1492 : Christopher Columbus encounters a strange white mist and attempts to sail through it. As he reaches the other side, a sea monster rears it's head out of the water and attacks the Santa Maria. The other two ships flee, and soon sight land. They coast along the islands coast, occasionally sighting strange giant 'birds' in the sky. They then come across a huge city, with massive stone walls and towers. Columbus contacts the local leader, and requests repairs. The leader agrees, and Columbus learns that this city was actually built within walls that were already there, and that the monsters are sometimes found on the mainland, and sometimes not. Columbus, confused but inspired stays in the city for the rest of the year.

1493 : The Pinta, coated with an armour of gold, arrives in Palos, Spain. The local monarchs are awed by the gold, and fascinated by the stories of giant cities and sea monsters. Other expeditions are sent out. Word spreads around Europe that the Spanish have discovered a gold-rich, mysterious land to the East and explorers from around Europe begin to move West.

1494-1500: Increased movement west. A Portuguese ship encounters the white mist and sails through. It like the Santa Maria is attacked, and only just manages to get back to Portugal. The Portuguese give up on going west and instead concentrate on Easterly routes. The English reach the New World, and begin to colonise it. The Spanish encounter the Aztecs, but decide to concentrate on the 'Mysterious region' near San Salvador. European diseases ravage the New World, but the Native Empires are soon recovering.

1501-1510 Spanish begin to heavily colonise the West Indies region, and more expeditions are sent through the white mist. Soon, the obvious become apparent - the islands inside the white mist are geographically the same as the islands of the West Indies, albeit less people and more monsters. An obscure merchant named Amerigo Vespucci comes up with a great deduction, if there are geographical replicas of the West Indies within the white mist, why not a geographical replica of Spain, indeed the rest of the world? King Ferdinand, fascinated by this theory, orders an expedition be sent in 1509, accompanied by a fleet of warships. Pope Alexander VI takes sick and almost dies on August 18, 1503, but manages to pull through. The English found cities in North America. King Emanuel of Portugal fears that the Spanish mght be beating him in the race to find a useful sea route to Asia and is also having doubts about his faith. He reads about a canal built by the Pharoah Ramses II in Egypt connecting the Medditerranian and the Red Sea. He illegitimately contacts the Burji sultans in Egypt...

1511: The expedition through the white mist to the 'other' Spain returns. Despite the loss of a few boats, it is a success. It confirms that there is a geographically identical Spain through the white mist, but the animal and plant life is wildly different. There are no human human beings beyond the initial Native city on the island now known as 'La Isla Monstruo Grande'. Amerigo Vespucci is knighted. However the royals can not think of any reason to cxplore the Other World. However, Amerigo comes up with another brilliant deduction, if there are no humans in the Other World, and never has been, then all the gold, silver and other mines that were worked out in Spain and all around Europe, all the gold MUST STILL BE THERE! And even if the Spanish mined right in the middle of England, the English can't do anything, because they aren't there! This really excites the royals, imagine, the entire gold supply of planet Earth up for grabs, and only the Spanish know it's there! King Ferdinand is ecstatic. But, Christopher Columbus, the newly appointed Grand Exploration Advisor, isn't as excited. He reminds them of the monster population in the Other World and the difficulty of guarding the white mist from invasion. Amerigo argues that the monsters can still be killed, and allies in and around the white mist area. The Monstruo Grande Natives, the Huacans (Who seem to, strangely, be immune to all European diseases) are already trading guns for gold, and the recovering Aztec Empire might be a good ally against future attack. King Ferdinand agrees, and Columbus begins to lose favour in the Spanish court.

1512: King Ferdinand sends an ambassador, Diego Velazquez, and his assistant Hernando Cortez, to the Azrec Empire to negotiate an alliance. The Aztec ruler, Montezuma II, is all too eager to agree. The Spanish begin to supply horses, guns and other equipment to the Aztecs, and the Aztecs send gold and help the Spanish in the 'Ring of Defense' around San Salvador and the white mist. In a shock announcement, Pope Alexander VI announces that the Spanish and Portuguese are treading 'into the lands of heretics and the devil, where no good Catholic should go. This seems to be the meteorite that blasts the camel in two (mixed metaphor?). There are cries for religious reform and the Spanish and Portugeuse become alienated from the Pope. The Spanish Inquisition is put on hold, and King Emanuel of Portugal becomes more and more interested in Islam.

