Map Thread XX
- Thread starter Balkanized U.S.A
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Evolution of the fluency in German language in an alt-German Empire, from 1815 to 1915:
Well, it's a GURPS Infinite Worlds cover, but this setting's not one I've seen anybody so much as mention until now and I thought it was neat. So here it is: the world of British Rhodes!
"British Rhodes" is an article in the final issue of Steve Jackson Games online magazine Pyramid, published December 2018. It's set in a timeline named, in traditional Infinite Worlds style, Bismarck-3. Ironically, Bismarck didn't do so hot ITTL: the overt POD is in 1866, when, thanks to even worse logistical issues than IOTL, Prussia loses the Battle of Königgrätz, halting their advance into Bohemia and encouraging Napoleon III to intervene in October of that year. The war ends in a stalemate and Bismarck's booted out by 1877 in spite of negotiating the accession of Hanover and (in a great and, in his opinion, cruelly underappreciated, diplomatic coup) Saxony to the North German Confederation. Napoleon III, conversely, is vindicated by this course of events and gets to not deal with an analogue to the Franco-Prussian War as a reward. The balance of power, such as it is, continues on to the present year of 1907 in a somewhat pulpier, steampunkier, more airship-happy world where War is Approaching. The Entente Cordiale, composed of France, Austria, and their hangers-on, is staring down the popularly dubbed New Grand Alliance of North Germany and Russia (and also Belgium); both sides are looking for any chance they can get to finally destroy the failed order of the Congress of Vienna and impose their will on Europe. Britain has thus far stayed aloof from Continental politics and so has found themselves in the awkward position of being threatened by both France and Russia. Which one they choose to side with in the inevitable war will largely depend on how the it starts, and there are a dizzying number of possibilities. Will it be nationalist revolutions in the Ottoman Empire or the small German states? Will it be the peasant revolt brewing in northern Moldavia? Will it be Napoleon IV eating it because he's not taking the attempt on his life while stuck in port at Rhodes seriously enough? Will it be some bullshit about the machine some divers found at Antikythera? Only time will tell.
Oh, yeah, I should probably explain British Rhodes (properly the Crown Colony of Rhodes, Carpathos, and Casos). It's a consequence of Napoleon III's very ambitious foreign policy putting Egypt squarely in the French sphere of influence well before it got caught in Britain's IOTL. When the alt!Russo-Turkish War ended and Britain was looking for a naval base in the Eastern Mediterranean, London decided Cyprus wasn't defensible enough against French invasion and instead leased the more easily fortified Rhodes. I'm deferring to author Matt Wehmeier's strategic judgment here, although it seems reasonable enough. It's certainly pretty detailed in the article.
This is somehow the first AH map I've ever actually finished, and I have to say I'm pretty proud of it! However, by no means did I draw all of this myself. Many of the borders in this map are from @Iserlohn's excellent work, and are used here, thankfully, with permission.
"British Rhodes" is an article in the final issue of Steve Jackson Games online magazine Pyramid, published December 2018. It's set in a timeline named, in traditional Infinite Worlds style, Bismarck-3. Ironically, Bismarck didn't do so hot ITTL: the overt POD is in 1866, when, thanks to even worse logistical issues than IOTL, Prussia loses the Battle of Königgrätz, halting their advance into Bohemia and encouraging Napoleon III to intervene in October of that year. The war ends in a stalemate and Bismarck's booted out by 1877 in spite of negotiating the accession of Hanover and (in a great and, in his opinion, cruelly underappreciated, diplomatic coup) Saxony to the North German Confederation. Napoleon III, conversely, is vindicated by this course of events and gets to not deal with an analogue to the Franco-Prussian War as a reward. The balance of power, such as it is, continues on to the present year of 1907 in a somewhat pulpier, steampunkier, more airship-happy world where War is Approaching. The Entente Cordiale, composed of France, Austria, and their hangers-on, is staring down the popularly dubbed New Grand Alliance of North Germany and Russia (and also Belgium); both sides are looking for any chance they can get to finally destroy the failed order of the Congress of Vienna and impose their will on Europe. Britain has thus far stayed aloof from Continental politics and so has found themselves in the awkward position of being threatened by both France and Russia. Which one they choose to side with in the inevitable war will largely depend on how the it starts, and there are a dizzying number of possibilities. Will it be nationalist revolutions in the Ottoman Empire or the small German states? Will it be the peasant revolt brewing in northern Moldavia? Will it be Napoleon IV eating it because he's not taking the attempt on his life while stuck in port at Rhodes seriously enough? Will it be some bullshit about the machine some divers found at Antikythera? Only time will tell.
Oh, yeah, I should probably explain British Rhodes (properly the Crown Colony of Rhodes, Carpathos, and Casos). It's a consequence of Napoleon III's very ambitious foreign policy putting Egypt squarely in the French sphere of influence well before it got caught in Britain's IOTL. When the alt!Russo-Turkish War ended and Britain was looking for a naval base in the Eastern Mediterranean, London decided Cyprus wasn't defensible enough against French invasion and instead leased the more easily fortified Rhodes. I'm deferring to author Matt Wehmeier's strategic judgment here, although it seems reasonable enough. It's certainly pretty detailed in the article.
This is somehow the first AH map I've ever actually finished, and I have to say I'm pretty proud of it! However, by no means did I draw all of this myself. Many of the borders in this map are from @Iserlohn's excellent work, and are used here, thankfully, with permission.
‘Democracy and the CPC: The End of Communism’
2007-08-01
The right to choose one’s leader is an inevitable facet of the human spirit. Many countries attempted to resist this fact, but they all fell to the demands of democracy and self-government. The Soviet Union crumbled in response to national aspirations for democracy. China presumed it could avoid this fate- the ruling Communist Party thought Tiananmen would be forgotten by the people. Now, the Chinese regime recognizes that the more they suppress democracy, the brighter it burns.
As the new century dawned more and more members within the party realized democracy was a necessity. Their motive was not altruistic but rather a calculated gamble to keep the populace satisfied enough to nullify any demands for real, structural change. Jiang’s successor presided over numerous important reforms such as the opening of a stock exchange in Beijing and the creation of numerous Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to facilitate foreign investment. This signaled a shift away from the old totalitarian system, in which everything was dictated from the top-down by the all-powerful Central Committee.
