Turtledove And Stirling

Turtledove And Stirling:

A scenario suggested by pattontank12. This is an ASB scenario crossing over TL 191, the Domination of Draka, Worldwar and Emberverse. Will also reference Ephraim Ben Raphael's “Bring Me Men To Match My Mountains” TL for technology and some socio-political developments in the Emberverse world.

Everything begins when the Netherlands directly participate in the American Revolutionary War and lose their Cape colony to the British who name it Draka. After the war ends the British settle American loyalists in the area and end up kick-starting the expansion of the colony into the surrounding area. The Draka, as the colonists start calling themselves, keep their slaves after the imposition of abolition on the British Empire by changing the terminology and somehow pulling wool over Britain's eyes. They also begin to expand across Africa with British support, annexing massive tracts of land.

Like OTL the American Civil War takes place. In this turn of events however, the Confederacy manages to recover Lee's plans for an offensive on Maryland. Without these plans the Union is unable to counteract it in time and the Confederacy actually achieves a strong enough military position to force a victory on the US. The Confederacy declares its independence and secedes from the Union altogether.

By the end of the 19^th Century new alliance systems have formed with the UK, France, Russia and the Confederacy on one side and the USA, Germany, Austria-Hungary and (nominally) the Ottoman Turk Empire on the other. After conquering pretty much all of Africa the Draka declares independence and announces the formation of the Domination of Draka. They double down on their slavery and eugenics based ideology and declare anyone not already descended from a Draka citizen a subhuman fit only to be enslaved (they term free humans feral serfs).

The first Great War takes place between the Entente and the Alliance. The Entente suffers a loss in the war with the Russians and Confederacy suffering the worst. The Alliance, or at last the European bits, get distracted however when the Draka invade the Middle East and conquer the Ottoman Empire.

The Second Great War begins when the former Entente nations, most of whom ended up under totalitarian governments of some sort, face off against the Alliance. The Draka, always looking for an opportunity, start to make moves into the Balkans and West Asia as violence erupts in Europe and North America. The Japanese, who had been worrying their way through Taiping China, also take the opportunity to move against the under-defended European colonies in East Asia.

Its as the war reaches its height in 1942 that everything changes.

In 1941 a race of reptilian aliens known simply as the Race arrived in orbit over Earth. Their invasion fleet, which had sent probes to investigate were surprised to find that humanity had developed so quickly. Surprised at seeing such rapid advancement, they tried to accommodate the new variables in their invasion. They re-evaluated their invasion plans to accommodate the technological changes and then attacked a year later.

They detonated several nuclear missiles in the upper atmosphere to try to cripple humanity with the resultant EMP. Unfortunately the only nations that had already begun to incorporate transistors into their machinery were the Draka. The other nations, however, whilst on the verge of discovery such technology, still relied on vacuum tubes. What's more the humans were able to bring down a Race ship carrying nuclear materials and began to speed up their nuclear weapons programs with the material they had acquired.

The Race are more advanced than the human states but not by much. Their military technology is only at 21^st Century levels of advancement which gives them an advantage but it is a gap that ends being very easy to fill. Eventually their only true advantage comes comes from their nuclear weapons and the ability to deploy forces from orbit.

The Race see the most success in the less developed portions of the world, rampaging through Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa and most of Asia. Australia, with its low population and favourable climate for the reptilian Race, is also overrun.

The war changes completely as the various powers of the world are forced to set aside their own conflicts in order to fight against the Race. It finally ends in 1944 when the human powers manage to develop their own nuclear weapons and force a truce on the alien invaders. A tense treaty is signed that allows the Race to keep most of their conquered territories. The United States, Confederate States, German Empire (and their closest vassals), Austrian Empire, United Kingdom, Russian Empire, Japanese Empire and Domination of Draka are left as independent states. The British lose nearly all of their empire with the exception of Canada and a few islands that the Race hadn't gotten around to attacking yet. The Draka also lose nearly half their empire, rallying only in Southern Africa.

