Reversia; a Retrograde Earth

[Ancalagon_84]

"The greatest nomadic invasion in the history of the known world is nothing to ignore in terms of its historical impact. The rise of Hruga Kor and his descendants bridged the gap between the two halves of Eurasia, destroyed the status quo and created a precedent for other raiders across the Old World. Even in our present day, the Gurag's legacy is no less profound." Nitron Asaaj, 20th century Numa [Algerian] historian.

The Eurasian continent was in a wide and varied state as the 5th century CE dawned. Some lands had risen while others had fallen, and technology advanced at a slower pace than they had before. Researchers in the Ugran Plataeu and North Africa began to find the formula to explosive substances that they would one day weaponise, while the Sunset kingdoms waged war on each other for supremacy. However, neither the east or west was prepared for a threat of a different kind emerging from the steppes of Central Asia.

The Gurag Wars (399-488CE)

Hruga's first conquest in 401CE was not the western city states of the Aral, Govmibi and Salat as the Rhokost had previously attempted and failed, but the rich Varuum cities of the Tarim Basin to the south. Using the divide and conquer strategies that worked before, these economically formidable but small states provided a strategic point in cutting off trades between the west and eastern worlds. While not a great gaining in land or grain, it would make the conquest of the west easier in the long term. Once these conquests were accomplished in 402, the next target was the larger kingdom of Bokha [Bukhara but somewhat cooler in both summer and especially winter than otl as well as somewhat wetter], north of the Ugran Plateau and rich in its own way. This was the young warlord's first larger nation, and would prove a vital gateway between this conquest and the later one of him and his descendants. The horde descended from the north and made their way through valleys and plains to the well fortified cities. Catapulting the corpses of those they slew into the cities, they allowed disease and fires to spread, psychologically breaking their rivals and inspiring neighbouring cities to surrender. Within just 2 years, the Bokha regime fell apart. Now, recruiting local manpower and techniques, Hruga's forces turned west to the Greater Caspian to go for the Aral City states. Possessing a wealth of technologies from the conquered sedentary peoples they took on, they overwhelmed the city states and built a larger fleet of ships to sail across the sea to the Caucasus, with the Caucasian tribes quickly being subdued from the north. Now the real work could begin.

The divided empires of the Ugran [Iranian] Plateau and the lands beyond were next once Central Asia was subdued. Medikia in the east was the logical choice of conquest given its proximity and power. The mountains of Medikia's homelands [Afghanistan, significantly milder summers and much wetter] proved a more tricky opponent than those further north, as the increased humidity was difficult for the Gurag composite bows to work with, though the monsoonal nature of the lands made it only so humid in certain times of the year. Thus a strategy was made to take the lands using more of an infantry force than a cavalry, with Hruga switching his tactics to fit the mountainous lands of the plateaus when the steppe cavalry forces didn't work as well. The pace of conquest became slower as a result, but by 411CE, this phase of the conquest was complete. The transition to the east into Ind was made excessively difficult by the very humid (year round instead of monsoonal) and hot tropical conditions present making it completely unsuitable for their weapons. The more subtropical conditions of the western nations proved another matter.

The western lands of Duna and the Caucasus came next on Hruga's agenda. The most powerful single nation in west Asia, Duna [western Iran and Mesopotamia, much wetter and milder than our own] had already heard of the rise of this threat of the mighty Horde from the shores of the lakes. Gathering their forces, numbering perhaps in the hundreds of thousands, they raised a formidable host to oppose the steppe nomads. But it had been centuries since they had to deal with such a threat in any significant way due to their position, and never on anywhere near the scale seen. They had seen expeditions by European tribals, ambitious Arab princes and the odd incursion by Khemros or Vanoa, but nothing on the scale that the Gurag were offering. After a brief peace of seven years, the invasion of Duna and its vassals began in 418CE (dates for otl used). Hruga's sons led the assault across the Caspian's southern shore, though the youngest son Briga led an attack on the mountainous city of Qurung [near otl Tehran], well away from the kingdom's capital. Around 422CE, Briga's assault on the city came to a tragic end as while he thought he had found an ally in the form of local collaborators, this was in reality a trap to lure him out, and he ended up being filled with many arrows. Enraged by the loss of his son, Hruga set a great force upon the city with siege engines, and the city was burned to the ground as a result, with even the city's library being set ablaze. Vowing to utterly destroy the Duna kingdom, his forces continued westward out of the Ugran [Iranian] Plateau into the lands of the many rivers [Iraq], where the capital of the empire lay. Located between some rivers, Dunagor [a similar location to otl Ninevah or Mosul] was a formidable fortress built by an empire hoping to take back the remainder of Ugra from the peoples of the mountains, but now faced a much more dangerous opponent. Now seen as responsible by proxy for the death of his son, Hruga undertook a brutal campaign against the Dunese as well as their vassals, taking place over several years as the king abandoned his capital and fled across his collapsing empire starting in 424. He even fled into the lands of the Arabs to the south, hoping to gain their favour in expelling the Horde. Having been subject to raids by wayward generals and seeing their power, as well as how decentralised their mighty realm is, they refused to take part, helping them avoid the ravages of Gurag. Even if Gurag had invaded, however, the humid and warm terrain would, as with Ind, have hampered the composite bows the nomads used. With Duna falling, Hruga's last few years were spent consolidating his rule in the west, overseeing the eastern campaigns from a distance, and launching expeditions agains the Vanoans and Khemro. It was a stray arrow fighting in Zisa [near otl Cyrene] that finally put down the greatest tribal leader in the Eurasian continent, and forced the overextended Gurag to withdraw from North Africa, a move that spared the land in the long run.

As well as campaigning westward to the shores of the Aegean and Black Seas, the nomadic empire went eastward. The first and easiest conquest were the tribes of Ugra-Nao, distant cousins of the Ugrans who dominated the Altai mountains [similar summers, slightly milder winters and slightly wetter, but pretty close to otl], who despite the terrain, proved relatively easy for the Empire to handle around 406-7CE. The divided lands of Cjumarijia [ a milder and seasonally wetter Mongolia and Baikalia, now only dry in the summer months instead of year round] were the next to fall in the eastern territories, being a mix of open woodlands and steppe. Had they been united, they could have posed an equal if not even greater threat to Eurasian politics, but their current state made them victims of expansion rather than conquerors for the time being. Due to the emphasis of the west, the conquest of this region was gradual, taking place over a number of years. The campaigns in the west were quick and decisive, though it took longer for the more remote regions such as the Pinga around Baikal or the Zia peoples of Inner Mongolia, who needed to be subdued by tired Kazakh hordes. The terrain of the land, however, was certainly more suitable for their traditional cavalry warfare than that further west. By this time that it was finished, after Hruga's death in 436CE, by 439, the Horde was now ready to ravage the lands of the Sunset Kingdoms.

Hruga's eldest son, Gogol, took control and marched against Ciwa around the Yellow River. The premier Sunset kingdom of the time was a more formidable opponent, rivalling the toughest Hruga has faced, but this did not deter him. Sending his least trustworthy brothers to a secondary campaign in the west against the Vanoans (Anatolia and Syria, cooler year round and much wetter than our own), and the Hellenes, he mobilised a great force of cavalry to charge through the Yellow River-based kingdom, city by city. Here, resistance grew as they reached closer to the coast, and Gogol even found himself pushed back in the 440s back to Mongolia as the eastern empire reasserted itself. This proved a poor decision in the long run, as Gogol's wrath would be felt for centuries just as his father's had been in the west.


The Empire of the Gurag at the height of its power at 469CE. Darker brown represents the ancestral homeland of the Gurags before Hruga's conquests, middle brown represents the empire as a whole and the lightest shade indicates regions that were tributaries to the Horde.

Gogol's destruction of Ciwa was tight and methodical, even more so than that of Duna in the west. Entire cities were razed, while subjects of the empire rose in rebellion. Those of Shandong were particularly fervent in rebellion, and even allied themselves with the Gurag. Thousands if not millions died as the Ciwan empire collapsed in a more brutal way than its predecessor ever did, and it's hold was let go. Whereas those of the peninsula and south were left to their devices, Gogol in 451 turned northeastward to the Shinigiwa kingdoms and their northern neighbours, conquering the Korean Phob kingdom and much of Manchuria directly, while the rest were allowed to survive as tributaries, a fraction of their former power. Just as elsewhere, the Manchu peoples found themselves a subject of others, this proved a straw in their routine as they faced new threats. Gogol ruled a mighty empire until his death in 460, where he came across the idea to partition his empire into smaller sub-empires to better control it.

The regime of course did not last long in the end, however. As Hruga's grandsons and great grandsons fought amongst themselves just as their predecessors of the steppes had done, their mighty empire fractured. The most remote regions of the Empire were the first to break away as fragile "Hrugates" or large kingdoms akin to empires in their own right, namely Anatolia and the Yellow Sea respectively. The tributaries also broke away quickly. However, those of the east, freed of one oppressor, found themselves at risk from a completely different threat.


The Raiders of the Far North (462-533CE):

With the chaos created across Eurasia by the vast hordes of the steppes, a lot of disorder and confusion took place. This, along with a brief drop in temperatures caused by devastation of urbanised lands, led to the Kamchatkan and Okhost [both of these lands, especially the former being much milder than our own, to the point much of Kamchatka is temperate] peoples becoming increasingly desperate. Already noted traders and pillagers on a smaller scale, the regions organised into increasingly complex arrangements and upped their efforts until a full scale invasion of the Sunset Kingdoms was launched, disorientated and fragmented by the Gurag's previous attacks.

The legendary Kamchatkan warrior-king, Kola Koka started raids into the island of Ymoshaa [Hokkaido though noticeably warmer year round and a bit drier than our own] and the Seykelin peninsula from his bases in the Vayamar islands [Kurils, again much warmer and slightly drier than otl] but grew greater in ambition. When slaying the king of Ymoshaa in single combat, his ambitions grew to form a great Kamchatkan kingdom across all the islands of the northeast, a power to rival that of the Yellow River. Kola's expeditions attracted more followers over time and in time all of Ymoshaa fell to his advance. Pushing southward after this, Kola grew even more ambitious and wished to take over northern Honshu one warlord at a time. This in turn attracted other ambitious Kamchatkan warlords who wanted a slice of the Ymosh pie, and in turn, the lands of southern Ymosh started to put aside their differences and rally against the northern raiders. Kola's sons and grandsons continued to expand against Ymosh, but eventually they were driven out, and the Ymoshee [Japanese archipelago, now with a mostly Mediterranean climate] were reunified by the middle of the next century.

Raiders and settler colonies of Kamchatka did not just go for the Ymoshee islands but for many other targets across the lands of Sunset and beyond. The coasts of Manchuria, Shinigiwa and the Yellow Sea all made prime settlement territory in warm water places for these hardy raiders to grow rich and fat. Another raider, Loco Nara laid siege to Bukan [Vladivostok] in 483CE in the power vacuum left by the Gurag successor states, carrying off much loot. Turning north after this, the peoples of Seykelin came next, and the peninsula soon fell to Loco's raids. Using this as a base to invade the mainlands of Amuria, Loco's invasion was cut short by a local king known as Mash-Larang, who drove him out of the region and managed to take old Tutar from the warlords and vassalise Seykelin. Larang's realm would go on to have a major influence in East Asian and Siberian politics. Throughout the early 500s, various raids occurred against the powers of the Sunset Kingdoms, the most ambitious being led by Maxo Zit went all the way from the shores of northwest Kamchatka all the way down the Yellow River, where he went as far as to raid the fortress city of Dadii [Beijing] and carry off much loot before going back up the river and returning.

Not all of this was looting and pillaging of course, but other Kamchatkans and Okhost peoples traded amongst the different nations of east Asia, and thanks to their naval exploits, goods from places as far as Dharnam [Shanghai, now Egypt like], Vikong [Hong Kong is a harsh desert city here], Honunu [Hainan, a relatively mild Sahelian peninsula] and Wien [Sahelian Vietnam]. Settlements of Kamchatkans and other northern pacific peoples found themselves in milder Aleutian Islands quite easily, as well as various smaller islands off the coast of east Asia.

With warmer and milder islands to the east, they had another path to victory. For centuries, the Aleutian Islands had been used by Kamchatkan raiding and settler parties to capture slaves or trade fur pelts with natives across Alaska and Cascadia. Some of the Kamchatkans such as the Oka peoples had known about the great landmass for centuries before anyone else in east Asia, but now raids started to occur on a larger and more ambitious scale. Whereas Koka wished to raid the west, the Cascadia coastlines fell to frequent small raids and settlements for them, fighting against the natives who adapted well to the terrain of their lands, with some Appalachian blood in their veins. Northern sloths [Megalonyx, though a different species ] like those of northeast Asia were found here as were great bears [Arctodus] and hairy elephants [Mastodons], making these lands a strange place for even Kamchatkans to dwell. The Rutugu peoples of Sartuyo [Oregon, which has stronger summers and winters than otl as well as similar humidity], vassals of Kalipho proved especially resilient, and did well to expel Kamchatkan settlements. One such warlord, Bjifmid, accepted a bribe from Kalipho to join Sartuyo as vassals, taking the important settlement of Roto [Portland] in exchange from guarding the empire's northern frontiers against further raids.

One such expedition east went aury, but had a remarkable result. The fleet of ships led by Erum Ikai were supposed to settle or raid the fertile lands of Kalipho [a much more fertile California and Sonora, and to a lesser extent Utah and Nevada] from a settlement in Cascadia, though some of the settlers came from Kamchatka itself or even from northeast Asia. However, they ended up going much further south than they hoped through one of the Kalipho typhoons throwing them off course. They ended up in a chain of islands far from the mainland, isolated and with a native fauna consisting almost entirely of birds. They ended up in what we would call the Hawaiian islands [slightly warmer and notably wetter than otl with a savannah climate] and isolated from their brethren to the north, they started to form a new society, very distinct from all of the others; the Olta-Mura. Quickly becoming culturally and religiously distinct with isolation, local conditions and unfortunately some inbreeding, these first Hawaiians quickly took advantage of the island's natural resources as many of their wild stock imported didn't do as well in the tropical heat. This had horrible consequences for the native fauna of the isles.

With the Ymosh and then the Manchu and Shinigiwa resisting the Kamchatkan raids, they decisively died down by the middle of the 6th century CE, and new powers began to arise. As technology improved and the once highly prosperous Middle East was set back by decades of civil wars and disease outbreaks, northeast Asia came back from the ashes of plague and ruin toward a new age, while a rivalry began to emerge in the Indian Ocean over the seas. Further to the west, the corners of the Velvet Lands [Sahara, Sahel and Horn, which combined make an absolutely enormous area] were coming into their own, lacking China's strong geographic borders and thus requiring change from within and without. Shipping technology to trade and compete with each other and the Mediterranean led them to new innovations, as did the need to deter Arab and Indian expansion into their backyard. Eventually, these discoveries along with the northwestern pushing ocean currents would lead to another great expansion of knowledge.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

In this southern peninsula, in the lands currently under the kingdom of Munro, a great deal of change took place after the Reversal. While not as extreme as the Nanman desert, the land became substantially warmer and drier than before, particularly with blistering summers that can reach or even exceed 40C regularly, and even winters were slightly warmer than before. With greater heat and less rain, the great subtropical forests and quite dense savannahs of the region gave way to a Sahelian climate, transitional between the desert to the northeast and the more open savannahs in the southwest.

Primate diversity due to the aridication of Southeast Asia certainly took a nosedive. Gibbons, preferring dense tropical and subtropical forests, were driven out of China and Indochina, now being limited to an island endemic in Borneo in the east, while in the west, Hoolock expanded into a more humid India and took up residence there. A more flexible group of primates that manages the change of conditions fine were a new group of arrivals from Africa and Arabia, in the form of bluehead geladas. Preferring more grassy habitat to their baboon relatives, they found the Sahelian conditions on the peripheries of China to be very appealing, having immigrated east through Persia and northern India. Thriving alongside antelope and yellow-rippersnappers, the smaller and less hairy relatives of their northern kin, the grassy savannahs provide plenty of life to the region. Measuring up to a metre and a half long and weighing up to 30kg for males, with females being ⅔ of the size, they are of course named for the coloured and wrinkled foreheads present in males. Aggressive and loud, blueheads can gather in groups in the hundreds to avoid predators and ward off competing antelopes.

Blueheads work in mutual benefit with a local species of cattle, the Munro aurochs [Bos siamensis]. Blueheads, being much smaller and more agile, are able to alert the great bovines to predators using a series of coordinated screeches, with the much larger herbivores being formidable enough to ward them off physically. The most dangerous carnivore out on these plains is the Sunda Panther [Panthera sondaicus], a social hunter that drives leopards and hyenas off their kills in groups. Close kin to the lions of Africa and formerly of northern Eurasia, the Sunda panther diverged relatively early in their line of Panthera, adapting to the corridor of green land in Southern Asia and then to the Sahelian conditions of Indochina. While lions and their close kin prefer open climates and grasslands, they understandably had limited presence in the Middle East and India after the Reversal, though this became milder during Pleistocene glacial periods where conditions became drier and more open. The Sunda panthers were therefore isolated from other cats of their kind, avoiding competition from the regionally extinct tigers [now ironically common in the middle east and even parts of Egypt] or smaller leopards by adapting to a plains lifestyle. As adults, only hyenas and Khmer dragons offer them substantial competition on these plains, and in large enough prides, they can even threaten the rhinos, giant tortoises and elephants of the region. With less extreme sexual dimorphism than typical lions, though greater than that in machairodonts, adult males can reach up to 240kg, while females clock in at 180kg when fully grown. Sizes of 300kg are not unheard of either, though are rare. Group sizes are also smaller on average than with African lions, though coalitions of "super-prides"are known to occur in certain situations, particularly when dealing with larger prey. Horses, antelope and aurochs tend to be the most common prey of these fierce panthers.

While declining elsewhere such as in the west due to competition, Indochina is some of the last refuge of the formidable Pachycrocuta, along with Chasmaporthetes. These two more basal hyena genera died out elsewhere due to competition with the more sociable Crocuta and hunting dogs, along with changes in local habitats, but in these lands, dry and open, and cut off by desert in the north and dense forest in the west, here is a suitable place for them to dwell without much issue. They can even be found in Sumatra and a few of the Indonesian islands, or at least those with more open habitat. Chasmaporthetes are fast runners going for the antelope of the region, while the bigger bone crushers fight off panthers for their kills, and are accomplished kleptoparasites.

As with the other previously explored habitats, the largest creature in this habitat is an elephant, but of a different genus, the Eastern Elephant Elephas hydrusicus. With the increased humidity of India, the gigantic Palaeoloxodon were mostly blocked out of the subcontinent to the west or north while Elephas maximus and Stegodon rebounded to Pliocene prevalence, but E.hydrusicus, also a more plains dwelling creature, became forced eastward and dominated Indochina in its place. Up to 3.6m at the shoulder and over 8 tonnes, they tower over the rhinos and Megalochelys tortoises that roam the grasslands. Living in smaller herds than their Loxodontian kin to the west, they are immune to predation as adults, though juveniles may fall victim to the predators of the region. Roaming from the grassy steppes of Weit [northern Vietnam] to Sumatra, the elephants here are not only physically strong, but are competent swimmers and masters of terrain, and like the Palaeoloxodonts of the Mediterranean and northeast Asia have emigrated to the islands of Indonesia [drier than otl but still with a good amount of rainforest] to spawn dwarf variants [actually not very different to otl]. These variants, as with the Stegodon before them, are not merely scaled down versions of land dwelling forms but often have quirks such as disproportionately short legs, different diets or even tusks in the lower jaw. None of these species would cross the Wallace Line, however, even at the height of interglacials.

In a remarkable case of parallel evolution, or the development of similar traits in closely related animals (as opposed to convergent evolution, where distantly related species develop similar traits) monitor lizards have rebounded in these very hot savannahs, not being as dependent as mammals for water retention. Just as the mighty Varanus priscus roamed and continues to roam the savannahs of northern Uz [Australia], another very large monitor of Varanus does well in warm Indochina, the Khmer dragon [Varanus horriblis], a 5 metre long carnivore that attacks almost anything that comes in its range. They were in older times a prime predator of the now extinct hairy men that roamed here before human arrivals, and were larger than their modern Arabian kin. Khmer dragons are highly territorial ambush predators that lie in wait in the undergrowth and grasses, waiting for opportunities to strike. Dwarfing the plains panthers or hyenas, they often use their bulk to take kills from the smaller predators, but as with their Komodo kin, their venomous bites prove deadly, full of anticoagulants to prevent blood clotting. This works not only against prey but against rival predators.

As with Arabia, rhinos do well in the dry savannahs of Indochina, as well as the grasslands. While Dicerorhinus only does relatively well in mainland Sumatra and the island of Borneo, the open climate of the region allowed the species Rhinoceros vietnemis to successfully thrive across Indochina, Myanmar, Sumatra and even the fringes of the great Nanman desert as far as Hainan. Travelling east during the transitional phases of the Reversal, this grazing rhinoceros did very well in the arid conditions of Indochina compared to the decline of its forest living relatives. Comparable in size to their african kin Ceratotherium, this species is solitary and known for its short temper, being too fearsome for even the largest carnivores of the region. Juveniles can fall prey however if left unsupervised. With a square muzzle and mobile lips, they are certainly grazing specialists with a lighter skin tone than their browsing counterparts. They are unusual compared to their African kin in that they possess a single large and thick horn, superficially like that of the extinct Elasmotherium, but a full bone rather than a hollow resonating chamber. They are second only to the Elephas in size, with large bulls reaching up to 4 tonnes. A related species, R. sondaicus exists further south in southern Indonesia and prefers to be a browser instead of a grazer.



The hills of Daen Lao Range hardly look recognisable to previous eras, with plants and animals from thousands of miles west now dominating the landscape. Not all regions of the world experienced greenery as a result of the Reversal, for this region certainly took on a different character as a result. Even so, life of different forms thrives in these lands.

While drier than the forests and jungles to the west and south, this does not mean Indochina is dry desert, but it does have wet seasons as well, and rivers such as the Mekong particularly do well in these wet seasons. Hexaprotodon hippos, smaller and stranger looking than the Hippopotamus of Africa and west Asia, are migratory to where the water is, staying around coasts and larger rivers and expanding outward during the wet winter seasons here. This close to the equator, the difference between seasons is not too significant, but these one and a half tonne beasts are certainly notorious among the local peoples of the land due to their six tusks protruding from their mouths. Having mottled grey skin, they lack the pink colours their western kin have and tend to live in smaller groups as well. Still, they share a territorial lifestyle that makes elephants, rhinos and even crocodiles hesitant to enter their territory.

Along with pigs, deer and buffalo, the huge tortoise Megalochelys thrives in the hot savannahs and grasslands of Indochina. While smaller species are present in the lusher west, these hot savannahs do well to support this species, filling a niche of browsers otherwise occupied by giraffids. Standing over 2.5m tall when raised up fully, these great tortoises lay their eggs in thicker undergrowth, often migrating southward into Malaysia where denser forests are present during the dry season. Too large and well defended for even the largest predators, they are only at risk from human hunters who may use their shells for cover or decoration. Laying their eggs in this undergrowth, juveniles of this great beast eek out a much more meagre existence in the southern forests, or in those of the west in Myanmar and the Indian subcontinent. The large adults however prefer more open habitat, mainly savannahs where there is a mix of open terrain for their large sizes but also trees to browse from.

With hyraxes and hares being present instead of caviomorph rodents, avian predators are present to make use of this as well as the smaller rodents. The Thai Crowned eagle is a plains adapted form of eagle that roams vast areas in order to scout for prey of suitable sizes. While rivals to smaller cats and even juvenile panthers, the birds lack the durability to fend off larger mammalian or lizard predators, and need to be strong enough to carry their prey into trees to eat in peace. Even here, they may face leopards following them up these trees to seize their prey. With large talons and a robust beak, their habits require them to get through thick skin and fur to get at what they need. With a wingspan of more than 2m, they are not the largest eagles in history, but are fierce enough to give the smaller mammals of these plains good reason to fear.

All in all, the lands of the Indochinese savannahs team with life of various forms. With much of the land's native fauna and flora having either immigrated south and west or going extinct due to the harsher conditions, creatures formerly thriving in northern india and sub-Saharan Africa do well in this region, but with the isolation from the west and north, this unique ecosystem holds several remnants from earlier times alongside strange new forms.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

Manchuria and Korea;


Koppen and WWF biome maps showing this timeline's Manchuria, Korea and the Japanese archipelago with preindustrial conditions, showing the prevalence of Mediterranean and temperate biomes at such high latitudes.



