We're not quite there yet.
I want to do a bit more on the Pac. NW, and then move on to finish off the Great Plains.
Medieval America Mark III
- Thread starter Flashman
- Start date
I want to do a bit more on the Pac. NW, and then move on to finish off the Great Plains.
Yes. So far as I can suss out, there are four regions of Canada's: the Kanadi, who represent the upper cowboys/ lower hunter-gatherers, and live on the Canadian Prairie . The Canucks, who live on the north end of Lake Superior and are mostly hunters who make a living off trade and piracy. Ontario, which is culturally and religiously American. And Quebec.
Forcasey
Forcasey, formerly known as Fort Casey, is a prosperous trading settlement located on Widby Island. The settlement was founded by the residents of the Island following the Laskan raids on their settlements. The settlement is now a wealthy participant of the Pewgetsown trade network. The settlement is designed so that a signal can be sent to outlying farmers to enter the safety of the settlement's walls from the increasingly-uncommon threat of Laskan raid.
City States of the Pacific Northwest: The Puget Sound Cities; Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia
tehskyman
Banned
City States of the Pacific Northwest: The Puget Sound Cities; Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia
Sandwiched between Lake Washington and Puget Sound, Seattle has a long history of sailing and sailing prowess. It's merchant ships travel between the many islands of the the Salish Sea and beyond, delivering goods from as far north as Ankrage and as far South as Sinaloa and everywhere in between. With the many peninsulas and islands of Puget sound providing adequate sailing practice, the city is the most maritime of the major City States. As such traders from across the Pacific Coast dock at it's wharves, bringing great wealth and ambitious peasants looking to make money to it's streets.
Because of its position just south of Seattle; 40 km as the crow flies or maybe a half days sailing, Tacoma has a strange rivalry with Seattle. On the one hand they are constantly feuding with each other over the most petty of things. The village of Kent has switched hands countless times and there is a spot on the Kitsap Peninsula where the two sides have fought each other nearly 70 times. On the other hand the two cities have an informal agreement that neither will attempt to seize absolute control over the other. This means that their navies will never face each other in battle and that their armies will stay out of sight of the other city's walls. It is better that they bicker over villages and islands than run the risk of losing their trade profits if it came to all out war.
As the site where Eco-Bhuddism was born, Olympia is the site of many a pilgrimage. People from across the region come here to take in the streets where John Amadi walked, where he and his first disciples ate and drank together. Stupas and small shrines crowd the streets. Regardless of the popularity of these temples the pilgrims are here for the main attraction: Amadi's Grove.
On a spit just out of town, hundreds of trees grow, carefully managed by druids and a small local order. It started when Amadi came down from his isolation, carrying a small fir sapling with him. He planted this sapling and was himself eventually buried beneath it. When John Amadi died, each of his disciples planted a fir sapling in a circle around the original. Eventually they too were buried beneath the trees they had planted. Hundreds of years later and with the devoted care of local monks these firs have grown to be nearly 100m tall each, forming a living cathedral dedicated to the spiritual Fathers and Mothers of the Pacific Northwest. Ever since then pilgrims will bring saplings or flowers on their journeys (or buy them in Olympia) and plant them at the grove.
Sandwiched between Lake Washington and Puget Sound, Seattle has a long history of sailing and sailing prowess. It's merchant ships travel between the many islands of the the Salish Sea and beyond, delivering goods from as far north as Ankrage and as far South as Sinaloa and everywhere in between. With the many peninsulas and islands of Puget sound providing adequate sailing practice, the city is the most maritime of the major City States. As such traders from across the Pacific Coast dock at it's wharves, bringing great wealth and ambitious peasants looking to make money to it's streets.
Because of its position just south of Seattle; 40 km as the crow flies or maybe a half days sailing, Tacoma has a strange rivalry with Seattle. On the one hand they are constantly feuding with each other over the most petty of things. The village of Kent has switched hands countless times and there is a spot on the Kitsap Peninsula where the two sides have fought each other nearly 70 times. On the other hand the two cities have an informal agreement that neither will attempt to seize absolute control over the other. This means that their navies will never face each other in battle and that their armies will stay out of sight of the other city's walls. It is better that they bicker over villages and islands than run the risk of losing their trade profits if it came to all out war.
As the site where Eco-Bhuddism was born, Olympia is the site of many a pilgrimage. People from across the region come here to take in the streets where John Amadi walked, where he and his first disciples ate and drank together. Stupas and small shrines crowd the streets. Regardless of the popularity of these temples the pilgrims are here for the main attraction: Amadi's Grove.
On a spit just out of town, hundreds of trees grow, carefully managed by druids and a small local order. It started when Amadi came down from his isolation, carrying a small fir sapling with him. He planted this sapling and was himself eventually buried beneath it. When John Amadi died, each of his disciples planted a fir sapling in a circle around the original. Eventually they too were buried beneath the trees they had planted. Hundreds of years later and with the devoted care of local monks these firs have grown to be nearly 100m tall each, forming a living cathedral dedicated to the spiritual Fathers and Mothers of the Pacific Northwest. Ever since then pilgrims will bring saplings or flowers on their journeys (or buy them in Olympia) and plant them at the grove.
