I asked some people for a bunch of places to ISOT into one world. I had no control over what places were chosen, other than editing the year or size of the ISOT to make sure it wasn't too overpowered. And what follows is the result.
"No Amount of Context" A multi ISOT timeline
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Premise
I asked some people for a bunch of places to ISOT into one world. I had no control over what places were chosen, other than editing the year or size of the ISOT to make sure it wasn't too overpowered. And what follows is the result.
I feel like a lot of multi-ISOT scenarios have the ISOTs happening too fast, usually one every year. I feel like that doesn't really give time for the individual ISOT's to ferment and develop on their own. So here, each ISOT happens 10 years after the previous.
Anyways, let's begin.
I feel like a lot of multi-ISOT scenarios have the ISOTs happening too fast, usually one every year. I feel like that doesn't really give time for the individual ISOT's to ferment and develop on their own. So here, each ISOT happens 10 years after the previous.
Anyways, let's begin.
Year 0 - French Upper Volta, 1900
Year 0
French Upper Volta, 1900 is ISOTed to a virgin earth.
France only very recently gained control of Upper Volta, with them deposing the King of Ouagadougou and replacing him with a puppet only 3 years ago. The French colonial system was barely established and mostly relied on the pre-existing Mossi Kingdom's government structure. The Gurma people in the East, meanwhile were completely outside French control. Upper Volta was an ancient place, having well-established kingdoms for several centuries and keeping much of its traditional culture despite the growth of Islam in West Africa.
Immediately after the ISOT, people at the edge of the borders panic. As the news spread, riots began in several cities as people believed the world was going to end, they were going to disappear like the rest of the world The French rapidly lost control of the situation and their small armies were forced out by local rulers of mobs. Surviving French troops coalesced in Ouagadougou, the only place they maintained control.
The King of Ouagadougou, Suguiri, had been appointed by the French after they deposed his brother. Many took the ISOT as a punishment against the pro-French Suguiri. His brother was exiled to British lands so he was gone, but the idea was a significant threat to his rule. Suguiri and the French worked together to try to restore unity to Upper Volta but it failed. A new religious movement that took portions from traditional Mossi beliefs and claimed to have explanations for the ISOT took control of the city of Boussouma. They called for the overthrow of Suguiri, believing he was a puppet of the Christians whom they blamed for the ISOT occurring. Suguiri was only able to turn back their forces due to the death of their first religious leader.
Due to the supernatural nature of the ISOT, many conflicts that were started over rivalries between kingdoms took on a religious nature. While Suguiri never converted directly to Christianity, due to the association of traditional beliefs with opposition to his rule and the fact that French soldiers influenced much of the council of nobles that decided secession, his heir Kom II did convert. The tide would slowly turn back in Ouagadougou's favor, conquering Boussouma, Tenkodogo in the South, and the smaller western cities up to the Gwiriko border, and the refugee clans in what once was Northern Ghana. And yet, they were never able to fully gain control of the region, taking serious losses in an invasion of Yatenga and pushed back by the traditionalists who now influenced Gurma.
Due to the weakening of Ouagadougou, its old rival Yatenga hoped to return to its place as a much more prominent city, and like in the south, religion would play a factor. Islam was popular in the north, and an Iman in Yatenga would overthrow the pro-French King and establish a theocratic government. Through clever diplomatic moves, utilizing fears of an Ouagadougou invasion, religious pressure, and occasionally just war, Ibrahim I was able to unite the Northern Kingdoms of Yatenga, Djilgodji, Oudalan, and Liptako the somewhat decentralized Yatenga Sultanate. After an attempted invasion by Ouagadougou failed, Ibrahim I was able to centralize his authority and implement a tax system with only a minor rebellion.
In the east remained the only part of Upper Volta that the French hadn't yet conquered: the Gurma Kingdom. While their culture was only similar to the Mossi the Gurma adopted the ideas of the Mossi traditionalists through its refugees after the fall of Boussouma. The Gurma Kings have adopted the idea that they remained the purist of all the kingdoms, unconquered by the French and never adopting a foreign faith. One of their main advantages is the simple fact that they managed to escape much of the violence in the region after the ISOT so they have a larger population. That was a large part of why they defeated a Ouagadougou invasion.
Finally, to the west, we have the Confederation of Gwirko. Unlike the Gurma, Gwirko has a completely different culture from the Mossi. They speak Dyula, related to the other Mande languages such as the Bambara language that was once spoken by the Mali Emperors. The establishment of the Confederation was a lot more messy than in other regions. Instead of fleeing to Ouagadougou most of the French troops in the region under a rogue officer stayed and fought. After their defeat, there was a dynastic struggle and a conflict with the remnants of the Kingdom of Kénédougou that resulted in the Confederation of Gwirko ending up a decentralized state. This has made Gwirko unable to react to outside threats. It did little when Ouagadougou conquered the smaller city-states to its west. Largely a Muslim country, many of its religious leaders look to Yatenga's government and favor something similar in the region.
Of course, there's the vast virgin earth. The whole thing that caused this mess. Expansion into the wilderness originally started with refugees fleeing from the wars of religion in the immediate aftermath of the ISOTs. Other than the Tueregs, these refugees were living not too far away from the old borders, these new communities organized themselves into clan structures. So when things started to calm down, the much more powerful Kingdoms conquered the first settlers. The wave of Ouagadougou wave of expansion resulted in them controlling the refugee clans in Northern Ghana. Yatenga would see a similar situation, with the rich lands of the Niger River now empty the Sultan was eager to expand further in the region. He hoped to use a resettled Niger Valley as a power base to complete his centralization efforts. However, Ouagadougou also noticed the future prospects of controlling the Niger, and there have already been clashes between Ouagadougou and Yatenga-backed clans by the year 10.
