Medieval America Mark III

Yep, this is the main appearance of settlements in Arizona and Dinetah. Many of the old ones are revered as holy sites and home to powerful temple complexes.

In a recent timeline of mine, I speculated how the native cultures of the Southwest could have utilized crossbows for defence of their towns and dwellings, after Native Americans discovered simple crossbows centuries before that and the idea eventually reached the Southwest.

The Navajo were also noted to have historically built the pueblito forts in a remarkably European-like castle style (quite different from typical earlier pueblos, with their mostly adobe covers on the outside) and to like hunting with bows on horseback, after they adopted horses on a larger scale.

One has to wonder whether the Southwesterners of the Medieval America future world have figured out crossbows could be very practical for defending Oasisamerica pueblito-style forts and pueblo-style fortified towns. And even for hunting on horseback and on foot, besides regular bows. Unlike in my timeline, there aren't that many technological and material and knowledgebase restrictions.
 
In a recent timeline of mine, I speculated how the native cultures of the Southwest could have utilized crossbows for defence of their towns and dwellings, after Native Americans discovered simple crossbows centuries before that and the idea eventually reached the Southwest.

The Navajo were also noted to have historically built the pueblito forts in a remarkably European-like castle style (quite different from typical earlier pueblos, with their mostly adobe covers on the outside) and to like hunting with bows on horseback, after they adopted horses on a larger scale.

One has to wonder whether the Southwesterners of the Medieval America future world have figured out crossbows could be very practical for defending Oasisamerica pueblito-style forts and pueblo-style fortified towns. And even for hunting on horseback and on foot, besides regular bows. Unlike in my timeline, there aren't that many technological and material and knowledgebase restrictions.
Are crossbows especially helpful to Pueblo dwellers?
 
Are crossbows especially helpful to Pueblo dwellers?

I would say so, especially in terms of ergonomics. Something I explored in my Amerindian timeline as well. Though bows remained popular for siege defence in the Old World, crossbows were especially popular for shooting over parapet walls (often between merlons) or from arrowslits in walls an towers precisely because they're less akward to hold while you're shooting. You can't really shoot well horizontally from a bow, especially not when you want to aim with at least some accuracy. The crossbow solves the issue. Doesn't get in the way while shooting downward at attackers, is quite a bit easier to aim with, and there's also the fact you can span the crossbow, place your bolt, wait as long as you need, and then release. Regardless of what mechanism they use in Medieval America (in my timeline, the natives used the simplest mechanisms, with a groove for the string and simple lever-triggers to lift it, purely because they have Neolithic tech only in the pre-Columbian period, i.e. no metallurgy), a crossbow could be pretty valuable to cultures that have towns and forts with proper thick masonry and adobe, as a practical defensive weapon. Yes, they can use bows, but those are more finnicky to work with in siege defence. They could use slings and javelins, but those are far less precise than archery weapons (and throwing a javelin away is just wasteful in a siege). Additionally, crossbow bolts can be manufactured in a way that avoids their fletching deteriorating as easily as the fletching of regular longer arrows.

If guns don't exist, crossbows will be king. They're also easier to gain proficiency with for complete newbies who usually don't use ranged weaponry. Ideal for homestead defence, pueblo defence, or for shooting at any dangerous wildlife that's pestering your dwelling. Also makes it easier to do some hunting near your domicile, if all you want to shoot is a bird, a jackrabbit/hare or some small deer.

I'd be actually shocked if Medieval America's technology was overly primitive when it comes to knowledge and skills of mechanical ranged weaponry. Especially if iron and steel metallurgy is known and Medieval America can manufacture good quality steel weapons and armour and other contraptions. They'll be able to manufacture even good quality steel parts, and an adequate crossbow suitable for hunting or for military purposes, doesn't even need steel parts at all. Today, there's still an Appalachian crossbow-building tradition that goes back to colonial times, plenty of Americans today also build hobbyist crossbows at home or buy modern models for hunting. Some knowledge of the crossbow, at least up to an 17th-18th century level (or a few centuries earlier) would survive in Medieval America, even if no knowledge of present day modern crossbows survived. (Given that guns are lost tech, I'd say all MA crossbows will be up to roughly the Renaissance level, at most, with a few minor accessory anachronisms here and there.) You can bet your belly button that as soon as firearm knowledge was lost in the past, the successor cultures in the Appalachians returned to making crossbows en masse. An old folk tradition that nearly disappeared by the 20th century, but came in handy once firearm technology became forgotten.
 
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I moreso meant for Pueblos specifically - seems the same benefits would apply to any stone fortifications. Still, interesting stuff!
 
