Records: Aquitaine's Atlantis

## **The Atlantean Audacity of Aquitaine**

The Palatine Navy of Aquitaine was something a legend in its own right. The ships were ultra-sleek an ultra-fast. They had the same navigational development, both magical and mundane, as the English Royal Navy, and maybe something more than just the benefit of always having the wind at their back.

These were the ships that had been coming and going from Bordeaux on a regular basis, and the only thing that could make the megasharks of 1500-ton English galleons take off their hats and stare. As for the average 200-ton French cog, ploughing away at 4 knots, seeing the Aquitaine navy slip through at 30 knots was like watching a sea dragon glide past.

### **In Search of...**

The first destination was a rumored set of islands at roughly the same latitude as Navarre. There had been stories floating around since the time of Edward III's youth (1340 or so), and they appeared on various Genoese and Catalan maps since 1351. However, the islands had never been "officially discovered" – *proclaimed for a crown*.

Such a set of islands were prime territory as a staging point for sailing west, as well as a picket point to harass ships heading west, creating a shield for the western hemisphere from a European invasion.

Therein lay the destiny of what might've once been known as the "Azores."

### **The First of Many**

These weren’t the only candidates out in the Atlantic, but they were the closest and the most strategic for Aquitaine.

Closer to Iberia, there were rumors of the discovery of the Island of Madeira: a story of lovers allegedly – also from mid-century – who had been blown off course. Looking into those early, there were a number of legends that surrounded finding the islands, though they had turned up on a few Portuguese maps as early as 1339. These weren't far north of the Canary islands, and almost directly (and strategically) in the line with the Strait of Gibraltar.

The candidates farthest south were the Canary Islands, off the Northwest coast of Africa. They'd been known about since antiquity, currently had a primitive indigenous population with a Majorcan mission and were looking tempting to Aragon occupation. This was further south than Richard was aiming for, but it would help slow anybody coming out of the mediterranean.

## **The *Official* Discovery**

Aquitaine was planting a flag, and with that, named the archipelago the *Hawk Islands*. The grouping of nine islands was accounted for, and they might've otherwise been known as: Corvo, Faial, Flores, Graciosa, Pico, São Jorge, São Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira.

## The Coat of Arms of Atlantis

On the escutcheon itself, they went with a three-charge motif: a rolled map, vertical, over two narrow-crossed cannon, each slightly different, the sinister cannon embossed with an anchor to indicate a naval gun, with muzzles pointed up and out.

Above the shield was the Crown, as if created by woven golden seaweed, inset with 3 emeralds surrounded by sapphires (indicating the islands surrounded by ocean). Above was the Torse, the alternate twists in sapphire and emerald, and the crest of a mermaid.

The “supporters” were a daring reach; no less than the gods Poseidon (dexter) and Neptune (sinister), both bodies facing the viewer but their heads turned and facing out, as if looking to defend the shield. Both are armed with slightly different tridents in their outer hands, while their inner hands carry a compass and a sextant, respectively. Together, they rest their inner arms on the shield, casually holding it in place.

Below, the compartment was a small patch of leafy green surrounded by water, indicating an island within the ocean.

This would be a new jurisdiction, separate from any current title. Prince Rick declared this the *Domain of Atlanta*. The capital city would be on the big island, and following the theme of the naming convention, would be no less than *Atlantis*.

The Aquitaine branch of the Royal Academy of Natural Philosophies, the Order of Merlin, the CCC, the Royal Company and so on were on the original boat, using magically-enhanced survey and cartography techniques that still hadn't been revealed to the rest of the world.

### **Building the Aquitaine Arms**

The first few weeks were security by obscurity, which was more than enough. While there may have been greater long-term concerns, there wasn't much of any earthly foe ready to challenge in the Atlantic just yet.

Meanwhile, Aquitaine's *Palatine Coronet* recruited to create a permanent population on these remote and otherwise isolated virtual gardens of eden. The Coronet was looking for two classes of homesteaders:

* Those who would be based in Atlanta and would otherwise remain there. Royal Guard, select SA, plus ROM and RC.
* Those who would be based in Atlanta, but be predominantly mobile. Sailors and marines, mostly.

Beyond that, most of those recruited were drawn from the broken depths of humanity – and they were drawn from all over: Aquitaine gave the largest contribution, but France added some, north Iberia, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and so on. These were people cured of the plague or any of a dozen other diseases, limbs grown back and so on, then brought together as one highly-focused, multi-national talent pool. It went without saying that they were extremely loyal to the Palatine Coronet.

## **Laying the Foundations of Atlantis**

The Hawk Islands were very close to a Mediterranean sub-tropical paradise. They’d started uninhabited, warm, reasonably wet and fairly fertile. This may have been the only area of “manifest destiny” in the world.

Close to 5,000 people were sea-lifted to the island over the space of six weeks. Roughly 1,000 were destined to be farmers, while another 4,000 were young-again construction laborers that would be trained into other jobs once the local infrastructure was built.

The largest island was also the eastern-most (Alt-U São Miguel Island), a long east-west oriented Island. The City of Atlantis was planned on the southern shore, about a third from the western tip (alt-U Ponta Delgada).

### **Styles and Construction**

Atlantis (and other regional support towns) would be following similar architectural styles established by the Royal Architect and utilized for the Wandstone Academy and the rebuilt city and citadel of Westminster, both outside London. Atlantis would have its own take on the styles, but the echoes between new Westminster and Atlantis would be obvious.