For the next forty years the world continues to exist in a tense peace with humanity and the Race trying to adapt to gain an advantage over one another on Earth and in space. This arms/space race, however, is not too overt in order to keep an actual war from breaking out.

Everything changes in 1998 with the Change when an inexplicable event takes place. Across the entire world gunpowder and technology that relies on electricity or high-pressure steam no longer functions as it should. Whilst natural processes that need such forces do continue as they should all artificial technology is rendered inoperable. The entire planet falls apart as technological societies are suddenly deprived of the machinery they need to function. Billions die as starving urbanites turn on one another and strip entire regions of the planet clean of whatever they can find to eat.

Survivors held out in areas that were both defensible and capable of supporting a large enough population to rebuild society. Though technology never returned the organised survivors were able to recover pre-industrial technology and adapt some of it with the more modern theories. Surviving governments tried to re-establish their old nations whilst most groups simply set up completely new countries.

By 2100 the world has changed a lot. After the catastrophe of the Change the old status quo was almost completely obliterated but a new one has emerged to take its place.

Despite the limitations the Change placed on the world and the loss of so much progress, technology has changed. At first horses saw a return to the value they had in the medieval era but heavy-cavalry soon died out again. With the recovery of pike and shot (based on crossbows) tactics, barbed wire and trench warfare, knights cataphracts and the other derivatives of the theme died out once again. Cavalry are more commonly used as scouts in support of infantry or take the form of mounted infantry (who on occasion do aid in running down retreating enemies through harassment or running them down if they rout). Workhorses are also seeing reduced use as water-wheels and low-pressure steam engines start to take up the slack in the growing industries.

Though proper chemical weapons are beyond the technology that is still available, some forms of chemical weapons have returned. A form of fire-thrower is common amongst the more powerful and technologically minded nation. Siege engines with complex reloading mechanisms also make conducting the gruelling task of siege warfare a little easier. Unfortunately the methods of fortifying locations remain far more sophisticated than the Middle Ages. Castles are notoriously hard to break into, especially if the defenders have the time to build trench networks and other obstacles around them. Sieges are even more time-consuming and costly affairs than they were in the past.

Though they cannot be run by engines airships and hot-air balloons do still see use. They serve as observation platforms in war, sometimes even in the thick of battle, sending messages through complex signalling systems. Mirrors and semaphore have made communication over distance easier as well as relays of horse mounted messengers. The more organized nations have entire networks of communication to help in administration and other tasks (the Royal Postal Service is especially famous in the UK).

Industry is returning and old-fashioned craftsmanship is declining in major cities. Though these new factories are very limited in scope and scale the major rivers, where their currents can drive massive waterwheels, are seeing greater numbers of manufacturing complexes pop up on their shores. Special light-weight locomotives driven by low-pressure steam engines have been developed though they are rather weak and only a few nations yet have the knowledge to build them. Most locomotives are instead pulled by teams of oxen instead as do the machines of many industries as well.

Though limited the field of mechanical engineering is also expanding. Clockwork is still largely in the realms of timepieces and toys but many engineers are willing to experiment with massive and complex machines that look like Rube-Goldberg machines. Mechanical calculators and typewriters have made a comeback though and are doing wonders for literacy rates and mathematics. The recovery of mass industry has allowed this mechanical renaissance to take place and new inventions are made possible by the expansion of the world's manufacturing base.

Sea travel took time to recover but eventually new oceanic routes were made. Clipper ships are the most effective means of travelling the seas now. Made of wood but reinforced with steel internal supports, these ships are also the most effective warships on the seas now. In some cases these steel beam reinforced ships have been able to be built to sizes previous wooden ships were never able to reach. Many are also armed with larger versions of fire-throwers but they are normally outfitted with ballista and other forms of artillery instead.