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City States of the Pacific Northwest: Victoria
tehskyman
Banned
City States of the Pacific Northwest: Victoria
[From here]
At the tip of Vancouver Island lies Victoria. Because of its strategic location at the junction of the Strait of Wandifuke, Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, Victoria has grown rich off of the trade that passes through it's harbors as well as the tolls that ships pay to it so that they may be allowed to enter the pacific.
The way this system works is that Victoria maintains a series of naval bases next to the main passage ways into the Strait of Wandifuke. There ships receive a flag marking them as having paid. When they leave the strait, they have to return the flag to the bases on the other side. Victorian ships patrol the strait and ensure that those who have not paid are escorted to the nearest Victorian base and made to pay.
To ensure that this system works the Victorian Navy is huge, one of the largest. The toll system covers the costs of having it and then some, earning the merchants who run the city a tidy profit. The size of the Victorian Navy also enables it to maintain forts and colonies up and down the coast. The northern End of Vancouver Island is de facto Victorian territory, where control is maintained through friendly neighbors and the permanent presence of the Victorian Navy. From Kitimat to Coos Bay, the Victorian Flag flies. And where ever the Victorian flag flies, friendly ships can dock to take on food and water for their crews and sell their wares. For a price of course.
[From here]
- Government: Enlightened Republic
- Head of State: Premier, selected from the Victorian Navy and chosen by City Council
- Population: 255,000
- Townsfolk 25,000
- Farmers 80,000
- Vassal States 150,000
- Religion: Eco-Buddhism
- Totemic Symbol: Pacific Dogwood
At the tip of Vancouver Island lies Victoria. Because of its strategic location at the junction of the Strait of Wandifuke, Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound, Victoria has grown rich off of the trade that passes through it's harbors as well as the tolls that ships pay to it so that they may be allowed to enter the pacific.
The way this system works is that Victoria maintains a series of naval bases next to the main passage ways into the Strait of Wandifuke. There ships receive a flag marking them as having paid. When they leave the strait, they have to return the flag to the bases on the other side. Victorian ships patrol the strait and ensure that those who have not paid are escorted to the nearest Victorian base and made to pay.
To ensure that this system works the Victorian Navy is huge, one of the largest. The toll system covers the costs of having it and then some, earning the merchants who run the city a tidy profit. The size of the Victorian Navy also enables it to maintain forts and colonies up and down the coast. The northern End of Vancouver Island is de facto Victorian territory, where control is maintained through friendly neighbors and the permanent presence of the Victorian Navy. From Kitimat to Coos Bay, the Victorian Flag flies. And where ever the Victorian flag flies, friendly ships can dock to take on food and water for their crews and sell their wares. For a price of course.
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The Chosen One and the Sith
And one of the many tales of the Columbians is that of the "Choosen One" who will bring balance to the Force. He did battle with an army of Spirit-Tengu of the Sith Tribe of Sky Spirits whose faces were red and black and wore crowns of thorns. The Choosen One did defeat them and bind them to his service. In the deserts and rocky plateaus of Columbia an order of Shinobi gather to overthrow the tyranny of the Jedi Masters, calling themselves the Sith after the Tengu they are assassains and feared throughout the District.
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Are the Laskans in the process of civilizing? Because, like the Norse, they can't stay raiders forever. I'm thinking that they've got a mix of Russian, Anglo-American, and Inuit culture. It's ironic that people with Russian heritage effectively became Vikings considering the controversy regarding whether or not Vikings founded Russia.
tehskyman
Banned
This depends on what you mean by the Laskans. In my head, what the Cascadians refer to as "Laska" is the Pacific Coast of BC North of Vancouver and the Alaskan Panhandle and maybe Anchorage. This region would have the population and capacity to raid Cascadia and cause serious damage. Yes these peoples are civilizing. The various city states have colonies and trade posts.
North of the Alaska range, this region is not civilizing, it is tundra wasteland, mostly populated by Native tribes.
Tbh Far Eastern Russia is way too far away to have had much of a cultural impact on Alaska. There's Kamchatka, and then several thousand kilometers of Aleutian to cross to make it from Pacific Russia to Alaska. And theres nothing in Alaska, you cannot get on the way to Alaska, so no real reason for Russians to travel. If anything, there might be a bit of Japanese culture. So I don't think there's much in the way of Russian culture but yes, Anglo-American and Native American cultural influences (Inuit don't live along the Pacific).
I think that raids would taper off once a single strong leader takes control over the Laskans and starts turning them into an organized nation like how the Danes and the Swedes transitioned from being Viking raiders.
I wouldve thought that it'd be further away to get there from Japan, but that's interesting. The Laskans might combine half-remembered details about the American State Government, Native American tribal society and possibly even Pre-WWII Imperial Japan. I'm imagining a Laskan "Governor" or even "President" behaving more like a Japanese Emperor than an elected official. Especially if the Laskans value strength like the Vikings seemed to.
