Atlantis

Long ago Atlantis was the prominent power on earth. However, like all empires, it eventually slipped into decadence. With even part of the island being allowed to revert to wilderness.

Caverns exist below the island, in which strange creatures sleep, awaiting the Atlanteans' summons to war. Stairs, carved out of the living rock, wind down into the caverns beneath Atlantis. Torches are hung at each twist of the
stairwell. Some caves hold hot springs which gush boiling and frothing from deep clefts in the rocks, collecting in steaming pools. Other parts of the caverns are dark and dusty, long abandoned to the pale, eyeless, crawling cave creatures common in such underground environments.

Surrounded by 30 metre walls on all sides Atlantis has a well protected port. An area behind the harbour fortifications has been set aside for the use of foreign merchants , and they are not allowed to leave that area without a pass signed by one of the lords of the city. The harbour itself is extensively fortified , with high walls and towers containing catapults and everything necessary to withstand a siege. The harbour is further guarded by being behind a maze of treacherous cliffy passages, partly natural, but mostly raised from the ocean bed by the sorcery of the early Atlantean emperors. Apart from the fishing fleet of the slaves, the only ships today who count this port their home are a handful of pleasurecraft, and only fifty odd battleships of the hundreds there once were. The port bustles with movement and noise day and night. The port has delicate, fluted cranes like birds’ bones, long piers and great wharves, cavernous dry docks, hundreds of miles of rope and drying nets, fisher-slaves’ hovels, and magical lighthouses. There are warehouses vast enough to hold food for entire cities, and half-empty barracks for Atlantean marines and sailors, their inhabitants’ days spent in listless drills and dreamed pleasures. The harbour district has few towers, and those are relatively low in height, most under 30 metres. The Foreign Quarter is in the east end of the harbour. This is where the ships of the human nations of the foreign Kingdoms dock. A number of inns and guest-houses can be found here. The Foreign Quarter pulses with feverish activity day or night, as ships load and unload, and merchants and princes conduct hasty transactions in the shadows of alien spires. It is the most active area of the city, although a steady trade of drugs moves through Atlantis’s harbour. While visiting the harbour adventurers may become embroiled in a plethora of plots, as well as chances for trade, intrigue, and affairs of the heart and spirit. Those who break the rules of the harbour are imprisoned in damp, dark cells, made horrid with pestilential odours and drifting sounds of pain.

The architecture of Atlantis is characterized by tall and slender many-coloured towers topped with banners. At 30 metres in height, the highest tower is the Royal Palace, with a magically sealed door. Either low parapets and spires, or a single, slender tower rising high towards the heavens, Atlantean buildings display a feeling of lightness, upward motion, and airy space. Aesthetic appearance takes precedence over structural soundness, and indeed those materials usually too weak or too rare to build from presented no trouble to the amazing sorcerous ingenuity of the artist-surveyors who built Atlantis of old. In the city one can see towers of jade, marble, alabaster, mother-of-pearl, ivory, glass, crystal, amber, gold, obsidian, ice, amethyst, lapis lazuli, and many other substances. Inside, the rooms are typically circular, with large windows and high ceilings, full of light and beauty, with walls and floors and ceilings inlaid with complex designs or painted with superb murals. All buildings in the city are wonders of art and architecture. Some towers have crystalline bridges as delicate as spider webs arching from one structure to another. There are towers which spiral about one another in an architectural double-helix, and towers which twist and curve as they rise up, buildings adorned with a multiplicity of towers, from the ground. One tower floats several feet above the ground, moored by thick, tarred ropes to the sturdy trunks of old, gnarled oaks. There are towers sharp as icicles, towers like bones, towers like flowers with walls that unfold in the sun, towers with balconies and windows of stained glass, towers with bulbous domes, and towers with fanciful, intricate spires.

