Atlantis

**Atlantis** is an undersea monarchial kingdom established by the legendary dragon sea god Ryugu and inhabited by his progeny, the mermaids, for billions of years. It is ruled by the Ryugu Dynasty. Atlantis is one of the key centers of magical knowledge on the planet and is also known for its immense prosperity throughout the ages.

## History

### Legendary Era

4 billion years ago, Ryugu arrived on Earth and settled in the oceans, eventually becoming highly associated with the ocean and becoming an ocean dragon. One of Ryugu's children, Merphis, evolved further from his dragon form due to spending his whole life living in attachment with the oceans. As such, he adopted a quasi-humanoid form (since the Earth Celestial had a humanoid form) but kept some dragon features, evolving into a more familiar mermaid form.

With Merphis and his other children, Ryugu developed a massive and beautiful kingdom that he saw as a haven for dragons underwater on Earth. For the first few millions of years, the kingdom was a bustling trade post for dragons to visit from across the solar system. However, as Merphis' descendants, the mermaids, multiplied, they began to displace their dragon relatives more and more and eventually the kingdom developed into a solely mermaid kingdom.

When Ryugu died in sacrifice to contain The Darkness, Merphis was left as the only child and inherited the kingdom. Merphis' countless children then began infighting, all of them trying to fight for who would take over the kingdom. Merphis' second born child won and established himself as Ryugu I, the first in the Ryugu Dynasty that continues to the present.

While Atlantis was no longer a dragon-ruled society as mermaids continued to evolve more and more into biological fish like organisms, it remained well visited by dragons from beyond. Following the Dragon Exile, Atlantis became the primary contact point on Earth with the dragons above, with magical communication allowing dragons to remain in contact with Earth. As such, Atlantis remained crucial allies with the dragons and even tried to help some of them return to Earth, and helped in collaborations between the mage humans and dragon society.

### Reign of King Posetune

5000 years ago, King Posetune inherited the throne after the passing of his own father. Four thousand years later, he would have a daughter Finana Ryugu, who would be destined to inherit the kingdom when he passed away. In 1022, Atlantis became a home base for the members of the Ethyria Project, who relocated the Ethyrium underwater to contain its explosive instability. With help from Atlantis, they were able to stop threats such as the Ethyrian War, Pomufication, and the destruction of the Ethyrium.

Atlantis was relatively unknown to humans due to its distance from the Old World up until 1022, and even well after that. Ancient explorers from millennia prior who had ventured to Atlantis thought that the city had sunk at some point, originating the myth of Atlantis (like the one that later appeared in Greek Mythology) when they returned to mainland to report their findings. At the end of the 1600s, humans turned against magic users and the magic community responded by going into hiding, casting the Great Concealment Spell. As a result, the Veil fell over Atlantis and hid it from the view of humans for good, but in turn put Atlantis on a lockdown with no way for the mermaids to leave.

In Story Reality Arc 12, the Veil was lifted and Finana, who had lived in the human world for a while and gotten to know humans very well, was elected as the ambassador to serve as the mediator between humans and the Atlanteans.

## Location and Structure

Atlantis is a golden kingdom built not of gold but gold colored coral. The Atlantis that stands today is not the one that existed all those billions of years ago. Like Ryugu Palace, various things from earthquakes and tsunamis to wear and tear to even battles caused the city to need to continuously need to be rebuilt over the long years. Unlike Ryugu Palace, the city is not destroyed and reconstructed all at once, causing it to become a patchwork of construction from the various ages of the city.

The city's location is unknown, close enough to the Old World to be accessible to ancient travelers and explorers, but far enough to be relatively unknown even well into the middle ages. The city is certainly located in the Atlantic Ocean, and most likely exists close to the coast of Africa, likely in the west Africa tropics. Most notable tropical coral reefs around Africa are on the Eastern coast, likely due to the Veil that protects the western ones from human eyes.