Though technically not the strongest, the most influential nation on Earth is the British Empire. Despite suffering a lot in the 20^th Century the Change provided a lot of opportunities for the United Kingdom. Thanks to geography, organisation and a fair bit of luck, the British were able to save more people than most of Europe and were able to grab more land and revive the allegiance of several of their surviving former colonies such as Canada and New Zealand. The British Empire, with its relatively large population and resource base and its substantial military power went on to become the closest thing to a superpower in the early 21^st Century.

Thanks to geography, expertise and the fact that the Race has no naval tradition, the British were also able to steal a march on overseas exploration and trade. Maintaining the largest fleet on the planet, the Royal Navy is a powerful fighting force known across the world for its speed and deadliness.

The United Kingdom itself is a powerful nation with a centralised system. Despite a brief turn towards direct neo-feudalism the remains of parliament, who had been evacuated with the royal family, were able to establish an adaptation of the more modernised institution with comparative speed. The royal family does have more power than it did before the Change but the representative government is still an influential political entity. Parliament is rather elitist again. Though the franchise is universal most MP candidates come from the upper class and the Commons tend to practise exclusivity. Like most modern nations they have moved beyond knights and similar armoured land-owners and the aristocracy looks similar to what had existed in the 18^th Century.

British society is somewhat neo-medieval thanks to a revival in the early years of the post-Change. It almost reached Renaissance Faire levels of ridiculousness thanks to the predilections of the king at the time but thankfully calmed down after that. Britain is elitist but it appears to be more similar to the old class system rather a than a feudal structure and there is a fair amount of social mobility. One thing that is common in British society – and the empire as a whole – is a reverence for the monarchy who serve as a unifying national and imperial symbol. Portions of the more cosmopolitan culture created by immigrants and refugees from other countries can still be seen thanks to noticeable Black minority that thrives in the UK and other parts of British Europe.

The British Empire, such as it is, is a complex entity. Whilst the United Kingdom and its immediate territories off of the British Isles are centralised and under the authority of London, the majority of the empire is autonomous. Economic and political ties and, in many cases, military dependency, keep the dominions, territories, vassals and protectorates together.

Though the ocean separates Britain from much of its empire the Royal Navy and the re-establishment of oceanic routes and trade networks has linked the empire together again. The dominions are all self-governing with their own parliaments but acknowledge the British monarchy. Though most are also self-sufficient many are dependent on the UK and other important dominions for whatever they cannot acquire themselves. Others are instead dependent on regions with more expansive or successful manufacturing bases for necessary goods.

The revived Holy Roman Empire, a confusing political entity formed after the reconciliation of the Catholic and Anglican Churches (actual dogma is still being worked out even to this day), extends the British Empire further. The nations of the new HRE are subjects of the British crown but that is in their capacity as Emperor of the West. The position is hereditary and tied to the British crown now but it carries little real authority. The organisation is largely used as a foundation for the alliance system that Britain has established with the few nations that survived in Western Europe.

Through their close relationship with the Papacy the British have begun to make successful incursions into former Race controlled South America. Despite the Race shuffling populations around a lot to reduce rebellion Catholics do still dominate the continent and they have been more than happy to receive support against the Race nations that have emerged on the continent.

The North American Continent has experienced a lot of turmoil, largely due to the fact that it actually had a higher survival rate than most other developed areas of the globe. Though several states did end up claiming the title of United States of America, the Confederacy's secession did set up the idea that new countries could emerge from the USA.

The most unique of the post-US nations is the bizarre and diverse Kingdom of Montival. Montival is actually closer to a federation in nature being made up of numerous different factions and minor nations. The government is complex, centred around an electoral monarchy but with a representative government underneath based on the academic senate of the Corvallis constituent. Despite the developed nature of the region, Montival is somewhat neo-feudal, especially in the kingdom's largest constituent, the Portland Protection Association. Despite being large, prosperous and well developed, Montival is comparatively weak due to the decentralisation of the kingdom and the contentions between several of the member states.