Windows and doors are often placed so as to ideally display the interior of a tower, in the same way that a picture frame surrounds a painting. Doorways are rarely square. Instead they are round, triangular, arched, or keyhole-shaped. Windows are stained, diamond-paned, lead-lit, shuttered, bulging, concave, or kaleidoscopic. Some windows are doors of glass, providing access to an upper balcony. Glass in windows is the norm in Atlantis rather than the exception, whereas most of the other Kingdoms use oiled paper or thin horn. Gardens replicate the natural, wild beauty of the island. Small gardens are tended around the bases of most towers. Walls maintain a garden’s air of private secrecy, masking its verdant arbours from passersby. Small trees, artfully gnarled, are nurtured while pleasingly weathered rocks are arranged by fountains and artificial streams. Such careful structure flatters Atlanteans, by emphasizing their control over the natural world. In the gardens of abandoned palaces, that control is mocked. Like the island itself, these untenanted gardens grow wild, with thick tangles of brambles and wiry grass beneath the tangled canopies of the trees. Slaves’ quarters are hidden away, often underground or at the rear of a building. Most towers and palaces are riddled with a network of passageways and tunnels for the slaves’ use. Atlanteans do not like to look upon their slaves, and often, unless the slaves have been specially prepared and dressed, are discomfited by their presence. These slave-warrens are almost never entered by an Atlantean, and many would claim not to be aware of their existence, so deliberately ignorant are they of their slaves’ lives.

The spires of the Imperial Palace, seat of Atlantis's power, rear atop a great faceted dome hundreds of metres above the ground, carved from a diamond the size of a ballroom. About the dome, tapering towers of varying heights bristle like stalagmites, built of amber and jade, ceramics of pastel hues, coral and quarried crystal, their bases ringed about the palace’s descending ramparts and walls. The masterwork of the artists who designed the city, the Imperial Palace seems like the convoluted spirals of some fanciful shell, the inner chambers of mother-of-pearl concealing hidden wonders enclosed within its core. The many rooms and suites of the palace contain countless wonders, much of them
abandoned, locked rooms given over to the dust and the mice. There are floors of empty towers which have been
explored perhaps once in 200 years, with narrow windows overlooking forgotten views. Treasure rooms contain the
looted riches of countless nations, and tapestry-lined halls display embroidered decorations that fall apart at the
lightest touch into a rainbow swirl of dust. Those parts of the palace still in use, such as the Court of the Sapphire Throne and the Emperor’s private suites, retain much of their former glory. They are lushly appointed and decorated without restraint of any kind, although the unwary can step without warning from the brightest banqueting hall into a stretch of the palace abandoned centuries ago. Among the rooms still in use are conservatories, observatories, opulent bedrooms containing canopied four-poster beds, vast kitchens with ovens large enough to roast teams of oxen, wardrobes the size of a well-equipped dressmaker’s studio, and communal baths and steam rooms where massage slaves await with oils and hot towels. For millennia the Imperial Palace was a vibrant home to the most self-indulgent of the nobles of Atlantis, the proud and glorious Emperors of the Sapphire Throne, their relations, visitors, and slaves. Now visitors are few, the slaves skulk through shadows and secret ways to avoid upsetting their overlords by their presence, while courtiers and members of the guard cluster in whispering groups in a handful of chambers and hallways.

Once past the main gate and palace courtyard, a long, wide hallway leads to the Court of the Sapphire Throne. The hall is lined with alcoves containing flawless busts of every Emperor or Empress to have ruled Atlantis. There are many empty alcoves before the great doors of the Court are reached. Capped by the faceted diamond dome which crowns the palace, the Court of the Sapphire Throne is a vast oval-shaped room, hundreds of metres long. From the grand doors one looks across the mosaic floor of inlaid gemstones and polished marble towards the quartz-carved stairs leading upwards to the many-faceted Sapphire Throne. It sits atop a high dais, 6 metres above the floor. Sunlight, broken up by the crystal dome, falls in rainbow pools of colour across the court. Looking directly upwards, one can glimpse distorted images of the towers that encircle the dome. The walls of the court are terraced with balconies and galleries leading off into the depths of the palace, and hung with a variety of banners, tapestries and pennants. From the galleries, slave orchestras weave complex, ethereal melodies of refined pain and grace, while other balconies support softly-wafting vines bearing rich blossoms, their scents perfuming the still air of the throne room. The Sapphire Throne is elevated above all the court. None but the Emperor or Empress may sit upon the cold seat of the Throne, although by Imperial leave favoured courtiers may sit on the topmost stair at the Emperor’s feet. A small door, opening onto the Emperor’s private suites, stands a few steps from the Throne, atop the dais. The Sapphire Throne is carved from one great gem, its blood-red facets reflecting the court in a variety of distorted ways. It is the ultimate seat and symbol of Atlantean power. He or she who sits in it has supreme power over the lives of every other person in Atlantis, and, once upon a time, the entire world and worlds beyond. Its material worth is incalculable.

