Map Thread XVIII
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Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft / German Language Community
Green - Sovereign nations where German is the official language or a co-official language
Dark Green - Regions with German as an official language and a large German speaking population
Light Green - Countries with a strong German language tradition, but no official recognition
The German Language Community (germ. Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft a.k.a. DeGe) was founded in 1952 by the Empire of Germany, Neufranken, and Welsen. It's mission is to preserve and further the use of German. Many former colonies have since joined.
- This kinda spiraled from "hey, what if Klein-Venedig worked out". The general idea is an HRE that has its shit together and manages to be on roughly equal footing with France and Britain all through out modern history (not the most orginal idea, but hey). I haven't worked out what exactly the POD would be, it's probably somewhere around 1500.
The map shows most of the former and current colonies. Though some prefer not to join, either because German never really caught on or for various ideological reasons.
Green - Sovereign nations where German is the official language or a co-official language
Dark Green - Regions with German as an official language and a large German speaking population
Light Green - Countries with a strong German language tradition, but no official recognition
The German Language Community (germ. Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft a.k.a. DeGe) was founded in 1952 by the Empire of Germany, Neufranken, and Welsen. It's mission is to preserve and further the use of German. Many former colonies have since joined.
- This kinda spiraled from "hey, what if Klein-Venedig worked out". The general idea is an HRE that has its shit together and manages to be on roughly equal footing with France and Britain all through out modern history (not the most orginal idea, but hey). I haven't worked out what exactly the POD would be, it's probably somewhere around 1500.
The map shows most of the former and current colonies. Though some prefer not to join, either because German never really caught on or for various ideological reasons.
In 2019, the entire Finnish population of the Finn Hook (composing the upper peninsula, Wisconsin's northern coast, and Minnesota's coast) is transported to an uninhabited Earth.
Here's their progress so far.
Makes me wonder why Thanos doesn't make a pocket dimension for the half that got snapped.
Because he's a genocidal bastard who, specifically, wants to kill them?
Besides, it's half the population of the universe: which means the pocket dimension has to be as big as the original universe or they have the overpopulation problem. The word "pocket" seems a bit inadequate.
Our universe is big but who knows how big it is on the outside/compared to other universes that may exist?
True, but do existing other universes want half the population of the Marvel universe?
Supeuniversal President SuperMegaTrump-17 - "When the Marvelverse sends its organisms, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending organisms that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing ultimate nullifiers. They’re bringing supervillainy. They’re planet eaters. And some, I assume, are good life forms."
Reality can be whatever Thanos wants, because he is literally God when he has the Infinity Stones.
Perhaps in the comics, but there's no evidence he's powerful enough to create entire new empty universes in the movie version.
In Endgame (paraphrasing):
"I will strip the universe down to the last atom and create a new one. A universe that is grateful."
Don't start anything that might become a political discussion in here, please and yes it is
Vuu
Banned
My man, true experience is when you realize anything can turn into a political discussion. At least where I live and among the people I socialize with
I mean, when the discussion seamlessly goes from drugs, women and cars to blood feuds 10 times in a row, you have to ask yourself some questions...
I had been sitting around on a number of maps for a while (including a cover of this map by Bruce Munro, itself a cover) and really didn't feel satisfied with them. That is, until I noticed that the areas of the world in each that I did feel satisfied with did not overlap, and stitched them together...
...