The same regions in our own timeline. Note how after the Reversal, places such as Japan and to a lesser extent the coastal mainland have more moderate seasons; the mild winters allow deciduous plants to move substantially further north along with corresponding fauna.


While the Nanman desert and its surrounding hot steppes came to dominate most of the Chinese basin, the fringes around it continued to support more diverse ecosystems. While the new Mid-Pacific Current created hot savannahs in Thailand and Sumatra, the effects it had further north operated quite differently. Previously plagued by fierce winters, much harsher than even those of Scandinavia and western Russia whether in glacial or interglacial, the new currents brought moderating conditions to coastal regions and radically changed the precipitation patterns across northeast Asia. The continental monsoon climate of northern China and Korea disappeared in favour of Mediterranean and oceanic climates on the coast, while the continental interior became either humid year round or during the winters, with similar changes being present to a lesser extent in nearby Mongolia. During ice ages, the greater humidity led to more snowfall and thus expanded ice caps, but the coastlines remained relatively mild due to this current, which helped allow the arrival of more creatures to and from the Americas across Beringia, as well as through the Aleutian island chain.

With much milder winters than before, combined with warmer summers in some places and more rainfall in many parts, the forests of the Okhost coast became denser and more diverse in life, as did Mongolia inland. The regions most enriched by these currents, however, were the coastal regions; Korea, Manchuria, the Ymoshee or Japanese islands, Sakhalin and even Kamchatka evolved a nearly unrecognisable climate to those before the Reversal. Drier in the south but wetter in the north, these coastal lands resembled how Europe did before the Reversal. At the heartland of this new Far East is Manchuria or 'northeast China'. A crossroad between continental, maritime and even Mediterranean climate types, this land of forests, rivers and plains stands out as a land of abundance.

Korea and the Liandong Peninsula.

The climate of western Korea and the southern coast of Manchuria are very different to those of the prior age, now having a hot-Mediterranean style climate alongside northern China's coast. Across northwestern Korea and Liaoning, August temperatures average from 24-25C (the lands south are even warmer) and January temperatures about 6C, resulting in a hot and not hyper-seasonal climate. Northeast Korea is milder and more temperate, akin to a slightly warmer and drier Transamur, averaging 19-21C in August and 7-9C in January. In terms of rainfall, the region is somewhat drier than before, but not hugely so, and humidity patterns are now dominated by dry summers and rainy winters, the opposite of what it used to be. Plants fleeing the desertification of southern China such as Ailanthus, Lotus, juniper and grapes now do well around this coastline, the long and hot summers being difficult to adapt due to drier conditions, though the Amur grapes prosper quite well, explaining the wine production industry in this part of the world. With the Yellow Sea being like our Mediterranean on a much smaller scale, there are certainly parallels in the fauna of these lands, at least to a certain extent.

With the warming and aridification of the Yellow Sea and the rest of China,many fauna and flora preferring greener conditions sought refuge in these lands. Those used to warmer weather down south had to adapt to cooler summers, whereas those nearby or native enjoyed the milder winters than before, with even the winters of the Stanavoys comparable to those Liandong faced before the Reversal. The mild winters of coastal Manchuria, extending all the way from Liandong [hot Mediterranean, with winter and summer temperatures more like our southern China but drier] up to the Seykelin Peninsula [comparable to parts of otl western europe] as well as Korea proved suitable territory to migrate for animals from further south, and more cold adapted species still did well in the interior, where their populations boomed relative to before due to relatively milder (though still quite strong) winters and wetter weather. Migrants from the west, the south and even across the seas contributed over the years to make this land the strange and fascinating ecosystem it currently is.

Macaque monkeys are a surprising entry in these lands, given how far north it is and far from where one might associate nonhuman primates with. But these Tartary Macaques, Macaca tartaricus had ancestors and relatives present in the Japanese islands and northern China even before the Reversal, of Japanese and Rhesus descent, and during interglacials could be found right at the northern tip of Honshu (which in our timeline averages just under 22C in the warmest month and -1C in the coolest), including the highlands of this region, only limited by the waters between it and Hokkaido, and the harshness of glacial periods being too much for them. With northern Honshu and the islands beyond it near the Okhost sea becoming notably warmer and with much milder winters, along with a [relative] drop in sea levels due to more ice remaining in Europe, the opportunity for these monkeys grew. Able to tolerate milder continental climates, and even the highlands, the monkeys readily seized the opportunity to migrate northward into new lands, moving into not only nearby Hokkaido but the lands beyond; the Seykelin peninsula in the west in particularlu warm interglacials, thus allowing them to return to the mainland of northeast Asia once again, and through the Kurils in the east, following the straight tusked elephants. Genetic flow also came from across the Yellow Sea as continental conditions relented, allowing some Rhesus macaques, now isolated from their southern populations, to extend their range northward and make genetic input into the region. With no competition and mild weather, these macaques not only became the first non-human Cercopithecids to enter this far north, but evolved into a unique population, dwarfed to make use of the islands' limited resources. Their presence in Manchuria is much more substantial, however and they don't struggle in the warmer weather, more familiar to such creatures of tropical origin. The macaques are found most densely in the Korean and Liandong peninsulas, where the Mediterranean conditions suit them very well, as well as their relatives in Japan. Populations are also found in Primorsky, where conditions resemble those of pre-Reversal Western Europe (where Barbary macaques dwelled in our timeline both before and after the Reversal would have happened, going as far north as Norfolk during the last interglacial) and occasional vagrants can go even further north, though they typically retreat south during winters, unlike the local raccoon dogs. Very sociable creatures, the macaques have a complex social structure that helps keep them alert and safe from predators. They have sandy fur and short black tails and backs, helping distinguish them from their Japanese and Rhesus relatives.

With the warming of China to the south and the Siberian winters relenting, creatures of northern and central China especially began to move northward into more tolerable conditions, particularly fleeing the desertification of the south. With the Gobi in Inner Mongolia having turned from desert to Mediterranean-continental praries, some of the strange fauna of the early Pleistocene Nihewan basin moved northward into Manchuria and Mongolia to exploit new sources and escape the deserts and hot steppes. While Pachystruthio, the giant ostrich, is present here just as in the Middle East, thanks to the peripheries of the Chinese Basin providing an ecological bridge, more exotic fauna dwell here too. One such are giant hyraxes, not an animal one would expect to see outside of Africa. But Mongulhyrax gogoriensis is exactly such a creature, descended from the Postschizotherium of the early Pleistocene and adapted for the less continental but warmer climates of northern China and by extension northeast Asia too. M.gogoriensis, being a hyrax, does well in relatively hot and dry environments around the Yellow Sea such as Korea, Shandong, Liandong, the River basin itself and even Inner Mongolia, but also has no problem living in temperate lands like Transamur and Seykelin, where it faces competition from the smaller and hairier M.amurensis [comparable in size to an african Porcupine, and capable of dwelling as far north as the Stanavoys or Baikal] or even some continental places such as outer Mongolia, hence their generic name. Possessing fierce tusks in their upper jaw, almost like those of their distant kin the elephants, these capybara sized vegetarians use these to forage in the grasslands during winter to find bulbs, or intraspecific competition between the larger males. They also serve handy for stripping bark off smaller trees or fending off predators as well. As with their ancestors, they live in small but well guarded groups, and in some places move with the seasons, going north in summer and south to the coastline during the winters. A particularly high population exists in the Liandong peninsula due to the hot summer weather, a reminder of their ancient home back in Africa, and while smaller species of hyrax are rare this far north due to competition with rodents, these strange beasts are a sign of a strange world to come. Their tusks and herd mentality certainly helps keep them safe from dangers such as wolves and others.

A much smaller kin to the capybara sized Mongulhyrax is the white-tipped hyrax [Procavia borealis] more akin to their kin in Africa, and is in fact descended from those that lived in North Africa and Arabia before the Reversal, taking advantage of the increased fertility of South Asia to spread eastward through the Iranian Plataeu and India, making their way through Sechuan [not that much warmer or drier than otl due to distance from the sea, being Mediterranean forest] throughout the arid climates of China. White-tipped hyraxes definitely prefer more arid terrain than their larger relatives, being found in plains and even outright deserts such as Nanman, but this doesn't prevent them from doing well in savannahs such as those of Indochina, or the rocky areas of inner Mongolia, Manchuria and Korea. Unlike their larger kin, however, they do not tolerate cooler temperatures well, being similar in size to their african counterparts, and so cannot tolerate the stronger winters of inland and further north, where hares and rabbits continue to dominate. Still, these cute little Afrotheres make a sight to behold in a land so far from Africa.

While camels did poorly in western eurasia as a result of the new fertility, many fled to southern China instead, for the hot deserts and blistering heat there suited their needs very well. The steppes of Central Asia continued to suit them well, their distance from the sea proving to be their hope. However, their presence in northern China and the lands beyond did not end. Camelus orientalis replaced its more basal relatives and did particularly well around the much drier Great Basin of China, with the Dharnamese [Shanghai but with Cairo like conditions] being one of the first to domesticate them, and also dwelled further north, for the ability to survive harsh deserts also equipped them to survive harsh continental winters in Mongolia and Siberia. They have a single hump akin to dromedaries and have fairly light fur in their eastern populations compared to those of Mongolia and Xinjiang, which retain two. Preferring the prairies to denser woodlands compared to deer, these eastern camels resemble some of their extinct brethren when they migrated across a land bridge from North America in the Pliocene. Just as they did, they face a formidable predator on these prairies.

While machairodontian cats declined throughout the Pleistocene due to a combination of Reversal-induced climate change on top of the pre-existing glacial cycles along with the arrival of different races of humans, there were exceptions in a few places. The Manchurian and Mongolian prairies make suitable territory for a very imposing cat in these lands; the fearsome Homotherium ferox. Rivalled only by the bear and the Siberian tigers of the forests, this scimitar-toothed cat prefers open territory and hunting prey down over longer distances, a very unusual strategy among felids. Inflicting deadly bleeding damage on large herbivores, they are social creatures, living in egalitarian groups that strongly contrast to the patriarchal structure of lion prides. Rivalling the Siberian tiger in size, their proportions look almost hyena like, an ironic trait considering the extinction of the more basal hyenids that once roamed this land. Given their size and small groups, they are known to prey on giant-ostriches, bison, horses, camels, moose, elk and even young sloths and elephants. Smaller predators of the open region such as lynxes, cheetahs, wolves and hyenas give them a wide birth, and rightly so.

Hyenas certainly aren't what one would think in northern China or Russia's pacific coastline, but the grey-necked hyena (Crocuta ultima) is not like others. A member of the cave hyena linaege, who once roamed across the steppes of Eurasia, these forms are found in both the glacial and interglacial periods of the far east, having longer and differently coloured fur than their African counterparts. As the name suggests, they have a bright grey neck contrasting with their darkly furred brown bodies. Despite the expected differences, they retain a return to the more scavenging oriented lifestyle compared with their predatory predecessor due to the mild winters not requiring them to eat carcasses before they freeze, in a case of parallel evolution where related organisms independently evolve similar traits (as opposed to convergent evolution where distantly related creatures develop superficially similar body plans). They do live in smaller groups than their African counterparts, which may be how they avoid competition with wolves.

Rhinoceros are not an animal one might think of in this part of the world, yet they are present here as well. Two species are present here, the Yellow Valley Rhino Stephanorhinus yunchuchenensis, and the Little Rhino Dicerorhinus maximus. The former is a large generalist preferring open woodlands and prairies, with two large horns to defend itself, and the latter is a hairy forest dweller preferring soft vegetation. The little rhino is also a solitary creature, using its horns and aggression to defend their young from bears, tigers, Homotherium and leopards; despite adult males weighing up to a tonne, they are still at risk of predation. The same cannot be set for the Yellow Valley beast, with its 2.2 tonne bulk and horns that can reach nearly a metre long. The yellow valley beast lacks substantial hair, using its size and bulk to keep warm, not surprising given the hot and dry conditions of the Yellow Sea and Korea.

The largest animals in Korea and the far east by far are not Bison, the newly arrived sloths or even the rhinos. While blocked out of most of India by denser forests and Indochina by the Nanman desert, the great Palaeoloxodonts or straight tusked elephants managed to go around the Chinese basin in the mountains of the west and settle northward in the lands of northeast Asia. On the mainland, one is the largest land mammal to ever live, Palaeoloxodon magniforms, surpassing even the P.antiquus of the west in dimensions as a result of abundant food. Before the Reversal, basal mammoths dominated the steppes of Manchuria, Mongolia and northern China, even during interglacial periods where the ice caps relented, only facing limited competition from Stegodon in their southern range. The Reversal, while crushing the Chinese Stegodonts, also heavily diminished the blistering eastern winters that allowed mammoths to do well at these latitudes at the expense of others, and in many places also increased rainfall and with it, the density of woodlands and broadleaf forest. This set an ideal stage for the Loxadontid elephants to move into the region around the Chinese basin and displace mammoths in cyclic events, doing well in interglacials and retreating south when the ice caps arrived. This happened in our own timeline as well to a lesser extent, but the mild conditions in interglacials here allowed the elephants to flourish in the north of China and beyond, forming not only substantial populations on the mainland, but multiple lineages of dwarf on the islands to the east as well. The mainland form is a true giant, with adult males standing up to 4.7m at the shoulder and weighing up to 20 tonnes at maximum, with other males regularly reaching 4.3m and 15 tonnes, whereas females tend to be just over half the size. Partly hairy with a light brown coat taken on during colder seasons, it is understandable that they may be confused with mammoths from a distance, though with a much less dense coat and straighter, inward curving tusks that easily differentiate from the smaller mammoths that would take their place during glacials. This, along with a more browsing-oriented diet allows them to remain easily distinct from the now extinct mammoths they once would swap and share habitats with. Two dwarf species currently exist in the present, P.yamatensis, found in the Japanese/Ymoshee islands and parts of the Kurils, and P.borealis, found in southern-central Kamchatka [an area over twice the size of Hokkaido] along with the Kurils and Komandorskis, making it the northernmost member of the Loxadontid elephant clade by a good margin. Those living in the Kuril Islands are a transitional population. Other species developed in earlier interglacial-glacial cycles but often died out due to either not having enough habitat during glacial periods, competition from new arrivals or from mammoths, or the earlier periodic arrivals of Homo erectus in the region. In terms of their size, P.yamatensis is the larger of the two 'dwarf' species, standing about 3m tall at the shoulder and typically weighing about 5 tonnes, due to the more limited resources of the Japanese island chain they dwell on. P.borealis of Kamchatka is even smaller, at just 2.5m and 3.5 tonnes, though it is also hairier and with short tusks compared to its southern kin, adapted to the cool and mild conditions of the northern peninsula, the furthest north any elephant of the Loxadontian clade has ever gone so far.

In the shores of the Yellow Sea, including in the waters of the Yellow and Yangtze rivers lies an even more unusual creature one wouldn't expect to see in east Asia; crocodiles! Once found from southern China to southern Japan in the Pliocene, these reptiles went into decline as the world cooled, and even more as the waters of east Asia dried up and deserts formed. Their alligator cousins couldn't survive the transition and perished unlike their North American kin, but the northern gharials came to take their place. Being fish specialists, they are not seen generally as threatening by locals and are even revered among the peoples of Dharnam and the Yellow River. Measuring up to 3m long, these aquatic creatures are hardly something one would expect this far north, but the warmth of the mid-pacific current has certainly bought wonders to this strange land, and the absence of harsh continental winters mean that even the Yellow River can support them, or at least the eastern parts.


The Mediterranean landscapes of the southern coastlines provide good cover and food for more southern-descended fauna such as hyraxes, macaques and elephants to live, although an ability to do well in long and dry summers is required to make use of these bounties.

The Forests of Transamur.

Transamur and Sakhalin island have dramatically changed from the days of before. Whereas most of the Far East has become harsh and arid as a result of the Mid-Pacific Current, this part of the continent has become far milder than before, especially in winter. The southernmost coast of Primorsky averages 19C in August and 7-8C in January, similar to the western coast of Prograde France. Even the northernmost point, the mouth of the Amur, averages 17C in August and about -5C in January, with the lands between it and the Stanavoys only a little harsher, but still above -8C, a far cry from their prograde temperatures. In terms of precipitation, the southern coast is only slightly drier than before, whereas the remainder, especially near the mouth of the Amur, is if anything wetter than before, resulting in a temperate rainforest evolving in the place of the taiga forests. Now plants once limited to the southern fringes of Transamur such as junipers, cork trees, willows, and even bamboo of the genus Sasa are now found across this valley and even to the north of it, as is the aforementioned Ailanthus. With flora from the south moving in, the fauna that depend on them have moved in as well. Many such dangers dwell in these forests now.

One such danger is the Seykelin Bear, Ursus arctos amuria, a formidably sized subspecies of brown bear that has done well in the blooming of the Far East. With vacancies available in the region, they equal the old Kodiak bears of Alaska in size and therefore tower over other regional predators. Committed omnivores, they are capable of simply scaring off smaller predators like leopards, wolves and even tigers from their kills, but are more than capable of killing in their own right. Of course, with mild weather compared to before the Reversal, there is plenty of vegetation for them to forage from as well, and so they are not bloodthirsty killers all of the time. Still, their fearsome reputation leaves many afraid of them. Hibernating in the northern parts of their range, the bears are able to be more active year round at lower latitudes, such as the coastlines. The namesake peninsula of these bears is particularly good weather for them, and its connection to the mainland (due to lower sea levels) allowed them to remain of a large size in this region, unlike those of the Ymoshee islands to the south. Found across the Far Eastern forests and Taiga, these formidable bears strike terror into the hearts and minds of men.

The Tartary Bear (Ursus tartaricus) is another Ursine living in Manchuria, but of the black bear lineage. Cut off from their southern kin in India by the deserts and scrublands, they diverged into a different path, becoming their own species. While capable of dwelling inland around the Yellow River and Nihewan Basin, even Shandong, this is around the southern limit of their range due to the aridity of the land. They do best in the more temperate or Mediterranean conditions of Manchuria, Korea, Japan and Transamur, though they can even go beyond the Amur river thanks to the relatively milder winters here, something they tolerated even before the Reversal. Unlike their much larger kin, they can climb trees in order to escape from predators and are less prone to outbursts given their smaller size, preferring to flee when possible. Being decent at swimming, they also have made their way to the Ymoshee islands, the Kurils, and a few are even present in southern Kamchatka. Dedicated omnivores, they are an adaptable creature despite their size, a necessary skill in such an environment.

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Megalonyx occidentalis is the only xenarthran species to have naturally crossed the Pacific Ocean, using its ancestors competent swimming abilities, and made it to the Eurasian continent. Now roaming the woodlands of northern China and Japan, these strange mammals make even the largest bears and cats give them a wide berth, using strength and endurance to scare off threats.

A much stranger animal living in these forests could easily be mistaken for a bear from a distance but is actually a very different type of beast. Like them, it is hairy and has long claws, and can walk on two legs for a time, using its claws to swipe at opponents. But as mentioned previously, these are not bears, but sloth; more specifically, the Amurian ground sloth [Megalonyx occidentalis altaicus], a descendant of migrants across the warmer and milder Aleutian Islands. During the Eemian interglacial [during which the region was 1-2C warmer on average than in the Holocene], a population of these adaptable sloths, the only ones of their kind capable of surviving in the taiga of southern Alaska (indeed they survived in northern Alaska and Yukon in our timeline), managed to island hop across the Aleutians to Kamchatka, now similar to pre-Reversal Columbia, giving rise to their local and more basal population [M. o. borealis] spreading around the peninsula and Okhost coastline before island hopping southward into the Ymoshee islands, giving rise to another subspecies, M. o. maritimus (found across Japan) or through Seykelin to the mainland. Without completion from other sloths, and a relatively mild climate compared to the Pacific Northwest from which they came, they proliferated quickly both during and after the glacial period, seeking refuge in northern China and southern Japan when the glaciers advanced, and are now found in some form or another across northeast Asia, with one population even making their way through the outer Chinese basin [M. o. sinicus] through the hot steppes and Mediterranean woodlands as far south as Sichuan. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before the first encounters between these South American immigrants and the last of the chalicotheres occurs. Unfussy browsers, the sloths of Manchuria are able to choose from a wide selection of local flora and are large and tall enough as adults to intimidate even Seykelin bears; though juveniles are more vulnerable to bears, tigers and leopards. Having less competition from local herbivores, adults can weigh more than a tonne and are some of the largest non-elephant creatures around here. Solitary in habits as adults, their introverted behaviour and defensive capabilities mean they are one of the best creatures in the region in terms of weathering the expansion of human societies. Despite its name, the Amurian sloth is not only found in Manchuria, but also Korea, around the Yellow River, including the Nihewan Basin, westward in Inner Mongolia, and even north of the Stanavoys, where the population dissolves into the M. o. Borealis subspecies gradually. They are capable of doing well in both taiga forests and prairies, allowing them to be quite a cosmopolitan species across northeast Asia, living alongside both grass-loving bison and the moose of the forests. Having a dark silver fur coat, these remarkable looking beasts look very alien compared to the various creatures of Eurasian stock, and rightfully so.


An icon of the Far Eastern forests, the Siberian tiger [Panthera tigris] is an unquestioned apex predator, capable of feeding on almost any prey in its environment. Capable of thriving even in the taigas of the far north, these elusive and powerful cats are a threat to all who wonder these forests.

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Somewhere in the temperate rainforest surrounding the Amur river basin, a couple of raccoon dogs are foraging for food. They are present in this region in our timeline, but in limited numbers due to harsh conditions. In this timeline, however, a combination of much milder winters and increased rainfall has made this land ideal land for these fluffy canids. These two may be a mating pair, and with the life giving waters of the Amur nearby, they will surely have many pups.

With the climatic changes of the Reversal and the various glacial shifts, one might be forgiven for thinking that the region must have completely changed for canids other than wolves and arctic foxes to be present here, given the harsh winters Manchuria, the Far East and even northern Korea formerly had. However, in truth, creatures like raccoon dogs and dhole-like canines had already been present across northern China and parts of the Far East even before this [hence how dholes were briefly able to reach North America in otl]. These types of animals in fact do very well in such conditions now, and the more humid conditions of northern Manchuria and Mongolia also make these regions more inviting for them to dwell in. While not able to compete directly with the ever present wolves, they remain an important part of ecosystems here. Raccoon dogs are important arboreal omnivores in local ecosystems, and their fur helps keep them warm in the colder lands to the north, reaching almost to the fringes of old Beringia, including the now temperate Kamchatka. While driven out of the south by desertification, they flourish in the North Pacific coastlines now, where the woods do them well. Even before the Reversal, their dense fur coats allowed them to survive as far north as the Stanavoy mountains or Sakhalin, even the southern shores of Baikal. They could go no further than this due to the short summers and bitter cold of the region. However, while southern China suffered, the lands of the Amur relented, and the warmer, wetter climate has enabled the growth of a temperate rainforest, not too different to what was present in Scandinavia or Columbia before. Those in southern places such as the Yellow Sea and Korea have sandier coloured fur and proportionally longer legs, adapting to a more cursorial lifestyle, akin to their Moroccan Pliocene counterpart. With the Okhost taking the brunt of the mid-pacific current, the raccoon dogs of Japan island-hopped their way northward around the coast beyond Manchuria to the Kamchatka peninsula; despite having summers no warmer than those of pre-Reversal Sakhalin, it's winters were now comparable with those of southern Japan or the Yangtze, and so could easily support a wayward population of those fluffy dogs. Just as the giant sloths had island hopped their way westward through the islands, these little canines went in the other direction across the now temperate Komondorskies and Aleutians, making their way to the southern shores of Alaska, though this tested the limits of their hardiness. Their distant kin, wolves and foxes, roam the forests and plains just as they did before the Reversal, alongside these migrants from the south.


A diverse land of landscapes and flora, the Manchurian woodlands are a particular hotspot for creatures to dwell, full of wonders and horrors alike. The aforementioned raccoon dogs, bears and sloths do well in these habitats alongside the native creatures of the land.

A more peculiar aquatic giant is also found in northern China. Giant salamanders have done well in China for millions of years before the Reversal, and during it, survived the warming of the region by retreating to around river basins and the highlands of the west, making their way up through the Taihang mountain range to the rivers of Manchuria as far as Yalu, where they continued a quiet and strange life. Measuring up to 1.5m long, the salamanders are slow piscivores that remain relatively sluggish and are very elusive in contrast to the crocodilians of the coasts.

