Atlanteans
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The Atlanteans were once an advanced civilization of seafarers, alchemists, and mystics, consisting of several kingdoms and city-states on and around the ancient continent of Atlantis.
History
According to Atlantean accounts of history, the first inhabitants of Atlantis were "autochthon": the humans fashioned from clay by the Titan Prometheus, and breathed to life by Athena. It was for them that Prometheus stole fire (variously described as an analogy for technology, magic, and free will), the crime for which Zeus punished him to be chained and eaten alive for eternity. While some autochthons remained in the shadow of Mount Olympus under the reign of Prometheus' brother Epimetheus, and his Zeus-given wife Pandora, others spread outwards across Greece and beyond, becoming the ancestors of the innately magical Homo Magi. One group of autochthon settlers travelled west, encountering another brother of Prometheus, Atlas, similarly condemned to eternal punishment by Zeus to carry the weight of the sky upon his shoulders. Hearing the fate of his brother, Atlas directed the settlers towards a large and pristine island surrounded by ocean, beyond (he hoped) the reach of Zeus. In gratitude, the settlers named their new home and the ocean that surrounded it after their benefactor: Atlantis, and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlanteans trace their lineage back to a single common ancestor: Cleito a daughter of those early autochthon settlers, whose love affair with the sea - or more specifically Poseidon - bore, according to legend, five sets of twins. The eldest of these was Atlan, whom the ancient Atlanteans appointed their King: he established the city-state of Poseidonis in honour of his father, and divided the rest of his dominion between his brothers. Over time, Atlantean influence spread, spanning the ocean from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, and as far north as the North Sea, and Atlan's brothers and allies became kings in their own right. One of the first to emerge was the island kingdom of Tritonis, joined later by the Mediterranean Orionis, and the distant colonies of Kerys and Xebel. Atlantis forged alliances with other inhabitants of the Atlantic Ocean as well, such as the Nereids and Oceanids, and the Telchines of Rhodos: once the revered blacksmiths and artisans to the Titans, since driven from their surface home to the depths of the oceans. From the Telchines, the Atlanteans learned science and alchemy, and with it involved into an advanced civilization well ahead of its time: a civilization so advanced that it made the Gods deeply nervous.
Sources disagree on the cause of Atlantis' downfall. Some blame Atlantean hubris, and a thirst for power that ultimately destroyed them. Some blame the jealousy of the gods, turning on a people who they feared were growing too powerful. Some place the blame on Orionis, and on King Orin, the brother of Atlan who ruled there, and turned away from the traditional reverence of Poseidon and the sea in favour of a cult of Helios: some even go so far as to cite a growing madness that sparked a series of civil wars. Others insist upon the total innocence of the Atlanteans, describing the sinking of Atlantis as collateral damage from the same Deluge that Zeus unleashed against Deucalion and the other autochthons of mainland Greece. What is clear is that the sinking of Atlantis was no natural disaster, affecting not only the continent of Atlantis itself, but also her colonies and cities across the Atlantic, and almost all evidence of her impact on history.
Though destroyed and disappeared, the Atlanteans did not cease to exist. In Poseidonis, King Atlan used the power granted to him as Waterbearer to shield and protect his city, concealing it beneath the ocean from gods and mortals alike, and transforming his subjects to thrive in their new circumstances, into the Atlanteans of today. Other cities survived in other ways: the citizens of Tritonis were transformed by their patron Triton into the merfolk now known as the Fishermen; the Telchines - now known as the Brine - burrowed deeper into the protective safety of the sea floor; while in Xebel, the Lords of Order and Lords of Chaos are considered responsible for the schism between the Atlantean-like High-Born, and the cursed and feral creatures known as the Trench.
Modern History
Since the Deluge, the Atlanteans continued to exist in relative peace and obscurity, until the beginning of the 20th Century. Having finally reached a level of technological equivalence with ancient Atlantis, the Atlanteans were dismayed to see their human kin fall into a cycle of warfare, pollution, and ecological destruction. Though Atlantis has a strong tradition of neutrality when it comes to the affairs of the surface-dwellers, at certain points in history certain rebels, separatists, and extremists have acted in defiance of this stance, inspiring myths, manipulating events, and even directly striking out at the surface-dwellers - such as the attack against the USS San Diego during World War I, which inadvertently led to the birth of the future King, Aquaman.