Montival is famous not only for its diversity but the bizarre ideas it holds. It is the only nation in the former US/Confederacy sphere that calls itself a kingdom. They also give official titles that are reminiscent of European aristocracy with knights (the position but not necessarily the armoured horseman), dukes and even titles granted to fictional authorities (we're looking at you Dunedain) existing. There are also the more abnormal political groups such as the Clan Mackenzie, an openly Wicca society based around their own elected sub-monarchy who, in a still explicitly Christian continent, stand out heavily for their religious leanings. They are in a decline though as the PPA and their political and religious predilections take over more of Montival.

The Mormons, a group who had already been dissatisfied with the US since the Second Great War, broke completely from the US. Having a high survival rate and a degree of cultural and religious separation from the rest of the former US, they had little trouble establishing their own independent nation.

New Deseret is a middling power but a huge player in the former Western United States. Desert is a republic with some theocratic elements. They have gotten past the stage where they only ever enfranchised Mormons and converts but since Mormons are the clear majority now it doesn’t make much of a difference what the Christian minority believe. They are actually very much opposed to the US successor states that want to reunite the country and have fought wars with states such as Boise and Kansas, both of whom claim the title. They are also adept at setting up sophisticated irrigation networks which were useful practise when they began to move west into former California.

Despite facing competition from Montival and various Mexican and Race petty states (and to a lesser extent British, Hawaiians and Japanese) it was the Mormons who managed to claim California and settle it. For a while Deseret ruled an empire that stretched from former Texas to the Pacific Coast and ruled everything between Montival and former Baja California. It didn't last.

The Republic of Goshen has done well for itself since they managed to break free of Deseret. Despite violently seceding from Deseret they are actually on decent terms with Salt Lake City and has a number of trade agreements with them. The ports have been rebuilt and reopened for trade with the British, Japanese and other nautical powers of the Pacific. Goshen is more cosmopolitan than Deseret and not as religiously conservative. With most of the Mormon settlers moving to the coast the surviving communities in the more mountainous interior have remained largely Christian, preserving a decent sized minority. Catholics from Northern Mexico, which is still mostly in the hands of the Race, are also moving in, causing some concern amongst the Mormon population as they grow in numbers.

Out of all of the states to claim the title of 'United States of America', Kansas is the strongest. Despite having a relatively poor start, Kansas was able to build up a power-base and explode onto the world stage through their successful colonisation of Texas. They have had to fight numerous wars with the Race states in Mexico but the result of such conflicts was the creation of a modern and efficient professional army that has made Kansas especially formidable.

Kansas, despite mostly occupying former Confederate territory, is a Union state and culturally devoted to the idea of rebuilding the United States in its entirety, including the former Confederate lands. Kansas is a representative democracy that has near universal enfranchisement. The militancy they developed during the early years of their expansion did lead to male suffrage getting tied back to military service again. They also have a complex national network of postal services that was built out of the systems put in place during the early wars of expansion that has become famous (to those who care about such things).

Kansas has a worrying Race minority that has drifted north from Mexico. They are not accepted by the people of Kansas who have fought numerous wars with the more organised Race states to their south. Race banditry is common in the southern territories which has led to an extended military presence in the region. There are a few assimilated Race communities who have been raised by humans and – whilst still abnormal due to instinctive differences – have been culturally and religiously converted. Race troops even serve in the Kansas army though they have to be put in separate battalions.

Arkansas was the only significant part of the Confederate States to avoid becoming a Death Zone and remain a large organized entity. With little real competition at the time except for Iowa to the north, Arkansas was able to expand south and east exponentially before hitting neighbours stable and strong enough to hold them off.

Arkansas is a highly developed state that has built its own military machine that has been tested against Kansas and the various states that have popped up east of Mississippi. The state does tend to discriminate against the black population but they are unable to maintain the complex segregationist system that had existed prior to the Change. Though they did not revive slavery the surviving black population was given the worst work when they were rebuilding the infrastructure of the state. They are the most powerful post-Confederacy state and have the ambition of reviving the Confederate States and building a new empire.