Ha! Crazy how close Tengus look to Darth Maul. Has George Lucas ever mentioned it?And one of the many tales of the Columbians is that of the "Choosen One" who will bring balance to the Force. He did battle with an army of Spirit-Tengu of the Sith Tribe of Sky Spirits whose faces were red and black and wore crowns of thorns. The Choosen One did defeat them and bind them to his service. In the deserts and rocky plateaus of Columbia an order of Shinobi gather to overthrow the tyranny of the Jedi Masters, calling themselves the Sith after the Tengu they are assassains and feared throughout the District.
That's a tricky question.
In my mind, "Laska" is a vague term, meaning everything from the northern tip of Victoria (where Theresa a Cascadian town called "Cold Harbour", currently Coal Harbour) up, from British Columbia to the tip of the the Alaskan Peninsula. The coastline is mainly inhabited by peoples who live off of a mix of hardy farming, hunter-gathering, and the fat of the sea. Raids were not the axis of their lives, it's something they'd do every now and then if there was a bad cold spell or when one of their kinfolk got cheated by a Buddhist merchant.
While there likely is significant Inuit, Athabaskan and Tlingit admixture, the coastal people are generally white, the more inland you go the more native it gets, until you climb the Alaskan Ranges and it's totally native. These people act like Saami or Skraelings to the coastal Laskan's "Norse". Cascadians probably have vague notions of "Eskimoland", a demon-haunted expanse of snow where the sun never shines and cannibal pygmies roam. The only predominantly native region where agriculture is practiced is the Yukon Delta.
As to Russian- probably not. Not too many Russians to begin with in the region across the Bering Straits, it's even less populated then Alaska, with most of the inhabitants being ethnically Siberian. Russians would absorb into this population, who would likely retain the Russina tongue, but not have much of an extensive trading relationship with the Laskans- they have nothing to offer the other since the Laskans just live in a better version of that.
Nearest ethnic Russians are probably around Vladivostok, where they've been separated from the mainstream of Russian culture.
It extends all the way out to the end of the Alaskan Peninsula, though that is certainly extremely marginal territory.
Was Medieval Norway comparable in size?
I don't find extensive Japanese influence particularly likely, personally. Its still a long ways for significant cultural transport.
That said, a warrior chieftain governor could certainly be interesting
tehskyman
Banned
I mentioned the Japanese influence because I thought that the ocean currents travel along the northern edge of the pacific from Japan to Alaska. That is incorrect, they go east-west not following the coast.
If the currents did work the way I thought, then fishermen would be getting swept along the coast every so often. If say a large military fleet was taken to alaska then you might see some japanese influence. But alas, it doesnt work that way
If the currents did work the way I thought, then fishermen would be getting swept along the coast every so often. If say a large military fleet was taken to alaska then you might see some japanese influence. But alas, it doesnt work that way
B-29_Bomber
Banned
Just a general question:
What is the most predominate political system in Medieval America?
For instance in IRL Medieval Europe the predominate political system was Feudal Monarchies. I haven't read any of the previous threads.
If I made a faux pas, I'm deeply sorry!
What is the most predominate political system in Medieval America?
For instance in IRL Medieval Europe the predominate political system was Feudal Monarchies. I haven't read any of the previous threads.
If I made a faux pas, I'm deeply sorry!
In the East (roughly speaking, east of the Great Plains) Feudalism predominates. Along the Great Plains, nomadic tribalism. In most of the West, despotisms and empires. In the Pacific Northwest and the Boswash, mercantile city states. Along the Gulf of Mexico there's a singular "Secratarial State", which appears to be a thalassocracy ruled by a man, but where most of the actual administration is conducted by Voodoo Witch-Queens.Just a general question:
What is the most predominate political system in Medieval America?
For instance in IRL Medieval Europe the predominate political system was Feudal Monarchies. I haven't read any of the previous threads.
If I made a faux pas, I'm deeply sorry!
I think that we should write about the Laskans before we move on to the Great Plains since there's no telling when we could get back to them later.
You know what'd be interesting? If some cultures adapted the concept of traffic lights to serve the role of "we're open"/"we're closed" signs. Especially in areas that have low literacy rates. The people would have had centuries of stories that give the context that green means you can go skmewhere and red means you can't. Merchants using red and green lanterns to denote operating hours would be understood by even illiterate peasants.
You know what'd be interesting? If some cultures adapted the concept of traffic lights to serve the role of "we're open"/"we're closed" signs. Especially in areas that have low literacy rates. The people would have had centuries of stories that give the context that green means you can go skmewhere and red means you can't. Merchants using red and green lanterns to denote operating hours would be understood by even illiterate peasants.
Cursed Depths
The Cursed Depths is the Cowboy term for the mysterious catacombs dotting three areas of the Great Plains. These are strange man-made cylindrical chambers that seem to be built around massive metal constructions of unknown function. The famously superstitious cowboys see them as cursed because anyone who spends enough time in the catacombs either falls very ill or dies of an unknown ailment. Some say that these structures are tombs, and that the strange sickness is a curse placed upon them for violating the sanctity of the tomb. Nobody knows for certain what they are, only that the mystery will be fertile ground for the imaginations of generations of storytellers.