Atlanteans in our campaign

Trebuchet · May 16, 2004

I thought I'd post a writeup I did recently of the Atlanteans as they work in our campaign. We have an Atlantean PC in our group, Prodigy, who is played by Mentor (Whose namesake is the Uruk mentioned in this writeup).

Immortals, Psionics, and Sorcery:

A GM's Guide to the Atlanteans in the MidGuard Campaign

Approximately 10,000 years ago, a small group of people gifted with extraordinary abilities settled on a large rocky island in the southwestern end of what is now the Black Sea. This island was blessed with 50 foot high sheer vertical cliffs around most of its perimeter, and was approximately 25 miles wide and 40 miles long, with a large fertile valley in the interior. The Black Sea at that time was several hundred feet lower than its current level; the Bosporus was a huge waterfall which dwarfed Niagara instead of a passage from the Mediterranean. The reason for their gathering on this island is as long forgotten as their ultimate origin, and their original numbers were probably fewer than 500. Secure on their naturally-walled island and blessed with natural defenses, excellent fishing and a mild Mediterranean climate, over the next several millennia their numbers increased slowly but steadily. Atlanteans is not the name they call themselves; it was a term coined by their enemies referring to their island city and later plagiarized by Plato. Their name for themselves (as with most primitives, even sophisticated ones) simply means "the people," or (more accurately) "the humans." (With the obvious corollary than anyone who is not of the people is also not quite human.) While their language is not currently spoken (except to an limited extent amongst themselves; it is clearly a Indo-European tongue and in fact appears to be quite close to proto-Indo-European. The closest related living language is Basque; the Basque people are descendants of several Atlantean slave ships which were wrecked on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula 5000 years ago. The slaves who survived spoke Low Atlantean, a pidgin language the slaves spoke amongst themselves since they were stolen from many tribes, and also spoken by many Atlantean slave masters. To avoid constant slave revolts and unwanted trouble with their immediate neighbors, the Atlanteans took most of their slaves from the south Caucus area who spoke an unrelated language.

Atlantis was both more and less than it is often thought to be in legend. It had indoor plumbing and heated baths thousands of years before Rome, but captured and used slaves for labor and as fodder for war. It used magical light sources and developed a form of writing, but most buildings were made of clay bricks. The Atlanteans had sophisticated (for the time) medicine, sanitation and philosophy, but also practiced human sacrifice and created magically-modified "shock troops" for use as soldiers. Atlanteans utilized immense magic powers, and also engaged in constant political intrigues. By the standards of the time they were the most sophisticated culture on Earth; but by modern standards they look quite primitive both technologically and societally. In many ways it was a quasi-anarchical culture, with a person's social standing and influence being largely dependent on their level (and to a lesser extent, type) of power. The power ranges amongst Atlanteans vary from mere longevity and trivial telekinesis to virtually godlike levels, and as a general rule gradually increase with age. Since many of their abilities are based on techniques, the Atlanteans as a whole tend to be secretive. Knowledge equates to power and social standing and so is seldom shared, and therefore much of their early history and specialized techniques have been lost. While there was true equality between men and women, rank discrimination towards the less psionically or magically gifted was prevalent. And of course, ordinary humans were even lower on this scale. (Star Trek's classic episode, Plato's Stepchildren, is a fair approximation.) Over the centuries they have tried (and had imposed) a number of systems of government, ranging from absolute despotism to pure democracy, but in many respects the Atlanteans were still much like a small town: Everyone knew each other, and in general craved the approval of their brethren.

Blessed as they were with mental powers of varying levels, from insignificant to nearly godlike (See Appendix 2), they reproduced at a very slow rate. Apparently whatever genetic fluke had granted them their abilities had also caused an often-fatal congenital defect, and even when they successfully conceived the infant seldom grew to term. Miscarriages in the second and third trimester were common, and it was not unusual for the mother to also die. Even deliberate breeding with "normal" humans failed to correct this defect, although this experiment did show that their powers could be passed to half-Atlantean children. Because of the low fertility rate, children are very important to the Atlanteans and they tend to be close to their families. Over the centuries their numbers increased slowly but steadily until there were perhaps 20,000 of them at the time of Atlantis's destruction. Although they are often described as immortal, Atlanteans are really just very long lived. Most live between 900-1800 years, aging at about 1/20th the rate of normal humans. Although they can succumb to the same diseases and injuries as "normal" humans; their tough constitutions and mental abilities often enable them to survive illnesses and physical traumas that would kill most people. Only those who reach a certain level of mastery of their powers are able to modify themselves to become truly immortal; at this point in time any Atlantean who would qualify as "super" is such an immortal. There are now probably only a dozen Atlanteans over 3000 years old, but those tend to be very powerful indeed.