It's been 10 years, by the way, did I mention that? The fact that ISOT happened on January 1st has caused curiosity in the Gregorian Calendar, but many see it as a sign that the Europeans were to blame for the ISOT. The main people who still used the calendar were the French soldiers. They didn't celebrate much, it was a reminder of how much they had lost.
At the same time, there was a bright flash of light somewhere in Asia and a new region had been brought to this world. Not that the Upper Voltans would know about it until after the year 70.
Upper Volta in the year 10.
French Upper Volta, 1900 is ISOTed to a virgin earth.
France only very recently gained control of Upper Volta, with them deposing the King of Ouagadougou and replacing him with a puppet only 3 years ago. The French colonial system was barely established and mostly relied on the pre-existing Mossi Kingdom's government structure. The Gurma people in the East, meanwhile were completely outside French control. Upper Volta was an ancient place, having well-established kingdoms for several centuries and keeping much of its traditional culture despite the growth of Islam in West Africa.
Immediately after the ISOT, people at the edge of the borders panic. As the news spread, riots began in several cities as people believed the world was going to end, they were going to disappear like the rest of the world The French rapidly lost control of the situation and their small armies were forced out by local rulers of mobs. Surviving French troops coalesced in Ouagadougou, the only place they maintained control.
The King of Ouagadougou, Suguiri, had been appointed by the French after they deposed his brother. Many took the ISOT as a punishment against the pro-French Suguiri. His brother was exiled to British lands so he was gone, but the idea was a significant threat to his rule. Suguiri and the French worked together to try to restore unity to Upper Volta but it failed. A new religious movement that took portions from traditional Mossi beliefs and claimed to have explanations for the ISOT took control of the city of Boussouma. They called for the overthrow of Suguiri, believing he was a puppet of the Christians whom they blamed for the ISOT occurring. Suguiri was only able to turn back their forces due to the death of their first religious leader.
Due to the supernatural nature of the ISOT, many conflicts that were started over rivalries between kingdoms took on a religious nature. While Suguiri never converted directly to Christianity, due to the association of traditional beliefs with opposition to his rule and the fact that French soldiers influenced much of the council of nobles that decided secession, his heir Kom II did convert. The tide would slowly turn back in Ouagadougou's favor, conquering Boussouma, Tenkodogo in the South, and the smaller western cities up to the Gwiriko border, and the refugee clans in what once was Northern Ghana. And yet, they were never able to fully gain control of the region, taking serious losses in an invasion of Yatenga and pushed back by the traditionalists who now influenced Gurma.
Due to the weakening of Ouagadougou, its old rival Yatenga hoped to return to its place as a much more prominent city, and like in the south, religion would play a factor. Islam was popular in the north, and an Iman in Yatenga would overthrow the pro-French King and establish a theocratic government. Through clever diplomatic moves, utilizing fears of an Ouagadougou invasion, religious pressure, and occasionally just war, Ibrahim I was able to unite the Northern Kingdoms of Yatenga, Djilgodji, Oudalan, and Liptako the somewhat decentralized Yatenga Sultanate. After an attempted invasion by Ouagadougou failed, Ibrahim I was able to centralize his authority and implement a tax system with only a minor rebellion.
In the east remained the only part of Upper Volta that the French hadn't yet conquered: the Gurma Kingdom. While their culture was only similar to the Mossi the Gurma adopted the ideas of the Mossi traditionalists through its refugees after the fall of Boussouma. The Gurma Kings have adopted the idea that they remained the purist of all the kingdoms, unconquered by the French and never adopting a foreign faith. One of their main advantages is the simple fact that they managed to escape much of the violence in the region after the ISOT so they have a larger population. That was a large part of why they defeated a Ouagadougou invasion.
Finally, to the west, we have the Confederation of Gwirko. Unlike the Gurma, Gwirko has a completely different culture from the Mossi. They speak Dyula, related to the other Mande languages such as the Bambara language that was once spoken by the Mali Emperors. The establishment of the Confederation was a lot more messy than in other regions. Instead of fleeing to Ouagadougou most of the French troops in the region under a rogue officer stayed and fought. After their defeat, there was a dynastic struggle and a conflict with the remnants of the Kingdom of Kénédougou that resulted in the Confederation of Gwirko ending up a decentralized state. This has made Gwirko unable to react to outside threats. It did little when Ouagadougou conquered the smaller city-states to its west. Largely a Muslim country, many of its religious leaders look to Yatenga's government and favor something similar in the region.
Of course, there's the vast virgin earth. The whole thing that caused this mess. Expansion into the wilderness originally started with refugees fleeing from the wars of religion in the immediate aftermath of the ISOTs. Other than the Tueregs, these refugees were living not too far away from the old borders, these new communities organized themselves into clan structures. So when things started to calm down, the much more powerful Kingdoms conquered the first settlers. The wave of Ouagadougou wave of expansion resulted in them controlling the refugee clans in Northern Ghana. Yatenga would see a similar situation, with the rich lands of the Niger River now empty the Sultan was eager to expand further in the region. He hoped to use a resettled Niger Valley as a power base to complete his centralization efforts. However, Ouagadougou also noticed the future prospects of controlling the Niger, and there have already been clashes between Ouagadougou and Yatenga-backed clans by the year 10.
