Book II: The Scrolls of Lemuria
Chapter 6: The Fall of Atlantis
Whilst the Amorosi were playing house in the forests, the Atlanteans were becoming masters of the sea. They developed new technologies to harness the power of the water and created wonders you can’t even imagine which included the great metropolis of Atlantis – their crowning achievement.
Showcasing the best of their ideals of beauty, wisdom, and power, Atlantis was a floating city that was partly above the surface and partly below.
It was hard to say just how big it was – some legends claim it was a large island, others a mini continent. Surrounded by concentric rings of water and land, Atlantis became the very heart of their civilization and the seat of their power.
Much of Atlantis was said to have been formulated by one person – a master architect named Kaelin.
Atlantean history claims that Kaeliin’s work combined the flowing, organic beauty of water with the geometric precision of Mylars. Perhaps the most famous of his designs were the Crystal Aqueducts of Atlantis – constructed from a unique crystalline substance that not only ensured the purity of the water they carried, but also refracted light into a spectrum of vibrant colors, creating a dazzling display that illuminated the island. The aqueducts spanned the whole of Atlantis – both above and below the surface, thus, ensuring a constant, life-giving flow of pure water to both realms of the empire.
Kaelin’s ingenuity also gave birth to the Celestial Observatory, a magnificent structure perched atop the highest peak of the portion of Atlantis that was above the earth.
The observatory was a testament to the Atlantean’s deep connection with the cosmos – as taught to them by the Mylars. Inside, a vast dome housed a collection of enchanted lenses and mirrors that allowed their people’s scholars to gaze into the heavens with unparalleled clarity. The observatory’s rotating platform, powered by a complex mechanism of gears and enchanted stones, enabled precise tracking of celestial bodies. The observatory was not only a center for astronomical research but also a sacred space where the Atlanteans could commune with the stars and seek guidance from the constellations. [As you can imagine, this was NOT to my liking].
Finally, I should probably tell you about Kaelin’s other masterpiece – The Hall of Whispers, a grand repository of knowledge [that thankfully has long since been destroyed!]. Constructed from ethereal marble from Lemuria and infused with the essence of some of Gaia’s ancient silica trees that Elara had sent to Atlantis, the hall’s architecture seamlessly blended nature and craftsmanship. The Hall of Whispers was unique for its enchanted acoustics: any spoken word within its walls was gently amplified and carried throughout the hall, allowing for the softest whispers to be heard clearly. It was a place of meditation and reflection, where the gentle murmurs of knowledge created a serene and inspiring atmosphere. This feature made it an ideal place for scholars and seers to share their wisdom and for the preservation of oral histories. Over time it became the most important ‘university’ of the day learned as peoples from the world over flocked to Kaelin’s Hall. Eventually the complex’s collection included scrolls, tomes, and artifacts chronicling the history, magic, and philosophy of Atlantis and their Mu Men allies – the largest repository of knowledge in the world.
[Can you say, gag me with a spoon?]
Like Elara, Kaelin too had to go.
For this task I sent one of my little pretties to pay Kaelin a visit – an ancient sea serpent, a leviathan, which I’d awoken from its slumber at the bottom of the ocean. It was a glorious monster with the massive sinuous body of a water dragon and the jaws so big and powerful they could crush even the biggest of the Atlantean ships.
I sent it to Atlantis to wreak havoc on the people and hopefully take out Kaelin in the process.
When news of Leviathan’s approach reached Atlantis, panic spread among their people – just as I’d hoped – for it was clear that even with all their advanced technology, they couldn’t stop the monster from devastating their world. I’ll give Kaelin credit, he somehow figured out that defeating my Leviathan required more than brute force and instead devised a defense plan that used the power of the magical crystals of Lemuria that were within the highest tower of the Celestial Observatory.
When my monster attacked the island, it caused great damage and murdered untold numbers of people, yet before it could do its worst, Kaelin unleashed a powerful beam of elemental light that struck my little pretty, wounding it immensely. Since I hadn’t prepared my beast for such an attack, it suffered greatly, but thankfully that damage only made it get more enraged. Directing its energy towards the source of the light beam, the sea serpent pulled its full girth from the depths and prepared to lay waste to the observatory. Kaelin must have realized his doom – for it was clear that nothing could stop the monster – so he redirected the tower’s energy to form as much of a protective barrier to the city as was possible. When the Leviathan’s great tail struck the tower, it destroyed it – yet unfortunately the explosion and debris also destroyed my beast as well. The cataclysm was so great that when the weight of the serpent’s body sunk back down to the depths it created a massive fissure in the island – pulling Atlantis itself down with it!
Thus was the legendary mini continent destroyed – its glorious remains, along with the skeleton of my beloved beast, still remain on the ocean floor – if you know where to look for them.
As for Kaelin, like so many of those who perished, his body was never found – I can only assume he perished like the beast I sent to destroy him, yet whether this is true or not who can say? From my perspective it was a job well done as another nuisance was taken out – score another win for me.
Despite their loss of the beloved Kaelin, the Atlanteans as a people survived. They lost their main city, but they still had others on the coasts of the planet and many more below the waters. In time, new leaders emerged – among them the great Ocean Sage named Caius.
From an early age, Caius learned the secrets of controlling the tides. He helped his people develop an intricate system of underwater pathways that facilitated transportation and communication across the vast ocean territories of the Atlanteans, thereby bolstering trade and unity within the Atlantean Empire. His oceanic network made it more challenging for me to curb his people’s progress, and he lived during a time when I was focused on a number of other projects.
And so the reign of Atlantis continued – and their race overcame the loss of the legendary city to become the masters of the planet. I’d have been upset about all this had I not noticed a curious thing that happened along the way – their people became more secular and less religious. Unlike the Amorosi – whose worship of Alyssa and a pantheon of elemental gods had continued to grow – the Atlanteans instead recognized their own power and began to forget about their duties to the divine.
And that’s where I saw an opportunity to get rid of them once and for all – and maybe take out the Amorosi too!
The Apocrypha of Azazel 