User blog:The Devil's Advocate WP/The Historical Geography of Remnant Part 2

After seeing the positive response to my previous post on the question of Remnant's geography, I decided to pursue a second installment. When writing my previous blog post I felt an urge to delve into some of the other features we see on the map of Remnant, but due to the length felt it was best to limit my discussion to the kingdoms. So, for part 2 I intend to address other features including the two continents that were largely excluded from previous analysis: the Black Dragon continent and Menagerie. I will also focus on some of the inconsistencies between the "points of light" map and the physical map.

Recap
For those not interested in going over the previous blog post, I believe a summary of certain details that are pertinent here is warranted. Key tools in unwinding certain aspects of the world of Remnant based on geography are the two maps mentioned above. You have the "points of light" map, which I noted is less reliable regarding the location of kingdoms and the physical map, which I suggested is the most important map. My reasoning is that the "points of light" map is most likely a historical map showing where these kingdoms originated, rather than where they are located at the time of the events in RWBY.

This distinction of the "points of light" map being the historical map and the physical map representing the situation during the events of RWBY is also going to be important here in highlighting potential reasons for inconsistencies between the two maps. Such inconsistencies were a key basis for my speculation regarding the White Dragon continent and the remaining unnamed kingdom.

In the previous post I suggested the darker areas of the continents corresponded to areas with larger Grimm populations, while lighter areas had fewer Grimm and were likely population centers. My basis for this was the incident in The First Step Part 2 when the Beowolves appear in the forest around Weiss and the area grows darker. As the White Dragon continent contained a darker area where the point of light had been, this suggested the area was now Grimm territory and had been depopulated by humans. This is another key detail I will raise regarding certain inconsistencies between these two maps.

On the separation between darkness and light, this is not only important thematically in RWBY as a literal illustration of the battle between good and evil as it were, it also helps delineate human or Faunus territory and Grimm territory. How the various shades of light and dark vary throughout the map is going to be important in understanding other matters raised later, especially regarding the Black Dragon continent. I believe examining these factors will illuminate a great deal about the history of Remnant and the potential consequences for the story of RWBY.

Explaining inconsistencies
Several obvious inconsistencies between these two maps can be identified right off the bat. You have landmasses in the historical map that are not present in the physical map and certain features of the continents that do not seem apparent in the physical map. There are many ways to explain these inconsistencies and I will try to illuminate those and determine how much they should be considered.

One obvious way of explaining the inconsistencies is as a continuity error or representing an incomplete state of the story. Although not appetizing to those who want the story to be well-done, it is a satisfactory explanation. Given that the physical map was released back in 2012 and the "points of light" map was revealed first in the pilot episode, it would allow for certain changes to be made to the geography of the world. I personally do not adhere to this theory too hard as I myself like to believe there was some intention on the part of Oum and the writers to keep things consistent. There are also reasons to suspect at least some of the apparent differences have a significant in-universe explanation.

We then have another explanation that relies on the "points of light map" being a historical map. If it was actually created earlier in the events of RWBY then it could easily mean that inconsistencies are a result of mistakes by Remnant's cartographers. Although this may seem to be a bit of a cop-out, it is not entirely out of the question. The greatest inconsistencies in the map center on the Black Dragon continent, the northern continent, and various northern landmasses. If we presume these areas are more isolated from humans then it is actually logical to suggest some inconsistencies could be written off as the fault of the fictional cartographers of Remnant.

Many ancient cartographers made mistakes and assumptions about landmasses on Earth, including positing the existence of continents or landmasses that were placed on maps without any clear evidence of their existence. There is also the fact that their ability to accurately map out the planet was limited by technology. It is easy to forget that satellites have only been regularly orbiting the Earth for five decades and aircraft have only been regularly circumnavigating the globe for a couple decades more. Prior to that the only way to get a reliable idea of the shape and number of landmasses was from surveyor taking lengthy trips along the coastlines and across land, making complex estimates and judgments about distance traveled. This meant they were slightly unreliable and the further back one goes the less reliable the map. The fact the "points of light" map has signs of aging in its coloration, suggests some errors may be intentional to reflect this as an imperfect older map.

