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Our land is in torment. The forests of the south are infested with wild orcs; on the east, the dead awaken; the north is rife with vile powers of darkness, and even here, within the walls of our sacred capital, mad creatures hide in shadows. But as long as there is hope in our hearts and faith in our souls, we shall prevail!

- Hetman Savva Blackhand

One of the farthest colonies of the Empire of Man, the Frontier Land is a region on Koldenwelt that lies in the northeastern parts of the Main Continent, between the mysterious Storm Mountains and the dreaded Serenity Woods. Perhaps one of the most dangerous regions of the planet, its dark forests hide many wild, strange creatures, but these horrors pale in comparison to the eldritch horrors left in the Frontier Land from the ancient times when another race ruled it and the unstoppable undead hordes from the east, especially after the terrifying cataclysm that ravaged the land's northern regions. Neverthless, the Frontier remains a prosperous land, and its inhabitants are a proud and noble people, determined to protect their homeland.

History[]

Ancient times[]

In the ancient times, the Frontier had a different name: Litus Lux, the Shore of Light, and indeed, the entire region was submerged back then, inhabited by the great Sea Giants, wise creatures from the ocean who created cities of great beauty all over the land. Over time, however, the Giants' civilisation vanished, leaving only ruins. As time passed, tectonic shifts in the Koldenwelt's ground raised Litus Lux into the surface, revealing these ruins to the land dwellers. However, magic of the Giants left its mark on the land, giving birth to many strange creatures that now inhabit the Frontier Land's many forests.

Among these beasts were the brutish Deiwos that humans grew to call orcs but who are known as lesha among their own kind: these creatures, closely attuned to the wild and detesting any concept of civilisation, soon started to clash with another race that was interested in the Frontier Land: the mankind, who came from the southern lands searching for the magical artifacts left by the Giants. The orcs' answer to the intruders was simple: death.

Thus started the War of the Axe and the Sword, which continued for seventy years: neither side could take an advantage for the lesha's numbers and brutal strength was matched by the humans' stalwart determination and advanced technology; thousands, both men and orcs, died on the many battlefields of this war, or rather on the battlefield of this war, because the conflict was so brutal that not a single place in the Frontier Lands was safe. Famine and plague was rife across the human lands, and rebellions started; driven by desperation and fearful of losing his throne, the Frontier Hetman, Alexis the Twisted, decided to end the conflict quickly by using the Sea Giants' magical relics, sealed by the ocean lords in the great vaults millenia ago. Alexis's advisors, led by a court archmage by the name of Saphronius, attempted to convincle their ruler not to resort to using such dangerous and vile weapons, but it soon became evident that Alexis listened only to himself.

And, probably, the voice in his head.

In horror, Saphronius watched the hetman opening the gates sealed by the long-dead race; in horror, he watched him being devoured by the malevolent blue light, turning into a creature out of nightmares, something that not even the wisest scholars and sorcerers of the Frontier understood fully: Alexis had awakened the servants of the mad god Vargash. Within days, the entire nation was overrun by the Lympharians, spreading their master's nightmarish whispers wherever they went.

Gathering the remaining humans, Saphronius hid them in his home town, Port Thalapolis, and ordered his students to shield the city with a magical barrier, secluding himself in the Fort's keep. For several months, Lympharians besieged the fortress, and eventually, the mages that maintained the shield began killing each other, struck down by Vargash's madness. With noone else to protect Thalapolis, the creatures stormed the town, slaughtering innocent humans without mercy; at the head of the assault was Alexis himself, turned into a Lympharian.

Then, the legend says, a single word was said, ringing across the entire fortress, louder than even Vargash's torturous whispers.

Enough.

Suddenly, the gateways of the fort opened and thousands of wild creatures entered it, shouting wild battlecries: no, they weren't Lymparians. These were the orcs, but they weren't fighting humans; their only goal was to destroy Vargash's servants, once and for all. Among the chaos, Saphronius walked out of the keep, shining with glory: for all these months he, in trance, was contacting the orc tribes: he convinced them that Vargash was a more dangerous foe and that to defeat its slaves, two races should unite; and while many refused the call, some agreed to help, and led their tribes to defeat the Lymparians once and for all. As barbaric lesha warriors fought alongside Thalapolis' knights, orc shamans and human wizards assembled atop Thalapolis's highest tower in a circle: all of them were disgusted by such a union, but Saphronius' wisdom was well-known and led by his guidance, they agreed to work together. Thunder struck as they unleashed the strongest magics ever known to both men and orcs upon the Lympharians, preparing for the final act of sacrifice.

In a sudden, a bright, blinding flash of light engulfed Thalapolis... and then, the Lympharians were gone, as were Saphronius' wizards. It is rumoured that their spell banished Vargash's slaves into another dimension, detached from Koldenwelt - and that the mages were banished there too, fighting the vile Lympharians for eternity. With the enemy gone, orcs and humans were left to their own devices, returning to their homes to rebuild. The Frontier Land was peaceful at last...

Recent history[]

In the following decades, the humans rebuilt their realm, now known as Saphronia in the honour of the wise mage. With Alexis dead, a new Hetman (normally an elected, but lifetime position) was chosen, now advised by the remaining archmages. The realm's capital, Thalapolis, became a major trading port for the mankind, and many ships from all nations of Koldenwelt now met in this beautiful city, sharing their culture and trade goods. Indeed, some non-humans, such as Klaxxa, had even decided to settle in the Frontier Land, a thing that is barely tolerated by xenophobic humans of the Empire. At the same time, orcs spread through the forests, prospering in the wilds where no human goes: some of them even migrated to the other lands, such as Marmor. The two races had managed to achieve a harmony of some sort, even though mutual mistrust between them persisted.

