Map Thread XXI

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Entente expeditionary forces? Huh?
Is there some background to this map?
Ah, like with the first two, it's a lot of writing that hasn't been posted to alternatehistory.com. The short version is: European and Pacific Theaters of World War 2 remain separate due to chicanery, with the Entente continuing into the 20th century as something between its historic organization and a proto-European Economic Community. Down the line this means that European post-colonial influence is retained via the Entente (both economically via TTL's Euro, and martially via the Expeditionary Forces), as is the case here. There's a world map with political blocs here. The ANC is aligned with the OAU, Smith is aligned with the Toronto Accords (a NATO/SEATO stand-in), and the EEF represent the Entente.

I'll try and find my map of Europe, it's less refined than the Southern Africa maps.

Found the map. It is within the spoiler. Represents Europe ca. 1990, with detail on the Baltics and former Yugoslavia. Please, forgive the awkward proportions.
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Ah, like with the first two, it's a lot of writing that hasn't been posted to alternatehistory.com. The short version is: European and Pacific Theaters of World War 2 remain separate due to chicanery, with the Entente continuing into the 20th century as something between its historic organization and a proto-European Economic Community. Down the line this means that European post-colonial influence is retained via the Entente (both economically via TTL's Euro, and martially via the Expeditionary Forces), as is the case here. There's a world map with political blocs here. The ANC is aligned with the OAU, Smith is aligned with the Toronto Accords (a NATO/SEATO stand-in), and the EEF represent the Entente.

I'll try and find my map of Europe, it's less refined than the Southern Africa maps.

Found the map. It is within the spoiler. Represents Europe ca. 1990, with detail on the Baltics and former Yugoslavia. Please, forgive the awkward proportions.
This map is cursed but I love it so idk how to feel
 
Xanadu
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

- Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A tidelocked planet a touch smaller than Earth, and settled shortly before the collapse of the First Hegemony. The red dwarf it orbits was less stable than suspected, and the volatile flares have led to a regression of human society in the thousands of years since.

The usable land area runs about twenty million square miles, and the population numbers some eight hundred million, most of them in conditions of great privation. From the shores of the great frozen Atnar ocean to the barren deserts of the Mar, those who have access to the artifacts from before the fall rule over the masses. Yet perhaps this is changing, for as of late, strange men, tall and well-fed, have begun appearing at isolated trading posts, claiming to be from far away lands, and they have begun passing out secrets long hoarded by the priestly castes.

xanadu climate map.png
 
Xanadu
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

- Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A tidelocked planet a touch smaller than Earth, and settled shortly before the collapse of the First Hegemony. The red dwarf it orbits was less stable than suspected, and the volatile flares have led to a regression of human society in the thousands of years since.

The usable land area runs about twenty million square miles, and the population numbers some eight hundred million, most of them in conditions of great privation. From the shores of the great frozen Atnar ocean to the barren deserts of the Mar, those who have access to the artifacts from before the fall rule over the masses. Yet perhaps this is changing, for as of late, strange men, tall and well-fed, have begun appearing at isolated trading posts, claiming to be from far away lands, and they have begun passing out secrets long hoarded by the priestly castes.

View attachment 820756
So known civilization is restricted to the nightside?
 
No, the sunless sea is the Atnar ocean, and the initial settlements were in the temperate forest near it. The rainforest in the central dayside is also populated, but civilization is sparse because solar flares result in storms frequently.
Ah, the mistake I made was to assume that the named body of water was the one in the focal point of the map.
 
qgf36d7nhypa1.png

The Suaydin Caliphate in 637 AD​

A scenario where Sajah ibn Suayd claimed the leadership of the Islamic community after the Ridda wars and led campaigns through the exhausted Sassanian and Byzantine Empires.


 
qgf36d7nhypa1.png

The Suaydin Caliphate in 637 AD​

A scenario where Sajah ibn Suayd claimed the leadership of the Islamic community after the Ridda wars and led campaigns through the exhausted Sassanian and Byzantine Empires.


Wow, I can't remember the last time (indeed, if I ever have) that I've seen a map on here that looks so like its taken directly from a Victorian atlas.
 
When did they lose it? (Those are some pretty non-Arab names for some of those countries).
They lost the areas quickly after gaining them, after about 10 years, so not nearly enough for a significant number of Arabs to settle in the region. They made it up to about OTL Tripolitania before being significantly pushed back. They did leave behind a few converts though, and Islam still exists in most of those countries. They made further attempts to conquer the Nile region throughout the centuries before being effectively stopped during the Crusades.
 
ReNq7ar.png


POD: the British government backs off for a while on attempting to regularize colonial administration and impose new taxes on the colonies in the 1770s, since everything they try just keeps getting stonewalled by the colonies and it's unlikely that anything will change in the immediate future.