Alongside the sloths migrating westward across the Pacific came another creature to arrive in Kamchatka and then beyond. Beavers, while present in western Eurasia both during glacial and interglacial periods, were mostly absent from east Asia due to the harsh winters of the north. The more cold tolerant North American species, a good swimmer, was able to cross through to eastern Eurasia in their absence, setting up shop as a population of their own, C.orientis. Whether this was done during the mild interglacial conditions via the Aleutians or in the Beringian land bridge is not known [though in either case, the aforementioned regions would be to some extent warmer and wetter than in our timeline]. Unable to breed with native eurasians due to their chromosomal difference, these rodents prefer densely forested habitats around those of the Okhost and Kamchatka, even around the Bering Strait, though the coasts of outer Manchuria, Sakhalin and the Japanese isles also do well to suit them. A particularly large population of these are surrounding rivers such as the Amur, Songhua and Ussuri, where plenty of trees are present for them to build damns around. Less are present in the Korean Peninsula due to the drier and more open conditions, being limited to the rivers of the northwest. As with raccoon dogs and such, they are unfortunately hunted for their pelts by humans.

The lands of northeast Asia are another snapshot of a changed world. While many places made losses in the Reversal and the times afterward, Manchuria is proof that not all of the changes in east Asia were bad, and while the south has lost much, the north has made gains too.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

"Our people have always been grave enemies since time immemorial, and perhaps shall be until the sun-bombs render the surface of the world barren. But we shall not go into the graves without a dagger in our hand," Buduah Miduab, Tyrant-regent of the Kingdom of Mahar, 1924CE.

In the aftermath of the Horde's arrival and it's collapse into warring kin-states, the powers of Southern Asia were irreversibly changed. The Ugran Plateau's civilisations were greatly diminished for a time, whereas Arabia became more reorganised and centralised, and the peoples of Ind avoided most of the carnage as well. As some powers waned, others began to rise.

While not united into a single nation for either region, the Arab and Indian kingdoms and republics still considered their immediate neighbours more trustworthy than their opponents across the sea. Capitalising off the fall of Gurag and the reestablishment of great trade routes by sea, they quickly became rivals for influence over this region. At first, this was in more subtle ways such as tariffs and taxes on one another's goods, until skirmishes, raids and full scale wars would break out in time. Without the great desert barriers between the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, incursions from one region to the other were not as difficult beside the Zagros mountains, and even here, flatland empires could hire mercenaries more used to such terrain to assist in conquest or raiding.

The Seychelles Conflict

The first naval war between the two subcontinents started around 497CE between the Azrala kingdom [coastal Oman and Yemen, now having a tropical monsoonal climate] and mercantile republic of Zasha [Goa, but definitely wetter and greener], a former tributary of Mastunaway. Having both had claims and access to the Seychelles islands and their outposts there, carrying goods across the Indian Ocean from the south Asian coasts and beyond, to lands as far as Uz [Australia], Dharnam [southern China] or Ul-Bravedi [southern Mozambique and northeastern South Africa], tensions between the two intensified, as did alliances with former rivals. Even the formidable Orvimids of Central India saw benefits to Zasha having primary rights over these islands and so offered supplies. Similarly, the Nejedi empire, ravaged by raids and plagues from the Gurag Horde, began to mobilise into a more developed unified country, wanting to gain an edge over its local competitors. Like the Orvimid empire, they saw the Azrala as a better symbol of stable trade in the Indian Ocean than their eastern counterparts, and this conflict ended up becoming a proxy war between the two greater powers.

Further south, in 502CE, the Indo-African city-state of Tuj-Mara [otl Mauritius, drier and less lush than otl] found itself quickly under siege by Arab forces. Coming from a settler colony of Asa [Zanzibar off the coast of northern Tanzania, a little wetter and warmer than otl, whereas southern Tanzania is a bit drier], these forces besieged the islands hoping to usurp control there. Asa were nominally allied with Azrala but had been desiring Tuj-Maran lands for many years previously. The Indians had first reached Southern Africa in the form of Jamareet settlers [akin to otl Polynesians] followed by later waves of South Indian and Arab alike; many Arabian kingdoms believed the east coast of Africa was rightfully theirs due to geographical proximity, even if Indians arrived there first. The natives of eastern and Southern Africa weren't too keen on either for obvious reasons. Around 504, after 2 years of siege, the Tuj-Marans managed to repel the siege and prevent Asa from gaining the islands, though elsewhere, the fortunes of Indian settlers were less generous.

In the Seychelles, around 505 CE, Azrala gathered a mighty fleet to force Zasha off the islands completely. Armed with various weapons including portable ballista and some of the world's first explosive harpoons, they devastated their Indian rivals and managed to inflict brutal casualties, even if the harpoons were far from perfect with their failure rates. After a decisive victory here, the Azrala quickly occupied the islands and secured them the following year in the Treaty of Hadum, with a two decade long truce between the two countries resulting. This didn't apply to other nations of either subcontinent however.

Other Indo-Arab conflicts.

In the Hejaz, the Nibetay land of Bharon at this time controlled the straits of Zub [otl Bab al-Mandab] on both sides, with the neighbouring kingdom of Atun [Ethiopia, cooler, far greener and more humid than otl, more like Colombia or Venezuela] accepting Nibetay control in exchange for support against Azrala or Indian incursions into the Somali jungles, a significant spot for natural resources and the menageries of rich rulers across the known world. Zub meant a gateway between the various nations of North Africa in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east, and so control of the strait would be heavily disputed. Bharon even waged war with Azrala for time to time over the strategically important islands of Socotra [noticeably warmer and far wetter, plus larger due to the lower sea levels], a land full of plants and reptiles seen nowhere else on earth, though they rarely kept it long before competitors from elsewhere seized it. The introduction of arid-adapted lemurs from the far larger island in the south also took place, offering some competition as well as a reverting of local lemurs to conditions their ancestors once found appealing. Instead of the Azrala, however, the Orvimid empire wished to set up their own outposts there, to avoid competition with other Indian entities that were arising in the northern plain.

Without a desert in the northwest around the Indus Valley and after the collapse of the Gurag, a large power vacuum emerged in India's north waiting to be filled. Being well suited for powerful and large entities to arise, the old Thunda kingdom's former vassal of Kitaan managed to take advantage of the Gurag collapse, securing the Thar and Indus valleys in the west before moving eastward. Soon, much of the Gangetic Plain was under their control, with only the Zotat in Bengal and Byjit in the eastern coast significantly resisting. They became the dominant land power in the Indian subcontinent as a result. With other kingdoms distracted or reduced, Kitaan dominated northern and northwestern India, even moving into the highlands of Midaki [Afghanistan but cooler and much greener] through tributaries. The mountains proved useful barriers against further incursions of nomads such as the lesser successor states of the Gurag, as well as the most powerful successors in the west and northeast. The older Orvimids, losing physical territory in the region, wanted to gain influence overseas, inspired by the Arabs' capture of the Seychelles and the southern coalition's prevailing in Indonesia, wanted to make expansions and compete with the new Arab rivals.

Further south, the homeland of the Jamareet mobilised into a kingdom of its own, avoiding competition with the Arabs by extending influence in a different direction eastward. The kingdoms of the south would involve in frequent campaigns against the Sumatran-Malaysian Surkrato kingdom, who would launch campaigns in return against the Ind invaders. A coalition of these kingdoms managed to defeat Surkrato finally in 531CE, causing significant gains in Sumatra [much drier though still fairly wooded and connected to the mainland ittl]. This also gave them access to lucrative trade deals with the kingdoms of Java and Borneo, never mind the riches of western Uz [Australia, much greener than our own, with the west pretty comparable to otl southern USA]. These discoveries would be a source of great treasure, and great tragedies to come.

The Great Oceanic War.

After years of rising tensions over the Indian Ocean trade network, it felt like only a matter of time before blows came. The Ugrans [Iranians], initially under the successors of Gurag before being overthrown by a native dynasty, sped up its recovery from the Horde's invasions by playing the two sides off against each other for financial gains, but their leaders saw the writing on the wall and knew that neither the Arabs or Indians would allow them to have any more than a toehold in the Indian Ocean. Controlling the Plateau and Mesopotamia, and having ousted Venoa out of the Levant, they started turning their attention northward, hoping to prevent another rise of the Hordes that had ravaged Asia and even North Africa, as not only had the Gurag reached as far as Cyrenaica before withdrawing, but succeeding nomadic tribes from southern Russia went all the way into the Maghreb itself. While seemingly a poor move at the time, this would greatly benefit the Ugrans in the long term as technologies and resources became more available.

Despite Azrala's control over much of the Horn's coastline, even Atum had limited control over the denser forests and jungles, and so plenty of economic opportunities arose for others. The Orvimids in 524CE set up an outpost in Kenya [much greener and wetter here, with even the Great Lakes to the west being somewhat greener], surrounded by some of the densest rainforest in Africa outside of the Horntip itself, hoping to trade exotic creatures across India for profits. Many different monkeys, birds, lizards and snakes thrived in these lands, as did big herbivores and carnivores to exploit them. Being dense jungle and abundant in food, it was easier for members of declining linaeges to find refuge here. Before the Reversal, Africa had been growing increasingly arid for millions of years, especially in the eastern side of the Rift Valley, paving the way for the evolution of humans, but after the event, this changed as the former monsoons of India shifted westward across Arabia, with the Horn and Great Lakes becoming far wetter and greener than they had been at any point since the Miocene, and so some browsing lineages on the last legs managed to make resurgence in the Horn and Great Lakes to survive and thrive. With conditions comparable to those of equatorial South America before the Reversal, it was suitable for larger colonisation by browsing herbivores. A distant kin of the elephants found in the north and west, Deinotherium was on its last legs before the Reversal, 1.5 million years before the present, with the last populations hanging on in Kenya and Tanzania in the remaining green regions, and yet the reemergence of the Somali and Kenyan rainforests in a retrograde earth proved their saving grace. Deinotherium aethiopicus [a direct descendant of D.bozasi, though somewhat smaller due to the denser forests, comparable to Loxadonta africana in size] was very alien compared to the native proboscideans of Arabia and especially Ind, and so beasts would be captured to be part of the menageries of indian kings, as well as those from across southern Asia and even beyond. The Orvimid empire's new position was in some of their best habitat, and so competition with Azrala or Asa became inevitable.

Orvimid forces would win often in clashes with Asa shipping boats, but on the 8th of February 543CE, the Orvimids' crown prince, Heshep was visiting such a position when Asa ships ambushed the fleet and took him hostage. The Orvimids demanded his release, and declared war when the Asa instead offered a high ransom. Alone, they could easily have overwhelmed Asa, but Azrala soon stepped in on their side as well, possessing a formidable fleet of their own. The Jamar kingdoms of southern India, also wishing for trading rights over the eastern coast offered nominal support to their larger northern neighbour, and soon the war escalated as the different kingdoms and republics of the two great subcontinents fought for the fate of the Indian ocean.

With Ugra between them, the wars were mainly fought overseas between ships or over the various islands. It was not a black and white affair, for the Zashan republic and Byijit threw their lot in with the Arabs, hoping to gain trading rights to Chad and the Sahara, while Atun seized the opportunity to ally with the Indians against Azrala to take back the coastlines of Somalia. The two largest nations, the great empires of Nejed and Kitaan remained neutral for the time being, being more land-based powers than naval. Even further afield, the Uz nation of Teemur-Midon, controlling the northwestern coast and a number of Indonesian islands [including Timor and even Bali], seized the opportunity to raid Sumatra nominally under alliance with Azrala, devastating indian possessions in the region and leaving a caucus belli for later events. It was during this that golden possums of Uz origins spread around Southeast Asia as popular pets due to traders as a result. As the 550s CE came to a close, it seemed the Indian-led faction would have the upper hand, as Atum was seize the Straits of Zub from Bharon, until Bharon managed to secure a powerful ally in the form of Sukatai [a unified Greater Chad] and its tributary of Narunga [southern Sudan] on the side of the Arabs, quickly overwhelming Atun and liberating virtually the entire Horn from Indian invasions. This was not the end, however, as in 561 CE, Kitaan and Nejed finally mobilised their immense armies, numbering in the hundreds of thousands each, toward what seemed to be battle. However, what they instead called surprised the many nations around them.

The Division.

After 18 years of conflict between the powers of southern Asia and eastern Africa, and perhaps as many as 3-4 million dying as territory exchanged from one to another, a Treaty was signed in the Seychelles, the place where the Arab-Indian rivalry had first started, many years ago. A plan to divide the Indian ocean to alleviate tensions between the two was made. While much in the way of innovations had happened during the war, there was a great loss of human life and habitat destruction as nations cut down trees to fuel their ships and create bows and siege engines. After months of negotiations, a fateful decision was made. Everything west of the Seychelles was to be considered lands for the various arabic nations and colonies, whereas those east of the islands was considered fit for Ind expansion and support. This did not mean the expulsion of any of the other on either side explicitly (though this did happen implicitly as a result of diplomatic isolation on either side), but any new settlements or conquests made would need to fall into these categories to prevent more wars. The two most powerful nations of the respective subcontinents mediated this, hoping to prevent another societal collapse like the fall of the Gurag Horde or Krassuc in the west.

This arrangement would certainly prove to reduce conflict between the different regions, but it did not limit completion between those countries of their own peninsula, and it was debatable whether this applies to the Indian Ocean alone or all of the oceans of the world. This left plenty of leeway with regards to things such as the Cape, Micronesia or whatever lay beyond in either direction. Even without direct warfare, it did not change economic competition between the two, and there would always be cases when individual nations on either block would compete, especially if an empire collapsed and a new state arose that didn't respect the terms of the Treaty. Whether the treaty truly changed history or merely delayed the inevitable is a subject of much debate. At a time when the Sunset Kingdoms were reinvigorating, and the West African dark age was finally coming to an end, the times were set for very unpredictable results.


Map as of 600CE

 

[Ancalagon_84]

The Great Western Wood:


Covering from coast to coast the western coasts of Uz and penetrating well inland into former grassland and even desert, the open woodlands are teeming with life in a scale not seen in Oceania since the Miocene millions of years before. While varying locally in terms of how much rainfall they experience and in what patterns, they share a common pattern of open woodlands, not too different from the tropical savannahs that exist to the north, but have more pronounced seasons with cool winters. Now one of the largest biomes in Australia, surpassing the Victorian desert in the east by a good margin, these lands, mired by swamps in some places and steppes in others, are a land of variety very different from their counterparts in other landmasses.

Whereas the other lands of forest around the world have monkeys or squirrels scooting up the trees and across the undergrowth, Uz has a very different way of doing things. The orange-tailed tree kangaroo is one such creature. A devoted folivore, they are quite picky about what they eat, a luxury afforded to them by the abundance of available food types. With an explosion of woodland environment, different tree kangaroo species could once again partition niches between them, as could their insectivorous cousins the possums. Orange-tailed ones prefer western plums, a peculiar flavour compared to their eastern form, and their fondness of these soft and sweet fruits makes them very sympathetic to humans, to the point some efen wish to have them as cosmetic pets or use them to help harvest the fruit, developing a mutually beneficial arrangement.

A much more terrifying animal in these forests hunts the tree kangaroos and Eden the wombats on the forest floor. Partly arboreal but also terrestrial, this fierce predator is feared by most. The marsupial leopard [Thylacoleo pardus] is not the largest or strongest of its kind, but it's enigmatic nature makes it perhaps even more feared than its larger cousins in the east. Ranging in mass from 50-90kg depending on the region, these marsupials like to ambush their prey from abode, using a fierce bite and a sickle like claw on their left paw to deliver the killing blows. They have brown fur with light spots, a mirror reverse of the fur pattern of leopards, giving them even more convergence. Very solitary creatures, their preferred prey items are Genyornids, kangaroos both terrestrial and arboreal and wombats.

The avian denizens of the woodland are no less iconic. The Dromornithidae have flourished in Australia since the Oligocene, culminating in the huge Dromornis of the Miocene, among many others, but slowly declined after the late Miocene as a result of the steady aridification of Australia, which in our own timeline would peak in the late Pleistocene, only slightly relenting by the present. In this timeline, however, the forests of the west have returned, and with it the diversity of these 'demon ducks'. The Doomduck [Genyornis maginficens] is a great and brightly coloured bird reminiscent of the cassowaries of the tropics, with a red and blue whattled head and black neck contrasting with its brown and white plumage. While other Genyornis species compare to emus or ostriches in size, albeit more bulky as a result of their forested habitat, G.magnificens is a much bigger bird, having rivalled its Miocene precursor in size and ecological position, though with a longer and less deep beak, good for selectivity picking the finest leaves and shoots, a useful trait in areas of such abundance. This pointed beak also helps defend them from predators and fight amongst themselves, and their kicks are formidable for marsupial leopards or even Quinkana to be recipients of. Should disasters happen, however, the doomduck is certainly more vulnerable than its smaller and less fussy kin.

One of the most iconic creatures of these woodlands are neither marsupial nor bird, nor are they invasive species added by man. In the swamps and ferns growing around them lies a creature seemingly taken from the Mesozoic. Meiolania magnicerops has an exceptional build, a tortoise convergent with the ankylosaurs of the dinosaur era, with exceptionally large horns on their brows even compared to their brethren, as well as a small nasal horn, giving it a superficial resemblance to ceratopsian dinosaurs, used for display. With a carapace more than 2m in length, no predator in Uz will dare attack it, and it rivals even the largest diprotodonts for the title of more endurable herbivore. The spiked club on their tail-end is even more uncanny, and a very dangerous weapon against predators, although it is more often used for display and intraspecific combat.

Rustling in the undergrowth in a way not too different to the suids of other regions, bandicoots thrive here. Some have even managed to develop hooves on their feet to move rapidly, at least as adults, though juveniles tend to have softer feet to avoid injuring their mothers in the pouch. In the waterlogged swamps of the monsoonal forests, the wet summer months require wading to navigate through. The stilt-legged bandicoot is adapted for exactly this behaviour, it's slightly webbed feet being ideal to wade through a waterlogged environment and snatch aquatic vegetation or small invertebrates from in the water, while reducing the risk of wettening its pouch and risking the lives of its offspring. In their manner, they are convergent with the chevrotains of India and southern Ugra/Iran in their way of life. Only 40cm tall at the shoulder, their relatively long legs can only take them so far, but their tenacity to overcome changing conditions allows them to do well in this environment. Solitary except during the mating season, they are generally quite territorial. While a lot smaller than other creatures of the wood, they are better adapted to cope with changing conditions, which considering the increasing human population, is certainly something that should equip them well.

Wombats and koalas are familiar marsupial herbivores in this region, but other more spectacular forms live here too. Huge diprotodontids such as Diprotodon and the 'marsupial rhino' Zygomaturus hippops roam around freely, but Sthenurus ingens, the whiteheaded kangaroo is an even stranger creature. With a relatively long neck and a short, white head, it is well adapted for a terrestrial kangaroo for browsing, and it walks around like a human or theropod dinosaur instead of hopping like its plain dwelling kin. They have unusually long arms and claws even compared to their kin, allowing them to reach high branches out of range of even Diprotodon. Measuring about 2.2m tall, they travel around in groups of 10-20, using powerful kicks of their single-toes foot to fend off predators such as marsupial leopards and young Quinkana, though they can act aggressive enough to even ward other herbivores such as the aforementioned diprotodonts. The only one they consistently stay wary of is Meiolania. Being more generalised and using their hands allows them to be less fussy eaters and avoid competition with the Doonduck and other Genyornis species in these forests; a useful trait. While more traditional kangaroos do better in the more open east, the west is a land of wonders.

Many species of frogs and salamanders call the swamps home, but none are more colourful than the golden crowned frog. More reminiscent of the dart frogs of South America, they are a remarkable example of convergent evolution. Using poison and bright colours to ward predators off them, these frogs don't need grand size or abilities to install terror in humans. Measuring less than an inch from mouth to rump, they are often found in colonies swimming around, swimming in the banks or even floating about on driftwood and large leaves. Preferring the consistently humid coastal forests, they are a truly fascinating example of convergence across different continents. Venom from these little frogs is powerful to kill even an adult marsupial leopard, so even smaller predators would do their best to avoid these frogs. Gestating in the spring and in their tadpole phase in the summer to take advantage of the algae, they then mature in the autumn and go into hibernation during the winter, as it is cooler than they prefer and there can even be frost sometimes, not a suitable condition for amphibians.

One of the most ferocious predators of this land is also a reptile. While familiar freshwater crocodiles do well in the swamps, away from the waters another roams. The giant monitor lizard Varanus priscus prefers the open tropical savannahs to the north [much larger than those present in our own timeline and therefore a greater population], and so another roams. Quinkana ferox is a huge predator reminiscent of the Miocene, capable of preying on all but the largest of herbivores. Measuring up to six metres long when fully grown, they have grown considerably in the last 1.5 million years due to the Reversal, reverting to the sizes they reached during the Pliocene, taking up the role of apex predator once more. With serrated teeth and relatively deeper snouts than their aquatic kin, they are well adapted for feeding on large marsupial prey, or even other predators like the marsupial leopard or the thylacines, the ever present possum eaters of these lands. In some parts of northwest Australia, it is even possible to see these mekosuchines encounter or even fight the infamous Megalania, a true clash of the titans when it happens. Here, they are certainly capable of giving even the bravest human hunters reason to fear them.

Alongside your standard possums lies a stranger creature, one that at first looks quite ordinary. This is until it jumps. With longer hind limbs and a fleshy membrane, the 'winged possum' is one of the only gliding marsupials in history. Able to travel as much as thirty metres between different trees, winged possums are insectivores by nature and use their skill to help catch prey from afar, while escaping the fierce falcons and juvenile eagles of the region. Only about 25cm long when fully grown, these squirrel like creatures have long brush tails that are used for display among their own, and are known for unusual mating dances where males will use the white tipped brushy tails in complex 'dances', thus demonstrating that marsupials are not inherently less intelligent than their placental kin elsewhere.

Thylacines are generally small game specialists, using powerful jaws to crush smaller prey but lacking the necessary adaptions to deal with larger struggling prey. The western species, Thylacinus latirostrus is a different approach. With the growing swamps that occurred in Western Australia along with a range of smaller lizards and snakes, this thylacine has adapted, as the name suggests with a broader snout that helps it more easily catch fish in the water, with the teeth and strong sound well for catching such food. They also have proven useful to help them kill larger terrestrial prey than their kin. Averaging about 40kg in weight and 140cm in length for males, with females being slightly smaller, the broad-snorted thylacines may in fact be an early phase in the evolution of a new group of marsupials; at least if evolution and the newly arriving humans give them a chance.

The beasts that roam the great woodland of western and central Australia are varied in their form, and just a few of the most notable creatures have been covered here, but they are prevalent. A world isolated from the other continents for tens of millions of years, and with two of its largest native creatures being reptiles, it is not hard to see why this place is considered an alien world by the peoples of Africa and Asia. Nevertheless, this is no less full of wonder and intrigue than the ecosystems of the west.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

The Great Deccan Forest




In the rainforest environment, some of the greatest biodiversity the world has to offer is available. Rich year round rainfall and hot weather provides extraordinary conditions for plant life to grow, and with it animal life, of both endothermic and ectothermic forms. While not this way before the Reversal, the Deccan Plataeu is now home to such a place. Due to the westward shift of the East Asian monsoon to Arabia, and its local replacement by humidity formerly found in Indonesia and the Philippines, nearly all of the subcontinent south of the river Narmada [and a few lands north of it too] is dense tropical, a state not seen in India for many millions of years. This forest now stretches uninterrupted from the Arakan Mountains in the east to the Gulf of Kutch in the west, covering more than a third of the subcontinent and being perhaps second only to the Congo as the world's largest rainforest. A land of weird and wonderful creatures, we shall cover only a fraction of what dwells in these forests.

Swinging in the treetops, many different fruits and flowers can be found to consume. This naturally attracts a lot of vegetarians who consider such foods ideal. Some of the most prosperous in these lands are the iconic gibbons, masters of arboreal life. The Reversal initially had catastrophic effects on this basal line of apes, as the drying out of Indochina caused many to die out, become isolated in pockets of forest in Indonesia and Malaysia, or migrate westward through the aforementioned Arakan mountains. The Ganges Delta, now lacking the extreme flooding and droughts it experienced before [humidity is somewhat greater overall but is more evenly distributed across the year, removing the dry season] proved to be an ideal settling point to move westward, but the rapid formation of the great forest in the south proved to be of even greater importance. Gibbons of the genus Hoolock and Hylobates spread across these lands and flourished in the Deccan Plateau. One notable species is the wizard Hoolock [Hoolock ceylonia], named for its iconic white beard and eyebrows, found mainly in the southeastern coast of India, including Ceylon. Measuring about 50-70cm tall and weighing 4.2-7kg, they are relatively small for their genus, a likely result of the density of the forests and the hot, very humid climate. The rest of their fur is a grey colour, which only adds to the wizard moniker, and they use numbers to help keep them safe from predators, such as the ever present leopards or the infamous eagles of this land.

