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'''The Lawless Frontier''' is a [[Lore]] book introduced in ''[[Forsaken]]'' that contains | '''The Lawless Frontier''' is a [[Lore]] book introduced in ''[[Forsaken]]'' that contains excerpts from "''Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text''", translated by [[C.C. LaGrange]], which explains how each of the [[Scorn]] [[Baron]]s rose to notoriety. Entries are unlocked by completing [[Forsaken]] [[Campaign]] missions. | ||
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==By Thy Tongue Be Damned== | ==By Thy Tongue Be Damned== | ||
A Dreg fell. Left to die. A forgotten pirate set on a path toward salvation. His crew had raided the Moon looking for Ether. They found only death. And then he was alone. | "Even here, the whispers persist. | ||
Faint, but present." | |||
—Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | |||
A [[Dreg]] fell. Left to die. A forgotten pirate set on a path toward salvation. His crew had raided the [[Moon]] looking for [[Ether]]. They found only death. And then he was alone. | |||
Hiraks, the small. Hiraks, the timid, the weak was lost to the depths of the Hellmouth. A solitary scavenger down among the hollows where dead things dwell. How he survived is a story untold, an impossible tale known only to Hiraks himself. | [[Hiraks, the Mindbender|Hiraks]], the small. Hiraks, the timid, the weak was lost to the depths of the [[Hellmouth]]. A solitary scavenger down among the hollows where dead things dwell. How he survived is a story untold, an impossible tale known only to Hiraks himself. | ||
In that secret is his strength. | In that secret is his strength. | ||
For poor, weak, pathetic Hiraks came out of that hell as something other. Still Fallen. Still alone. But changed by all he'd seen and learned—his mind opened, set adrift through the wonders of all the nightmares he had never imagined. | For poor, weak, pathetic Hiraks came out of that hell as something other. Still [[Fallen]]. Still alone. But changed by all he'd seen and learned—his mind opened, set adrift through the wonders of all the nightmares he had never imagined. | ||
Some say he spent his time hidden in the shadows of that cruel land scouring the mysteries of the Worlds' Grave. Others suggest he peered into a hateful shrine and found truth in the unutterable horrors whispered from the abyss. | Some say he spent his time hidden in the shadows of that cruel land scouring the mysteries of the [[The World's Grave|Worlds' Grave]]. Others suggest he peered into a hateful shrine and found truth in the unutterable horrors whispered from the abyss. | ||
Truth is, only Hiraks knows. Truth as simple as it is puzzling: Yes. Yes, he did. Scour the Grave. Hear the whispers. Only then could all that followed transpire. | Truth is, only Hiraks knows. Truth as simple as it is puzzling: Yes. Yes, he did. Scour the Grave. Hear the whispers. Only then could all that followed transpire. | ||
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For Hiraks succeeded where so few have. He crafted his own throne world and began a monstrous quest to expand his knowledge, etching its harshest truths upon his enemies. And his work has progressed unchecked. | For Hiraks succeeded where so few have. He crafted his own throne world and began a monstrous quest to expand his knowledge, etching its harshest truths upon his enemies. And his work has progressed unchecked. | ||
It is his name the children do not speak when sharing tales of the Haunting of Nemesis. It is his blood that | It is his name the children do not speak when sharing tales of the Haunting of Nemesis. It is his blood that [[Paladin]]s and [[Corsair]]s alike wish to spill for the Slaughter at Gaspra. | ||
Hiraks, the Twisted. Hiraks, Ascendant. The mindbender whose tongue is a weapon, whose experiments seek to unravel sanity and reshape imagination that his subjects may become other—tools of his vile bidding. | Hiraks, the Twisted. Hiraks, Ascendant. The mindbender whose tongue is a weapon, whose experiments seek to unravel sanity and reshape imagination that his subjects may become other—tools of his vile bidding. | ||
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What then of so many who are one—a single scourge, responsible for many varied tragedies? | What then of so many who are one—a single scourge, responsible for many varied tragedies? | ||
The Trickster. The liar. Silver-tongued Araskes, the Wit. | The Trickster. The liar. Silver-tongued [[Araskes, the Trickster|Araskes, the Wit]]. | ||
