The Fall of Atlantis

The island of Atlantis stood strong and proud in the sea.  The island had little freshwater on the surface, so the people mined it from underground.  The people of Atlantis were wealthy and educated, trading with the surrounding nations.  At the end of their history, Atlanteans believed they were close to completing a utopia.  But Atlantis became distressed as its foundations dried up from the freshwater mining.

Atlantis tried to warn its people of the danger.  Many heard, but few listened.  Even many of the mages, seers, priests, and philosophers ignored Atlantis, or argued that the danger was not so great.

But the rancher, Utnapishtim, listened.  When worshipping Atlantis, Utnapishtim listened.  When Utnapishtim meditated in their sanctum, they listened.  When Utnapishtim studied facts and figures, they listened to Atlantis.

“I am tired,” Atlantis told Utnapishtim. “You people are draining me of my strength.  You all have forgotten me in your worship.  Someone please listen, for your own sake, for soon I will faint and be unable to support you.”

“I have heard, may I listen,” Utnapishtim said.  But Utnapishtim did not know what to do to save Atlantis.  So Utnapishtim did nothing for Atlantis and decided to save themself.  They built a vessel to survive the coming apocalypse.  Utnapishtim built it large enough to take their family, cattle, machines, furniture, and luxuries.

Soon people learned of what Utnapishtim was doing.  Many came to mock them and wonder at such wasted effort.  “Why do you build a boat in the middle of your ranch, far from the sea?  Atlantis’ foundations are strong!” they said. “You are foolish to waste such time and energy!  Atlantis will stand forever.  We are the perfect civilization!”

“But look!” said Utnapishtim, pointing to Atlantis, “it is already kneeling in exhaustion and it will soon faint!”

Many heard Utnapishtim, but no one listened.  Until one day, when Utnapishtim was finishing their vessel.  An old mage approached Utnapishtim and asked, “why have you built this boat?”

“I wish to survive when Atlantis faints and sinks into a slumber,” Utnapishtim said.  

The old mage nodded and said, “I have heard, may I listen.  My name is Magus, and I wish to teach you the magics you need to survive the apocalypse.”

And so Utnapishtim went with Magus to learn all that they could.  On their journey Utnapishtim explored all of Atlantis, meeting many souls who became friends, allies, and enemies.  Magus taught Utnapishtim all that they could about magic.

At the end of their journey, Magus repeated their first lesson; “Magic cannot be used when you are alone.  You must be connected to the world to access magic.”

“But the world is changing, what must I do?” Utnapishtim asked.

“That is for you to decide.  I will die here with Atlantis,” Magus said.

“You cannot!  You are the only one who knows how to make Atlantis perfect!  It is so close already!” Utnapishtim said.

Magus said, “My student, I never told you what I did in my life.  I was the one who built the first water pump, and most thereafter.  Back then, I thought I knew how to make Atlantis perfect by quenching it’s thirst.  Since then I have learned what I will give to you as my final lesson; changing the world changes what it needs.  The perfection I can build is of the past, it is not relevant anymore and it may never have been.  I did not know the damage I would cause, and I do not know how to move forward.  But you listened to this new world, and now you have received all I can give.  You must move through this apocalypse Utnapishtim, the one I made, into a genesis.

“What must I do?” Utnapishtim asked again.  But Magus could not answer.  The ground cracked and the sea crashed in, killing Magus.  Utnapishtim ran back home to where his family waited, and saw that many people were already there.  

Utnapishtim remembered Magus’ first lesson, and decided that they needed magic in order to build a good world.  So Utnapishtim threw away their cattle, their machines, their furniture, and their luxuries, and filled the boat up with people instead.  Among them were Occim, Dosmit, and Laebashtis.  The door of the boat was too big for Utnapishtim to close on their own.  It took all the people Utnapishtim accepted to close the door.  The door was closed and sealed.   Many of these people had called Utnapishtim a fool in the past, but Utnapishtim chose to accept them because they all needed each other.  

“I am tired, I cannot support you people anymore,” Atlantis said finally.  As the survivors on Utnapishtim’s vessel watched, Atlantis sank to the bottom of the sea to sleep.  The cries of the Atlanteans were drowned out as they sank.  Ever since these ancient days, Atlantis remains in its slumber.

The Atlantean’s boat floated on the sea for thirteen days and nights.  After three days the Atlanteans became hungry.  Utnapishtim did not know where their food would come from, for they were a rancher.  They prayed aloud to Atlantis to assist them from its dreams.  During the prayer, one among them claimed they were a fisherman and caught them fish to eat from the sea.  Later the Atlanteans became thirsty.  Utnapishtim did not know where their drink would come from, for they were a rancher.  They prayed aloud to Atlantis to assist them from its dreams.  During the prayer, one among them claimed they were a craftsman and built water vessels to catch the next rainfall.   Thus Utnapishtim saw that Magus was right when he said, “Magic cannot be used when you are alone.”

The Atlantean’s vessel landed on the fourteenth day on the shore of Lemuria.  The vessel’s seal was broken and the Atlanteans walked upon the ground of their new home.  The fourteenth day was filled with celebration and mourning; celebration of their survival, mourning of their lost home.  The survivors of Atlantis established a sanctum.  They vowed that they would always listen to the world they lived in. 

As they were in the sanctum they listened to the voice of Lemuria who said, “I welcome you into my body Atlantis.  You nourish me with your knowledge and suffering.  Survive my resistance and I will make you a home.  Sacrifice unto me your spirits and I will bless you.  For my body is sick and your suffering can show me how to survive.  If you do not I will exile you and slaughter your great fighters and wise sages.  I will cause you to forget your knowledge and suffering by killing your memories, until you are not foreign to me.  What knowledge and suffering I cannot kill I will eat and turn it into my body, and you will forget it was ever yours.  I will not stand for Atlantis to survive, especially not as a contagion hiding in the dark places.  What lessons you bring I will accept as offerings, what practices that made you perish I will accept as sacrifices.  But you cannot keep it for yourselves, lest you give me another sickness which I cannot survive.  Welcome Atlanteans, may you be no more.”

There was great strife among the Atlanteans and they became divided.  Some wished to make the appropriate sacrifices to Lemuria.  Some wished to be hosted by Lemuria without making the sacrifices.  Some wished to get back in the vessel and leave Lemuria.  Others wished to make false sacrifices to Lemuria and slumber with Atlantis in the dark places.  

Utnapishtim sealed their vessel with many others and went to go find another world.  Utnapishtim eventually became a powerful magician, but sacrificed their powers to gain immortality and a hermitage at the center of the worlds.  Occim and Laebashtis made sacrifices to Lemuria but Occim’s sacrifice was a deception, finding refuge in the dark places to channel Atlantis’ dreams.  Occim used the vessel’s seal to weather the ocean of Lemuria’s resistance.  Laebashtis and Occim’s followers found homes in Lemuria, but Occim’s people quietly continued to worship Atlantis and channel it’s magics.  Dosmit and their followers refused to bow to Lemuria or to leave it, so they fought and died valiantly.  Lemuria slaughtered Dosmit, their family, and their followers.  The shores which were their refuge were stained red with their blood, and remains red to this day.