I believe the potential for the historical map to contain typical cartographical errors is one nice way of rationalizing the inconsistencies, especially some differences in the size and outline of landmasses, but there exists one other possibility that makes the historical nature of the "points of light" map relevant to understanding the world's history. Where we see inconsistencies between the historical map and the physical map could be a sign of certain changes in the environment or geography of Remnant that are critical to grasping the changes that have taken place in the world. The other explanations may be partly useful, but my focus will primarily be on the potential historical changes. Keeping these possible explanations in mind we can move onto examining the Black Dragon continent and Menagerie.

The Black Dragon continent
Of the five continents on the physical map, this one is certainly the most ominous in appearance. While most of the continents have bright vibrant colors or just light shaded areas, this continent is almost completely covered in darkness. I do not believe this is a geographical feature, as noted above, but a sign that this continent is actually overflowing with Grimm. When one considers how even a forest just outside the city of Vale can have packs of Beowolves, Ursai, and a Giant Nevermore, one can only imagine the kind of monsters that would be present on this continent.

Aside from Menagerie, it is the only continent on the physical map that did not have a point of light on it. We know Menagerie does have a significant Faunus population, but there is no indication of the Black Dragon having ever been populated. Given the visible band of light green area along the southern coast, we can safely presume there are now some settlements on the continent. It is likely these are populated by venturesome settlers from the kingdoms as the potential dangers of living so close to the largest concentration of Grimm on Remnant would be fraught with danger. We can presume settlements in this band are heavily militarized with significant defensive structures built around communities and numerous bases for huntsmen and huntress as well as the militaries of the kingdoms.

The continent's proximity to Vale may explain the apparent prominence of that kingdom in Remnant, and especially the significance of Beacon. Perhaps this is even suggested by the theme of academies in the city as Signal and Beacon both allude to lighthouses, which are designed to shine light into the darkness. As the Black Dragon is almost entirely Grimm territory with a greater concentration than any other part of Remnant, you can consider this the frontline against the Grimm threat where huntsman and huntresses concentrate their efforts the most. It may explain why Ozpin and Qrow are both consumed with the situation in the world. Similar to how Ironwood as a resident of Atlas, considers his greatest duty to be protecting humanity, Ozpin and Qrow as residents of Vale may consider their greatest duty being to serve as the people who stand watch against the ever-present threat of the Grimm just across the shore on the Black Dragon continent. This may even explain why Ozpin's office is at the top of a tower with a giant window facing west, the direction of the Black Dragon continent. Perhaps this is a symbol of Ozpin's desire to always remember the dangers looming just beyond Vale. His mind is constantly troubled by whatever dangers lurk on that continent.

Such concern may be getting reinforced in recent events in the story. What one may notice is that there is a gradual darkening the further one gets from the southern shores. Here we have a quandary as the question arises about what this says regarding the situation on the continent. Settlements and military encampments on this territory would be a regular target for assaults by Grimm and the potential for losses is clear. At the same time we can assume the kingdoms might not be satisfied with simply holding back and instead focused on expanding their territory. This is a matter that could be of interest to Atlas especially as its positioning on the northern continent means it has a serious overpopulation problem that could be partially relieved by settling new territories. Continuing struggles over territory are likely a constant problem.

Given the hints of a resurgence of the Grimm and reference to "travel between kingdoms" becoming difficult, it seems most likely that the slightly darker areas have been recently reclaimed due to Grimm advances. One could liken this to the situation in Middle Earth during the resurgence of Sauron. Gondor had advanced its way into Mordor to keep an eye on the black lands, but gradually lost more territory with this being a sort of omen of what was to come at the end of the Third Age. In this role, Ozpin's determination to preserve the image of peace makes sense as the kingdom will be one of the first at risk should the Grimm threat re-emerge in earnest and fears of war could prompt panic among the relaxed citizenry whereas Atlas would be less concerned about a direct Grimm threat given its geographic security on the northern continent.

Aside from the meaning behind the darkness on the Black Dragon, there are a few inconsistencies between the historical map and the physical map. On the historical map the tail is shorter than it is on the physical map and the wings are thicker on the historical map as well. Several other variations in shape and size are also apparent. Notably, these inconsistencies are mostly evidenced in Grimm territory, meaning these are likely the areas most perilous for surveying and not something a cartographer would likely reflect as accurately given the dangers of remaining in the area. This gives a rational basis for invoking cartographic error as a cause for some of the inconsistencies.