### Layout

The city is located in the midst of an immense tropical coral reef known as **Atlantis Reef** that the city itself is constructed out of at its center. The Veil that surrounds the kingdom also surrounds this coral reef, also rendering it out of touch of humans, which is a good thing considering the destruction of coral reefs by human activity in modern times. The reef is teeming with a tremendous diversity of marine life, including hundreds of species of tropical fish, coral, marine invertebrates, and kelp/algae.

In the city there are many districts. The residential district is the place where most citizens of Atlantis reside, and consists of large, spacious homes connected together in a sort of apartment complex, with the layout resembling ancient Roman housing for their wealthy elites. The commercial district is where most of the sales and manufacturing happens in the city. The Coral District lies at the edge of the city and is where the Reef Protector mermaids reside and have easy access to the corals in Atlantis Reef. Lastly, the Knowledge District is where students and magic researchers reside, attempting to advance magic knowledge in the kingdom.

At the very center of all the districts lies Ryugu Palace, the open castle where the Ryugu Dynasty and family reside. The lower levels are open to the public while the inner parts are usually only open in special cases, and the upper floors are not accessible at all except to the family.

## Social Structure

Atlantis is inhabited entirely by mermaids and is the only known mermaid kingdom on the planet. All mermaids regardless of their specific characteristics have the title of citizen, and are collectively referred to as Atlanteans. Atlantean culture is immensely prosperous given how easy it is to construct new homes and farm due to mermaid powers that are commonly accessible to a wide amount of mermaids.

As most people in Atlantis are content with being where they are, life did not change much when the Veil came up over Atlantis and put the city on lockdown. However, the research spirit of the city began investigating ways in which mermaids could leave the veil while remaining invisible outside of it. This was a long term community effort that helped to bring the whole city together.

### Roles

The overall social structure is monarchial with a focus on the job a mermaid has, referred to as their role. Current Atlanteans also often identify with being in different "houses" with each one tracing its ancestry back to one of the legendary children of Merphis, but in current Atlantean society this means little and is mostly symbolic, and there is little inter-house hostility or discrimination. There is also very little inter-role hostility or discrimination, with all Atlanteans viewing every job with respect as each has their own important role to play in maintaining the prosperity of Atlantis.

Many jobs are available in mermaid culture, with each possible path being taught at the universities in the Knowledge District. Mermaids can stay in the Knowledge District if they wish and become professors or researchers, where professors teach the younger mermaids and the researchers investigate new magic spells and accumulate magical knowledge. Experts in both professions accumulate high esteem among the populace of Atlantis, but both positions are quite difficult to master in the first place and are not easily accessible to everyone. Mermaids do experience some social mobility, and can return to university at any time in their life to change their profession, but none can ascend to become royalty, with that being restricted only to members of the Ryugu family or those that marry into it.

More "common" jobs are considered with esteem as they are respected for keeping daily life in Atlantis in order. Farmers take care of the kelp forests and fish, of which there is a bountiful supply in Atlantis Reef. Reef Protectors ensure that the reef is growing at a healthy rate and that the diversity of species within the reef is maintained. Commercial workers work in the commercial district, manufacturing and selling various products. Constructers use their magic powers and design skills to rapidly construct new settlements out of the surrounding coral. Lastly, the Ryugu Guards are the guards of the royal family as well as the de-facto police of the city, making sure the city remains safe and free of crime.

### Monarchial Culture

While the Ryugu Dynasty is a monarchy, it is not tyrannical, and in fact the king often hosts "throne hours" when he is available in the throne room for residents to bring their problems to. The royal family are also expected to be actively engaged in the life of the citizens; for instance, Finana Ryugu was assigned to be a Reef Protector along with the rest of her royal duties. This allows them to be more relatable and approachable for the citizens.

Laws in Atlantis are very fair, and the king should be willing to negotiate if a large amount of the population finds a law too oppressive. While life in Atlantis is very peaceful, numerous occasions for celebration are celebrated, including Ryugu Day, to celebrate the death (and thus the life) of Ryugu, Foundation Day (to celebrate when Atlantis was founded), and many more. These days of observances often are accompanied by celebrations or balls held in Ryugu Palace where the whole community gathers to mingle.