(Map 1) A conference is called in 1781 between the British government and key colonial leaders to hash out some kind of deal. The colonial leaders are very recalcitrant, but they eventually agree to an arrangement whereby the British get certain taxes pushed through in exchange for seats in Parliament for the colonies and for certain colonial institutions/rights to be protected from change by British governors.

(Map 2) In 1819, faced with increasing numbers of British settlers moving west and a desperate need to rectify Spain's mounting debt, the Spanish government sells all of Louisiana north of the Red River to Britain. In 1822, Spain sells the remainder of Louisiana, as well as its claim to the lands north of the Saint Roch River(*), to Britain as part of yet another attempt to address its debt.

(Map 3) As the decades pass, it becomes increasingly obvious that, due to a combination of natural growth and immigration, the American colonies will soon exceed Britain in population because there's simply much more room for people to live in America than there is in Britain. Once that happens, the economic balance of the empire will shift decisively in the Americans' favor, and the interests of the British government and the British people will be increasingly sidelined in favor of American interests.

By the 1850s, this issue has entirely consumed the political discourse on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1854, Parliament attempts to pass a bill that would restrict immigration to the American colonies, which is met with an extraordinarily angry response from the colonial public and is repealed the next year. At this point, the British government becomes resigned to the fact that it will have to release at least some of the colonies soon, as public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic has begun to turn in favor of separation -- in Britain, because of the fear that it will become marginalized in its own empire; in America, because of fear that the British government will continue to try and curtail the colonies to preserve its own power.

(Map 4) In 1861, Parliament passes the American Independence Act, releasing 10 provinces as the United States of America.

(Map 5) In 1862, Parliament passes the Columbian Independence Act, releasing 15 provinces as the Columbian Confederation.

(Map 6) In 1869, Britain becomes embroiled in the War of Tuscan Succession. Though the pretext for the war is a succession dispute, in reality it has more to do with the Franco-Austrian cold war over Italy and the Anglo-French colonial rivalry over Africa. In 1876, the Treaty of Paris is signed, and among its articles are formal acknowledgements by Spain of the independence of the Republic of California and the United Provinces of Nuevo Mejico(**).

(Map 7) In 1884, Parliament passes the Fredonian Independence Act, releasing 11 provinces as the Commonwealth of Fredonia.
 
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ReNq7ar.png


POD: the British government backs off for a while on attempting to regularize colonial administration and impose new taxes on the colonies in the 1770s, since everything they try just keeps getting stonewalled by the colonies and it's unlikely that anything will change in the immediate future.

(Map 1) A conference is called in 1781 between the British government and key colonial leaders to hash out some kind of deal. The colonial leaders are very recalcitrant, but they eventually agree to an arrangement whereby the British get certain taxes pushed through in exchange for seats in Parliament for the colonies and for certain colonial institutions/rights to be protected from change by British governors.

(Map 2) In 1819, faced with increasing numbers of British settlers moving west and a desperate need to rectify Spain's mounting debt, the Spanish government sells all of Louisiana north of the Red River to Britain. In 1822, Spain sells the remainder of Louisiana, as well as its claim to the lands north of the Saint Roch River(*), to Britain as part of yet another attempt to address its debt.

(Map 3) As the decades pass, it becomes increasingly obvious that, due to a combination of natural growth and immigration, the American colonies will soon exceed Britain in population because there's simply much more room for people to live in America than there is in Britain. Once that happens, the economic balance of the empire will shift decisively in the Americans' favor, and the interests of the British government and the British people will be increasingly sidelined in favor of American interests.

By the 1850s, this issue has entirely consumed the political discourse on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1854, Parliament attempts to pass a bill that would restrict immigration to the American colonies, which is met with an extraordinarily angry response from the colonial public and is repealed the next year. At this point, the British government becomes resigned to the fact that it will have to release at least some of the colonies soon, as public opinion on both sides of the Atlantic has begun to turn in favor of separation -- in Britain, because of the fear that it will become marginalized in its own empire; in America, because of fear that the British government will continue to try and curtail the colonies to preserve its own power.

(Map 4) In 1861, Parliament passes the American Independence Act, releasing 10 provinces as the United States of America.

(Map 5) In 1862, Parliament passes the Columbian Independence Act, releasing 15 provinces as the Columbian Confederation.

(Map 6) In 1869, Britain becomes embroiled in the War of Tuscan Succession. Though the pretext for the war is a succession dispute, in reality it has more to do with the Franco-Austrian cold war over Italy and the Anglo-French colonial rivalry over Africa. In 1876, the Treaty of Paris is signed, and among its articles are formal acknowledgements by Spain of the independence of the Republic of California and the United Provinces of Nuevo Mejico(**).