History on this world diverges from ours first in the 9th century, with larger and even more successful Viking raids across Europe. Scandinavia is slower to adopt Christianity, and in more places Christian Kings have to send their armies to protect unwanted Churches from being destroyed by locals. Norse colonization of the Americas (eventually called ''Westland') becomes more permanent. Larger settlements develop, and common enough trade routes are maintained so that Christian Europe (caught in two sets of crusades of varying success, one against Islamic powers and the other against Pagan peoples of the North) is vaguely aware. While Scandinavia itself is Christianized in the 10th century, further Baltic Crusades (elongated by the fact that the Mongols show up on schedule and aid the Pagan Balts as they ram through the Christian and Muslim worlds) and fighting in Iceland bring a steady stream of Pagans and malcontents to the Westerly Isles, where a larger Kingdom is swelling across Atlantic Canada and New England. The writing is on the wall however, for the separate identity of Westerly Isles, and by the 1400s there is also a growing Christian community. In 1462, as Europe goes weary by defeats against Islamic powers (in Spain, and in the Balts, where the new horde has converted to Islam), and sensing an opportunity to finish off one front in religious warfare, a (supposedly final) crusade is launched to back a Christian nobleman's claim to the throne of the Westerly Isles and finish the Pagan north once and for all.
With fire and cannon power, and with Catholic unity not seen since the first Crusade to the Holy Land, a Christian Kingdom is established in 1426. It rules precariously, and is dependent on the patronage of England, France, and Leon, and under its first years a widespread movement to codify the Balto-Nordic paganism of the population takes place. A South African Boertrek-style migration (or perhaps for a better American analogy, a more violent and larger scale Mormon migration) of those opposing the Catholic Kingdom of 'Markland' into the interior of the continent (initially the Ohio valley, Atlantic seaboard in Eastern Virginia, and Deep South) ensues. The interior states that form ally with Native Americans, giving horses and guns and rune-writing over in exchange for support in fighting Christian powers (and a number of Native Shaman become popular among these states- Thor and the Thunder Gods of the Lakota for instance, are seen as one and the same, and in the 1800s more than a few members of the Cult of the White Buffalo died while be trampled to death). As the 15th century dawns, a confederal system, which aims to expand control to as much of the continent as to avoid being overwhelmed by European powers, forms. 'Kuronland,' known in English as 'Curonia' is born.
In Eastern Europe, a different history of Christianization leaves changes. The Mongols come and go as in our world, but the destruction of Slavic states in the Rus by Western Crusaders (and in subsequent centuries, no Timur or Ivan the Great) leaves the largest Mongol successor in a lot better position. This is, of course, the (Golden/Blue/White) Horde, known in ensuing centuries to its citizens as 'Qipcaqistan,' and to the nations of the Christian West as 'Cumonia.' Cumonia converts to Sunni Islam, but with many Buddhists and Shamanists, as well as Christians with its empire, the state continues a very Mongol-style affinity for tolerance to race and god, even if it is a centralizing behemoth. Cumonia for much of its earlier history embraces Persian-ate culture, and when the Cumonian language (perhaps its closest relative in our world being Kazakh) does come into its own, it is as influenced by Persian as English is by French. There is a Shah who lives in beautiful gardens, and well-organized mamluk bureaucracy which, while not entirely innovative, does a good job of not entirely losing its technological edge to Europe (this in a world where, at least initially, Europe is far less willing to help out Cumonia that it was our world's Russia). In the 17th and 18th centuries when this starts meaning a technological advantage over China, Cumonia pushes this more aggressively and successfully than our world's Russia did.
Butterflies caused by its role in the world leade to no successful Turkish conquest of Constantinople (and indeed, though a pale hallowed version of its former self, the Roman Empire theoretically continues to this day), and a more successful Poland (which by modern times is Poland-Lithuania-Hungary). Viking raids in the 9th and 10th centuries in Western Europe hit Spain as well, where they weaken Northern (Christian) Spain right when it is at its weakest. Muslim Spain or Andalusia totters on, despite being narrowly Christian in plurality, until it follows Christian Europe west and conquers the Incans, thereby giving them enough fast cash to stay together until the modern era (though with an economy wrecked by hundreds of years by inflation). Due to the fact that both powers are unaccustomed as they are (compared to our world's reconquista Spain) to holding large conquered territories, and the fact that Native Americans have had centuries ahead of OTL to adjust to Viking-brought diseases, things are slightly better for the Native Americans in Mesoamerica and the Andes (with OTL Bolivia being downright Ameridian and post-independence Mexico maintaining native kingdom protectorates right up to the present day).