It's been 10 years, by the way, did I mention that? The fact that ISOT happened on January 1st has caused curiosity in the Gregorian Calendar, but many see it as a sign that the Europeans were to blame for the ISOT. The main people who still used the calendar were the French soldiers. They didn't celebrate much, it was a reminder of how much they had lost.
At the same time, there was a bright flash of light somewhere in Asia and a new region had been brought to this world. Not that the Upper Voltans would know about it until after the year 70.
Upper Volta in the year 10.
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Year 10 - Lingbei Province (Mongolia), Yuan China, 1300.
Year 10
Lingbei Province, Yuan China, 1300 is ISOTed to this world.
After Mongolia conquered much of Eurasia, their empire split apart into multiple pieces. The part ruling over China, the Yuan, ruled over the original Mongol homeland, now known as the Lingbei province. However, there was a conflict between the Mongol rulers who had settled into sedentary Chinese life and those who remained in the homeland. During succession crises, several "steppe candidates" attempted to gain the throne with the help of the Chagatai to increase the influence of the steppe in the Yuan state.
When the ISOT happened, the Mongol noble Khayishan was stationed with an army in Karakorum, the capital of the Lingbei province to prevent the nomadic princes from attempting to take the throne. When the Mongols were suddenly cut off from the rest of China, Khayishan declared himself Khan, choosing the reignal name Külüg. This claim was immediately contested by the steppe tribes as the ISOT was taken as a sign that sedentary life was a mistake and its being removed was divine judgment. Both sides had lost their supporters (the Chagatai Khanate and core China) but Khayishan had an army, so was able to defeat the first rebellions.
However, the nature of nomadic steppe tribes meant that it was very easy for those who opposed Külüg to just migrate away. Those weren't the only factors, as a lot of the land outside the Mongol borders was good grazing land now just empty. Külüg slowly lost recognition from tribes further away from Karakorum. Eventually, this coalesced into another rebellion that defeated Külüg's forces and sieged the capital. Seeing they were doomed to lose, his soldiers killed their commander and surrendered to the rebel leader. With this, central authority in Mongolia for the next 6 years mostly disintegrated. The various tribes recognized the new khan as their leader but mostly kept to themselves. There was no common threat to organize against or sedentary people to conquer, and the nomads did what they do best, migrated across the steppe. Karakorum remained a de facto independent city-state run by Külüg's armies and was the main trade center in the region. The Buryats, Oirats, and other tribes mostly ran themselves by the year 20.
Wait, there's still Upper Volta, what are they doing in these 10 years? Yeah for reasons I'm gonna cover their history over several decades all at once instead of just covering every 10 years cause it's easier and less repetitive.
In other news, there's a bright flash of light far to the west of the Mongolians
Mongolia, Year 20.
Lingbei Province, Yuan China, 1300 is ISOTed to this world.
After Mongolia conquered much of Eurasia, their empire split apart into multiple pieces. The part ruling over China, the Yuan, ruled over the original Mongol homeland, now known as the Lingbei province. However, there was a conflict between the Mongol rulers who had settled into sedentary Chinese life and those who remained in the homeland. During succession crises, several "steppe candidates" attempted to gain the throne with the help of the Chagatai to increase the influence of the steppe in the Yuan state.
When the ISOT happened, the Mongol noble Khayishan was stationed with an army in Karakorum, the capital of the Lingbei province to prevent the nomadic princes from attempting to take the throne. When the Mongols were suddenly cut off from the rest of China, Khayishan declared himself Khan, choosing the reignal name Külüg. This claim was immediately contested by the steppe tribes as the ISOT was taken as a sign that sedentary life was a mistake and its being removed was divine judgment. Both sides had lost their supporters (the Chagatai Khanate and core China) but Khayishan had an army, so was able to defeat the first rebellions.
However, the nature of nomadic steppe tribes meant that it was very easy for those who opposed Külüg to just migrate away. Those weren't the only factors, as a lot of the land outside the Mongol borders was good grazing land now just empty. Külüg slowly lost recognition from tribes further away from Karakorum. Eventually, this coalesced into another rebellion that defeated Külüg's forces and sieged the capital. Seeing they were doomed to lose, his soldiers killed their commander and surrendered to the rebel leader. With this, central authority in Mongolia for the next 6 years mostly disintegrated. The various tribes recognized the new khan as their leader but mostly kept to themselves. There was no common threat to organize against or sedentary people to conquer, and the nomads did what they do best, migrated across the steppe. Karakorum remained a de facto independent city-state run by Külüg's armies and was the main trade center in the region. The Buryats, Oirats, and other tribes mostly ran themselves by the year 20.
Wait, there's still Upper Volta, what are they doing in these 10 years? Yeah for reasons I'm gonna cover their history over several decades all at once instead of just covering every 10 years cause it's easier and less repetitive.
In other news, there's a bright flash of light far to the west of the Mongolians
Mongolia, Year 20.
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Year 20 - Roman Republic, March 15, -44
Year 20
Roman Republic, March 15, -44, ISOTed to this world.
