Bear in mind not all positions are created equal. Do not dismay if your income is lower than another’s, for unless a person has 50%+ of the global total there is always the ability to balance.
==Update I: 1550==
Political Map
Religious Map (Color Key in Religion Stats)
Stats Sheet
The Reformation has consumed much of northern Europe, with speculation abounding that the Calvinists and Lutherans could be their own enemy as much as the central power of the Roman Catholic Church. The Dauphinois heresy has gained much popularity in Hungary, many seeing it as the perfect means to oppose the hardline Catholic Habsburg Emperors. Though the Catholic Church has the backing of the wealthy banks of Sicily and Aquitania, it is apparent that Vatican dominance is not as paramount as it was in centuries prior, especially with the financial woes the French, Castilian and Aragonese crowns have suffered, the French due to wars with the Dauphine and Burgundy, and the Castilians and Aragonese through wars with the Muslims and numerous failed expeditions into the Americas.
Various branches of Christianity and Islam have found a small following in the Americas, but the indigenous faiths have amassed the appropriate bureaucracy to ensure that they are not totally eclipsed by the efficiency of European and Arab missionaries. The Navajo, League, Arawak, Inca and New Mali each have their own well-protected territories and are ready to quash any delusions of foreign dominion that the European and African regimes had at one time. As Europe’s religious divisions erupt into violence, however, the question remains: will the American faiths suffer the same fate?
A blight has swept across much of southern Africa, the local populations left weak and their lands ripe for the taking by any opportunistic outsiders. A desire for colonies is still very much a goal of many European coastal states, and while attempts to conquer the Americas have for the most part proven fruitless, a significantly-weakened Africa might provide the window of opportunity so eagerly sought by Iberians, Germans, and others. With the power of Songhai distracted by Mali and the Crusaders surrounded by Muslim enemies, there is little the local powers can do against foreign incursion.
Once one of the most powerful nations in the world, the Ottoman Empire has rapidly collapsed in the last few decades. Besieged in the west by the Roman rebellion and in the East by Safavid heretics, a final knife to the heart came in the form of a renewed Crusade that has taken much of Egypt and the Holy Land. Its navy and army alike broken, the Ottoman Empire’s realm has vastly shrunken, and opportunities abound for those who wish to usurp its place as the Caliphate.
The powerful Mughals of India have made use of innovative civilian and military techniques to gradually bring India under their rule, but they face a powerful rival in Kerala. Whether the future of India shall lie in Hindu or Muslim hands, only time can tell.
While Tibet and Southeast Asia enjoy peace under a Buddhist hegemony (despite some word of growing militarism in Burma), China faces a situation similar to India. The Qing and Song Empires both seek to be the dominant power in a united China, and anyone in the know about the region assumes it is not a matter of if, but when the two will erupt into armed conflict. The Koreans, united as they are, certainly do not mind the idea of the Chinese fighting among themselves. The Yakutian Empire, a great realm to the north of the Qing border, is well-poised to press north and seize the vast expanses of Siberia, though an opportunistic leader could similarly claim a slice of the Chinese pie.
Finally, in Oceania, the Estevan Company has managed to expand itself throughout the newly-named continent of Australia, subjugating disease-weary natives. The Europeans aren’t the only ones seizing territory, however, with the state of Oz having been able to weather most of the storm of disease, turning calamity into victory as they have conquered their own chunk of the continent. Like China, it is considered only a matter of time before the indigenous people and their would-be colonizers go to war.
There is tension around the world, but there is also boundless opportunity. The states of the old Atlantic route yearn for renewed glory, and the depopulated interior of Africa is an appetizing meal to any seafaring empire. Religious divisions look to bring entire regions to war with each other, and any opportunist could very well exploit such conflicts to advance their own position. In the end, it is the warriors, the Sons of Mars, who will rule over the Sons of Terra.