1513: Ferdinand Magellan presents King Emanuel with a plan of sending ships west, to get to the Molluccas by rounding the tip of South America. King Emanuel isn't interested, but confides in Magellan a plan to build a canal connecting the Meditterranian with the Red Sea, thus making trade with the Far East much quicker. His reasoning is that if the ancient Egyptians could do it, why not the modern Portuguese? Magellan wonders how he's going to get a Muslim country to cooperate with a Christian nation. King Emanuel states that it may not be Christian country much longer, with increased unrest over Pope Alexander VI's accusation of heresy, and startling increases of Judaism, paganism and even Wicca. More and more people are looking for a new religon, one more open to change. That could be Islam. Magellan realises what Emanuel plans to do, and decides to help him.

1514: With exotic spices pouring into the country, the Portuguese begins a reform of their country. King Emanuel converts to Islam and a great many of the population do as well. Initial fears of religious persecution fade as King Emanuel promises to havc 'no more Inquisitions' and makes it illegal to persecute someone because of their religion. This also lays to rest any jitters that the surrounding Christian nations have about an Islamic Portugal. Portugal becomes a place of great cultural interrelations. He also announces the beginning of the construction of the great Suez canal, his greatest accomplishment, to make trade easiers with the Far East. Trade relations are set up with China and Persia.

In Mexico, the Aztecs are rapidly subjugating tribes and enemies in the surrounding areas. This expansion has brought them into conflict with the Incan Empire of the Andes, who have also bought guns from the Spanish. The Spanish are colonising the east coast of South America. The French, hearing of Spanish and English success in the New World, send colonists to Verazzano Bay (OTL's New York Bay) and found the city of New Orleans, cooperating with local tribes to build a large port-town.

1515: The Pope Alexander's famous Heracy speech showed to the world that the Pope had truly gone insane. He claimed that all monarchy was evil, and that the nations of the world should be under the Pope's control. He insisted that all exploratory and trade routes to the New World and Asia be cut, and that Europe keep to itself. He then claimed that all Muslims, Jews, Wiccans, and pagans be stoned and the Catholic Churchs rule be enforced. Following the speech, the Pope is removed from his post. During the religious turmoil that followed, Non-Catholic Christian faiths such as Lollardism, Hussitism and Waldensianism become popular. Orthodoxy, Islam, Wicca, Judaism, paganism, even imports of the Aztec religon become wide-spread. This entire period is known as the Catholic Collapse.

In Egypt, hundreds of workers began to dig. Gunpowder was used as an explosive to get through rock and sand.

Leonardo Da Vinci's sketches and theories are published in Spain, Portugal, and other countries. Although attracting the wrath of the Catholic Church, they can do nothing in these religiously divided times. Da Vincis work became the first hydrometers, the first ornithopters and the first aquanauts, among other things. His theories became the leaders in meteorology, geology and anatomy.

1516: Henry VII of England dies on April 5th. Henry VIII becomes king. His first order of business, the formation of the Church of England, and the persecution of Lollards, Jews, pagans and other non-Catholics. In this year Catherine of Aragon bears him a son, Henry IX.

1517: The Great Canal of Suez is completed. The new Egypto-Portugeuse rulers in the area begin to tax tax any ship coming through. The Ottoman Empire begins to resent lose of trade in their regions.

In Mexico, a group of rebels has stolen a Spanish galleon and sailed east. Using a map on board, they sail to England and arrange an alliance. Henry VIII is dismayed that the Spanish are gaining so much power in the region. He conspires with the rebels to weaken the Hispano-Aztec leaders in the area. He sends out several expeditions to find suitable colonisation areas.

1518: Due to increasing pressure from the quickly growing persentage of Muslim, Wiccan, etc English citizens, King Henry VIII instates the Tolerance Act. This is a wise move, and England just (and I mean just) manages to coast through the social revolution that is engulfing Europe.

After the discovery of New Orleans by an exploratory craft, he even signs the Treaty of Calais, in which the English and French agree to help each other to colonise the New World. England also returns Calais to the French. These events truly begin what later historians call "England's Enlightenment".

Pope Alexander dies on April 19. In this month the new Pope is elected, Leo X.

1519: Problems are arising in the Holy Roman Empire. Continued government perescution of Muslims, pagans, etc has caused social divides to open up. Several German princes have adopted English tolerance practices and many people are flocking to them. Others, such as the outspoken Catholic lawyer Martin Luther, propose the hard-line solution, public executions of the "heretics" including the Protestant Christian groups now starting up. Some minor riots occur.

The Spanish colonies in the Other World are meeting a varying amount of success. The mining posts in the Other Mexico and Spain have discovered a huge amount of new spices, fruits and plants, as well as rich metal deposits. However, attacks from monsters are frequent, and an extremely intelligent group of mini-dragons hunt near the Other Spain colony, and have been responsible for 3 deaths.