Where it gets interesting is along the southern coast. Being closer to the kingdoms of Remnant and a potential outpost to serve as a bulwark against the large Grimm populations on the continent, one would expect the southern coast to be better defined on the historical map. Lighter areas on the physical map are typically more consistent with the historical map as one would expect if the inconsistencies were the product of cartographical error. So why does the southern coast look different? If you look closely, you may notice there are many patches of green in the water just along the shore.

Should one look back at the southern coast on the historical map, it seems filling in these patches of green allows the coast to adhere much more closely to the defined boundaries of the continent on the historical map. This indicates the land was there in the time the historical map was created, but that the land has since fallen below sea level and is flooded. Considering the context of the coastal region being a precarious line of defense against the Grimm presence in the darker regions, we can presume this natural occurrence has weakened the position of humans on the continent, allowing for advances by the Grimm. There are other reasons to believe natural changes such as this are the cause for some of the inconsistency between the two maps that I will come back to as I elaborate further.

Menagerie
This is the only named area or continent where we have a confirmed location as Professor Oobleck literally pointed it out on a map during Jaunedice Part 2. As viewers know, Menagerie is a location of considerable significance to the Faunus. Prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, the Faunus were being forced into this area by the human kingdoms. Its name also alludes to this purpose as it refers to a large area where animals are kept in captivity. Examining its appearance on the physical map gives us insight into the nature of Menagerie and the state of Faunus rights prior to the war.

Looking at the geographic features, you have a continent that is mostly desert situated in the southeast of the globe far from most human civilizations. Interestingly, its positioning, climate, and even appearance, conjure the image of Australia. This seems particularly apt when one considers that Menagerie was essentially a colony of Faunus exiled from human areas and effectively imprisoned on the continent. Australia, for those who are not aware, is commonly said to have been founded by criminals and outlaws due to the fact it began mainly with a series of penal colonies established by the British Empire following the independence of the American colonies. While there were other forms of settlement, it is popularly remembered for having its early beginnings as a location for prison labor. This may point to an additional motivation for the establishment of Menagerie and even provide a modest hint about the significance of using "Faunus labor", which Blake cited as a cause for some of the White Fang's violence in Black and White.

Considering the continent has a large desert it can be presumed the Faunus are mostly settled on the green portions of the land. This would leave them in a very tightly compacted area. Should their population be similar in size to the human population and efforts to relocate Faunus to Menagerie saw any significant level of success then Menagerie almost certainly had a problem with overpopulation as well. Unlike Atlas, though, Menagerie would be effectively a labor colony and reservation with minimal resources provided by the human kingdoms. Many of the settlements are probably simply villages or other rudimentary communities given spares resources. As noted in my previous blog posts, area of gray are likely large settlements and we do see evidence of such settlements in the physical map of Menagerie. The Faunus War's favorably is likely to have gained them some means to develop these communities. Yet, even with much less developed settlements, they have roughly the same amount of green land as Atlas.

Here we arrive at another of those interesting inconsistencies. The historical map seems to show a large peninsula jutting out from Menagerie north of the desert, yet it is not clearly evident in the physical map. Upon closer examination, one can make out a band of green in the general location of the peninsula that fades further out to shore. It appears that, similar to the southern coast of the Black Dragon, that this green area would actually be much more consistent with the historical map on the basis that part of the peninsula has sunk into the sea. This is yet another detail suggesting significant changes in the geography of Remnant brought on by the environment.

Potential implications of this change are notable due to the limited green land available on the continent and its increasing population prompted by the relocation of Faunus to the continent. Were the loss of this green land occurring some time after Faunus began being relocated to Menagerie and this area was heavily settled, it would mean the already tightly concentrated Faunus population strained for resources would be facing a refugee crisis as well. Coping with the strain of accommodating continuous arrivals from outside Menagerie and populations relocating from the sinking peninsula would have contributed to a humanitarian crisis on the continent. Outside Menagerie, Faunus populations would be more resistant to relocation given this burgeoning strain on the existing population on the continent. In this environment we may even see a potential cause for the Faunus War, since the strain would increase the odds of unrest and violence both inside and outside Menagerie that culminated in a broader war of liberation.