The Roman Senate was not having a good time. After organizing a group stabbing of Julius Caesar, they soon found the Roman people were quite angry. Mark Antony, one of Caesar's allies riled up the commoners against the Senate, and they planned to flee to Greece. And then the news reached Rome; the rest of the empire was gone. Outside of Italia, there was just wilderness, all the cities and any sign of human life was gone, including Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily. Antony declared this to be a judgment of the gods against the Senate for the murder of their leader. The Roman populous agreed that the ISOT had happened the day Caesar was killed, and even some Senators surrendered themselves in the hopes of forgiveness. Unfortunately, mobs attacked the Senate killing most of them. Caesar's will was revealed, which stated that Octavian was to be Caesar's heir, but being in Greece during the ISOT he was gone. So Mark Antony declared himself Caesar's successor.
With seemingly divine approval and the elimination of his political opponents, Mark Antony did what the Senate feared Caesar would do. He declared himself King.
Romans resented Kings after the overthrow of the monarchy centuries ago, but the ISOT gave divine approval to the idea. At least Mark Antony pushed that idea and it was generally accepted.
Things were still rough for the Romans, however. Their empire outside of Italy alongside with most trade had disappeared. The economy quickly shattered and there was a growth of new cults, worshiping new or previously minor gods that were believed to be the cause of the ISOT. King Marcus I tried to push people's anger towards the Senate, while also supporting colonization attempted in the virgin earth. He reconvened the Senate, formed with the few Senators who weren't part of the conspiracy to kill Caesar while the rest were pro-Marcus appointees. Largely though the new Senate lacked real power and unanimously approved all of Marcus I's actions. Despite everything, some opposed the return of the monarchy to Rome. Marcus I's personal life was subject to several scandals due to him marrying and remarrying several times. His heir, Antyllus was only 13 by the year 30 and many considered that with Marcus I assassinated, the monarchy could end due to the heir being a child. To help with the economy Marcus I cut down severely on the size of the Roman army, as there was no one outside Rome to fight. It became mostly a force used by Marcus I to secure his throne from any possible rebellion. Roman recolonization was slow, taking place mostly in Corsica and Sicily, alongside part of Sardinia. There were also smaller settlements in Dalmatia and Northern Greece by the year 30.
"Wait what are the Mongols doing?"
Being nomadic probably. And I said I'm gonna cover Upper Volta later.
"This doesn't seem to be that interesting of an ISOT series if the ISOT's don't even interact and you aren't even covering them"
Okay, I didn't choose the ISOTs, they're just too far apart right now. And don't worry there will be plenty of cross-temporal interactions, it gets quite interesting next time. I'll cover what's been happening with Mongolia and Upper Volta too.
Speaking of that, the Roman settlers in the growing town of Nova Dalmatia, near OTL Durrës swear they heard a bright flash of light in the distance.
Kingdom of Rome, Year 30
Roman Republic, March 15, -44, ISOTed to this world.
The Roman Senate was not having a good time. After organizing a group stabbing of Julius Caesar, they soon found the Roman people were quite angry. Mark Antony, one of Caesar's allies riled up the commoners against the Senate, and they planned to flee to Greece. And then the news reached Rome; the rest of the empire was gone. Outside of Italia, there was just wilderness, all the cities and any sign of human life was gone, including Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily. Antony declared this to be a judgment of the gods against the Senate for the murder of their leader. The Roman populous agreed that the ISOT had happened the day Caesar was killed, and even some Senators surrendered themselves in the hopes of forgiveness. Unfortunately, mobs attacked the Senate killing most of them. Caesar's will was revealed, which stated that Octavian was to be Caesar's heir, but being in Greece during the ISOT he was gone. So Mark Antony declared himself Caesar's successor.
With seemingly divine approval and the elimination of his political opponents, Mark Antony did what the Senate feared Caesar would do. He declared himself King.
Romans resented Kings after the overthrow of the monarchy centuries ago, but the ISOT gave divine approval to the idea. At least Mark Antony pushed that idea and it was generally accepted.
Things were still rough for the Romans, however. Their empire outside of Italy alongside with most trade had disappeared. The economy quickly shattered and there was a growth of new cults, worshiping new or previously minor gods that were believed to be the cause of the ISOT. King Marcus I tried to push people's anger towards the Senate, while also supporting colonization attempted in the virgin earth. He reconvened the Senate, formed with the few Senators who weren't part of the conspiracy to kill Caesar while the rest were pro-Marcus appointees. Largely though the new Senate lacked real power and unanimously approved all of Marcus I's actions. Despite everything, some opposed the return of the monarchy to Rome. Marcus I's personal life was subject to several scandals due to him marrying and remarrying several times. His heir, Antyllus was only 13 by the year 30 and many considered that with Marcus I assassinated, the monarchy could end due to the heir being a child. To help with the economy Marcus I cut down severely on the size of the Roman army, as there was no one outside Rome to fight. It became mostly a force used by Marcus I to secure his throne from any possible rebellion. Roman recolonization was slow, taking place mostly in Corsica and Sicily, alongside part of Sardinia. There were also smaller settlements in Dalmatia and Northern Greece by the year 30.
"Wait what are the Mongols doing?"
Being nomadic probably. And I said I'm gonna cover Upper Volta later.
"This doesn't seem to be that interesting of an ISOT series if the ISOT's don't even interact and you aren't even covering them"
Okay, I didn't choose the ISOTs, they're just too far apart right now. And don't worry there will be plenty of cross-temporal interactions, it gets quite interesting next time. I'll cover what's been happening with Mongolia and Upper Volta too.