(Map 7) In 1884, Parliament passes the Fredonian Independence Act, releasing 11 provinces as the Commonwealth of Fredonia.
These new states are totally independent? Allies? Or some sort of Commonwealth, attached to Britain, akin to OTL Canada, Australia...?
 
These new states are totally independent? Allies? Or some sort of Commonwealth, attached to Britain, akin to OTL Canada, Australia...?
There isn't a formal Commonwealth, but there are close diplomatic relations between Britain, America and Fredonia.
The notable exception is Columbia.

Columbia's economy is still mostly based on exporting cash crops to America or Britain for processing, even if the plantations have been worked by "sharecroppers" since the 1840s thanks to an emancipation-for-compensation scheme passed in 1842.(*) They're trying to industrialize now, but it's been really slow going and only Virginia, Vandalia and North Carolina have anything approaching a respectable industry. Much of their progress thus far has been bankrolled by the French, who've sensed that they could be useful allies against Britain in the future. They have ambitions of expanding west and south, which Britain looks upon with great disapproval.

(*) one of the consequences of the colonies being given Parliamentary representation is that there is no slave state-free state balance because public opinion in Britain is decidedly anti-slavery, so the Slavery Abolition Act is still passed (albeit with some delay).
 
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Just cross posting the map portion of a story i've been making. Main thing is on SV if you want boring history stuff instead of a basic description.

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Lupang Imperial


Far from the days when the Lupang Imperial ruled everything west of the Inland Sea uncontested, the reign of the Empress Tsenkher sees this most ancient of polities in a poor position. The eastern provinces are, with the exception of the capital itself entirely separated from Yablonya's rule. Goblin Pari still control the northernmost of the Great Mountains, and Dwarves, Elves and Draachenflieger states alike pressure its borders.

But the apparatus of state which made the High Stewards Domain great still exists within the Lupang Imperial. Her armies are modernized after many defeats, and are now bolstered by the Empresses own Draachenflieger troops, and whilst civil war has left her poor the rest of the continent is not much better off.

The legacy of Datu Kalasag has survived much, and despite outsiders considering it a fallen titan, it has blood yet pumping through its veins. Time will tell if these are merely the death throes of that legacy, or its rejuvenation.


Lupang Traydor

An old rebellion never fully quashed by the Otsoa based out of the formerly Dwarvish port of Alhub Ras, this state too considers itself the one true successor of Datu Kalasag. Called the Traitor Lands by the Yablonya based Lupang Imperium.

Most of its population are Elves assimilated into the goblinzed High Culture, and unlike the breakaway provinces the Lupang Traydor has few ambitions for the split between itself and the core territories to remain permanent. Albeit, it wants to rule them rather than be ruled. A smaller Dwarvish minority does exist around the capital itself, and the Lupang Traydor does maintain some links with the Diadochic remnants.


Manzil Majariun

The reign of Parsa al-Sakhar, who for a period of some decades ruled a vast swathe of territory called in hindsight the "Sakharian Empire", was a glorious high point for Dwarvish civilisation. From the southern ocean to frost covered peaks of the Great Mountains the entire continent paid tribute or obeyed the whims of that mightiest of Dwarves.

Yet, Parsa al-Sakhar was not invincible, and her defeat and capture in the Hivelands spelled the end of her empire. Without a glorious general, the many subordinate states and governors of the now leaderless territories seized the initiative. Fighting with al-Sakhar's surviving loyal generals in the bloody wars of the Diadochi.

Chief amongst these was Manzil Majariun, a once mighty kingdom which had been amongst the first to fall to al-Sakhars grandfather when he began uniting the Alraas Aleazim, as the continents southern peninsula was then known. Insulated from the fighting over the capital of Qadim Alghanam, Manzil Majariun's elected council overthrew the puppet kings of the city and raised a banner of independence from the rule of the Alghanamese.

Now almost a century and a half hence, the Great Republic of Manzil Majariun is the leading power on the continent, holding almost all of the lands that were once core territories of the Sakharian Empire. The decrepit Hive Cities wallow in their stagnancy, and the Lupang Imperial is one of the last remnants of a bygone age, surrounded by rebels and separatists. The Great Republic considers itself the only free nation on the continent, for whilst one must be of Dwarvish blood to be a citizen, those citizens do in theory have the right to truly select their local rulers who in turn elect from amongst their ranks the "Qadi Sulh", or High Magistrate.

The opinions of non-dwarves are not considered a factor, nor are the associated cities of the Great Republic prevented from ensuring that their elections are reliable in the results they produce.

