Atlantis Guild

> "The Guild is Atlantis, and we survive this time to rebuild a dominion that lasts a thousand years. We are Empire."
> — Demi-magus Anunub
>
>

## Atlantis Guild

Let the Mills of Circumstances grind the common folk to dust...

## Information

### Zones of influence

Atlantis, Xandressa, Delphane, Rokos, Luxor

### Subfactions

Imperial Legion, Golemkore, Delphana

The Atlantean Empire is, without doubt, one of the most influential factions known to The Land. Ruling over most of the western half of the Land, controlling hundreds of human city-states, kingdoms and small countries through economic, political or military force. The modern Empire is ruled over by Emperor Nujarek, appointed to the throne of Atlantis in 432 Tz by Prophet-Magus Osiras of the Atlantis Guild. While the mages once were the undisputed rulers of the Empire, with Nujarek’s sudden ascension from Guild puppet to respected Atlantean leader, what role the Technomages will play in leading the new Empire is uncertain.

## History

Many human folk outside the boundaries looked on the Empire as the great equalizer. They thought the Imperials’ Magestone Technomancy would help them against the more magically gifted races. In Atlantis, young children thought soldiers as the heroes of the Empire.

Grand-Magus Tezla founded the Atlantis Guild more than 370 years ago to unify all forms of magic - Elemental, Necromantic and Techomantic. Until Tezla’s time, Elementalism and Necromancy were opposing powers, and a mage could hope to only master one - if one were to indulge in both, he would go insane. Tezla, against all odds, mastered both schools and created Technomantic magic by harnessing the magical power of Magestone. With armies of Technomantic mages, War Golems and troops armed with magical weapons, Tezla’s Atlantean Empire quickly expanded throughout the western half of the Land. Today the Empire sprawls across thousands of miles and contains most of humanity under its rule. At the heart of the Empire lies the floating city of Atlantis, held aloft 500 feet above the ground by dozens of house-sized blocks of enchanted Magestone crystal. The floating city is the heart of the Atlantean Empire, and is the home to the most powerful human warriors and mages in the Land.

In 419 Tz, seeking to root out Rebel forces gathering at Caero, the Empire set a part of the city on fire using their Incendiary Golems. Atlantean troops and Magi encircled the Rebels, but, ultimately, the key target, Sarah Ythlim, founder of the Rebellion, was able to get away.

    Prophet-Magus Osiras' order for the Atlantean army to etreat from Wolfsgate to defend against the incoming Orc attack stands as a remarkably unpopular decision. Aside from earning the bloody wrath of the Elven Lords – who lost an entire army at Khamsin as result of the Atlantean betrayal – many of the disenfranchised Atlantean warriors jumped at the chance to join with Nujarek's Imperial Legion. Emperor Nujarek refusing the Solonavi's offer of conquest of the Land – in exchange for favors to be named later – makes Nujarek seem to be a man of heroic honor and integrity to many the citizens of Atlantis. His coronation by the Avatar of Tezla, with Tezla placing his own crown on Nujarek's head, stands as a turning point for the warriors of Atlantis.

### Post-Breaking

The once formidable Atlantean Empire struggles to reunite its kingdom in the face of an all-out assault from the Orc Khans. Where once the Orcs were content with raids on the borderlands, the rumors of powerful new creatures, perhaps under the control of the Atlanteans, have made them afraid that their window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Fortresses are falling to rampaging hordes of the Khan army, and there are rumors that the Emperor, fearing an eventual assault on the kingdom’s most powerful cities, has been increasing their defenses and asking for assistance from old, and now silent, allies.

Even young Atlanteans, who do not remember the times before the Breaking, have heard stories of General Volkare and his Lost Legion. Volkare was a symbol of the golden age of the Atlantean kingdom, its power and glory, but also (as some say) a symbol of its pride and arrogance. His last victory was the suppresion of the Black Powder Rebellion, but did he go too far? It happened just a few weeks before the Breaking; Volkare did not just defeat the Rebels, he swept through their territories with unseen cruelty, mercilessly crushing them into the dust, making sure they would never rise and question Atlantean superiority again.

No one knows what happened to Volkare and his loyal legion then - they just vanished without a trace during the Breaking. Some say Volkare died in the explosions, others say the Land itself opened up and swallowed him, some just guessed that the remains of the rebels took advantage of the chaos after the Breaking to get revenge on him. Many legends featuring Volkare and his Lost Legion were told during the decades that followed, but the only known fact remains that Volkare never made it back from the rebel territories.

Until now.

When he appeared at the frontier, the people of the nearby city shuddered with fear. A dark figure, followed by the grim remains of his lost legion. They looked like they had been through hell - and maybe the had. But that was not all. The fear changed into pure terror when the entirety of Volkare's army appeared on the horizon. A huge army containing orcs and dragons. Orcs, that usually look for any opportunity to plunder Atlantean territories, and a new dreadful kind of dragon, huge ancient beasts that claim themselves to be the true Draconum and heirs of the Land, united together under the banner of a general that was considered dead for decades.