Atlanteans preserve their knowledge of natural magic through geomantic arrangement of the landscape. Children learn sorcery by walking the paths and ley lines that criss-cross the island. Some even lead to other planes of existence, if the walker knows the correct incantations and magical gestures. Non Atlanteans believe Atlantis to be haunted. Atlantis’s residents know that Atlantis is a mystic land, its esoteric wisdom encoded into a complex pattern of ley-lines and pathways which crisscross the island. Standing stones, alone or sometimes elaborately grouped, mark these occult pathways. Lichen obscures many of the ancient carvings engraved upon these grey and weathered megaliths. Some lines follow the path of a normal road, but others cut across the trackless hills. This network of lines and stones is encoded with Atlantis’s deepest secrets and mysteries.

Cradled between warm and cold currents Atlantis's climate is temperate and stable across the island, although not without local variation. The seasons are distinct. Wet and humid summers are the norm, temperatures in the south sometimes rising to uncomfortable extremes. Autumn brings a burst of colour to the island, the many softwood trees
flushing with glorious reds, oranges, and golds before their leaves fall. Winters are cold and dry, with crisp clear mornings and days of weak sunshine. Snow is uncommon except upon the higher northern grounds and then only
on the coldest of days. Spring is the gentlest time of year, with fields of flowers blossoming everywhere across Atlantis. High rainfall (40 to 60 inches a year) encourages lush plant growth. The winds are unpredictable, often
bringing storms and strong rains to the northern coasts. The southern coasts receive warm, gentle winds, mists, and light but regular rains from the distant sea. Atlantis is located in tropical water and the shallow seas around it teem with life , from the smallest plankton up to sea dragons. The rest of the island is surrounded by a ring
of coral reefs. Small boats and lightly barges pass across them easily enough, but merchant ships and warships would rip their bottoms out by trying to land anywhere.

The northern coast of Atlantis, is a rough coastline of volcanos, rocks, and small shingle beaches. Safe landing sites are few and far between. A cold and violent sea rages against the northern cliffs. Many would-be pirates have been wrecked here, their hulls tom open by rocks hidden below the waterline or smashed against the towering cliffs by contrary currents and savage winds. Wise mariners avoid the area, unless their boats are protected by powerful charms.

Atlantis’s southern beaches are of clear white sands, alternating with low cliffs and soft hills. They are bathed by
warm, sometimes steaming currents. Here and there are small stretches of tidal mangrove swamp. Crabs, mudskippers, and a variety of other creatures can be found here, including some crocodiles, whose numbers have
lately increased after teetering on the edge of extinction. Coral reefs grow in the shallow seas, navigable only where the fresh waters flow out from the Atlantean Bay. Closer to shore are a number of craggy islets, miniature mountains whose jagged faces are home to many types of seabirds. The southern waters boast a variety of marine life, providing much variety for the banquet tables of the city. Mists along Atlantis’s southern beaches are common, especially on spring and autumn mornings, rolling in from the
sea and blanketing the countryside.