I'm not sure how prevalent crossbows would be in New Mexico. They might be a bit of a resource drain, the absolute monarchy might consider it a cultural taboo, and most of their opponents would be the Horse Archers of the plains, and crossbows are not ideal for when everyone is fighting on horses. (Otherwise, their best defense is probably their sheer isolation). They might be more common in California or Deseret, which has more wood and need for military diversity. They generally don't seem to be the weapon of choice in ancient desert-based armies.

By the way, going back to movie monsters, and other pop culture things--I usually ask myself what kind of ways would people entertain themselves? Like, the less steps you have to do, the better. They would have a lot of campfire stories, so Friday the 13th, which is a cinematic campfire story, would be easy. There would be a return of puppet shows, so Muppets would totally be a thing. The economy of it. I don't now how long a Transformer would physically last, (Planned obsolescence probably renders a lot of modern toys worthless after a couple of years), and the "robot that turns into car" seems like a bit of gobbletygook after a generation. I do want to say characters from comic books/strips have an advantage because while I don't know how long a physical comic book could last, sequential art in some way or another would be one of the easiest things to keep going.
 
I'm not sure how prevalent crossbows would be in New Mexico. They might be a bit of a resource drain, the absolute monarchy might consider it a cultural taboo, and most of their opponents would be the Horse Archers of the plains, and crossbows are not ideal for when everyone is fighting on horses. (Otherwise, their best defense is probably their sheer isolation). They might be more common in California or Deseret, which has more wood and need for military diversity. They generally don't seem to be the weapon of choice in ancient desert-based armies.

By the way, going back to movie monsters, and other pop culture things--I usually ask myself what kind of ways would people entertain themselves? Like, the less steps you have to do, the better. They would have a lot of campfire stories, so Friday the 13th, which is a cinematic campfire story, would be easy. There would be a return of puppet shows, so Muppets would totally be a thing. The economy of it. I don't now how long a Transformer would physically last, (Planned obsolescence probably renders a lot of modern toys worthless after a couple of years), and the "robot that turns into car" seems like a bit of gobbletygook after a generation. I do want to say characters from comic books/strips have an advantage because while I don't know how long a physical comic book could last, sequential art in some way or another would be one of the easiest things to keep going.

Maybe only the central concept and names of the Transformers would survive. So it'd instead be this story of an ancient secret war between factions of secret metal men from another world.
 
While it's not a part of the America's I wonder what the Cape about South Africa would look like in the new medieval period.

I think things in South Africa would get very dark during the Regression. My personal headcanon is that Coloureds inhabit the Cape while the remnants of the Afrikaners were able to regroup and thrive as pastoralists along the western coast and Namibia. Perhaps they occasionally conquer the Coloured sedentary populations from time to time. Meanwhile, the eastern half of South Africa would be descended from the various groups (Sotho, Eswatini, Xhosa etc.) and are constantly fighting one another.
 
I took a crack at some minor lore:

Deep within the bristlecone pine strewn mountains of the trans-pecos, there echo's a massive ringing deep within the limestone rock. It is from a huge machine, hundreds of feet tall, its gears and catches have ticked for hundreds of years. Every once in a while its bells play a melody. Each time the chimes ring, it’s a melody the machine has never played before.
a spiral staircase winds around the ancient mechanism, leading one up hundreds of feet to the primary chamber. Here lies the face of the mechanism. A disk about 8 feet in diameter artfully displaying the natural cycles of astronomical time, the pace of the stars and the planets, and if one looks very closely, the time of day.

Long, long ago, a monastic order of scholars had set up residence nearby and guarded the location of the machine.
calling their order 'the devout', for two centuries they were dedicated to the protection and preservation of ancient texts, deriving meaning from the astrological movements of the heavens, and of course, the maintenance of the fascinating device.

they were slaughtered to a man.
a renegade band of cowboys, upon hearing of rumors of vast treasure in the local area, discovered the scholars and attacked their redoubt of knowledge. only after the bloodshed had ended did the attackers realize the men they had butchered had nothing of value, only strange scribblings and worthless diagrams.

however, they never did discover the machines entrance, hidden away in an unremarkable opening in the rock face

within the darkness of the mountain, the 10,000 year clock sits forgotten and alone, talking to itself with its mechanical mind.


(its a REAL THING!)
 
In the Non-Denominational Church, Election Day is probably part of the Hallowtide Season: Halloween/All Saint's Eve October 31, Hallowmas/All Saint's Day November 1st, All Souls Day November 2nd, and All Patriot's Day/Election Day November 3rd.
 
It appears that tehskyman has been banned. Very saddening, he was a great user, and absolutely vital in this project. He will be sorely missed.
 
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