The Frontier

> *Inspirations: Frontier Adventure, Adventure Zone: Dust, Something Wicked This Way Rides, Attack on Titan*
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## The History of the Frontier

The Frontier has a much more recent history than the Towers.

## Geology & Geography

The wilderness of Racedis stretches in all directions surrounding the Towers. It has two distinct bands. The Frontier is the innermost band; the undeveloped, sparsely settled territories of the wilderness that some brave souls have ventured to call home. Beyond the Frontier lies the Dire Band - unsettled, untouched, unseen by mortal eyes. Stories abound of dire beasts and geologies unknown to the civilized world. There have been countless expeditions into the Dire Band, and while they have yet to discover a limit, the Frontier continues its marching expansion outward as expeditioneers return with promises of new resources and unsettled territories.

The primary geographical distinction in the Frontier is a "Territory" - a section of the land that usually stretches for miles, defined by a biome or geological feature or simply the scope of those who discovered it. Much like the Districts of the Towers, they are arranged without forethought or planning. They fall where they may, as the challenges of exploration and settlement guide pioneers in their pilgrimage.

The lands of the wilderness are vast and varied. Every conceivable biome can be found in some unexplored place.

## Frontierfolk

Some leave the towers seeking a life with more freedom. Some hope to strike it rich in a gem mine or longhunt and find their fortune. Some just want some peace and quiet. All manner of folk may "come down" from the Towers and try to settle in one of the small settlements nearby, or to claim some of the vast stretches of land at the threshold of civilization.

### Duskin

Vampires, lycan, and ghosts are chief among the peoples collectively known as Duskin. It's said that nearly 20% of Frontierfolk are Duskin, seeking opportunity, peace, or simply more fertile hunting grounds. Of all Frontier Duskin, less than 10% live in openly-Duskin communities. For many, it keeps life simpler and quieter to conceal their Duskin demographics. The Duskin communities that do live openly may grow large over time, collecting more refugees of the Towers or absorbing smaller communities, until they are self-sufficient and even vie for power by \_\_\_. These large communities are called Estates, and they are very exclusive; usually one must belong to the same Dynasty to find a home there.

## Rustlers

> *Rootin' tootin' toil n' shootin'*
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> *Fire burn and cowboy bootin'*
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> *Eye of newt and spicy beans*
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> *Toe of frog and denim jeans,*
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> *Whiskey, grits, n' demon spittle*
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> *tossed into my iron griddle*
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> *With the tannin' of our hides,*
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> ***Somethin' wicked this way rides***
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Rustlers are a mysterious and misunderstood fixture of the Frontier - and many of them like it just so. Cowboy Witches. Potioncrafters and wandslingers of every gender, living off the land and its lifemagic, bonded closely to a steed. Some favor the leather wide-brim, some a patched and pointed affair. Chaps and a vest or black robes. At the end of the day, practicality reigns. Whatever fits the the territory.

Rustlers are adept with lifemagic, the magic of living things. They craft potions and spells to move and manipulate that lifemagic, always using ingredients and artifacts of life - wood, bones, organic matter. By this virtue, their magic is less flashy than arcane magic, but is cleaner and less disturbing of the natural order. While many Frontierfolk use wands as tools for survival and protection in the wild lands outside the Towers, rustlers show true mastery of wands. Their steeds are partners in survival, and a rustler and their steed will roam a territory for long stretches without encountering civilization. Any creature big enough to ride may make a fine steed, and the dire beasts of the Dire Band offer a range of options that might otherwise be too small: hawks, ostriches, horses, buffalo, basilisk, great horned sheep, giant toads, giant bats, giant squirrels, boars, narwals, etc.

#### Wands

Wands are some of the most traditional artifice in the realm. They are the most simple union of material and magic, consisting simply of a slip of wood (or, in rare cases, another organic material) imbued with some of the wild powers of the lands, and season-storms that pass through them. They are created in the frontier because of the magical interference in the Towers, and the craft of wandsmithing is a prestigious role in such territories. Wands are much less popular in the Towers because of local laws banning or limiting their use, and there's less chance of explosion if you harness a pure prairie thunderstorm or crashing rapids, without all the latent city magic. For all the generational tradesmanship that helps make wands useful tools, they are still subject to going haywire in the hands of the unpracticed.

While wands are generally regarded as tools of the frontier, there are some wandsmiths that will craft dueling pieces or other specialized wands for official use; some organizations in the Towers regard a wand as an indispensable accessory marking their affiliations and rank. [Potions?]