In the new system, every member of the Communist Party would have the opportunity to vote for both the National Congress, the Central Committee, and even the highest position within the Communist Party- the General Secretary.
It was hoped that with the advent of intra-party democracy, the need for higher state organs such as the Politburo and Standing Committee would be abolished, but the party liberals made it clear that intra-party democracy must work in order for the experiment to continue. In addition, party conservatives have made it clear that they won’t stand for these “capitalist roader reforms”. The most prominent of these voices is Xi Jinping, who intends to break this new system and bring back the ideals of “true Leninist thought” within the party.
The liberal faction, even if they are part of the same party that killed millions of people in the ‘60s, should be seen as the lesser evil compared to the hardliners. In a way, this should be seen as the coming of a Chinese perestroika, whereby the people will be able to express their opinions, and show the world that democracy has applications outside the West as well.
Electoral Violence Rocks Beijing Amid Chaotic Elections
By Zhang Yuzhong | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2007-08-16 13:47
Unrest brews in Beijing as reports of violence among rival factions of the CPC threaten to disrupt the already fragile election process. Local party offices have been ransacked by masked men and open street combat between rival factions threaten to undo the last few years’ work of reform in China.
Already, the chaos around the elections has been touted by party conservatives as a sign that the reform package has been a monumental failure, highlighting the gross factionalism that plagues a once united party. In particular, the city of Beijing has experienced some of the worst infighting in the weeks preceding the election. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the liberal faction and major presidential candidate, has been criticized for his unwillingness to restore order in the worst-affected areas of the city. These areas have been suffering from an uptick in poverty and factional infighting, and have seen the worst of electoral violence.
Local Li Qiang comments on the violence that has escalated throughout his neighborhood and the instability the elections have brought:
“Just look at this street- nothing but decay and fire. My business has been ransacked, and the local deputy hasn’t charged anyone for this. How can anyone say this election will change anything?!”
This hasn’t only affected the lower classes of Beijing. The violence has spread to the suburbs, but not in the way one would think. People are being intimidated by gangs to vote for Zhou. Many have been either coerced with cash, pay raises, or brute force in order to keep them in line. One such civilian, who has asked to remain anonymous, remarks on the similarities between this and Russia post-Yeltsin:
“No one can argue that the reform package has been good, but it’s so entrenched within the party that it’d take someone with enough will to uproot all of it. Every major candidate, save for Xi, Chen, and many others, has used some form of intimidation to get us to vote. This is exactly what Putin did when the Communist Party challenged his regime- they harassed, bribed, and killed, all to keep them in line. How can anyone say this will be different?”
With the election still underway, it remains to be seen if this intimidation will result in the triumph of the liberals, or if firebrand Xi Jinping can make it and, in his words, “steer the ship back on the right direction.”
OPINION: ‘Trucker lords’ in collusion with prominent liberal politicians
By Steve Harrow
Source: Global Times
Published: 2007/10/8 15:41:19
China and trucking always was an uneasy combination. During the administrations of both Jiang Zemin and his successor, the opening of the nation to foreign investment and technology gave truckers a competitive advantage. As they became too much to handle, many local governments turned over trucker regulation to newly-formed private enterprises.
In theory, these enterprises and their leaders would have the full support of the national, provincial, and municipal governments, provided they delivered said products on time and with the utmost quality of transportation.
That is no longer the case.
Nearly a decade after trucker privatization was implemented, China’s trucking industry has fallen under the control of what many disparangely call “trucker lords”. These ‘trucker lords’ have become the subject of much controversy due to their alleged ties to the CPC’s liberal faction, being seen as their main agent in China’s interior provinces.
One infamous ‘trucker lord’ is Huang Zhou, whose trucking empire spans Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Shanxi and the Ningxia Autonomous Region. He is a personal friend of leading liberal politician Bo Xilai and there is much suspicion that the latter uses Huang’s network to enrich himself via extortions and kickbacks on vital goods and services. In addition, it has been observed, but officially reported that trucker lords have been strong-arming and intimidating local CPC party members into voting for the liberal bloc. Many trucker lords have raised prices, rendered services unavailable, and in some cases even simply refused to deliver supplies in order to starve disobedient regions into voting for their preferred candidate. But in most cases, it seems they prefer intimidation and violence. Hong Kuang, a provincial clerk from Qinghai and prominent critic of the trucker lords, was found dead last week, having been shot twenty-three times- an open warning to anyone who speaks out against their webs of influence.
The trucker lords’ influence has become even more apparent after the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection investigated prominent trucker lords and discovered many of them had married into the families of major liberal politicians. Li Changchun, a careerist politician noted as a “fixer” of Shenzhen’s corporate monopolies, has been documented making contractual marriages between corporate leaders and major trucker lords, formalizing already-established agreements.
It is clear that the trucker lords have significant influence over this election, and perhaps many more for the foreseeable future. As the trucker lords become increasingly entwined with the liberal faction of the CPC, the hardliners seem like the only Chinese faction willing to root out corruption and break the power of these trucker lords.
The author is an expert in Chinese internal politics who writes about China’s current situation. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
Xi stresses the need for the reinvigoration of socialism with Chinese characteristics amid growing instability
(Xinhua) 05:32, October 15, 2007
Xi Jinping, Party Secretary of Zhejiang province, and candidate for the position of General Secretary in China’s first elections, calls for a return to the pre-Jiang era, citing core issues within the Chinese economy and nation as the failing of the Program for Inter-Party Democracy for the Development of Socialism.
BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping has called for a massive, party-wide rejection of the Development Program and the return to the traditions of the Communist Party.
Xi, a major frontrunner for the position of General Secretary, has made it clear that socialism will not be discarded in favor of relentless economic growth, and the interior of the People’s Republic will not be abandoned.