Speaking of that, the Roman settlers in the growing town of Nova Dalmatia, near OTL Durrës swear they heard a bright flash of light in the distance.
Kingdom of Rome, Year 30
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The loss of the mediterranean grain trade alone should've resulted in a major famine year 1 without some other intervention. By year 2 they could've compensated for the worst of it by putting emergency agricultural colonies on prime land near good harbors in e.g. Sicily or the Nile delta.
The Roman Army?
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Thanks! I'm glad you like it.
That's true, I probably should've considered that as a factor. We'll say there was a minor famine that contributed to unrest but wasn't that major because of the colonization of the virgin earth.
Fixed.
Year 30 - First Bulgarian Empire, 850
Year 30
First Bulgarian Empire, 850, ISOTed to this world.
The Bulgarian Empire had recently expanded quite far, conquering much of Macedonia from the Byzantines. Its current ruler, Presian I was becoming old and his son was ready for succession. Culturally Bulgaria was formed by the descendants of the Turkic Bulgar people, but by now had intermixed with the local Slavic peoples to the point where they were largely Slavic culturally, although this process wasn't complete by the time of the ISOT. Despite contact with the Byzantines Bulgaria was a pagan state, and Christianity was a minority religion common in the South usually among the Greek minority..
When the Bulgarians found the lands of Byzantines were replaced with wilderness, there was confusion mixed with celebration, and then more confusion. Bulgarian soldiers stationed near the Byzantine border contacted settlements from Albania, who were speaking Latin and claimed to be part of Rome.
The struggle against the Romans wasn't over, they were still in control of Italy. Somehow. The Bulgarians and Romans both had difficulty trying to figure out what was happening. Boris, the heir to the Kingdom had his own interpretation; the Romans had been weakened and it was their job to finish them off. When it turned out that these Romans were from after Caesar's death, it became clear to Boris that they had been sent back in time to destroy the Romans before they became a major power. He organized an army, and by the time his father died and he became Boris I of Bulgaria, the invasion of Rome had begun.
The Roman settlements in Albania and Greece lacked any real defenses, so quickly fell to Bulgaria. King Marcus I's response to these events was also confusion, considering there hadn't been contact with non-Romans for a decade. He was further confused hearing about a future Roman Empire that had ruled for centuries before falling. When finding out about the attack, he vowed revenge against the new Barbarians and organized the Roman army for an invasion. However the Roman army was small and underfunded by this point, and Bulgaria had better military technology, resulting in the Roman force being quickly defeated.
Boris I, however, wasn't content with just repelling the Romans, he wanted to conquer Rome itself. Slight issue, Bulgaria didn't really have a navy. So instead, Boris I marched his troops along the Dalmatian coast through the virgin earth, sacking the three Roman settlements for supplies along the way. By the time he reached Istria about a 1/4th of his army had died, but he was ready to do what Hanibal couldn't. Boris I seized most of Northern Italy, sacking several settlements to support his undersupplied army, and centered his operations in Placentia. He launched an attack south to capture Rome, causing Marcus I to flee South along with most of the Senate. However, a few Senators, generally anti-Marcus, stayed in Rome during the sack. They organized an army outside of the city to attack the Bulgarians until they were forced to retreat to the north. After their victory, the rump Senate declared Marcus I to be an illegitimate ruler and declared the restoration of the Republic. Rome had found itself in a civil war.
Boris I however wasn't able to take advantage of these events as in the year 35 one of his half-brothers had attempted to seize the throne, leading to him returning to Bulgaria on a fleet made up of captured Roman vessels. However, the fleet was sunk by the Roman navy, which both the Senate and Marcus I claimed credit for. As a result, the rebelling brother was able to secure control of Bulgaria and declare himself King Presian II. Boris I had left half of his army in Northern Italy under the command of his son Vladimir, who disputed Presian II's claim but decided to stay in Italy for the meantime.
Rome's civil war continued with neither side managing to have the upper hand. The Senate was generally more popular due to Marcus I's mismanagement of the war and their victory against the Bulgarians. The issue was, that whenever the Senate made progress against Marcus I in Neapolis (Naples), they faced a Bulgarian raid and were forced to retreat. The Bulgarians, in what was becoming known as the Western Bulgarian Empire, were unable to expand further due to focusing their troops on putting down rebellions. Famine, which had been reduced in magnitude by Marcus I originally began again due to the chaos of the war. The Roman colonies stayed neutral in the conflict, growing in population as they took in refugees from the fighting in Italia.
Religiously Rome was also going through changes, as the appearance and invasion by Bulgaria changed the preconceived notions on the ISOT. The knowledge that Rome would adopt a strange religion and survive only in Greece spread from Bulgaria to the Romans and had interesting results. King Marcus I was rather lucky that him being branded a traitor to Rome in OTL wasn't a fact known to the average Bulgarian. Religiously, this changed the ISOT cults and some of them incorporated them into their beliefs. Notably, one cult declared that the ISOT was done by a son of Zeus named Evanidus which he declared was the same person the Christians worshiped. They predicted that Evanidus would return to Earth in 30 years from the virgin Earth and destroy all those who didn't follow his faith. The Evandisites gained a large following but were persecuted by Marcus I and generally ignored by the Senate during the mess that was the ongoing Roman Civil War.
