Urcean frontier

The Urcean frontier, also known as the New South or Southern Wilderness, includes the geography, history, folklore, and culture in the southern wave of Urcean expansion southward into reclaimed and previously sparsely inhabited lands as part of the Ómestaderoi migrations and general period of reform during the 19th century in Urcea. The legends, historical events and folklore of the Urcean frontier have embedded themselves into the Culture of Urcea so much so that the New South, and the Southern genre of media specifically, has become one of the defining periods of Urcean national identity.

The archetypical Southern Wilderness period is generally accepted by historians to have lasted between around 1864 to just after the restoration of King Patrick III in 1902.

As a region, the frontier specifically refers to parts of several provinces: Callan, Southmarch, Afoncord, western Ardricampus, southwestern 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 Industrial Revolution in Urcea, bringing large groups of people out of 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, 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.

Terminology

Several terms have become popular referring to this region, with some variation on the "Urcean frontier" being the widest attested to in both scholarly and popular sources. Contemporary sources referred to this area as the "New South" in the 19th century, with "New" referring to both the newly available land there as well as a geographical label distinguishing the area from Greater Canaery and Gassavelia from the perspective of residents of the Valley. Official documents from both before and during the "Age of the Frontier" simply refer to the region as the Southern Wilderness, a term that entered popular use at some point during the medieval period and remained relevant until the waning days of the frontier lifestyle.

Geography

Though the coastal portion of the frontier is marshy, the interior of the frontier region is dry and uneven, and for most of its history this region was largely unsuitable for human settlement.

The area of the frontier is broadly defined as the region that exists south of 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 hilly, dry, arid land and 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 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.

History

Prior to 1800

Much of the Urcean "south" - the provinces between the Valley, a largely fertile and habitable area, and Gassavelia, which is primarily jungle and tropical - was considered mostly uninhabitable or otherwise undesirable for most of Urcea's history. Foreign to the way of life of Levantia's indigineous Gaelic people and difficult for incoming Latins during the Latin Heroic Age left a great majority of this land very sparsely populated, with small oasis and coastal cities and towns making up the majority of human settlement. During the Saint's War, the House of Cónn constructed the castle of Ardricampus in the region atop an oasis, with the castle's isolated position and access to supplies making it extremely difficult to besiege due to supply problems that besieging armies would face. The castle, with its well developed oasis, would grow to become a city around which the modern province of Ardricampus is based. Ardricampus was one of the few major population centers in the region prior to the 19th century.

Travel

A section of the Via Antonia as it would have appeared ca. 1000. Maintained for a time by local nobles, the condition of the road declined to that of a worn out path by ca. 1300.

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 Levantines and probably based on an earlier 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, 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 Mauriele, the end of the Via in 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 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.

The road was never safe during the period of Great Levantia, but by the medieval period through the industrial period it was dangerous, providing significant opportunities for ambushes by outlaws, highwaymen, and other bandits. For this reason, travel overland between the Valley and modern Canaery during the medieval period was not usually considered possible, and most commerce and travel between Urceopolis and Cana occurred via the sea route. Travel on the road would have been an option to individuals in only limited circumstances, including being very poor and unable to afford sea passage, being an outlaw or some other person unable to travel by ship for fear of the authorities, or specific instances that would require goods or persons to be moved overland. In most cases, those who could afford to would hire mercenaries to serve as guards along the way to Canaery. Armies of the period typically avoided traversing the frontier if at all possible.

Initial settlement attempts

Technological advances during the 18th and 19th century made settlement possible, however, due to the possibility of dams, drainage, and eventually megaproject-style dams in the interior. Interest in settling the area began in earnest during the reign of King Niall V in the 1810s as a location to resettle some previous Ómestaderoi who had settled in Carolina but had since fled following the end of the Second Caroline War. Niall's interest in the area was improving the viability and convenience of transportation networks through the region down to Canaery and Gassavelia, and it was thought that improving the population of the area might naturally create better infrastructure. This very first wave was mostly settled in the oasis towns, but locals and newcomers alike began to complain about conditions and the Conshilía Daoni began to investigate the humanitarian conditions in the area by the end of the 1810s. With many Caroline Ómestaderoi again facing the possibility of being relocated, Niall turned to a group of ambitious scientists and engineers who promised to pump out a portion of land in Callan which would not only make it habitable but might make it good farmland. The project was completed by 1823 and was a great success, and the Caroline Ómestaderoi were settled in boom towns along the Callan coast. The Conshilía Daoni formally established the land as Ómestaderoi land in 1831, but very few settlers began to move in and many moved to promising lands in Transionia following the conclusion of the Third Caroline War.

Industrial reclamation efforts

Prince Patrick's Dam (1867), a mason dam and one of the largest in the world to that time, is one of many projects built during the Aedanicad to irrigate the frontier region.

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. While many of these projects were successfully completed in the 1860s and early 1870s, all construction faced significant problems due to the lack of transportation infrastructure and the logistical support that infrastructure would have provided. As railroads through the frontier were not completed until the mid-1880s, these projects were significantly expensive. Due to their cost, the Conshilía Daoni appropriated significant amounts of money to these projects, much of which was lost by corruption and graft. Consequently, several speculators began to buy up land around rivers and would sell the land to the Government of Urcea for greatly inflated sums, turning quick profits. Many companies and individuals spoke publicly of secret shortcuts and local guides who could easily move materials to construction sites, only for these individuals to disappear once awarded a government contract with partial upfront payments. Aedanicus's construction projects became unpopular in Urcean politics by 1870, though support from members of the Daoni from the frontier, Canaery, and Gassavelia gave the King support necessary to see these projects through. Some irrigation projects were began and abandoned by both the government and private contractors, and aborted dams and other structures can still be found in canyons and along rivers today.

