Atlantis. The very name sends shivers down one's spine, but the mystery remains. How did she fall? Why did she sink underneath the tempestuous waves of the Sea? Where did she go wrong?
Like a clock, this story runs on the small cogs, the tiny pieces driving the mighty events of the greatest fall of a civilization in history. From the Mightiest trading Empire on Earth, spreading civilization across the globe, knowledge, Philosophy, culinary, weapons and hundreds of other items made and improved within the walls of the immense metropolis.
Magic is a second nature. People almost stop seeing it as something immense and powerful. It is a commodity that can be bought and sold. Hundreds of years ago, during the great Inundation, a comet crashed to the earth and once the water went down, and people began to spread across the globe once more, they found the crash sight, oddly enough, still littered with the fragmented stones of the celestial body. Not all of it was there, of course. But most of the body was intact, made of an ephemeral Golden hue. It was not gold, but something far more precious.
Wishing Stones they were called. Not many could use them at first. They required immense strength of mind to use, but once powered, they could be called upon to change the shape and material of every single item on the planet to anything that could be imagined in your mind. At first, their powers were used for simple things, like food for the winter, sharper weapons, stronger muscles and better looks. They could do anything, quite literally, but once an action was performed under the Wishing Stone's power, it could not be undone.
But as more and more of it's power was used, men with ambition began to take use of the power for more and more. The building blocks of Atlantis were made with such men. People called it magic, and studied the stones deeply. More and more study required more and more stones until they reached the center of the comet, and were amazed. At the center was a perfectly made ball, glistening but colorless, and as translucent as water. They called it the Atlas, and placed it at the center of their growing city, to be deeply studied. The first man to look at it found a small Flaw in the Atlas: A small chip, presumably broken off on impact, was missing. It had to be on impact because, unlike the Golden Wishing Stones, it could not be broken or pieced, or even, as some were doing, melting it and reforging it. The more one used the Golden Stones too, the glow would begin to diminish until it was a simple golden rock. But not so with the Atlas. It never faded, never changed.
The awesome power of the stones was only beginning to be discovered, they realized. And all the people in the world realized this too. None were allowed into the deep and dark room where the Atlas lay, barring the highest of the Students of Magic, but the Wishing Stones were being found across the planet, of course, not in the same numbers as in the comet site and the surrounding areas, but they were being sold and fashioned into weapons, books. The comet was huge, and the pieces were seemingly without end.
The city built around it that seemed to grow without end was Called Atlantis, after it's heart. A leader quickly arose from among them, the first man to touch the Atlas. He was gifted, they said, with amazing powers. Whoever touched it was given a small portion of the Atlas's power, and it became clear that he had it. He never aged, remaining a youth of very good looks, with golden hair growing down his back, strong features, charismatic and loved by the people, he became the first, and only Emperor of Atlantis. And the people loved him for it. He was gifted as well, it was said, with precognitive visions, shared with many of the students and many came true. Immense strength and speed, none could best him in combat, no matter their weapons and, at his command, none others would be allowed to touch the Atlas. Any that had previously were quickly and silently dealt with.
All but one, that is.
It was the Great Leader's visions that brought about the greatest uses from the Atlas. Portals were opened in time and space, but only for brief times, and while the distances on earth were great, only peeks were allowed through time, no travel, and different dimensions were seen, studied and cataloged. But it was clear that the Atlas was not at it's full power. The small chip missing was like a piece to a puzzle. It was odd how such a small piece could damage the power of the Atlas, but a scholar came up with a cunning idea as to why: The size of the piece was not important. Like a circle, it needed to be completed to fulfill it's greater purpose. Missing even a small piece in a circle still leaves a circle incomplete, and thus, nearly powerless in comparison. The idea intrigued the Ruler, who instantly demanded that searches throughout the entire earth to find the missing piece, sending emissaries through the portals made by the Atlas to make the search quicker. For if this was a mere fragment of the true power of the Atlas, he couldn't wait to see what it could do at it's full capacity.
For eternal youth, while an interesting prospect at first, quickly became boring for the Ruler. Few dared fight him, counter him. All agreed with him, believing him to be the highest purpose, even believing him to be something of a God. It got to his head, of course, and by his own hand was elevated to the station of God. And under his rule, despite the earth being seemingly content and constantly advancing, there was cruelty and excesses as well. No man was meant to hold the power of a God, and the Great Ruler showed why. Massacres, sacrifices in his honor. The boredom of the Great Ruler knew no bounds. Someone had to stop him before the last chip of the Atlas was found, for those that had seen into the short glimpses of the future saw that if things continued at this rate, they saw destruction. Not only of their world, but that of the millions of others that they had seen and had yet to see.