Xi underlined the main cause of strife and social upheaval being the Development Program, one initiated by Jiang’s successor. The campaign that was supposed to actualize true intra-party democracy and represent the will of the people has caused great upheaval in the Communist Party. The process by which the Communist Party has to organize, prepare, and safeguard nearly a hundred million ballots is already daunting enough, but with the introduction of factionalism, there is a greater impetus for catastrophe.
Already, reports of fraud in Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian have frustrated many in the Central Committee and the Central Political Bureau.
Because of the Development Program, as well as other programs initiated during, GDP in the coastal provinces has increased by 40% in the past decade, while GDP in the interior provinces have remained where they were during Jiang Zemin’s tenure. In addition, economic inequality has reached levels never thought possible in the People’s Republic.
“How can the people's livelihood be secured when those roaders in Beijing do nothing to uplift the people’s wellbeing? Look around you- does this look like socialism? Does rampant inequality, open patronage, and street violence look like it? Ask yourself if these platitudes to the West are worth it. Is it really worth it to throw away the hard work our fathers and grandfathers have put in the development of the nation?”
Xi has emphasized if he wins the election, he will eliminate the inequality between the regions, reverse the Program, and steer the country back on the path of socialism.
Elections in China prove inconclusive (Updated Live)
Jeffery Kuang
Published 12:32, October 19, 2007
The circumstances surrounding the first Communist Party election were marred by chaos and confusion, with nearly a thousand deaths due to electoral violence. Nevertheless after nine days of extensive counting the newly-formed Central Elections Department announced the results.
Only Communist Party factions were allowed to run. Two broad coalitions developed, one led by renowned hardliner Xi Jinping and the other by prominent liberal figure Bo Xilai. Candidates Ling Jinhua, Li Changchun, Zhou Yongkang and Wu Bangguo agreed to caucus with Xilai while Chen Quanguo, Li Jianguo, Zhang Dejiang, Zhang Youxia, and Zhou Qiang reached an agreement to govern with Xi should he win. Nevertheless, both coalitions are at an impasse- although the Xi-led hardliner coalition has a slight plurality in all the higher Chinese organs of state it has not obtained a majority as dictated by the Rules Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
With this political inconclusivity, it remains to be seen which direction China’s newborn semi-democracy will take the nation in…,
AAAA what happens next?! Do we get a hardliner coup attempt like in Russia?
It's taken a while, and it's something of an experiment. But here's a new entry for the RDNA-verse, this time focusing on the Long Cold War on a macro scale, while also moving the proverbial timeline a bit forward. The DeviantArt version can be found here.
Using NASA's G.Projector program, this started out as a test of what it could do for any future works. It soon turned into an opportunity to try out more varied styles, especially ones that would fit the setting. Everything just spiraled on from there.
As with A World at the Precipice c.2022, this one is a bit of a distant successor to The World of 2024 made back in 2011, but now actually set in 2024 and in a form that isn't just on an in-universe computer screen. While a lot has changed since the RDNA-verse started off, the general Dieselpunk/Atompunk/Orwellian/Magical Realism motifs still remains relatively consistent. Moreover, there's a haunting nod as to how fragile the seemingly interminable standoff really is, while simultaneously hinting as to how this could potentially devolve into something like 1984 or Pre-War Fallout if this persists "indefinitely."
Also, a special nod to
once more, for being a major influence, especially with a couple of details in the "redacted" texts.
Though just to be sure, this is a work of fiction. This is not a political, ideological or propaganda screed.
All that said, I bid you welcome to a brave new world...
Editorial: A New Century in a War without End
The turmoil surrounding the early 20th Century left much that remains at best, muddled, making any prospect of ending the Terror at its inception largely an exercise in pointless conjecture. Indeed, if there was ever a time when the battle against Collectivism could have been won, we would be living with the results of that by now. What matters, however, is the present, and there's no time like it.
Many people living in the Free Nations, and even those wretched Reactionaries to some degree, savor standards of living, technological marvels, and freedoms that are the envy of their ancestors. Few, however, are ignorant regarding the threats looming from both without and within. The specter of Red revolution, and of the Collectivist Internationale finally losing all inhibitions, still influence much of our lives. The same advancements made over the generations, including the leaps over the past decade, have also shaped everything we use to defend ourselves, from tools of espionage, to the Rail Carbines used by our men and women in uniform, to the very atomics that remain as crucial in enforcing deterrence now as in the 1950s. On any given day, soldiers patrol the vast Red Corridor with the possibility of engaging the enemy. While skirmishes and proxy battles are waged, whether in far-flung frontiers or even much closer to our shores, by and large these continue to prevent tensions from escalating further than they already have. The sacrifices made, and the debt owed, could not be understated.
Likewise, the mounting costs of our vigilance and defiance in the face of madness should not be neglected. For all our material prosperity, the Free World's economic health increasingly hangs by a thread. While beneath the surface, there are growing social tensions, upticks in mental illness among certain circles, fears of more nihilistic gangs like those roaming the English countryside, and reports of Red sleeper cells within our midst. On top of these, republicans and royalists alike have to contend with resisting the swan song of Reactionarism, some even dreading that what befell the Australians, Afrikaners, Levantines, and so many others would happen to them. With each new deployment, military-related contract or discovery of yet another Red sleeper cell, the tenuous balancing act that's allowed some semblance of normalcy to prevail becomes harder to maintain.
All the while, even with all best minds and operatives at work, there still is much that's enigmatic about the Internationale itself. The bouts of controlled infighting known to be characteristic of the Reds' internal affairs have apparently waned in more recent times, indicative perhaps of a sense of cohesion that isn't superficial. Collectivist propaganda has grown more brazen in their grandiose proclamations, coinciding with a noticeable growth in armed maneuvers. All the while, up-to-date knowledge on the remaining organized Unpersons grows dimmer by the day, making it ever more difficult to tell whether there are still enough fighting from within. That more than a few so-called defectors have been found to be turncoats in league with the Party have also cast doubted as to whether there's even anything left beyond the Red Corridor that's worth saving.
