[After I updated the Palatinate's map, I wrote this post a few months back for my Patreon subscribers and shared both with them.]
From Patreon (April 2024):
I'll soon begin work on the Omega Quadrant book 3, as well as 3.5—so I've updated the Palatinate map in preparation. [Both are nearly finished as of posting this in late July! Check out the updated Omega Quadrant page for more details!]
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| Old Map from 2019 |
Here's a little additional info:
The Omega Quadrant occurs in the province of Alexandria (and we will soon see a bit of Blacksburg, too, in book 3.)
The Western Province series occurs mainly in Fort Seattle but has mentioned Port Sacramenti often, and will potentially go there again.
Some of you eagle eyed folks might have already noticed the new province marked on this map — Omegawood.
I made the choice to leave the Valleywood series because I wanted to rebrand and make these books a series all their own. The creators of Valleywood requested I move this series into one of my existing omegaverse series to protect their creation and the authors still there -- which is totally understandable.
So, the Valleywood books have been rebranded into a new Palatinate spin-off, becoming Omegawood.
I had to make A LOT of changes to the first two Valleywood books (and there will be a third!) to fit them into a new universe. While doing so, I realized there were some other questions about the Palatinate that might come up that I'd never answered previously.
The provinces shown on the map are not the only provinces. They are the largest and make up much of the population of the continent. Each of these are super-provinces with populations ranging from 500,000 to over a million residents. There are many smaller provinces dotting the landscape. "Rural" provinces is what they're often referred to. Many of these are devoted to trades, farming, and raising livestock —selling/trading to the surrounding larger provinces.
No Man's Land isn't devoid of life.
Those inside the walls live in fear of the "Wildings" but most of the stories they've been told are from a bygone era where No Man's Land was a wild, wooly place. Not that it's exactly tame either, though.
There are alpha warlords/chieftains who rule over feudal districts in No Man's Land. Many have smaller, walled fort cities filled with dozens to thousands of residents. Each district is its own independent city-state. Neighbors fight over borders and wars amongst chieftains can happen. Some of these warlords run their cities/districts much like the provinces, and as such they can be progressive/democratic ranging toward autocracy with chieftains acting as tyrannical dictators (more often than not, they're the latter in NML) Omegas have fewer rights in NML and quite a few end up in a warlord's harem. If you thought the Omega Quadrant was bad, NML can be worse. In most of these districts, alphas are more alpha-y, and omegas are breeding chattel and expected to be subservient.
Just outside many of the provinces, there are miles of province-controlled farmland. They have a lot of mouths to feed inside the walls and it can't all come from the smaller provinces nearby. Small villages exist just outside the walls, filled with the farmers/farm hands who tend the land, and their families. Some exiles end up remaining in these villages or move deeper into NML.
"Safe zones" also exist outside many of the larger provinces, sometimes extending past any farmland, if there is any. This is considered "neutral territory". Many provincial governments made treaties with local chieftains to stay out of the safe zone, with the promise the provincial governments would, as well. There are some villages and towns that have sprung up in these supposed "safe zones" -- but don't let the name fool you. These places are not very safe. Think the Wild West.
Just outside many of the provinces, there are miles of province-controlled farmland. They have a lot of mouths to feed inside the walls and it can't all come from the smaller provinces nearby. Small villages exist just outside the walls, filled with the farmers/farm hands who tend the land, and their families. Some exiles end up remaining in these villages or move deeper into NML.
"Safe zones" also exist outside many of the larger provinces, sometimes extending past any farmland, if there is any. This is considered "neutral territory". Many provincial governments made treaties with local chieftains to stay out of the safe zone, with the promise the provincial governments would, as well. There are some villages and towns that have sprung up in these supposed "safe zones" -- but don't let the name fool you. These places are not very safe. Think the Wild West.
