Antithesis

Here it is, the "mirror world" to Rogues Gallery. The Lusophone anti-Draka here come from Silas-Coldwine's The African Hope: silas-coldwine.deviantart.com/…

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The Turkish migrations happen somewhat differently, and the Turks under the House of Osman eventually come to be centered in Mesopotamia. Butterflies flap and history happens. The Mongol invasions, more fragmented and under poor leadership, collapse against China. Trade through the Middle East sees some exchange of ideas between Europe and Asia, leading to renaissances in the West. The growing population of Europe, unchecked by major plague, places pressure on empires to expand. The Norse begin to colonize their Vinland colonies in earnest, spreading diseases which the native populations develop an immunity to. The New World, eventually named Rodruiga after the Spanish cartographer who first acknowledged its existence, would become a land of opportunity for Europeans from the 1400s onward.

The League of the West has united both Rodruigan continents in a mutual defense pact, with some intense debate on a common currency between the member states. The United States of Rodruiga, a former British colony which broke off sometime in the late 1600s, can be considered the most powerful of them, but it is a first among equals. The USR is more religious than its neighbors, with great diversity within it, leading to tensions over issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. However, the USR is a functioning democracy, with a strong tradition of respecting the rights of individuals and minorities. Because it was the first Rodruigan colony to gain independence, it has become the model for many new states in Rodruiga. The neighboring Commonwealth of Vinland was a Norse, and then a British colony for much of history, only becoming independent through referendum in the 1950s. Like its southern neighbor, Vinland has a strong democratic tradition, although it is more left-wing. The Liberian Republic was founded during the Rodruigan Civil War, when both poor whites and slaves revolted against attempts by the southern Rodruigan upper classes to industrialize by destroy farms to make way for factories and moving slaves from the plantations to the factories. Although a long-time opponent of the USR, and wracked with racial tension, Liberia eventually moderated throughout the mid-20th century, and by the 21st has become a solid member of the League. South Rodruiga is dominated by three states, two of which are in the League. The Empire of Papaga became home to the Portuguese monarchy during the French Revolution, and is a leader in both aerospace and green technologies. The United Provinces of La Plata was a former Spanish colony which capitalized on its great silver wealth and climate to attract immigrants from Europe. Both states successfully modernized during the early 20th century and are powers to contend with.

The European Union was founded in the early 1900s to facilitate trade and national understanding between the European countries after the devastating Prussian War of the 1880s. Most EU member states share a common currency and travel between them is unrestricted. The formation of an EU-wide court system is in the works. The leader of the EU is the French Republic, which was formed in the early 1700s after the French Revolution. Although a bloody affair, a stable democracy manage to emerge from the revolution and became the dominant power in Europe. Challengers to France’s dominance include the British Kingdom and the German Federation. Once ruling over most of Africa and good portions of North Rodruiga, the British have slowly declined since the African Spring of the mid-20th century saw their African empire disappear. They are still a force to be reckoned with, as they have the largest navy of any EU member state. The German Federation, formed by the French after their revolution, is a stable democracy with a strong human rights record and fame for its avant-garde art and music scene. The Nordic Confederacy is perhaps one of the more socialistic states in the EU, with a strong welfare system that other EU states are considering copying. The Kingdom of Prussia remains strongly conservative and militaristic, although the King of Prussia has absolutely no power nowadays and even socialist parties can win elections.

The Organization of African States is led by the Federaçao Africana, former Portuguese South Africa. The African Federation broke off from the Portuguese Empire during the French Revolution, when Portuguese slaves in the area took advantage of Portugal’s weakness. They were supported by the British, who wanted to have a toehold on the southern tip of Africa, but the British were incapable of conquering the AF themselves. The AF expanded northward as a staunchly anti-colonialist state, integrating many African societies along the way. Beginning in the late 19th century, the AF formed the OAS to facilitate independence movements in Africa, and to support societies of former slaves such as Freeland or independent states such as the Portuguese-influenced Abysinnians. As the colonial empires collapsed in the mid-20th century, a result of domestic distaste for their maintenance, the OAS became an international organization devoted to the advancement of the African continent. Honorary members of the OAS include the democratized Ottoman Empire and its Arab League, which is a distinctly Islamic and Arabian organization that has plenty of overlap with the OAS’ goals.