Another gibbon species found in the great southern forest is the Funky Gibbon [Hylobates funkei], whose unusual name comes from its habit of using dance as a form of communication, as well as sexual display. Using lengthened orange hairs on their arms, the males use a dance they rear on their hind legs to do in order to impress females; those with the most elaborate or novel rituals have more success with mating rights. They are larger than the Hoolock and feed on harder vegetation such as leaves, measuring up to 10kg and 90cm tall, making them one of the largest of the gibbons. The Funky gibbon's body as a whole is a more conventional black colour for males, while females are a dull brown. Surprisingly, these extra-long hairs don't interfere with their swinging ability.

As well as gibbons, there are of course macaques. Just as they are present in Arabia and Japan, they are present in some form in India as well. Lion-tailed, Toque and Bonnet macaques are present here [just as in our timeline] with their own distinct appearances, as are the Mohican macaques [Macaca familiaris], named for their distinct hair on the top of their heads. Running alongside the sagittal crest at the top of their skull, Mohicans' namesake feature may be used for display, either for mates or for social signalling, with individuals with especially pronounced ridges being seen as higher status. As with the contemporary peacocks, however, this can make them vulnerable to predation. Weighing just 4kg when fully grown, they are not the largest of their kind, but surely some of the strangest, with their blonde mohicans, superficially resembling the feathers of some parrots.

Lorises are a line of more basal primates, dating from a much earlier time than monkeys. Primarily insectivores, they will also feast on fruit and leaves when need be, even lizards and frogs at times as well. As with gibbons, the aridification of Indochina has split their diversity between those of Malaysia and Indonesia in the east and India in the west. Those in India lean more toward insectivory due to competition, whereas their Indonesian kin are leaning into herbivory over time. These basal primates wouldn't seem to be an obvious choice for such ecosystems given the presence of more intelligent monkeys, but evolution does not work in such linear ways, and so they can easily coexist with their distant simian kin. In some ways like the xenarthran sloths of the Amazon, the lorises are a fine addition to arboreal life in Decca.

Predating these tree dwelling primates is a fearsome avian monster. The Deccan Siren Eagle [Pithecaphaga giganteus] has evolved to make good use of the abundance of primates in this forest, and evolved well to navigate dense foliage when not flying. This requires using shorter but broad wings that allow it to navigate between trees, but still have enough surface area to cover their body weight and give them agility to catch such prey. With a dark brown-red feather coat with white tipped wing feathers, they are certainly not hard to notice to our eyes from above, but to the monkeys and gibbons of this forest, it signifies death. With a wingspan of 2.5m, it is very sizable for a bird of prey, surpassed only by the Haast's eagle that once roamed Zealandia.

In the undergrowth of these woodlands, many others dwell. The black-footed mongoose is a typical mammalian predator of small game here, adapted well for camouflage from larger predators as well as prey. Possessing an intense ferocity, the Jamareet people here say that it has "the body of a rat and the heart of a tiger", and this is not without good reason, for they are fiercely aggressive against opponents, and even dogs and tiger cubs are hesitant to be near them. Measuring about 60cm long and with an otherwise sandy-brown appearance, with slightly darkened stripes, this snake hunter does well to survive in a forest full of dangers.

In the trees, another creature besides primates finds a good home. An arboreal pangolin, these strange mammals are some of the most divergent among the laurasiatheres, superficially similar to the xenarthran anteaters of the Americas, but armoured. Multiple species exist in these forests, feeding on different types of insects or isolated in particular valleys or the hills of mountains, though all are capable of interbreeding with one another and producing fertile offspring. Much smaller than the giant roaming the savannahs of Indochina, they more than make up for it with numerical superiority. Their natural defences are well known among predators, and for many Millenia, the native peoples of this land would use their armour for a variety of different purposes, including ceremonial and even practical armour, although this declined as metallurgy became more prevalent. Even so, the pangolins remain a unique oddity of the lands of South Asia.

Not all creatures found in the Deccan forest are small and nimble, a few are big and bulky as well. A dedicated undergrowth specialist, the Deccan Rhino [Dicerorhinus tamilius] prefers low browsing on smaller plants and shrubs to avoid competition with other herbivores of this region that browse at higher levels, and is surprisingly hairy for a rhino, especially compared to the giants of the genus Rhinoceros present in both northern India and Indochina. Only about 1.25 tonnes in weight and 3.5m long, their horns are also smaller to avoid getting in the way of dense foliage. It is hard to believe that among living rhinos, they are closely related to the extinct woolly rhinos of northern Eurasia, rather than their Indian kin found across the River Narmada.

Already a diverse land, India has some of the world's highest concentrations of deer. With much more limited savanna compared to previous times, due to increased humidity, deer have utterly dominated the antelope here, the latter driven either west or east as a result, and so many species of deer are found in these lands, including in the great rainforest of the south. One unusual species is the red rippersnapper, a forest dwelling relative of the Thai omnivore we encountered before. It has shorter legs and is more diminutive than it's kin, feeding on a mix of leaves, fruit, insects, frogs and carrion. Using fangs to deter rivals and predators, these strange oddities make a good living off the vast array of insects and frogs found in these jungles.

The swamps and rivers here teem with countless species of amphibians, many of them descendants of those limited to the Ghat forests before the Reversal, and a few refugees from western Indochina as well. 1.5 million years is not enough to fully take advantage of opportunities for great biodiversity, or to create a convergent situation with the many dart frogs of South America, but a cacophony of frog calls during the mating season can be found across the wetlands, swamps and rivers of Decca, just as in the Amazonian or Peruvian jungles. Microfrogs live in the water soaked leaves of the canopy, balancing precariously on a literal leaf's edge from the vast distances beneath them, fearing many predators, even including large insects and other frogs. The Cyanobacteria colonies off the Deccan south coast, along with less desert overall, mean the Retrograde Earth has slightly higher oxygen levels than our own timeline, so insects and other terrestrial arthropods are a little less size constrained, meaning that many are potential threats to these frogs. There are also many toads of course who take advantage of this abundance of food, so the balance of the ecosystems continues. The frogs here aren't giants like those of equatorial Africa, but they make up for it with abundance.

Other creatures of the rivers live here besides little frogs, of the scalier kind. Multiple species of crocodilian live in the Krishna and Narmada rivers, but none are more iconic here than the huge Hanyusuchus. Once found in Indochina and southern China itself before the Reversal, this huge gharial and its smaller relatives migrated westward and did well in the forests of Bengal and now Decca. Their thin jaws betray their diet as fishing specialists, though they can certainly feed on considerably larger fish than their relatives, including some of the great 2+m catfish that swim here. Capable of growing over 6m long in the case of males, and more than 4m for the females, they can certainly prey on some terrestrial animals as well when they need to. In reality, carnivores of a big enough size will simply take whatever they can get their jaws on. Despite their nature, they are generally not threatening to humans unless directly provoked, unlike their kin in the crocodylus genus.

Unlike the gharials, this other creature doesn't come above the surface at all, except to breathe briefly. Multiple species of Platanista dolphins are found across the rivers of the Indian subcontinent, even the Indus River and Mesopotamia, and each of the major rivers of Southern Asia has its own species. Unlike many toothed whales, the females are larger and sturdier than the males, and have a diet of larger fish as well. The Narmada species is black with a white belly, while the Krishna form is muddy brown and those of the Ganges and Indus are tan and pink respectively. Species vary from 2 to 3m in total length, and the use of their eyes may also vary. The Krishna form, given the murkiness of its waters, are almost blind and rely on advanced echolocation underwater to locate their prey.

The biggest beast of these forests is an elusive giant, found in small herds and known for iconic crossing tusks, in which its trunk must rest. The mighty Stegodon [Stegodon dravidiansis] has grown great in the presence of abundant food, despite limited space. Once common across east Asia as far north as Japan and south as Flores, the Reversal severely compromised their position there as a warmer, drier land originated, and those further north faced competition from mammoths as the glaciers returned. The opposite, however occurred in the Indian subcontinent that they also lived in, and indeed the much wetter south of the subcontinent proved an ideal place for those fleeing an increasingly dry Indochina. Measuring up to 3.2m at the shoulder and weighing over 7 tonnes as males, while females are about ¾ of the size, they are impervious to predators such as tigers at a size like this, though juveniles must still be wary. Preferring darker and more leaf-oriented ecosystems than the more mixed feeders of Elephas and Palaeoloxodon further north, Stegodon are very much browsing specialists, as with giraffes and the Deinotheres of the Horn of Africa. Due to their crossed over and close tusks, physical intraspecific combat is impossible for them, and so they instead rely on flushing colour into their ears and foreheads which work alongside their tusks for display to impress. This red forehead and far apart eyes give them quite a strange appearance compared to conventional elephants.

With such thick forests, browsers are aplenty. Nestoritherium namadicus is another chalicothere that does well in forests, though it is a more tropical and reclusive species than its Babylonian counterpart, having black and white fur similar to that of the tapir that also roams these forests, both members of the perissodactyl clade, a group that has continued to decline for many millions of years due to a cooling global climate and competition from the artiodactyls and their multi-chambered stomachs. But here, the forests, mainly consisting of flora from the Ghats that spread out upon the Reversal's humidity changes, provide good cover and abundant food for this 360kg beast. This may seem quite large at first, but it is relatively small compared to other chalicotheres, both living and extinct, as a result of the denser forests it prefers. It must remain this way to fend off its competitor.

The dense forests of Decca make a useful place to keep animals safe from the interference of Man. Relatives of the orangutan do well here, as the dense forests are a habitat they prefer, and none are as iconic as the Kong [Gigantopithecus kong], a surviving member of a race of giants, doing well in the isolated environments of the dense rainforests, where diseases and parasites prevent larger human populations from occurring. Kongs are sometimes known as hooded apes due to a black 'hood' growing over the top of their head, neck and shoulders over a grey-brown body. They are also known for their exceptional size, with adult males growing over 2.1m tall on their hind legs and weighing up to 300kg. Males are very territorial and fierce, often competing with one another over a harem of females, who are smaller, though still easily larger than the average human and comparable to an average male gorilla. Outside of such territorial disputes, however, they are shepherds for their families, and are vital in the defense of their families from predators such as dholes, leopards, tigers, and another predator that has managed to survive in these forests.

The Machairodontian lineage is thought by many to have died out near the end of the Pleistocene in our own timeline, and only survived in the Retrograde timeline due to more stable populations and less extreme climate fluctuations in northeast asia, allowing the local Homotherium to survive where they didn't elsewhere. However, another more basal member of this remarkable group has survived as well, deep in the jungles where the pantherine cats find it trickier to get to. Too dense for lions, leopards preferring the trees and with tigers taking the top predator niche, another cat has filled in the vacancy. The Deccan knifetooth [Megantereon indicus] is a relic of a bygone era. With black fur skin to the panther, these nocturnal ambush predators are comparable in size to jaguars but somewhat more robust and with their long namesake teeth, allowing them to take on large ungulates or even juvenile rhinos and buffalo. Subduing their prey with powerful arms and quietly cutting the throat with Sabre teeth helps them quietly deal with prey before alerting other predators such as tigers and dogs.

Snakes are ever present in the Deccan forest, and have some of their greatest diversity in the world here. Some of the most terrifying snakes in the world can be found here; not just venomous cobras and adders, but another kind of danger. Pythons of multiple species are found across Africa, India and the Middle East, just as they were before the Reversal, though with less interruption here without the great deserts. They have not been able to colonise the Balkans or Central Asia, however due to the winters of these regions, thus being limited to the southern shores of the Caspian. The largest species known, [Python magnus] is found in the Deccan forest, due to high temperatures and humidity along with an abundance of deer prey. The Magnificent python can reach lengths of up to 7.5m in females, with a weight of 125kg to boot, while males measure at about 6m and 65kg at maximum. Their dark brown patterns resemble tree bark, making them especially dangerous. They can and have been known to attack and even consume humans or the juveniles of orangutans or Kongs.

While their giant namesakes went extinct with the Reversal, the red pandas have lived on in the lifeblood of the south. Bamboo is just one of many types of plant here, but there is still enough to feed the red denizens of this land. Mainly found in the highlands of the Siwaliks [a bit wetter and less seasonal but otherwise similar], they have also spread along the eastern coast of the subcontinent with the proliferation of greenery here as well. Shy herbivores, they are certainly a far cry from many other carnivorans, but are no less fascinating. The tropical subspecies has darker and thinner fur than its highland counterpart being less of a 'red' panda and more of a brown or even black in the case of melanistic individuals, similar to how black panthers exist among Panthera.

Water buffalo are another iconic creature in the region. With long horns and a diet of watercress and other such plants, they are quite different to the terrestrial gaur of the subcontinent's forests [similar to otl] or the more conventional buffalo or Indochina and africa. As with those found in Mesopotamia, these more aquatic forms are used in animal husbandry by humans in domestic forms, but in the wild they are found in sizeable groups, unlike the hippos of northern India, led by an old matriarch. Bulls, with their great horns are typically alone or in bachelor groupings, often substantially larger than females and capable of weighing over a tonne, whereas females are only half the size.

The Deccan forest is a vast place, and this covers just a small fraction of the countless species found in these jungles and swamps.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

Done by MolotovJack based on data from mikolajewicz et al 2018 and from some of my own analyses of the data.
This map here is a "satellite" view based on foliage cover simulated in the study, shown below;
https://i.imgur.com/D9NIiOw.png
As you can see, there is a very notable difference in foliage distribution to our own world. There are deserts across the southern United States and China, while the Sahara and Arabia blossom. The different shades should give a clear indication as to how dense foliage is or isn't in this world. What does your home look like in this world? Use this combined with the climate map to figure out!

 

[Ancalagon_84]

The Mediterranean sphere of the gunpowder age



Map of the Mediterranean as of 702 CE. Not shown is the full extent of the southern empires or the Zabidae nomads, nor the Chadian Sukutai kingdom.

The black explosive powder that would revolutionise society and warfare did not originate in the lands of China, nor the lands north of it in this world, but on the opposite end of the Eurasian continent, in the many lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Despite a substantially different climate from before the Reversal, the region seems almost destined to have become a major centre for trade and economic prosperity. Over the centuries, rulers from Khemros, Krassuc and the Zici ebbed and flowed in power, while the powerhouse of the west, Rhogosh remained insulated from most invaders due to its position. The central Sahara, with rivers and deltas alongside its humid grasslands became popular terrain for the expanding urban societies against the nomads, and a particularly important point of this came through the black powder discovery.

In an older time, Krassuc had been the founder of the largest empire in the west, stretching from the Canarie islands in the west to the Taurus mountains in the east, and from the Pyrenees in the north to the Tibesti in the south. Centuries of decline and foreign occupation proved tough for it, but the phoenix has risen from the proverbial ashes once more as it has secured independence from its old tributary Rhogosh and from Khemros in the east. The peoples of this land and it's high priests claim that this is a restoration of the 'natural harmony of the world, where Krassuc goes through cycles of strength and weakness based on the 'worthiness' of its ruling dynasty, with weak dynasties being overthrown by a more 'holy' one. While it cannot take part in the direct involvement in the New world like it's western rival, the boom of New world crops smuggled in has done well for the revived kingdom, giving alternate food sources to rely on. Having recently wrestled Cyrenaica [relatively arid and sparse compared to the surrounding lands, though still milder than in otl] from Khemros, and driven the Zabidae further into the increasingly encroached grasslands, Krassuc is seen as respectable once more. With one of the highest populations in the Mediterranean, a gleaming city on the edge of the sea can be seen for many miles off, a testament to Krassuc's legacy, and many other cities are found across the coast and further inland, where once there was desert, now there is open woodlands, ending in the forests where they share an unclear border with the vast nation of Basam [headquartered in otl Western Sahara to the north of the Tamanrasset River] and the Tanam city states formed in opposition to the now dwindling Zabidae nomads. Near the fringes of this new Krassuc kingdom [consisting of otl Tunisia, Libya, Malta and parts of Algeria and Sicily], in the city of Buash near the Tibesti mountains, a particularly important discovery was made in 634CE, after its neighbour Rhogosh had first started its new settlements in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Wanting to find a mystical way to defeat their western and eastern rivals, a group of alchemists accidentally came across an explosive powder. The local nobleman made great use of this and soon began experiments to see its military use. It worked. For the first time, Retrograde Earth had gunpowder.

On the other side of the Mediterranean, the Zici kingdoms had long since collapsed into warlordism following the overthrow of 'New Krassuc', and Mut took advantage of this, causing the south to reunify in return. Now the Italian peninsula is split into only two larger countries, both with mostly hot and humid summers, but the south has rain in winter and the north snow. This land does well in terms of fishing opportunities and has very good farmland as well, so along with Rhogosh's Iberia, it has some of the highest population density anywhere in Europe, though it pales in comparison to the civilisations of Northern Africa. Similar to our own world's Korea or Japan, the two countries are often at odds but will unite if a common rival like Krassa rears its head. The Muti language is unrelated to the multiple dialects of the south, and their religious beliefs centre around idol worship of transcendent gods rather than ancestor worship of the immaterial spirits as the Zuci once believed, before they converted to the Celestial Harmony beliefs of the Magrebi countries.

In the time frame the west Africans began to find the North American continent, Rhogosh was among them as well. Already controlling the vital strait of Gibraltar, they were in an ideal position compared to other Mediterranean powers to make use of the spreading news. While they lost their old coloniser of Krassuc, as well as some territories in the south, they made gains to the north against Orinois and more importantly, the Spanish current allowed ships to find this new world. Landing in the Axehead Peninsula [Nova Scotia, warmer and drier than otl, leaning into Mediterranean], they soon discovered a part of the continent much further north than the other African powers, and soon settler colonists were sent. They traded with the Mihunaway peoples to the south [otl New England] and set up shop further north, along the shores of the River [St Louis], and across the northern coast. Another colony was set up in the northern outposts of "Uba" [a slightly warmer Newfoundland], further benefitting westward expansion. The discovery of new farmland and resources allowed more to be taken back to Iberia and Morocco, as well as the opening up of trade routes; allowing this power of the western coast to grow even more powerful than before. Once a republic and now an enlightened monarchy, Rhogoshi rulers are seen as representatives of the sky gods, chosen to lead the nation into greatness.

South of the Rhogosh empire, the Soura valley [much wetter and cooler than our timeline, a mere tributary of the great Tamanrasset river] holds a number of important cities. Too far out of reach of either Krassuc to the north or Ima and Basam in the west, themselves busy with settling the New World, they act quite autonomously. Not a single nation but multiple, the cities of the region are productive and operate well in the shadow of the mountains, receiving year round precipitation rather than the monsoonal pattern of the lands to the south, giving them an edge in greenery, as they don't have to deal with a dry season like their southern neighbours. The northernmost cities, near the Atlas Mountains and on the sides of Guir, still paid tribute at the start of the 7th century CE to Rhogosh, but those of the ZSaouzfana side came under the leadership of Zidum, fiercely opposed to both Rhogosh and Krassuc's domination, and famed for its silks and spices, being a good trade route between the Mediterranean coastline and further south. Speaking of which, to the south of Zidum and east of the larger nations of Ima and Basam lies the sizeable countries of Sara, located around the southern part of the Saoura tributary river, and the forest-kingdom of Cahaun around the Namous delta. Both of these kingdoms, while landlocked, controlled considerable land and were covered in woodland, or outright forest in the latter's case, providing plentiful wood and timber for their unique civilisations, where the main grains and agriculture was based on nuts and hard seeds instead of on grains, with many of this land's people having well developed jaws compared to those of other lands.

Further east, in the lands south of Krassuc on the northern shores of Greater Chad and its surrounding rivers, lie the ancient Zabidae lands, with the nomadic people of the savannahs spread over a great area and often raiding the peoples of the wooded land surrounding them. Lacking the intense temperature swings of the steppes of Central Asia, and only somewhat wetter, the Zabidae are a far cry from the great steppe empires of Central Asia and the American Great Plains, but are nonetheless hard to root out by the urban lands surrounding them, due to the varied terrain and their nomadic lifestyle.

In the eastern corner of the Mediterranean, changes were being felt. Khemros, at the mouth of the Nile River, had gone through many ages as a great ruler and as a subject of others, whether it be Krassuc, Skidoosh, Ugra or even the Gurag, but was now once again an independent land able to exert its influence, despite having lost influence over the Libyan coast, it still controls the Dead Sea and Sinai regions, and has also moved northward through the eastern coast of the Mediterranean [otl Levant] up to the fringes of another great empire. It also controls the lush island of Zypriot [a substantially wetter Cyprus], conquered in the War of Salt of 523-529CE, though failed the conquest of Funi [a greener Crete], who remains independent of it and the Staragnite empire of the north. Khemros began to involve itself in the division of the African coastline following the decades long conflict between Arabia and India, sailing through Azrala [Yemeni and Omani] and Bharonese [Hejaz] waters to set small outposts in the islands and east coast, with their permission. The Mauritian islands, precious occupied by the Indian jamareet, were granted to Khemros to settle, though as desert islands, and many thousands of miles from their homeland, these were a mere token compared to more profitable colonies. Nonetheless, they remained a formidable entity in the eastern Mediterranean. In the southeast lays the Red Sea Hills, previously harsh desert and now dense monsoon forest, with less of a population than the west but plenty of unique primates and reptiles just as with southern India or the Horn, though on a much smaller scale. These are the favoured hunting ground of Khemro emperors, and for good reason. Khemros's fertile Nile River valley only compliments the rest of the land here, a mix of woodlands, forests and subtropical pampas, full of various flora and fauna. Rice is readily grown in its waters, and predictable flooding [better than can be said for otl Ganges or Yangtze] make it a stable region to live in for many.

The Staranite migration through the Caucasus into Anatolia and the Balkans changed the lands already crippled by the precious Gurag invasions, and left a power vacuum on the steppes of southern Russia. Their descendants now rule from the Bosphorus straits lies an entity of great proportions, the Staragnite Empire. With its heartland in the hilly and humid Anatolia, they have spread into the southern Balkans and forced the other settlements of the region to fall either under the hegemony of Slon [a much cooler and monsoonal Hungary] or join the Adriatic League, an alliance of city states in the western Balkans independent of either the Staragnites or the Muti. The Anatolian Empire has an army specialising in heavy infantry, given the relative lack of flat terrain and plentiful hills, though the lowlands also boast cavalry of various forms that inherit from their nomadic predecessors; horses, elephants and even Sivatherium are sometimes used by these soldiers when waging war on their southern rivals. Their legions can march over great distances to fight with or ally with other places far away, with even the west-Indian Kitaan empire having faced Staragnite raids, though the soldiers refuse to go any further than the Indus, often mutinying rather than continue marching.

To the east, away from the Mediterranean and around the Caspian Sea, a resurgent Ugra, no longer under Gurag's dominion is on the rise. While the wars between Arabia and India have made the Indian Ocean a hostile cultural and military area, the Ugrans have found another direction to focus their might. Centred in the hilly and easily defensible Iranian plateau, Ugra also dominates Mesopotamia, the Afghan highlands that Medikia once dominated, and even occasionally wars with the empires of Ind over the Indus River, as there is no desert as a barrier between them. However, a more sustainable route for expansion is northwards across the shores of the Greater Caspian Sea. Larger than before the Reversal, this sea has been fed by meltwater from the now snowcapped mountains of Iran and Afghanistan, flooding some of the northern Caucasus and even merging with the fragile Aral Sea to form a greater sea, as it did in times past. Ugra's new leaders aim to expel the nomads who bought their divided precursors down, and turn the Caspian into a Ugran lake. Now securing a coast in the Black Sea, north of Staragnite control, and the Aral lagoon in the east, Ugra's increasing northern borders may seem a foolish endeavour in the short term, given the relatively low population outside of horselord nomads and investments in building fortresses and permanent settlements, but it will certainly pay off for them in the long term.