It's perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that there's an apocalyptic fervor among the more pious, such as the Knights of Malta or the more zealous among the Levantine Alnahdists. This is not to ignore the more farfetched rumor-mongering among the rest of society, from talk of mysterious visitors to even nonsense about the National Question, that could potentially change what we think we know. One can't fault their fellow man for acting like the end of days is near in circumstances like these, however much stable conditions are for the moment.
Such is life in the modern world, as this publication has shed light on for more than a hundred years. It's no secret that the last of those who personally remember the times before the Terror will soon die, making this predicament all that we know, and what our children will inherit. Still, we persevere just as we've always had, standing firm against the night for as long as it takes. If this Long Cold War is peace, then so be it.
- “The New Haven Review of Foreign Affairs.” American Federation. 2024.
For extra trivia, I purposefully tried to invoke vintage-style Cold War redacting in the map, both in terms of atmosphere and as means to highlight just how the Orwellian nature of the setting is also impacting the Free World.
The motto used for the United African States is based on both Nigeria's old and new national motto, but with the languages reflecting the in-universe official tongues of German, English, Yoruba and Igbo. The ones used for Southern Africa and the Levant are based on Fascist and Ba'athist/Nasserist slogans respectively, with Australia's deliberately invoking rhetoric around both Oswald Mosley's BUF and the White Australia Policy.
As for what's redacted, there's just enough legibly peeking through the "marker ink" to make out most of the sentences and words covered up. Like with the references to the "Agency," I can neither confirm nor deny, though you might notice something if by looking just closely.
Using NASA's G.Projector program, this started out as a test of what it could do for any future works. It soon turned into an opportunity to try out more varied styles, especially ones that would fit the setting. Everything just spiraled on from there.
As with A World at the Precipice c.2022, this one is a bit of a distant successor to The World of 2024 made back in 2011, but now actually set in 2024 and in a form that isn't just on an in-universe computer screen. While a lot has changed since the RDNA-verse started off, the general Dieselpunk/Atompunk/Orwellian/Magical Realism motifs still remains relatively consistent. Moreover, there's a haunting nod as to how fragile the seemingly interminable standoff really is, while simultaneously hinting as to how this could potentially devolve into something like 1984 or Pre-War Fallout if this persists "indefinitely."
Also, a special nod to
once more, for being a major influence, especially with a couple of details in the "redacted" texts.Though just to be sure, this is a work of fiction. This is not a political, ideological or propaganda screed.
All that said, I bid you welcome to a brave new world...
----
Editorial: A New Century in a War without End
The turmoil surrounding the early 20th Century left much that remains at best, muddled, making any prospect of ending the Terror at its inception largely an exercise in pointless conjecture. Indeed, if there was ever a time when the battle against Collectivism could have been won, we would be living with the results of that by now. What matters, however, is the present, and there's no time like it.
Many people living in the Free Nations, and even those wretched Reactionaries to some degree, savor standards of living, technological marvels, and freedoms that are the envy of their ancestors. Few, however, are ignorant regarding the threats looming from both without and within. The specter of Red revolution, and of the Collectivist Internationale finally losing all inhibitions, still influence much of our lives. The same advancements made over the generations, including the leaps over the past decade, have also shaped everything we use to defend ourselves, from tools of espionage, to the Rail Carbines used by our men and women in uniform, to the very atomics that remain as crucial in enforcing deterrence now as in the 1950s. On any given day, soldiers patrol the vast Red Corridor with the possibility of engaging the enemy. While skirmishes and proxy battles are waged, whether in far-flung frontiers or even much closer to our shores, by and large these continue to prevent tensions from escalating further than they already have. The sacrifices made, and the debt owed, could not be understated.
Likewise, the mounting costs of our vigilance and defiance in the face of madness should not be neglected. For all our material prosperity, the Free World's economic health increasingly hangs by a thread. While beneath the surface, there are growing social tensions, upticks in mental illness among certain circles, fears of more nihilistic gangs like those roaming the English countryside, and reports of Red sleeper cells within our midst. On top of these, republicans and royalists alike have to contend with resisting the swan song of Reactionarism, some even dreading that what befell the Australians, Afrikaners, Levantines, and so many others would happen to them. With each new deployment, military-related contract or discovery of yet another Red sleeper cell, the tenuous balancing act that's allowed some semblance of normalcy to prevail becomes harder to maintain.
All the while, even with all best minds and operatives at work, there still is much that's enigmatic about the Internationale itself. The bouts of controlled infighting known to be characteristic of the Reds' internal affairs have apparently waned in more recent times, indicative perhaps of a sense of cohesion that isn't superficial. Collectivist propaganda has grown more brazen in their grandiose proclamations, coinciding with a noticeable growth in armed maneuvers. All the while, up-to-date knowledge on the remaining organized Unpersons grows dimmer by the day, making it ever more difficult to tell whether there are still enough fighting from within. That more than a few so-called defectors have been found to be turncoats in league with the Party have also cast doubted as to whether there's even anything left beyond the Red Corridor that's worth saving.
It's perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that there's an apocalyptic fervor among the more pious, such as the Knights of Malta or the more zealous among the Levantine Alnahdists. This is not to ignore the more farfetched rumor-mongering among the rest of society, from talk of mysterious visitors to even nonsense about the National Question, that could potentially change what we think we know. One can't fault their fellow man for acting like the end of days is near in circumstances like these, however much stable conditions are for the moment.
Such is life in the modern world, as this publication has shed light on for more than a hundred years. It's no secret that the last of those who personally remember the times before the Terror will soon die, making this predicament all that we know, and what our children will inherit. Still, we persevere just as we've always had, standing firm against the night for as long as it takes. If this Long Cold War is peace, then so be it.
- “The New Haven Review of Foreign Affairs.” American Federation. 2024.
----
For extra trivia, I purposefully tried to invoke vintage-style Cold War redacting in the map, both in terms of atmosphere and as means to highlight just how the Orwellian nature of the setting is also impacting the Free World.
The motto used for the United African States is based on both Nigeria's old and new national motto, but with the languages reflecting the in-universe official tongues of German, English, Yoruba and Igbo. The ones used for Southern Africa and the Levant are based on Fascist and Ba'athist/Nasserist slogans respectively, with Australia's deliberately invoking rhetoric around both Oswald Mosley's BUF and the White Australia Policy.