That present day is 1921.
Curonia has, for centuries, slowly come out of its isolation. For a while, major warfare switched from being with the northeast (in Markland) to being with Mexico which was conquered by an Englishman trader in 1549 and revolted from England at a time when England looked to be the one Christian power ready to bury the hatchet with Curonia. Mexico is solidly native-majority (English being the language of inter-ethnic communication and education, in the manner of say, OTL Nigeria), but has embraced a sort of "fire-and-sword conversion of heathens" brand of Roman Catholicism that has long gone out of fashion in Europe and more recently become less fashionable in Markland. Curonia is now large enough and populous enough that it can probably win any war against Mexico or Markland, but not both at the same time and certainly not if the Christian world united in full force again.
In the modern world, Curonia has invested heavily in trade with Asia- specifically China and Japan- and has been received rather more kindly by these powers than by the European traders ready to burn down Canton over the legality of Opium sales. Japan in particular has already nearly caught up with Curonia, although without a defining victory over a neighbor in war, has yet to be noticed by the world for this.
Fortunately for the skalds who sing of Curonia's destiny as a sacred land, that's not very likely to happen. Markland and Mexico* aside, the Christian powers have colonized large chunks of the Eastern hemisphere, and while doing so, other identities such as 'German' or 'Italian' or even 'the white race' have started to take ever clearer precedence over defending the faith as a whole. At any rate, while the Holy Land is not in Christian hands, there really isn't much left of the Islamic or Hindu or Buddhist lands that isn't. These days, Germany (a rebranded Holy Roman Empire that has slowly being grinding away at centralization for the last five hundred years, and is now truly an empire of Roman proportions), as the undisputed top dog, is a far bigger threat to say France or Poland than any heathen. A later movement towards Enlightenment ideals and secularism is currently on the upswing anyway, underscoring a worldview of nationalism. It's not quite as large a swing from religious views of geopolitics of our world, more of an overly on them.
This is not to say that religious conceptions of the world have gone away- rather more so than in our (say, Victorian era) world, there are some people who see the world in terms of religio-cultural civilizations, and some people who see it in nations, with more people seeing it as a confluence of both.
Part of this may be due to the fact that, in addition to a Curonia which maintains its isolation from the Christian West, the Cumonians and Quiga (explained below) form far more formidable Islamic powers than our world's Ottomans did. The Cumonians may be rather separated from the rest of Europe, and perhaps even slightly more backwards relative to Europe than our world's Russia was, but they are far more stable. Governing over a vast multi-ethnic and multi-religious realm, in the last century, the Cumonian Shahs have been some of the greatest backers of nationalism, and have attempted to construct (parallel to Soviet lines) a sort of cosmopolitan, well-traveled 'Cumonian First' sort of man. The railroads that bring goods from all corners of the Empire into Sarai now extend across Asia. Although geopolitically rather surrounded on its southern and eastern fronts by various rivals or unhappy neighbors (the Germans and Chinese, Rajasthan) the Cumonians are fast catching up in linkage to the world by their ports on the Arabian sea, and have an 'understanding' with the Polish that has, until now, kept their Western front secure.
Poland, by existing as a more powerful state, thanks to a perpetually non-threatening and undeveloped Rus to the East, has radically changed the history of Europe. Currently the state exists as a trinity with Lithuania and Hungary (and those with nationalist pipe dreams like to imagine two more joining: Novgorod and Ceraldjed, originally Sehr al-Jedid, a Horde state in OTL Moldavia that broke away as a Christian merchant republic. Both Novgorod and Cerldjed had histories of support from Poland in maintaining their independence from the Horde, but more recently have happily been neutral buffers. Poland's government has gradually evolved into an aristocratic republic, with a bicameral parliament (one house for the top 10% or so of society to vote for representatives in, the other with universal suffrage). This model of aristocratic republicanism has become quite popular, and been adopted in some form in Germany, Sweden Denmark, and France (though Italy and Bulgaria are much more authoritarian, and Leon and England are rather more conventional in their Parliamentary Monarchies). Originally, this style of Republicanism was much more limited; the royal family willingly gave up power in exchange for, along with some of the most powerful nobles, being part of a very exclusive voting body. As the percent of society consider some form of 'nobility' has grown, there is talk of abolishing the upper house entirely, or, less radically, giving all non-criminals the right to vote in its elections.