With the outbreak of a Second World War mere decades after the end of the First - a blink of an eye for the long-lived Atlanteans - the unrest in Atlantis grew more severe than ever. This time it was the Crown Prince, Orm Marius, son of Queen Atlanna of Poseidonis and King Orvax of Orionis who took matters into his own hands. Latching onto the Nazi obsession with the übermensch and the master race, Orm introduced himself as an Aryan, presenting himself as an ally to the Axis powers, willing to teach them occult secrets and help advance the Nazi war machine. Orm's belief was that with little more than a minor nudge, the surface-dwellers would annihilate each other, and that whatever survived would either pose no threat or provide little resistance to Atlantis. At the time, Orm's desire was that Atlantis merely be left alone, though he slowly developed a desire for Atlantis to "rise again".
Much of the Atlantean tradition of neutrality was interwoven with a notion of anonymity: Atlanteans stayed out of surface affairs, to preserve the belief that they were a non-existent myth. The actions of Aquaman on behalf of the Allies during World War II, and his activities as a hero in America in the decades that followed, began to erode the potential longevity of that anonymity, while the advent and testing of atomic weapons, nuclear submarines, and the continued increase of pollution and environmental impact caused by the surface-dwellers posed a threat to Atlantis whether they remained neutral or not. Seen as a pariah for going against Atlantian tradition during the war, Prince Orm suddenly found himself with increasing support from the people, and after the death of his father he was poised to inherit the thrones of Poseidonis and Orionis, wielding enough political power to potentially unite the Kingdoms and declare himself Ocean Master. To prevent the outbreak of World War III, Aquaman was forced to challenge his brother for the throne. Under his reign - as King Orin II - he ushered in an era of tentative diplomatic relations between Atlantis and the surface, though this has proven a struggle, with many countries reluctant to ratify a nation whose territorial claims encompass so much of what the United Nations considers "international waters".
Society
Atlantis is usually described as a nation of Seven Kingdoms, though there is often historical disagreement over which kingdoms comprised those seven. In modern times, Xebel and the Trench are counted separately, though historical accounts and local folklore suggest that they were the same kingdom prior to the sinking of Atlantis. Some argue that Atlantis was a nation of seven Kings rather than seven Kingdoms, suggesting that King Atlan was the King of all Atlantis, while a separate monarch reigned as King of Poseidonis: a theory popular with more recent rulers of Poseidonis, seeking to reinforce their validity. Others distinguish between the loyalists of Orionis and the exiled Deserters - particularly those who founded Heliopolis - as separate Kingdoms, though traditionally they are counted as one and the same. There are also various theories and conspiracies about there being more than one Lost Nation, such as the Hyperboreans or Ultima Thule, or a hypothetical southern Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean. Such theories are generally regarded with the same level of scepticism as a surface-dweller might have towards theories about "mythical" Atlantis.
Atlantis
The Kingdom of Atlantis consists of the ancient Atlantean city-state of Poseidonis, and the surrounding territories. Traditionally, the borders of Atlantis are considered to match those of the continent of Atlantis before it sank, but in practice - and by virtue of alliances - the King of Poseidonis is considered regent of everything within the open ocean. When most people consider Atlanteans, it is these residents of Poseidonis and their surroundings that they usually imagine: they are the driving force behind politics, technology, and the military, and are considered "responsible" for the Atlantean peoples as a whole, essentially inheriting the role of King Atlan as the "elder sibling" of the various Atlantean sovereigns.
As the name of the capital city suggests, the citizens of Poseidonis have always felt a strong affinity towards Poseidon, whom they - or at the very least, their rulers - are said to be descended. The sinking of Atlantis complicated that relationship with the God of the Sea, however: many considered Poseidon to be responsible, while others blamed the famously wrathful Zeus, and considered Poseidon - through his son, Atlan - to be responsible for saving the Atlantean people, and harbouring them within his oceans, safe from further retribution. Over the millennia, the interaction between the Old Gods and the mortal world has diminished to such an extent that the difference is inconsequential: modern Atlanteans are not atheists, they merely do not see much practical value in praying to the gods.
Tritonis
The Kingdom of Tritonis once existed on an archipelago of islands that lay between Atlantis and the "Pillars of Hercules" (the Strait of Gibraltar). Tritonians have always been a seafaring people, and even in modern times they are the principal force behind Atlantean aquaculture, something reflected in their modern nomenclature, the Kingdom of the Fishermen. The Fishermen have always been an artistic, spiritual, and philosophical people, and have embraced their aquatic forms and aquatic life, seeking to construct a city and a civilization that exists in harmony with the ocean around them. They are notorious however for being slow to act, ever-conscious of the potential unseen ripple effects that any action might cause. In modern times, Tritonis is considered a vassal state of Poseidonis.