Like a clock, this story runs on the small cogs, the tiny pieces driving the mighty events of the greatest fall of a civilization in history. From the Mightiest trading Empire on Earth, spreading civilization across the globe, knowledge, Philosophy, culinary, weapons and hundreds of other items made and improved within the walls of the immense metropolis.
Magic is a second nature. People almost stop seeing it as something immense and powerful. It is a commodity that can be bought and sold. Hundreds of years ago, during the great Inundation, a comet crashed to the earth and once the water went down, and people began to spread across the globe once more, they found the crash sight, oddly enough, still littered with the fragmented stones of the celestial body. Not all of it was there, of course. But most of the body was intact, made of an ephemeral Golden hue. It was not gold, but something far more precious.
Wishing Stones they were called. Not many could use them at first. They required immense strength of mind to use, but once powered, they could be called upon to change the shape and material of every single item on the planet to anything that could be imagined in your mind. At first, their powers were used for simple things, like food for the winter, sharper weapons, stronger muscles and better looks. They could do anything, quite literally, but once an action was performed under the Wishing Stone's power, it could not be undone.
But as more and more of it's power was used, men with ambition began to take use of the power for more and more. The building blocks of Atlantis were made with such men. People called it magic, and studied the stones deeply. More and more study required more and more stones until they reached the center of the comet, and were amazed. At the center was a perfectly made ball, glistening but colorless, and as translucent as water. They called it the Atlas, and placed it at the center of their growing city, to be deeply studied. The first man to look at it found a small Flaw in the Atlas: A small chip, presumably broken off on impact, was missing. It had to be on impact because, unlike the Golden Wishing Stones, it could not be broken or pieced, or even, as some were doing, melting it and reforging it. The more one used the Golden Stones too, the glow would begin to diminish until it was a simple golden rock. But not so with the Atlas. It never faded, never changed.
The awesome power of the stones was only beginning to be discovered, they realized. And all the people in the world realized this too. None were allowed into the deep and dark room where the Atlas lay, barring the highest of the Students of Magic, but the Wishing Stones were being found across the planet, of course, not in the same numbers as in the comet site and the surrounding areas, but they were being sold and fashioned into weapons, books. The comet was huge, and the pieces were seemingly without end.
The city built around it that seemed to grow without end was Called Atlantis, after it's heart. A leader quickly arose from among them, the first man to touch the Atlas. He was gifted, they said, with amazing powers. Whoever touched it was given a small portion of the Atlas's power, and it became clear that he had it. He never aged, remaining a youth of very good looks, with golden hair growing down his back, strong features, charismatic and loved by the people, he became the first, and only Emperor of Atlantis. And the people loved him for it. He was gifted as well, it was said, with precognitive visions, shared with many of the students and many came true. Immense strength and speed, none could best him in combat, no matter their weapons and, at his command, none others would be allowed to touch the Atlas. Any that had previously were quickly and silently dealt with.
All but one, that is.
It was the Great Leader's visions that brought about the greatest uses from the Atlas. Portals were opened in time and space, but only for brief times, and while the distances on earth were great, only peeks were allowed through time, no travel, and different dimensions were seen, studied and cataloged. But it was clear that the Atlas was not at it's full power. The small chip missing was like a piece to a puzzle. It was odd how such a small piece could damage the power of the Atlas, but a scholar came up with a cunning idea as to why: The size of the piece was not important. Like a circle, it needed to be completed to fulfill it's greater purpose. Missing even a small piece in a circle still leaves a circle incomplete, and thus, nearly powerless in comparison. The idea intrigued the Ruler, who instantly demanded that searches throughout the entire earth to find the missing piece, sending emissaries through the portals made by the Atlas to make the search quicker. For if this was a mere fragment of the true power of the Atlas, he couldn't wait to see what it could do at it's full capacity.
For eternal youth, while an interesting prospect at first, quickly became boring for the Ruler. Few dared fight him, counter him. All agreed with him, believing him to be the highest purpose, even believing him to be something of a God. It got to his head, of course, and by his own hand was elevated to the station of God. And under his rule, despite the earth being seemingly content and constantly advancing, there was cruelty and excesses as well. No man was meant to hold the power of a God, and the Great Ruler showed why. Massacres, sacrifices in his honor. The boredom of the Great Ruler knew no bounds. Someone had to stop him before the last chip of the Atlas was found, for those that had seen into the short glimpses of the future saw that if things continued at this rate, they saw destruction. Not only of their world, but that of the millions of others that they had seen and had yet to see.