Another effect of Poland's larger influence on Europe has been a stronger acceptance of Jews; at any rate, when there are literal Pagans giving fire animal sacrifices to Odin, there are far worse faiths, in the eyes of the Church, than Jews who basically worship 'our' god anyway. Though of late, because of the aforementioned colonial struggles, the Church (despite being united as it is in a world with no Protestant Reformation) has been been ignored.
The most recent power to come to the forefront of the world has been the Islamic Quiga Union (Quiga being essentially an Arabic form of 'Quechua'). In this world, Iran went Sunni early on, and, despite the formation of a great Shiite power in India, there was basically no Shiite state. In Southwesterly colonies of the Andalusian Sultanate however, just as European malcontents fled to Curonia, Shiites, from across North Africa and the Middle East, migrated in great numbers to the Andes. When the Andalusians created a caste-based society, with those of lighter or more olive skinned, accepted Mosque (or next best: Church) membership, and better spoken Andalusian on top, many of these Shia immigrants found themselves grouped with, and politically allied to, the poor, indigenous peoples of the deep Andes who made up much of the majority of the population. Over the centuries, Andalusian rule relaxed (and moderates on all sides believed that a more prosperous and democratic future was possible) but a hardened core of guerrillas, mostly indigenous, quasi-socialist, and Shia, remained in the jungles. At the dawn of the 20th century, in 1900, while Andalusia was being blockaded by little Italy, moderates made demands for independence that were soon rejected. In an ensuing twenty years of violent struggle (that, from the perspective of some, remains unfinished as Andalusia remains in control of some of its Southwesterly colonies), the 'Jungle Jihad' faction stunned outsiders, and emerged victorious, creating the first Shia state in centuries, and an Islamic populist republic. Time will tell how democratic it is, but dramatic projects for Quiga (written in the Arabic script) to be made a national language, and land redistribution to peasants are being debated. Cumonia has sent ambassadors but is, for the moment, more miffed about all this talk of 'the new leader of the House of Islam' coming out of megaphones around Lake Titikaka. Curonian Nationalists, which has busily tried to collect allies across the seas, wonders aloud as to whether Quigans could provide a second-front in a hypothetical war with Mexico (NO! the Andean Mullahs retort, 'at least the Mexicans are People of the Book!'). Germany, which quietly supported the Jungle Jihadists (half as a joke, half to take the Andalusian down a peg) has been rather startled at their sudden success in reaching German territory. While their's is a universal religion, at least (for now) there isn't much overt talk of Leninist-style 'world revolution.'
It is a modern sort of world- with radios and black and white TVs, which air blimps and high-speed railroads made with plastics and rubber. It is edging towards more democracy but is, as of yet, rather more full of culturally inward-looking empires and civilizations. Space-travel is already discussed and may be on the horizon, and vaccines are rather more developed. France has, as of late, been giving a lot of emergency powers to the nobility descended from the old King. The Socialists (or their equivalent here) are ready to storm out of parliament. The 1921 things look ready to boil over, but a mutual simmering hatred of the Germans keeps together. Instead, the Italy will make the first move in a growing storm over Europe as it invades Sicily...
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, a secret Curonian initiative has developed and tested a nuclear bomb in Fjotraland (the Great Basin).
...