A lost continent?
Now we come to the most glaring inconsistency between the two maps: the disappearance of an entire continent. Positioned on the northeast of the historical map is a large landmass, similar in size to Menagerie's continent. This is definitely one of the most peculiar differences between the two maps. One might want to write this off as a potential change by the writers, but it seems a bit extreme to make such an important decision about the story and it is hard to imagine any sort of cartographical error simply adding another continent. Although that has happened in the past with maps of Earth, the overall accuracy of the historical map of Remnant would lead one to believe there was sufficient knowledge of all the major landmasses so as to allow a faithful recreation. Several smaller islands are accurately represented on both maps making this particularly difficult to accept as an error.

We are thus left with the possibility that there was indeed a continent there before, but it has since vanished. Akin to legendary stories of Atlantis or Lemuria and actual submerged continents such as Zealandia or Kerguelen, this continent may have actually been present at the time the historical map was created yet was lost to the sea or some other calamity. Compared to the other differences between the two maps, this is the one with the most ramifications. Presuming this is indeed a lost continent, one has to wonder what happened to it. As the historical map is used to show the "points of light" when humanity finally fought its way back against the Grimm, the obvious conclusion is that the continent disappeared at some point after human civilizations were stable enough to allow the creation of relatively accurate maps.

Reviewing the southern coast of the Black Dragon and the northern peninsula of Menagerie, it does seem we have several hints of some major environmental change that has happened on Remnant since the discovery of Dust. Other hints at this change can be found with other consistencies. Consider the continent in the north, which has a very large lake or bay at its center. When you refer to the historical map, although the features are similar, the lake or bay at the center of the continent is extremely small and more like a river. Leaving this up to a cartographical error is too absurd, and such a change for no reason does not fit with a lapse or shift by the writers. When considered in conjunction with the fact the icy wings of the Black Dragon continent are much thinner in the physical map than the historical map, the most likely conclusion may be that the difference is explained by these icy areas of the continents melting. This would also point to rising sea levels as a cause for some of the differences between the geographic features on the historical map and the features on physical map.

Further evidence that certain inconsistencies with the landmasses are driven by rising sea levels can be seen on the White Dragon continent, where a hump surrounding a lake south of the "point of light" on the historical map suddenly becomes a peninsula along the north of a bay with several large islands at the bay's entrance in the physical map. That three separate continents on the physical map each show similar examples of rising sea levels submerging parts of the land that were evident on the historical map suggests this is important.

So, does this explain what happened to the lost continent? Presuming it sunk into the sea would definitely fit similar narratives about lost continents in our folklore and geographic history. Even assuming this to be the case it brings up another curiosity: what is going on with Remnant's global climate? The melting of icy areas and rising sea levels makes me think of global warming and at first I was tempted to take the comparison further by suggesting Dust is playing some role in this environmental disaster. Yet the loss of an entire continent still seems a bit extreme and for it to happen over what was likely a fairly short amount of time in geological terms is also suspect.

Calamity and war
This brings us back to an idea I raised in my previous blog post. Where we see a point of light on the White Dragon continent there is now an apparently volcanized region overrun by the Grimm. In the post I proffered that this change occurred after humans had developed on the continent considerably enough to have multiple secure port cities and that it may even have been recent enough for a character such as Pyrrha to have been affected by it. Although it would be easy to allow that the event has no connection, the sheer number of serious calamities befalling Remnant since the counter-offensive against the Grimm prompts me to consider them all as possibly connected.

A continent disappearing, widespread melting of ice caps causing rising sea levels, and an entire region being emptied by a sudden rise in volcanism, suggest a general environmental crisis well beyond anything that could be reasonably attributed to human activity. If this is not instead attributed to a simple run of bad luck, but some environmental cause, then it must be something of global scale. Of course, there is one rather glaring sign of serious calamity that could suitably explain the loss of an entire continent and all other disasters occurring across Remnant during this time: the Moon.

