Medieval America Co-op Project

[jmberry]

I haven't been able to get borders for Afganistan and Vladivostok right, but here's the prototype.

 

[King Gorilla]

I haven't been able to get borders for Afganistan and Vladivostok right, but here's the prototype.

More or less how I pictured it. My only nitpick is Michigin controls Windsor and a sizable march in lower Canada. America will probably need a separate map as its the most fleshed out section of the world and it contains a large number of barbaric tribes with loosely defined borders. But apart from that, keep up the good work.

 

[jmberry]

More or less how I pictured it. My only nitpick is Michigin controls Windsor and a sizable march in lower Canada. America will probably need a separate map as its the most fleshed out section of the world and it contains a large number of barbaric tribes with loosely defined borders. But apart from that, keep up the good work.

The problem with that is it leaves the Dominion of Canada woefully indefensible against Quebecois or Michiganer aggression - that and Michigan does have Windsor, but the map is from too far a distance to tell accurately.

 

[Paladin]

Does anyone have a map going?

If not one should be made.

There are maps made by the original author of the East and West United States that have been posted somewhere on here. Other than that, nothing has been covered.

EDIT: Found the East Coast map, though it's only a rough guide. Some of the borders are really arbitrary: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?p=2963963&highlight=map#post2963963

 

[jmberry]

A Brief Rundown of the Episcopal Divisions of the Non-Denom Church

Overall
Washington DC, USA

Maryland Division
Baltimore, USA

Delaware Division
Dover, USA

Pennsylvania Division
Harrisburg, Knights of the White-on-Black Cross

New Jersey Division
Trenton, Novio Giorsi

New York Division
Albany, New York

Vermont Division (includes Quebec)
Montpellier, Kingdom of Quebec

New Hampshire Division
Concord, County of Merrimak

Conneticut Division
Hartford, Massachusets

Rhode Island Division
Providence, USA

Massachusets Division
Boston, City-State of Boston

Maine Division
Augusta, Maine

Nova Scotia Division (includes the Maritimes)
Halifax, Kingdom of Quebec

Virginia Division
Richmond, Commonwealth of Virginia

West Virginia Division
Charley's Town, ???

North Carolina Division
Raleigh, Carolina

South Carolina Division
Columbia, Carolina

Georgia Division
Atlanta, Kingdom of Georgia

Florida Division
Tallyhassy, Floridian Confederacy

Alabama Division
Mongomeri, State of Misisipy

Mississippi Division
Jaxon, State of Misisipy

Louisiana Division
Baton Ruj, County of Natchez

Arkansas Division (includes Missouri)
Liddle Ruk, Division of Arkansaw

Illinois Division (includes Iowa)
Springfield, Territory of Iowa

Wisconsin Division (includes Minnesota)
Madison, Kingdom of Wisconsin (disputed with Iowa)

Canada Division
Ottowa, Dominion of Canada

Michigan Divison
Lansing, Kingdom of Michigan

Indiana Division
Indianopolis, Archduchy of Indiana

Ohio Division
Columbus, State of Ohio

Kentucky Division
Frankfurt, State of Ohio

Tennesse Division
Nashville, State of Tennesy

As the chart shows, there has been some drift in boders. Theoretically, the division borders follow the turn of the millenium state borders - which is why Carolina has two division seats, while Massachusets has Conneticut's, but not its own. There are officially more seats, but the above are the only ones filled, with Missouri, Iowa, and Minnsota held by other seats.

 

[jmberry]

Here are some ideas I've been bouncing around:

-An update to South Africa, showing what happened after the Volkstaat collapsed to the Mthewa

-Peru and Ecuador

-A Mahdist Caliphate based in Sudan (not sure if Mahdists acknowledge caliphs, though)

-A closer look at some of the royalty

-The map needs to be revised to include the Yuma, Hell's Town, and Syria

 

[Kaurne]

I have to say, there are some massive Space-Filling Empires in Eastern and Southern Asia - for example, Indonesia and India. In OTL, there were usually at least a half dozen nations in these areas at any one time - although India did get mostly united at some points.

Maybe we should have a large nation in Brazil, along the South-Eastern Coast where most of the population currently lives? with all the deforestation that has occurred, I can see huge areas still being farmed even after the Collapse.

 

[jmberry]

I have to say, there are some massive Space-Filling Empires in Eastern and Southern Asia - for example, Indonesia and India. In OTL, there were usually at least a half dozen nations in these areas at any one time - although India did get mostly united at some points.

Maybe we should have a large nation in Brazil, along the South-Eastern Coast where most of the population currently lives? with all the deforestation that has occurred, I can see huge areas still being farmed even after the Collapse.

If you have problems with Southeast Asia, take them up with Flocc - I only created Vietnam.

 

[jmberry]

Kodorossid Dynasty
Government: Tribal Monarchy
Religion: Ethiopian Orthodox/Anamist Mix
Symbol: A baobob tree

The Kodorossid Dynasty rules over all the lands from Dakwa to Lake Turkana, and from Mbarara to Malakal. The Kodorossids took this land a hundred years ago from their predecessors, the fanatical Bwanajeshids.

The Bwanajeshid Dynasty, commonly known as the Acholi Empire, ruled a much larger territory, enompasing lands from Ndele to the Ogaden. The Bwanajeshids, at the time of their rise known simply as the Lord's Resistance Army (Bwana Upinzani Jeshi, in Swahili), were the ruling faction of the Acholi tribe, a fundamentalist Christian tribe in opposition to their southern neighbor, the Kingdom of Buganda. The Bugandan king at the time was peaceful and a patron of the arts, ideal qualities when you don't have a militaristic tribe on your borders. 600 years after the collapse, the Bwanajeshids sacked and conquered Kampala, the Bugandan capital. The Bwanajeshids quickly started conquering the other petty kingdoms surrounding them, first establishing a respectable kingdom surrounding Lake Ushindi, then spreading like the wrath of God from Tabora to Khartoum to Ndele. They reached their height when even the ancient Ethiopian Empire fell to them. Acholiland hand become the largest nation in Africa, and one of the largest in the world.

The Acholi Empire grew for a century, and in the end fell victim to its own success. The Sudanese, rallied under a Mahdist family from Atbara, defeated the Bwanajeshids at Omdurman, and then slowly pushed them back south, forming the genesis of the Atbarid Caliphate. By this point, the Bwanajeshid family had moderated on religion, making their empire more peaceful while ironically losing the fervor that drove them to such success in the first place. The lands around Ndele revolted and became a tributary state, the Kingdom of Kotto - it is around this time the Kodorossids were expelled from Yalinga (their name comes from an old nation that once ruled those lands, the "Kodorosese ti Beafrika [Central African Republic]"). The Bwanjeshids continued to lose territory by inches as the Kodorossids took the northern regions and established their own kingdom. 150 years after the fall of Kampala, the last Acholi emperor died peacefully inhis sleep in the capital of Gulu. the Kodorossids quickly moved in and took over.

The Kodorossids rule a respectable empire - they control the gold and silver mines of the Uele river, for example. Still, it could be better, and they are in a war with the Kingdom of Ethiopia for more resources

 

[jmberry]

Well, since Jord839 has decided to take his leave of the board, I have decided to take over this thread until he decides to return.