History on this world diverges from ours first in the 9th century, with larger and even more successful Viking raids across Europe. Scandinavia is slower to adopt Christianity, and in more places Christian Kings have to send their armies to protect unwanted Churches from being destroyed by locals. Norse colonization of the Americas (eventually called ''Westland') becomes more permanent. Larger settlements develop, and common enough trade routes are maintained so that Christian Europe (caught in two sets of crusades of varying success, one against Islamic powers and the other against Pagan peoples of the North) is vaguely aware. While Scandinavia itself is Christianized in the 10th century, further Baltic Crusades (elongated by the fact that the Mongols show up on schedule and aid the Pagan Balts as they ram through the Christian and Muslim worlds) and fighting in Iceland bring a steady stream of Pagans and malcontents to the Westerly Isles, where a larger Kingdom is swelling across Atlantic Canada and New England. The writing is on the wall however, for the separate identity of Westerly Isles, and by the 1400s there is also a growing Christian community. In 1462, as Europe goes weary by defeats against Islamic powers (in Spain, and in the Balts, where the new horde has converted to Islam), and sensing an opportunity to finish off one front in religious warfare, a (supposedly final) crusade is launched to back a Christian nobleman's claim to the throne of the Westerly Isles and finish the Pagan north once and for all.
With fire and cannon power, and with Catholic unity not seen since the first Crusade to the Holy Land, a Christian Kingdom is established in 1426. It rules precariously, and is dependent on the patronage of England, France, and Leon, and under its first years a widespread movement to codify the Balto-Nordic paganism of the population takes place. A South African Boertrek-style migration (or perhaps for a better American analogy, a more violent and larger scale Mormon migration) of those opposing the Catholic Kingdom of 'Markland' into the interior of the continent (initially the Ohio valley, Atlantic seaboard in Eastern Virginia, and Deep South) ensues. The interior states that form ally with Native Americans, giving horses and guns and rune-writing over in exchange for support in fighting Christian powers (and a number of Native Shaman become popular among these states- Thor and the Thunder Gods of the Lakota for instance, are seen as one and the same, and in the 1800s more than a few members of the Cult of the White Buffalo died while be trampled to death). As the 15th century dawns, a confederal system, which aims to expand control to as much of the continent as to avoid being overwhelmed by European powers, forms. 'Kuronland,' known in English as 'Curonia' is born.
In Eastern Europe, a different history of Christianization leaves changes. The Mongols come and go as in our world, but the destruction of Slavic states in the Rus by Western Crusaders (and in subsequent centuries, no Timur or Ivan the Great) leaves the largest Mongol successor in a lot better position. This is, of course, the (Golden/Blue/White) Horde, known in ensuing centuries to its citizens as 'Qipcaqistan,' and to the nations of the Christian West as 'Cumonia.' Cumonia converts to Sunni Islam, but with many Buddhists and Shamanists, as well as Christians with its empire, the state continues a very Mongol-style affinity for tolerance to race and god, even if it is a centralizing behemoth. Cumonia for much of its earlier history embraces Persian-ate culture, and when the Cumonian language (perhaps its closest relative in our world being Kazakh) does come into its own, it is as influenced by Persian as English is by French. There is a Shah who lives in beautiful gardens, and well-organized mamluk bureaucracy which, while not entirely innovative, does a good job of not entirely losing its technological edge to Europe (this in a world where, at least initially, Europe is far less willing to help out Cumonia that it was our world's Russia). In the 17th and 18th centuries when this starts meaning a technological advantage over China, Cumonia pushes this more aggressively and successfully than our world's Russia did.
Butterflies caused by its role in the world leade to no successful Turkish conquest of Constantinople (and indeed, though a pale hallowed version of its former self, the Roman Empire theoretically continues to this day), and a more successful Poland (which by modern times is Poland-Lithuania-Hungary). Viking raids in the 9th and 10th centuries in Western Europe hit Spain as well, where they weaken Northern (Christian) Spain right when it is at its weakest. Muslim Spain or Andalusia totters on, despite being narrowly Christian in plurality, until it follows Christian Europe west and conquers the Incans, thereby giving them enough fast cash to stay together until the modern era (though with an economy wrecked by hundreds of years by inflation). Due to the fact that both powers are unaccustomed as they are (compared to our world's reconquista Spain) to holding large conquered territories, and the fact that Native Americans have had centuries ahead of OTL to adjust to Viking-brought diseases, things are slightly better for the Native Americans in Mesoamerica and the Andes (with OTL Bolivia being downright Ameridian and post-independence Mexico maintaining native kingdom protectorates right up to the present day).
