Atlantis (Tobyverse)
Have you ever wanted the future? A better time and a better place, with better people to fill it? Its a nice dream, isn't it? Its something to keep you warm at night, something to keep your nose to the grindstone, something that is always out of reach. But what if I told you that was about to change? What if I told you that the future is now? Atlantis.
Yes, Atlantis. You've read about it in the papers and heard your neighbors whispering, but did you believe them? I'm here now to tell you it isn't a myth and it isn't an exaggeration. A group of Visionaries has seen the potential. They understand your desires. And on Atlantis, they want to build the future. A better future, a safer future a richer future, for everyone. In Atlantis, everyone will have a home for the family.
In Atlantis, everyone will eat. In Atlantis there will be no beggars and thieves. Atlantis IS the future, and anyone that says otherwise is an enemy of progress. Its ivory towers will be the lighthouses of the future, and its neighborhoods the blueprints of progress and stability. And you can be a part of all of this. You can guarantee your spot. You can make sure that your children, and their children, all the way down the line, will be the architects of a better world. All you have to do is sign up. We need stonemasons, iron-workers, pipe-layers and a hundred other jobs. Every man here has some sort of talent, and we need you all.
So, do I have any volunteers?
-Jack “Jumpin'” Jenkins, pitching Atlantis to a crowd of over one hundred workmen.
History[edit]
In 1857, while Britain was distracted and embroiled in the conflict in India, Baron Cornelius Klough, aka Baron Nemesis, Master of Mechanism, struck. His plan was truly diabolical. It had always been known that he was a master engineer, metallurgist and clockmaker, but his mastery of geology and tectonics was, until now, unknown. Loading hijacked freighters with a series of strange devices, he then proceeded to sink them at a series of points in the middle of the Atlantic. Then, at some unknown signal, the devices activated, and Baron Nemesis achieved the impossible, and somehow created land. It could be that he raised an already sunken island, or manipulated the plate tectonics. Or even triggered an as-yet unknown underwater volcano, bringing it to the surface. What is known is that he dragged a huge landmass to the surface. Then, he and his hidden legion struck. They seized the island within a matter of hours and began fortifying it. Nemesis hoped to use it as a nigh-impenetrable staging ground for his forces, able to strike at both sides of the Atlantic with his armored battleships and submersibles. They even began laying the groundwork for a series of war-factories. But one piece of bad luck would doom Nemesis's mad plot. The clipper The Prince of Wales happened to be crossing the Atlantic at the time, and spotted the legions of darkness. The first mate, William Shore, had once been a marine, and fought the Baron's forces at the Orkney Islands and off the coast of France before, and recognized the dangers. Deft handling by the captain, Eustace Shrive, allowed The Prince of Wales to escape the slower armored ships of Nemesis's forces, and as night fell they were able to slip away under cover of darkness. Racing back to England, the officers and crew of The Prince of Wales immediately descended en masse on the offices of the Admiralty, and after a short time and some truly desperate pleas, the British military ground into action. Their anti-Nemesis task force was called in from near Prussia, and the situation was reported to the various embassies. The British task force set sail at once, hoping to catch the Baron while he was still constructing his defenses. They did, and the battle raged with incredible ferocity. A full half the task force was sunk, and only the intervention of a convoy of French and Spanish ships were able to save the day. The remainders of the fleet bombarded the island heavily, and marines stormed the main buildings. Baron Nemesis looked to make his escape on one of his experimental rocket balloons, but was shot by marksmen before getting out of range. To this day his body and vehicle have not been recovered.