All of this changed several years ago, when a deadly cataclysm, now called the Scarring, swept through the northern Frontier Lands, taking away Thalapolis and with it, countless human and orc lives, turning soil into crystal and life into death. To this day, nobody knows what caused destruction of such magnitude and power; some claim that the undead from the east were behind it, while others saw conspiracies and deceit from the Empire of Man or even one of the Kelodhros nations. Although both the humans and the orcs have survived and rebuilt their homes in the southern lands, they are still fearful of the dreadly storm that lies on the north, threatening to devour them all...

Geography[]

Scarred

The Scar.

The Frontier Land is rather cold, being located on the north: temperatures can go down to -30 C there, and the locals are used to this, with both human and orc sorcerers tapping the cold to protect their lands. The majority of the Land is forested, with many swamps and lakes; there are no major mountain ridges to speak of. On the east, however, the landscape changes vividly: rot and death is literally in the air there, with green, toxic mist coming from the nearby Serenity Woods.

The most prominent region of the Frontier Land is undoubtedly the Scar, a large patch of crystallised, defiled land on the North that was once the heart of human territory, now turned into a lifeless wasteland by corrupted magic. Access to the Scar is forbidden by the officials of the Empire of Man, and few believe that anything alive has been left in this dark land.

The capital of the Frontier Land was originally Thalapolis, a ruined Sea Giant city now converted by the humans into a mighty fortress and a cosmopolitan port; however, since the Scarring, another city known as Marja rose to prominence and currently houses the Hetman office and the . however, the majority of the Saphronian humans live in multiple villages spread across the Frontier Land's many forests and plains. These humans have to be wary, though, for the forests have inhabitants of their own: wild animals, barbaric orcs, and terrible, terrible creatures that carry on the legacy of the dark god that spawned them...

Races[]

Human

Hail the Man.

  • Classification - Eastern Deiwos
  • Ruler - Hetman

Originally coming to the Frontier Land to claim its vast riches, the humans of the Saphronian Hetmanate are now one of the most prolific and prominent races of the region. Industrious, xenophobic and militant much like their comrades in the Empire of Man, the Saphronians are neverthless much different from their cousins from the Empire of Man, the most notable difference being their attitude towards the Source; unlike the other regions of the Empire where wizards and sorcerers are feared and persecuted, magic is a common sight in Saphronia, and indeed its sorcerous academies and their students are well-known across Koldenwelt (though still looked down by innately magical races such as the Urindale). In fact, the usage of the Source is so common in the Frontier Land that every village has a mage of its own, and even those who cannot use magic often develop some strange, unusual, almost unnatural abilities.

The Saphronians themselves owe their magical affinity to their history, but other humans fear that the real reason is that the Sea Giants' relics' presence somehow changed its inhabitants like it changed orcs. Because of this, as well as the fact that the current Hetman, Savva Blackhand, is rumoured to be connected with the Circle of Archmages, Saphronia houses a large Inquisitor contingent, meant to destroy the magical cabals of the Frontier if necessary, especially after the Scarring. Neverthless, the humans of the Frontier remain a stalwart member of the Empire of Man and its leader, Freya Mistwood, is completely loyal to the Grand King.

Orc

The Woods are alive. And they rage...

One of the most barbaric races of Koldenwent, the brutish Lesha orc tribes are the Saphronian Kingdom's worst enemies. These primal creatures, believed to be the descendants of the ancient sea race that served the Sea Giants, are the undisputed rulers of the wild forests of the Frontier Land, which they revere greatly and are connected to - and will destroy any trespassers who dare to claim them as their own. Possessing brute strength, numbers, and skilled with a particularily crude form of shamanic magic that can be used for both healing and harm, the orcs are not to be underestimated, and many a traveler learned this too late when they met their end from the orc clubs and axes.

However, unlike their namesakes from Marmor (who are believed to be related to them somehow), the Lesha orcs aren't intristically evil, and in times of need, they are known to fight alongside humans against the common foe.

Unseelie

Long live Vargash...

  • Classification - Unknown

It is said that evil can never be truly gone, and the Unseelie are definitely the proof that this statement is true. Probably the most nightmarish creatures in the entire Frontier Land, these remnants of Vargash's dark presence continue to live in the region even after the Lympharians were banished. Both humans and orcs are fearful of these dark ghostly beings, who revel in torment of mortal beings, for while the Unseelie are born of the Colossus of Madness, they possess a will and aspirations of their own, and are far more proactive in their quest for endless horror.

From abducting children for strengthening their armies to stripping entire villages of life, the Unseelie Courts have no qualms against any atrocities as long as they find it useful for their goals or simply fun.

Individuals[]

Gonaion

Here, have an arrow. No, in fact, have two.

Sefarina Brightwing is a human hunter and mage of the wind, whose trusty bow is always at her side. A wanderer and a mage, Sefarina is famous across the Frontier Lands, but to many people, is merely a legend. A tribeswoman, Sefarina is very resourceful and powerful, and is able to survive in extreme conditions.

Quotes[]

It's kinda beautiful if you think about it... save for all these pesky orcs and creepy fairies. I prefer not to leave Gorrinholdt unless necessary.

- Governor Arkas-lan

Far to the north, far to the east, not our business ...

- Suuri seppä

Bloodshed must ensue, once more...

- Vargash

This is certainly not a good place to be. At all.

- Vectrom

Trivia[]

  • None lol
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