Urcean frontier: Difference between revisions

The frontier specifically refers to parts of several provinces: [[Callan]], [[Southmarch]], [[Afoncord]], western [[Ardricampus]], southern [[Harren]], and part of [[Kingsvale]]. These areas have two predominant climates; marshland towards the coast and arid brushland in the interior with little access to water. Much of the area was made habitable due to scientific advances during the {{wp|Industrial Revolution}} in [[Urcea]], bringing large groups of people out of [[The Valley (Urcea)|the Valley]] into the southern areas. Today, these areas continue to benefit from irrigation projects, and the provinces in the South are sometimes referred to as being part of [[The Valley (Urcea)|the Valley]], a controversial characterization among both residents of the frontier as well as of sociologists who continue to study the unique cultural traditions of people living within this area.  

 

The area of the frontier is broadly defined as the region that exists south of [[The Valley (Urcea)|the Valley]] and north of [[Gassavelia]] and [[Greater Canaery]], running from approximately the south shores of the [[Magnag]] in the east to the [[Sea of Canete]] in the west. The area encompasses [[Callan]], [[Southmarch]], [[Afoncord]], western [[Ardricampus]], southern [[Harren]], and part of [[Kingsvale]] and is characterized in the north by flat, dry, arid land and [[Hortus Mountains|Hortus ranges]] along its southern periphery. In the west, particularly in [[Callan]], the area is characterized by marshland and reclaimed marshland, while the remainder of the region is a dry, semi-arid to arid region which proved difficult for human habitation prior to the 19th century. Wind is a constant presence throughout much of the frontier, with winds blowing off the [[Sea of Canete]] while storms typically move in from the southeast out of [[Burgundie]] into [[Gassavelia]], with the frontier being hit with only the peripheral effects of most storms. Windmills for irrigation purposes became common in the western portion of this region during the early 19th century, and {{wp|wind turbines}} are common today. Because of the dry climate, the entire central and eastern area is laced with irrigation canals, holding ponds, laterals, and drops.

 

Prior to the advent of the railroad and industrial irrigation techniques, travel through the frontier was dangerous and relatively rare. The primary route was the ''Via Antonia'', a road constructed by the [[Great Levantia|Great Levantines]] and probably based on an earlier [[Gaelic people|Gaelic]] path. The ''Via Antonia'' began in the [[Sea of Canete]] port city of Meliferia in the southeastern portion of the modern province of [[The Cape (Urcean province)|the Cape]], and from there moved southeast into modern [[Southmarch]] and [[Callan]], gradually bending away from the Sea to more than 75 miles inland. At the northern border of modern [[Callan]] was the town of Colina, which by the medieval period was functionally the last major settlement along the ''Via'' until one reached the northeastern periphery of [[Greater Canaery]]. The hundreds of miles of road between Colina and Mauriele, the end point of the ''Via Antonia'' about 100 miles east of [[Cana]], were dry and ran through desert and rocky valleys and crags with no source of potable water. For centuries, there were rumors of an ancient Great Levantine well about midway through the journey. This rumor became known as the "Antonine Trap", as many desperate travelers on their last resort would often backtrack to try and find the legendary well; it was not uncommon to find corpses along the road digging in the sand. Historians are divided on the issue of the well behind the legend; it is moderately well attested to in the historical record, but ancient sources disagree on its location. The existence of such a well also poses several practical problems, including why a settlement never grew up around it, how such an often-used well would fall out of use and disappear, and the physical lack of evidence of an aquifer along the road. During the 12th century, following Urcea's [[History_of_Urcea_(1098-1214)#Southern_orientation|conquest of Callan]], a small port town called Sangran was built along the coast of Callan, and at some point between then and ca 1300 a spur of the ''Via Antonia'' connected Sangran to the rest of the road. After that point, many who could not afford the full voyage would book a cheaper passage from [[Cana]] to Sangran and complete the rest of the ''Via Antonia'' northward on foot.

 

In the 1860s during the [[Aedanicad]], [[Aedanicus VIII]] prioritized the contruction of what were then considered megaprojects, massive irrigation projects including some of the world's largest dams built up until that point.  

The successful projects built during the 1860s lead to massive waves of [[Ómestaderoi]] - many historians believe it was the largest of the waves throughout the history of the program - to settle in the frontier areas in the mid-1860s through mid-1880s, a period known today as the "Golden Age of the Frontier". The growth of these areas outpaced the expansion of public administration (which was extremely complex and unclear prior to the passage of the [[Administrative Reorganization Act of 1892]]), leading to a "wild" reputation and frontier justice becoming common in these areas. The area was not only viewed as lawless, but was also viewed as a place where an individual could reinvent themselves or pursue pastoral or rancher lifestyles, which were considered by the [[Culture of Urcea|culture of Urcea]] at the time to be more "noble" and "natural." Many romantic notions of the Golden Age are engrained within the [[Culture_of_Urcea#Southerns|Southern genre of film]]. Historians have noted that this period, however, is not accurately represented in film or in the public imagination, and that the degree of lawlessness and social integration with the rest of the country greatly varied throughout the region and from town to town. Many gunslingers from this period, including [[Slingin' Seamus]], have gone on to become well known cultural figures and the source of widespread fascination.

 

Ómestaderoi settlement began to slow in the 1880s as the nation's economy slowed and attractive parcels became hard to find, and the onset of the [[Red Interregnum]] turned the area into a heavily militarized zone.

 

==Cultural impacts==

 

Life on the frontier, and the [[Ómestaderoi]] experience there, lead to the rise of [[Culture_of_Urcea#Cowboy_buffets|cowboy buffets]], a type of restaurant in [[Urcea]] which provides perceived immersive frontier experiences.

 

[[Cateogry: IXWB]]