As for what's redacted, there's just enough legibly peeking through the "marker ink" to make out most of the sentences and words covered up. Like with the references to the "Agency," I can neither confirm nor deny, though you might notice something if by looking just closely.
----
@mdc_1957 Not sure if this intentional or not, but I do love that all the international incidents are placed right under the Collectivists part. That has a slight element of a mind game for the reader: all international problems are close to the Collectivists because they are the ones that cause them. Meanwhile, the Free World factions are "clean" of association.
Just a little observation and probably me reading a bit too much into an image.
Just a little observation and probably me reading a bit too much into an image.
Nobody Expects the Spanish Empire!
The Spanish Empire in the 16th Century under the House of Burgundy (Iverea/Ascarids). This was based on an old EUIV game where I played as Castile trying to restore the old borders of Visigothic Spain. I used the 1356 mod playing as Castile under Pedro I "El Justo" (The Just) during the War of Two Peters where he fought a civil war against the Enrique of Trastamara who was Pedro's illegitimate brother. Pedro had tried to centralize the lands of the Castilian Crown, and this had brought him into conflict with the nobility who turned to his bastard brother to safeguard their rights. In otl Enrique assassinated him a peace summit. Pedro was not really the most militarily inclined man and fled when Enrique marched with a large band of mercenaries seeking to steal his crown. In ttl thanks to RNG mechanics (I think the mod had a bug), I ended up with Pedro being a much better military leader. And in this alternate timeline Pedro crushes his brother on the field and embarks upon his planned purge of the nobility. To his supporters (mostly the peasants) he was seen as Peter the Just, but to his opponents he was seen as Peter the Cruel. Another divergence I'm thinking of is that Peter marries Joan of England (Edward III's daughter) solidifying the links and dynastic connection between England and Castile (this is what happened in game with Royal marriages). Thus Peter joins the Hundred Years War against France and its allies where Peter manages to successfully take the lands of the Kingdom of Valencia from the Aragonese Crown. From there he embarks upon a lightning campaign in France helping to aid the Black Prince in scoring large chunks of Southern France. From the war Castile received large amounts of loot which helped repair its economic situation.
Eventually Castile inherited Portugal and later conquered Aragon in a war of succession with Naples which it eventually won and upon victory, the new King revived the old Medieval title of Imperator Totius Hispaniae (Emperor of All Spain) used by Castilian Kings centuries earlier proclaiming a new Imperial state within Europe. England would eventually go on to Win the Hundred Years War creating a new dual monarchy between France and England. However wary of the growing power of this new state, the nascent Spanish Empire's relations with England cooled. However England was rocked by a succession crisis with the subsequent extinction of the main line of Plantagenets. This coupled with a French secessionist and noble revolts saw a succession war erupt between England and Spain. Spain's ruler Emperor Carlos I asserted his right to rule based on the closer female bloodline, but the English not wanting to be under the dominion of Spain engaged in war with Burgundian support. Carlos however had no real expectation of claiming the English or French throne. All he had wanted was lands in Southern France to expand his Empire's own wealth and to cut down the Dual Monarchy to size securing Spain's position as the pre-eminent power in Christendom. Spain managed to achieve its objectives in the war taking most of Southern France which threw open its gates to whom they viewed as the more legitimate monarch. In terms of the lore, Emperor Carlos promised to respect the other nobles' own rights and autonomy as opposed to the English trying to re-organize and centralize their domains. Spain with its dominance secured experienced a long golden age called the Pax Hispania where it was able to create a massive new colonial Empire. Though this golden age began to wind down as competition over colonies increased with the presence of the Burgundians, English, and Scandinavians who all sought the riches of the new world.
What do you guys think of this map and mini tl?
The Spanish Empire in the 16th Century under the House of Burgundy (Iverea/Ascarids). This was based on an old EUIV game where I played as Castile trying to restore the old borders of Visigothic Spain. I used the 1356 mod playing as Castile under Pedro I "El Justo" (The Just) during the War of Two Peters where he fought a civil war against the Enrique of Trastamara who was Pedro's illegitimate brother. Pedro had tried to centralize the lands of the Castilian Crown, and this had brought him into conflict with the nobility who turned to his bastard brother to safeguard their rights. In otl Enrique assassinated him a peace summit. Pedro was not really the most militarily inclined man and fled when Enrique marched with a large band of mercenaries seeking to steal his crown. In ttl thanks to RNG mechanics (I think the mod had a bug), I ended up with Pedro being a much better military leader. And in this alternate timeline Pedro crushes his brother on the field and embarks upon his planned purge of the nobility. To his supporters (mostly the peasants) he was seen as Peter the Just, but to his opponents he was seen as Peter the Cruel. Another divergence I'm thinking of is that Peter marries Joan of England (Edward III's daughter) solidifying the links and dynastic connection between England and Castile (this is what happened in game with Royal marriages). Thus Peter joins the Hundred Years War against France and its allies where Peter manages to successfully take the lands of the Kingdom of Valencia from the Aragonese Crown. From there he embarks upon a lightning campaign in France helping to aid the Black Prince in scoring large chunks of Southern France. From the war Castile received large amounts of loot which helped repair its economic situation.
Eventually Castile inherited Portugal and later conquered Aragon in a war of succession with Naples which it eventually won and upon victory, the new King revived the old Medieval title of Imperator Totius Hispaniae (Emperor of All Spain) used by Castilian Kings centuries earlier proclaiming a new Imperial state within Europe. England would eventually go on to Win the Hundred Years War creating a new dual monarchy between France and England. However wary of the growing power of this new state, the nascent Spanish Empire's relations with England cooled. However England was rocked by a succession crisis with the subsequent extinction of the main line of Plantagenets. This coupled with a French secessionist and noble revolts saw a succession war erupt between England and Spain. Spain's ruler Emperor Carlos I asserted his right to rule based on the closer female bloodline, but the English not wanting to be under the dominion of Spain engaged in war with Burgundian support. Carlos however had no real expectation of claiming the English or French throne. All he had wanted was lands in Southern France to expand his Empire's own wealth and to cut down the Dual Monarchy to size securing Spain's position as the pre-eminent power in Christendom. Spain managed to achieve its objectives in the war taking most of Southern France which threw open its gates to whom they viewed as the more legitimate monarch. In terms of the lore, Emperor Carlos promised to respect the other nobles' own rights and autonomy as opposed to the English trying to re-organize and centralize their domains. Spain with its dominance secured experienced a long golden age called the Pax Hispania where it was able to create a massive new colonial Empire. Though this golden age began to wind down as competition over colonies increased with the presence of the Burgundians, English, and Scandinavians who all sought the riches of the new world.