Not that things were much better in Bulgaria. Like with the previous ISOTs, the event destroyed trade routes and caused religious upheaval. This wasn't helped by the Bulgarian civil war. Despite the death of Boris I forces loyal to his son fought against the usurper Presian II. Even if they lost, large parts of the empire slipped away in the struggle. In the south, a Christian peasant rebellion under the self-declared brother of Jesus Christ took over the region and declared the Kingdom of Macedonia. In the north, in OTL Romania Bulgar control was always loose, but it quickly slipped away. Inspired by events in Italy the Latin-descended Wallachians declared independence and were united under the local ruler Gelou. They fought a multi-sided struggle against Avars, other Slavic groups, and Bulgarian forces. Despite Italy itself being in chaos the Roman settlements were able to regain their independence by backing a local ruler who opposed Presian II and broke off after he secured control of Bulgaria. The new Kingdom of Illyria is a multi-ethnic state containing a mix of Greeks, Romans, Albanians, and Bulgarians.
Like other Roman colonies, Illyria received immigrants from Romans fleeing famine and war. Despite losing much of the Empire the parts of the First Bulgarian Empire that survived were much further centralized because of the war. Most of the autonomous Slavic tribes lost their autonomy and were incorporated into the central Bulgarian state. One of the exceptions was the Ulichs in the East. While recognising the authority of the Bulgarian Empire they were largely autonomous and started to migrate East into the now-empty steppe.
Speaking of the steppe, Mongolia has been going through its changes in the past 20 years. While the new Khan Zasagt had little control other than ceremonial recognition by the Mongolian tribes, there was a period of relative peace. Tribes still went to Zasagt to resolve disputes between themselves, usually over control of a part of the virgin earth. As the Mongols colonized the empty steppes tribes sometimes clashed over who had grazing rights over a specific area. But in 25, Zasagt died resulting in a 3-way civil war between his sons. In the end, the winner was no one due to the tribes being fed up with the war and choosing to recognize no one. This ended the previous tradition of tribes resolving disputes through the Khan, and local conflict grew more common.
Smaller, regional Khanates formed as a result of this. In the West, a struggle between several tribes resulted in the Oirat forming a Khanate that ruled over the Khoshuts, various Turkic tribes, and the former lands of Torghuts. The Torghuts were forced to migrate away further into Kazakhstan. In the North, a warlord united the Buryat tribes and attacked the Khalkha to the south, where many of them fled to the growing city of Karakorum. Karakorum during this time remained an important trade center and influenced its hinterlands. In the West, several different Khanates ruled, most notably the Kharchin. They had migrated to the Chinese coast and established sedentary fishing villages on the coast.
Changes had also occurred in the descendants of Upper Volta. The region was already quite densely populated and with the virgin earth there's been a massive population boom, resulting in the country doubling its population from 2.2 million up to 4. This has sped up the settlement of the virgin Earth. Ouagadougou and Yetanga clashed over the Niger River valley in several wars, which in the end culminated with Ouagadougou seizing most of Macina while Yetanga controlled the more eastern regions. Rudimentary mills and the beginnings of industrialization were beginning on the contested river. While technology had decayed backward there was an attempt by both Ouagadougou and Yatenga to preserve the knowledge and technologies of the past, and gunpowder use remained common in both states.
The Muslim Yatenga, specifically had created an expedition that was intended to travel to Mecca through the Virgin Earth. It was a grand plan, which included large amounts of women in the expedition as it was predicted to take several generations to reach Mecca if it even still existed. Sultan Ibrahim I was very determined to fund the expedition due to religious reasons and sent his youngest son along with it to be their leader. They would be mainly guided by the nomadic Tuareg people who had experience crossing the desert. Launched in the year 17, by the year 30 it had reached OTL Sudan after getting a bit lost.
Ouagadougou meanwhile remained a Catholic nation, and the French troops intermarried with the city's nobles creating a mixed-race ruling class. They pushed the Kings of Ouagadougou to expand to the south to the African coast, with a distant hope of creating ships and sailing back to France. So far, they've established the coastal settlement of Port-Français but it remains a relatively small town. The fact that no one has lived on the coast for 30 years now means that naval technology has regressed and the best boats are adapted for river transit. Politically, many in the nation still resented French influence in the country. This was especially true in the colonized territories of Macina, which retain autonomy and generally follow more traditional beliefs. As a result, the people there rebelled against Ouagadougou and achieved independence with Yatengan support. After this, the other edges of the Ouagadougou Kingdom broke off and declared independence, with Boussouma once again being retaken by the Kingdom of Gurma. Most of the eastern parts up to Gwirko are small independent city-states, including Gwiriko itself. The loose confederation collapsed with the decline of Ouagadougou and while its formal capital Bobo-Dioulasso is still an important city, the region is split into a handful of states, including many in what was formerly virgin Earth. Gurma meanwhile, split a lot like Ouagadougou, with the colonies breaking off. This was a conflict between the more radical traditionalists of Boussouma versus the old Gurman nobility and the growing Muslim population. The Muslims broke free as the Imamate of Niamey, now a Yatengan vassal. Meanwhile, the radical traditionalists control much of the original Gurma and Boussouma, leaving the old Kingdom only surviving as a rump state in the new settlement Yenkpaari. In the North, the Tuareg people established the Confederation of Kel Tigras where Timbuktu once was.
Despite all the losses Ouagadougou has faced, it's still a strong power, and increasingly focused on colonizing the south. The hope of returning to France has turned into an almost religious idea, of a promised land, supported not just by the descendants of the French but a lot of the Catholics in Ouagadougou.