1520: Ships from the Other Mexico colony stop arriving. An emergency fleet is sent out to check on the colony. They find everyone dead, and a terrible warning written onto a wall : 'Escape while you still can'. They sail back to Spanish controlled lands, and inadvertantly release a killer onto the world. Two weeks later, it becomes clear something is wrong. People in Europe and America seem to be dying from a mysterious disease, similar to the Black Death. But this is only the start...

In Mexico, the Aztec ruler is killed in an explosion in his palace. This event comes to be known as the Gunpowder Plot. The mastermind, his nephew and leader of the rebellion Guatemotzin, is revealed to be the perpertrator and is executed upon the Temple of the Sun soon after. Montecuhzoma III, the emperors son, is made emperor soon after.

In the Holy Roman Empire, street fighting has become common. Several German princes form the Free Alliance, a movement to give equality to all people, regardless of Faith. They fight the Imperial troops to start a new confederacy.

Anglo-French Spies discover maps of the Other World, and uncover Spanish plans for mass colonisation and exploitation. Anglo-French colonialism increases...

1521: The European social reform is spreading into the Ottoman Empire, and Sultan Selim I is none too pleased. Protests are forcefully thwarted, and many Reformists are executed. This alienates the Ottomans from many of the nations surrounding them, especially Portugeuse-allied Egypt and Persia. Selim I is sick for most of this year, but sends his armies to battle in these areas. However, morale is low, and victories are sparse.

Many of the outlying provinces in the Aztec Empire are revolting. Montecuhzoma III flees the capital as rioters burn the city.

A mysterious disease is spreading in Mexico, Spain, and the Other World colonies. Known as the White Death, the victims turn white and sweat profusely, and almost always die. However, the colony of Other Madrid is immune, despite the fact that they have become the main colony for treatment of the disease. Earlier they had been suffering from a similiar disease, the Purple Death, but now both diseases have dissapeared there.

The Circle of Burgundy cuts ties with the Holy Roman Empire and allys with the Anglo-French.

1522: The White Death causes huge loss of life in Mexico. Among the dead, Montecuhzoma III and many top officials. A bitter civil war ensues.

The Anglo-French, under the dead of night, send two galleons, the Tudor and the Yorkshire into the white mist. They make contact with the Huacans and organise a peace treaty. While there they contract the Purple Death.

The Ottomans invade Egypt. The Portugeuse and their allies rally to the defence. The war is mainly fought over to fronts, the Egyptian Front and the Persian Front. Support is sent from as far away as China.

The White Death spreads across, claiming hundreds of lives, among them Amerigo Vespucci. In memorial, the entire south continent of the New World is named Vespuccia. The English have already claimed the name Cabotia for the northern part.

A Portugeuse-Japanese expedition to the south Pacific discovers Australia. They name it Brazil, after the legendary island, Hy-Brazil.

1523: In Europe and Asia, thousands are dying from the White Death. Henry VIII dies, leaving Henry IX as king at the tender age of 7, with the guidance of his mother, Catherine of Aragon.

The Ottoman offensive is crippled by the deaths of many important generals and officials, leaving a void in the leadership of the army that can only be filled by inexperienced officers of lower rank.

Cabral's expedition sails into a bay on the east coast of Brazil. The native flora so excites the botanists on board that they almost convince the captain to name it XXXXX Bay (English - Botany Bay) but in the end he settles on a nice patriotic name - Emmanuel Bay.

1524: The Tudor arrives in Plymouth. Most the crew have caught the Purple Death and half have perished, but, strangely, when they pull into port and begin to come into contact with people, a lot of whom've caught the White Death, they regain their health. So do people in the community, and soon a wave of health spreads over sick England and into Europe.

The Tudor has brought back a lot of native flora and fauna from the Other World, included several species of what is dubbed a 'dinosaurus'. The young king befriends one, a baby dinosaurus designated an 'Iguanodon'. The king then permits more expeditions, jus so long as they "bring me some more playmates".

The Spanish gain control of the Aztec Empire. A puppet king is set up, Huatzaocaotza, but the real power lies with diplomay Hernado Cortez

Cabral discovers Baetica Nova (OTL's New Zealand). He then sets sail back to Japan.

The Free Alliance annexes Bohemia. The Imperialists are becoming desperate.

1525 Selim I dies, and with him the Ottoman offensive against Portugal and it's allies. Suleiman I sues for peace in order to concentrate his efforts on Hungary and the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem.

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated by a 16 year old in Ottoman Serbia. His brother, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire is outraged, and declares war on the Ottoman Empire.

The wave of health continues through Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia, eventually catching up to the spread of the White Death in India.

....more to come...