The great southern Granadan Empire, until 1526 undisturbed by the north's religious conflicts, finally felt a stir of mutiny when conversations were overheard among Seránian merchants in Chan Chan, about the great scientific discoveries of English scientist Charles Robert and his Seránian co-horts. Soon, all of Chan Chan, then most of the rest of Western New Granada were talking about the great religious upheavals in the north. Sympathy was felt towards the New Chimu Empire, who so recently the Granadans had fought tooth and nail because of their differing religious views. Now, when the sultan in Qaiqumkan (the Granadan New World Capitol) heard of this sentiment rising in the west, he was not pleased at all, and reacted violently, sending a heavy military force down the river to thought-police those potential rebels. Naturally, this didn't go over well, and the Granadan people's reaction to the occupation of their cities was only less violent than the army's retaliation. Temples were razed, libraries burned, anywhere that could be used as a meeting place to plot against the sultan was brutally scrutinized, then burned to a crisp.
When those up north heard of this totalitarian bureaucratic treatment of citizens, they're newly sympathetic hearts reached out and helped those in need. A final Granadan war was waged, the Big One, it would be spoken about everywhere in Tayania and Europe for decades to come. Sending forces from the north: Serán, the New Chimu Empire, Diushi Caren, Boscosas, Antestia, Mississippi, even Britain, France and Aragon sent forces to crack down on Granada, who they hadn't gotten too fond of ever since Granada's success in the New World was eclipsing their own. Around the end of the war, in 1531, Granada had been pushed almost out of Tayania by the forces of those listed above, and of Portugal and Gentelluvia, who had joined in at the suggestion of other powers. The Granadan sultan insisted, however, that they be left a city under Granada's control. And so, Qaiqumkan was left as a tiny Granadan city in South Tayania, relinquishing the west to the New Chimu Empire and Serán, the east to Portugal and Britain, and the central territories being divided among some of the other powers.
Finally, with the Granadan sultan's not so close by, progress could be made by the thinking minds of Serán and Chimu. While Charles Robert was finalizing his theories on the animals of Nass Islands-- and Historical Zoology (a field he coined in 1529) in general-- the Seránian Emperor-funded exploration fleet led by Mixtec Explorer Yín Quu set off from Serán with the Emperor's blessing, on a mission of discovery. The Emperor hoped to find even more new lands on which to settle, and perhaps to even make further, more astounding scientific discoveries than those made on the Nass Islands. The expedition was slow-moving, comprising of two battleships (named Huasaahi[1] and Minchanser Kèpo[2]) and five Mayan-inspired triple-masted vessels, but it was expected to be able to last longer than most expeditions, as it had on board one of the battleships a small farm, with chickens and cattle, not to mention growing crops. They landed in and mapped many tiny islands within the first 3 years, whereupon the captain began to go a bit crazy, and ordered the crew to set course precisely for the horizon, and not to turn at all, no matter what land they might see. It took at least another year and a half before the captain ordered them to stop the ships, because they had made landfall.
The islands they had happened upon already had some inhabitants, however, and both parties were shocked at this. The previous inhabitants of the islands (which were collectively named Saanser[3][4] by the expedition) lived a quite advanced lifestyle, living in grand walled cities with astounding architecture and ideas. The Maori and Iniamihi of the Western Islands were glad to share their knowledge with the newcomers, and received many great tales of the lands to the east, and were allowed to study their battleships, a great delight to the Iniamihi scientists.
The year they arrived in Saaser was the year of 1536, and the men rested in the hospitality of the natives until the spring of 1537, whereupon they got back into their ships, loaded with maps, treasures, and pregnant Maori women, for the long voyage home.
The Ahiteirians were awed by the stories told of the East, and sent out a voyage tailing the Seránians, but they were tragically too few and too ill-prepared for the long voyage, and the last crew-member of that expedition died in the middle of nowhere in 1538.
[1]Meaning "New House" [2]Meaning "King of the Sea IV" (as the original Minchanser had long since been destroyed in battle) [3]Meaning "New Sea Place" [4]They landed in Tonga.