Ryugu Dynasty

The **Ryugu Dynasty** is the current, and thus far supposedly only, monarchial dynasty that ruled over the undersea kingdom of Atlantis.

## Customs

### Royal Requirements

All members of the royal dynasty reside within Ryugu Palace, and have many expectations they must fulfill known as the Royal Requirements, first set up by Ryugu I. The Requirements state that any ruler must be fair, they must live amongst the citizens and be respectful and responsive to them, and they must only bear one child.

The latter requirement is made possibly by magic acting as a sort of magical contraceptive that also alters the royal physiology to prevent twins from being possible. That way, the infighting between Merphis' children could never repeat itself again. Most in the line fulfill the "amongst the people" requirement by taking on a job that a normal Atlantean would take on- for instance, Finana Ryugu is a Reef Protector in addition to her royal duties. Most in the line fulfill the "responsive" requirement by allowing the entrance and common areas of of Ryugu Castle to be open to the public, and by holding times in the Throne Room where Atlanteans can directly voice their concerns to them.

### Ceremonies

The official symbol of the kingship is the Trident of Atlantis, and heirs to the throne are given the Atlantis Crown. There are many ceremonies associated with the royalty in Atlantis, including seasonal balls and social events in the Ryugu Palace ballroom which are accessible to the public. It also includes the Christening, the ceremony, usually held when the heir is a toddler, when the Heir is bestowed the Atlantis Crown.

Later on, there is the Coronation which is when the heir officially ascends to become the king and receives the Trident of Atlantis. Lastly, there are jubilees which celebrate rulership milestones, usually held every millennia. Every celebration is attended by the whole kingdom and there are parties lasting for weeks afterwards throughout the city.

### Marriage and Death

Another important aspect to the dynasty is that it is not restrictive when it comes to gender. Whether the single child the king has is male or female, they will eventually gain the title of "King" at the death of the king. When the king dies, a period of mourning, sometimes lasting an entire month, occurs where Atlanteans are given less time at work and are usually advised to remain solemn and contemplative. The period of mourning is generally followed by the Coronation of the heir immediately in order to pick the spirits of the Atlanteans right back up again.

Much joy and excitement can be found when it is time for a royal wedding, which usually involves dressing up the entire city in kelp-shaded drapery to match the kelp dress the bride will wear. As part of their duties, a king must eventually enter into a monogamous relationship with a Queen (which can be either male or female), but the background of the Queen does not matter so long as the King has courted them for some time and has fallen in true love with them.

This means that any Atlantean can marry into the royal family, though there are magical systems in place to ensure any courters of the King do so for authentic reasons, rather than just to obtain fame and influence. The King and Queen are expected to conceive and raise the heir together. There is also a period of mourning for when the Queen dies, but if the King dies first, the Queen will not become the new King, with this responsibility passing directly to the heir instead.

## Legendary Origins

4 billion years ago, Ryugu arrived on Earth and settled in the oceans, eventually 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. In so doing, he became the very first mermaid. With Merphis and his other children, Ryugu developed a massive and beautiful kingdom that he saw as a haven for dragons underwater on Earth, Atlantis. When the mermaids began to multiply, they populated the city and it became a 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. Much of Atlantis' founding legends involve the heroic tales of the battles fought by Merphis' children, but many of them conflict with one another in their details. Most Atlanteans, as part of tradition, consider themselves to be within certain "houses", with each house tracing their ancestry back to one of these legendary children of Merphis.

All accounts, however, agree that Merphis' second born child won. This child, his original name not given and only referred to as The Heroic One, established himself as Ryugu I, claiming that as the victor, he was the official reincarnation of Ryugu and that the citizens of the city must treat him as such. After being recognized by the Atlanteans as their true ruler, he established the Ryugu Dynasty, becoming the first king in a long line that continues to the present.

## Members

The first king, Ryugu I, was succeeded by Ryugu II, and so on. After some time, this precedent was broken and other members of the dynasty would begin using their given names and "Ryugu" as their last names. Still, the predecessor of King Posetune and King Posetune's father was titled King Ryugu MMMLIV. After this was the reign of King Posetune, which started 5000 years ago and continues to the present, with Finana Ryugu, his daughter, the next in line.