Well done, jmberry! That was an excellent snapshot, and probably fairly typical of towns all over the land.

Thank you.

How do I get involved in this project - I've read it all and it sounds great.

Are there any maps of the world with nations made so far, so I know where I can put in more nations? I'd love to help

If you still wish to join in, you're more than welcome.

Let me see if I can create something. I've been watching this thread and could enjoy contributing.


Not really an expert on Hawaii, but I think I could try something.

Still looking forward to that entry on Hawaii.

I have to say, there are some massive Space-Filling Empires in Eastern and Southern Asia - for example, Indonesia and India. In OTL, there were usually at least a half dozen nations in these areas at any one time - although India did get mostly united at some points.

Maybe we should have a large nation in Brazil, along the South-Eastern Coast where most of the population currently lives? with all the deforestation that has occurred, I can see huge areas still being farmed even after the Collapse.

On Brazil, Filo claimed that part of South America, but it has been so long since the last update that I'm declaring all claims forfeit - the entire world not already dealt with is once again open for contributions. If you want to add in a Rio-based Brazil remnant, feel free to.

 

[jmberry]

A Tour of Neomedieval Washington

Washington. Center of the Non-Denominational Church and former center of the world. A city where the modern people eke out at existance in shadows of monuments to a forgotten age. Washington has gone through numerous hand changes - first it was the capital of the United States, then conquered by the shortlived Maryland Commonwealth, then conquered by the US, the Virginia, then an independent city-state, then President James-Theodore Williams II finally siezed it again, then two generations later it was granted to the Supreme Court as a fief. The modern city now includes portions of Arlington, and the Court has divided Washington into 14 districts for management.

I. Regan
The slums of Washington, Regan is also home to the Republic's secret police, the Bureau, and their base at the Five Corners Castle. Regan is largely inhabited by the descendants of refugees from the US-Virginia wars (which have since moved closer to Richmond). The population is largely comprised of beggars, thieves, and unskilled laborers packed onto one another, so plagues, when they come in Washington, largely start here - and plagues are a fact of life, even though the Masons have kept knowledge of Germ Theory and Ancient Hygenics alive.

II. Cemetary
The slums continue north, but are edged out by the Arlington Holy Cemetary, where many of the lesser saints in American Hagiography are buried. The Lee Estate may be just a few sun-bleached columns now, but Myer Castle now replaces it as the dominant feature of the skyline.

III. Danville
North of Cemetary, Danville is largely inhabited by minor merchants and landholders - i.e., those who don't fail enough to be stuck in Regan or Cemetary, but aren't influential enough to get out into Washington proper. It is also home to Washington's most popular brothel - don't ask.

IV. St. Theodore Roosevelt Island
This island is considered sacred to Saint Theodore Roosevelt, and dominated by a church dedicated to him, as well as a fountain near the church. Once home to a preserved forest, the trees are long gone and replaced by apartements, victims of overcrowding leading to any avaible land being developed.

V. Potomac Market
This used to be a golf course, but now it is the mercantile center for the lower classes, who come to buy goods, watch clowns and acrobats perform, and leave prayers at the shrine to St. Thomas Jefferson in the north.

VI. The Mall
The Mall is the center of Washington. Holding the shrines of Saint Abraham Lincoln, Saint Ulysses Simpson Grant, and Saint Thomas Jefferson, the obelisk dedicated to Saint George Washington, the Museums, the Sacred Cherry Blossoms, and the Capitol. It used to have a Tidal Basin, but that was filled in by refuse over the centuries. The Mall remains little changed from its past - the Capitol Dome is very dilapidated, and Honest Abe gained a sunroof and lost a head, but that's about it. To the north, however, the case is different. The building hasn't been used in any official capacity for centuries, and so was allowed to decay away. Today, the White House is little more than a moss covered hill.

Throughout most of the year, the Mall is used as a cattle pasture.

VII. Union
Home of the Temple of Justice, headquarters of the Supreme Court, Union is the administrative center of the city. It technically overlaps with the Mall, as the Capitol is in both districts (it houses the city senate, which should not be confused with the US Senate in Baltimore). Union also includes the residences for administrators of the city, including the senators, and ambassadorial residences for visiting dignitaries.

To be continued...

 

[Kaurne]

Ok, some of the areas in Asia need massive redoing.

I can't find the section of the thread describing the Indian and Indonesian nations, so I personally think they should go. Historically, controlling India with a medieval state of technology was nigh impossible for long periods of time. Different regions in India had very different cultures, languages and with a low technology level, the different regions would quickly assert independence. The only time it did get unified was under external invasion, and I don't think that has happened here. This India also includes parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which, considering the modern religious and ethnic makeup in these regions, makes absolutely no sense.

The unified (and expanded!) Indonesia is just stupid. Trying to control that kind of area, with radically different nationalities, cultures, languages, peoples, in the medieval period would be impossible with medieval tech. There should be half a dozen nations in that area, at least. The world in medieval times was very Balkanised, especially in these regions, so it should be here.

So, with peoples approval, I'm erasing India and Indonesia from the map. If anyone has any objections, please tell me. If this is gonna be realistic, we need to have fewer Space Filling Empires.

EDIT. For that matter, some of these other regions are a bit too unified as well. Japan would be hard to keep hold of, especially considering the bloodbath that would have occurred when The Regression happened. Then again, there is little regional identity in Japan anymore, so maybe it's OK. Maybe.

Korea looks a bit too normal, and China looks like someone just drew some random lines on a map. Either CHina is unified, or it is in multiple independent states, which by this point will probably have developed distinct cultural identities. Iran/Persia looks like it has expanded a bit too much, but it is plausible, at least.

 

[jmberry]

Ok, some of the areas in Asia need massive redoing.

I can't find the section of the thread describing the Indian and Indonesian nations, so I personally think they should go. Historically, controlling India with a medieval state of technology was nigh impossible for long periods of time. Different regions in India had very different cultures, languages and with a low technology level, the different regions would quickly assert independence. The only time it did get unified was under external invasion, and I don't think that has happened here. This India also includes parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which, considering the modern religious and ethnic makeup in these regions, makes absolutely no sense.

Agreed. In my Afganistan article, I wrote that Vijayanagar is actually a decandent and disintegrating nation on the verge of total collapse, but it probably needs a wholesale revision.

The unified (and expanded!) Indonesia is just stupid. Trying to control that kind of area, with radically different nationalities, cultures, languages, peoples, in the medieval period would be impossible with medieval tech. There should be half a dozen nations in that area, at least. The world in medieval times was very Balkanised, especially in these regions, so it should be here.

It's not unified. When I first made the map, the standard for UCS was to show all city-states of the same culture as one nation, so it looked like Alexander ruled Syracuse. That's no longer applicable, but I didn't modify my map that much.

So, with peoples approval, I'm erasing India and Indonesia from the map. If anyone has any objections, please tell me. If this is gonna be realistic, we need to have fewer Space Filling Empires.

I have no objections, though if you'd like I can quote the original articles on Asia (and Australia) so you can take a look at them.