But then the world was left with a question. What to do with this new and now-unclaimed land mass. The forces present at the island almost fell to in-fighting before an agreement was reached and a contingent from each country was left to defend the island. The debate raged for over a decade, but ever so slowly a decision was reached, and the island was bought by a consortium of primarily British businessmen. This was one facet of the group called the Visionaries. The Visionaries had been a loose network of friends and contacts to each other, until the island. Several of them saw incredible potential in such a landmass, seeing it as a place where they could create an ideal city. The group grew, until it encompassed some of the most brilliant minds in science and business of the day. Americans, British, French and more all came together to bring about this one grand idea, of a virgin land to shape in their own image. The Visionaries paid out massive bribes, blackmailed officials, directed the course of diplomacy and eventually outbid every other faction and force that hoped to control the island. It was then they began the true work of Atlantis. They brought only the most brilliant of designers in on the project, and at every level no expense was spared. The money that was poured into the project was astronomical, unbelievable for the time. They paid handsome commissions to any agent of theirs that found a new scientist or architect or engineer for their project. It was to be the crowning jewel of the civilized world. It took twenty years and more to fully complete. And when it opened its doors on May of 1894, only a year after the World's Fair in Chicago, everyone was amazed. It was a fantastical construction, unimaginably advanced for the time. It was one of the second cities after Chicago to adopt the skyscraper every building was a work of art. The Visionaries had outdone themselves, and people from all over the world began clamoring to get in. Immigration was tight, and the Visionaries had already selected many of the first residents. And there was a rigorous testing and investigation process to get in. Rumors abounded of the Visionaries' eugenics testing programs, and to this day the reason behind the extensive blood testing is unknown. But still people got in. They flocked in droves to Progress City, and fortunes were made simply conveying them away after they had failed the process. To this day the massive barracks constructed to house the various immigrants while they were checked still stand, and have been converted into living quarters for the various warehouse workers of Poseidon Docks. Atlantis was a massive success.
It continued as such until the nineteen teens. It was then that there was a great clamor to separate and declare independence, since until then Atlantis had technically been a British colony, the Visionaries having decided that it was simplest to allow Britain some control. This outcry was only strengthened at the outset of World War I. The people of Atlantis wanted nothing to do with the war, and so, at the height of the war, Atlantis withdrew, declaring its independence as a free and independent state. The British were furious, but could do little to stop them.
Timeline[edit]
20s- Atlantis, and especially Progress City becomes a true party town, and the immigration restrictions are eased for the first time, in order to accommodate the vast wealth that then flew into the city via the various foreign millionaires who wanted to live in the ultra-exclusive Atlantis. It became common to fly or sail into Atlantis, pick up alcohol and then smuggle it back into the United States.
30s- Atlantis is hit brutally by the worldwide Depression, and is forced to import workers after many of their own leave the island. These men and women were mainly of various ethnic minorities, and established a series of ethnic neighborhoods that remain strong and proud into the present. The Atlantians also take several weapons design projects from the new Chancellor of Germany and his National Socialists, but these suffer setback after setback, until the projects are scrapped.
40s- With some reluctance, Atlantis enters the war in 1942 on the side of the allies after Churchill appealed to their British roots and the attrition from German u-boats on their freighters shipping supplies to the Allied powers. Midshipman First Class Donovan James, son of one of the Visionaries, is seized as a posthumous hero. Atlantis begins using airships to move goods in hopes of avoiding u-boats, and one, the Halcyon, goes down in history after being attacked by a full wing of Luftwaffe fighters and still landing safely, bringing desperately needed supplies to forces in war-torn France.
50s- Atlantis re-declares its neutrality, and serves as a meeting ground for early Cold War diplomatic meetings. It also rededicates itself to keeping its technological edge, and begins to recruit scientists and scholars once again from all over the world. The Atlantis technologies industry is revitalized, and Atlantis stakes out its place as a stopping a refueling station for trans-Atlantic travel.
60s- In 1965 Atlantis is conquered by the forces of Doctor Xyle, Dimensional Deviant. A well-known super-villain, he imported vast numbers of mercenaries from alternate timelines and futures and used them in a series of brutal strikes, seizing or destroying key points of Atlantis infrastructure. Despite valiant efforts by Atlantean military and super-heroes from across the globe, Xyle secures his power with a series of vortex bombs and a dimensional shunt, hoping to cut Atlantis off from the rest of the world. The Atlantean resistance fights bravely, aided by heroes trapped within the city at the time of its shift, and eventually they bring down the shields and disable the bombs, allowing an international task force to aid them in retaking the island. Doctor Xyle is tried and sentenced by the World Court in the Hague, but dies in custody.
70s- A newly free Atlantis coasts on its euphoria, finally having thrown off the chains of their super-villain oppressor. The liberal movement truly forms, and new cultural advances flood into the city. Unions become a much more prevalent presence and several antiquated laws dealing with ethnic and gender issues are overturned, with much rejoicing.
80s- Progress City begins to compete with Japan and the States for computational superiority, kicking off the “Microchip Wars” wherein the various companies competed for contracts, advances and experts. Atlantis keeps its general technological edge, but strong competition from existing American corporations keep things competitive. The liberal movement gains steam, and elects its first Consul to the Overseeing Council.