The Adriatic League is not one single empire or even confederation as one might expect, but an alliance of convenience between the city states of the region, dependent on maritime trade to make do, and avoiding the empires around them. Most of these city states are republics, run by either democratically elected councils or by a non-hereditary dictator, elected from among an elite. As the black powder spread among the Mediterranean peoples in the 7th century CE, the Adriatic league began to push further into the frontiers of southern Europe, and having a backbone to fight the Staragnites with. The largest and most southern country, the Epo Dominion [a greener Albania], even beat the Staragnites for control of Epirus [the western part of Greece] using this. However, with their eastern rival weakened by 702CE, the states of the Alliance no longer see such a system as convenient to them.

Much further north lies the Pannonian Basin [much cooler than our timeline and monsoonal, akin to our Manchuria], dominated by the loose kingdom of Slon. Landlocked and cold, Slon nevertheless benefits parly by having winters too harsh for the Italians or Staragnites to tolerate effectively and partly by the Carpathian mountains protecting them from the nomads of the east, such as the Soma of the Dnieper Valley or the Qumat of the eastern Danube. Even the Maxa peoples from the Volga region have been known to attack Slon, but it's frosty frontier towns and Seven Forts form a formidable protection against these eastern raiders, and thus the peoples of the Mediterranean consider these forts to be the edge of the "civilised world" from the barbarians of the east. A dualist faith exists in these lands, with the summer brother god being a generous father of the Slonese people against his brother, the winter god, who sends the raiders to punish them. This underestimation of those east could certainly be a downfall of this fine country.

Along with Slon, the only entity of substantial unity north of the alps is Orinois, often a client state of either Muti or Rhogosh. Even colder than Slon in the north, the region has some of the strangest warriors in the world. During the winter months, between January and April, the Channel between it and the isles to the north freezes over, allowing crossover. Using specialised shoes with blades on the back during these harsh months, these heavily padded peoples raid across the frozen sea to the isles of the north, raiding them and being raided in return by skate riding warriors, with bows and axes. Swords are not powerful enough to cut through the thick padding they wear to keep cool, so these more 'primitive' weapons are of good use here, contrary to the mocking grins of their southern counterparts. The Orinois are therefore fierce warriors, and their archers and axemen are often hired as mercenaries across the Mediterranean, such as the bodyguards of the Rhogoshi imperial court on the Rock of Gibraltar.

The Mediterranean of the Retrograde Earth is a very different one to the one we know, cooler, much rainier and less salty, a bountiful sea of unparalleled fishing opportunities, many densely populated countries are found on both sides of the sea, more the south. Rice cultivation is a fact of life here, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean, while the northern shores experience swings in temperature, and the neighbouring Black Sea is near frozen at times. Despite all these differences, the inevitability of geography ensures it's vital strategic importance and the extensive trade networks between west and east. Like in our world, this former centre of the known world has slowly lost its geopolitical priority, but remains a vital theatre of world politics.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

Koppen climate map of the region in this world, aside from the expanded lakes.

The newest and strangest of all the new rainforest environments is not the Horn of Africa as one might suspect, for the region had been this way millions of years earlier, and most of its fauna and flora are migrants from west and south, many of whom didn't have to change too much to adapt to the new conditions. While most of the Americas are drier and more open than before, the western coasts are another matter. While in the North American continent, the Mediterranean and arid conditions of California, now Kalipho, gave way to humid conditions akin to what the southeast used to have, a much more dramatic change occurred in the Andes. Instead of a rain shadow from the east cutting off humid air, now humid air came from the west and trapped the air on the Andes western coast. The Reversal eliminated the cold Humbolt Current that prevented moist and warm air from travelling overland, and a northward warm current took its place, resurrecting the seagrass that once occupied the Andean coast during the Miocene, though too late to save the strange aquatic sloths and giant penguins of that region. Nevertheless, the dramatically increased humidity drenched the coastal waters of Peru, the Galápagos Islands and northern Chile. The Atacama desert, one of the driest places on earth, was all of a sudden one of the wettest, perhaps surpassing even southern India and only surpassed by Ascension Island in southwest Africa.

With these changes came the arrival of plants and animals from surrounding lands. From the north, the Colombian and north-Equadorian forests, drying up, forced creatures to flee south, where conditions were relatively unchanged or even wetter, and therefore were in an ideal position to make use of the much wetter Peruvian conditions growing across the coast, all the way into the former Atacama, now with comparable humidity to what Ecuador had before. Similarly, from the south, drier conditions in all but the northernmost parts of Valvidia forced flora and fauna northward, as the previously arid north became warmer and much wetter. Even the central regions of Chile and the northern fringes of Valvidia were noticeably warmer and slightly wetter and quickly transitioned into the now subtropical forests beyond, now forming the world's youngest and strangest rainforest. To the east of this, the Altiplano Plateau became substantially wetter and slightly warmer than before too, allowing for the former fringes of Andean plant growth to proliferate into one of the world's largest subtropical highlands. Lake Titicaca, itself wetter and larger than before, is dwarfed by new lakes that have emerged. A magical looking land of snowcapped mountains, subtropical forests and Great Lakes make Altiplano one of the most beautiful places in the Retrograde earth. It is little wonder that the ancestors of the Xiphito people chose this land to make their home and create the mightiest civilisation of the New World. On top of all this, it is also one of the most interesting ecologically. We shall start our journey in these spectacular highlands before going down into the coastal rainforest that once was the world's harshest desert.

Under the snowcapped mountains, the greenery gradually increases down the slopes of the mountain. Not many are adapted for life in such high altitudes, but some do make it. Descendants of migrants from North America, the Titicama is a camelid adapted to both the thinner air of the plateau and the humid conditions of this land. With lighter fur and a lankier build than its vicuña kin, Titicama are adapted for browsing on open woodland vegetation, and can grow over 2m tall. While not drastically different from their relatives, they show how quickly evolution can take place in novel environments. Titicamas live in small herds and are not as tolerant of other herbivores, presumably a result of their ecological history and caution around predators. These include mountain lions and jaguars, both of which are adaptable cats that would not hesitate to take down one of these camelids.

Camels are not the only ungulates in the Altiplano, however. These are not the standard ungulates one would expect either. While much of South America lost its biodiversity, with the Amazon and surrounding savannahs drastically shrinking at the expense of the Orinoco and Parana deserts, the western coasts are a notable exception. As a result, the denser forests of both the highlands and the lower rainforest are home to a range of notoungulates and litopterns, doing well in an environment that doesn't require a lot of grass to be involved in their diets. One wouldn't suspect caviomorph rodents at this height, and indeed they are not present. Instead, Mesotherium anomalodonti prefers such high altitude habitats, and the Altiplano has been ideal for them even before the Reversal. Doing well in woodland habitats and living in burrows to escape from predators, it would be easy for one to mistake these creatures for wayward wombats that somehow crossed the Pacific Ocean, yet they are anything but, being of ungulate stock. Being quite solitary in nature, they prefer to wage their battles with one another instead of live in herds like other predators, with this species having a sharpened and lengthened left incisor in males for display, akin to the extinct whale Odonenocetops. This tooth is often used in intraspecific combat, though defence against predators is certainly not unheard of. Due to their aggressive temper, it is common for the smaller Neolicaphrium, ground foraging litopterns that feed on fallen fruit and enjoy the Mesothere's protection in exchange for lookout against predators.

A more conventional ungulates here that avoids competition with mesotherium by being smaller and neolicaphrium by a different diet are pudu deer. Feeding in leaves at low levels and solitary, they are migrants from the dried out Vividia to the south and thrive in the highlands and lowlands alike, though the highland species is slightly larger and with greyer fur as a result of the terrain and less competition. The highland Pudu is an illusive creature, and this is how it evades predators. Relative to other members of its kind, it is quite adept at climbing higher altitudes, and therefore they sometimes hide on mountainsides from predators.

In the more open parts of the highlands, where forests are more difficult to set up, and in the more arid lowlands of the east, a smaller kin of Mesotherium thrives; Tremacyllus. Due to the aridification of Central America, the limited Lagomorphs weren't able to gain a foothold in the South American continent, and the caviomorphs prefer the savannahs of Brazil. Tremacyllus, being grass eating ungulates no larger than a hare, flourish in the Cusco plains to the north, in the place where in another timeline, a mighty civilisation would arise. These nimble ungulates live in small herds and burrow in the ground to escape predation, not just from natural predators but also the Caraco people who roam the plains of west Brazil. With sandy fur and decent climbing abilities, they are hard to hunt for most predators, though birds of prey certainly pose a threat to them.

While not as mighty in size as it's lowland counterparts of Toxodon, Tiwanakutherium is quite a distinct creature of this region. Related to Piauhytherium that once roamed the wetlands of Brazil before the Reversal, this flat-shouted semi-aquatic form does well in the expanded lakes and wetlands of the altiplano, as some of the Americas' largest lakes provide them with plentiful semi aquatic vegetation to feed upon. Without canines, this strange beast uses a flattened head as a weapon against competitors. Thriving in the high altitude lakes, they have large and bulbous nostrils that help them breath underwater and at high latitudes. Comparable in size to Hexaprotodon of Southeast Asia, these duck faced herbivores roam in small herds, as their terrestrial kin do, with unique colouring patterns per individual helping them communicate.

Altiplano flamingoes do well in the filter feeding environment of downstreams where plentiful small crustaceans dwell that make food for these birds. Less oxygen at high altitudes and isolation from other competitors allow them to be stockier than other flamingoes, though they still possess limited flying ability. The unique crustaceans they consume give their feathers a purple rather than pink tint, and it is for this reason the native peoples referred to them as Xiphi, and this unique shade is where the Xiphito people for their name from. Thus their feathers and dyes resembling it from the same crustaceans they like (as well as a local flower) were used as their banner when expanding across the plateau and beyond across the Andes. These birds' enlarged heads relative to their kin make them almost convergent with the baleen whales of the ocean, and their method of feeding works similarly on a far smaller scale.

In the waters of the lakes of highlands, it is easy to find a diversity of fish and crustaceans, isolated from the ocean by many miles and by the high mountains surrounding them, but what makes the lakes of Altiplano so unusual is the great diversity of amphibians. Since the Miocene, conditions have allowed the region to develop separately from the Brazilian ecosystems to the east while also distinct from the sea in the west. With the Andean rain shadow reversing, the increased humidity and expansion of the lakes along with the forests surrounding them allowed for both terrestrial and fully aquatic frogs to proliferate well. One fully aquatic form of frog is the blabbermouth, noted for an exceptionally large head and a slow lifestyle as an ambush predator. Living in the shallow parts of Titicaca lake where a freshwater environment prevails, this handspan-sized frog lies in wait for small fish and crustaceans to come near and snatched them up quickly, akin to the snapping turtles found in the Kalipho wetlands in the northern continent. With a dark brown skin and small eyes due to the murky waters, these alien looking anurans are not the most active of predators, but are an important part of freshwater ecosystems nonetheless.

A more conventional type of frog is the spotted hopper. Living in the Altiplano highland forests, these frogs prefer to lay their eggs in the extensive leaf litter or in small ponds that may form in the forest. About 5cm long when fully grown, they are medium sized by frog standards, but their distinct marking of pink spots on a brown body makes them stand out quite a bit from the green, plain brown or more strangely coloured frogs of the Atacama rainforest to the west. Mainly arboreal as adults, spotted hoppers have exceptional jumping abilities efen by frog standards, able to jump more than 2m in a single bound, an excellent move to help them escape from predators. As well as their skin, they have bright red mouths on the inside, and a tongue like a spring to capture flying prey, with an end with tentacle like fibres on the end to assist in the capture of insects.

As with other parts of South America, monkeys are present even at these high latitudes. But in order to adapt to these different conditions, new features must be had. The monkeys of these highlands have wider noses and denser fur than their lowland counterparts, convergent with the macaques of Manchuria and Japan. Adept climbers, the woolly howlers use echoing calls from the canopy of the trees to communicate over vast distances. They are more adept on the ground than other howlers as a result of the more open terrain of the Altiplano, and so they travel in large pods to avoid predators. The red-throated monkeys lack the fierce canines of baboons, and so their loud and intimidating noises can help disorientate anything that tries to hunt them.

Diablotherium is not an animal one expects to find at high latitudes, but the more humid climate of the Altiplano plateau allows for woods that give them a suitable environment. A partially arboreal sloth that is just as at home on the ground as in the trees, it almost seems transitional between the traditional tree sloths and ground sloths, though genetically it is a member of the latter. The high terrain and trees both require a lifestyle with strong arms and well adapted claws, and these skills are certainly transferable. About the size of an orangutan, this sloth is small compared to monstrous relatives such as megatherium, they share a fierce temper toward predators, as with the giant anteaters of the Brazilian savannahs. It turns out claws that can tear apart rock or hurl itself into treetops are also useful against predators. These predators include jaguars and cougars, cats found on both sides of the andes, but another predator in these regions as well.

A pack hunting dog dwells in these highlands as well. The highland bush dog [Spetheos altiplanus] is unusual compared to its lowland kin, with proportionally longer legs to navigate difficult terrain and cover long distances. In the absence of wolves, either true wolves or the extinct Aenocyon, these dogs have taken the position of being the dominant canine predators. Unlike these, the bushdogs are true hypercarnivores, specialised for a diet of notungulates and any other animals they can sink their teeth into. Having dark grey fur with white chest markings and tail stripes, they do not quite resemble any other of the canids of South America, something that is not shocking given how diverse they are morphologically compared to canines in the old world and North America. Being social hunters, they use numbers to overwhelm their prey or hound off larger feline predators to get their way, something that has helped their plains dwelling kin just as much.

As we go down westward, we see a notably different ecosystem. While the Altiplano is fairly wet, it is not one of the wettest parts of the world. That honour belongs to the new Atacama, an incredible irony as the rain shadow of the Andes has locked in a lot of moisture into a thin coastal region. A new rainforest has emerged, and we shall explore this coastal lowland now.

Alongside the red lowland pudu, the ungulates of the lowlands come in multiple forms, and again, thanks to its isolation, are predominantly meridungulates. Known by the Xiphito language as the Qijonuwa [Copiapótoxodon maximus], this buffalo-sized vegetarian is a low browser with oversized lower incisors and canines that give it a prominent underbite that is distinct among terrestrial herbivores. Found especially around the Copiapó river, they often enjoy watery plants to supplement their diet. They are even more pronounced in males, where they are used for display and combat with one another, akin to the Babirusa of Indonesia. They are solitary and territorial as a result of this, though females live with their calves until they are of age. With brown fur with white spots, they blend in well here, similarly to the tapirs on the other side of the Alps.

Isolated from most primates until very recently, the main arboreal mammals of the Atacama rainforest are many different species of possums. Migrants from Valvidia to the south, driven up by the drying of southern Chile and the wettening of the north, have undergone considerable diversification, but are all closely related to one another and can interbreed. Possums of brown, red, black and white, grey and even gold thrive in these forests, feeding on different types of insects or fruit to avoid competition.

The biggest animal in this land by far is the Ataphant [Cuvieronis altithorax], separated from other proboscideans by the Andes, a relic of an earlier time when more basal members of this group were found across the world. Relatively short and squat, akin to the American mastodon, but with corkscrew tusks and a relatively long skull compared to old world elephants, Ataphants are about 2.3m at the shoulder and weigh about 3.5 tonnes for adult males, while females are just 2.1m tall and 2.7 tonnes. Living in a hot rainforest, they are less hairy than highland forms found in Peru to the north, and have larger ears to help keep them cool in the humid forests, akin to the broad leaves of the trees here. They are specialised browsers, quite distinct from the grass eating mammoths or the generalised Notiomastodons, but there is plenty to eat in these dense forests, roaming as far south as the fringes of Vividia. They live in herds of about 10-25 consisting of females and juveniles, while males are found in small bachelor herds of up to 6, led by an older male

These are just some of the many species found in this remarkably recent and distinct ecosystem. Within the space of mere Millenia, one of the driest places in the world became one of the wettest, and as a result, a new ecosystem has formed out of migrants from north and south. The Atacama and Altiplano together make one one of the most fertile parts of South America in this new world, and it's not surprising that the America's most prominent urban society has arisen out of this region.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

Before the next update comes out, here's a series that covers how different cities are in this world compared to our own, based on the upcoming V4 of the map.

Atlanta: BWh climate type. Similar to OTL Phoenix, Arizona (latitude and altitude are almost a perfect match). Seasonal mean temps are 14 C in January, 35 C in July. Annual precipitation is approximately 200 mm, mostly falling as occasional winter rainstorms. Probably a mere dot on the map given its desert location.

Rome: appears to be either a Cfb climate, along with much of western Italy. At least with preindustrial conditions, though climate change could push it into Cfa. Seasonal mean temps are 8C in January, 20C in July. Annual precipitation is approximately 1000 mm, evenly distributed throughout the year. Possibly still a major city given the temperate climate and location on the Tiber River.

Calgary: Dfc climate type. Slightly cooler and wetter than OTL. Seasonal mean temps are -10 C in January, 15 C in July. Annual precipitation is approximately 500 mm, mostly falling in the warmer months. Again, likely to be a dot on the map given that it's now a taiga climate rather than a cool prairie.

London; Dfc or Taiga climate, comparable to otl Irkutsk approximately. 15C or so for July and -25C for January, with most humidity being in the summer. I somehow doubt it'd be a city even in the 'modern' era's equivalent.

Halifax, Nova Scotia; now Csb. While having about the same July temperatures as otl, winters are noticeably milder and more forgiving. Rainfall is only slightly less too, so this is quite a pleasant place to dwell in this world. St John's in Newfoundland has a similar deal, although it also has a slightly warmer summer than otl. Both of these would likely be larger settlements once fully established.

Columbus Ohio; it's hard to scrutinies but I'd say either a BSh or BSk climate, perhaps on the borderline between them. Dry year round, especially in the summer and with substantially warmer summers, with July's averaging 35+C if I'm accurate, and seemingly on the borderline between 0C and slightly below for January, hence the borderline climate. Not sure what the best otl analogy would be here.

Perth; Cfa much milder in summer than otl but similar in winter, and notably wetter, particularly in the summer months, hence the subtropical climate. The lands north are more monsoonal, but Perth itself appears to receive enough winter rain to be humid. Would certainly be more prosperous a settlement area than otl, akin to Sydney, but with a slightly cooler summer.

Pattaya; As (dry summer variant of tropical savannah) biome. 40-42C for July, or 10C higher than otl, but maybe only a couple degrees warmer in January. Has a drier summer than a winter, but not enough to become an Arid-type climate. Definite tropical savannah here, and thus *possibly* still able to form a city, but more akin to otl subsaharan Africa.

Pyongyang; a solid Csa now. With a somewhat warmer (2.5C I think) summer than before, especially for the western coasts nearby, and like Manchuria to the north, much milder winters in the 5-10C range for January. Overall humidity has decreased somewhat to around 1mm/d^-1, but more importantly, the seasonal humidity pattern is flipped, with dry summers and wet winters being the norm in most of the Korean Peninsula, except for the northeast which has somewhat wetter summers, akin to otl northeast Italy. Easily capable of being a substantial settlement, akin to otl Rome.

Brasilia; BWh or hot desert. With much hotter summers akin to the hottest parts of otl Sahara, and easily warmer winters too, and negligible annual rainfall, this place would certainly be a footnote ittl.

Irkutsk and/or Chita; Dfb here. Slightly warmer and more importantly longer summers, much milder winters and a bit more and more evenly spaced rainfall make this region much more inhabitable than it would otherwise be. Temperature ranges are somewhat comparable to how they were during the late Miocene-early pliocene, though the humidity is more evenly distributed. Comparable to parts of otl European Russia.

New York, milder winters and drier than before, is Mediterranean, Csa, as opposed to the Dfa/Cfa borderline of otl. 22C in August and 4C in January. Comparable with our Lisbon. Boston is in preindustrial conditions, right on the border between Csa and Csb, or like parts of southern France. These would easily be capable or substantial settlements forming.

Cape Town, a little cooler and definitely wetter than otl went from Csb to Cfb or temperate, with some subtropical lands further north, while Namibia is funny with temperate inland and a coastal but mild tropical rainforest. Probably nicer to live in and easily capable of a big settlement.

Miami: Bxh climate, presumably Bwh. Summer temps peak in September at 24 degrees whereas Winter temps drop to 16 degrees in Feburary. Very dry year round. Surprisingly mild compared to the rest of the American south.

Sydney ittl is a borderline Csa/BSh habitat. Warmer than otl Perth but not as hot as some parts of our west coast, so possibly still able to host settlements for sure. A lot of borderlines here!

Mexico City; About 2-4C warmer on average and somewhat drier, though given the elevation from the surroundings, it is still comparatively mild compared with the carribean deserts. Now a BSk of all things, but near the borderline with its otl Cwb climate, could go either way. Due to relatively mild conditions, it could easily still be a city, just not such a huge one.

Tashkent; definitely wetter and with cooler winters than otl, a Dwa climate is present here, akin to otl northern China, as is much of southern Central Asia. This is in turn an extension of the subtropical conditions of the Iranian and afghani plateaus. Certainly still capable of being a city in the mild valley it's a part of.

Cairo: Cxa climate, presumably either Cwa or Cfa. Summer temperatures peak in August/September at 24 degrees, while Winter temps drop down to 14 degrees in January. Interesting that the summer temperature apex is between July - October.

Jeddah: Axx climate. Summer temps seem to be roughly the same between April - June, peaking around 27 degrees. Winter temps drop down to roughly 20 degrees in December.

Tehran: Shows up as Cfb on the climate simulation, but with elevation factored in, would probably be Dfb instead. Summer temps go up to 20 degrees during August while Winter temps drop down to 3 degrees. Although these would likely change given elevation diffirences. Summers seem to be quite short.

al-Fashir; seems to be either Cwa or Aw, being monsoonal and with much milder summer temperatures than in otl. Definitely capable of being a large and formidable settlement here.

Tokyo: Csb, with the hottest month 20 degrees (august) coldest month 16 degrees (February). Very weird and not at all what we were expecting. Most humidity (much less than before) is in the winter months, whereas the summer is dry, resulting in an Oregon and California type climate taking place.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (regional capital of Kamchatka); Cfb. Lowest winter temp drops down to 10 degrees C in January, while the hottest summer temp goes up to 16 degrees C in August, median temperature of 13C. No significant rainfall difference between months observed. Roughly comparable with parts of otl Vancouver island, Canada.

Yuhzno-Sakhalinsk (regional capital of Sakhalin): Csb. Lowest winter temp drops down to 11 degrees in January, but the hottest temp goes up to 17 degrees in August/September. Significant rainfall difference between seasons: (the majority of rainfall is concentrated in November/December while there is a significant dry season in the summer months). About the same as otl (postindustrial mind you) for August, but *way* warmer for January (-13C in otl), comparable to otl's June and September-October, resulting in an annual median temperature of 14C, almost 12 higher than otl. Temperature and humidity range is pretty comparable to otl San Francisco.

Sapporo: Csb. Lowest winter temp drops down to roughly 14 degrees C in January, while the highest summer temp goes up to 18 degrees C, split between August and September. Average annual temperature is now 15.5C (compared to 8.6C in otl, though that is postindustrial). Significant rainfall difference between seasons: (the majority of rainfall happens during the winter months, with its highest peak being February/March while there is a significant dry season between April and October). Slightly drier overall than otl but with comparable annual humidity to otl London.

Vladivostok: Csb. Lowest winter temp drops down to roughly 8 degrees in January, while the highest summer temp jumps to roughly 19 degrees in July/August, so it is more continental than the islands, but still very maritime overall. Significant rainfall difference between seasons: (the majority of rainfall happens during the winter months, with it's highest peak being January/April while there is a significant dry season between May and December. Vladivostok and southern Primorsky ittl is comparable in temperature range to the western coast of otl France.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

Molotov has finished work on his redux of the Koppen-Geiger map, using as close an evaluation as we possibly can on the study data. I won't cal this "final" anymore as that is a losing effort at this point haha. That and a biome map is underway that will be edited in.


And the biome map;


Climate key is there as well, though some places may need a little more explanation as to how they work. Thoughts?

 

[LeonSolarpunk]

It's interesting to see how the maps keep getting updated!

 

[Ancalagon_84]

The Sunrise Age;



Biome maps of North America in Retrograde and in our own timeline respectively, illustrating the practical biological differences this timeline has created in terms of distribution of habitat.

It is how the 8th century CE, or it would be called that in our timeline, though in this one it would go by an altogether different timeline.

