MotF 127: This Too Shall Pass

Krall · Nov 1, 2015

This Too Shall Pass

The Challenge
Make a map showing a region during two different periods - one a golden age of progress and power, the other a dark age of regression and chaos.

The Restrictions
There are no restrictions on when your PoD or map may be set. Fantasy, sci-fi, and future maps are allowed, but blatantly implausible (ASB) maps are not.

The order of the two periods - the golden age and the dark age - is up to you; either may come first, and they can be as far apart as you want.

You may make several maps showing the region at different points in history, or attempt to show the different periods in one map.

If you're not sure whether your idea meets the criteria of this challenge, please feel free to PM me.

Please try to keep images posted in this thread a reasonable size - feel free to post a smaller version of your image and provide link to a full-size version if you want to.

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The entry period for this round shall end when the voting thread is posted on Sunday the 15th of November.

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THIS THREAD IS FOR ENTRIES ONLY.

Any discussion must take place in the main thread. If you post anything other than a map entry (or a description accompanying a map entry) in this thread then you will be asked to delete the post. If you refuse to delete the post, post something that is clearly disruptive or malicious, or post spam then you may be disqualified from entering in this round of MotF and you may be reported to the board's moderators.

Remember to vote on the previous round of MotF!

Upvoteanthology · Nov 12, 2015

The writeup is in the map!

Full version right here!

water123 · Nov 12, 2015

Well, I'll just let this speak for itself

EDIT: Changed some rather outrageous population statistics that I didnt notice until I looked over for the fifth time.

Minnesota_Nationalist · Nov 12, 2015

The Empire of Fiji has it's starts in 900 AD when Polynesians first arrived to the island, but it's true rise started in the 1200's when the East Asian States start trading East to the Americas. The Pacific states were able to secure the trade routes and sapped off the trade. The original major powers by 1300 were Hawaii, the Majel State, Kimbe, Samoa, and of course Fiji. But as the trade routes shifts, states grew and shrunk. By 1350, the two great powers of the region were the Majel and Fiji, with Tupuai, Kiriwini, Palau, and Kirimiti as secondaries, but by 1400, it was undeniable that Fiji was the great power of the Pacific and by 1600 had near absolute control of the Pacific.

This was Fiji at their height. Any foreign ship that tried to cross Fijian waters would either be taxed or attacked: an absolute monopoly on Pacific trade. On top of this, they also sported the largest fleet in the world (granted, it was mostly the equivalent of galleys), and their merchants even sometimes went as far as the Swahili Coast to the Incan Coast. They were everywhere.

But when the European entered the scene, they weren't very happy with having to be taxed by heathens and uncivilized men, and so in 1617 Spain started the first Pacific War. While Fiji had the larger fleet in pure numbers, Spain had the more advanced navy. In the battle of the Arino Islands, 5 Spanish ships sunk an estimated 35 Fijian ships while losing only one of their own. In the peace treaty, Spain gained Palau and the North-western Cook Islands, and Fiji had to let Spanish Ships freely cross the Pacific. One by one, other nations came to pick on Fiji: Netherlands, Britain and France all forced Fiji to end their embargoes on them, and as this went on, they either scraped off the Fijian Empire or crumbled on its own, with Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Kimbe-Kiriwini, Mariana, and it's old nemesis of the Majel.

But this wasn't quite the end of the Fijian Empire, for 3 very important factors all came to play that allowed Fiji to rise again, for however brief.
1: Between 1768-1779, the Fijian Emperor made wide and large reforms that included the Fijian navy from terrible to about on par with the Europeans and tax reforms
2: A National enthusiasm to aid their dying nation, which included sailors who were willing to be paid essentially a bare minimum wage.
3: Europe was at war with itself

And so, in 1799, Fiji launched a massive invasion of surrounding European possessions. Sometimes, they were just given to them or were unprotected because of how unimportant they were. This was the Fijian Renaissance, a 20 year period that saw wealth and trade return to the island of Fiji.

Sadly, this was not to last, as when the great European Wars ended, so did the Fijian Renaissance, and in 1818, Britain returned to reclaim her possessions, as did France and the Netherlands (Spain was a bit occupied with her colonies). The last of the Pacific wars raged, with dozens of ships sinking on each side, islands captured and recaptured, entire islands burned. Finally, in 1825, Fiji was forced to surrender, and was forced to go down to her former islands and then some. For years after, Fiji was just a puppet tossed around and played with by the great powers, every once and a while a slice would be taken at the expense of the one once great Fijian Empire.