Arkansas is a deeply religious state that has severe theocratic elements in their government. They are a democratic state but candidates who do not explicitly advertise their faith and do not have the approval of the church tend not to get elected. Churches are often high centres of authority in nearly all communities and the church tends to be a powerful influence in politics. Black churches have finally been accepted by the government and it is slowly making some effort to reduce discrimination. They have been trying to perfect their own transportation and communication network but the cost of keeping the black population under control hampers their efforts to expand the infrastructure further.

In the north is the United States of Boise, one of the larger post-US states to claim the title 'United States of America'. For a time much of the north of the former US was under an expansionist theocracy called the Church Universal and Triumphant. This entity fell apart in the 2050s however and their strongest vassal state took over much of the area.

Boise is a hereditary dictatorship ruled by the general-presidents of the Thurston Dynasty and backed by a militarised government that supports their rule. The representative government has about as much power as the senate of Rome at the height of the imperial government and has little real power. The army is the real power (with the Thurstons as the supreme commanders of course) and always supersedes the senate though at times they have also played kingmaker and deposed general-presidents that do something the high command dislike. More compliant members of the family are then chosen by the generals and put on the throne at Boise.

Boise culture is highly stratified with a clear hierarchy based on the professional army that the first general-president set up. Like Kansas they claim to be the direct continuation of the original United States and, like Kansas, plan to not only reunite the nation but also reclaim the former Confederacy as well. Society is also highly centralised and organised despite the occasional periods of political turbulence which has allowed them to remain a formidable military power.

The Boise do still face a lot of trouble from various other states that had been under CUT control and broke free after they collapsed. By far the most dangerous are the various Canadian dominions and petty kingdoms that have been cobbling a federation together. The Sioux and various horse-nomad groups descended from rancher federations are another recurring problem for the Biose military that have yet to be conquered.

Russia fell apart but due to sheer size managed to leave behind several successor states. For much of the immediate post-Change era they existed as various divided minor states, many of them some form of horse-nomad culture as well.

The New Russian Empire is being built by Belograd, one of the more successful Russian states. It is in fact the nation that housed the surviving members of the Romanov family and is an almost traditional absolutist state. They have picked up the new organisational skills and systems developed by the British and neighbouring Norrlanders and have been trying to emulate it with their own empire. Russian modernisation has been difficult and much of the empire is still under a neo-feudal system. The tsar is still an absolute monarch but the bureaucracy is a modernised institution that is helping the empire's expansion.

Russia is a nation that is still in a state of transition. They are still trying to unify the post-Event Russian states and are assimilating Slavs, Tartars and Turks that built their own horse-nomad nations after the old Russian Empire collapsed. They are a very decentralised entity that even offers privileges to certain groups that cooperated with them in the earlier stages of their periods of expansion. Cossacks and certain Tartars are the largest and most powerful of these groups and often have some kind of cultural autonomy in return for their loyalty and service.

Russia has revived a lot of traditional institutions that were declining in power prior to the Change. The Orthodox Church is being promoted by the government and the old aristocracy has recovered a lot of its power. The government, as a whole, is closer to an oligarchy of nobles and bureaucrats. With the further development of the government and the infrastructure the pool of people with political power is enlarging again. The majority of the army is made up of mounted infantry and horse-archers but rail-roads and oxen-drawn trains are being made in order to support the logistics train of Russia's military.

The Draka, especially dependent on technology to maintain their empire, suffered horribly. Starving serfs and citizens tore each other apart as the Domination crumbled. The infrastructure that the Draka had built did help the surviving people of Africa establish new nations though.

