User:Necrotas/Sandbox

World-Building Research

 * What's going on in the Russias?
 * 1892, my favorite assumed date, was at the tail end of Tsar Alexander III Romanov, in two years he's succeeded by Nicholas II, who gets killed by Bolsheviks in 1918.
 * In 1861 Alexander II freed the serfs, all 20 million of them, an extremely significant action.
 * In 1890 Russo-Prussian relations completely disintegrated. By 1893, the Empire had entered a military alliance with France, that mirrored the German/Austro-Hungarian alliance. This would become extremely significant in 1914, after a politically unfortunate assassination.
 * Assuming the Russian Empire exists, and is roughly analogous to the real one, then everything due east of the Baron's territory, curving in over Mongolia and Kazakhstan, until you run out of land, plus Alaska, is the Russian Empire. It was very large.
 * This all assumes of course, that Ivan IV the Terrible, Prince of Moscow, united the states into the Tsardom of Russia, and Peter I Romanov the Great declared the Empire after the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. For all I know, Moscow, Kiev, Novgorod, et al, are still independant principalities.
 * What's going on in the Americas?
 * Quite simply, the big question here is did Europans successfully colonize the Americas? By the time GG is set, pretty much no part of the western hemisphere had been left unchanged by European influence. Until this question is answered, no real conjecture can be made.
 * This ties into various products. Tomatos, potatos, tobacco, cotton, and corn are all products that were brought to Europe from the Americas. If we can find references to them existing in Europa, then that means someone has brought them, and cultivated them, to Europa from America.
 * What's going on in the Vatican?
 * Or, more generally, Christianity as a whole.
 * In the real world, nothing has had quite so profound an effect on European culture and development as Christianity, and in fact its influences can be picked up here and there in the published setting. However, in a sparky world, it's very unlikely that's the same Christianity that we're familiar with.
 * Which begs the question, how is it different?
 * Beyond the seven Popes, of course.
 * A major cultural shift throughout Europe started in the 1500's, specifically the rise of Protestantism. This created a whole new, complex level to politics, as previously everybody more or less differed to the Pope, but that wasn't the case any longer, causing new conflicts and aggravating old ones.
 * Without knowledge of how "Catholicism" is different, we can't really assume the Reformation happened, or at least the specific details of it.
 * What's going on in the Middle East?
 * The Ottoman Empire was a big deal. At one point in the 1600's, contemporary with the Storm King, they extended as far north as Vienna.
 * By 1914, however, they had receded significantly from Europe, but still controlled Turkey, Iraq, much if not all of the Arabian Peninsula, parts of North Africa, pretty much what Americans think of as "the middle east", sans Iran and Afghanistan. (And Kazakhstan, and the -ishtans in general).
 * There is the Iron Sheik. But where specifically is he located? Probably Arabia.
 * Uh, that's all for now.

Repeating History Hypothesis

 * Agatha is subconsciously rebuilding the Old Guard.
 * Agatha Heterodyne=William Heterodyne
 * Well, yeah. She's his daughter. Also, she seems to be fulfiling the whole charismatic leader dynamic in the group.
 * Zeetha, Daughter of Chump=Barry Heterodyne
 * Their personal relationship seems to be becoming more "loving sisters" as the story goes on. Zeetha, like Barry, is totally devoted to her "sister", while being the boisterous, "fun" member of the group.
 * Gilgamesh Wulfenbach=Lucrezia Mongfish
 * Child of the nemesis, and primary love interest. Willing to defy father to be with object of affection.
 * Tarvek Sturmvorous=Klaus Wulfenbach
 * Heir of rival nobility. Believes in what Agatha's doing, yet has his own ideas about how things need to be handled.
 * Da Boyz=Punch and Judy
 * Loyal construct bodyguards. Comic relief, whether or not it's deserved.
 * Obviously, this doesn't map perfectly, but I think I might be onto something....