When thick sea-fogs roll through the city, they obscure the tree trunks so that leaves and branches seem to float wraith-like above the ground. Trees in the oldest part of the forest are unnaturally ordered, positioned where they would be most aesthetically pleasing. Cool and damp, the garden areas are a haven for those seeking relief from the humid summer heat. There are maples, their leaves changing to fiery reds and oranges in autumn. Slender birch trees become invisible when the winter fogs come, until they seem to be nothing more than a fallen tree’s dream of life. Flowering cherries scatter pink and white petals across the moss in springtime. Graceful willows overhang narrow, twisting streams. Chestnuts add their hoary branches to the rustling canopy. Flowering shrubs such as azaleas and rhododendron grow here also. Occasional glades boast fields of bluebells, daffodils, snowdrops, and crocuses, all raising their blossoms to greet the sun.

By 71,000 BC Atlantis has become decadent and lost its curiosity about the world. The shrinking population seldom leaves its single remaining city, with only slaves travelling to other parts of the island. The first human civilization that attempted to challenge Atlantis had their fertile empire turned into a desert by Atlantean Sorcerers. Their gradual loss of power stems from their own apathy and withdrawal as well as continued assaults by the Lizardmen. Even in its last days, Atlantis remains the centre of trade in the western world. It was inhabited by some five thousand Atlantean lords and ladies with about 50,000 slaves; the city easily could hold five times that many people. With a citizenry consisting entirely of nobles, no work could be done. The menial work of Atlantis civilization was performed by a hereditary class of slaves, many of whom were Atlantean half-bloods. The best of these were allowed to serve in the military, but not to be Officers, and trade with foreign merchants. No middle class was able to rise. Farming, mining, textile work, and all the chores of maintaining a tower or palace were handled by the lesser, fully human, slaves.
The Atlanteans had an interesting method of controlling their slaves. While conceding them no rights whatsoever , they nevertheless maintained them in fabulous luxury. Nine·tenths of each tower or palace pertained to the slaves of the tower's owner. For each Atlantean living in the building there would be five or ten slaves to do the work of the place. Slaves in Atlantis had higher standards of living than dukes and princes in other kingdoms. If this wasn't enough to insure compliance, the Atlanteans also kept their slaves drugged with will-destroying narcotics. Addicted to such things as lotus wine or poppy dust, the slaves of Atlantis could find neither the leadership nor the energy to mount a rebellion. In addition to the human servants there were a fairly large number of super-natural servitors - bound demons and elementals. Many of the Atlanteans were sorcerers, and many of their ancestors were. Demon servants and objects were more common in Atlantis than in any other land. Although their slaves managed to do some farming, much of what Atlanteans needed to live had to be imported by sea from other lands. Atlanteans paid for food, weapons, and luxury artifacts of all sorts with their ancient store of silver coinage or with uncut jewels from their rich mines on the interior of the island.

Inside their fabulous towers, they gave themselves over to drug induced dreams, or elaborate entertainments, orgies, carouses, complex games, or esoteric study. There were no incompetent Atlanteans, yet most preferred their private amusement to working for the state. Each month, one·fourth of the adult men would put aside those amusements to care for the business of the city , such as piloting merchants into the harbour of Atlantis, dealing with them in trade, overseeing the defence, etc. Beyond the walls and towers of Atlantis, most of the island reverted to nature. The landscape was dotted with abandoned villas, towers, and even small towns with three or four towers which hadn't been lived in for centuries. Such places tended to be avoided by modem Atlanteans for it was well-known that the sorcerers of olden days were greater and more powerful than those of the present , and that they probably left demon guardians to safeguard their property after death. Such places were exceedingly rich, and sometimes bold thieves from other nations would come ashore in a small boat and seek to ransack one. Such thieves generally perished, and the Atlanteans never noticed.

