So, I'm browsing over the 3130 map on Oystein's site and comparing it to the 3144 overlay that has been floating around the BT forums. I started thinking about the Jihad, and some really rusty wheels started turning again. Then I stumbled across this line in Jihad Secrets: Blake Documents.
Second, most House intelligence agencies were very well aware that the Word had built up its military strength, and suspected as many as fifty regiments of various types (or up to two hundred, in “worst-case†scenarios) had formed to fight for Blake’s Will. Not the twenty or so alleged by ComStar’s Field Manual publication. Of course, we now know for certain that the Blakists managed to field just over one hundred regiments at their peak, though many of these may have been only semioperational when they were first called into action.
Emphasis mine. Since the Jihad story line closed out, I have to admit a certain amount of displeasure. See, I actually think the Dark Age is a great thing for BT. My problem is that the Jihad was a let down. It wasn't near damaging enough (and a little bit too much hand-waving away stupidity on the part of the Blakists, at least for my tastes). The tone of the early Jihad quickly gets lost in the shuffle, and it very much seems to just meander to its conclusion.
So the old AU gears started grumbling and begrudgingly cranking along. Combining the above thoughts, along with some of Knightmare's thoughts on micro-states (and my own utter fascination with the idea of having an actual indepdent Skye faction and an independent Azami faction), I came up with Post Lapsum (After the Fall). Forgive the piss-poor Latin. I haven't had the motivation yet to go find a proper translation, and simply went with ancient and out date knowledge of Latin from school days. Now, up front notice. I don't work AUs like most of you folks do. I'm not interested in pouring out reams of fiction or horrifically detailed netbooks. I respect the hell out of those who can and do so. But I've always been an RPGer at heart, so my natural inclination will always be: "Paint the broad strokes, and let the folks on the ground sort out the good stories." On top of that, it's also a seed of an idea currently. I'll get into specifics sometime later (as I'm up far too late currently), but I'll leave these few thoughts for germination. Keep in mind that this AU would likely be picking up at least 50 or 100 years out from 3150, so future growth from the current storyline will play in to events.
1. The Word of Blake "worst-case scenarios" were true. Additionally, they fought united with a clear goal in mind from the beginning. The idea that they were going for the Clans was always a red herring. Ramifications of that?
2. Food for thought. The Wolf Empire in 3144 may possibly hold Solaris VII and Kalidasa.
3. An independent Skye faction that HAS Hesperus. How would you want it to happen?
4. What exactly are the "core" Azami worlds? Does a map of them exist somewhere?
5. Skye and the Lyran Commonwealth as trade partners in a separate but semi-equal arrangement. Can it work?
6. What happens to the Falcons after the resolution (one way or the other) of Malvina's Mongol philosophy? How do they change as a result of it?
7. The Wolf Empire, now fully removed from the reach of the Clans. Can you see the Exiles going home at some point? Does the Empire differ from the Clans in a drastic fashion?
8. If the MoC and Andurien have united in some permanent fashion, what's the balance of power like there?
9. Does the reunited Free Worlds League make it? What does it take for them to survive, let alone prosper?
10. How does the interstellar stage change with the Capellans very likely being the most stable (and potentially, most powerful) Successor State?
11. What happens if Fortress Republic remains unbroken and silent long after anybody expected it would? How do the power dynamics change if the Terran Corridor is now an impassable object in the Inner Sphere?