The 1700s was a time of rapid change. By the end of the century, the world was a completely different place than it was at the beginning of the century. By 1799, most of Europe and Yodderick were dominated by the "big three" Asian colonizers. Furthermore, early in the century, Sri Vijaya found a whole new continent, Gurun Selatan (குருன் ஸெலடன்; OTL Australia), previously unknown to the outside world.