Tellurus: a worldbuilding project

[Neon Yellow]

Here's another map, with the languages labelled. I've tried to create a unique geographic distribution without too much Indo-European dominance, while having similar languages located close to each other. I'm honestly not sure what to do with Talamor and Equatoria, so I just left them blank.

This doesn't have to be a final version of anything, of course, it's just something I made while I was bored.

 

[Turquoise Blue]

View attachment 381642
Here's another map, with the languages labelled. I've tried to create a unique geographic distribution without too much Indo-European dominance, while having similar languages located close to each other. I'm honestly not sure what to do with Talamor and Equatoria, so I just left them blank.

This doesn't have to be a final version of anything, of course, it's just something I made while I was bored.

Interesting. I obviously did some stuff different to yours, but there's some clear similarities, like Portuguese. Kudos.

 

[Imperator Frank]

@Neon Yellow I like your maps, I plan on using real world language families too, but maybe not the exact same languages.

Here's something I found while looking through files. The original image I generated (using some planetmaking program I can't remember the name of) on October 15th, 2015, that would eventually become Tellurus.
Notice that the general shape of the continents are the same, but the coastlines are very different and almost every island, sea and lake I added don't yet exist. Malag is also a long, spindly peninsula almost reaching Rhodin (itself just a giant peninsula of Serratar in this picture). Most of the mountains ended up being in the same areas, just not mini-Tibets everywhere

Modern map for comparison

 

[Imperator Frank]

Last map for tonight, the rivers of Rhodin are completed!

Also, does anyone have a clue what the longest river might be so far?

 

[The Professor]

Regarding human evolution I think we need to establish on which continent group apes arise. This will give us our area to generate early Homo and its spread. From that spread we can decide where the sapiens-neanderthalensis-denisova origin is and place our various human species along the migration routes. Then we can decide on where sapiens originates and its spread.

 

[Wendell]

The problems with some of these language groupings is that their writing systems are probably different from OTL given relative proximity and linguistic history.

 

[michaelk156]

Just a heads up; there's no true Pacific-scale ocean on Tellurus, the Lautian Ocean is by comparison a convenient strip for an international date line. As a result, migration and colonisation patterns could be messy, especially if Serica decides to become expansive rather than maintain a 'middle kingdom' type attitude like OTL China. Given the obstructive placement of the Aephyr mountains (the 'Talamor Rockies'), one could find that perhaps Sericans end up being the 'American-empire' founders rather than the people of Hatar, building their strength by expanding to Equatoria first (could a 'Brazil' be located there?).

Unia is in an especially good place to be a colonial power, in my opinion. Perhaps more a Britain analogue than Yseia in some respects. The Serican peninsula could spawn a Portugal/Spain type place with colonial ambition as well.

 

[Imperator Frank]

@michaelk156 nice ideas, who knows what might happen when i finally start the actual timelime

 

[michaelk156]

@Imperator Frank I've felt like taking my own guesses and making a map like Turquoise Blue and others have done but it would be complicated to think about. If I were in charge, I don't think I could make Tellurus a world of OTL-analogue nations and language groups, there are just too many possibilities that would have to mixed and matched to make sense. Honestly, Tellurus would make a great campaign map for a Civilization game.

 

[The Professor]

Regarding human evolution I think we need to establish on which continent group apes arise. This will give us our area to generate early Homo and its spread. From that spread we can decide where the sapiens-neanderthalensis-denisova origin is and place our various human species along the migration routes. Then we can decide on where sapiens originates and its spread.

Further to this here are my ideas based on each option.
1) Capricornia-Hatar
Apes evolve in Avarda and spread north and to Rhodin and northern Capricornia.
Homo evolves in either Avarda, Rhodin, or E Capricornia and spreads throughout the continents and nearby islands, excluding the mountains and coldest regions.
The Homo heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis equivalent evolves in Avarda/Rhodin/ECapricornia and spreads to include the mountains and islands. This allows us to put Neanderthal types around the mountains, hobbits on the islands, and others. Ring/chain species could be prominent here.
Homo sapiens then evolves in A/R/EC (probably Rhodin) and spreads to neighbouring continents, merging with the other species in various ways.