She who bartered with the Spider and nearly cost him his life. She who swindled a dozen bounty hunters that she alone may profit. So many tales of Araskes' sleight of hand and tongue and mind. The enemy who has won battles where no battle was fought. Who has killed more rivals than have ever risen to her challenge. | She who bartered with [[the Spider]] and nearly cost him his life. She who swindled a dozen bounty hunters that she alone may profit. So many tales of Araskes' sleight of hand and tongue and mind. The enemy who has won battles where no battle was fought. Who has killed more rivals than have ever risen to her challenge. | ||
What is known and unknown? None can say. And the sly prankster would have it no other way. | What is known and unknown? None can say. And the sly prankster would have it no other way. | ||
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—Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | —Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | ||
It was Reksis Vahn who saw to the final days of the House of Wolves. With cold hatred, he hunted and slaughtered their Servitors until none remained, and thus a rabid House did fall. | It was [[Reksis Vahn, the Hangman|Reksis Vahn]] who saw to the final days of the [[House of Wolves]]. With cold hatred, he hunted and slaughtered their [[Servitors]] until none remained, and thus a rabid House did fall. | ||
But Reksis Vahn's rage was not sated, as the Wolves alone were not the architects of his fury—all Fallen who clung to the ritual of House politics were his enemy, total and complete. | But Reksis Vahn's rage was not sated, as the Wolves alone were not the architects of his fury—all Fallen who clung to the ritual of House politics were his enemy, total and complete. | ||
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But where others slipped toward insanity, Reksis's mind and intent were clear—the agony of a terrible death was his aim. The target of his wickedness, the very Servitors he had been denied. The very machines that sustained the Fallen. | But where others slipped toward insanity, Reksis's mind and intent were clear—the agony of a terrible death was his aim. The target of his wickedness, the very Servitors he had been denied. The very machines that sustained the Fallen. | ||
He would tear and slice and rend their metal until their hissing deaths rang across the Shore, the | He would tear and slice and rend their metal until their hissing deaths rang across the Shore, the [[Reef]]… the entire system. He would make all who do not stand with the Scorned Barons feel the anguish he once felt, tenfold. | ||
And he would do so gleefully, watching the life drain from their eyes. | And he would do so gleefully, watching the life drain from their eyes. | ||
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—Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | —Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | ||
Pirrha, the Phantom. Pirrha, the Blind. The Fallen Baron with the all-seeing eye and the crack-shot. The Awoken link him to the legend, "The Ghost of Hellrise Canyon," believing it was Pirrha, and Pirrha alone, who haunted the winding depths, picking off intruders and holding off Corsair raiding parties as his fellow Barons planned their violent reign in the maze of caverns near the canyon's heart. | [[Pirrha, the Rifleman|Pirrha, the Phantom]]. Pirrha, the Blind. The Fallen Baron with the all-seeing eye and the crack-shot. The [[Awoken]] link him to the legend, "The Ghost of Hellrise Canyon," believing it was Pirrha, and Pirrha alone, who haunted the winding depths, picking off intruders and holding off Corsair raiding parties as his fellow Barons planned their violent reign in the maze of caverns near the canyon's heart. | ||
He was unseen during the Wolves uprising, but many credit him with the assassination of the Queen's palace guard. None can verify, but each fell to a single shot—clean, precise, fatal. | He was unseen during the Wolves uprising, but many credit him with the assassination of the Queen's palace guard. None can verify, but each fell to a single shot—clean, precise, fatal. | ||
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What he hits, he kills. | What he hits, he kills. | ||