EDIT. For that matter, some of these other regions are a bit too unified as well. Japan would be hard to keep hold of, especially considering the bloodbath that would have occurred when The Regression happened. Then again, there is little regional identity in Japan anymore, so maybe it's OK. Maybe.

I actually wrote Japan (well, the Hosokawa Shogunate). My reasoning was in the 9 centuries between 2012 and "now" Japan saw your usual post-apocalyptic scenario, then some interim government, then a second Sengoku Jidai, and now a second Edo Period style system.

Korea looks a bit too normal, and China looks like someone just drew some random lines on a map. Either CHina is unified, or it is in multiple independent states, which by this point will probably have developed distinct cultural identities. Iran/Persia looks like it has expanded a bit too much, but it is plausible, at least.

I used a new Warring States period because I didn't want a Space-Filling China (only for us to wind up with Space-Filling India instead). Nobody's actually done Persia yet (its been mentioned, but nothing else. I can't vouch for Korea, but I think it was deemed alright by Jord.

 

[jmberry]

1. I was actually refering to White's take on California. It was an interesting and unique nation, and it reminded me that North America wasn't going to turn into Medieval Europe 2.0. another part is I simply never feel right rewriting what someone else has worked on. Expanding what was detailed is fine, but I just feel low when established details are changed. At the very least, I would ask that the Free Zone be kept, if not its northern neighbor.

As for Mexico, I saw the Yucatan as experiancing what went on in the Plains and Florida, and what's probably happened in places like Brazil, Alaska, and the Australian Outback. In the Yucatan's case, the coastal cities survived, primarily Merida and Cancun, but they look towards the Carribean now. There might be a Neo-Mayan state somewhere in jungle (if not, then there are myths about a Neo-Mayan state somewhere jungle - since when did medieval people let facts get in the way of a good story?), but everything else has met the fate of Tikal and Chichen Itza.

Now, on to Asia

China

China's history has always been somewhat cyclical in nature. A dynasty would gain the Mandate of Heaven, rule for centuries, fall and create a period of feuding warlord states, one of whom would rise up above the others, gain the Mandate, and start the cycle again. Currently, China is in one of its "balkanization" periods. Five factions contest the Mandate of Heaven, and any one of them could gain it. The Sun rule Taiwan and South China, based around the city of Guangzhou. The Qian, the old dynasty, rule the lands around Beijing and the north, though constant raids by the Manchus and Mongols are weakening them. The Wu rule Central China from Nanjing, but though they are large, they are also unwieldy. The Zheng rule the southwestern highlands, and are more mercenary than the other four. Finally, there are the Wang of Xi'an, the smallest of the Five Warring states, though also the fiercest. Only time will tell which of these gains the empire.

And now, on to Japan:

The Hosokawa Shogunate

Government: Feudal Monarchy/Theocracy/Militocracy hybrid

Coat of Arms: A red sun on a white background

Religion: Mahayan Buddhist/Shintoist syncretic mix

Capital: Kyoto (Spiritual) and Osaka (Administrative)

Ruler: Tenno Shinta, with Shogun Hosokawa Kimitayo

Nippon has long been influenced by the West. Early in its history, this meant China. Later, in the centuries leading up to the Fall, this was Europe and America. Now, however, Nippon has struck out on its own. The collapse has brought a return of the Emperor's divinity, the samurai, the shogun (currently held by the Hosokawa family, though others have held it in the past). And yet, this doesn't mean the people have turned their backs on progress. The monks and scribes record a time when Nippon was at the forefront of scientific advances, and the current Shogun would like this period to come again. Tokyo, though having long lost its political influence, is still a center of education.

Spiritually, Nippon is complex, as always. Mahayana Buddhism and Shintoism jockey for influence over the imperial court, something the shoguns allow to continue (after, they wouldn't want the priests to become too powerful, would they?). Most people just follow both religions equally, to the point where weddings are performed ubder Shinto rite and funerals are performed under Buddhist rite.

Nippon remains a center for trade in this new world, the last stop before ships have to sail along the frigid Aleutian tradeways to Vancouver and Seattle. Fortunately, sailors can take the warmer route past Hawaii on the way home.

The Nipponese, despite being ruled by a man whose title translates to "Barbarian destroying Generalissimo" are not a warlike people (being nuked does that to you, even if said nuking happened a thousand years ago). They'd much rather trade with their neighbors than conquer them.

BTW, I'm being purposefully vague with China (case in point, the five warring dynasties are simply from the top eight Chinese family names list). If anyone else wants to detail the specifics of the Sun, Qian, Wu, Zheng, and Wang, preferably someone with more knowledge of Chinese culture than me, go for it.

Mmmh, so China is currently in a period of division. I suppose that makes it more interesting that a single big empire, if only because the various contenders for reunification are eager to raise revenue to gain an edge on each other, and a good way to do that is foreign trade. I could see the Sun setting up a trading thalassocracy in the South China Sea (with a loose alliance with Singapore to the West) and turning the Philippines into a de facto vassal. Their ships would be the ones most likely to call at American ports, offloading silk, tea, and assorted high-value goods. Although every once in a while the Qian would send a diplomatic mission by the northern route, and the governments visited would keep up the charade of their still being the legitimate rulers of all of China (in exchange for lavish gifts, for the Son of Heaven cannot be seen to be stingy).

The Malay Sultanates are not a single entity but rather a regression to pre-20th C, pre-Event times. After the Event, the centralised governments of Malaysia and Indonesia quickly lost control of their territories. The Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago are under the control of a vast array of disparate Sultanates and other states ranging from large and powerful kingdoms such as the Sultanate of Brunei (which, with ample natural resources and a relatively small population came through the Event generally intact) which has expanded over much of the western coast of Borneo all the way down to petty local pirate kingdoms which aren't much more than a cluster of fishing villages which cooperate to prey on trade ships.

This chaotic array of states and statelets is connected by the trade network of the Serene Republic of Singapore. Singaporean traders venture into the Sultanates from the port settlements the Republic maintains as outposts- these may be large communities like the mighty fortresses of Malacca and Penang or simply trading posts with a bunch of mercenary guards but they all serve one purpose- to keep the trade routes firmly under the thumb of the Republic and to control the spice trade. As the Republic's motto states, "The Spice must flow".

Though the Republic has never shown interest in territorial acquisition beyond its port cities, it's loose thallasocracy does breed some resentment- many feel that it manipulates the endless simmering border conflicts among the Sultanates to it's own ends. However, the ever shifting network of alliances among the Sultanates means that the Republic is also seen as a useful power broker.

The Commonwealth of Israel

Government: Limited Democracy/Theocracy

Religion: Judaism (with Druze, Christian, and Muslim communities).

Capital: Jerusalem

Rulers: First Minister Samuel Ben-Artzi; Chief Rabbi Benjamin Har-Segor


At the crossroads of three continents (and three major religions), the Commonwealth of Israel is a very paranoid entity, always fearful of an invading army appearing over the horizon.

Everyday life in the Commonwealth revolves around mandatory military service (which in turn goes hand in hand with mandatory religious study). From an early age, all children are given instruction in wielding and maintaining a weapon of their parents’ choice (some also begin to learn riding at this time in their lives). Instruction in the old martial art of Krav Maga is also mandated after a certain age as well, making the Commonwealth’s forces fearsome in hand to hand combat.