Which is notable, considering the bright flash of light occurring quite far to their north.
Eurasia in the year 40
First Bulgarian Empire, 850, ISOTed to this world.
The Bulgarian Empire had recently expanded quite far, conquering much of Macedonia from the Byzantines. Its current ruler, Presian I was becoming old and his son was ready for succession. Culturally Bulgaria was formed by the descendants of the Turkic Bulgar people, but by now had intermixed with the local Slavic peoples to the point where they were largely Slavic culturally, although this process wasn't complete by the time of the ISOT. Despite contact with the Byzantines Bulgaria was a pagan state, and Christianity was a minority religion common in the South usually among the Greek minority..
When the Bulgarians found the lands of Byzantines were replaced with wilderness, there was confusion mixed with celebration, and then more confusion. Bulgarian soldiers stationed near the Byzantine border contacted settlements from Albania, who were speaking Latin and claimed to be part of Rome.
The struggle against the Romans wasn't over, they were still in control of Italy. Somehow. The Bulgarians and Romans both had difficulty trying to figure out what was happening. Boris, the heir to the Kingdom had his own interpretation; the Romans had been weakened and it was their job to finish them off. When it turned out that these Romans were from after Caesar's death, it became clear to Boris that they had been sent back in time to destroy the Romans before they became a major power. He organized an army, and by the time his father died and he became Boris I of Bulgaria, the invasion of Rome had begun.
The Roman settlements in Albania and Greece lacked any real defenses, so quickly fell to Bulgaria. King Marcus I's response to these events was also confusion, considering there hadn't been contact with non-Romans for a decade. He was further confused hearing about a future Roman Empire that had ruled for centuries before falling. When finding out about the attack, he vowed revenge against the new Barbarians and organized the Roman army for an invasion. However the Roman army was small and underfunded by this point, and Bulgaria had better military technology, resulting in the Roman force being quickly defeated.
Boris I, however, wasn't content with just repelling the Romans, he wanted to conquer Rome itself. Slight issue, Bulgaria didn't really have a navy. So instead, Boris I marched his troops along the Dalmatian coast through the virgin earth, sacking the three Roman settlements for supplies along the way. By the time he reached Istria about a 1/4th of his army had died, but he was ready to do what Hanibal couldn't. Boris I seized most of Northern Italy, sacking several settlements to support his undersupplied army, and centered his operations in Placentia. He launched an attack south to capture Rome, causing Marcus I to flee South along with most of the Senate. However, a few Senators, generally anti-Marcus, stayed in Rome during the sack. They organized an army outside of the city to attack the Bulgarians until they were forced to retreat to the north. After their victory, the rump Senate declared Marcus I to be an illegitimate ruler and declared the restoration of the Republic. Rome had found itself in a civil war.
Boris I however wasn't able to take advantage of these events as in the year 35 one of his half-brothers had attempted to seize the throne, leading to him returning to Bulgaria on a fleet made up of captured Roman vessels. However, the fleet was sunk by the Roman navy, which both the Senate and Marcus I claimed credit for. As a result, the rebelling brother was able to secure control of Bulgaria and declare himself King Presian II. Boris I had left half of his army in Northern Italy under the command of his son Vladimir, who disputed Presian II's claim but decided to stay in Italy for the meantime.
Rome's civil war continued with neither side managing to have the upper hand. The Senate was generally more popular due to Marcus I's mismanagement of the war and their victory against the Bulgarians. The issue was, that whenever the Senate made progress against Marcus I in Neapolis (Naples), they faced a Bulgarian raid and were forced to retreat. The Bulgarians, in what was becoming known as the Western Bulgarian Empire, were unable to expand further due to focusing their troops on putting down rebellions. Famine, which had been reduced in magnitude by Marcus I originally began again due to the chaos of the war. The Roman colonies stayed neutral in the conflict, growing in population as they took in refugees from the fighting in Italia.
Religiously Rome was also going through changes, as the appearance and invasion by Bulgaria changed the preconceived notions on the ISOT. The knowledge that Rome would adopt a strange religion and survive only in Greece spread from Bulgaria to the Romans and had interesting results. King Marcus I was rather lucky that him being branded a traitor to Rome in OTL wasn't a fact known to the average Bulgarian. Religiously, this changed the ISOT cults and some of them incorporated them into their beliefs. Notably, one cult declared that the ISOT was done by a son of Zeus named Evanidus which he declared was the same person the Christians worshiped. They predicted that Evanidus would return to Earth in 30 years from the virgin Earth and destroy all those who didn't follow his faith. The Evandisites gained a large following but were persecuted by Marcus I and generally ignored by the Senate during the mess that was the ongoing Roman Civil War.
Not that things were much better in Bulgaria. Like with the previous ISOTs, the event destroyed trade routes and caused religious upheaval. This wasn't helped by the Bulgarian civil war. Despite the death of Boris I forces loyal to his son fought against the usurper Presian II. Even if they lost, large parts of the empire slipped away in the struggle. In the south, a Christian peasant rebellion under the self-declared brother of Jesus Christ took over the region and declared the Kingdom of Macedonia. In the north, in OTL Romania Bulgar control was always loose, but it quickly slipped away. Inspired by events in Italy the Latin-descended Wallachians declared independence and were united under the local ruler Gelou. They fought a multi-sided struggle against Avars, other Slavic groups, and Bulgarian forces. Despite Italy itself being in chaos the Roman settlements were able to regain their independence by backing a local ruler who opposed Presian II and broke off after he secured control of Bulgaria. The new Kingdom of Illyria is a multi-ethnic state containing a mix of Greeks, Romans, Albanians, and Bulgarians.