There is evidence of Fallen giving themselves to technology. Becoming other—becoming more—as they marry their physical selves to enslaved mechanics. The mercenary Taniks is one example—more machine than Fallen now, an abomination in the eyes of traditional Fallen belief. The Splicers and their augmentation through | There is evidence of Fallen giving themselves to technology. Becoming other—becoming more—as they marry their physical selves to enslaved mechanics. The mercenary [[Taniks, the Scarred|Taniks]] is one example—more machine than Fallen now, an abomination in the eyes of traditional Fallen belief. The [[Splicers]] and their augmentation through [[SIVA]]—a twisted experiment brought low by the mighty hand of the [[Iron Lord|heroes of Iron]]. Is Pirrha any different? | ||
The Barons and Taniks and the Splicers are each and all individual dangers, driven by their own ambition. They are more likely to wage war with one another than see their commonality. | The Barons and Taniks and the Splicers are each and all individual dangers, driven by their own ambition. They are more likely to wage war with one another than see their commonality. | ||
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They call it a "valley" to be poetic, but in truth, it is simply the chaotic space between massive rocks that scrap and smash into one another in a violent dance. The distances from mass-to-mass ebb and flow without warning—a constant, deadly repositioning of the landscape. That ever-changing hollow is the Valley. Only the mad and desperate would dare run its length. With one exception… | They call it a "valley" to be poetic, but in truth, it is simply the chaotic space between massive rocks that scrap and smash into one another in a violent dance. The distances from mass-to-mass ebb and flow without warning—a constant, deadly repositioning of the landscape. That ever-changing hollow is the Valley. Only the mad and desperate would dare run its length. With one exception… | ||
Yaviks. The Rider. | [[Yaviks, the Rider|Yaviks]]. The Rider. | ||
The reason she made the run changes with the telling. You know she is neither mad nor desperate what with her skills on a Pike and killer determination. But the run itself—it's a legend as awe-inspiring as any Guardian's, save the fact Yaviks is a wicked beast and better off dead. The story goes… | The reason she made the run changes with the telling. You know she is neither mad nor desperate what with her skills on a [[Pike]] and killer determination. But the run itself—it's a legend as awe-inspiring as any Guardian's, save the fact Yaviks is a wicked beast and better off dead. The story goes… | ||
She was running | She was running [[Ether]]… or making off with lost [[Golden Age]] tech. Some say [[Clovis Bray (corporation)|Clovis Bray]] science. Others tell it was drivers from a forgotten [[Warmind]]. Or maybe she'd just dropped a [[Guardian]] and was running full-throttle from a [[Fireteam|fireteam]] set on revenge—a common theme this far out. Or was it pride? Did a [[Captain]] or a [[Kell]] or an [[Archon]] challenge her ability to ride? Did Fikrul? After all, their relationship is… complicated. | ||
None of that matters. Not to me. Each version of the start is as interesting as the next. But the run itself? Her ride through the gnashing jaws of death? | None of that matters. Not to me. Each version of the start is as interesting as the next. But the run itself? Her ride through the gnashing jaws of death? | ||
Most Guardians who have heard it dismiss it. Don't want to give credit to one so infamous—the Scorned Baron with the blood on her hands, the loot in tow and her burners set to top speed—but she deserves it. Don't believe me. Ask Marcus Ren. | Most Guardians who have heard it dismiss it. Don't want to give credit to one so infamous—the Scorned Baron with the blood on her hands, the loot in tow and her burners set to top speed—but she deserves it. Don't believe me. Ask [[Marcus Ren]]. | ||
He wasn't there that day, but he'd heard tell and couldn't believe. So he made the run himself. Four goes. No dice. One resurrection. Four | He wasn't there that day, but he'd heard tell and couldn't believe. So he made the run himself. Four goes. No dice. One resurrection. Four [[Sparrow]]s busted to rubble. | ||
Marcus Ren, the Sparrow Racing League champion and hero to speed junkies and race hounds City-wide, couldn't sprint that Valley. "Too random," he said. "Too chaotic. Can't read the rock one minute to the next. Can't read the angles." | Marcus Ren, the [[Sparrow Racing League]] champion and hero to speed junkies and race hounds [[City]]-wide, couldn't sprint that Valley. "Too random," he said. "Too chaotic. Can't read the rock one minute to the next. Can't read the angles." | ||
