Lyras

Lyras is a historical region in northwest Ancotania, at the base of the Corian Peninsula. It was bounded by Coria on the northwest, the Azal Sea on the northeast, Myria on the southeast, Aigyras on the south, and the Sargonian Sea on the southwest. Lyras contains numerous rivers, chiefly the Argyra, Himesos, Stenyn, Cythox, and Phaloton. The most prominent lakes are Lake Empyn and Lake Pinorus.

In ancient times it was inhabited by the Lyrians, Corians, Pyrgeans, Aigyrian Delliks, and other groups. During ancient times the capital of Lyras was the city-state of Trea. After the city was destroyed during the Tread Wars, the capital shifted to nearby Lyra, which lent the region its modern name.

Culture
Lyras has been traditionally divided into the areas of Tread, Anna, Tuwisa, Ewriya, Gort, and Huiya. These regions corresponded with the tribes that lived in those areas. Lyras was dominated by the Treadans throughout its early history. They founded the city of Trea, which grew to become a sprawling metropolis of its own.

Language
Despite being ethnically unified, Lyras was not a linguistically homogenous area. According to legends, the Treadans were the first tribe to settle in Lyras and migrated from the far east. After establishing Trea they began colonizing the area across the Bay of Lyra, becoming the ancestors of the Annanittes. Zuli the Elder wrote that at one point the Treadans and the Annanittes were able to understand each other but after the destruction of Trea, the two groups spoke in different tongues. Historians now believe that both languages descended from an East Ancotanian language family called "Lyric", which was closely related to Hamittian. In eastern Lyras it appears that Gorttians migrated from Paphoria shortly after Trea's destruction and spoke a language of the Paphoric family.

The Tuwisans and Ewriyans spoke Saro-Mycian languages, most likely migrating during the expansion of the Azuwan Kingdom. It is thought they were separated from other Saro-Mycian speakers sometime after the Orillian Invasions, blocked by the Myrians. When the kingdom of Azuwa broke apart, the province of Adaria became an independent kingdom. It greatly expanded its territory over centuries and controlled most of Lyras. Zuli wrote that the Huiyattians are the descendants of Adarian colonists in the region. By the time Lyras fell under Tonan control, the inhabitants of the area were fluent in Annattic, also known as Lyrian.