The Eastern Cooperation Organization was formed by Russia and the Eastern Roman Empire as a response to the EU. Finding the EU far too secular and left-leaning, the ECO is devoted to more traditional, yet democratic, governance. The Eastern Roman Empire, whose emperor has been powerless since the mid-19th century, is the leader of the ECO, and it is a diverse, multicultural empire with plenty of respect for its history and the history of the people living within it. Russia is perhaps the most powerful of the ECO states, and while its democracy is relatively young and still shaky, it does remain an active and positive member of the ECO and the international community. The Polish Commonwealth, historically a rival of the Eastern Romans and Russians, joined the ECO because they believed that their strong Catholic traditions would not be as challenged as they would be in the EU. Similarly, the New Roman Republic maintains strong connections with the Church, and has enough qualms with the EU’s policies to refuse membership.

The Asian Prosperity Sphere was created by both the Japanese Empire and the Republic of China, two states which wanted to get away from the chaos of the Chinese Civil War of the 1890s and prevent becoming European puppets. Aiding one another, the Japanese and Chinese successfully improved their domestic economies and political strength, later adding countries such as Korea to share in their plenty and to contribute. The APS is still a heavily regional alliance, with some xenophobic tendencies with regard to non-Asians, but it is willing to trade with anyone. The Japanese emperor, who was powerless since time immemorial, is still revered as god-like figure, but in truth democratically-elected officials run the show. After their unfortunate experience in the Chinese Civil War, the Japanese have turned to pacifism, preferring to leave military spending to the South Chinese. The South Chinese have to maintain a strong military because of the potentially hostile North Chinese, and while South China was a military dictatorship for most of its history, it got much better during the mid-20th century. Likewise, the Republic of Korea is a conservative, military-oriented, and rich country. The Republic of Oceania, a former British colony, is a diverse, multicultural democracy covering most of the South Pacific.

The Council of Independent States are countries which, for some reason or another, dislike the current order. While unwilling to start a war to assert their dominance, the CIS do prefer to cooperate with one another than they do with their neighbors. The Inka Republic is a state with a dubious history with the democratic process, with one political party winning elections since the foundation of the republic, but it does allow free speech and genuine opposition candidates to run. The Persian Empire and the Republic of Aegypt are both very conservative Islamic powers, in contrast to the secular Ottomans, although their parliaments are as politically diverse as those of the EU. The Bisnagar Empire is a less stable democracy, suffering from some problems with religious violence and gridlocked politics, but it is a rising economy and could become the undisputed master of the subcontinent. Similarly, the Khmer Empire’s growing economic potential makes it a rival to APS interests in Indochina.

The Empire of Ning China is perhaps the most authoritarian of the great powers. A corrupt military dictatorship with a powerless puppet emperor, the Empire makes a lot of noise about uniting all Chinese under the Mandate of Heaven. However, while there are unpleasant words traded between Imperial China and the APS, they are very open to trade and foreign investment, and the Imperial military leadership is smart enough to know that war is bad for business. Imperial Chinese modernization is largely regarded as a miracle, and Imperial China’s status as the world’s factory may be secured in the next decade.

The world in 2006 has not suffered from any global conflicts, nor has it seen nuclear weapons used in anger. There are dozens of lunar colonies, hundreds of orbital stations, and the first man has landed on Mars. The world’s nuclear arsenal is in the low thousands, and most are warheads stored deep in near-forgotten military reserves. Most conflict between nations and alliances are limited to border disputes and heated debates over ideology; outright war between any two great powers is considered unthinkable. Terrorist networks tend to be regional, at best continental, and most bombings are conducted by disturbed individuals as opposed to coordinated groups. Civilian sciences are far along, and some scientists believe that the Schwarz Research Facility based in Antarctica has determined, definitively, that alternate universes do exist, and that an alternate Earth may lie on the other side. An expedition is planned in 2007, and many scientists are excited to see what lies beyond….