ??? country, bordering the Peligir Sea and with its capital centred at Parselone (from Ancient Tarelion Parselonis, from an older form Parsenolis).

Prehistoric Inhabitancy
Tarel was inhabited for thousands of years before the rise of the first civilisations, being home to various different races and ethnicities throughout time. This was primarily due to its central location on the Peligirian coast, its warm climate and its fertile soil (in the peripheral regions). There were clear patterns of migrations across the ??? Strait from Antylika, in the north from the rest of ??? and from the Peligir Sea. The people of Tarel subsisted on a variety of means, with fishing, foraging and hunting all playing roles in the early Tarelion diet. Trade was largely internal, and focused on materials, such as flint and obsidian. Tarel, even by 7000 ED, was involved in an extensive obsidian trade with Antylika, the rest of the Peligirian world, Hieret and even further east. It was not until around 6000 ED, however, that agriculture was introduced to Tarel, ultimately from Hieret by means of Antylika. It was the introduction of agriculture that enabled the construction of the first large, permanent towns in Tarel, and it would be from Tarel that agriculture would be introduced to the rest of ???.

Geography
The climate of Tarel was quite typical of other countries bordering the north coast of the Peligir Sea, with warm and dry summers and mild, wet winters. Within the country itself, there was considerable climatic variation. The south-east coast, in the areas not shielded by Hetyrios, the summers were warmer and drier than in the north-east, the climate of which was more humid and colder. In the centre of the country, which was dominated by the Barta Mountains, the simple difference in altitude made winters colder and summers milder, though the southern extents of this range enjoyed much the same warm and dry summers as the rest of the south.

This was reflected in the fauna and flora of the different regions of Tarel. While much of Tarel was forested, the forests were more common in the north than in the south, where shrubland and fruit trees predominated. The south was generally associated with olives and grapes, with both forming an integral part of Tarel's economy throughout its history. In fact, the soil throughout southern Tarel was not very suited to much agriculture other than the cultivation of plants like olives and grapes, with wheat and barley being considerably less successful than in Satrios and throughout the Peligirian region prior up until the time of the Liparian Empire. Even after this time, the economy of southern Tarel was reliant on imports of such grains from the north and other regions. The oak tree was generally associated with the north, and was employed in numerous coats of arms and flags of civilisations and dynasties based in the region. Oak trees were found in great abundance in the north, alongside pine and fir trees.

The geography of Tarel was defined by its centre, with the Meneri Mountains which split the country essentially in two. The Meneris Mountains took up much of the land area of the country, leaving most of the plains and forests on the outskirts. The foothills of the mountains were suitable for some farming, as were places within the mountain range itself. The mountains acted as a barrier for the country, demographically, linguistically, culturally and in terms of weather.