What do you guys think of this map and mini tl?
Nice, I love enlarged Spain maps!
What would relations with the HRE and the Papacy be, especially since there would be another Emperor in western Christendom?
@mdc_1957 Not sure if this intentional or not, but I do love that all the international incidents are placed right under the Collectivists part. That has a slight element of a mind game for the reader: all international problems are close to the Collectivists because they are the ones that cause them. Meanwhile, the Free World factions are "clean" of association.
Just a little observation and probably me reading a bit too much into an image.
It's partly correct. Though it's quite the quagmire, as proxy conflicts tend to be.
@Basileus_Komnenos , I like the map quite a lot, and, dare I say it, I think it's the best use of Spanish in a map I have seen in the forum so far, seeing you only have one thing that could be called a "mistake", and that's still stretching it: Toulouse in Spanish is Tolosa, but that's like really old-fashioned, so I tell you in case you want to correct it, but I don't really see a reason why you should. Are you a native speaker by any chance?
Doesn't anyone else want to give a screw to my work?my participation to the MotF 225: Under The Whiplash:
Map of the Dorok Kingdom under the Kulubaluka Dynasty"Once radiant, the civilisations of industrial gigantism had disappeared into the darkness of time, and the surface of the earth had been covered with a forest of giant miasmas exalting poisonous vapours: the Sea of Corruption. Men reduced to subsistence here and there on the edge of this rotten jungle are trying as best they can to survive on the last lands still preserved by insects of all kinds in the jungle. »
"The Chosen One, clothed in Blue, will come towards us on a golden field, to renew the lost link with the Earth and guide us towards a pure world." The Prophecy of the Blue Clad-One.
Since the Seven Days of Fire that ended the Ancient Civilization, the survivors who had been spared by the Cataclysm have founded new kingdoms on the outskirts of the Sea of Corruption, a mouldy forest born from the lands ravaged by the pollution of the Ancient Order and the war.
On the Eurasian continent, kingdoms followed one another, appearing on the last rivers and trying as best they could to preserve the ancient and complex technologies. The Doroks are an ancient people who appeared on the river of the same name after the Seven Days of Fire. They have survived on the shores of the Inland Sea and have built resplendent cities as well as oases and lush green countryside. But disunity between the various clans and tribes and destructive wars ravaged the Doroks kingdoms, allowing the sea of corruption to advance ever further into the few viable lands .
More numerous are the invasions of foreign countries, motivated by the acquisition of the Black Pyramid, Shuwa, where many powers would be locked up within it. The latest to date is that of the King of Eftal, a kingdom in the north founded around the river Talia. The King of Eftal, Tarkhan took the Doroks cities one by one before finally acquiring the powers of Shuwa and dominating the whole known world.
King Tarkhan became immortal and Eftal built many aeroplanes and developed ancient technologies such as ceramics, large and powerful aircraft as well as chemicals to repel the Sea of Corruption. Oases were born in the middle of the desert and many great cities where wealth and power accumulated.
At that time the Sixty Doroks tribes under the Eftalian protectorate benefited from the prevailing prosperity with the end of clan rivalries despite the many discriminations. In addition, the establishment of an Eftalian governor appointed by King Tarkhan in the city of Isso gave the Doroks more autonomy.
But when King Tarkhan died, the Empire sank into chaos. With Tarkhan dying suddenly despite his powers and with no direct heirs, the members of the court quarrelled before finally going to war. The prince of the city of Tolas, Kujula waged a violent war of conquest in an attempt to recover Eftal. The war ruined many towns that were wiped off the map after much looting by mercenary armies. Increasingly armed aircraft ravaged the skies and the land. Arms dealers, with the explosion in demand, began to search the sea for the corrupted shells of Ohmus, large insects with strong bodies that could be used to build armour. But the ever-increasing massacre of Ohmus for armaments caused a cataclysm of great magnitude.
A wave of Ohmus and other insects came out of the forest in a raging rage, with no stopping them, destroying one by one the cities of Eftal, the monarchy was destroyed, the fabulous factories and their technology were lost. For twenty days the Ohmus continued to advance, dying of hunger more than two thousand miles away from the forest. On their bodies the spores multiplied and soon the sea of corruption covered the ancient Eftal Kingdom.
In Isso, the governor, in the absence of authority, declared himself independent and took possession of the crypt of Shuwa. Becoming King of the Doroks he married a local princess, founded the Kulubaluka dynasty and converted to the Doroks religion. The Doroks lands having been spared by the Daikasho, many Eftalians fled to the court of Isso.
In order not to make the same mistake as Tarkhan, King Kulubaluka forbade him and his successors to obtain immortality with Shuwa's tomb. With the Dorok religion he establishes a new church, the Fukai (the Dorok name of the sea of corruption) being seen as sacred and a punishment for the infidels of Eftal. Moreover, the Ohmus are seen as sacred beings who must not be defiled by man under any circumstances, under penalty of provoking his anger. Entering the Fukai is seen as sacrilege that can cause the destruction of the Dorok Kingdom. Each great city appointed a Venerable Bonze to lead the believing community of the city. The prophecy of the Being clothed in blue, a legend that had existed for centuries, was revived. The Prophecy of the Blue Clad-One must appear to save humanity and re-establish the lost link between man and nature.