The city garrison, paralyzed with fear, did not even try to flee. It was clear that this army, much bigger than any invading force so far, could easily defeat any resistance the city could put up. Not just that - with this army, the entire Atlantean kingdom can be brought to its knees. But Volkare had not attacked. He set up a camp next to the city, and waited. Without a word, without any attempts to contact the locals. The frightened citizens were watching his camp from the city walls: majestic figures of dragons, savage warbands of orcs, and silent, patient units of grim legionnaries. What were they waiting for?

Then a messenger arrived with news of the Mage Knights - several mighty heroes that had entered the region through a portal on the coast, and are forcing their way towards the city, gathering an army on the way. The people realized that Volkare's army is the only thing that stands between their city and the Mage Knights. As if confirming these thoughts, Volkare's camp came to life - battle lines were formed, and the huge army moved towards the approaching Mage Knights.

In an epic battle at sunset, the Mage Knights and their followers were defeated. But there was no celebration - on the same night, Volkare and his army set to march. Under the cover of darkness, they moved to another part of the kingdom. A few days later a similar scenario repeated there.

The Atlantean Kingdom is nervous of this new silent ally. Does he really protect Atlanteans, or is there some price they will soon have to pay? What are Volkare's true intentions? What happened to him and his lost legion during the Breaking? Where were they for the last 32 years? What gives him the power to unite orcs and Draconum under his banner? How does he know where the Mage Knights will strike the next time? Is it really Volkare, in his old armor? And so, is he still a mortal man?

Too many questions, and no answers. The only thing for sure is that whenever the Lost Legion sets to move, Mage Knight blood will soon be shed.

## Organization

Because the might of the Atlantis Guild is fueled by Magestone, whenever a new deposit of Magestone in a place where arcane currents converge is discovered by the imperial diviners, the Guild dispatches troops and mages to conquer the area as quickly as possible. Anyone who gets in their way is imprisoned, enslaved and set to work in the mines - a dangerous and often fatal job. Even with Emperor Nujarek’s ascension to power, both he and the Technomancers grudgingly recognize they must work together in order to continue the flow of Magestone – and thus the Empire’s survival. The currency of the Atlantis Empire is the silver and golden Imperials - or Imps for short. Elementalists and Necromancers are proscribed in Atlantean territory.

While each of the Empire’s dozens of client-states has its own rulers and royalty, every loyal Atlantean leader has a powerful Guild Magus acting as an “advisor” on their day-to-day affairs. With the aid of fanatically loyal soldiers, War Golems and Technomantic inventions sent from Atlantis, these “advisors” maintain control over the leaders of the client-states with an iron fist, ensuring that the loyal “governors” play their part in maintaining the glory of the Empire. However, as a recent development, under Emperor Nujarek’s order, military advisors are also being sent to accompany the mages, ensuring that the representatives of the Atlantis Guild does not overstep their authority.

The great mechanics of the Atlantean Empire are responsible for the magi-industrial revolution, which has brought much to every race, kingdom and person. Without the Guild, people would live once again in the time of Warring Princes or possibly back within the mists of pre-civilization. Even the lowliest guardsman claims to believe that the Guild is nothing if not eternal, that it will survive, strengthen, and subjugate The Land.

### Army

The Atlantean Empire knows its strengths. The ability to draw on a larger population allows the Guild to ignore any normal reliance on heavy armor or magical protections, at least with regard to the rank and file. They train their armies with techniques learned or stolen from a hundred different kingdoms, and equip deserving warriors with magical devices that are difficult to match. The end results may be an army with more urge than unity, more hubris than humor, but also the creation of a warrior with the simple ability to go and do - not conceited. Convinced.

Atlanten troops used in close city fighting carried the short spears and crossbows.  On the battlefield, the Atlantean army was as powerful a machine as any mage’s Technomantic creation. Hollow squares of pikemen provided the basic defensive arm, protecting mage-officers with a wall of human flesh and spears. At each corner of the square, bastions of crossbowmen and specialist troops with Technomantic weapons provided ranged fire. And once the magic blasts, lightning, and mage-fire had broken the enemy’s line, the pikemen dropped their polearms, following the Altem Guardsmen to finish the job with their blades. It's a fact of life for the Imperial guardsmen that their mage-officers often wagered away lives like gamblers casting lots, but those warriors ordered to stake their lives in battle at least had the chance to struggle for their own survival, no matter what situation they found themselves in.

Serving in the outlands leads to quicker promotions - that's how, for example, Blaize rose to Altem. Soldiers that leave the army before their enlistment ends by deserting are referred to as having "gone over the hill". The sappers kept everything standardized. Anywhere in the Empire, from Napolis in Delphane to the fort in Khamsin, one barracks room looked pretty much like another. Some found that sameness comforting. For others, it verged on boredom. For some legionaries on really boring garrison duty, tower-climbing was a sport. Others found it a more serious matter - an attempt to get back to barracks before the roll was called,or the first step in going over the hill.