The Fishermen are one of the few groups of Atlanteans who are still overtly religious. Rather than reverence for the Old Gods however, they focus their reverence mostly on lesser divine oceanic beings - Oceanids, Nereids, and such - in a manner similar to how a surface-dweller might revere an angel, spirit animal, or ancestor spirit.
Orionis
The Kingdom of Orionis carries with it considerable stigma. Constructed in the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and ruled by Atlan's troublesome brother King Orin, the people of Orionis were guilty of several social taboos in their time. They were seen as regressive, returning to lands that their ancestors had with good reason fled. They were war-like, their return to the Mediterranean and the Aegian seen as an opportunity to expand the borders of Atlantis through conquest rather than exploration and trade. According to the Brine, it was they that drove their Telchine ancestors from their ancestral home on Rhodes, though modern scholars question the historicity of this.
Most of all though, Orionis had a reputation for abandonment: of traditions, laws, alliances, and religion. Abandoning the traditional Atlantean faith in Poseidon, the citizens of Orionis began to call themselves the "Sons of Helios", setting themselves apart from their Atlantean cousins. Their innate affinity for conflict proved to be their downfall, however, the inner conflicts, coups, and fragmentation of their ruling class finding their way into Greek mythology as the Heliadae, with spinters of Orionis culture spreading out across the Mediterranean to inspire and influence other cultures. Perhaps the most significant of these Orionis offshoots is the city of Heliopolis, founded in the predynastic era of Ancient Egypt, and believed to be the likely cause of Atlantean influences on Egyptian culture.
By the Atlanteans, Orionis became known as the Kingdom of the Deserters, both for their abandonment of the old ways and the desert-dwelling of their Egyptian descendants. Though much of their surface empire has since deteriorated, Orionis continued to be inhabited, and continued to be a thorn in the side of the surface-dwellers throughout the centuries, responsible for historical accounts such as the Sea Peoples of the late Bronze Age, or the Aryans idolised by the Third Reich. In modern times, successive Kings of Orionis have sought to distance themselves from the reputation of the Deserters, claiming that their ancestors were the "true" Atlanteans, and that conquest and dominance has always been the Atlantean way regardless of what the poetry and propaganda of Atlantean historians and scholars might say. Orionis has remained a persistent voice urging conflict with the surface in the ear of Poseidonis' monarch for centuries, up to and including King Orvax: the last King of Orionis prior to his marriage to Queen Atlanna of Poseidonis and the unification of their royal families through Prince Orm.
Rhodos
The Kingdom of Rhodos, better known as the Kingdom of the Brine, are the descendants of the Telchines: the engineers and blacksmiths to the Titans, who found themselves on the losing side after Zeus and his Olympians won the Titanomachy. Always an aquatic and nonhuman race, the Telchines were driven from their historic home on the island of Rhodes after the Titans' defeat, and were forced into the depths of the oceans. According to their own accounts of history, it was the Heliadae - the Kingdom of Orionis - who drove them from their home, though Atlantean scholars question the historicity of this: based on the Atlantean understanding of history, their civilization did not exist until long after the fall of the Titans. It is generally agreed that while the Kingdom of Orionis may have driven the Brine from the Mediterranean, and may have conquered the Telchines' former home of Rhodes, the Brine had likely been driven from the surface by other actors long before this. Despite this exile from their home, the Brine have brought the name Rhodos - the name of Poseidon's daughter, synonymous with Rhodes - with them like a shell, using it to inhabit whatever territory the Brine happen to inhabit.
The Brine have remained true to their ancient origins, as blacksmiths and craftsmen. They are the chief metallurgists of Atlantis, extracting minerals from the sea floor, and relying on geothermal and hydrothermal forges to refine it into orichalcum and alchemical steel for use in Atlantean technology. According to some, ancient stories about the Brine may have been an inspiration for the dwarves of Norse mythology, as well as Kedalion and Karkinos in Greek myth. It is also suggested that the death of Orion at the hands of Scorpio may relate to the Telchines and their battles with Orionis.
Kerys
The Kingdom of Kerys, known to modern Atlanteans as the Lost Nation, was a colony of Atlantis established in what is now the North Sea: though at the time - and until around 6500 BC - the modern British Isles were connected to mainland Europe by a now-submerged land bridge. The city-state of Kerys - remembered in European folklore as Ys - was an outpost of Atlantean mages and mystics, and a place of deep spiritual belief. When Atlantis fell, the mystics of Kerys retreated not beneath the ocean, but into The Blue itself: the metaphysical dimension from which Atlanteans derive their mystic power. Their realm there came to be known by many names, but Emain Ablach - later translated to Ynys Afallach and Insula Avallonis or Avalon - is perhaps the best known.