Njordr · Nov 13, 2015

Profuse apologies if it's too large.
From the description:
"Following the collapse of the Second League of Lezhë in 1500 AA (corresponding to roughly 3400 AD) at the hands of the Great Slavic Empire, The various minor Shqipërë states would remain in a set of minor city-states and remnants of the old concept of "Albania". This changed in 1849/3749, when the city-states of Vlorë and Tepelenë united into the United Kingdom of Albania. This state would then slowly expand to fill in all of Old Albania, and by 1900/3800 Corfu would be annexed.

35 years later, The UKA was destroyed by the Great Slavic Empire, and severely reduced. Although the old capital of Vlorë still lies within her territory, all lands of historical significance to the UKA have been lost.

Steampunk/Dieselpunk/Nondescript apocalypse is a wonderful thing. "

Showing the various Shqipërë states at the time, colored by date of annexation into the UKA, with a green border outlining the result of Great Slavic intervention into Albanian matters.

Sythesol · Nov 13, 2015

The Carpathian Republic

The Second European War had no winners, and one very clear loser; the Carpathian Republic. Founded as a successor to the Kingdom of Hungary, the Republic sought to be a beacon of democracy among the dark empires of Europe. It consisted of three states; Hungary, Croatia, and Transylvania, each with equal power in the Senate, in Budapest. When tensions in Europe began to rise, the CR, along with its ally Ruthenia, declared they would remain neutral in any upcoming conflict, but neither side listened. Ruthenia was swiftly annexed by Russia, and Carpathia became a battleground for the European powers. When the long stalemate ended with peace, Carpathia was in turmoil. The great powers had divided Carpathia into puppet states, but now they had no use for them, and left them to tear themselves apart. Hungary is facing Bohemian and Russian invasions, and imperialist forces have surrounded the capital. Croatia is under siege by the Slavic Kingdom, and Italy looks to take its share. Transylvania is fighting against the Rumanian Federation and Hungarian citizens who wish to rejoin their homeland. The beacon of democracy in Central Europe is gone, and will not be re-lit.

Thanks to Ashtagon for helping me find a great basemap!

shiftygiant · Nov 13, 2015

~The United Commonwealth of Poland~

Map of the UCP at its height (1927-1960) superimposed on modern borders. Modern Poland is in Red.

The United Commonwealth of Poland, also known as the Second Commonwealth, or simply Poland, refers to the nation that existed between the Wars of Polish Reunification and the Second Partition (1924-1967). Founded in the initial aftermath of the First World War under the Wilson Agreement in 1918, following a series of intense regional conflicts, the planned borders far outgrew the original plan of the Polish Committee, expanding from Gdynia to Ryga to Odessa, the final borders decided following the Polish-Soviet War in 1927. Surrounded by Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria (Until 1940), Rumania, The Soviet Union, The Kingdom of Königsberg (From 1942), and the Baltic Union (Until 1938), Poland saw a turbulent relationship with her neighbors, switching between alliances and antagonism, often alienating the state from the rest of Eastern Europe; from the end of the Polish-Soviet War to the Second Polish-Soviet War (1960), the UCP controlled a corridor of land that connected the state to the Black Sea. Despite ethnic tensions from it's diverse Ethno-Linguistic makeup, and pressures internal and external, the UCP was able to remain a dominant regional power for most her existence, often refereed to as the 'Second Golden Age' due to it's relative political and economic stability and technological progress. This would end with the Second Polish-Soviet War, which cut Poland from the Black Sea and crippled her accompany, and saw a fragmentation of Commonwealth society, accumulating in the Second Partition in 1967 by the League of Nations.

The UCP has been often refereed to as Switzerland of Eastern Europe- this grew from it's twenty-nine year long period of Armed Neutrality (1930-1959)*, as well as long lasting President Milo Jakubowicz's (1880-1956) emphasis on Banking, Trade, Social Democracy, and Public Works, hoping to make Poland the most modern state in Europe. Whilst it is generally agreed that this was, in a sense, accomplished, this came with disenfranchisement of Ukrainian, Byelorussian, and Russian minorities, as well as the controversial Language Laws, both often cited as the reason for the Commonwealths failure. The UCP was succeeded by the Third Polish Republic, with it's Eastern Frontier carved up between the Soviet Union and Königsberg. Today, the legacy of the UCP is physically visible, with it's roads and cities held as marvels of 20th Century Engineering, and a strong Polish Language Presence.