One of the recurring motifs of RWBY is the broken moon that comes out at night. Everyone watching the series has noticed it and speculated on its significance. It certainly points to something horrific having happened at some point. Speculation occasionally fingers it as related to the arrival of the Grimm or otherwise being some ancient historic event, but if the changes in the maps are taken as the result of a calamity caused by the moon breaking apart or whatever made the moon start breaking apart then it is something much more recent.

Evidence pointing to the moon's crumbling as a recent occurrence, amazingly, appeared in the most recent episode of RWBY. During the fight between Team RWBY and the Atlesian Paladin there is a song by Jeff and Casey Williams playing in the background. The song, Die, starts out talking of the unprecedented time of peace so often mentioned up to this point in the series saying things such as "The moon watched safely from above", which implies the moon was whole or safe for much of this time of peace. At the end it takes a much darker turn as it talks about the end of that peace with one prominent line being "Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky", which implies that the moon beginning to crumble was a harbinger of the coming conflict.

Given that there is mention by Weiss of a "Great War" followed by Atlas giving a "gift to the world" that effectively united the kingdoms and this war is presumably the same as the one in which Jaune's great-great-grandfather was a soldier, it can be assumed this time of peace is probably at best a century old. Whether this slogan is completely accurate or not in describing the past hundred or so years of Remnant's history (all signs say "not really"), it now gives us a suitable timeline for when this calamity happened. As the song establishes the moon's calamity as being well into this time of peace, it means there is a decent chance the main characters were all born soon after or soon before it happened. Such a calamity could have easily caused widespread and sudden changes in the geography of Remnant as a result of debris falling to the planet and other disruptions, precipitating advances by the Grimm on the Black Dragon continent, the area around the "point of light" on the White Dragon continent being depopulated and overrun by Grimm due to a sudden surge in volcanic activity, the loss of the northeastern continent, and even the Faunus War.

These events all roughly occurring at the same time in the midst of whatever event caused the moon to start breaking apart would have caused massive upheaval and unrest throughout Remnant. Perhaps this explains why all the human kingdoms together could not manage to subdue the Faunus Right Revolution. Facing such an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe, while dealing with advances by the Grimm, and fighting the Faunus, would easily have strained their resources. A truce or some other form of peace with the Faunus would have been ideal to free up their resources for focusing on internal problems and holding back the Grimm on the Black Dragon continent as well as other parts of the world.

It may also be partly the cause for the overprotective attitude adopted by Ironwood and Atlas. Given its resource dependency on the other kingdoms and the potential impact the calamity has had on the continent itself, that kingdom would be especially worried about how the calamity might still endanger their interests. At the same time, such an aggressive posture will be even more unnerving to the other kingdoms already nervous for their own reasons about the side effects of the moon crumbling. Even the slightest hint of duplicitous or unreliable behavior by the major military superpower of Remnant risks earning their enmity.

Conclusion
To summarize some of the details laid out here: No doubt this confluence of environmental disasters as a result of an astronomical cataclysm has contributed in some part to the tense atmosphere in the series. Perhaps it is better to take the repeated chanting of "a time of peace" as more indicative of collective denial about the precarious state of Remnant. While these events are all likely many years back, there is no doubt a lingering effect and such a calamity would keep people on edge, making them quick to jump into conflict if it were thrust upon them. As noted in my previous blog post on the matter, the various kingdoms have conflicting interests and social problems that could easily be aggravated and bring about a chaotic situation. The underlying tension of a world still grappling with the aftermath of a calamity only leaves them more primed.
 * Black Dragon continent - Grimm central where huntsmen and huntress have kept a bulwark against the threat for many years to allow this "time of peace" to endure. Recent natural disaster has contributed to the loss of territory on the continent to the Grimm.
 * Menagerie - In addition to a relocation site, probably served as a large labor colony. The same natural disaster presumably caused an uptick in unrest in Menagerie and in other Faunus communities that culminated in the Faunus War.
 * Lost continent - Continent missing from the physical map may have vanished due to the same event above.
 * The Moon - Presumed cause of various natural disasters in close proximity that have imperiled the cherished "time of peace" everyone keeps talking about in this show.

All the while, across the sea from Vale, there is an overwhelming hive of monstrous entities just yearning to loose themselves on mankind once more.