### Cavalry

Atlantis’ Empire had been built by the campaigns of an infantry army, aimed at crushing organized resistance in any of its conquests. Levitating fortresses provided rock-solid supply lines, although they could only move along ley lines. Even with operations limited to the invisible radians of concentrated magical force, the mobile strongholds were impervious to raiding cavalry. On the battlefield, infantry formations had held enemy armies in place to be blasted with long-range Technomantic weapons. Golems then moved forward in shock attacks, with the infantry advancing to mop up any resistance. Horse cavalry simply hadn’t been needed.

But there was a difference between crushing enemy armies and holding land against hit-and-run raiders. In the west, hard-riding Galeshis and even mounted Prieskans could swoop down on Imperial outposts, attack trade and supply convoys, or intercept tax shipments and outdistance the Empire’s troops when they responded. Powerful and tireless as steel and Magestone Golems were, they only matched the speed of a running man. Once the raiders rode out of sight, it was almost impossible to track them down. The Atlantis Guild’s answer was a Technomantic fix - the Scorpem. Still, the Scorpem had numerous disadvantages, and weren't that widely used. Atlantis’ cleverer commanders hadn’t waited for the Technomancers to overcome their mistakes. They’d imported tall horses from around Atlantis and put their infantrymen on them, extending the reach and striking range of their patrols.

### Taxes

The Empire is like a giant machine - taxes go in one end, and various things come out the other. Armies, forts, upkeep on roads, like the one along Roa Vizorr, Technomancy, silk drawers for the Prophet-Magus. When Tezla started things, the machinery was new and ran efficiently - taxes weren’t too high, the armies were expanding the Empire, uniting all the human tribes, and people could see all sorts of marvels coming out. Even when Tezla did something expensive, like creating Atlantis-in-the-Sky, the common folk could believe that things worked. As the years go on, the machine gets creakier and creakier. The Empire doesn’t unite everyone anymore. The Necromancers ran off to set up their own kingdom and plot, then the Elementals were thrown out, while the Dwarves were dragged in. The two main things to come out of the machine nowadays are the army and the Magestone mines - one protects the borders and the other keeps Technomancy going, but they’re both very expensive. More taxes have to be fed into the machine, because they’re sticking to the gears. Add more taxes to the costs of running a small farm, especially if there are extra expenses, and a couple of bad years can mean disaster - if someone else comes along with ready money, a large plot of land can be put together. The owner can squeeze out other economies — using fewer people, paying lower wages. And a larger crop means other possibilities of taking it to market. You end up with estates.

Some taxes stick on the gears, which makes the machinery even more inefficient. Still worse, people try to twist the machine to do things for them. Tax collectors take money and create estates, which do not pay fair taxes, so the Empire needs more taxes from different places. They land on the city-folk, the shopkeepers and craftsmen, the workmen - taxes appear on things everyone needs, like salt. And there are less and less farmboys available to go into the army, because the small farmers are starved to death, working on estates, or gone to cities, where they starve, get diseases, or end up not liking the Empire very much. The machinery is still grinding along, and it will keep going until it runs out of taxes, soldiers, or Technomancy - unless someone kicks it over. If the machinery falls, it will make a Tezla-be-damned crash. And a lot of unpleasant folk would end up rooting through the pieces - Orcs, for one, Necros - for another.

## In tabletop

More than any other faction, the Atlantis Guild is all about offense. Of the Guild's ten main character types, not one has a healing or regenerative ability. Instead, this faction concentrates on ranged and melee attacks. These warriors also pack an impressive array of offensive special abilities. Weapon Master, Flame/Lightning, Magic Enhancement and the dreaded Magic Blast are all represented among Atlantean warriors. As if that weren't enough, the Atlantis Guild boasts unique figures with multiple ranged attack ability. The Magus can hit two targets per ranged attack, while the Storm Golem can hit three.

## Gallery

Atlantis Guild pendant that was given to judges at tournaments as a prize.Back of the pendant - quite bland and symbolic.

*****Atlantis Guild*****

***Factions Portal***

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20010609210301/http://www.mageknight.com:80/article.htm?cid=19033
2. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 5
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rebel Thunder (Bill McKay), Prologue
4. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Board-Game-Ultimate-Edition-Walkthrough-September-2018.pdf
5. ↑ https://www.mageknight.net/wp-content/uploads/Mage-Knight-Board-Game-Ultimate-Edition-Expansion-Rule-Books-September-2018.pdf
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 3
7. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 17
8. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 1
9. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 10
10. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 2
11. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 4
12. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 9
13. ↑ Rebel Thunder (Bill McCay), Chapter 12
14. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20020625013554/http://www.wizkidsgames.com/mageknight/figures\_landing.htm?cat=atlantis