Atlantis

Atlantis was a flourishing ancient empire.
==History and Description==
The Atlantean civilization rose to prominence thousands of years before Christ. Thousands of years before the rest of the world, they achieved scientific knowledge that is still fantastical in the 21st century, in great part thanks to the Crystal, a gigantic beacon of power with a mind of its own and abilities as varied as they were useful.As shown in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Thanks to the Crystal, the Atlanteans developped technological wonders, discovering ways to harvest the energy of Ley LinesAs shown in Dark Mines of the Phantom Metal. and create giant robots known as ColossiAs shown in Shadow of the Colossus. (the most famous ones being the Giant of Cornwall and the Colossus of Rhodes).
Over many generations, Atlantis grew into an empire, creating colonies on many islands (such as the Sunken CityFeatured in Secret of Atlantis.) and other continent, and making contact with other peoples around the world, going as far as the Americas.As discovered in Atlantis: Milo's Return. Unfortunately, Atlantis did not stay peaceful. The last historical King of Atlantis, Kashekim Nedakh, grew proud with his power, trying to twist the energy of the Crystal for war,As recounted in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. in this case against the rival empire of Mu.Gyro Gearloose and the Floating Hydropropulsion. His meddling rendered the Crystal unstable, causing a backlash that caused a titanic tidal wave. Despite a last-ditch attempt to salvage themselves with a network of Orichalcum-based energy shields,As shown in Dark Mines of the Phantom Metal. most of Atlantis was destroyed in the catastrophe.
The Crystal did salvage the very heart of the capital, taking it into the bottom of the sea with a bubble of self-replenishing air,As shown in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. but it was a deadly blow for what was left of the Empire on the surface. Atlantean Artifact (such as GungnirFeatured in Atlantis: Milo's Return. and the Eye of FireFeatured in Mickey Mouse and the Fire Eye of Atlantis.) were scattered, and the various Atlantean cities that had been spared by the catastrophe each fought for dominance over the remains of the Empire.While this is never explicitly stated, it seems the most likely explanation for the various cities calling themselves Atlantis that have been featured over the years. The final blow was dealt by the sorcerer Merlock, who, in a fit of petty malice, wished for the relics of Atlantis to sink into the sea as the mainland had.Merlock sinking Atlantis with a wish from his Genie is mentioned in Treasure of the Lost Lamp; as the main Atlantis flood is well-established to have different causes, the wish targeting one, or all, of the post-flood would-be-Atlantises seems the most likely option.
Meanwhile, the original City of Atlantis laid at the bottom of the Atlantic, ferociously guided by the robotic Leviathan and as unaware of the outside world as the outside world was of them. Atlantis drifted into legend, but true facts about the city were kept in a mysterious book called the Shepherd's Journal. In 1914, the Journal finally allowed billionaire Alan Whitmore to mount an expedition to find what he believed to be only the ruins of Atlantis. What he found instead was a dying people who had forgotten their secrets. Following the long-overdue death of the King Kashekim Nedakh, ruthless mercenary Commander Rourke nearly destroyed Atlantis by stealing away the Crystal, but was defeated by Milo Thatch and his lover, the new Queen of Atlantis, Kidagakash. While most of the expedition returned to the surface, promising to keep Atlantis's existence a secret, Milo and Kida began bringing Atlantis back to its former glory thanks to Milo's knowledge of Atlantean lore than the Atlanteans themselves had forgotten.All this constitutes the main plot of Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Meanwhile, throughout the 20th century, a sinister organization called the Horde of the Violet Hare began tracking down Atlantean artifacts and lore for the purpose of world domination. Fortunately, they had not yet succeeded by 2018, and likely never would.All this is gradually revealed through Casty's "Atlantis cycle", including Mickey Mouse and the Shadow of the Colossus, Dark Mines of the Phantom Metal and Mickey Mouse and the Fire Eye of Atlantis. Meanwhile, in the early 1930's, Queen Kida traveled to the surface world and went through several adventures along with Milo Thatch and some other adventurers. During these travels, Kida rediscovered how ancient Atlantis had helped other civilizations around the world grow. Having found one of the most powerful Atlantean objects, the Spear of Destiny, Kida used its power combined with the Crystal's to finally raise Atlantis and the Crystal itself from the ocean.This constitutes the main plot of Atlantis: Milo's Return.
As of 2018, Atlantis exists as a secret utopical haven in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, kept a secret from the outside world.
==Behind the scenes==
Atlantis was first mentioned in Disney lore in the 1954 Carl Barks story The Sunken City. Barks meant for the titular Sunken City to be the City of Atlantis itself, although in sight of what was later revealed about Atlantis, it is clear that the City must have merely been one of the Atlanteans' colonies, now believing itself the only remains of old Atlantis (unaware of the Crystal protecting the capital).
===Notes and References===
fr:Atlantide
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