colonies along the coasts of Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania. A scattering of African city-states survived along the coast of the continent including Cape Town. Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand did better than anywhere else in the world, with no die-off, and they were soon sending peaceful explorers to other countries. While mainland Australia did not do quite as well, its larger land mass/resources meant that after a few decades, it was able to keep up with its more fortunate neighbors, with several new political entities rising from the ashes. The most important nation in Australia was the Kingdom of Capricornia, ruling Northern Australia, with a capital in Darwin. Shortly after the change, a single member of the Japanese Royal Family was evacuated from Tokyo by a group of soldiers referred to as the Seventy Loyal Men, though only 46 of them would survive the trip to Sado, Niigata. The member of the royal family was Reiko's grandmother, who was either Princess Mako or Princess Kako. Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-Il, under the influence of the same Powers who guided the Church Universal and Triumphant in the United States, conquered much of mainland Eastern Asia following the Change. Following his death, he would be succeeded by his son, but it has yet to be revealed if his heir is his real-world successor, Kim Jong-un. Characters Connections to the Nantucket series Stirling has confirmed that the Emberverse series are linked to his Nantucket series. Evidence of this can be found throughout the novels: The Change occurs at the same time as the Event that propels Nantucket back in time: 6:15 p.m. PST (9:15 pm EST). The Mackenzie Dennis Martin's brother John, a blacksmith, is an important secondary character in the Nantucket series. The Larssons bought their Montana property from the family of William Walker, the principal antagonist of the Nantucket series, and Signe dated him briefly. A general in the Church Universal and Triumphant is named Walker, and may be related to William Walker. At the 2009 DragonCon, Stirling confirmed this relationship and said the Walkers were troublemakers in both worlds. Ingolf has a vision of Nantucket where he sees a picture of Swindapa. Two of the protagonists of the Nantucket series, Marion Alston and Swindapa, appear with Juniper Mackenzie at the end of The Sword of the Lady as aspects of the Maiden–Mother–Crone trinity during a