The Archonate of Kenia - which was heavily settled by citizens but not overpopulated and firmly in Draka control – is the strongest post-Change Draka state today. Like their ancestors they are a slaver state predicated on racial segregation and disenfranchisement. They have been forced to accept new immigrants into the citizen population in order to increase their numbers but they are usually white people that settle in the state.

Whilst Kenia does have a stable serf population the more primitive technology and the need to prevent rebellion have lowered the standards of safety that the Draka used to uphold. It is often common for the citizens of Kenia to cull the serf population in rebellious regions in order to make examples to the others. The Kenians have built up an army of privateers and semi-independent mounted militia that serve as a corp of slavers that raid the surrounding regions in order to acquire new serfs. Though these groups are private enterprises they are under the employ of the government and the markets they sell to are run by the state.

Kenia is highly stratified and draws from the society that Sparta established. The old eugenics programs that the Draka used to uphold are now even more draconian with citizens who fail to uphold the standards the state sets on them being abandoned in the wilderness to die. Strict training regimens keep the citizenry in peak physical condition and well trained in military tactics. It is required that they all maintain this regimen well into their lives so that they can be conscripted should the army need them. Every citizen is a potential levy but women tend to be left out of any drafts unless the situation is drastic.

The Kenian Draka still uphold the old ideas of their race's natural superiority over all other humans. This idea had also been extended to the Race who make difficult slaves. Though some of their more high-tech methods of control such as monitored collars, electro-shock techniques and pheromone controls are impossible the Kenians have continued many of the brutal suppression tactics employed by the old Domination.

It has been the dream of every Kenian archon to reunite the Domination and then complete the conquest of the world that their ancestors had been planning and they have undergone several campaigns of conquest. Now, however, they are having trouble keeping such large swathes of territory, many of which have high serf populations, under control. What's more with other powerful nations emerging in Africa and empires overseas finally reaching their part of the world the Kenians are having trouble finding nations they can easily target with their overstretched forces. A bigger shock than being outmatched by non-Draka (even former serfs) is the fact that many of the other states ruled by surviving Draka oppose them as well.

Just before he Change the Draka had been experimenting with various forms of advanced genetic engineering. Though the loss of high-technology rendered such projects meaningless the fruits of their experiments have managed to survive.

Ghouloons, disturbing hybrids of baboon, dog and human – with the rough intelligence of a human child – were created to be attack dogs for the Draka military. After the Change many packs managed to survive the chaos thanks to their innate strength and conditioned military training (similar to attack dogs). Most have turned feral but a few communities retain some forms of education, speaking a butchered form of English and building tools for themselves. More esoteric hybrids such as the more intelligent centaurs and the chameleonic gremlins can also be found scattered across sub-Saharan Africa. None have managed to form actual nation-states yet but their tribes are a problem for the continent and rumours say that they have been spreading.

Japan, like Britain, survived thanks to the numerous small islands that surrounded the main ones. They too managed to rebuild though they had a harder time building up a substantial empire as East Asia had a higher survival rate than Europe (a combination of island refuges and higher population volume).

The new Japanese Empire is a bureaucratic monarchy that, unlike Britain, claims to be an absolute monarchy but upholds a more oligarchic government centred around the military and government ministries. The militancy of Japan, which had been winding down a little as the fascist government lost some of its energy, has returned with a vengeance, especially as they once again face credible threats from their neighbours. The reconnection with the surviving colonial governments has reinforced this further as they now need to combat the threats to those territories as well. Numerous wars were fought with the island petty states to secure former colonies and strategic staging points for the revitalised Imperial Japanese Navy.

Japan's colonial territories are also largely self-governing with their own oligarchic systems that cooperate with Japan itself. They are still dependent on the Home Islands for military support and tend to host a lot of bases that are officially funded by the empire's central government. The segregation of the previous governments have seen a resurgence as well, especially as rival nations become stronger. Despite still planning to rebuild the Co-Prosperity Sphere (and seeing some success in a few areas) they have realised they are dependent on certain enemies existing in order to maintain the compliance of their dependencies and colonies.