2) Ozara-Talamor
Apes evolve in Ozara and spread north to southern Talamor and south.
Homo evolves in either W or E Ozara and spreads throughout the continents and nearby islands, excluding the mountains and coldest regions. Some might make it to Equatoria.
The Homo heidelbergensis/rhodesiensis equivalent evolves near the join of Ozara and Talamor and spreads to include the mountains and islands, including Equatoria. This allows us to put Neanderthal types around the mountains, hobbits on the islands, and others. Equatoria could have a prominent lasting Homo species here.
Homo sapiens then evolves in Ozara and spreads to neighbouring continents, merging with the other species in various ways.

 

[Wendell]

I don't think we can reasonably map out languages until the rivers are done.

 

[The Professor]

I don't think we can reasonably map out languages until the rivers are done.

And then the migration patterns need resolving.

 

[Imperator Frank]

Rhodin watersheds. Colors still dont mean anything besides gray ones being endorheic.

 

[Imperator Frank]

K/T Boundary map coming later today/tomorrow.
EDIT: It's coming tonight

 

[Imperator Frank]

Here we go, small writeup included.

65 million years before the beginning of history in Tellurus, the world was a very different, but almost recognizable (from space ) place.
The Supercontinent of Pangea is long gone, and it's last few fragments have broken into the continents we recognize today.
The future Laharqan Ocean is opening between Avarda and Capricornia, and The Ashufe Ocean between Rhodin and Ozara.
Inversely, the Aephyr ocean is being subducted out of existence as the Fornesta-Colum subcontinent and Talamor move towards each other. The Albalon Ocean share a similar fate as Rhodin moves northwards.
Several island arcs are forming in the back-arc basins near rifting landmasses, such as Avarda-Tapron and the Laethanian Peninsula and Natecuya.
Several large microcontinents are also on a collision course with Equatoria.
Epicontinental seas also persisted in Ozara and Capricornia, and one in Talamor dried up.
The defining characteristic of this time period, however, is the large impact crater in southern Ozara, the result of a bolide collision with Tellurus. This event coincides with, but may not be the sole cause for, a mass extinction of life that occurred at this time. Non-avian dinosaurs were almost completely wiped out along with most other animals larger than 1 meter. It would take the ecosystem millions of years to recover, but paved the way for mammals and later humans to rise.

 

[Imperator Frank]

Names for Capricornia!

 

[The Professor]

Some good updates but I'm curious about the impact. Iirc the reason chixculub was so devastating OTL was hitting off the coast making tsunamis bigger and sending a lot of vapour into the atmosphere.

 

[Imperator Frank]

My asteroid was a little bigger, so while there were no tsunamis, it put much more material into the air. Maybe some smaller pieces hit the ocean at the same time and didn't leave craters?

 

[Imperator Frank]

Current paleogeography status. Removed some planned maps (far too many in the Paleogene) and changed the dates of others. Which should I do next?
800mya (Tonian) done
650mya (Cryogenian) done
600mya (Ediacaran) done
540mya (Cambrian) done
450mya (Ordovician) 0%
425mya (Silurian) done
400mya (Devonian) 0%
350mya (Mississippian) done
300mya (Pennsylvanian) 0%
275mya (Permian) done
250mya (Triassic) 0%
175mya (Jurassic) 0%
100mya (Cretaceous) 0% (these mesozoic ones will likely be the most difficult for me to make)
64mya (Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary) done
30mya (Oligocene) 0%
5mya (Pliocene) 0%
26kya (Pleistocene) 0%
Modern Day (Holocene) done

https://imgur.com/gallery/mtVNMHS link to most of the maps I've made for paleo Tellurus

 

[Deleted member 105545]

Current paleogeography status. Removed some planned maps (far too many in the Paleogene) and changed the dates of others. Which should I do next?
800mya (Tonian) done
650mya (Cryogenian) done
600mya (Ediacaran) done
540mya (Cambrian) done
450mya (Ordovician) 0%
425mya (Silurian) done
400mya (Devonian) 0%
350mya (Mississippian) done
300mya (Pennsylvanian) 0%
275mya (Permian) done
250mya (Triassic) 0%
175mya (Jurassic) 0%
100mya (Cretaceous) 0% (these mesozoic ones will likely be the most difficult for me to make)
64mya (Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary) done
30mya (Oligocene) 0%
5mya (Pliocene) 0%
26kya (Pleistocene) 0%
Modern Day (Holocene) done

26kya