The Commonwealth’s military is, for the most part, a mixture of heavy cavalry units and masses of longbow and pike wielding infantry. This is augmented by a very effective intelligence service, which more often than not ensures that an enemy force never even makes it to the Commonwealth’s borders…

Centered in Jerusalem, the Commonwealth’s government is far more theocratic than the old State’s. Although there’s still a Knesset (which in turn elects a First Minister who serves for life), final authority lies with a governing body descended from the old Chief Rabbinate, which implements (or vetoes) laws according to their interpretations of Halaka. The Chief Rabbi's approval is needed to confirm the First Minister's ascension to office. Ideologically, Religious Zionism is dominant (with Theodor Herzl now remembered as an apostate who became a Holy Man, held up to the masses as a symbol of the possibilities of repentance and redemption). Some extremists in the Knesset desire to launch a “final war” to expand the Commonwealth’s borders all the way to the Nile and Euphrates Rivers, which has long been vetoed by both the First Ministers and the Rabbinate, both of whom have no desire to get into a losing war with the Emirate of Palestine (currently centered in the old trading city of Petra) and the more powerful Iranian Empire to the east, or the Sultanate of Egypt to the West.

One of the defining land features of the Commonwealth are the many canals which have been constructed to facilitate speedy travel across the country in the event of a crisis (as well as aiding in much needed irrigation for crops). The Commonwealth's farmers are required to turn over a percentage of their yearly crop to Jerusalem, where it's stored in case of famine or siege.

Besides the Jews, minorities in the Commonwealth include the Druze and Circassians (who both perform mandatory military service) and smaller still Christian and Muslim communities (most Muslims live in either Haifa or Nazareth; as in the case of the old state, Christians and Muslims are exempted from having to serve in the military). Then there are the Bedouin (some of whom serve as scouts in the Commonwealth’s armies, though most pursue a traditional lifestyle oblivious of the boundaries of the states which claim to rule over them). Out of fears of a new wave of Crusades being sparked otherwise, Christian pilgrims from Europe are allowed into the Commonwealth, though they are banned from proselytizing.

A powerful and growing faction in the Commonwealth are the merchant classes, based primarily in the great trading ports of Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon. Commonwealth ships can be seen plying the coasts and rivers of Europe, all over the Mediterranean, and its land-based merchants make the long, dangerous journeys across the ancient caravan routes of Africa and (in peacetime) the Middle East. Some especially adventurous types can even be seen as far away as the Americas or East Asia.

For the learned rulers and scholars of North America, most of their knowledge of the Commonwealth (aside from limited contact with merchants) comes from the chronicles written by one Simon son of Hezikiah, a New Israelite orphan who journeyed to the Commonwealth on a trading vessel that had made the arduous journey up the Missouri River. Living in the Commonwealth for forty years, Simon wrote (and illustrated) extensively about the places he visited and the people he met. In his years living there, Simon served in an armored cavalry unit during the Eighth Sinai War against the Egyptians, and eventually converted to Judaism, taking a wife in Jerusalem. Eventually, (for reasons never fully made clear in his chronicles), Simon made the long journey on a merchant ship back to the New World, where his chronicles somehow made their way to the old university of Harvard, which still claims possession of them to this day.

Government: Oligarchic Republic

Religion: Many, but all with a strong overlay of Confucianism

Ruler: Prime Minister Lee Ming Hui

The Serene Republic is much like a latter day Venice. It has a strongly oligarchic nature- a Cabinet of thirty Ministers is drawn from members of the major oligarchic families and the major trade and commerce guilds. These then elect a Prime Minister from among their number. The Prime Minister must be at least fifty and not older than sixty when elected and serves until his death. The adult male population may vote on certain strictly limited issues, mainly to do with citizenship law.

The state is strongly bureaucratic and a rigorous system of examination identifies candidates for the Civil Service. Another similarity the Republic has with pre-Event Singapore is the maintenance of two years compulsory militia service for all male citizens with the exception of those who work as crewmen of the Republic's trading fleet.

The Republic functions as the greatest spice port in the world- the neo-mediaeval nations of the West are hungry for spices and the Republic is eager to provide them...at a cost. The powerful Singaporean trading fleet maintains a network of purchasing ports around the Indonesian archipelago. It is a dire necessity for the Republic to keep the trade routes open for the city, though rich, cannot feed itself and is dependent on grain shipments from the Malay states and Java.

Culturally the city is polyglot- Singlish, the local variant of pre-Event English is the most commonly spoken language and has, indeed, become something of a SE Asian lingua franca though you can hear almost any tongue in the world on the streets of the city. Citizenship can be gained through wealth (a hefty contribution to state coffers can buy you citizenship) or, for those without the money, through military service to the Republic. A strictly limited number of foreigners are hired each year for two year military contracts offering citizenship upon completion.

I could see that. Meanwhile, I suppose that both Malaysia and Indonesia would devolve into petty sultanates, and that Singapore would do its best to keep them that way as a "divide and rule" policy.

Branching out from America for a little bit, I've been meaning to ask you Hendryk(since you're the resident east asian expert), what happens in Korea?

We've already done China and Japan, but I'm kind of curious how both South and North Korea would change in this scenario. Does a Juche-esque state remain in North Korea? Or have they unified? Have the evangelical christians in South Korea become the majority? How do you think this would play out?

Sargon might have better input than mine, I suggest you PM him about it.


I think it's unlikely that North Korea would survive as an independent polity for long, considering that for all the talk of self-reliance, it actually gets much of its food and energy from outside sources, and you can't eat bullets. Besides, with such a long time since the "Event", whatever it was, we can safely handwave the details and have any long-term outcome we want. The default option is to have Korea once again united, but it could also be split into two or three petty kingdoms unrelated to the former North and South Koreas.

A divided China would likely mean that Korea isn't a vassal state of its big neighbor, but it might endorse one of the contenders in exchange for military support against possible Japanese encroachment.

As for the religious scene, it could also go any number of ways. We could imagine the development of an idiosyncratic local offshoot of Christianity, sort of like the Unification Church with quasi-divine status for its ruler, and elements of shamanism blended in for flavor. It might have its own kingdom, the size of Silla or Baekje, while the rest of the peninsula remains under the same religious arrangement as before. Korean scholars may read in their historical chronicles how, for several decades in the 20th and early 21st centuries, the same thing had happened, with a religious cult named Juche starting its own independent country in the north.

Well, Vietnam's fresher in my mind, so I'll go with it first.

The People's Kingdom of Vietnam

Government: Feudal Monarchy

Coat of Arms: A yellow sun on a red background

Religion: Mahayana Buddhism

Capital: Hanoi

Ruler: Queen Nguyen Thi Phuong

A Vietnamese will tell you the country has been born four times. The first was almost five millenia ago when Lac Long Quan made love to Au Co, and she bore him 100 sons. The second was when the Vietnamese defeated the Southern Han at Bach Dang River in 938. The third was in 1975, when the southern half of the country was reabsorbed into the north. The fourth was five hundred years ago, when Nguyen Van Lung reunified the nation after the collapse.