Like other Roman colonies, Illyria received immigrants from Romans fleeing famine and war. Despite losing much of the Empire the parts of the First Bulgarian Empire that survived were much further centralized because of the war. Most of the autonomous Slavic tribes lost their autonomy and were incorporated into the central Bulgarian state. One of the exceptions was the Ulichs in the East. While recognising the authority of the Bulgarian Empire they were largely autonomous and started to migrate East into the now-empty steppe.
Speaking of the steppe, Mongolia has been going through its changes in the past 20 years. While the new Khan Zasagt had little control other than ceremonial recognition by the Mongolian tribes, there was a period of relative peace. Tribes still went to Zasagt to resolve disputes between themselves, usually over control of a part of the virgin earth. As the Mongols colonized the empty steppes tribes sometimes clashed over who had grazing rights over a specific area. But in 25, Zasagt died resulting in a 3-way civil war between his sons. In the end, the winner was no one due to the tribes being fed up with the war and choosing to recognize no one. This ended the previous tradition of tribes resolving disputes through the Khan, and local conflict grew more common.
Smaller, regional Khanates formed as a result of this. In the West, a struggle between several tribes resulted in the Oirat forming a Khanate that ruled over the Khoshuts, various Turkic tribes, and the former lands of Torghuts. The Torghuts were forced to migrate away further into Kazakhstan. In the North, a warlord united the Buryat tribes and attacked the Khalkha to the south, where many of them fled to the growing city of Karakorum. Karakorum during this time remained an important trade center and influenced its hinterlands. In the West, several different Khanates ruled, most notably the Kharchin. They had migrated to the Chinese coast and established sedentary fishing villages on the coast.
Changes had also occurred in the descendants of Upper Volta. The region was already quite densely populated and with the virgin earth there's been a massive population boom, resulting in the country doubling its population from 2.2 million up to 4. This has sped up the settlement of the virgin Earth. Ouagadougou and Yetanga clashed over the Niger River valley in several wars, which in the end culminated with Ouagadougou seizing most of Macina while Yetanga controlled the more eastern regions. Rudimentary mills and the beginnings of industrialization were beginning on the contested river. While technology had decayed backward there was an attempt by both Ouagadougou and Yatenga to preserve the knowledge and technologies of the past, and gunpowder use remained common in both states.
The Muslim Yatenga, specifically had created an expedition that was intended to travel to Mecca through the Virgin Earth. It was a grand plan, which included large amounts of women in the expedition as it was predicted to take several generations to reach Mecca if it even still existed. Sultan Ibrahim I was very determined to fund the expedition due to religious reasons and sent his youngest son along with it to be their leader. They would be mainly guided by the nomadic Tuareg people who had experience crossing the desert. Launched in the year 17, by the year 30 it had reached OTL Sudan after getting a bit lost.
Ouagadougou meanwhile remained a Catholic nation, and the French troops intermarried with the city's nobles creating a mixed-race ruling class. They pushed the Kings of Ouagadougou to expand to the south to the African coast, with a distant hope of creating ships and sailing back to France. So far, they've established the coastal settlement of Port-Français but it remains a relatively small town. The fact that no one has lived on the coast for 30 years now means that naval technology has regressed and the best boats are adapted for river transit. Politically, many in the nation still resented French influence in the country. This was especially true in the colonized territories of Macina, which retain autonomy and generally follow more traditional beliefs. As a result, the people there rebelled against Ouagadougou and achieved independence with Yatengan support. After this, the other edges of the Ouagadougou Kingdom broke off and declared independence, with Boussouma once again being retaken by the Kingdom of Gurma. Most of the eastern parts up to Gwirko are small independent city-states, including Gwiriko itself. The loose confederation collapsed with the decline of Ouagadougou and while its formal capital Bobo-Dioulasso is still an important city, the region is split into a handful of states, including many in what was formerly virgin Earth. Gurma meanwhile, split a lot like Ouagadougou, with the colonies breaking off. This was a conflict between the more radical traditionalists of Boussouma versus the old Gurman nobility and the growing Muslim population. The Muslims broke free as the Imamate of Niamey, now a Yatengan vassal. Meanwhile, the radical traditionalists control much of the original Gurma and Boussouma, leaving the old Kingdom only surviving as a rump state in the new settlement Yenkpaari. In the North, the Tuareg people established the Confederation of Kel Tigras where Timbuktu once was.
Despite all the losses Ouagadougou has faced, it's still a strong power, and increasingly focused on colonizing the south. The hope of returning to France has turned into an almost religious idea, of a promised land, supported not just by the descendants of the French but a lot of the Catholics in Ouagadougou.
Which is notable, considering the bright flash of light occurring quite far to their north.
Eurasia in the year 40
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The next ISOT was going to be 1789 France, and I wrote quite a lot, but I realized that it would be too overpowered compared to the other states in the region.
So I'm going to do some other ISOT instead, not sure which, I haven't decided yet but I was thinking something in North Africa
So I'm going to do some other ISOT instead, not sure which, I haven't decided yet but I was thinking something in North Africa
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