Golden Age of the Frontier

The successful projects built during the 1860s led 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 at the time to be more "noble" and "natural." Many romantic notions of the Golden Age are engrained within the 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.

A common depiction of Ómestaderoi traveling down the Via Antonia

During this period, many Ómestaderoi began their journey along the ancient Via Antonia, taking a slightly different route than was taken historically. Most boarded a ship in Urceopolis which took them down the Urce River, out into the Sea of Canete, and depositing them at the port city of Meliferia, the traditional starting point of the route. There, Ómestaderoi would purchase provisions, vehicles, animals to pull them, and occasionally guards and guides depending upon the wealth of the settler. By this time, wells and other infrastructure meant that clean water was easy to come by following the Via Antonia, an unimaginable availability just a century prior. Accordingly, an Ómestaderoi family would follow the Via, stopping at the "well towns" that had sprung up along the way. The Via began to be semi-regularly patrolled during the Aedanicad period, though lawlessness was still a risk most faced along the way. Unlike the medieval period, the Via represented the relatively safe part of the trip - the true risk to Ómestaderoi came once they departed the Via to find their particular stake of land. Many of the historical deprivations - disease, lack of clean water, lack of doctors, and bandits - presented themselves along the way. Much of the land within easy distance of the Via had been claimed and settled by about 1868, requiring longer journeys inland with increasing risk. Beginning in about 1880s, due to the land still available, some Ómestaderoi would avoid the Via altogether and instead cross the Magnag in eastern Urcea from Harren, landng at Ardricampus and heading into the frontier from the east. The so called "Eastern Via" was quicker to more remote claims but also presented the most danger to potential Ómestaderoi. Far from the well-settled and patrolled Via, the route of the Eastern Via with its isolated towns and cities was the most lawless and least built region of the frontier, and the dangers it presented created many legends. Most frontier stories in popular media - including the life of Slingin' Seamus - take place along the Eastern Via.

Decline and Red Interregnum

Several factors contributed to the end of the frontier as it had been known. The construction of railroads into the territory, especially the construction of the Callan and Cana Railroad along the traditional route of the Via Antonia, opened the area to increasing urbanization and development. Accordingly, attractive parcels became harder to find, especially with the development of the Magnag and Canete Railroad which ran along the route of the Eastern Via, connecting the cities of Ardricampus on the Magnag and Sangran on the Sea of Canete. The 1880s also saw a significant slowing of the economy and increasing political turmoil in Urcea.

Ómestaderoi settlement began to slow in the 1880s, and the onset of the '97 Rising turned the area into a heavily militarized zone. The railroad route of the Callan and Cana and the Via Antonia generally became a central theater of conflict following the Fall of Cana, as these routes allowed for direct land access into the Urcean valley and were of vital strategic importance to both sides. In summer 1901, the Antonine Campaign involved a slow crawling offensive of Legimitist and Imperial forces up the Via Antonia and rail lines. Significant infrastructure and economic damage had been done by the time the allied forces secured Meliferia in fall 1901.

End of the Wilderness

19th century irrigation projects made the frontier viable for agriculture and more expansive human habitation.

The classic age of the frontier in this region continued on until the late 1900s, when the restoration regime of Patrick III made establishing coherent law and order and public administration a top priority in the frontier region. The frontier was eventually the site of considerable residential projects as well as major railways and highways in the immediate lead up to the Second Great War, finally ending the "southern wilds" period and bringing the frontier into full integration with the rest of the country. Despite this, the area continues to retain its rural character in some parts, and many locals retain a proud tradition of life away from dense cities, suburbs, and exurbs. In the central part of the wilderness - Afoncord and eastern Callan - many large scale ranches and other agricultural producers still continue on, many of them family properties descended from original Ómestaderoi settlers. The importance of ranching and frontier life remains prominent in the minds of locals and in local culture, and is reflected in many popular symbols, including that of a horse in the flag of the province of Afoncord.

Culture

Historic impacts

Ideas about life on the frontier have had a lasting impact on the Culture of Urcea. The Frontier became a popular source and inspiration for literature in Urcea, spawning the "Frontier literature" genre. Southern movies, or "southerns", became a popular genre of film with the rise of the motion picture industry, depicting legendary individuals and events such as the life of Slingin' Seamus; this genre spread outside of Urcea and has become popular abroad, with productions such as Last train to Somerville (2003) and other frontier films. Life on the frontier also has been recorded in music, with the famous showdowns and characters recollected through both contemporary and later songs that have been recorded in the frontier genre, a variation of country music, which includes the imagined style of how Ómestaderoi music sounded. The Ómestaderoi themselves, and their ranch hands, the cowboys, are well known worldwide as a trope. Life on the frontier, and the Ómestaderoi experience there, led to the rise of cowboy buffets, a type of restaurant in Urcea which provides perceived immersive frontier experiences.

Contemporary culture

The frontier is generally considered to be a stronghold of Crown Liberal ideology and, accordingly, the National Pact. Scholars have surmised that the individualistic heritage of the region relates strongly to liberal philosophy.