The abilities possessed by the Atlanteans come in two basic forms: Psionics and magic. There is not a discrete wall between the two variants, indeed, the two are considered variations on the same basic force. A necessarily crude analogy would be electricity and electronics. One is generally more powerful but cruder; the other is typically less powerful but more subtle. As a general rule, psionics are the manipulation and/or projection of internal forces; magic is the manipulation and/or drawing upon of external forces. Psionicists tended to be more "internal," drawing off their own resources. Magicians tended to use their abilities to draw power from external sources, including human sacrifices, items of power, demons, ley lines, and other extra dimensional entities. Ley lines are natural flows of magical force that travel through the earth, air, or water. These lines often converge at places of power; Stonehenge and Ayer's Rock are two such locations. Sorcerers often erected magical devices at such locations to draw upon these natural power sources. Since the different types of ley lines are at different "wavelengths," most sorcerers can only tap one type of them although a very few can tap two different types of ley energy. No instance of a sorcerer who can tap all three types of ley energy has ever been known. 90% of the Chosen are magicians rather than psionicists; and of course the vast majority of the rebels in the Atlantean civil war were magicians as well. The two are not mutually exclusive; many Atlanteans have abilities in both fields although competence in both is extremely rare (Lilith is one such Chosen, and therefore doubly dangerous.). However, 75% of the original Atlanteans considered themselves to be psionics rather than sorcerers; and increasingly viewed magic as somehow disreputable or even less moral than psionics.

For obvious reasons, this type of difference leads to a very different worldview. Most psionics, who depend on their own abilities and are not dependent on using human sacrifices, extradimensional power sources and magical devices, have a view that closely approximates modern morality. Magicians, who often need human sacrifices and other energy sources to power many of their spells, have a tendency to view others, especially normal humans, as mere tools. Ultimately this superior attitude led to the emergence of the Chosen, an alliance of (mostly) magicians who believed it was the destiny of the Atlanteans to rule as gods over the mere mortals who inhabited Earth. This group rapidly made itself into a powerful political force amongst the Atlanteans. While the vast majority of Atlanteans did not agree with the philosophy of the Chosen, the opposition was not organized and lacked a fundamental core around which to form an effective opposition. Indeed, the increasingly real and serious philosophical differences between users of "magic" and "psionics" were a potent dividing force, and were amongst the issues that ultimately led to the Atlantean civil war, which began circa 3000 BC. (For the sake of convenience, in the future we will collectively refer to Atlantean groups which actively oppose the Chosen as "Ishtari.")

After several centuries of unsuccessfully attempting to persuade the rest of the Atlanteans to join them and rule the world, the frustrated Chosen orchestrated a coup which killed most of the members of the governing high council and attempted to seize control of Atlantis. Only two of the high council members survived, RÃ¢dek and Uruk. These two powerful elders (At 7000 years of age, RÃ¢dek was the oldest known Atlantean and had witnessed the founding of Atlantis; Uruk is widely considered to be the most powerful psionic in Atlantean history.) rallied the population against the Chosen and counterattacked. The Chosen, being relatively few in number, were nearly overwhelmed and promptly fled the city to remote corners of the globe, planning their counterattack and vowing vengeance on Uruk and RÃ¢dek. As one might expect amongst being of such power and longevity, the war lasted several centuries and produced many casualties, including RÃ¢dek. The Chosen summoned demons and other extra dimensional horrors to destroy their enemies, and casualties were high.

After decades of conflict, the Chosen elected to win the war in one stroke by totally destroying Atlantis. Led by a powerful sorceress, they cast a spell which cracked the Bosphorus and allowed a 200 foot high wall of water to race across the Black Sea at over 90 miles per hour and wash over Atlantis. While many Atlanteans could teleport or levitate to safety, over 90% of them still perished when their ancient island city was destroyed, along with over a hundred thousand slaves and tens of thousands of ordinary humans living near the coast. When the salt waters finally finished rising, the remains of the city were several hundred feet below the surface of the enlarged Black Sea. Not all Atlanteans lived within the city; hundreds lived in estates on the nearby mainland and some of those managed to escape as well. Most buildings were made of unfired clay, so the ruins have pretty much melted away in the five millennia since the flood. This flood is, of course, also the origin of the great flood from the Bible; just as Atlantis itself is the origin for the legend of the Garden of Eden. The 1800 or so tattered survivors of Atlantis fled to parts unknown, and there are rumors a carefully hidden "New Atlantis" has been built. Numerous locations have been proposed for the city, including Tibet, Antarctica, the Caribbean, the interior of Africa, and another dimension entirely. Only the highest ranked Ishtari know its true location, and they keep close counsel. Were the Chosen to discover the city, the results would be catastrophic.