But he tried again, and on the fifth go, he scraped through a narrow as the collision hit. He'd made it. The impossible was possible, though he refused to admit Yaviks could've done the same. Not that it mattered. | But he tried again, and on the fifth go, he scraped through a narrow as the collision hit. He'd made it. The impossible was possible, though he refused to admit Yaviks could've done the same. Not that it mattered. | ||
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If you had not heard of the Machinist before, know that others had. While her crimes may not live in infamy in the hearts of City-dwellers, the Reef and its Awoken know all too well her long reign of terror. | If you had not heard of the Machinist before, know that others had. While her crimes may not live in infamy in the hearts of City-dwellers, the Reef and its Awoken know all too well her long reign of terror. | ||
Elykris, the Bandit, they call her. Elykris, the Scourge. The Scorned Machinist—tinker-lord of a Houseless crew. | [[Elykris, the Machinist|Elykris]], the Bandit, they call her. Elykris, the Scourge. The Scorned Machinist—tinker-lord of a Houseless crew. | ||
But should those names be new to your ears, there are others you trust who have felt the pain of her vile campaign. | But should those names be new to your ears, there are others you trust who have felt the pain of her vile campaign. | ||
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Ask your Arach of the Machinist's deeds. Ask him about the Siege of Arran—the hijacked ship, its stolen contents and its Guardian protectors lost or captured at the hands of the scorned. | Ask your Arach of the Machinist's deeds. Ask him about the Siege of Arran—the hijacked ship, its stolen contents and its Guardian protectors lost or captured at the hands of the scorned. | ||
Speak to your Vanguard of the Solis Descent—more Guardians felled, and an armory stripped of its cache. | Speak to your [[Vanguard]] of the Solis Descent—more Guardians felled, and an armory stripped of its cache. | ||
The lowly Dreg who challenged tradition only to be cast aside. The lowly Dreg who found her own strength in a troubling bond with forsaken kin. She grew strong as an outcast—grew mean. Then found her purpose with the guidance of a preacher of sorts and a new, more driven crew. | The lowly Dreg who challenged tradition only to be cast aside. The lowly Dreg who found her own strength in a troubling bond with forsaken kin. She grew strong as an outcast—grew mean. Then found her purpose with the guidance of a preacher of sorts and a new, more driven crew. | ||
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—Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | —Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | ||
Fikrul was an Archon. | [[Fikrul, the Fanatic|Fikrul]] was an Archon. | ||
Then Fikrul took a fall—beaten, docked, and banished for heresies against Eliksni faith. | Then Fikrul took a fall—beaten, docked, and banished for heresies against Eliksni faith. | ||
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Before his banishment—before his clarity of purpose—Fikrul was a celebrated leader of Fallen faith and a savior to those who embraced his teaching. | Before his banishment—before his clarity of purpose—Fikrul was a celebrated leader of Fallen faith and a savior to those who embraced his teaching. | ||
Archons had long been elevated in Fallen society, but their stature grew, and their role shifted following the Whirlwind. As desperation took hold and the last of the Fallen raced across the stars in search of salvation, their dependence on machines evolved into a deep-rooted need—their weapons to fight, their ships to fly, their Servitors to survive. | Archons had long been elevated in Fallen society, but their stature grew, and their role shifted following the [[Whirlwind]]. As desperation took hold and the last of the Fallen raced across the stars in search of salvation, their dependence on machines evolved into a deep-rooted need—their weapons to fight, their ships to fly, their Servitors to survive. | ||
That need became worship. That worship became faith. And the Archons—those who oversaw the care and consecration of the Servitors—were looked upon to provide hope through their words, teachings, and interpretations of the machines' wants, needs… desires. | That need became worship. That worship became faith. And the Archons—those who oversaw the care and consecration of the Servitors—were looked upon to provide hope through their words, teachings, and interpretations of the machines' wants, needs… desires. | ||