After the contacts between the Americas and the western hemisphere occurred, new cultures began to develop. Easier to reach but harder to get back from than it would have been for a prograde earth, the colonies the Africans and Europeans sent westward were easier to supply but harder to return, and so they became more autonomous as a result. A diaspora of ethnic minorities and political dissidents moved inward from the coastal colonies, interacting in various ways with the indigenous peoples of the region. One where this was particularly the case was the central part of North America. Drier than before the Reversal and with definitely warmer summers, the reduced Lakes are a mix of prairies, more forested in the north and more open in the south, allowing easy access over long distances. A great steppe reaches from the Appalachians in the west to the fringes of the Atlantic in the east, with vast herds of bison and horse making a living here. Akin to the steppes of Central Asia, horselords roamed these lands, readily pillaging the newcomers' new colonies.

Around the reduced lakes, a substantial prairie environment exists, mainly grassland with patches of open woodland. Summers here are hotter and drier than before the Reversal, especially in the south, though not enough to be arid, but winters remain harsh and snowy, giving this land a very variable terrain that challenges the life and people here. The closest analogous on our own earth to this land would be in southern Russia and the Ukraine, though even this is imperfect. Nearer the shores of the lakes, these temperature ranges tend to be less extreme, allowing more greenery, and so fishers from the coasts may use this as a refuge when exploring further inland to trade with the native peoples. While much smaller than in a prograde timeline, the lakes still have a variety of fish species found here and plentiful reserves to feed maritime people, such as traders of Rhogoshi origin, setting up new settlements here. Plentiful conifers and shrubs grow here, and the flora here are hardy and adaptable as a result, as are the fauna of these prairies, including migrants from further south caused by the desertification of the south. The hot summers and shorter winters make this region excellent for farmland, something that the Rhogoshi and Basamese are keen to make use of.

Descendants of political dissidents from the kingdom of Ima, the Juhumians [from eastern Tamanrasset] had retreated into the Ozark mountains, where they had set up shop as their own independent confederation, intermarrying with the native people to resist Ima expansion westward. Well defended from the surrounding region, they use a mix of native weaponry and the basic gunpowder weapons acquired from their old oppressors to protect their borders. The nomads of the interior also struggled in such high terrain, thus keeping them safe from such expansion. Mountains are often a good place to set up base compared with surrounding deserts and steppes, with our own timeline's Afghanistan serving as a loose analogue, but as with them, the Juhumians do well on lowland plantations but have no problem retreating into the mountains to fight larger invaders.

On the edges of the great Dixie desert, conditions for plentiful grazing are much less available, and so the peoples of these land take on a different type of lifestyle. Wandering from oasis to oasis in search of water, the Dushmati tribes are rarely united and live a highly migratory life. They pride themselves on freedom from empires, native or from the Old World, and don't look favourably upon the new migrants especially. Using a mix of specialised desert horses and Hemiauchenia to get them through such conditions, these desert nomads fortunately rarely have to interact with urban societies besides for trade, valuing freedom over luxury. Wearing clothes that reflect heat in the hot summer days and can also be wrapped to keep it in the winter nights, the Dushmati pastoralists use a rattlesnake for a symbol, showing their lack of respect for urbanised societies and a desire to be left alone by nation states, whether they be indigenous or from across the ocean.

On the eastern coast, a more sedentary way of life takes place. With relatively milder and shorter winters, combined with a lack of seasonal sea ice, settlements on the coast are easy to make around what we would call Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and crops imported here don't have to deal with the harsh winters found in Western Europe, resulting in settler colonies being established by the Rhogosh empire, some of the only settlements a European country leaves in the New World. These temperate rainforests made suitable territory for the east growing of crops, while lacking the profound heat of Iberia or the Maghreb. With a plentiful growing season and good rainfall, the crops brought over from the western Mediterranean grow quite well here, as do Orinois [French] ones. The conditions are too dry further south for these kind of conditions; but Rhogosh has successfully managed to claim the lands of the far north, leading the others to compete over the rest. This will certainly prove a good strategy in the long term.

The lines between temperate and boreal forests, and between the latter and the very harsh tundra biome, have both been pushed further north in the east by the Spanish current, allowing temperate flora and fauna to migrate hundreds of kilometres further north than they could before, though the opposite occurred in the western coast. Parts of Hudson Bay remain ice free year round (and even the parts that don't freeze for less time), allowing easier trade to take place and a refuge during the winters.

To the south, in Hinunaway; a place that another world is called New England, Basam set up its colonies. With hot dry summers, cool and wet winters, and some of the world's largest most iconic trees in the form of Bostonian cedars and white oaks [convergent with the Californian redwoods] present, Basam had hit a gold mine of a colony. Wood is prized from here back home in Africa and the dry and crisp summers make it a good destination for travelers wanting to get away from the sweltering humidity of back home. The native Mustunaway Americans also have a living here but as an underclass beneath the Basamese elite. More autonomous than other colonies on account to the distance, the governors of this far western colony act practically as petty kings. It seems only a matter of time before they want to become true kings.

Further south, Ima controls the lands of Iyada, south of Delaware and north of Dare, at the boundary of the Dixie desert. This land is certainly hotter than further north, but wet enough in winter for there to be woodlands, shrub and even forest, allowing prosperous vegetation growth in the hot and sunny summers, followed by respite in the winters. Grapes and therefore wine grow here better than in most of Western Europe, and the Ima prize this colony for its finest wines, exported across the western world as a result. The region is also home to tomato plants, believed to have been originally imported from Central America through trade centuries before. The thriving vineyards of this land make it a popular target for steppe nomads however, and so the Africans have built forts to defend their new prize from the western threat.

In the west, between the sea and the mountains lies a vast plain, full of ideal grazing lands. The dominant peoples of these lands, outside the city states of the Mississippi's tributaries are the feather-helmeted people known as the Berokans, who have come to adopt the gunpowder weapons of their enemies, making them more formidable than ever. Roaming the prairies in search of bison and camels to hunt, they are formidable opponents and have carved out a large empire north of the desert. With a population that is spread over vast distances and able to move readily, they have few permanent settlements, but a capital near the base of the Rockies in the west, allowing them to project their power across the steppe. The adoption of Eurasian gunpowder has been a game changer for them, and now under a great chief, Moxicon II, they march against the city states of Huram in the Mississippi's northern tributaries. The once formidable natural and artificial defences around the river based cities were torn down by guns and newly acquired cannons, resulting in widespread destruction.

Far and away from the main indigenous powers of Zadomey [Louisiana], Kalipho, Ibirio [coastal Venezuela], Xiphito and Paranama, the colonies of the west Africans are mainly settlements around the cities and major trading points, with native peoples or mixed-race individuals making up 80% or more of the population of most of the African settlements, with the exception of Ima's Chesapeake Bay city of Biton. A time of change and development, the dominance of the Indian Ocean in global politics has begun to tilt another way.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

Hi, below is a fan-made post by SFD17 on the alternatehistory forum, which has been officially approved by yours truly now, and is being set in this timeline's northern Brazil.


A Brief Look Into The South American Savanna



With the sudden reversal of the Earth's rotation, the Americas bore the brunt of a transformative upheaval. Millions of square kilometers underwent a profound metamorphosis, evolving into entirely new biomes. Not only did the landscapes change dramatically, but they also appeared to reverse in nature. Regions that once enjoyed abundant rainfall and abundant water sources now, in geological terms, resembled savannas and shrublands at best and, at worst, transformed into extreme deserts. In those challenging times, marked by the extinction of numerous species, South America, still in the process of stabilizing after the Great American Interchange, found itself thrust into the midst of another transformative event that would alter its course forever. Now, after 1.5 million years, we shall explore the profound transformation that has given rise to one of its expansive landscapes, the South American Savanna. In this brief lesson, some information will provided regarding this biome.

Like its African counterparts, the South American Savanna is a composite of diverse environments. Its primary habitat types encompass forested savanna, wooded savanna, park savanna, and gramineous-woody savanna. Additionally, the biome features savanna wetlands and gallery forests situated in proximity to rivers and lakes. Before The Reversal, this region stood as one of the world's wetter savanna areas, characterized by a semi-humid tropical climate. However, the current scenario, wedged between two deserts, has inflicted a toll on its landscape.
This biome forms a dynamic mosaic of habitats, where the savanna thrives on well-drained expanses, interspersed with strips of gallery forest characterized by an open canopy of tall forest along streams. The savanna component exhibits a remarkable heterogeneity in canopy cover, delineated into four distinct types. Type 1 features a herbaceous layer with occasional small trees standing at approximately 2 meters in height. Type 2 boasts a slightly denser tree population, averaging around 3 meters in height. Type 3 presents an orchard-like vegetation arrangement, with trees reaching a height of about 5 meters. Lastly, Type 4 exhibits a canopy cover approaching 45%, with an overall height of about 8 meters.
During the scorching summer months, when the rains intensify, and daylight extends, the entire landscape bursts into a vibrant green. In contrast, the winter season brings about a transformation, as the grass takes on a yellow hue and dries out. Nearly all trees and shrubs undergo a shedding of their senescent foliage, making way for fresh, new leaves. However, this process unfolds unevenly, distinguishing it from the synchronized shedding observed in the southern and northern shrublands. Some individuals retain their verdant leaves, while others showcase shades of yellow or brown, and a third group sheds leaves entirely.
The South American Savanna hosts an impressive array of approximately 700 tree species. Among the most diverse families of trees in this savanna are the Leguminosae, Malpighiaceae, Myrtaceae, Melastomataceae, and Rubiaceae. The towering trees in the savanna attain heights of up to 15 meters, creating distinctive and irregular structures across the landscape. It's noteworthy that only in riparian forests do trees surpass 25 meters, and they typically sport diminutive leaves. Across the sandy plateaus and hot rocky fields, an array of exuberant and exotic flora thrives, including cacti, bromeliads, and orchids, boasting hundreds of endemic species. As the name implies, fields dominate the majority of the terrain, primarily blanketed by grasses. The presence of trees and bushes varies based on the topography and soil composition, with distinct formations occurring on slopes or flat expanses.
The South American Savanna boasts a rich tapestry of fauna, including a diverse array of species. The region is home to a total of 120 amphibian species, 105 species of reptiles, an impressive 650 species of birds, and approximately 200 species of mammals. Lizard diversity, traditionally considered moderate in this savanna in comparison to regions such as southern and northern shrublands or lowland rainforests, has been reevaluated by recent studies. In one part of the savanna, researchers identified a remarkable more than 40 lizard species, challenging earlier assumptions. This suggests that areas exhibiting high diversity are likely influenced by the availability of open habitats within the savanna landscape.
The avian diversity in this region encompasses a myriad of Austral migrants, which breed in temperate South America and winter in the Amazon basin, as well as Nearctic migrants, breeding in temperate North America and wintering in the Neotropics. These migratory birds traverse the South American Savanna, adding to its ornithological richness. Breeding birds are prominently situated in closed habitats, particularly within the canopy regions like gallery forests. Notably, a substantial number of species exclusively breed in open habitats, while many others display a versatile breeding behavior, thriving in either open or closed environments within the savanna. This nuanced pattern of breeding preferences contributes to the intricate birdlife tapestry of the South American Savanna.
Gallery forests emerge as the preferred habitat for the majority of mammal species in this environment. These areas offer advantages such as increased water availability, protection from sweeping fires, and a more intricate habitat structure. Numerous mammal species are endemic to this unique habitat, with notable examples including large herbivores like the Queer-Nosed Camel (Macrauchenia allomiti), a Litoptern species weighing approximately 820 kg (1830 lb). As its name suggests, it bears a resemblance to a hybrid of a tall, humpless camel with three toes on each foot and a nose reminiscent of a moose. Another noteworthy herbivore is the Central Lhama (Palaeolama communis), a laminoid camelid weighing between 150 kg (330 lb) to around 200 kilograms (440 lb). Surpassing many of its western relatives in size, Central Lhamas are specialized forest browsers, often found in association with equids, tapirs, deers, and gomphotheres. Both of these species commonly form social structures, residing in bands, consisting of a single male and multiple females, as well as troops, which comprise exclusively of young males, sometimes described as "bachelors." Resident males typically defend the territories of bands, while troops roam more freely until they eventually form bands of their own.
Among the notable species inhabiting this region are the prairie tapir, savanna deer, greater and lesser castle armadillo, brown river sloth, Catoblepas, and an impressive roster of large predators such as the maned wolf, new world dhole, cougar, jaguar, giant otter, ocelot, saber lion, and jaguarundi. While the biodiversity may not rival that of the adjacent Amazon, the savanna is home to a variety of monkey species. Many of these primates exhibit a considerable degree of terrestrial behavior, including the black-striped capuchin, black howler monkey, ground howler monkey, and black-tufted marmoset.
Regarding some of these notable species, the New World Dhole (Modernicyon brasiliensis) stands out as a hypercarnivorous pack hunter within the South American Savanna, known for preying on medium-sized grazers and browsers. Weighing in at a range between 25 and 37 kilograms (55 and 82 pounds), this carnivorous species belongs to the Cerdocyonina lineage. Intriguingly, its closest living relatives could be identified as the amazonian and andean bush dogs. Adult new world dholes exhibit soft, long reddish-tan fur, characterized by a darker brownish tinge on the head, neck, and back, along with a long bushy tail. The underside is lighter, occasionally featuring an even lighter throat patch. In contrast, younger individuals are distinguished by entirely black fur across their bodies. They are diurnal hunters, with their primary prey consisting of equids, camelids, litopterns, toxodonts, and xenarthrans. The social structure of New World Dhole packs centers around an adult breeding pair, while other members of the pack assume subordinate roles, aiding in the rearing and protection of any pups. Communication within the pack is maintained through frequent whines, screams, and whistles, facilitating coordination and cooperation during hunts and other activities.
It's the nature of humanity to add a certain flair to natural interactions, like the flair of rivalry between the new world dhole and the saber lion. The Saber Lion (Smilodon superstes), a majestic representative of the saber-toothed cat lineage, transcends continents, also being found in Asia and both sides of the Atlantic. This imposing felid reaches remarkable sizes, with weights ranging from 220 to 436 kg (485 to 961 lb) and standing at a towering height of 120 cm (47 in), it's the largest felid in South America. The social structure of saber lions sets them apart from their African counterparts. Unlike African lions, which live in large prides, Saber Lions lead a more solitary lifestyle, forming monogamous pairs. In these pairs, both the male and female actively participate in caring for the young and defending their territory. The commitment to their offspring is notable, as it takes approximately 2 years for the cubs to become independent and embark on a life of their own. The rivalry between saber lions and New World Dholes becomes especially pronounced due to their shared prey preferences. Both species target equids, camelids, litopterns, toxodonts, and xenarthrans, leading to heightened competition for these resources. They tend to avoid competition by being active during different times of the day, the dholes are active during the day while the saber lions are active during the night.
The Greater and Lesser Castle Armadillo (Glyptotherium imperator and G. vassalus) stands out as some of the most impressive animals in the South American Savanna. These sizable herbivorous armadillos boast an armored carapace composed of hundreds of interconnected osteoderms, with additional armor covering the tail and skull roof. Primarily a grazer, the armadillo also maintains a mixed diet of C3 and C4 plants near bodies of water. Additionally, they exhibit opportunistic feeding habits, consuming fallen fruit when available. The Lesser Castle Armadillo, characterized by its robust build, typically weighs in the range of 360-390 kilograms. In contrast, the Greater Castle Armadillo, an even more imposing presence, tends to weigh between 710 kilograms (1,570 lb) and 1,165 kilograms (2,568 lb). Notably, Castle Armadillos, like many xenarthrans, exhibit lower energy requirements compared to most other mammals of similar size. Their ability to survive with lower intake rates sets them apart from other herbivores.
Unlike Africa, South America seems to have a lack of terrestrial adapted primates. But upon this timeline, things are a little different with the presence of Ground Howler Monkeys (Cartelles beluclamor). These monkeys, bearing the species name, are exceptionally large within their family, weighing up to an impressive 30 to 40 kg (66 to 88 lb). Unlike their relatives, they exhibit a significant departure in dietary habits. Their cousins are primarily folivores, and also play a substantial role as frugivores, serving as crucial seed dispersal agents through their digestive system and locomotion. In contrast to the more specialized diets of their primate relatives, these Ground Howler Monkeys showcase a remarkable level of omnivory, consuming virtually anything available in their environment. Their diet encompasses a wide range of items, including grasses, roots, seeds, leaves, bark, fruits, fungus, insects, spiders, worms, fish, shellfish, rodents, and birds. The Ground Howler Monkeys, despite their impressive size, are not exempt from the intricate web of predation within the South American Savanna. They fall prey to formidable predators such as new world dholes, cougars, jaguars, and saber lions. Similar to their primate relatives, the ground howler species adopt a social structure that revolves around group living. These groups typically consist of ten to 30 animals, including one to five adult males and multiple females. Given their terrestrial lifestyle and the heightened threat of predation, these monkeys exhibit a notable level of aggression, a behavioral adaptation that contributes to their survival in an environment fraught with challenges and predators.
When you hear hoof beats, you think horses, not zebras, and in the South American Savanna that remains exactly the case. The American Zevro (Hippidion vulgaris) takes the stage as the most common wild equid in the South American Savanna. These equids thrive in diverse habitats, ranging from plains and shrublands to more closed environments like forests. Standing at an average height of approximately 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) at the shoulder and weighing around 500 kg (1,102 lbs), they exhibit variations in size among different subspecies, although maintaining a general similarity. In a departure from the grazing habits of old-world wild horses, the Zevros showcase a mixed feeding strategy, aligning them more with zebras in their dietary preferences. Adapted for swift movement, these equids boast an ability to run, facilitating quick escapes from predators. They present a striking appearance with a cream-colored body adorned with brown stripes along the neck, back, and hindquarters. The patterning of these stripes exhibits variability among subspecies, with forest-dwelling variants sporting fewer but larger stripes, while savanna-dwelling counterparts may feature more numerous but thinner stripes. In their social structure, Zevros operate as herd animals, displaying a clear hierarchical ranking system. Typically, a dominant individual, often a mare, leads the herd. Beyond their hierarchical structure, these equids are also social creatures capable of forming companionship attachments not only within their own species but even with other animals in the savanna. Communication within the herd takes various forms, including vocalizations such as nickering or whinnying, mutual grooming, and the nuanced language of body gestures.
The Tapir (Tapirus americanus) adds a discrete yet significant presence to the South American Savanna. Characterized by a mostly dark brown body, beige face, and belly, the tapir features a distinctive low, erect crest running from the crown down the back of the neck. Newborn tapirs display a dark brown coat adorned with small white spots and stripes along the body. Growing to a body length of 1.8 to 2.5 meters (5.9 to 8.2 ft) and standing between 77 and 108 cm (30 and 43 in) at the shoulder, adult tapirs weigh in the range of 150 to 320 kg (330 to 710 lb). These nocturnal herbivores forage for food at night, primarily consuming fruits, leaves, grass, shoots, and fibers. The tapir's role as an essential seed-dispersing agent makes it a crucial contributor to the ecological dynamics of the savanna. With their large size, tapirs can consume larger fruits and disperse sizable seeds through their feces, earning them the title of a "natural gardener." Typically residing in the more forested areas of the savanna near bodies of water, tapirs contribute to the biodiversity and ecological health of the region.
The Catoblepas (Toxodon darwinii) emerges as one of the largest and most impressive inhabitants of the South American Savanna. As a species of notoungulates, these creatures boast a substantial size, measuring around 3 meters (9 ft 8 in) in body length, with an estimated weight of up to 2,500 kg (5,511 lb) and a height of about 1.8 meters (5 ft 9 in) at the shoulder. Catoblepas exhibit remarkable ecological adaptability, with their diet showcasing variability based on local conditions. In the South American Savanna, they are herbivorous grazers with a penchant for the shortest plants. Their feeding habits are complemented by a flexible drinking schedule; in optimal conditions, they may drink twice a day, but during dry spells, they can endure four or five days without water. The daily routine of these impressive creatures is a delicate balance of activities. Approximately half of the day is spent eating, one-third is devoted to resting, and the remaining time is allocated to various other behaviors. The Catoblepas, with its size and ecological plasticity, plays a crucial role in shaping vegetation patterns. The social structure of the Catoblepas in the South American Savanna revolves around herds composed of a dozen or so related females led by a single bull. This arrangement not only reflects a familial dynamic but also serves as a strategic defense mechanism against potential predators.
All these animals however pale in comparison to the largest inhabitant of the savanna, the Eburnephant (Notiomastodon magnum). The Eburnephant reigns as the true king of the South American Savanna, surpassing all other inhabitants in size. Among these proboscideans, females attain an impressive stature of about 2.5 meters and a substantial body weight of 3.2 tons (70,500 lbs). Meanwhile, the males outsize even their female counterparts, reaching heights of 3.5 meters and weighing an astounding 4.5 tons (99,000 lbs). This makes them an awe-inspiring presence in the savanna ecosystem. With a generalist diet, Eburnephants display a preference for mixed feeding, consuming both grass and foliage. Much like their counterparts in the Andes, the Eburnephants of the South American Savanna exhibit a social structure centered around family groups. These groups are led by matriarchs, experienced females who coexist with their sisters, aunts, cousins, and offspring. This familial network provides a cooperative and supportive environment for the community. In contrast, male Eburnephants are generally solitary. However, they showcase a capacity for forming enduring friendships with other males, but these friendships may be temporarily interrupted during the musth period.
However not all inhabitants of the savanna are large imposing animals, many small animals live their entire lives at the foot of these giants simply scurrying from place to place, and that doesn't make them any less important. Numerous smaller animals play vital roles, living their lives in the shadows of these giants, yet their significance remains undiminished. Among these smaller inhabitants are the hystricognath rodent Nhandara (Pediolagus brasiliensis) and the notoungulate Mirincavi (Parvutherium moderni). The nhandara, with their gracile bodies, possess distinctive features such as three sharp-clawed digits on the hind feet and four digits on the forefeet, giving them an appearance often likened to long-legged rabbits, they weigh about 10 kg (22 lbs). Their dietary habits play a crucial role in shaping the plant communities of the South American Savanna. These herbivores are selective grazers, showing a preference for the harder parts of plants. While their primary diet consists of grasses and other herbage, they exhibit an adaptable palate and consume a variety of available vegetation. In the dry season, they focus on forbs, grasses, succulents, and trees, while in the wet season, their diet primarily revolves around grasses. This dietary flexibility allows the nhandara to thrive in the ever-changing conditions of the savanna. The Mirincavi, weighing between 20 and 35 kg (44 to 77 lbs), inhabits the South American Savanna and bears a resemblance to an oversized groundhog. Unlike its rodent counterparts that may show a preference for hard foodstuffs, the Mirincavi distinguishes itself as a mixed feeder. This notoungulate species exhibits a diet that predominantly comprises a significant quantity of grasses, facilitated by its wide snout, which allows for efficient bulk feeding. In contrast to their ancestors, the Mirincavi likely consume fewer hard food items.

The South American Savanna stands as a testament to the remarkable diversity shaped by a fusion of Northern immigrants from the Great American Interchange and the resilient Southern survivors that have endured through the ages. This biome encapsulates a living tapestry of life, where flora and fauna from different regions and timelines converge, creating a harmonious yet dynamic ecosystem. The interplay of species, each with its unique adaptations and behaviors, paints a vivid picture of the intricate relationships that govern life in the savanna. From the towering Eburnephants and Saber Lions to the smaller Nhandara and Mirincavi, every inhabitant contributes to the intricate balance that characterizes this extraordinary biome. Indeed, the South American Savanna serves as a living testament to the resilience, adaptability, and interconnectedness of life in the natural world. It is a source of awe and inspiration, showcasing the endless wonders that can emerge when different elements of nature come together in a delicate dance of existence.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

An Unexpected Eden


Perhaps the most obvious climatic difference between the retrograde earth and our own timeline is in the north of the African continent. As with Arabia, but on a much larger scale, when the Reversal first happened, a vast and unprecedented monsoon hit the region, resulting in enormous flooding and the formation of temporary mega-lakes for the first few centuries before the excess water was absorbed into the ground, forming the basis for soils from which flora from the south, north and west would colonise, as well as around the Nile delta. This was more than enough to make up for the drying up of east Asia on the other end of Eurasia, and this vast complex of greenery allowed a new order to develop.