The old empire of the Race fell apart especially badly. As they controlled some of the most heavily populated regions on the planet, were especially dependent on high-technology and had long since forgotten how to effectively use their own pre-industrial technology, the Race suffered horribly. It didn't help that rebel groups, which had been hiding in the shadows for decades, also took the chance to rise up (and struggled themselves afterwards).

The Race suffered from lack of knowledge and had to relearn so many things. The fact that they thrived in more arid regions even without advanced technology did benefit them and, on the whole, they tended to do a better job of surviving than most humans hey ruled over. They also tended to triage regions that were crumbling into Death Zones and their naturally hierarchical inclinations made establishing chains of authority much easier. Still, their much lower population compared to humanity and their own high casualty rates meant that they would largely end up losing contested regions.

Despite their devotion to the Emperor and their hierarchical tendencies the Race have become divided. Numerous Race states have emerged and several empires of their won now vie for control and resources. Though there are obvious similarities, culturally socially and religiously, some distinctions are emerging as they adapt to the environments they live in.

The Empire of Asaph's Tosev is one of the largest Race empires. North Africa, with its relatively low human population and arid environment was perfect for Race colonisation. Though they suffered plenty of losses the inspired and ruthless leadership of governor Asaph saw the core territories survive. Asaph's descendants have set up a hereditary governorship based on centralised system similar to those set up by the major human powers. Like the Emperor back on Home the hereditary system is upheld by close monitoring of the females who mate with the governor and lay eggs from these unions.

An indirect rival is Melekh's Tosev, another Race territory that managed to pull itself together as well and rebuild the infrastructure. Unlike Asaph, Melekh's empire has experienced a lot more conflict due to larger number of organised human states that have appeared around them. The Race have been able to conquer a few of them but they are beginning to realise that they cannot antagonise all of their neighbours. Melekh have also resorted to using indentured human labourers in order to allow them to militarise as much of the Race population as possible. They too are a hereditary governorship that keeps as close an eye as possible on the females who mate with the ruling governor in order to ensure the Melekh dynasty continues.

The hereditary system utilised by Asaph and Melekh's empires has been copied by most other organised Race states. The Race have been facing less and less overt hostility as they are integrated into the status quo as well. Though they have managed to adopt the same technology as the powerful human states, they do still have some issues. They have had to employ their own imported animals as draft-beasts which has also forced them to redesign harnesses, saddles and other devices to use them. The worship of the spirits of the emperors persists and is one of the unifying figures of the Race around the world. Divisions have emerged though as the different Race states claim they have different interpretations of the Emperor's will. There are no real differences in dogma but the main points of contention are over the traditional ideas of the Race's destiny and who should be imbued with his authority.

Ginger has spread throughout much of the Race's territories despite competition from imported home flora and fauna. Human and Race crime and trade groups cultivate it to sell it to the Race as recreational drugs and sexual stimulants. This still throws the Race regions into chaos because of its proliferation and have led to periods of social turbulence that the governments try to accommodate or combat. Some Race warlords try to use ginger and the spontaneous oestrus cycles they cause in order to increase the Race population and out-breed the humans.

Unlike the humans higher numbers of Race children survived the Change and the immediate chaos of the aftermath. Packs of feral Race children were common problems for the survivors that resettled these regions or settled near them. There are still some packs to this day that have set up their own bizarre communities completely different to organised Race states and far less sophisticated.

Right now the world has settled into a relatively stable status quo. Things are beginning to change now, however. In North America Kansas and Boise are beginning to face conflict as they both try to court Nebraska into their spheres of influence. In South America the various Catholic states, backed by the British ruled Catholic Church, begin to advance further into the interior. In Africa several nations are banding together as Kenia's slave raids become completely intolerable and in Asia the Hinduraj prepares for a war with its neighbours, both human and Race, in a bid to unite the subcontinent. Things are about get hectic again.