Sitting between the spheres of inluence of Singapore and China, Vietnam tends to play a balancing act between the two, though they remain suspicious of the Chinese, who have time and again tried to annex their southern neighbor. Vietnam's wariness hasn't dropped because China's not currently unified - the Sun and the Zheng have both tried to conquer Hanoi (the Zheng more fervently because they desperatly want a port, and Haiphong fits the bill nicely).

Vietnamese culture is dominated by several themes like community, national pride, hero-worship, and cultural pursuits. Every Vietnamese can paint or write poetry, name the most famous heroes of Vietnam, as well as all of their home village's heroes (and every village has at least one), and strives to support the village and the kingdom.

The Vietnamese are an agricultural nation, and Saigon (they gave up on the name change 700 years ago) and Haiphong are important ports on the spice routes that stretch from Sydnee to Vladivostok.

Vietnam holds nominal suzerainity over the warlords of Laos, and has held parts of Cambodia from time to time (the last being twenty years ago). Vietnam is an anamoly in that it allows women to be soldiers, due to tradition stretching back to the first Chinese invasions. The Queen herself is well known in the region as a skilled, if reckless and young, commander.

[FONT=&quot]The Empire of Korea[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Totemic Symbol:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Tiger[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Government: Constitutional Monarchy[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Religion: Various: United Protestant Church, Roman Catholic Church, Buddhism[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Capital:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Seoul[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ruler: Emperor Yi-Hyung-Sun[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Korean Empire is one of the great powers of the new mediaeval world and easily the superpower of East Asia. The Korean Empire is a vast entity stretching from the Aleutian Islands to Beijing. The Korean Empire currently encompasses the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, the former Russian Far East, Shandong Peninsula, a large area of China proper, Kyushu, and the Aleutians. It also has recently occupied Formosa and Hainan to crush the pirates there and gain control of its lucrative trade routes.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Korean Empire’s history is a long one stretching to the first days of the Crisis. In the Crisis a legendry band of military generals seized control of the government and reunited Korea destroying the Juche heresy in East Asian Crusade. As China fell into civil war between various factions the Korean Empire stepped in and conquered Manchuria and soon its banners rose over the ruins of Beijing where the Forbidden City became a retreat for the Korean Emperor. As Japan too fell into civil war Korea occupied Kyushu and the rest of Japan became a puppet state resulting in a large scale migration to the Americas especially the Pacific Northwest where the Japanese thrived. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Korean Empire is as mentioned above very large and expansionistic. Its political philosophy is militaristic meritocracy dominated by the military officers. There are many dissenting scholars of course but most have been excluded from public life and even jailed. Indeed the vast majority of its heroes: Yi Sun Shin, Kang Gam Chan, Park Chung Hee are military heroes.Thanks to its footholds in the Pacific Korea profits greatly from trade routes. Indeed this has enabled Seoul the capital of Korea to be the largest city in East Asia and the largest in the world behind New York and Boston. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Korean army and navy are very large and maintained by conscription. Those who are career soldiers have the best chance to get ahead in life as they become part of the Grand Assembly consisting almost entirely of military officers with a few token civilians thrown in. It is the Grand Assembly that chooses the emperor which much like in ancient Poland is elected. At any rate the Korean military numbers usually at 500,000 men and at wartimes as large as 2,000,000, the latter number was reached during the wars of conquest against the Chinese warlords. Korea has learned its lessons from barbarian invasions in its previous mediaeval age and keeps watch for any sort of nomadic tribe organizing military capability as Korea’s agents spy on potential enemies from California to Samarakand.[/FONT]

Sorry, GMB. Not using this. Period. Not only does it contradict the updates in China and Japan, it's pretty blatant nation wank. So, no.


I certainly wasn't expecting this, but I suppose that a world with scientologist and buddhist nations in North America this would seem pretty tame by comparison. I assume they immigrated to avoid persecution by the Nondenominational Church in their local area? It could have started as an attempt by a local noble family from New York trying to take advantage of the Jews(I'd assume in the same way some Medieval European rulers wanted to) for the economy and were gradually absorbed into the lower class culture and converted themselves.

Nice one.

Thanks! I picked Rockland as the location of a North American Jewish center because Rockland County currently has the highest percentage of Jews of any county in the United States. Religious persecution (or else the worry of impending persecution) was certainly a major motivation for coming to Rockland (along with the breakdown in order caused by the Event).