With the power of the Shuwa Crypt, King Kulubaluka began to cultivate a new species of tree for the construction of powerful ships made of wood to move entire tribes. Moreover, the crypt made it possible to build much more effective masks to resist the miasmas of the Fukai. During the reign of the first Kulubaluka, the Doroks tasted independence and peace. Despite the wave of Eftalian refugees on Dorok lands, King Kulubaluka managed to avoid civil war.
But soon after the death of King Kulubaluka, the dynasty fell into decadence, losing more and more power to the ever-strengthening Doroks cities. One hundred years after the founding of the Kulubaluka dynasty, most of the Doroks principalities were independent and in regular conflict. Different religious schisms, the struggle for trade routes and ethnic wars with the Eftalian minority were commonplace at that time.
But in Isso, a series of mad kings with powerful psychic powers set out to reconquer the various principalities. But this was done at the price of blood, genocide and ethnic cleansing. The survivors of the massacred tribes were fleeing the tyranny of the Kulubaluka, which in turn caused the horrors of war. The massacres of the Eftalian minority motivated the Kingdom of Tolas in the north and its vassals, now the Torumekia Empire, to intervene violently to protect the Eftalians but also to try to re-conquer the Doroks.
The surprise was great when a young man took control of the Shuwa crypt with monstrous and immortal creatures called heedras. He declared himself the saviour of mankind and quickly recaptured every Dorok city, repelled the torumekias and his allies before overthrowing the last King Dorok Luwa Kulubaluka with tele-physiological powers.
This man declared himself Holy Emperor and founded the Holy Dorok Empire by divinizing himself in the eyes of his people. The cult of the Fukai and the prophecy of the Blue Clad-One were declared heretics, condemning the infidels to be burned at the stake. In addition, the Venerable monks of each city became the new rulers, who had to pay homage to the Emperor. On the death of the First Emperor, power was shared between his two sons: the Old Emperor named Namulis and the Young Emperor named Miralupa.
But despite the newly founded union and the end of the civil war between the Doroks, rivalries and struggles are still commonplace in the united Doroks principalities. Moreover, the ever-stronger presence of the Torumekias in the north does not bode well for the King of Tolas' desire to take Shuwa.
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The following map was made at the time of the Dorok Kingdom. Engraved and drawn on wood with many inlaid gemstones and two gilded plates in Old Dorok, it is a rare copy that survived the iconoclasm of the Holy Emperors. Although the author of the map is unknown, it is very likely that it was commissioned by King Kulubaluka in view of his rich manufacture. The entire Dorok World is depicted, between the Fukai in the north and the basin of pus in the south, the Gosu Mountains in the west and the Inland sea in the east.
What makes it possible to date the map with certainty is the absence of the Imperial eye, symbol of the Emperors but above all the presence of an Ohmu in the middle of the Fukai as well as an Original Sutra. The presence of the deified Ohmu is proof that the map dates back to the Kulubaluka dynasty. The cult of Ohmu and its representation were automatically destroyed by the Inquisition of the Bonsons.
We can also see that the lack of details on the Fukai serves to show the omnipotence of Ohmu but also the lack of knowledge of the Sea of Corruption during the Kulubaluka era. Already at that time there were rumours of Eftalians having survived and hiding in the depths of the Fukai. During the Holy Empire after the lifting of the divinization of Fukai, numerous expeditions were carried out to find the ancient Eftalian cities and its worm-handlers.
On the map, the capital of Isso seems to represent the royal palace. The fortress cities are all represented in the same way despite the fact that their architecture can vary from one region to another. Moreover, only the most important cities are represented and many secondary fortresses do not appear. Finally, we can note that the draughtsman had fun representing the secondary towns with towers from the old world, which had long since disappeared at that time.
The map shows the Dorok Kingdom in its Golden Age. The capital of Isso, however, lies inland in the Kamatara Desert. It was a resplendent city where the Dorok throne was located and was plundered by the Holy Emperors and disappeared over time under the Fukai. To the east of Isso is the Dorok River, the heart of the Dorok people, which has its source in the Doki Mountains. The river, although very long, only has a significant flow at the arrival of the rainy season. It is controlled upstream by the city of Kabo, one of the most powerful Doroks cities as it controls all the trade routes in the Dorok region due to its central position. Its manufactures and refinement make it a popular city even today under the Holy Emperors.
However, when the Kulubaluka Kingdom collapsed, the city suffered greatly from war, the occupation by Luwa Kulubaluka and the many wars with the city of Mani. Mani is located downstream from the Dorok River, flowing into the Inland Sea. It formed the "Great League" at the time of the civil war by vassalising the cities of Tekuyu, Bida, Miri and Go (not shown on the map). It fiercely resisted Luwa Kulubaluka and planned to reunite the Dorok World under his rule. But the arrival of the first Dorok Emperor and his immortal heedra warriors brought the Mani League to its knees. Under the Holy Empire it lost suzerainty over its neighbours and a large part of its power, to the great despair of its population, the city becoming only a shadow of its former self.
North of the Dorok River is the Shil River and between the two rivers are the largest oases of the time. Most of them used the trees that the first King Kulubaluka planted in the area, helping to repel desertification, to develop and create new oases and also to serve as raw material for Doroks vessels. The Doroks use this wood, which is resistant to rot and fire, to create large floating devices for trade and warfare. However, the civil war and the increase in the number of ships reduced the forests, which were heavily exploited. Today the production of wood is directly controlled by the Emperors and their clergy to protect the last existing reserves of the Empire.
The presence of large forests reduced urban settlement, preventing the appearance of large fortress cities. But further north, Semi during the civil war, being increasingly subjected to the Fukai and the raids of Torumekia pushed the city to build ships to move its inhabitants inside the forests. Under the Holy Emperors it was almost the only one to be settled in the region, competing only with the town of Mitosu, north of the river Shil.
Mitosu is a very recent city and does not appear on the map. It was built by the first Holy Emperor after the conquest of Nomiso by Torumekia. Nomiso was the northernmost Dorok city, protected from the Fukai by Tanar Higlands. But Torumekia's intervention to protect the Eftalians of Dorok ended with the conquest of Nomiso. Nomiso underwent a great change in population, with the Eftalians fleeing all Doroks lands to take shelter in Nomiso and the Doroks inhabitants of Nomiso settling in the south and founding the city of Mitosu. Mitosu, in spite of its dream of returning to its original city, must however realise that the conquest of Nomiso is only the first step of Torumekia in the Doroks lands...
