Part 31: Bonus Vote on Rest of the World - Part 1

Alright, so there's still some tuning to do, but the conversion of the CK2 map is pretty much done, so it's time to move on to some votes! I want to get it all done in one voting session, so there'll be five parts to this vote, each dealing with a specific region on the map. It's fairly straightforward - each part is made up of three choices, simply pick one and you're good to go!



1 – CHINA

A - The Middle Ages were not kind to the realms of East Asia. After several devastating wars between Mongol and Han, the Great Song gave way to a succession of shortlived, brutal states led by tyrants, splintering the Chinese heartland into a dozens of constantly-feuding realms.
China will be heavily balkanized.

B - The Mongol hordes never posed much of a threat to the Celestial Empire, far more dangerous were the militant Buddhist theocracies to the south, who’d been turned on a conquering path after being pushed out of India by the Hindu Rajas.
North China is united under the Chinese Emperor, much of South China is under the control of Animist kingdoms and Buddhist theocracies, with the area between the two comprised of small buffer states.

C - The Emperor can have no rest, not when hordes stand ready to storm across China, and certainly not when his empire is on the verge of destruction. First were the Jurchens, who were thrown back and temporarily defeated after a century-long struggle. Then came the Mongols, conquering vast tracts of North China before being expelled by a mighty uprising. There is only so much the Empire can take, however, and rumours of a warlord greater than even Genghis Khan are quickly spreading…



2 – JAPAN

A – Barbarian hordes are the scourge of all nations – and Japan is no different. Suffering constant raids and invasions from nomadic peoples across the sea, Japan is not only weakened and devastated, but her very heartland is under brutal occupation.
Parts of Japan will be controlled by foreign invaders.

B – After the bloody but successful Kenmu Restoration, the Empire of the Rising Sun is united, it is strong, and it is ambitious. Daimyos are notoriously fickle beasts, however, and the only way to sate their desires is to give them an enemy to fight…

C – Japan is under peril, a peril that threatens to tear its very society apart at the seams. With plague devastating the land, the Sons of Amaterasu long gone from this earth, samurai pillaging their way from one village to another, and the peasantry up in arms – who is going to unite Japan?



3 – SOUTHEAST ASIA

A – The large and varied realms of Indonesia, through sustained contact with traders from Mesopotamia, have come to be dominated by a particularly tolerant and carefree strain of Islam. Not only do the rulers of these realms allow their subjects to practice their traditional Animist beliefs, but some even openly drink alcohol and indulge in decadent pleasures, claiming that they are on a mission to grow closer to Allah!

B – Throughout the Middle Ages, the Buddhist and Jain peoples of India suffered great persecution at the hand of their Hindu overlords, which led to their mass emigration to foreign shores – our shores. Many are educated and bright, and their religions are peaceful, perhaps these newcomers could prove to be useful?

C – The East Indies were initially dominated by Buddhist kingdoms, before giving way to Islamic sultanates, who quickly grew to dominate the region. Over the past two centuries, however, the religious makeup of Indonesia has once again been shaken, as trade with the war-torn realms of Mesopotamia and India fade in favour of China. Contact between these two realms goes far beyond mere trade, however, as a string of Chinese explorers also bring the teachings of Confucius with them, a creed to which the elite seem to have taken to.



4 – WEST AFRICA

A – A terrible conflict divides the realms of Africa into two power blocks – the Muslim and the Pagan – a conflict that has already claimed the lives of countless men, women and children. To make matters worse, a figure claiming to be a prophet is gradually gaining traction all across West Africa, a development that can only add fuel to an already raging fire...

B – The large and powerful Ghana Empire was shortlived, but it had a far greater impact on West Africa than many imagined, opening contact between the isolated African kingdoms and the rest of the world. West Africa has come to be divided amongst a thousand petty realms, each incredibly developed and rich, with trade prospering between the many city-states. They are led by all manner of people – Muslims, heretics, pagans, and even Christians in some places.

C – West Africa has been carved between a few very large, powerful realms. The recipe for disaster, some might say, but these realms are actually closely allied with one another, preferring trade and friendship to war and hostility. As culture thrives and attention shifts to technological advancement and exploration, the famous Mansa Aboubakri returns from his legendary journey, spouting tales of an entire world waiting to be explored…



5 – AMERICAS

A – The Yucatan Peninsula was once a bitterly divided region, populated by thousands of Mayan city-states, fighting pointless wars for land and tribute that would only be lost a few years later. The arrival of the Nahua changed all of that, however, and the once-isolated city states were forced to unite into the Maya Confederation to counter the threat… Thus began the Iron Wars, an era of unending conflict and unprecedented death, but also one of great military progress and advancement…
Mesoamerican states will get events that spread specific institutions in their cities, once they’ve been spawned.

B – Mesoamerica is a land of war, a land of blood, a land of death. But it was not always so, not when the legendary conqueror Tlanextli had united all peoples of the earth under his rule. He was surrounded by fickle-hearted traitors, however, and his death resulted in the partition of his empire amongst his closest family members and highest-ranking generals.
Mesoamerican states will extend far beyond their vanilla boundaries.

C – The Nahua and Maya are on the retreat, forced to finally put aside their differences and face their common, and far greater, threat: a series of escalating raids by a ferocious seafaring people, who are in turn led by a fierce innovator and warlord.
Mesoamerican coasts will be plagued, and possibly conquered, by an aggressive seafaring people early in the game.




By the way, this doesn't necessarily mean the parts of the map I haven't included (like East Africa or North America) aren't going to be changed, I just haven't come up with any good ideas for them. If someone's got a decent suggestion though, I'll definitely consider altering it.