For most of the former Sahara and Sahel, this was a concentrated monsoon in the summer months followed by a dry winter. Only in the northwestern coast, around and near the Atlas Mountains, was humidity present in the winter months as well, resulting in a climate resembling what had been present in the southeastern United States, with the snowcapped Atlas Mountains having streams flowing down from the mountains, filling the revived Tamanrasset river, the fourth big river system alongside the Nile, Senegal and Niger deltas, coming to the sea in what we would call coastal Mauritania. Even after the soils formed and plants from all directions moved in to colonise, Great Lakes formed in North Africa, and unlike the cycles before, these were stable long term habitats, teaming with unique fish and aquatic creatures. A small desert remains in the southwest, a shadow of what it once was, but elsewhere, one of the world's largest fertile zones dwells in its place. To look at such a vast area in a single section would be impossible, so it is necessary to dissect into smaller regions to show the sheer diversity that is present here.

The Savannahs of the Nile and Beyond

Our first stop in our journey across the vast Sahara is the northeast, near where the continent meets Asia. Here is a great expanse; where once deserts lay is a mix of grasslands, prairies and open woodland, with the south being a typical Serengeti environment, albeit somewhat wetter akin to the pre-Reversal Cerrado, while the north is drier and more seasonal, though still much wetter and greener than the deserts of the time before. It is if anything akin to how northern Argentina was before the Reversal. The savannas of Africa are, as in with our timeline, a place of great prosperity, but certainly not of peace. Many creatures and plants expanded their range out of the Nile delta into the surrounding region, but other creatures made their way north from the other edge of the continent, or migrated westward from Arabia and in turn from India, even Central Asia in some cases. Oaks, alders, even ironwoods in the wetter Red Sea coastline, immigrants from the great Hyrcanian forests of Persia and Arabia, are now just as prevalent in the open woodlands as plants typically found south of the Sahel. Even Ailanthus plants have migrated all the way from a now desertified southern China into the region, particularly around the more humid conditions of the Nile, the Maghreb coast and the tropical forests of the southeast. Even the Serengeti had become a stranger place after the Reversal. Now expanded into former desert, and covering some temperate lands, a habitat almost unheard of in pre-Reversal Africa, the savannahs are now concentrated in the north as they were during the Miocene. As the Miocene, this land has strange additions going through it in terms of fauna too.


Other predators give it a wide berth, as do all but the bravest humans. With sandy and light fur and relatively long legs to stride the savannahs of Khemros and Skidoosh [Egypt and Sudan respectively], the Midas Bear [Ursus africanus] seems like a return to the Agriotherium of the Pliocene, but is of a more familiar branch of the ursine family tree, being outside of true brown bears but sharing its descent from the Etruscan [Ursus etruscus]. It possesses a proportionally large skull and long limbs. Therefore, it can stride long distances quite well. A balanced omnivore, they are not afraid of eating berries, roots or leaves, or taking the kills of smaller predators. They will also raid termites nests or engage in their own hunting, going for pigs and ruminants, even juvenile buffalo and rhinos. Dwarfing even lions and hyenas, Midas bears are convergent with the long extinct Agriotherine bears in terms of adapting to a more cursorial lifestyle and kleptoparasitism. While having less grappling ability than brown bears, they are still formidable with their paws to an extent that even the lions and tigers wouldn't interfere with. Adult males, the larger of the sexes, can stand up to 3m tall on their hind legs, and have skulls over 45cm long. Weights of 600kg or even above are not unheard of, though 300-450kg is more typical for them. Females are smaller and more elusive, known to be very aggressive to other predators or bears in order to protect their cubs. Being less adept climbers than other bears even as juveniles, they are starting a path once taken by another branch of the bear family.

In the river Nile, fish of all sorts dwell, and antelope and deer make a living here too; the former grassland dwellers and the latter being more browsers, though there is certainly overlap. All these ruminants moving through the region provide ample opportunities for ambush predators. Smaller antelope like gazelles and the browsing gerenuks fall victim to an unusual immigrant from the east. Mugger crocodiles are much smaller than the native Nile crocs, and specialise in smaller prey and fish to avoid competition, being generalists. Growing up to 3.5m long when fully grown, these are substantially smaller than the native African crocodilians and carve out a different niche for themselves in this environment. Fork-antlered deer, like those of Arabia, often fall prey to these smaller crocs, as do various smaller mammals. Another reptile present here is the Khemro Gharial [Gavialis rudimens], named for its size compared to more southern kin. It is very piscivorous even compared to muggers, and measures a maximum of 3m long for males, being quite skittish when faced with larger predators. Nevertheless, they are frequently seen basking on the shores of the Nile away from the bigger crocs, or the notorious hippopotamus that still calls these rivers home. Gharials are mainly found in the north and around Arabia, though further south, their range overlaps with slender-nosed crocodiles, which prefer the more tropical conditions of Azania.

Hippos are not unexpected in this region, given the monsoon climate and presence of large rivers like the Nile and Tamanrasset, but what is unexpected is an animal of Indian connotations. Without the great desert barriers of Iran and Arabia, a cat of the east is found here in the west as well; the tiger, more specifically the Cyrenaic tiger [Panthera tigris cyrenaicus]. These cats spread across Southern Asia in the forested environments of Arabia, but the open woodlands and grasslands of Khemros(Egypt), especially the woodlands east of the Nile, suit them as well. Preferring woodlands to the lions' grasslands, the two species manage to avoid competition by feeding on different prey. Tigers prefer their old prey of deer and bovines, whereas antelope and other open plains creatures are frequent prey of lions. Both will prey on big buffalo and other megafauna, however, so confrontations can and do happen, as do other things. Naturally occuring ligers and tigons are not unheard of in these parts, especially those conceived during the dry seasons, when animals are more concerned about survival than orthodoxy. Cyrenaic tigers, due to limited forest cover but abundance of game, are lighter in coat than most other populations, though are quite illusive. The more open terrain of Egypt and most of Northern Africa means that they are more limited in their prospects and therefore possess a less formidable size, comparable to the Indochinese tigers of old, rather than their Indian and Siberian kin.

The same cannot be said of their great rival. With a savannah larger than any Pre-Reversal covering Northern Africa from the Gambia River to the fringes of Hejaz, and a vast abundance of prey from all around Africa and Eurasia, the lions have prospered in these lands like never before. Not only are there multiple species of elephant, giraffid, rhino, buffalo and antelope as there were since the Pliocene, but the changes in Eurasia have meant an influx of other creatures have made their way into these lands, providing much for these great cats to live off, as well as more competition. The apex of this has been achieved in the form of the Numidian Lion [Panthera dirus], a beast comparable to the Pleistocene cave lions in dimensions, though roaming across the savannahs of the north, as opposed to the more conventional lions found south of the Azanian forest. Measuring up to 1.3m tall at the shoulder in adult males, with males regularly reaching 260kg or above, with the largest individuals hitting 400kg. Females are much smaller and more sociable, averaging 160-230kg, similar to male Subsaharan lions. Numidians' pride system is surprisingly quite similar to that of their smaller brethren in the south, as account of the sheer abundance of large prey available to them. Possessing faint rosettes on their fur, superficially like jaguars, these great cats are the only things at this latitude capable of challenging the Midas bear on the fields. They can even threaten juveniles of the biggest animal in these lands.

Just as with Arabia and Manchuria, a species of straight tusked elephant is the largest animal in this habitat, with only giraffes [Giraffa specifically] being taller. The Libyan Straight Tusked elephant or Palaeoloxodon ioensis, a descendant of P.recki, forms a continuous population with P.antiquus across Northern Africa, Anatolia and the Middle Eastern complex, up to the dense jungles of the Indus River. Being more of a grazer than P.antiquus or the Manchurian P.magniforms, the Libyan elephant has ensured that the more familiar Loxadonta genus prefers more wooded landscapes such as the dry forests to the south, as multiple giraffe species dominate the high browser niche. With huge straight tusks on a domed head and huge ears, Libyan elephants are certainly majestic animals, living in smaller herds than Loxadonta or Elephas on account of their lifestyle. Needing great quantities of grass to live, the Libyan elephants can regularly reach up to 4.5 tall at the shoulder and weighing up to 15 tonnes in the largest males. These dominate the more open habitats of north africa with great efficiency, and even are found in the more temperate northern coasts of Khemros [Egypt] and the western seas [Libya and Tunisia], with their size allowing them more leniency than their Loxadonta kin, who are limited to tropical climates.

Just as the giant grazers of Paleoloxodon roam, the other types of elephant haven't been erased from the scene, but in fact have been enriched by the vast new plantlife growth that has occurred by the monsoons that have spread across northern Africa and Arabia. The growth of the Azanian rainforest across Central Africa essentially split Africa in two in the long term, isolating members of the genus Loxadonta from each other in the longer term. In the shorter term, the rapid growth of vegetation in northern and southwestern Africa, allowed these beasts to spread northward and flourish in the newly formed savannahs of the Sahara or Sinai or the dry forests of the Sahel, adapting and proliferating as they went. The northern Savannah elephant [Loxadonta atlantica], prefers open woodlands and even the dry forest of the south, but is not unheard of in the prairies further north, just rarer, not seen in the vast herds they are in their southern range. This is partly due to competition with straight tusked elephants and partly because their physiology is more suited for tropical conditions without much seasonal variation. Still, these familiar giants retain the features that make them iconic in our timeline, being the more common of the north African elephants, even if no longer the most majestic. 3.6m at the shoulder and about 8 tonnes in weight is a typical size for males, with females about ⅔ of the size, though larger individuals are found further south where competition with Palaeoloxodon is less intense.

As with giraffes and elephants, rhinos are naturally a recurring creature in the savannahs. Ceratotherium, or the white rhino, is interestingly not present here, being limited to sub-Azanian Africa, instead an African species of Stephanorhinus, S.carthaginius, is present. Filling a similar niche as a primarily grazing animal, it uses aggression and a solitary nature to avoid competition with the elephants. Standing up to 2m tall at the shoulder and with a long and narrow skull, they are convergent with their southern kin, but their narrow snout and hairier body make them easily distinguished. Having a long front horn, they are quite formidable as herbivores, with the second horn more used to steady themselves when they butt at one another. They are typically used against their own kind, but the fierce predators of this region mean they use it for this purpose as well.

Roaming the grasslands sporadically over hares and rabbits found in southern Europe, there is another small herbivore in this region. Living in grasslands and savannahs, northern bush hyraxes [Heterohyrax borealis] enjoy the monsoonal grasslands and prairies of northeast Africa, and the almost complete disappearance of the savannah desert has allowed them to spread vastly. They are even found as far west as the xeric shrubs of Liberia and Guinea, though they face competition from their cousins, thr rock hyraxes [Procavia]. They have even followed said cousins out of Africa into the Arabian peninsula and Iranian plateau. Bush hyraxes are polygamous by nature, with one male looking after several females and his offspring, though it is not unheard of for sneaky outer males to move in and cuckold the dominant males while they are busy roaming their large territories. Babies are raised between the different mothers to avoid competition between them, but males will fight viciously over territory, mates and offspring, using their canine tusks to do so. It is not surprising, therefore that they resemble a distant relative of theirs, the elephants, in using their enlarged teeth as weapons.

Alongside cursorial bears, enigmatic tigers and giant lions, the savannahs of North Africa are home to a range of more familiar predators. Leopards, hyenas, jackals, badgers, various smaller cats, otters, eagles, secretary birds storks, crocodiles and monitor lizards are common threats to herbivores in these lands, but a surprising lack of wild dogs, like those found in the south of Africa beyond the Azanian jungle is notable. Instead, another immigrant from Eurasia dominates the large canine niche, having outcompeted the Lycaeons that were present here during the climatic shifts of the early Pleistocene. The Maghrebi Wolf [Canis latifrons] is a fierce pack hunter that rivals even the south American canines in ferocity, and rather than being adapted to the harsh wildernesses of Europe and Siberia like the European wolf, enjoys the savannahs of Africa. Having sandy coloured fur and a broad skull, hence its scientific name, they are not fussy eaters and will even supplement with fruit and nuts when they need to, taking care of weaker pack members to do so. In this sense they are hard to distinguish at first glance from the Aenocyon of prehistoric North America. Larger and more sociable than wild dogs, wolves can threaten even buffalo herds as a result of their cunning. Using harrying tactics to overwhelm even Cape buffalo, and the bravery they have means even bears, tigers and lions must be wary of a pack approaching.

In the western savannahs, seperate from Nile crocodiles [Crocodylus nilotocus], the waterways instead suffer the wrath of the Ima crocodile [Crocodylus suchus], named for being present in not only the Senegal river, but the Tamanrasset river, at least the southern parts found through Mauritania, Mali and southern Algeria, even reaching the southern coastlines of Morocco. Growing up to 3-4m in length, they are not quite as aggressive as their Nile cousins, but are larger than the absent mugger crocs, and so can still hunt big game, including various antelope, zebra, deer and even the juveniles of bigger herbivores like buffalo or chalicotheres. They are also not afraid to attack juvenile manatees [Trichechus senegalensis] when the chance arises.

Baboons, as they do in Arabia and subsaharan Africa, enjoy these open savannahs in a way that few other monkeys do. Multiple species are found in these savannahs, including the Great Gilada [Theropithecus oswaldi] and the olive baboon [Papio anubis], but a more unique form is the Marmarican baboon [Papio marmaris]. Found in coastal northeast Africa and the southern Levant, a relatively cooler and drier region than further south [though definitely wetter than it is in otl], and so it has a denser straw-coloured coat to deal with the mild but dry winters the region has. What makes it distinct however, from others of its kind is its reliance on coastal regions and food to survive, particularly fish and kelp. Dedicated omnivores, marmaricans will go swimming in coastal waters to go and find their own prey in a way convergent to the swimming macaques of Southeast Asia. Like all baboons, they are sociable creatures, living in pods of around 10-20 strong adults and a number of juveniles. These younger are taken care off communally by the pod and defended from predators like jackals and leopards who may target them. In terms of size, they are quite big, comparable to the Chacmas [Papio ursinus] of South Africa, though dwarfed by the vegetarian giant gelada.

Another even stranger ape calls these regions home. Smarter than a chimp and much more uncanny, these bipedal forms are of the genus Paranthropus, more specifically P.macrognathus. Found around the Libyan sea and the Nile delta, they prefer open habitats in a way very antithetical to the stereotype of "Bigfoot" they may conjur up at first appearance. They only measure 1.4m tall for males and 1.2m for females as well, but their use of basic stone tools allows them to fight back against predators and rivals. Their loud noises can spook even large herbivores like buffalo, though these clearly do not work on the huge elephants and rhinos found here. Their fur resembling the rocks of these lands, and coal black faces make them stand out quite readily from Homo novus that is coming to dominate this world as Homo sapiens has in our own. This species is named for having taken its jaw hypertrophy to the extreme, even for its genus, having very large and well developed jaws in proportion to body size. This is for consuming tough C4 vegetation found in these prairies, and they also have rounder bellies to help digest this vegetation. Even their eyes are unusually far apart by primate standards, though they have no need to develop the sideways eyes of ungulates due to their intelligent and cooperative nature.

In the shadow of Atlas


Koppen style map of the Atlas region, designed by Molotovsnowman. Most of the region is a humid subtropical region (this means the warmest month averages 22+C and the coolest is somewhere between 0 and 18C), lacking the dry season present in the rest of the Sahara, which has a more monsoonal environment through a winter dry season. Thus the growth of considerable forests is possible.

The Atlas Mountains are one of the most iconic mountain chains in Africa, and their transformation in this world has been no different. Cooler and much wetter than before, with snowcapped mountains that feed one of Africa's largest rivers, the Tamanrasset, this valley of green forests resembles how much Europe looked during the Miocene epoch; warm, wet and with plentiful year round rainfall (though the good majority falls in the summers unlike otl, even the winters are wetter than ours), ideal for dense foliage on a level unheard of in most of the Mediterranean coastline. Lacking the harsh winters of most of Europe and with an influx of creatures from across the Rhogoshi [Gibraltar] Strait, this little slice of Africa partly serves as a remnant of prehistoric Europe, while having a taste of Africa itself. This is also true to the southwest in the lush forests of Basam [Western Sahara, similar in climate to otl southern Honshu]. An isolated forest almost twice the size of the Iberian peninsula, Atlas is a lush Eden far away from others of its kind in the Old world. Only the southern fringes of Iberia remain relatively similar.

Instead of antelope, it is deer that call these forests home. This is due to refugees from the north, but also the creatures existing in this land before already. Cervus elephas, the red deer, does well in these forests, serving well as a fairly large browser as it does in the southern parts of Europe. They live well here as they have before for a long time, with the cooler and wetter climate allowing them to spread south of the Atlas Mountains, around the Tamanrasset river as well as the lands of Basam [Western Sahara] to the west. Bucks are understandably more aggressive to predators than does, but a powerful enough predator can send even them packing.

As opposed to the Midas Bear, the Atlas bear [Ursus morrocanus] is a more standard brown bear that lives in forested environments around the Atlas Mountains and the Iberian peninsula to the north. It and the African black bear [Ursus thibetanus mauretanius] partition niches in this forest similar to their North American counterparts, though the Atlas bear takes on a nearly herbivorous diet, similar to the cave bears of the Pleistocene. Living in the shadows of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, this formidable bear enjoys plentiful food and mild winters, not needing to hibernate like it's Eurasian counterparts, and so can readily intimidate other predators such as wolves or leopards off their kills. With adult males weighing up to 350kg and females up to 200kg, they are sizeable beasts, though the black bear is a much smaller and more arboreal creature to avoid competition. Atlas bears are quite territorial, and access to resources and mates is fiercely contested over by these beasts. The black bear is much smaller in comparison, similar to its Middle Eastern counterparts and smaller than the Far Eastern form. Ironically, the Atlas bear is more herbivorous while the smaller black bear is more predatory, a reversal of their tendency in North America, though both are capable of eating the other way when necessary.

As expected in Africa, elephants are found in these woodlands too. This is not surprising given how tolerant members of this group are of milder climates, even with mammoths withstanding. Being more browsing creatures than the Libyan elephant, they have much more in common with P.antiquus, though their placement in this species is debatable given their isolation and genetic divergence, with some biologists proposing the species P.maroccanus instead, for it is mainly found around and near the Atlas Mountains in these forests. While physiologically capable of surviving in the Iberian peninsula to the north, they do not naturally occur in this region in the Holocene due to limited available space and anthropological pressures, although it was a different story in some interglacials. They are of considerable size, reaching about 3.5-4m at the shoulder for males and weighing 8-12 tonnes, with females half the size. Their tusks are curved like corkscrews but relatively straight, convergent with those of some mastodonts of the past, useful to help them browse. This is due to the denser woodlands and forest of North Africa, including around the Atlas Mountains.

In the higher environments, near the Atlas Mountains, there is snowcapped mountains, and subzero winter temperatures are not unheard of here. These mountains are home to various higher altitude plants and conifers, and some grasses that don't get a chance to shine due to the denser foliage in the lowlands. Atlas ibex [Capra carthaginius] are quite solitary compared to other goats, and have imposing horns on both sexes. They are quite distinctly coloured, having red coats on their bodies but a black neck and a white head, with the specific patterning being unique between individuals. Males use their large horns to compete over harems of local females, either by head butting each others bodies or locking horns until the other gives in. Given their aggression, they can even intimidate considerably larger red deer. They resemble pre-Reversal Iberian ibex apart from more pronounced colours, and may in fact be descendants of these having migrated further south with the cooling, and swam over the Gibraltar or Rhogoshi straits during glacial periods. Here, they found a home in the Atlas highlands, back in their old home.

Separated by greater distances and open lands, tree hyraxes are absent from these warm temperate forests, and so European migrants take up this ecological position. As a result, rabbits and hares take up a similar position in the food chain, feeding on plentiful meadows. They are certainly better adapted than small hyraxes at handling the cool winters of the northwest, where freezing winters are not uncommon, and even the highlands where this is the norm. Several species are here, refugees from across the strait of Gibraltar. It is likely they hopped across islets forming between the two peninsulas during glacial maximums, allowing them to escape the harsh winters of the Pleistocene in temperate North Africa, which would have been relatively mild even at this time. Now they flourish, with an abundance of grass in clearings around the trees. While these remnants of Europe are familiar, others are less so.



Barbary macaques [Macaca sylvestris] are present here, just as they were for a few million years before the Reversal, though they are in much greater density due to humid conditions. No longer able to colonise most of Western Europe, apart from parts of Iberia and southern Italy, they nevertheless flourish in the Atlas Mountains, foraging for food and following the kills of bears and wolves for a chance to scavenge meat. Preferring the forest to the savannahs unlike their baboon kin, the macaques are very versatile creatures and remain quite arboreal. Roaming in large pods, the forests around the Atlas Mountains and the coasts suit them well, being found up to the Tamanrasset river, though their kin, M.gambiensis lives further south around the Senegal river. Barbarys are clever and resourceful, convergently like the apes of other regions, and they need to be in a region where predators include magrebi wolves, bears, leopards and brown hyenas.

Another strange arrival from these lands may be mistaken for a bear from a distance, but is in fact a migrant from much further east, a result of the great climatic upheavals in Southern Asia during the early Pleistocene allowing them to go so far west. The Western Scythehand [Hesperotherium atlas] has been isolated for a long time from its eastern kin, having found suitable denser forests in the northwest of Africa having wondered across the eastern savannahs from their preferred habitats in Arabia. Relatively isolated from their Arabian kin, the western beast lacks competition from the giraffids of further south and east, and therefore had achieved a more formidable size than its relatives, reaching sizes comparable to the Miocene Moropus, being quite a different creature to its Pliocene equivalent Ancylotherium, which went extinct just a few hundred thousand years before the Reversal. With a dark brown fur coat and black claws, this browser has a convergent appearance with the ground sloths of the Americas, lacking the more complex markings of its eastern relatives. They are much more solitary than the larger elephants, and are almost exclusively folivores, allowing them to avoid more extensive competition.

The Canary Islands

Off the western coast, conditions aren't too different climatically, but dimensions are another matter. What were once the mainly desert isles of the Canaries are now a prosperous chain of islands, which as with the mainland, were colonised by the greener Laurel plants formerly limited to the west. In fact, it was these west Canary plants spreading east that initially made their way to Morocco to colonise, not the Atlas highland plants, and certainly not the refugees from Iberia and beyond, as these came later. Much greener and milder than before, the islands became appealing to immigrants from the mainland.


Just as with the Mediterranean islands, dwarf species are present in these islands, though of a different form. Hot and wet as with Basam, the lush environment provides plenty for the local fauna. The Santa Cruz dwarf hippo [Hippopotamus atlantica] is one such creature, having adapted to a semi-terrestrial habit in the absence of elephants, who aren't quite as good at swimming. Having proportionally longer legs than its ancestor, it is used to climbing up the slopes of mountains in order to reach more vegetation, and has reduced tusks due to an abundance of food and less competition from herbivores, never mind predators. It is also hairier than its terrestrial kin, almost akin to a strange pig of sorts, trotting along the ground in search of browsing and grazing opportunities. Too far from the mainland for elephants to swim over even during glacial periods, and capable of swimming between the islands themselves, they lack the competition from other big herbivores and are surprisingly big for island dwarves. Adult males can reach 1.8m in length, up to 1.3m tall at the shoulder, and weigh up to 400kg; still smaller than a dairy cow, whereas females are about 250kg, due to pronounced sexual dimorphism. They life alongside herds of dwarf deer [Cervus santacruzii] cooperatively, for these islands are not entirely free from predators.

While some animals have shrunken in these islands in response to limited conditions, other animals have gone down a different route. Unfortunately, predators are among them. Nile monitors have made their way to the Canary Islands, and without big cats present, have taken the apex predator niche alongside a dwarf crocodile species [Crocodylus insularis]. Much larger than their mainland kin, the Santa Cruz Dragon [Varanus transatlus] can grow up to 2.5m in length when fully grown, and weights of 40kg or above are not unheard of. Able to prey on various small deer on the islands, only adult hippos remain immune to their predation. Dark brown with lightened stripes, they are ambush predators, using serrated teeth with anticoagulant agents in their venom to bring down prey via shock and blood loss. Males possess a red crest on their brows for display, convergent with that of the extinct theropod Allosaurus. The Santa Cruz crocodile is much more reclusive than its mainland counterpart, and mainly feeds on fish, lizards and rodents.

With an abundance of food and limited competition from large mammals, giant spurred tortoises are a part of life here. Multiple species are found in these rich forests, each feeding on different foliage or even grasses. Even the smallest species on these islands is more than double the size of their mainland counterparts, and the largest are comparable to those of the Galapagos. The tortoises, heavily armoured as they are, don't need to worry about terrestrial predators like monitor lizards when fully grown, though juveniles are another matter.