But Fikrul saw another path—one that would later be mimicked and twisted by the techno-deviant Splicers in the Plaguelands of Earth while he and his explored their own darker interpretations of faith. | But Fikrul saw another path—one that would later be mimicked and twisted by the techno-deviant Splicers in the [[Plaguelands]] of [[Earth]] while he and his explored their own darker interpretations of faith. | ||
Fikrul is a Fanatic. | Fikrul is a Fanatic. | ||
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There are many tales of the time between Fikrul's fall and his rise again as spiritual leader of the Scorned Barons—his struggle to find strength as a battered Dreg, his journeys across the system to challenge his faith, his joining with the other outcasts who were scorned, and his eventual union with his "father." The only thing that matters, however, when confronting the dangers of Fikrul is this: He is a creature of faith. | There are many tales of the time between Fikrul's fall and his rise again as spiritual leader of the Scorned Barons—his struggle to find strength as a battered Dreg, his journeys across the system to challenge his faith, his joining with the other outcasts who were scorned, and his eventual union with his "father." The only thing that matters, however, when confronting the dangers of Fikrul is this: He is a creature of faith. | ||
His faith is the antithesis of all who stand in the Light. That faith has raised an army. That army will baptize all who challenge its purpose in an unending sea of death. They will never stop. They will never give in. Because they know they are right. | His faith is the antithesis of all who stand in the [[Light]]. That faith has raised an army. That army will baptize all who challenge its purpose in an unending sea of death. They will never stop. They will never give in. Because they know they are right. | ||
And everything you stand for is wrong. | And everything you stand for is wrong. | ||
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The questions no one asks… | The questions no one asks… | ||
Was the Bomber always mad? Or was he driven to it? Was the madness a gift—or a curse? | Was the [[Kaniks, the Mad Bomber|Bomber]] always mad? Or was he driven to it? Was the madness a gift—or a curse? | ||
Did the struggle for survival outside the structure and ritual of the House system crack his mind? The things he'd seen? Done? The Shore asks much of those who call it home. Most simply find their end through the harsh will of these harsh lands or by the hand of the hardened agents who stalk its fractured expanse—bandits, cutthroats, cannibals, Awoken patrols, Guardian "heroes." | Did the struggle for survival outside the structure and ritual of the House system crack his mind? The things he'd seen? Done? The Shore asks much of those who call it home. Most simply find their end through the harsh will of these harsh lands or by the hand of the hardened agents who stalk its fractured expanse—bandits, cutthroats, cannibals, Awoken patrols, Guardian "heroes." | ||
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These points—an examination on the birth of madness—I raise to address a lingering concern. | These points—an examination on the birth of madness—I raise to address a lingering concern. | ||
Seek the Awoken libraries. Speak to | Seek the Awoken libraries. Speak to [[Cryptarch]]s with knowledge of the Reef… the Shore. Scour the records of the Bomber's deeds. Feel the pain of those who suffered the fire of his devastation. Remember the Fields. Weep at the unimaginable loss when the Libraries fell. | ||
Allow yourself the comfort of knowing the sinister creature is now dead and gone by Guardian hand. But linger on victory's pride for only a short while, because the truth I seek to tell has yet to be revealed, and it is this… | Allow yourself the comfort of knowing the sinister creature is now dead and gone by Guardian hand. But linger on victory's pride for only a short while, because the truth I seek to tell has yet to be revealed, and it is this… | ||
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—Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | —Excerpt from C.C. LaGrange's translations of "Writings and Observations from the Tangled Shore: A Fallen Text" | ||
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[[Category:Lore]] | [[Category:Lore]] | ||