That present day is 1921.
Curonia has, for centuries, slowly come out of its isolation. For a while, major warfare switched from being with the northeast (in Markland) to being with Mexico which was conquered by an Englishman trader in 1549 and revolted from England at a time when England looked to be the one Christian power ready to bury the hatchet with Curonia. Mexico is solidly native-majority (English being the language of inter-ethnic communication and education, in the manner of say, OTL Nigeria), but has embraced a sort of "fire-and-sword conversion of heathens" brand of Roman Catholicism that has long gone out of fashion in Europe and more recently become less fashionable in Markland. Curonia is now large enough and populous enough that it can probably win any war against Mexico or Markland, but not both at the same time and certainly not if the Christian world united in full force again.
In the modern world, Curonia has invested heavily in trade with Asia- specifically China and Japan- and has been received rather more kindly by these powers than by the European traders ready to burn down Canton over the legality of Opium sales. Japan in particular has already nearly caught up with Curonia, although without a defining victory over a neighbor in war, has yet to be noticed by the world for this.
Fortunately for the skalds who sing of Curonia's destiny as a sacred land, that's not very likely to happen. Markland and Mexico* aside, the Christian powers have colonized large chunks of the Eastern hemisphere, and while doing so, other identities such as 'German' or 'Italian' or even 'the white race' have started to take ever clearer precedence over defending the faith as a whole. At any rate, while the Holy Land is not in Christian hands, there really isn't much left of the Islamic or Hindu or Buddhist lands that isn't. These days, Germany (a rebranded Holy Roman Empire that has slowly being grinding away at centralization for the last five hundred years, and is now truly an empire of Roman proportions), as the undisputed top dog, is a far bigger threat to say France or Poland than any heathen. A later movement towards Enlightenment ideals and secularism is currently on the upswing anyway, underscoring a worldview of nationalism. It's not quite as large a swing from religious views of geopolitics of our world, more of an overly on them.
This is not to say that religious conceptions of the world have gone away- rather more so than in our (say, Victorian era) world, there are some people who see the world in terms of religio-cultural civilizations, and some people who see it in nations, with more people seeing it as a confluence of both.
Part of this may be due to the fact that, in addition to a Curonia which maintains its isolation from the Christian West, the Cumonians and Quiga (explained below) form far more formidable Islamic powers than our world's Ottomans did. The Cumonians may be rather separated from the rest of Europe, and perhaps even slightly more backwards relative to Europe than our world's Russia was, but they are far more stable. Governing over a vast multi-ethnic and multi-religious realm, in the last century, the Cumonian Shahs have been some of the greatest backers of nationalism, and have attempted to construct (parallel to Soviet lines) a sort of cosmopolitan, well-traveled 'Cumonian First' sort of man. The railroads that bring goods from all corners of the Empire into Sarai now extend across Asia. Although geopolitically rather surrounded on its southern and eastern fronts by various rivals or unhappy neighbors (the Germans and Chinese, Rajasthan) the Cumonians are fast catching up in linkage to the world by their ports on the Arabian sea, and have an 'understanding' with the Polish that has, until now, kept their Western front secure.