Like with many island ecosystems, an eagle species is present here, feasting on rodents, deer and primates. Canary eagles [Aquila ferox], a very ironic name indeed, are notable hunters of the air, able to roam for many miles, and are often found on the mainland as well, though they are certainly more limited in prey there. Their wingspans range from 2-2.5m, and a weight of 5-6.2kg, with females being typically 25% larger than males, though the latter have a brightly coloured yellow beak. Able to catch prey from above, including young ruminants, these fierce birds certainly are threatening.

Multiple primates, surprisingly are found on these islands. Dwarf Patas monkeys [Erythopithecus dimunitivus] and Tenerife macaques [Macaca santacruzius] are both found here and call these forests home, both being semi-terrestrial monkeys, especially the macaques. The dwarf Patas, though, in the absence of competition from other monkeys, have begun to return to a more arboreal lifestyle in the more humid conditions. The Laurel forests have proved to be an excellent point for these monkeys, and they make use of it. As the name suggests, they are only half the size of their mainland ancestors, due to the limited size of the islands. The macaques are also smaller than on the mainland, but only by a third. The little Patas have white cheek fur and tails, but a tawny coat on the rest of their body, whereas the macaques have completely lost their tails, and have proportionally long arms compared to the legs, with sloping backs.

The shores of Greater Chad

The largest lake outside of the Caspian lies deep to the south of the Sahara. With a long and very intense monsoon, even longer than that of our Thailand, Chad experiences frequent flooding and contraction monthly, and the shores around are wetlands with predictable flooding that make it very useful for urban societies, hence why Chad is one of the world's greatest spots for civilised societies. For the creatures of this land, though, an order quite unlike that of anywhere else originated. Various small and diverse birds, reptiles and amphibians are present here, as well as familiar mammals of the dry forest such as bushpigs, duiker antelope, Chevrotains, Chlorocebus monkeys and wildcats. But a range of more charismatic species are found here too.

With tropical conditions and a long wet season, reptiles flourish in these conditions in a way they simply don't further north. Crocodilians especially flourish in the seasonal wetlands of the vast Lake Chad. Slender noses crocs [Mecistops leptorhynchus] are quite readily present as fish specialists, but muggers are rare and gharials completely absent, for instead more local forms do well. The horned croc [Crocodylus chadiensis] is a local species specialised for such conditions, breeding during the winter dry season and the hatchlings learning to swim as the shores begin to flood. A relative of the slender nosed crocodiles further west, it times its breeding around the drier winters, hatching as the warmer wet season begins. Horned crocs are relatively small by crocodile standards, analogous to the dwarf caimans of the Amazon, and prefer the seasonally shallow waters alongside the juveniles of a more infamous beast, avoiding competition through prey partitioning. Adults typically grow about 2.2m long and feed on fish, smaller ungulates and rodents. Horns are larger and more pointed in the males and are used partly for display.

A much more terrifying predator is found here, however. A relic of an earlier time, the development of great wetlands around the world's largest lake has allows the development of a true monster. The Great maneater [Crocodylus anthropophagus horriblis] is the greatest crocodilian to roam the earth since the extinction of Puurasaurus in the similar seasonal wetlands of Miocene Venezuela. Like it, it has an exceptionally powerful bite that threatens many of even the largest herbivores in this region. Even young elephants and giraffids can be vulnerable to this monstrous crocodilian, capable of growing over 8m long in the larger males. Preferring the deeper waters and the rivers surrounding Chad, as well as the upper Nile, these great crocs terrify even the most hardened hunters. It can take many years for them to reach their full size, however and it is not unheard of for juvenile maneaters to be eaten by Horned or mugger crocs, or even by big enough fish.

Dry forests, just as they do in India, are havens for primates. With savannahs to the north and rainforest to the south, Chad is at a perfect crossroads for more terrestrial and arboreal monkeys, as well as apes such as chimpanzees. Patas and vervets do well in the trees, while baboons, mandrills and macaques prefer the ground. They survive by feeding on different foods; leaves, fruit, nuts, insects and carrion are all divided among various lines between them, and partitioning of niches is common as a result, with certain species and even populations within a species being oriented one way or another. The relative novelty of the great African forests, courtesy of the Reversal, means that diversity and speciation of primates in Africa isn't that much greater than it was before, but nonetheless, the signs are showing.

Many different aquatic birds call the shores of the Sea their home. Flamingos are no exception, with multiple species being prevalent in the seasonal shores here, with plentiful crustaceans to feed off. These great flocks, along with various ducks, geese and herons, attract another type of bird that predates them. The Chadian Angel of death [Polemaetus horriblis] is a fierce eagle that takes advantage of this abundance of avian and mammalian prey in the dry forests, often taking advantage of the dry seasons in order to seek out ungulates or larger birds looking for watering holes or free patches of water away from the Sea. Young individuals may take monkeys or tree hyraxes found here, with the larger adults going for flamingoes or storks that wonder too far from the rest of the flock. With deathly wings and a piercing cry, these ferocious birds are the source of many a local myth.

With the world's largest freshwater body and a hot and seasonal climate, a group that experienced rapid diversification following the Reversal in Africa are frogs and other amphibians. Once in very limited numbers, or only found hundreds of miles southwest in the Congo, the Azanian's spreading across vast landscapes and the reemergence of the Sea of Chad has brought about conditions amphibians flourish in. The only issue the Chadian forests have compared to Azania is the length of a substantial dry season which the frogs and newts must be adapted to in order to do well in. Many species will retreat into leaf litter or into more long term water bodies to survive, with some even burrowing in springs to escape the winter drought. This is also the cooler part of the year, so frogs tend to migrate around limited pools in these periods. Being one of the world's largest freshwater bodies, there are plenty who dwell in the water itself. Clawed frogs, fully aquatic even in their adult form, flourish in the shallow waters, though they do perform seasonal migration as the lake contracts and expands.

One of the larger herbivores in this region beside the elephants [L.cyclotis] is Sivatherium indictens, similar to S.xenoglossus found in Arabia, though smaller and with darker markings. Resembling a giant okapi with stripes, this species prefers the seasonal forest of the greatest wetland in the world, and fears few, except of course for the great crocodile of these regions. Not many can threaten a one tonne giant after all, and this species can stave off a fair few. Their horns are flatter and plate-like, used by males to headbutt rivals, being too high to be useful against predators.

Elephants and giraffes roam here, but even in these forests, a rhino is present. The Sahel Rhino [Diceros verecundus] is a kin of the black rhino of the south, adapted to forest environments. It is smaller than its open dwelling kin, with adult males standing 1.3-1.6m tall at the shoulder, 2.7-3.6m long and weighing in the region of 700-1200kg. Females are smaller, at about 1.2m at the shoulder, 2.5m long and 500-600kg. Being solitary animals, Sahel rhinos enjoy the dry forests of their titular title, but can be and are also found in the Azanian rainforest to thr south. Unlike Ceratotherium or some species of Stephanorhinus, they are dedicated browsers, feasting on low lying leaves and shrubs, particularly during the wet season, and will bulk up during the summer in order to prepare for the more difficult dry season. They possess two horns, with the nose horn much longer than the back, and their nasal horn often curves backward, being used for display. In some males, the horn becomes so long that it can get entangled in branches, making it vulnerable to predation.

While lions can be found in dry forests, it is not their preferred savannah habitat, and it is undeniable that leopards can certainly be fierce predators, something else roams these forests and takes an apex role. Preferring plentiful cover as an ambush predator and making use of cover, the Nandi Panther [Panthera sultae] takes up a role convergent to the jaguars of South America. A kin of tigers, these ambush predators prefer deer, bushpigs and other forest dwelling ungulates as a prey item, rather than some of the more iconic African fauna. Solitary and darkly coloured, mistaken for black panthers at times, their stockier build and flared cheeks with white markings help them stand out. They are primarily nocturnal and so their fur helps them blend in such conditions, often sleeping during the daytime. Adult Nandis are large, comparable to a Bengal tiger in dimensions, but with a slightly shorter shoulder height. This is an adaption to living in a more forested environment. They are also not afraid to scare leopards and hyenas off their kills when need be. Ironically, Nandi bears are not present here, despite the cryptid theories, and even presence of other bear species in Northern Africa, including a southern subspecies of black bear [Ursus thibetanus austrialis] that enjoys the fruits found here. In fact, these may be panther food from time to time, but the latter's extreme aggression, akin to sun bears, is a counter to this.

Alongside big and charismatic megafauna, the seasonal wetlands of Chad and the surrounding monsoon forests are home to a wide range of smaller creatures, including some found nowhere else. Over a thousand species of bird are found across the eastern Sahel, ranging from tiny songbirds and shrikes to several species of Guineafowl, and even three species of peafowl, a group that has greatly proliferated since the Reversal, owing to the spread of tropical and subtropical woodlands across southwestern Asia and North Africa [even in our timeline, there is a species found in the Congo basin, so it stands to reason this would happen much more easily in this timeline]. With many bird species present, it is not shocking that either the Sahel dry forest or Azanian rainforest is a massive hotspot of biodiversity.

The vast diversity of the African continent since the Reversal has been nothing short of remarkable. Not only due to the westward monsoon reducing the world's largest desert to a shadow of its former self, but the influx of creatures from a wetter South Asia and a much colder Europe, all of this has allowed a highly diverse and interconnected ecosystem to occur. These species are just some of the most iconic ecosystem, which is merely part of a complex stretching from the Congo to Indochina. Further south, however, an equally strange land. Join as next time as we explore the world's largest rainforest; the Azanian!

 

[Rhymehouse]

I wish there were a lot more timelines like this. A focus on alternate geography, flora, and fauna instead of just wanking the authoritarian empire of your choice.

Similar ideas I have had for alternate planets include Earth that was still Pangaea, Earth that only has one season due to no axial tilt, Earth that had long and irregular seasons like Westeros, and a Earth that was more habitable due to arctic islands and desert landmasses being moved to different biomes.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

I wish there were a lot more timelines like this. A focus on alternate geography, flora, and fauna instead of just wanking the authoritarian empire of your choice.

Similar ideas I have had for alternate planets include Earth that was still Pangaea, Earth that only has one season due to no axial tilt, Earth that had long and irregular seasons like Westeros, and a Earth that was more habitable due to arctic islands and desert landmasses being moved to different biomes.

Click to shrink...

Thank you, it is appreciated. It's kind of a mix of alt history and spec evolution in this case. I mean there is some 'wanking' involved but it's based on geographic conditions and what places are ideal population centres rather than favourite nations.

Now the main bit,

Me and Molotov designed some GIFs that and graphics that tell us more specific information about Retrograde Earth and its climatic conditions.

I've designed some temperature gifs that explain the situation;

Finally finished off some temperature gifs;



These are average monthly temperatures, the second is regions that are 22C or above depending on the time of year and the third is regions 2C or below depending on the time of year.


And Molotov did some for precipitation patterns. Notice which regions are most humid in this timeline and for how long.

View: https://imgur.com/HYot065
a gif showing rainfall across the year.

This shows total annual precipitation in the same units as the study.

This shows the wettest places on retrograde earth, based on total rainfall annually, though much of it is intense monsoons rather than even year round rainfall, hence why only some of it counts as tropical rainforest under preindustrial conditions.

These should overall give a more precise look at the layout of this world.

 

[Ancalagon_84]

The Somali Jungle


A Koppen-Geiger map showing the vastness of the fertile forests of the Horn of Africa, much wetter and more fertile than before, forming one of the world's largest tropical forests, stretching from the fringes of Sudan to northern Tanzania, and ironically the most humid in the Horn of Somali.

What once had been a coastal desert on the eastern shores of Africa was now unrecognisable. Having been drying out for millions of years due to a cooling and drying world, the Horn of Africa saw a flip along with the planetary reversal. While southern Brazil and China were devastated by the reversing of ocean currents and shifting of the monsoons, the Horn of Africa and southern Arabia saw a great influx of rain even more than Chad to the west. What was once the Congo was now the Azanian, the largest rainforest in the world, stretching from the Ivory Coast to the Somali coast, though mostly cut in two by the Great Lakes and the Ethiopian highlands. Therefore, the forest of the Horn had been able to develop in relative isolation from its expanded Congo counterpart, home to a range of unique flora and fauna. Flora of the Harenna such as Afrocarpus, Croton and coffee rapidly moved into the new lowland forests, as did plants from an also wetter Kenya and Great Lakes such as Lovoa and Njangsa. With intense year round rainfall, flora adapted to a very humid and lush environment. Diseases and insects such as tsetse flies are present in here, so this isn't easy for human habitation, but is very much so for substantial amounts of diverse life. Climatic conditions here are quite close to those of pre-Reversal Colombia, such large rainforest and monsoon forest conditions that allow wet living fauna to survive and thrive. Even carnivorous plants such as pitchers are common here due to waterlogged soil.


The edge of a flourishing jungle, the diversity of the East African forests rivals that of the Congo in the west, but thanks to mountains between them, is quite different in its layout of denizens.

With a tall canopy of trees, it is quite a given that monkeys do well in this environment. Present across Southern Asia, macaques are also present in the east here, no longer limited by the deserts of Sahara and Arabia, with the forested climate very suitable for them. Bearded macaques [Macaca brevistostrus] are nimble for their kind but very resourceful, useful in such a vast paradise. For some, it is a green hell, but this forest proves to be bountiful for those omnivores. With streams and lakes going throughout, they are convergent with the crab-eaters of Indonesia, feeding in more aquatic prey than their kin. This allows them to avoid competition with the various native African monkeys present here, a phenomenon known as niche partitioning. As the name suggests, the longer hair growth on their chins allows them to stand out, white tipped in the males, and is a sign of virility to have very long forked beards.

With wetland conditions present, one of the only native creatures that relished in the change in climate was the hippopotamus, adapting well to the wet, almost Amazonian conditions now present, and adapted to these conditions well. Hippopotamus magnificens is the most aquatic hippo species yet, surpassing even H.gorgops in aquatic adaptions, with relatively short and powerful limbs and a graceful movement in water, allowing it better and quicker movement in this environment than H.amphibius in the west. Not quite as aggressive as their plain dwelling kin, they are also somewhat smaller, with males maxing out at about 2 tonnes, and females half this. They are still very formidable beasts, however and will not hesitate to kill any predator that comes close, even crocodilians. Akin to the introduced hippos of Colombia in our own timeline, they have an abundance of food here and are well adapted to local aquatic vegetation, while being very dangerous for human fishers or even crocodiles.

Nandi panthers, relatives of the tiger, are a given here, as seen before, but they are not the only predators in this great rainforest. Nor are the ever present leopards, a sight across most of the Old World. With the return of wet and humid conditions, and with the coasts roamed by crocodiles, a different kind of reptile has taken on a predatory role. Gigantism in the forests is quite unusual given the dense conditions, but an exception does exist in the sense of ambush predators. The 2.4m long stalking monitor [Varanus ferox] is a larger, forest adapted descendant of the rock monitor [Varanus albigularis] that remains present across the drier regions of southeast Africa and in the savannahs of the Katanga. Stalkers as they are sometimes known prefer terrestrial prey as opposed to smaller lizards or leopards who are more arboreal, with small mammals and the chicks of ground nesting birds being especially favoured. Nonetheless, young individuals may chase up the trees to find prey. They have a dark green-brown coating with speckles of black, helping them camouflage. Males take an active role in parenting alongside females, often taking turns in terms of gathering food for hatchlings while the other protects the burrow from other predators, including their own kind.

As with Nandi panthers, jaguar-convergent ambush predators, a more generalised cat exists in the Zanj tiger [Panthera tigris notomageiros], the southernmost tiger population in the world, and the only one who's natural range enters the southern hemisphere. It is not known if they swam across the Gulf of Aden during glacial periods or simply walked down south through Khemros [Egypt] and Skidoosh [Sudan], or even a combination of the two, but what is clear here is they are present here too. It exists at similar latitudes to the Sunda tigers, but in a mainland environment, thus maintaining a good size thanks to abundance of pigs, forest buffalo and deer present here, comparable to the Bengals of India. Juveniles may feed on duiker antelope or steal kills from wildcats, while subadults compete with leopards and Nandi panthers. In the highlands of Ethiopia, their populations overlap and intersect with their northern neighbours, forming a transitional population. Their body is more brown than orange, and their stripes appear almost grey instead of black. Just as it once did in Sundaland, it sometimes encounters a mighty ape.

Thanks to the greenery of northeast Africa and the horn, creatures limited to the mountains and the west have returned to the lowland as their distant ancestors once did in the Miocene and Pliocene. Horned gorillas [Gorilla kerathrix] are named for their tufts of lengthened hair over their brows that give them an almost horned appearance. They are especially pronounced on males and tend to grey with age as with their chests. Living in substantial pods; the gorillas are led by an old Alpha male who protects his group from predators and rivals, though may be usurped by lone males or subservients who wish a shot for the crown. They are very large in isolation from their kin in the west or giraffids, with adult males standing up to 1.9m in height and weighing up to 240 kg, surpassed only by the extinct Gigantopithecus of South Asia. Females are about half of this size, and thus rely on males for protection from monstrous cats, or aggressive males of a far larger herbivore. Fights between these apes and the cats of the region do occur, and are spectacular by any measure.

A giant relic of an earlier time dwells in this rainforest, made extinct elsewhere long ago, but saved by dense forests and the Ethiopian mountains isolating it from competition. Climate change had for millions of years been pushing it ever closer to extinction, but the Reversal bought about a return to the conditions that had made their ancestors great. The eastern Hoe-Tusker [Deinotherium aethiopicus] roams the wet forests of the Horn of Africa, even going southward into a wetter Great Lakes, though the mountains of Ethiopia and other such conditions give them little overlap in range with the smaller Loxodonta cyclotis, a more conventional elephant found in the Congolese forests. Their size and aggression is likely also why elephants of the genus Elephas never got established here like they did in Arabia, despite the short distances between the peninsulas. Hoe-Tuskers are very much solitary in nature, only coming together during the mating season. Their ears are smaller proportionally than with elephants, due to their proportionally smaller head, longer neck and legs, looking almost akin to those of rhinos. Hoe-tusker's skin is smooth compared to elephants due to their greater surface area, and is coloured grey with mottled brown around the sides and back, with sparse black hairs, especially on the back of the neck. They retain a cursorial build that helps them navigate the environment, allowing them to cover considerable tracks over long distances. Adult males are big beasts, standing up to 3.5m at the shoulder and weighing up to 8 tonnes, while females are hardly half the size, a consequence of their rainforest environment. They still dwarf anything else living in these forest, including okapis or water buffalo, with even the savannah elephants being somewhat smaller on average. The beasts take a high browsing niche in an environment too humid and dense for large giraffes like Giraffa and Sivatherium to dwell, unlike the dry forests to the northwest.

Plants in these forests consist of a mix of immigrants from the western Congo as well as outliers from the old highlands, colonising places formerly inhospitable. The Afar depression, once the hottest place annually in the world, now consists of fresh wetlands in a thriving forest. Not much remains of the desert flora and fauna that once remained here. Another primate that roams here, descended from these highland forms is the Cushite Guereza [Colobus azanius], is one of the residents of this wetland. Specialised herbivores, they are a primary species in these forests for the distribution of seeds due to their sloppy eating habits, and as with other Colobus monkeys, are very sociable and willing to defend from predators such as jungle cats using a mix of direct force, swarming tactics and loud noises. Cushites have a marked colouring of red manes, akin to lions, on an otherwise dark brown body, with manes being especially pronounced on males. Protective of their young and of considerable intelligence, these Colobus monkeys flourish across the Horn down south into Kenya and even around the northern Great Lakes, having greatly extended from their old home in the mountain forests.

Other residents of Afar wetlands and the Somali rivers include an array of tropical amphibians. Countless species of frogs and newts are found in these forests, many recently diverged relatives of native species or migrants from the Kenyan and Ugandan forests, even from the Congo further afield. Caecillians are present too in the leaf litter beneath the soils, feeding on small insects and tadpoles found in these regions as well, being almost indistinguishable from small snakes apart from their wet skin. In hte southern parts of the Horn, they may retreat underground during the monsoon dry season, but in the Horn proper, where there is no dry season, they are a part of everyday life here, just as the snakes that prey upon them are.

Another legless group found in this region are of course true snakes, which do well on a steady supply of rodents, small birds, insects, lizards and the aforementioned amphibians. Various small and venomous forms are present that feast on these, but some are not so small. The Azanian Python [Python pseudanaconda] is a fierce tropical snake that has evolved convergently to a distant relative on another continent. The humid forests they are found in provide plentiful pigs and antelope for them to feed on, and it is not unheard of them to go after even larger prey at times. Having green diamond-shaped markings on their otherwise brown skin, they camouflage well in their habitat, and can be found just about anywhere in the forests, with juveniles usually in the waterways, helping them avoid competition with smaller snake species. Adults feed on a considerable amount of aquatic prey, with females growing more than 7m in length and weighing over 140kg, making them the largest snakes in Africa by a significant margin. Males are smaller but still impressive at about 5.3m at maximum, with weights of 60kg or more not being uncommon. This is due to an abundance of food combined with year round heat and humidity, though nothing as extreme as that found in prehistoric eras. There are even reports of humans [Homo novus] falling prey to them at times, though given their water-loving habitats, these appear to be rare. In order to defend themselves from the crocodiles present in the region, they are evasive, often ambushing juvenile crocodiles to preemptively take out competition.

Turtles are also present in these lowland rivers and wetlands, with multiple species of side-necks being present in these rivers, as well as the Great Lakes region in the west and the Sea of Chad to the north. They are generalised carnivores, feeding on various small animals present in the waters, though they may fall victim to crocodiles, monitors, leopards, Nandis or even large fish.

The emerald pigeon [Treron occidentalis] is bright even compared to other members of its genus, with luminous green feathers in both sexes. Males have pink cheeks used for display. Generalised omnivores, they feed on a mix of seeds, fruits, nuts and insects. They will expand and contract seasonally, staying in the Horn region year round, though they may also migrate further north or south depending on the seasons, often migrating as far north as Mesopotamia during the northern summer months, or southwestward toward Angola and Namibia. Interbreeding with close relatives frequently occurs, but birds of prey are always a risk to consider for them, as are wildcats.

Another creature of the forest treetops is the Zinj tree hyrax [Dendrohyrax abyssinius], a gentle and cute hyrax known for a whistling noise it makes when it comes out at night to communicate with potential mates. With dark brown fur and white stripes, and an unusually long tail for their kind, they are quite convergent with the caviomorph rodents of South America, a land that separated many millions of years ago, especially the pacarana, even sharing their nocturnal habits. Being solitary, males wander over large territories and will have loud intense fights over resources and mates, even more so than their mating cries, capable of being heard across the forests of east Africa. Tusks are used in such combat in a way eerily similar to their far larger relatives, the elephants and Deinotheres. Similar in size to guinea pigs and temperament to Tasmanian devils, these agile afrotheres are a far cry from the giants of the Yellow Sea.

As well as deer from India and duikers from the south, a relic of a drier time is also present in these forests. The imaginatively named Hidden Ass [Equus aksumus] is unique among Equus in a preference to very wet environments, and has begun reverting to a more ancient way of life for horses, adapting more toward a browsing lifestyle, transitioning from the grass specialisation that has gone on for millions of years. They are of course low browsers, partly as this is an easy transition from grass and partly to avoid competition with other herbivores. They are small compared to other donkeys, weighing only about 220kg when fully grown, smaller than even the gorillas. Solitary but with a mean kick, they more than earn their nicknames here.

More common herbivores are creatures that were present before the Reversal, namely great bush pigs, a common prey item for the tigers now present. Multiple species of these hogs roam, analogous to the peccaries of the Americas, though the giant species are only vulnerable to tigers as adults, as the forests are too dense for lions to move this far east. The giant species has red fur and black tufts over its brows, but smaller species are more conspicuous, having dark fur that helps them camouflage. Warthogs are not present here, as they prefer more open land such as the savannahs of Sudan, Egypt, Mali and even Arabia.

The Somali rainforests are a remarkable change from their original state, full of wonderful and strange creatures, including migrants from Asia as well as the south. These are just a small number of the most charismatic species of this forest, though there are certainly others here that do well, including countless small reptiles, birds and insects. Once a very harsh and hostile land, it is now one of the world's greatest biodiversity hotspots, and hopefully will remain so for millions of years to come, perhaps even if east Africa splits away from the rest. A land of the strange and beautiful, Somalia is the jewel of the tropics.