Anyways, here's my attempt at a neo-Medieval Korea. I hope it works.

~~~~~

The Kingdom of Goryeo

Government: Feudal Monarchy

Ruler: King Taejo VIII

Capital: Seoul

Language: Korean

Religion(s): Buddhism, Christianity, assorted Buddhist/Christian syncretic faiths


In the aftermath of the Event, with the collapse of the legendarily evil House of Kim north of the No Man’s Land, what was once South Korea was re-organized, by a history professor in Seoul (with support from a number of military officers), into the Kingdom of Goryeo, named for the great kingdom of the old Middle Ages. Slowly but surely, the self-proclaimed “Teajo the Great” first brought the remainder of the south under control, before advancing past the old No Man’s Land, where, after a year, the last remnants of the Kim regime were brought to heel.

Goryeo is now, like so many other nations in this day and age, a feudal monarchy, relying on the support of the major landlords and merchants to supply soldiers, food, and money, respectively. Socially, Goryeo is among the more interesting nations in the world today: generations of mixing has produced a number of syncretic religions that combine Buddhism and Christianity, alongside the orthodox cores of the respective religions themselves. The government of Goryeo is tolerant of all religious beliefs, unless a group threatens the dynasty.

In spite of the open desire of some elements within Taejo the Great’s officer corps to expand the boundaries of the Kingdom north past the Amnok [Yalu] River and east past the Korea Strait, Taejo himself vetoed such ideas as needlessly reckless, especially as scouts continuously reported the presence of major nomad armies in Manchuria. After decades of division, the new monarch asserted, Goryeo needed time to heal. The army would be kept large only to stand a permanent guard on the Amnok. Indeed, in spite of a significant number of skirmishes with nomads on the northern boundary, not one would-be conquering army has gotten through. The second Taejo Dynasty, however, is always worried. Ancient texts speak of unspeakable horrors wreaked upon Goryeo by a brutal warlord from beyond Manchuria, and no one wants such a calamity to occur again.

Besides these sorts of skirmishes, however, the Kingdom has been at peace for a very long time. Indeed, the various chroniclers of the Taejo Court have often described the reign of their line of monarchs as “the Sunshine Time.” Most of the prosperity of Goryeo comes from trade, and the Kingdom’s merchants can often be spotted throughout East and Southeast Asia, from the friendly Japanese Hasokawa Shogunate right next door to the powerful city-states and hubs ruled by Sun China and Singapore to the south. On land too, Goryeo’s traders jubilantly make their way to the centers of Beijing and Nanjing, though wars that erupt between the multiple claimants to the Mandate of Heaven have unfortunately limited the exchange of goods. Some merchants and adventurers from the Kingdom have even made the dangerous and exhausting journey east, alongside their Japanese, Sun, and Singaporean competitors to the lands of the rising sun. The tales of these sort of adventures have captured the imagination of everyone in the Kingdom of Goryeo, just as they’re likely to for many generations to come.

Very nice take! I especially liked the mention of ancient texts who I think are referring to the USSR or somebody, am I right? Not to mention North America as Asia's "Land of the Rising Sun", very nice touch, that.


Good points. I'll keep them in mind.

The Free City of Hong Kong

Government: Republic/limited/illiberal democracy

Ruler: Chief Executive Tae Jing
Capital: Hong Kong

Language: Mandarin English and Cantonese

Religion: Buddhism, Christianity and various traditional believes

Hong Kong had always been different to the rest of China and due to this after the event didn't collapse into warlordism like the rest of the country. But soon the various rulers of the rest of the country saw this rich city and Hong Kong became a valuable target to raiders the city was ramsacked and it's riches used to fund never ending conflicts this was until the rule of Dia Wong who was able to force back the invaders and built the Shenzen wall to keep them out. Modern Hong Kong is a vibrant trading hub with ships from California to Oz in its harbor military the nation is lacking with only a small but well trained city guard so it relies on defense from the surrounding warlords but even with this the government still forces all visitors to pay towards the cities defense and in case of a war the ability to take control of all ships in dock

First, a nitpick: avoid making up Chinese names, it shows.

Second, I don't see that happening because Hong Kong doesn't have a tradition of self-rule to build upon, nor can it survive independently of the mainland lacking a powerful foreign suzerain. Then there's the fact that without modern infrastructures, the city's population would be limited to a few thousands.

With this, we now have a nation on every continent (that matters):

Commonwealth of Australia

Capital: Sydney

Coat of Arms: Five stars arranged in the form of a cross, on a blue background

Government: Noble Republic

Rulership: Governor-General elected by and from the largest noble families for life, incumbent is Lord Stanley Compton of Melbourne

Primary Religion: Australian Christian

Australia is a mere shadow of what was once the world's only continent-sized nation. Like many other nations built on modern infrastructure, Australia crumpled and contracted over the next millenium, until only the eastern parts of New South Wales (Nusowalce), Victoria (Viki), and the island of Tasmania remained.

Unlike America, Australia's Christian community is not organized along the lines of Old World political divisions. It is considerably more monastic in nature, with monasteries throughout the continent being the primary religious centers, and abbots being the principal figures as far as dogma is concerned.

Australia proper is what is called a noble republic - landed nobility holds all the power, but the fact the Australia was the most republican dominion prevented them from instituting a monarchy like New Zealand did. Instead, the wealthiest landed families simply appoint one of their own to the post of Governor-General, usually a pathetic figurehead who allows the nobility to rule themselves.

Australia's relations with its "children" can be described as complicated. Some, like the feudal lords of the Murray River valley, have been allies and enemies of Sydney for a long time. Others, like the mercantile Republic of Oz centered around Perth, are simply to distant to be worth considering. Nations not on the continent, like Sun China or Singapore, are nothing more than destinations for trade goods.

I imagined that Hong Kong was ruled by Sun China in this world myself.

My guess is that the most important trade emporium in the region would be Guangzhou (Canton), and it would indeed be under the control of Sun China. Hong Kong would still exist but as a mere shadow of its former self; it would mostly be a collection of fishing villages dispersed throughout the local islands, and the odd pirate hideout as well.

The Latin Despotate of Constantinople

Capital: Constantinople

Coat of Arms: An icon of Saint Helena

Government: Crusader Monarchy

Religion: Officialy Roman Catholic (majority are either Sunni Islam or Oriental Orthodox)

Rulership: Despot anointed by the resident bishop, chosen from one of the major noble families

Constaninople is a direct result of Pope Luke's call for crusade. Several powerful crusaders, led by the infamous Lord Ignasz Mohaly of Hungary, marched south from Hungary to retake the Balkans, burning Sarajevo in the process. When they arrived at the City, the walls of Theodosius were opened from within by treachery, allowing Mohaly and his men to enter and sack the City. Mohaly named himself Ignatius I, and the crusaders have ruled the region ever since.

Constaninople is surrounded by enemies. Both the Turkish sultan and the Greek king claim the City for their realms, the Bulgarian tsar has tried to take it more than once, and even the Veliky Kniaz of Ukraine would like a stab at it. The current despot, Raymonde of Narbonne, has attempted to become a reconciler between all the factions, but this has proved difficult at best.



There. Hopefully this is a more realistic fate for Istanbul. If no one minds, I'd like to do Egypt next.

Prathet Thai is still ruled by the House of Rama, it's lineage stretching back into the depths of time. The Thai kings hold sovereignty over most of the Thai lowlands, down to the Isthmus of Kra. The more Malay-influenced regions of the Isthmus, however, have broken away as independent sultanates, rejecting the rule of their former overlords. Buddhism is the major religion of the Thais, interlaced with traditional folk beliefs.

Iravathi is the major Burmese state, it's capital at Begu in the delta of the Irrawady, the great river which the kingdom draws it's name from. The Kingship of Iravathi is of nowhere near the age of Thailand's venerable House of Rama but it's grip over it's populace is fervent. Unlike the more traditional form of Buddhism practiced in Prathet Thai the Iravathi consider their monarch a God-King, the incarnation of Nanahhpa, the Bodhisattva of Order.

