Northern Province

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Northern Province (北部行省)
Affiliation	Tulip Kingdom 5
Occupation/Role	Northern frontier province established for pioneering and development 5
Status	Active
Administrative Center	Loren City 15
First Appearance	Chapter 5 5

Background

The Northern Province was established by the Tulip Kingdom in the Northern Wilderness region and was its newest province, having existed for only just over twenty years when Thor Dreyrosa first studied it. Its wilderness, monsters, and undeveloped land created the need for Pioneer Knights. 5

The Kingdom offered Pioneer Knights a route into the nobility: a knight who developed and could defend a town of at least 5,000 people could be enfeoffed as a Kingdom Baron. Despite attracting countless knights over two decades, only fifty-six Barons had ever been enfeoffed; only about thirty-six were believed to remain alive. 5

The province’s unusually high failure rate stems from its combination of wilderness threats, Orc tribes, Magical Beasts, and conflict among lords. Mutual annexation is common enough that a significant number of Pioneer Lords and nobles are believed to have fallen to one another rather than solely to external dangers. 33 37 52

Geography and Settlements

• Northern location — The province lies north of the Frost Moon Province. Crossing the Frost Moon Province from Dreyrosa Castle to reach it takes roughly a month. 11
• Loren City — The provincial administrative center and one of the few places showing visible civilization. It houses registration facilities for Pioneer Knights, but is described as dirty, chaotic, and oppressive. 15
• Maine River Valley — A fertile region in the northernmost part of the province whose climate is moderated by the Maine River. It contains rich resource sites but is exposed to cold spreading from the nearby Northern Glacier. 19 23 101
• Northern Glacier — Located north of the Maine River Valley; its Southern Great Canyon appears in intelligence reports as a site near the province’s northern reaches. 77 97
• Northern defense line — A fortified northern border zone defended by Knight Orders, magic circles, and Magic Crystal Cannons against major Orc incursions. 101

Governance and Pioneer System

The Northern Province lacks the degree of kingdom-law protection found in older provinces. Local lords act as the effective absolute rulers of their territories, producing widespread exploitation, disorder, and severe conditions even for free people in Loren City. 15

Marquis Lehman holds the province as his fief and bears responsibility for its northern defense, but he is portrayed as unwilling to manage its internal affairs closely. This weak oversight leaves a power vacuum in which strength determines outcomes. 61 97

• Barons may report military accomplishments to Marquis Lehman for verification and Merit Point awards. 94
• Each Baron has one annual opportunity to meet Marquis Lehman. 97
• Merit Points can support advancement in noble rank and may offset atonement fees imposed for abandoning a territory. 95 141
• Pioneer Lords compete for land and resources, though large threats can force temporary cooperation. 92 132

Resources and Economy

The province contains substantial undeveloped wealth, including Magical Beasts, Orc-held resources, iron and copper mines, Magical Plants, and ancient-civilization ruins that remain comparatively unexplored. 23 45 172

• Iron and Mithril Iron — Large iron deposits can include Mithril Iron, a material needed for Silver Armor. Such discoveries are valuable enough to invite attacks from rival lords. 33
• Nao — An oyster-like local product rich in Life Source Power; it can be combined with Life Grass to produce Low-Grade Life Potions and is among the province’s most contested resources. 103 115
• Weapons and armor — Demand rises sharply during unrest. During the Orc crisis, even low-grade Silver Armor reached roughly 500 gold coins. 103
• Population — Labor is essential to develop the wilderness, making population growth a strategic concern. Marquis Lehman tightly controls the slave trade despite the province’s need for both people and weapons. 226
• Trade routes — The Eagle Merchant Guild expanded through much of the western region and later became a major force in provincial trade. 225 316

Major Conflicts and Developments

Minotaur Incursion

A Minotaur tribe crossed the northern defense line and began moving toward the Maine River Valley. Its destruction of Sunset Territory and three Pioneer Lords’ territories caused panic among local lords. 76 77

In response, six lords formed the Maine Alliance, an unprecedented regional union in an area where Pioneer Lords normally regarded one another as competitors. The alliance defeated the Minotaur threat, claimed territory, and prepared a battle report for provincial recognition. 92 94

Orc Crisis

Large-scale Orc incursions later plunged much of the province into chaos. Knight Order defense lines were breached, Pioneer Territories were destroyed, and many Pioneer Lords fled rather than face Tier 2 Orc tribes. 94

The Maine Alliance conducted a three-month mop-up operation in the northern part of the province, clearing Orcs and Magical Beasts while recovering supplies, gold, and a medium-sized iron mine from ruined territories. 101 105

The crisis escalated beyond ordinary incursions: Fourth-Tier Orc tribes forced human Sky Knights to confront multiple powerful opponents at once, while the Earth Dragon Knight Order and Flying Eagle Knight Order struggled to hold the line. 105

After roughly five months, major clearing operations reduced the number and strength of Orc tribes inside the province, though infiltrations and attacks did not disappear entirely. 119

Vacant Territory and New Pioneers

The Orc unrest and Divine Revelation left many developed territories vacant after their lords fled or were destroyed. These openings renewed interest in the province, even though most desirable land had previously been claimed. 173 201

As the Tulip Kingdom expanded northward and Orc forces retreated, powerful noble descendants, merchant guilds, and Pioneer Lords increasingly entered the Northern Province to compete for its remaining resources. 200 206 316

Northern Alliance War

Moravi Spencer organized the Northern Alliance, bringing together twenty-seven Pioneer Lords and forty-two Earth Knights. Its stated purpose was to control resource points and oppose competing noble heirs, but it chose to attack the Eagle Merchant Guild first. 211 212

The alliance’s defeat established the Eagle Merchant Guild as the dominant force in the region. Thor spared several non-participating alliance members, judging them useful for the province’s continued development and for attracting future Pioneer Lords. 219

Later State

Eagle City grew into the commercial and trade center of the Northern Province, with a population exceeding 200,000 and the Eagle Merchant Guild controlling a significant share of grain trade in the Northern Territory. 377

By this period, accounts describe Thor Dreyrosa as controlling the entire Northern Province, while the Eagle Merchant Guild’s influence had spread beyond it into multiple kingdoms of the Northern Territory. 376

Trivia

• The Northern Province’s first twenty years produced only fifty-six enfeoffed Barons, compared with an estimated thousand Barons in the Frost Moon Province alone. 5
• Loren City’s bleak living conditions contrast sharply with Eagle Territory, which visiting inspectors and Dreyrosa family members found unusually developed for a Northern Province holding. 15 95 231
• The province’s danger also makes it unusually rewarding for Thor’s Daily Intelligence System, which began providing far more valuable opportunities immediately after he entered it. 11