GHalfrunt
Just zis guy, you know?
As a reward for your patience, I'll now make a SECOND update fall from the sky!
WHAM!
The 1400s saw the beginning of the Rapanui Age of Exploration as well as their integration into world affairs. Technology and map trades with other nations advanced their knowledge of the outside world by leaps and bounds and provided the funds needed for a massive modernization of their antiquated military technology, most notably by adopting longbows and replacing their galleys with seafaring galleons (although triremes occasionally still guarded the coastlines). Colonial expeditions to the Maori Islands were highly successful -- the natives of those lands had only recently arrived themselves, and were enthusiastic to join the growing empire of their fellow Polynesians. The southern of the major islands was settled primarily by Rapanui, while the northern was settled by Maori, who established their most important settlement at the base of the mountains there.
The capital of Hanga Roa had by this time become a major city even by world standards, and its younger generation, enthusiastic and nationalistic, clamored to colonize more of the West.
The American provinces of the Empire, meanwhile, continued to develop their infrastructure. The first plantation and watermill in Rapanui history were in the works, and plans were already being made to claim the rest of the Barbarian coast, leaving the interior of the continent for the Incan Empire by tacit agreement (some cynically suggest that inland expansion was only halted by the logistical problems of raising an army large enough to subdue the prosperous Incas).
A technological breakthrough in 1458 further reinforced the idea of imperial expansion: explosives that could be used practically to propel projectiles. Although ridiculed at first as being slower to reload and harder to aim than bows and arrows, it was a promising advancement, which brought the Rapanui people closer than ever to the technological level of the major powers of the day: China, France, Russia, and Persia.
The extent of Indian colonization was underestimated even by the most accurate maps available at the time. It became clear to the God-King that a foothold on the Southwestern continent (which still lacked a formal name, but was often called New India) was necessary. The Rapanui claimed the last relatively fertile areas of the continent in 1464 when they founded the colony of Hanga Poukura on the southern coast. Their eyes now turned to the mineral-rich areas nearby in the interior of the continent and the island off its southeastern coast...
WHAM!
The 1400s saw the beginning of the Rapanui Age of Exploration as well as their integration into world affairs. Technology and map trades with other nations advanced their knowledge of the outside world by leaps and bounds and provided the funds needed for a massive modernization of their antiquated military technology, most notably by adopting longbows and replacing their galleys with seafaring galleons (although triremes occasionally still guarded the coastlines). Colonial expeditions to the Maori Islands were highly successful -- the natives of those lands had only recently arrived themselves, and were enthusiastic to join the growing empire of their fellow Polynesians. The southern of the major islands was settled primarily by Rapanui, while the northern was settled by Maori, who established their most important settlement at the base of the mountains there.
Spoiler :
The capital of Hanga Roa had by this time become a major city even by world standards, and its younger generation, enthusiastic and nationalistic, clamored to colonize more of the West.
Spoiler :
The American provinces of the Empire, meanwhile, continued to develop their infrastructure. The first plantation and watermill in Rapanui history were in the works, and plans were already being made to claim the rest of the Barbarian coast, leaving the interior of the continent for the Incan Empire by tacit agreement (some cynically suggest that inland expansion was only halted by the logistical problems of raising an army large enough to subdue the prosperous Incas).
Spoiler :
A technological breakthrough in 1458 further reinforced the idea of imperial expansion: explosives that could be used practically to propel projectiles. Although ridiculed at first as being slower to reload and harder to aim than bows and arrows, it was a promising advancement, which brought the Rapanui people closer than ever to the technological level of the major powers of the day: China, France, Russia, and Persia.
Spoiler :
The extent of Indian colonization was underestimated even by the most accurate maps available at the time. It became clear to the God-King that a foothold on the Southwestern continent (which still lacked a formal name, but was often called New India) was necessary. The Rapanui claimed the last relatively fertile areas of the continent in 1464 when they founded the colony of Hanga Poukura on the southern coast. Their eyes now turned to the mineral-rich areas nearby in the interior of the continent and the island off its southeastern coast...
Spoiler :
I was going to go out job hunting again, but it's raining like crazy here in Rochester.
! England is down to one city?! No wonder they surrendered! That's what I get for trusting out-of-date maps for my previous update... Also also, I realize my storytelling style is veering all over. Some days I just feel like writing straight alternate history and some days I feel like being conversational and silly. Sorry if the inconsistency bugs you.