Since 1967, Poland has been in a state of constant Political flux, with the rise of the Far Right organisation Narodowe Odrodzenie (National Revival) through 70's and 80's, leading mass violence against ethnic minorities and homosexuals, as well as rioting against Liberal legislation, NO seeing ethnic diversity, the acceptance of Homosexual lifestyles, and general Liberalism as the causes for Poland's second partition. NO would gain ground in the Polish Elections, with their leader Alex Gmurczyk ascending to high office briefly in the Summer Election of 1988 after running an vigorous Anti-Communist, however would be removed by the Polish Army following his attempt to pass anti-Minority legislation. The Army, led by Wojciech Jaruzelski, took control of the nation, instituting Martial Law and banning Political Parties; this would result in the Polish Civil War, which saw the Army, NO, and Communists fight for domination. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1995, Germany and Czechoslovakia would lead a League of Nations intervention into Poland, annexing western regions in the process. With the League of Nations taking control of the nation, Poland was transitioned back into Democracy, however still suffers from Strong Man politics, high levels of Corruption, and rampant violence against minorities and homosexuals. Since 2006, Poland has been part of the Commonwealth League, however due to antagonism to Königsberg and Ukraine, has seen its membership threatened.

The UCP was a founding member of the ECC, with the Third Republic a having been a member of the ECC's successor, the European Community, since 1999.

*Also referred to as the Golden Age, it is worth noting that Poland did fight armed conflict during this period, namely in the Anglo/Franco-German War (1938-1943), however was itself third party to the events.

Zek Sora · Nov 13, 2015

Two Halves of a Sandwich

The Paulet Affair ends a little (or a lot) differently in this world, leading to a Hawaii that is split between a British protectorate Kingdom of Hawaii that is effectively ruled by the resident British Consul and an American Territory of Hawaii. The British created a protectorate over the Kingdom of Hawai'i in 1843, after the conclusion of the Paulet Affair. However, the Americans were angered by the perceived violations of their interests in the new Hawai'ian Protectorate, and by the constant violation of American merchant rights. Since the Americans and British could not agree on either power holding the entirety of the islands, it was finally negotiated that the islands would be split between the two.

The first map shows the Kingdom of Hawai'i as it was immediately pre-Affair, under the rule of King Kamehameha III.

The second map shows the situation in the former Kingdom of Hawai'i (post-Partition) in the Year of our Lord 1903. The two colonies have developed their own unique cultural identities over time, including significant White settlement in some areas, but their economic systems are mostly the same, revolving around a plantation system in which most natives are brutally exploited to grow massive amounts of sugar and other tropical goods. There is significant nationalist sentiment on the islands, and there have been multiple uprisings in the past in both colonies.

The inset shows the city of Kahului, source of the name for the treaty which divided the islands. It was determined in the Treaty of Kahului in 1853 (between the British and U.S. governments) that the city of Kahului would be split between the two powers, to serve as a place for further negotiations to occur if a crisis or any other issue arose.

Tardis218 · Nov 14, 2015

The Great War (1914-1919) left a lasting impact on the world. Empires had fell, territories exchanged, and hell spread throughout Europe. One example is in the Rhineland, previously the industrial heartland of Germany fell in chaos during the The Great War. After the Allied breakthrough in 1918, they soon fell into the hole of trench warfare once again, only this time in the Rhineland. The Allies and Germany alike sent planes to bomb each others trenches, the coal mines were destroyed, villages looted, and finally the Allies manage to push forward and win the war in 1919. During the Peace Conferences the Rhineland managed to gain independence after the French delegation managed to convince the other delegations. The economy of the Rhineland was horrid, and several months after independence loans were taken from the Americans. There was worse on the horizon. Communist rebels in 1919 rose up, after inspired by the events in Berlin and Russia, they largely rose up in the industrial cities, officially establishing control in the factories. The army of the Rhineland responded with patrolling the nation, but gorilla fighters attacked the forces, killing many. A few months later the Freikorps came into the nation, attacking the communists. The Rhineland government had no say on them coming in, and several incidents of attacks between the army and the Freikorps occurred, making them hostile to each other. With the army it terrible condition, and enemies all around them the Rhineland government called upon the Allies to send their own forces, they have responded with meetings in Paris, London, and Brussels, and finally, with men.

(I forgot to include- the grey triangles represent coal fields)
(And the dashes that are going everywhere are train tracks)

Tardis218 · Nov 15, 2015

The Rhineland in it's golden age, when it was a province of the Kaiserreich.