For now though, this maturing nation faces a continent opposed to its very form of governance, but if the heirs of Parsa could not defeat the Great Republic, then who can?


The Diadochi

al-Sakhar's generals did not give up her Empire without a fight. Indeed her armies weren't fully defeated until almost twenty years after her capture, and seven after her death. The Diadochic states which exist now are the remnants of the territories which won by her loyalists, who subsequently turned to infighting. Nominally most of these states consider themselves to be provinces of or the true successors to the Sakharian Empire, but in practice they've been steadily ground back by time and their foes until now they only hold the fringes of said Empire.

It is unlikely that any of these Dwarvish principalities will survive in the long run, but time is a fickle beast and ever prone to changing its mind.

Kamennya Zemlya

The "Stone Land" as the Northern Elves call their conquered homelands, is not especially conducive to agriculture. The soils are poor, the winters harsh compared to the sheltered south, and the neighbours are even less welcoming. Yet the state established by those first refugees fleeing the Domain of the High Steward remains. Currently at a relative high point after some notable victories over the eastern Draachenflieger hive cities, the Kemennya Zemlya is an oddity amongst the states currently existing on the continent of Lupa.

For the Northern Elves are a theocracy, one guided by the Hierophants of the celestial pantheon. Amongst other curiosities, the teachings of the Pantheon include the categorisation of Humans and Goblins as devils incarnate.

Padniovaja Respublika

The Southern Elves did not take the path that their cousins in the north or east did. Indeed for several centuries most of the Elvish city states of the rivers and the southern coast answered to the old capital in Cabis. Those times might be gone, but its legacy continues in the notable populations of Goblins and Humans throughout the southern cities, as well as the predominance of Goblin languages over the Elvish tongues amongst the nobility.

Nonetheless, in recent times it is the Dwarves whom these cities isolated by the vast forests look to as a source of inspiration. The Padniovaja Respublika is a confederacy of the various coastal cities of the region, who taking after their inspiration in the Manzil Majariun have sought systems of governance other than traditional aristocracies. This young confederacy is untested, having never seen a serious war and being less than half a century old, but it might yet survive the challenges to come.


Elvish Forest Tribes

Having largely displaced the Trolls from their forest homelands, the Elves who now inhabit the region have turned to a fairly quiet existence. Walking the groves the Trolls once did and farming the forests bounty as best they can. Though a sparsely populated area, the dozens of tribes who inhabit it are fiercely independent, and only send tribute to outsiders when greatly outmatched.


The Eastern Provinces

The Elves of the eastern provinces are finally free of the Lupang Imperial, though many of their kin are still ruled by that polity the major population centres to the east of the plains are not. The collapse of authority under the Otsoa and Ognen dynasties is such that some of the furthest provinces haven't paid taxes in a hundred years or more.

But, such freedoms do not last. The Diadochi, Northern Elves and the newly placed 7th Dynasty all look hungrily at these lands, and are likely to seize them given time.


The Northern Pari

A remnant of a once much greater Goblin separatist movement, the half a dozen city states of the northern mountains have not yet been persuaded to bow to Yablonya. Priestly families govern over cities in a similar way to how things were almost a millennia ago in the time of Datu Kalasag, and when one passes through the region it can be difficult to remember that anything has changed in the south.


The Southern City States

Elves who settled new cities following conquests of Natalo V, these western cities were not persuaded to join the Respublika, and their hallowed families remain steadfast in their desire to ignore the rest of the world. They have fought off the armies of the Emperor in Yablonya more than once before, why can they not do so again with this new Empress?


Old Nest Hive and the Draachenflieger Hive Cities

The greatest of the Draachenflieger Hive Cities, Old Nest stands strong amongst the northern seas. Five times have Elves besieged it, and five times has this mighty fortress thrown them back. But with trade from the Satyr islanders continuing to enrich them, the question of how long Old Nest stays on the defensive is an important one.

The other Hives are as yet undefeated, at least for the most part. But talks are emerging for what might happen should the hives looks outwards, instead of their petty warring amongst each other.


The Minotaur Tribes


Minotaurs live a stone age existence, the bull-men herding their sheep in the hills of their dreary homeland as they have for millenia. Granted, when you stand taller than most buildings you can get away with living peacefully. Certainly, there are good reasons that Parsa al-Sakhar was satisfied with only demanding tribute.

The Horned Men

Satyrs, as the people of the distant islands are known, know almost nothing of the continent to their east, having washed up on the shores of the archipelago almost nine centuries prior. Vessels from the Hive Cities do sometimes dock however, and so their existence is recognised by some of the more learned scholars in the Lupang Imperial.
 
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