Atlantean society observes no difference between male and female in any way save their sexual characteristics. Gender is no obstruction, nor is age, impairment, or sexual preference. An individual is only ostracized by kindred if he or she breaks with the traditions which bind Atlantean society. The noble houses are rigorous in keeping their bloodlines pure, expelling impure offspring to the slave pits without mercy. Those slaves with a more obviously Atlantean appearance and mien become the overseers of their mongrel brethren, human and hybrid alike. The slave/master structure in Atlantis has produced a society totally reliant upon its two parts. Without the drugs their masters administer, the majority of the slaves in the city would die. Without the slaves to carry out the simplest of day-to-day functions such as cooking and cleaning, Atlantean society would collapse. Atlanteans are drilled in etiquette and the complex patterns of court ritual from an early age. To an extent, the demands of tradition are the only laws Atlanteans recognize.

Once an Atlantean child is born, his or her upbringing is largely entrusted to slaves. They rear and educate the child, providing lengthy instruction in Atlantis’s long rituals and ancient traditions. Reading and writing lessons begin at age two or three, sorcery within the year if applicable. Discipline of the body begins at the same time as does discipline of the mind. Although a child will not pick up a real sword until the age of ten, from six years age and upwards Atlantean children are given weapon training, as well as general exercise. Weapon masters are collected at great cost from across the world. Education concerning Atlantis's many drugs is also started as soon as a child is old enough to learn to pick and choose.

Atlantis depends upon her slaves, who in turn depend upon Atlantis. Drugged, dazed, and controlled by their inhuman masters, the slaves of the city are generally treated better than their peers in other nations. Only labouring slaves have a short life-span, exhausted and broken by their harsh work. The majority of Atlantean slaves live a long, rich life, dining on finer fare than the free peasants of many lands, and clad in the cast-off finery of their lords and ladies. Regardless of their station, all slaves on Atlantis are controlled by their dependence upon the dreams their drugs bring, and thus the drugs’ source, their inhuman overlords. Drugs make their lives far more pleasant than they would otherwise be. The pain and torment of their lot is blurred in a warm narcotic fog. Most slaves are human, either descended from generations of enslaved ancestors, or survivours of ships which have crashed while trying to sneak onto Atlantis, or enslaved for breaking one of Atlantis's laws. Any task which Atlanteans cannot bring themselves to perform, slaves carry out for them. Because the sight of their slaves is disagreeable to many Atlanteans, a hidden network of corridors and passageways exists throughout the city. With them, slaves can travel about undetected. These warrens let slaves traverse Atlantis from north to south without once seeing the light of day.

The only visitors allowed in Atlantis are those who come to trade, and scholars who come to learn from Atlantis's ancient wisdom. Despite the many dangers which face foreigners, people swarm to the city, merchants from almost every kingdom as well as sorcerers, sages, and seekers after truth. Most traders come for Atlantis’s rare and wondrous works of art, pearls, fine jewels, and precious metals. Others come for drugs, sorcery, salt, spices, wine, glass and earthenware. Atlantis is rumoured to possess inexhaustible wealth, although the amount of gold and jewellery exported has dropped in quantity, the quality remains fine. All artwork which Atlantis exports nowadays is antique. The art currently produced in Atlantis lacks the subtlety of that produced in previous centuries.

The planes of all four elements intersect with that of earth, but the kinship between Atlanteans and water elementals is closest. Much Atlantean sorcery revolves around the commanding of elementals, who are friendlier and more responsive than demons. While elementals must be placated and convinced to carry out a task when summoned, they are much less demanding than demons. Demons usually require one or more souls, but elementals have simpler tastes. The scent of a fresh-picked rose is often sufficient for an air elemental. Earth elementals are satisfied by the taste of a rare mineral. Water elementals like to absorb the freshness of rain or melting snow. Fire elementals delight in burning substances rarely available to them, such as silks, artwork, and documents.

For all this Atlantis is by no means weak. The much-reduced fleet of golden battleships rarely sail upon the seas, but it brings fire and inevitable destruction to upstart lordlings and brigands who dare to attack. The monsters which slumber in deep caverns may be less numerous than they once were, but when roused their fury is just as potent. Protected by these forces, and believing themselves unassailable, Atlanteans still view themselves as the rightful masters of the earth.

A map of the earth in the Atlantean era can be found here.

Information on the Atlantean race can be found here.

Information on Atlantean Classes can be found here.