Though disappearing from Atlantean awareness and politics, the Lost Nation continued to influence their former territory, adopting the role of benefactors and guardians to the Celtic tribes of humans that came to reside there. In Ireland, they became known as the Tuath Dé and were revered as ancient gods, or as the Scottish and Irish nature spirits called aes sídhe, while in Britain their knowledge of the mystic and alchemy became the basis of the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend.
Xebel
The Kingdom of Xebel lies at the western-most extreme of ancient Atlantis, somewhere within what is now considered the Bermuda Triangle. It was founded by the mage-king Ari'ahn - better known as King Arion - a figure as mysterious and mystical as the kingdom he ruled. By most accounts, he is a son of Poseidon, and thus one of the brothers of King Atlan: possibly the same son of Poseidon described in Greek myth. Later sources describe another (or possibly the same) Arion mounted upon a dolphin or seahorse: the giant seahorses of Xebel have become something of a symbol of the city-state since its submergence. However, separate accounts describe Arion not as the son of Poseidon, but of other figures: Calculha and Majistra, figures associated with the Lords of Order and Lords of Chaos. The confusion stems back as far as Ari'ahn's rule, the ancient Atlantean delighting in an air of mystery and intrigue, especially since his ascension as one of the Lords of Order in his own right.
Ari'ahn was a powerful master of the arcane, a trait that he passed along to his subjects and their descendants. Xebel has a strong tradition of mystics - sometimes disparagingly called water-witches - with powerful hydrokinetic abilities, famously exemplified by Queen Mera. According to the histories of Xebel, their ancestors were too far from the protective influence of King Atlan when Atlantis began to fall, and so conspired together to use their abilities to safeguard themselves. This belief forms the basis for a strong sense of independence by the Kingdom of Xebel, which in times is a formidable oceanic power in its own right - strong enough, it is believed, to rival Poseidonis and her allies, should it choose to. However, other accounts of history suggest that through Arion, the Lords of Order played a role in Xebel's protection from the Deluge, and that the Lords of Chaos exacted a toll for this intervention into mortal affairs, cursing part of the Xebel population and corrupting them into the Trench.
In recent times, the increasing significance of the United States in surface-dweller politics has led to a corresponding increase in Xebel's political sway. Though Orionis has persisted in urging the Atlanteans to wage war on the surface, the target of their ire has shifted somewhat, away from the population of Europe and towards the United States, responsible for the atomic testing, nuclear submarines, and much of the industrial pollutants that threaten Atlantean life and sovereignty. While Orionis has a more compelling case than ever for such retaliation, it is now Xebel, rather than Atlantis, in the strongest position - geographically speaking - to oppose or endorse such an action. Currently, the marriage between Queen Mera of Xebel and King Orin of Atlantis keeps both Kingdoms more or less aligned on such political issues.
Physiology
Biologically speaking, the term "Atlantean" is usually applied to the humanoid residents of Poseidonis, Orionis, and Xebel, collectively referred to as High-Born. This term is intended to evoke the close similarity between modern Atlanteans and their surface-dwelling ancestors, but it comes with the unfortunate implication that alternate Atlantean species - the Fishermen, Brine, and Trench - are thus "Low-Born" by comparison: a perception amplified by the regality and rigid social order of those three high-born kingdoms.
High-Born Atlanteans retain most of their surface-dwelling characteristics, and their adaptations to aquatic life are mystical in origin, rather than a conventional biological change. These adaptations provide their bodies with the strength and endurance to withstand the temperatures and pressures found at oceanic depths, and give them the ability to move, breathe, see, and communicate freely underwater. The mystical nature of these changes means that High-Born are also capable - in principle - of breathing air as well as water, though transitioning between one and the other can be difficult and traumatic at first: an Atlantean who has never been to the surface has never needed to use their lungs to breathe air, and must re-learn how to do so. This process can be lengthy, and taxing, and is an ability that Atlanteans are beginning to lose as the bloodlines slowly become less pure: as a result, most Atlanteans will not visit the surface without specialist equipment that allows them to breathe water for the duration.
