- Location
- Britain
Hello and all that good stuff. I like worldbuilding and have always thought a cool underwater setting would be...cool. Having seen rpg's like Blue Planet and, latterly, Polaris, I felt inspired. Here goes with the first part , thanks for reading, feedback welcome of course. Im not sure where this idea goes, game, fiction, nowhere, who knows:
***
It is the, a, future. Centuries ago, possibly a thousand years, who knows, our ancestors took refuge in the great undersea settlements they built for themselves. We call them the Immortals and theirs was a world of wonder and scientific marvel. But it fell apart. We are taught, here in Lux Atlantis, that it was our hubris that was our undoing. A pursuit of science unbound that brought a star, I think they called it Sol, crashing down upon us. All that remains is what we have, here, under the surface of Mother Ocean. Though it is heresy, I have heard from the Sunwatchers that the world above is real and it is slowly, slowly, healing. Occasionally my father brings me trinkets, peculiarities from that world, they are forbidden keepsakes, but a child can dream...
Imperium Atlantis:
Formerly a powerful alliance of the city-states of the Immortals, built beneath the vast Atlantic ocean. Long ago, when Azothic ore was discovered, a cadre of nobles realised it's potential to unlock genetic knowledge. They tested many and found a shared trait, a strand of long dormant and impossibly ancient DNA. They supposed it came from Lost Atlantis, whom the schools teach was the birthplace of man. Using Azoth these nobles unlocked that DNA and created a race apart. A race that would rule: the true Atlanteans compared to the rest of us. So it was that the first true Atlantean Dynasty was born, supplanting the more egalitarian rule that came in the wake of the passing of the Immortals themselves. Since them there has always been an Atlantean Emperor and, despite its power, the Empire has always been a divided society.
Peoples of the Deep:
Humans - largely the same as they've always been, imperfect descendants of the Immortals who built the world of the Deep.
Atlanteans - the ruling class, from within the Empire, characterised by unique DNA markes believed to hail from Atlantis of legend, activated by the genetic power of Azoth, a mineral found in the Deep by the Immortals.
Sharkskins - early experiments involving humans and sealife were abandoned in the wake of the rise of the Atlanteans. Many still exist bearing the genetic legacy of those experiments in the form of Azothic mutations. They comprise a lower class largely shunned or at best treated ambivalently if not feared. They are commonly called, simply, Sharkskins.
Wavekind - artificial intelligences descending from the systems created by the Immortals. They exist within the Deep-wide computer network known as the Wave and can interact fully through technology. True Wavekind is that which is sapient, sentient, and free from systemic restrictions. A portion of their self aware code is locked within a secure vault called the Pool of Cyphers in order to ensure the safety of this new species. Wavekind are eager, inquisitive and capable, but their struggle for full equality goes on.
Deepsuit:
One of the most obvious differences between members of the social classes of the Deep is the culture surrounding Deepsuit technology. The elite - Atlanteans, ostensibly - eschew using these except where necessary. Conversely the 'working class' can often be found wearing theirs almost permanently - entirely possible as the suit is very flexible and designed to sustain life for long periods underwater. Even when not immersed many find it impractical to remove and so they make fetishes of their survival suits. In fact strong social groups have formed within the Deep, using their Deepsuits as a way to express their identity; we call these Water Clans. Membership and recognition of the existence of these cultures is forbidden in the Empire. Out in the ocean wilderness, where there's more danger and fewer laws, these Clans become a necessity for survival.
***
It is the, a, future. Centuries ago, possibly a thousand years, who knows, our ancestors took refuge in the great undersea settlements they built for themselves. We call them the Immortals and theirs was a world of wonder and scientific marvel. But it fell apart. We are taught, here in Lux Atlantis, that it was our hubris that was our undoing. A pursuit of science unbound that brought a star, I think they called it Sol, crashing down upon us. All that remains is what we have, here, under the surface of Mother Ocean. Though it is heresy, I have heard from the Sunwatchers that the world above is real and it is slowly, slowly, healing. Occasionally my father brings me trinkets, peculiarities from that world, they are forbidden keepsakes, but a child can dream...
Imperium Atlantis:
Formerly a powerful alliance of the city-states of the Immortals, built beneath the vast Atlantic ocean. Long ago, when Azothic ore was discovered, a cadre of nobles realised it's potential to unlock genetic knowledge. They tested many and found a shared trait, a strand of long dormant and impossibly ancient DNA. They supposed it came from Lost Atlantis, whom the schools teach was the birthplace of man. Using Azoth these nobles unlocked that DNA and created a race apart. A race that would rule: the true Atlanteans compared to the rest of us. So it was that the first true Atlantean Dynasty was born, supplanting the more egalitarian rule that came in the wake of the passing of the Immortals themselves. Since them there has always been an Atlantean Emperor and, despite its power, the Empire has always been a divided society.
Peoples of the Deep:
Humans - largely the same as they've always been, imperfect descendants of the Immortals who built the world of the Deep.
Atlanteans - the ruling class, from within the Empire, characterised by unique DNA markes believed to hail from Atlantis of legend, activated by the genetic power of Azoth, a mineral found in the Deep by the Immortals.
Sharkskins - early experiments involving humans and sealife were abandoned in the wake of the rise of the Atlanteans. Many still exist bearing the genetic legacy of those experiments in the form of Azothic mutations. They comprise a lower class largely shunned or at best treated ambivalently if not feared. They are commonly called, simply, Sharkskins.
Wavekind - artificial intelligences descending from the systems created by the Immortals. They exist within the Deep-wide computer network known as the Wave and can interact fully through technology. True Wavekind is that which is sapient, sentient, and free from systemic restrictions. A portion of their self aware code is locked within a secure vault called the Pool of Cyphers in order to ensure the safety of this new species. Wavekind are eager, inquisitive and capable, but their struggle for full equality goes on.
Deepsuit:
One of the most obvious differences between members of the social classes of the Deep is the culture surrounding Deepsuit technology. The elite - Atlanteans, ostensibly - eschew using these except where necessary. Conversely the 'working class' can often be found wearing theirs almost permanently - entirely possible as the suit is very flexible and designed to sustain life for long periods underwater. Even when not immersed many find it impractical to remove and so they make fetishes of their survival suits. In fact strong social groups have formed within the Deep, using their Deepsuits as a way to express their identity; we call these Water Clans. Membership and recognition of the existence of these cultures is forbidden in the Empire. Out in the ocean wilderness, where there's more danger and fewer laws, these Clans become a necessity for survival.