Both these lands have shrunk from their pre-Event extent- the major Thai and Burmese ethnicities have lost control of the more peripheral regions of their states- the highlands of western Indo-China have become a patchwork of semi-independent tribes, such as the Shan and other minorities, many of whom still grow the traditional opium crops. Opium, the most effective analgesic and anasthetic in the neo-Mediaeval world is a valuable export crop, one which the omnipresent traders of the Serene Republic of Singapore are always hungry for, and the princelings of the highlands defend their territories fiercely.

Despite the importance of the region's products to trade, the proverbial Singaporean manipulation of local politics is subdued, mainly due to the Republic's reliance on Thai rice to feed itself and thus its need to cultivate the goodwill of the House of Rama. This doesn't mean that the highlands are peaceful, though. The Iravathi God-Kings and the Kings of the Thais are constantly engaged in plays for influence and power among the tribes, always preparing for the regular bouts of open war between the two states.

Vijayanagar

Throughout Indian history the North was often the heartland of the great empires of the subcontinent. In the post-Event era, this has changed. Vijayanagar arose from the ashes of the Event, it's first rulers adopting the name of the last great Empire of South India.

The Empire of Vijayanagar bestrides India from Cape Comorin to the Hindu Kush, to the steaming forests of Bengal. The empire is ruled from the city of Bangalore. As India has done since time immemorial, the riches of the subcontinent are exported- spices, tea, coffee, cloth and many other goods both rare and valuable.

Though ostensibly ruled by an emperor, a Rajdiraj (King of Kings), in the hundreds of years since the first Rajdiraj fought his way into Bangalore and claimed the city as his capital a mighty bureaucracy has developed to administer the vast and sprawling empire. These bureaucrats are the dominant class and are severe and austere high priests of administration, even keeping the Empire's records in a strange language of their own (this originated as a mixture of English, Hindi and other major Indian languages used by the civil servants of the old Indian Civil Service pre-event, handed down and bastardised over the years).

Religiously India is still a hodgepodge of different varieties of Hinduism and other religions, all syncreticised to various extents. A variety of Sikhism (changed in interpretation to only admit male warriors) has taken off as a martial cult and is followed by most of the Empire's army though the dominant official religion of the Empire is Shaivism, devotion to Shiva who in his eternal cosmic dance brought the old world to destruction and created it anew.

All hail Lord Shiva, Wielder of the Trident, and his consort Kali the Dark One!

Yes- what with all the upheavals Kali might well gain prominence as the primary aspect of Parvati alongside Shiva, Lord of the Dance.

Re-reading this part, I've belatedly spotted a problematical detail, namely that Manchuria seems to have reverted to nomadism. I don't see that happening, if only because Manchus are virtually extinct as a discrete ethnic group, having been assimilated by the Han in the 19th and 20th centuries. The population of Manchuria, in this neo-medieval world, would mostly be one of sedentary farmers growing wheat and soybeans in the fertile central plains, and small communities living from the ginseng trade in the mountains. This means that Manchuria, even assuming it's an independent state (and I for one think it would make more sense to have it remain part of the Qian imperial remnant), is pretty densely settled, sedentary, and culturally Chinese.

Intersting. I wasn't aware Manchuria had become so thoroughly assimilated into China when I wrote that, so I guess that change should be made.

The Manchus became sedentary in the 17th century and, by the time the Qing dynasty collapsed, were so thoroughly Sinicized that their existence as a separate ethnic group was purely formal. What's more, Han Chinese are actually the majority population in former Manchuria, and have been since the region was open to Han settlement in the 19th century. The "sudden, massive unnecessary change" would on the contrary be turning back from agriculture.

I think your mistake is that you consider Manchuria to be similar to Mongolia. It is not. In all the ways that matter, Manchuria has become part of the Chinese heartland.

Reviving this with a new entry:

The Siber

The Siber, also known as the Yakuti, are an Indo-European culture who live to the north of China. Horse-riding, yak-hunting nomads, they often raid into Manchuria when resources become scarce. Ordinarily, the Son of Heaven would deal with them, but the current Zheng ruler is of the opinion that if it isn't south of the Great Wall, it isn't important (there is, of course, a reason why the Zheng have fallen so far). The Siber speak a language that grew out of Russian, with several Mongol and Chinese influences. Siber culture is reminescent of pre-industrial Mongolia, with some key Russian themes remaining, like the Cyrillic alphabet and Orthodox Church. Many of the terms used came from the only horse-riding tradition the old Russians knw, which is why Siber chiefs are called "Hetmans." They Siber, while mostly nomadic, do have a few trade towns - Yakutsk, Irkutsk, Okhotsk. However, one Siber city does exist, the port city of Vladivostok the Beautiful.

Krasivaya Vladivostok
Government: Mercantile City State, ruled by an elected Boyar
Capital: Vladivostok
Religion: Siber Orthodox Church (Buddhist, Tengriist, and Taoist minorities)
Current Head of State: Rodion Vyacheslavovich, of Clan Derevenko

Vladivostok, known as "the Beautiful (Krasivaya)" to its inhabitants, is the largest Siber settlement in existance, a port city of six thousand souls. Vladivostok is located at a nexus of trade routes, leading to Goguryeo, the Shogunate, Zheng China, the Mongol khans, the Siber hetmans, and ultimately the Russian princes to the west. Vladivostok rules all the land from the border town of Najin to the Amur River, and it also disputes Sakhalin with the Hosokawa. These features have made Vladivostok extremely wealthy, and this led to Boyar Vladimir Dmitriovich's renovation of the city a century ago, hence the nickname. Rodion Vyacheslavovich, the current Boyar, belongs to the militaristic Derevenko clan, and he entertains thoughts of ending the Sakhalin dispute by force. When he's done with Sakhalin, Rodion dreams of moving north and forcing the hetman of Okhotsk to kneel before him, or even marching west to Harbin and stealing Manchuria from the febble grasp of the Zheng. That the other clans would not go for such foolish measures has not, will not occur to him.

Hassanid Kingdom of the Afghani

Government: Tribal Kingdom

Ruler: King Abu Hassan Mahmud al-Farid ibn Abbas Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim al-Herati (roughly translated: The father of Hassan, Mahmud the Peerless, son of Abbas, Servant of God, son of Ibrahim of Herat). Inheritance is father to most powerful and influential son

Totemic Symbol: A white crescent over white mountains, on a green and black bicolor

Languages: Pashtu, Persian, Urdu, Tajiki, Arabic

Religions: Sunni Islam, Assorted others (Shiite, Nestorianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism)

Afghanistan has been inhabited since the Old Stone Age, but the current incarnation of the country has existed for around two centuries. The current kingdom was founded by Hassan the Destroyer, who amassed a center of power around Herat, and then conquered the Helmand River Valley. His descendents have added to this domain, adding in Kashmir, Dushanbe, Frunze, and Mashdad. It is flanked by Vijayanagar, Persia, Samarkand, and Khiva.

The current king, Mahmud, is getting on in years, and has been letting his son Hassan take over more and more duties. Hassan has spent time in Vijayanagar as a foster, and his learned much about Hindu life. Unfortunately for the Vijaya, he also learned their weaknesses, and has nothing but contempt for the southern country. Hassan considers the Vijaya crippled by a massive, labyrinthine beauracracy that woldn't let the army piss without written permision in triplicate. In addition, the Hindi are extremely confident that no one would attack them. For now, Hassan bides his time until Mahmud dies and he becomes king.

Afganistan has returned to being a center of trade and culture as the old land routes reestablished themselves. Aside from trade, Afghanistan's main resources are agriculture, lumber, and salt mining. The main threats to security are an on-again, off-again rivalry with Samarkand, the Persian border, and a bandit clan called the Talib living in the Pamirs, who claim descent from an old ruling family from a thousand years ago.

Phew. Here is everything on Asia.

 

[Filo]

Do you recived my Sentry on Sirya?

 

[jmberry]

Oh, right. Here is Syria (cleaned up for legibility)

I have something similar in my stories and i have used this to tell about Syria

For now only history, than i wrote religion and politics

Thanks

EMPIRE OF SYRIA

HISTORY:

Syria was one of the nations in a key political situation in the Middle East before the fall of civilization.

For a long time the damage caused by war and lack of a centralized power on Syria reduced to a cluster of small principalities at war with each other. This chaos also generated rebirth.