South of the Dorok River is the city of Modo. For centuries it has had ships travelling the distant coasts of the Inland Sea bringing back many exotic products from unknown lands. An important city under the Dorok Kingdom, its power declined when the civil war ravaged the trade routes on which the city depended. In addition, Mani's numerous incursions to control the city destroyed the city's marine infrastructure. The coup de grâce was the Holy Emperor's ban on trading abroad, under penalty of excommunion. Now Modo is a simple secondary city in decline.
The cities to the south of Modo are the ones that benefited most from the arrival of the Holy Emperor. Under Luwa Kulubaluka they decided to declare their clergy independent by reinterpreting the prophecy of the Blue Clad-One. The Venerable monks of these cities drove out the reigning princes and appointed themselves rulers and protectors of the true faith. Luwa Kulubaluka tried as best he could to subdue the schismatic cities of Etari, Namaki and Dama. But when the first Holy Emperor came directly from Shuwa with his heedras, they declared him the legitimate ruler and saviour of mankind. They founded an army of fanatical warrior monks and exported the Holy War in the name of the Emperor. Since the establishment of the Empire they have held a prominent place in power, with most of the priest commanders leading the armies of the Empire coming from one of these cities.
To the east of the Gosu Mountains and south of the ancient capital of Isso are the cities of Saju and Sapata, on the edge of the Kamatara Desert. In the time of the Kulubaluka, each of the two cities was ruled by one of the sons of King Dorok. But the rivalry between the two princes caused many wars between Saju and Sapata, and the fall of the monarchy in Isso saw a struggle between the two princes for the conquest of Isso. The Prince of Sapata was none other than Luwa Kulubaluka , who after defeating and pillaging Saju took control of Isso and tried to regain his kingdom. But when the Holy Army to the south arrived in Sapata, Luwa Kulubaluka tried to defeat the First Holy Emperor. Both monarchs possessed overpowering psychic powers, but Luwa Kulubaluka's great age and the overpowering power of the First Holy Emperor defeated the last King Dorok. After the battle, the Holy Emperor decided to burn the entire Kulubaluka royal family at the stake. But Luwa Kulubaluka's eldest son managed to escape, making the Emperor fear the return of the suitor. But the long-awaited disappearance of the heir extinguished the hopes of the supporters of the old dynasty. In spite of the disappearance of the suitor of Kulubaluka and the bringing to heel of Sapata, rivalry still exists between the two Venerable monks of Sapata and Saju and their population and hostilities often resume despite the presence of the Emperors not far away.
To the west of the Gosu Mountains is a large valley. In it are the rusty ruins and rubble of an Old World Megapolis, which was destroyed by the Seven Days of Fire. But there remains in this desert valley a Great Black Pyramid. It is said to have existed before the Seven Days of Fire or to have appeared just after the Cataclysm. Yet after a thousand years it remains the most famous but also the most mysterious place in the region. It is impossible to enter the Tomb by force. The Crypt only opens to the Mighty One who decides not to take the Tomb by force. For a thousand years the monarchs of many kingdoms have entered the Tomb and emerged immortal or with many technologies from the Old World. The Kings of Eftal or Dorok and so many others before them have always built their capitals around the Tomb. The most recent conquest came from the First Holy Emperor. He came out of nowhere and with four heedras took control of the crypt and set out to conquer the Doroks cities.
Since then, Shuwa has once again become the capital of the Doroks and is now the Holy City of Shuwa. The power of the Crypt is used to establish the power of the Emperors and the powerful Dorok clergy. But despite the many technological advances of the United Doroks Principalities, rivalries between the fifty-two tribes of the Empire remain numerous. Moreover, the arrival of a new warlike lineage in Torumekia has raised fears that war may once again break out between the last two Empires on the planet.
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Big job I did in less than a week!
If some of you remember I published a map on the old Map Thread of the World of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, excellent Manga by Hayao Miyazaki that I recommend you a lot.
It's a very vast and deep universe with varied and complex civilizations as well as an excellent geographical setting and history (I tried to spoil the Manga as little as possible in my description).
I decided to imagine a prequel to the Dorok Civilization using the rare elements and clues that Miyazaki left in his Manga. Many elements of my own imagination I added. Thus little is known about the many Doroks cities except the rivalry in Saju and Sapata. Moreover, almost nothing is known either about the Kulubaluka dynasty (moreover Isso does not exist in the Manga, almost nothing is known about the King of Eftal, the extent of the Eftalian empire before the Daikasho and the Dorks at that time).
But I hope you like my work. I'm back at the Pixelart by redoing again a frame around the map. Moreover I am quite proud of the representation I made of geography (inspired by @Valdore Javorsky without plagiarizing it). I love Shuwa's Tomb and my Ohmu !
I hope that many of you will comment on it.
Criticism is far harder when we’re dealing with an entirely fantastical setting. There’s no metric by which to judge the plausibility of the history or the decisions made therein, as it’s all invented history and the “baseline” of a behavior’s weight is relatively unknown. There’s no metric by which to judge the “accuracy” of a map’s physical presentation, either, as it’s an invented world and any map could necessarily be 100% accurate. The only real judgement could be based on the baseline technical aspects of the work–does the map at least look well constructed for a map, does the write-up have proper grammar and at least make a bit of sense within its own context, etc.
Anyway, I like the map’s aesthetic–cute little border, too–but as with many maps I feel it’s too small. Don’t listen to me, though. I’m a cartography freak.
As it was in the context of the card contest, it seemed obvious to me that I was mainly talking about the technical aspect, even more so when it touches on a world of fantasy fiction. Moreover I wanted to have some opinions on the pixelart I'm trying out.
What may surprise me a little is also that few seem to know the manga in question (even if it's not really a problem in itself).
As for the size of the map, I'll try to enlarge it next time.
For those wondering about the Mohammedans thing, the original map specifies Turks and Pomaks.
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