Fishermen
Unlike Poseidonis and Xebel, where the populations were protected through the magical actions of an Atlantean king, the people of Tritonis sought protection directly from their patron, the sea god Triton. Rather than allowing the citizens of Tritonis to retain their old forms in a new environment, Triton transformed them in a way that embraced their aquatic forms completely. This transformation is much more biological than mystical: Fishermen have genuine physiological adaptations to their submarine environment, such as gills, fins, and scales. These adaptations are not uniform however, with different strains and bloodlines of Fishermen bearing a resemblance to different forms of aquatic life. Despite these radical changes, Fishermen are still able to freely interbreed with High-Born Atlanteans, producing offspring that can themselves reproduce: a trait that, scientifically speaking, means they are still considered the same "species". This intermingling of High-Born and Fishermen has further diversified their physiology, inheriting a combination of traits from their parents, resulting in everything from Fishermen with legs to a High-Born with a tail.
The Brine
Unlike the Fishermen, the Brine are a unique and distinct species, descended from the Telchines rather than from Atlanteans. The Brine are arthropods, superficially similar to marine crustaceans. Despite their pincered forelimbs, the Brine are surprisingly skilled and delicate artisans, leading some to speculate that their exoskeletons might either be artificial, or in some way removable (similar to a hermit crab). Like most crustaceans, the Brine reproduce via eggs, and are genetically incompatible with other forms of Atlantean.
The Trench
Of all the forms of Atlanteans, the Trench are the least understood. Superficially they are similar to the Fishermen, possessing many of the same aquatic physiological adaptations, albeit with a decidedly more feral and primordial emphasis, suggesting a possible correlation between the two breeds of Atlantean. However, the Trench possesses the kind of humanoid limbs found only in Atlanteans of hybrid High-Born and Fisherman descent. Their geography meanwhile, native to the Puerto Rico Trench - the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean - suggests a historic connection with the nearby Kingdom of Xebel, once the Xebellians eagerly deny and discourage. Some historical accounts suggest a connection to the Lords of Chaos. There is also a question of sentience: some suggest that the Trench are completely feral and unthinking, having regressed to an animalistic nature, but they have been seen to act in a somewhat coordinated way at times, while at others seem succeptable to being controlled or enthralled.
Technology
The first Atlanteans possessed a fairly rudimentary Bronze Age level of technology, augmented in part with the magic and mysticism provided to them by Prometheus. They were adept sailors, navigators, and fishermen, and during the early stages of their civilization that formed the backbone of their economy and culture: something immortalised in the common byname for the peoples of Tritonis. As their civilization grew, however, they became allies of the Telchines - the Brine - who taught them the ways of science and alchemy. With orichalcum and alchemical steel, Atlantis advanced to a level of steam and industry, powered at first by magic but in later times hydroelectricity and geothermal power. At the height of their civilization on the surface, Atlantis was a unique blend of Bronze Age culture with Industrial Age technology.
Once submerged, Atlantean technology continued to develop. The ancient art of alchemy evolved into the science of atomic transmutation: still the transformation of one substance into another, but with a greater understanding of the scientific reasoning behind it. From that, Atlanteans developed fission, cold fusion, and are currently experimenting with vacuum energy and quark matter. Much of Atlantean technology - particularly weapons and propulsion - is currently plasma-based, with a particular emphasis on technologies that result in harmless byproducts that will not have a detrimental impact on the ocean ecosystem. Atlanteans have also become proficient bioengineers, taking inspiration from the adaptations evolved by oceanic life, and adapting them into practical technologies.
Appendices
- The "Lost Nation" exists in DC lore, but the specific name used here is new: Kerys comes from Kêr-Is, the Breton name for Ys, a lost sunken city from Celtic mythology. In the comics they are the Tuatha Dé Danann, the gods of ancient Ireland: their otherworldly home is known variously as Tír na nÓg, Tír fo Thuinn (the "Land under the Wave"), Mag Mell, and Emain Ablach - the latter (the "Isle of Apple Trees") being the root of the name Avalon in Arthurian lore.
- The "Deserters" were introduced to the DCEU in Aquaman, as an Atlantean kingdom located in the Sahara "before it was a desert". To better fit with a timeline of thousands (rather than millions) of years, this has been tweaked, tying into conspiracy theories that connect together Atlantis, ancient Egypt, and the pyramids. Identifying the "Brine" (also from Aquaman) with the Telchines of mythology is part of that same tweak.
- The Trench are usually described as coming from the Marianas Trench, hence their resemblance to creatures discovered there in recent years. However, the Marianas Trench is located in the Pacific Ocean, on the opposite side of the world to any other parts of Atlantis. The Puerto Rico Trench however, the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, is located close to the Bermuda Triangle and the Kingdom of Xebel, making more narrative sense.