Of all the cities that had suffered, perhaps it was the city of Sidon that suffered less. Not being the capital of Lebanon and not being near any of the war fronts, it had survived and the Sidonite area became an important commercial port. Thanks to its policy of neutrality towards the various states in a short time Sidon, which was a mercantile republic, was able to briefly regain Lebanon, except Tyre, which had fallen into the hands of Israel.

It was at this point that Sidon attracted the attention of Suleiman Assad, who, according to legend, was directly descended from the founder of Syria, Hafez Assad. Suleiman had great ambitions, wanting to regain all that had once belonged to the Syrians although it was not clear exactly what were the boundaries of this mythical first Empire.
Suleiman knew that to reconstruct the ancient Syria was in some way involve the principles that governed the various small successor states.
To do so, however, he needed money, money that only the rich could afford to give Sidon. Since he was lord of the city of Dara, capital of the Golan he had the best army and above all the most competent lords in Syria. So Suleiman promised military aid against Israel and in return asked Sidon for money. The battle marked the freedom of Baalbeck to Sidon and the rise to Suleiman.

The Federation of Lebanon that began after the battle included all of Phoenicia and Golan. Suleiman was able to exploit the victory to gain fame as a leader. He received this credit a few years later when he was chosen by the cities of the coast, led by Alexandretta (Iskenderun) to fight the pirates of Cyprus. Suleiman not only defeated the pirates but went on to captured a good part of Cyprus This latest victory took him to finally fulfill his dream of uniting Syria, but not before having to go into battle against the newly resurgent Persia. The victory in the Battle of Ninevah (Arbil) gave Syria the control over Kurdistan too. Over time, unfortunately, the empire is not always a winner and recently lost the island of Cyprus.

 

[Kaurne]

Thanks for that quote. I understand China and Japan a lot more now, andI think they make sense. China in particular is very realistic. The one thing I am concerned about is that it seems too close to OTL (maybe I'm just not too versed in Chinese History). I thought the idea was that this world would be different to our medieval period because ofthe developments that have occured over the past 500 years or so. I'm trying to think how the relic of modern China would change post-Regression China.

The thing I am concerned about is ethnic groups. Many minority ethnicgroups would likely declare independence during the Regression, and while some would be subsumed by other states, some would thrive and develop into independent nations. The wikipedia article on Ethnic Groups in Indonesia has a great (svg) map on all the different ethnic groups in Indonesia. Many other areas may be need to be redone for these reasons.

The thing is, while I don't care about the actual reason for the Regression, I do care about this world developing realistically in response to this. America makes sense because the Regression to medieval technology could feasibly result in the states becoming independent nations with political systems based on geography, culture etc. Mexico, Canada and Europe are done almost as well, but not quite as highqualtiy,because in the popular conciousness these nations are close to the US.Mexico and Canada are geographically close, Europe ideologically and economically.

Outside this area, some areas (not yours) seem not to have been considered that well. By redoing some areas, I hope to change this.

 

[Kaurne]

Here are a few more nations done.

The Republic of Makassar: Makassar is a nation built on trade. It serves as the trade hub for the eastern half of Indonesia, and is a stop off point for ships coming north from the Australian Commonwealth bearing gems and other valuable trade goods bound for pots further west. Half of its population resides in the city itself, and it barely produces enough food for itself – but it is very, very rich. Rich enough that its fleet is a match for any in the archipelago, and for it to have maintained it’s independence for over 200 years.

The city is ruled by a council of the seven greatest merchant families. Each year, the merchant houses of the city each submit their earning for auditors, and in theory the seven highest earning merchant houses gain a seat, which typically, but not always, goes to the head of the merchant house (in other cases in usually goes to a favoured son). However, since the auditors are under the employ of the city council, the only occasions the auditors do not choose the incumbents is when certain councillors arrange for others to be kicked out (which occurs surprisingly frequently) or when a merchant house is so ruined and loses so much money and prestige that it simply cannot be respected as a councillor.

Makassar engages in periodic warfare with the Emirate of Malado, and holds de facto control over the larger, but far poorer, Emirate of Sulwesan.

The Emirate of Malado: The great rival of Makassar, The Emirate controls the northern sections of the island of Sulawesan. Based around the great city of Malado, it too is a trading nation. But while Makassar forms a link between Australia and the great nations of Malaya and India, Malado links Australia with the Pilipinas and further north China and Japan.

It is a bitter rival of Makassar, and the two engage in periodic wars over trade rights in smaller nations. Its larger area means that while Makassar would die without trade, Malado would simply be wounded by it. Trade provides much of its wealth, but it can survive blockades – indeed, it has in the past.

Malado can muster far more men than Makassar can, but Makassar is protected by its vassal state the Emirate of Sulwesan. Malado cannot afford to march men across the mountains of Central Sulwesan, while being harried by Sulwesani irregulars, but Makassar finds it difficult to cripple the Maladan navy. As such, most of their wars and indecisive, and a great effort is spent by both nations in the lulls between wars to try and gain allies that might let them break the deadlock.

The Emirate of Sulwesan: The last remnant of the great state that once controlled the entire island, Sulwesan is poor, militarily weak and dominated by Makassar. Its ports and markets are dominated by Makassari merchants, and its armies are bankrolled by Makassari moneylenders. It is only kept by the Makassari as a buffer against the Maladans, and suffers greatly in Makassar’s periodic wars with the Maladans.

But the new Emir, Pramana II, is a shrewd man. If he sides with the Manadans in the next war, allowing their troops to pass through his territory unheeded, they might crush Makassar permanently and put an end the constant wars that devastate his land. He might even be granted small amounts of Makassari territory. Malado would become a major power in the region, and he would be their trusted ally. As he sees it, it is better to be controlled by one respectful power than to be caught between two disrespectful ones.

The Buton Sultanate: The nobody on Sulawesan, it’s terrain makes travel by land to its neighbours difficult. Its careful policy of staying neutral in the Makassari-Maladan wars means that it exerts little outside influence. Even other nations in Indonesia forget it exists – which suits the Butonese just fine. They like being free to live in peace, and the aristocracy are somewhat weaker here than in other nearby states.

They are, however, considering intervention on the other islands in western Indonesia. Most are small, and sparsely inhabited. The Butonese do not want to be a great empire, but they do think that more land could improve their economic power. They forget, however, that even becoming an economic power will force them into war, if only in defense.

 

[Filo]

Can i take Morocco and Algeria?

And a question: What about future Islam?
Syria on the map?

 

[jmberry]

Thanks for that quote. I understand China and Japan a lot more now, andI think they make sense. China in particular is very realistic. The one thing I am concerned about is that it seems too close to OTL (maybe I'm just not too versed in Chinese History). I thought the idea was that this world would be different to our medieval period because ofthe developments that have occured over the past 500 years or so. I'm trying to think how the relic of modern China would change post-Regression China.

The thing I am concerned about is ethnic groups. Many minority ethnicgroups would likely declare independence during the Regression, and while some would be subsumed by other states, some would thrive and develop into independent nations. The wikipedia article on Ethnic Groups in Indonesia has a great (svg) map on all the different ethnic groups in Indonesia. Many other areas may be need to be redone for these reasons.

The thing is, while I don't care about the actual reason for the Regression, I do care about this world developing realistically in response to this. America makes sense because the Regression to medieval technology could feasibly result in the states becoming independent nations with political systems based on geography, culture etc. Mexico, Canada and Europe are done almost as well, but not quite as highqualtiy,because in the popular conciousness these nations are close to the US.Mexico and Canada are geographically close, Europe ideologically and economically.

Outside this area, some areas (not yours) seem not to have been considered that well. By redoing some areas, I hope to change this.

By all means, feel free to expand on China. I specifically said that anyone who wants can do so.