Poland, by existing as a more powerful state, thanks to a perpetually non-threatening and undeveloped Rus to the East, has radically changed the history of Europe. Currently the state exists as a trinity with Lithuania and Hungary (and those with nationalist pipe dreams like to imagine two more joining: Novgorod and Ceraldjed, originally Sehr al-Jedid, a Horde state in OTL Moldavia that broke away as a Christian merchant republic. Both Novgorod and Cerldjed had histories of support from Poland in maintaining their independence from the Horde, but more recently have happily been neutral buffers. Poland's government has gradually evolved into an aristocratic republic, with a bicameral parliament (one house for the top 10% or so of society to vote for representatives in, the other with universal suffrage). This model of aristocratic republicanism has become quite popular, and been adopted in some form in Germany, Sweden Denmark, and France (though Italy and Bulgaria are much more authoritarian, and Leon and England are rather more conventional in their Parliamentary Monarchies). Originally, this style of Republicanism was much more limited; the royal family willingly gave up power in exchange for, along with some of the most powerful nobles, being part of a very exclusive voting body. As the percent of society consider some form of 'nobility' has grown, there is talk of abolishing the upper house entirely, or, less radically, giving all non-criminals the right to vote in its elections.
Another effect of Poland's larger influence on Europe has been a stronger acceptance of Jews; at any rate, when there are literal Pagans giving fire animal sacrifices to Odin, there are far worse faiths, in the eyes of the Church, than Jews who basically worship 'our' god anyway. Though of late, because of the aforementioned colonial struggles, the Church (despite being united as it is in a world with no Protestant Reformation) has been been ignored.
The most recent power to come to the forefront of the world has been the Islamic Quiga Union (Quiga being essentially an Arabic form of 'Quechua'). In this world, Iran went Sunni early on, and, despite the formation of a great Shiite power in India, there was basically no Shiite state. In Southwesterly colonies of the Andalusian Sultanate however, just as European malcontents fled to Curonia, Shiites, from across North Africa and the Middle East, migrated in great numbers to the Andes. When the Andalusians created a caste-based society, with those of lighter or more olive skinned, accepted Mosque (or next best: Church) membership, and better spoken Andalusian on top, many of these Shia immigrants found themselves grouped with, and politically allied to, the poor, indigenous peoples of the deep Andes who made up much of the majority of the population. Over the centuries, Andalusian rule relaxed (and moderates on all sides believed that a more prosperous and democratic future was possible) but a hardened core of guerrillas, mostly indigenous, quasi-socialist, and Shia, remained in the jungles. At the dawn of the 20th century, in 1900, while Andalusia was being blockaded by little Italy, moderates made demands for independence that were soon rejected. In an ensuing twenty years of violent struggle (that, from the perspective of some, remains unfinished as Andalusia remains in control of some of its Southwesterly colonies), the 'Jungle Jihad' faction stunned outsiders, and emerged victorious, creating the first Shia state in centuries, and an Islamic populist republic. Time will tell how democratic it is, but dramatic projects for Quiga (written in the Arabic script) to be made a national language, and land redistribution to peasants are being debated. Cumonia has sent ambassadors but is, for the moment, more miffed about all this talk of 'the new leader of the House of Islam' coming out of megaphones around Lake Titikaka. Curonian Nationalists, which has busily tried to collect allies across the seas, wonders aloud as to whether Quigans could provide a second-front in a hypothetical war with Mexico (NO! the Andean Mullahs retort, 'at least the Mexicans are People of the Book!'). Germany, which quietly supported the Jungle Jihadists (half as a joke, half to take the Andalusian down a peg) has been rather startled at their sudden success in reaching German territory. While their's is a universal religion, at least (for now) there isn't much overt talk of Leninist-style 'world revolution.'
It is a modern sort of world- with radios and black and white TVs, which air blimps and high-speed railroads made with plastics and rubber. It is edging towards more democracy but is, as of yet, rather more full of culturally inward-looking empires and civilizations. Space-travel is already discussed and may be on the horizon, and vaccines are rather more developed. France has, as of late, been giving a lot of emergency powers to the nobility descended from the old King. The Socialists (or their equivalent here) are ready to storm out of parliament. The 1921 things look ready to boil over, but a mutual simmering hatred of the Germans keeps together. Instead, the Italy will make the first move in a growing storm over Europe as it invades Sicily...
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, a secret Curonian initiative has developed and tested a nuclear bomb in Fjotraland (the Great Basin).
- Status