The Chosen in the modern era are a loosely knit group of about 200 sorcerers and mentalists who squabble endlessly amongst themselves. Primarily survivors and descendants of the rebels in the Atlantean civil war ~5000 years ago with a few new recruits, the Chosen now operate in individual groups of 1-20 Atlanteans. The Chosen still believe it is their birthright to ultimately rule over the world's human cattle, enslaving the bulk of humanity in perpetual bondage. In this, they are opposed by a number of mostly informal Atlantean groups, most notably the Circle of Light (powerful mentalists) and the Synod (sorcerers). The Chosen most often work through human fronts; Hitler was a Chosen puppet although it is uncertain which of his "advisors" was actually Chosen; most probably Eichmann. Only occasionally does a Chosen directly show himself as a power, such as the infamous Morgana le Fey. Known also as Lilith and still at large, she is over 6000 years old and is at least arguably the most powerful Chosen sorceress ever. Fortunately for humanity the Chosen spend as much time intriguing against each other as they do attempting to take over the world; backstabbing and betrayal is a high art amongst them. Alliances are generally temporary and for convenience only. Many of the Chosen factions are just a few members, and they mostly use human agents.

One general result of the civil war is that the typical Atlantean now has a much more negative view of magic and magical devices in general. Because most of the Chosen were sorcerers, the Synod, a powerful group of Ishtari sorcerers and one of the few Atlantean sorcerous groups which actively opposed the Chosen, is still viewed with some suspicion by most Atlanteans. Relations between them and other Atlanteans tend to be rocky, although not quite actually hostile. The Synod's continued fascination with magical artifacts is a constant source of friction; most Ishtari now consider such devices unethical at best and downright evil at worst. (During the late 1930s, an elderly American history professor and his archaeologist son raced to recover the ancient magical goblet commonly known as the Holy Grail; which was sought by the Nazi puppets of the Chosen. The Knights of the Cruciform Sword, a long standing religious order organized by the Ishtari to guard the Grail in its remote hiding place, was largely exterminated attempting to protect it. The Ishtari were infuriated to discover that the American professor was helped in his quest by subtle Synod hints, and a heated argument ensued between the Synod and Ishtari representatives on the scene, Dorian Llewellyn and Richard Leon respectively.) The Templars themselves were a group founded by the Ishtari as a specific counter to the Chosen, who were working within the Catholic Church through most of the Middle Ages, before being destroyed by the Chosen-controlled Inquisition. One of the founding members of the Knights Templar was an Ishtari (Prodigy, AKA Richard Leon). So in addition to being an immortal, he is also an ordained Catholic priest.

Much of human history in the MidGuard campaign is influenced by the constant battle between the Chosen and their enemies (Hitler and Stalin were both pawns of different Chosen factions.). Prodigy's mentor, Uruk (Previously mentioned; the ancient city in Babylon was named after him), has through his long life has been such notables as Gilgamesh and Merlin. He tends to take the long term view, but he is utterly ruthless and extremely pragmatic. He is a force for good, but his view of what is "good" is not quite the same as modern sensibilities. For example, Uruk persuaded Genghis Khan to take his Mongolian hordes westward in order to halt the Muslim expansion and break the Society of Assassins, a Chosen front (Mecca is still a Chosen stronghold; and the Ka'aba stone is a powerful magic artifact). In the modern era, at least 50% of all persons of Atlantean blood have no idea of their true nature, but are simply considered gifted humans even by themselves. Many over the centuries have simply been considered people with "the gift", which has always been a mixed blessing. Many times more Atlanteans have been burned as witches than have made fortunes or ruled nations. And of the remaining persons of Atlantean blood, the majority simply wishes to get along and thus pays no real attention to the struggles between good and evil. So the actual numbers who get involved in the struggle are small in both real and relative numbers.

It is extremely important to realize that the true difference between Ishtari and Chosen is solely one of philosophy, not of capabilities. There are sorcerous Ishtari, and psionic Chosen. It is their goals and methods which best define them. The sides tend to split along familial lines due to the importance of family to most Atlanteans, but even this is by no means inevitable. Even many of the Ishtari have little but contempt for the bulk of humanity; but still feel it is immoral to impose rule over humanity by force. However, it is also true that not all large scale human tragedy is the result of Chosen manipulation; ordinary humans are quite capable of their own selfish desires and crimes. Often Chosen (and Ishtari) schemes have unintended consequences; or events go beyond their ability to control. (It's relatively easy to whip up a mob or crusade, not so easy to control itâ€¦)

Appendix 1: The Emerald Mage

Appearing repeatedly through Atlantean pre-history and history is a mysterious figure, the Emerald Mage. Little is known about him, and he is considered to be both an ancient foe and occasional ally of Atlantis. (The ancient Atlanteans fought off numerous incursions by extra-dimensional demons; the Emerald Mage allied with them several times against these foes.) Some old legends portray him as the oldest living Atlantean (Although this was vehemently denied by RÃ¢dek); others portray him as a traveler and/or demon from another dimension. Quite certainly he was known before the founding of Atlantis in the 98th Century BC, and according to legend he ruled Atlantis at least twice as a tyrant before being overthrown. Whatever his origin, he is unquestionably the most powerful sorcerer who has ever lived (Although it appears he possesses slight psionic powers as well), and has clashed repeatedly with Atlanteans, Ishtari and Chosen over the centuries.

