Been meaning to continue for a while but IRL things keep me busy.Oh, this is still ongoing, at least a bit? Nice. I find it an interesting look into an oft ignored corner of the world, through a medium seldom used.
*
I'm aware my updates aren't as frequent as I'd like them to be and aren't as long as many would prefer. IRL I'm quite busy and get little time to sit down, do research and overall be creative with timelines. Hence, it would be great if any here are interested in collaboration with this timeline as it increases in scale and complexity that you send me a pm. I'm in no way an expert on any of the topics I cover, I just have my moments. I'd love to continue this TL but then it would ultimately have to be a team effort. The foundations have been built and I'm excited to see where it will go. So please assist if you can.
I think you're probably discounting the fact that the route used in OTL is similar, but perhaps the contact would have different effects in ATL now as you describe. There's a lot of speculation I have to do about second-order-effects in this regard, as in, not just what outside areas can now bring to a more "enlightened" Baltic, but what an enlightened Baltic means for the neighbouring regions.If i should come with some brainstorming ideas,, here's some thing which can be used:
You describe a early expansion of Norse influence in "Russia", but the expansion is along the Volga instead of Dnieper as in OTL, beside a spread of Norse cultural and maybe linguistic influence (making the Volga Norse dominated instead of East Slavic dominated), this could also lead to contact with Persia across the Caspian Sea. This do have some interesting consequences of Norse contact with the Middle East going through Persia instead of Anatolia. This could result in Persian architecture being a major influence on Norse architecture, but it could also result in a early and direct introduction of paper and Hindu-Arabic numerals to the Norse world, paper would strengthen the Óðr faith significant as it would enable them to spread their religious writing, while Hindu-Arabic numerals would strengthen trade, the civil service and push mathematical development.
I think you're probably discounting the fact that the route used in OTL is similar, but perhaps the contact would have different effects in ATL now as you describe.
There's a lot of speculation I have to do about second-order-effects in this regard, as in, not just what outside areas can now bring to a more "enlightened" Baltic, but what an enlightened Baltic means for the neighbouring regions.