The Emerald Mage is a master of both earth and air magic, and thus wields considerable elemental power over stone and storm. He is believed to be the basis for both the Greek god Zeus and the Norse god Thor. The Emerald Mage is known to make extensive use of air and earth ley lines; if located upon such lines he has a nearly infinite supply of power, limited only by his ability to control so much magical energy. In addition he bears a number of powerful magical artifacts, including an apparently sentient crystalline sword. About the year 1200 AD, the Circle of Light, a powerful group of Ishtari headed by Uruk, managed to banish him from his Central American stronghold, where he was worshipped as the god Kukulkan. One of his most impressive abilities is the talent to transform himself into a huge (40' long, 30' wingspan) winged and feathered fire-breathing serpent. Its possible linkage to legends of dragons, and possibly the phoenix, are obvious. His titanic battle in this form against an ancient foe, the Thunderbird, is the source of the ancient Aztec eagle and serpent legend as their wandering ancestors witnessed the battle high aloft. After his defeat by the Circle of Light he spent eight centuries in an unknown dimension or dimensions before returning (apparently involuntarily) to Earth in 2000. Since returning, both his magical powers and political methods have become notably more sophisticated, so it appears he put the time to good use. This unexpected development is viewed with great consternation by Ishtari and Chosen alike. For millenia the Emerald Mage displayed a staggering amount of magical energy in a relatively primitive and unschooled fashion, which largely cancelled his enormous advantage in raw power. With his newfound expertise he is now considered to be a full order of magnitude more dangerous than he was 800 years ago.

In 2002 he was legally elected, under the alias Esteban de EspaÃ±a, to the presidency of Columbia; and has not only cleaned out (Read: exterminated) the drug cartels and Marxist guerrillas that for so long plagued Columbia but appears well on his way to lawfully conjoining Columbia with Venezuela into a sort of "South American United States." The Emerald Mage is firmly convinced his destiny is to rule over humanity, not for selfish reasons like the Chosen but to provide humanity with eternal enlightened rule. For this reason he has clashed much more often with Chosen factions than with Ishtari groups (Rumor has it that in early 2002 a powerful group of Chosen sorcerers and mentalists attempted to assassinate the Emerald Mage; he not only survived but apparently obliterated them all without difficulty.). He's passionate about his goal, charismatic, and endlessly patient. It will all happen in good time...

Appendix 2: Atlanteans and Game Mechanics

Any human in this campaign who can innately manipulate magic or psionic energies is of Atlantean blood to some extent; thus Eagle Eye, Thunderbird and le MÃ¡ge also have some degree of Atlantean ancestry.

In game terms, 97% of Atlanteans are 100-150 point characters. Such people typically have have a single power or closely related powers. Many indeed may have little more than Longevity, Regeneration, relatively high Characteristics, and enough Skill Levels to be dangerous in a fight. The most common Powers are Telekinesis, Telepathy, Force Field, and Mind Scan. Virtually 100% of baseline Atlanteans have inherent Mental Defenses, typically in the 3-5 point range; and few have EGO lower than 11. An Atlantean without Mental Defenses is literally considered to be handicapped by his peers, and treated accordingly.

Another 2% are "superhuman" in a meaningful way, meaning they are 150-250 point characters. They are normally considerably tougher than normal humans, and often possess single-special effect Multipowers or Elemental Controls in the 20-40 active Point range. The legendary Herakles was a superhumanly strong Atlantean; with about 40 STR, and was probably around 200 points.

Around 0.98% of Atlanteans fall into the 250-350 point range, hence characters at the upper end of this scale such as Prodigy or Dorian are highly noteworthy individuals in their own right. Most of these have powers two to three times superior to average Atlanteans; with high EGO (15+) and Mental Defenses in the 5-15 point range. A few even have Variable Power Pools, although this is extremely rare. These Atlanteans, be they Chosen, Ishatari, or neutral, tend to be the heroes and villains of legend; and even in the modern world can act as superheroes.

Above all these are the mightiest of Atlanteans, the tiny 0.02% gifted with extraordinary levels of competence and/or power. Lilith, RÃ¢dek, and Uruk all fall into this category. (Uruk is 750 points, Lilith exceeds 1000 points). These are the gods and demons of legends. No more than a score of Atlanteans of this power lever have ever existed, and fewer than a dozen survive. Traditionally any Atlantean of this power level could claim a seat on the high council if he or she so desired, although many of them had their own pet projects and so seldom bothered.

Christougher · May 16, 2004