Current Status[edit]
Atlantis of Today: Atlantis remains a technological and architectural masterpiece, as the need to modernize and reinvent blended over the decades with its desire to hold onto its roots as a Victorian creation. Today its design is something a meld between the Art Deco of the early 20th century and the medley style of Neo-Victorianism, where the future meets the past. Computers are still filigreed and the subways stations are still gated with elaborate metal constructions. Even the clothing harkens back to an early time, though a large movement has been growing among the youth of the city in which they wear clothes that are as modern and far from the dominant Neo-Victorian style as possible. Polyester blends are popular. The standard of living is something of a mix. On one hand, everyone in the city has access to the standard of living advances that the city prides itself on. But on the other hand, the liberal movement has only been active for around thirty or forty years, and there are still antiquated laws on the books that would seem practically barbaric to people from the United States. It would be a Capitalist’s dream, but outside investors have to compete with not only the existing corporations and big businesses of Atlantis, but also the various smaller cottage and homegrown companies and shops. Watchmaking is still a useful and successful profession.
Politics: The island is governed by a two-chamber Overseeing Council. The two Chambers are the Body Politic and the Body Populous. The Body Populous elects its representative by district, and the most populous districts have two, so as not to overwork the Consul charged with overseeing it. The Body Populous is the larger of the two Chambers. The Body Politic consists of Consuls who are elected separately from the Populous ones, and are representatives of “Established and Respectable Parties”, there only being limited number of seats for each political party to campaign for. Originally a method by which the Visionaries could double the number of Consuls they controlled, over the years several new parties have met the requirements. While none of them have quite unseated the most powerful Futurist party, the Liberal and Nostalgia parties have gained great territory in the Body Politic, and the number of seats has been expanded twice.
Economics: Atlantis is a highly wealthy nation, and deals in a variety of different fields of trade. Their merchant marine and merchant aeronautic are still a powerful force in shipping today, and it is not unheard of to see Airship ports, one of the most historic in New York City. They produce a large number of luxury goods, and there are even entire hotels designed to look like Atlantean buildings. Depending on the purchasers sense of style the goods can range from tasteful to gauche. Atlantis is still a major stopping point for shipping and travel across the Atlantic, and it is quite common for trans-Atlantic flights to have stopovers in Atlantean airports. But Atlantis is still most famous for its technological prowess. It spends hundreds of millions each year to make billions back keeping its technological edge, and Atlantean technology, while rather unusual-looking, is still the standard to which everything from computers to calculators is compared. Tourism is also on the rise.
A few important locations (by no means an exhaustive list):
The Hall of Visionaries: The original building in which the Island's founders met and planned their various operations and schemes. Today it has been converted into a museum to the Visionaries and Atlantis's early history, and draws not only locals, but historians from universities all over the world.
The Tesla Center for Futurism and Technology: While some private labs are superior in individual fields, the finest general research and development center on the island is still run by a private corporation consisting mainly of family and close employees. The Tesla Center is well-known for its various advances and developments in a variety of different fields. The Tesla Center is also notable for its agreement with several of the island's super-heroes, and many strange devices and objects have been studied at the Center.
The Gates of the Future: The two lighthouses flanking Neptune Bay are elaborate stone Goliaths, serving dual purpose of guiding ships and being incredibly ostentatious. Built in the early days of Atlantis, their history means they will never be torn down and despite their style they are still seen as awe-inspiring greetings to all who would visit Atlantis.
Atlantis's view on Superheroes: Is rather schizophrenic. On one hand, the spirit of innovation, technological freedom and supremacy means that many people from Atlantis take up the mantle of super-heroics. Over the years there have been many individuals, from brilliant inventors who took their tech to the streets to paragons of mental and physical will who shaped their bodies into living weapons. The same, sadly, can be said of the super-villains, however, and Atlantis's role as a super-villain created island, as well as Doctor Xyle's takeover, has made it a bit of a “tourist spot” for aspiring villains. The other side of the coin is Atlantis's government, which is often not supportive of super-heroics. Especially in the early years, the Visionaries hoped to keep a stronger grip on the island, and there were even clashes between law enforcement and super-heroes. Today, the government does not openly approve of many heroes, but the days of clashes with the police are long gone.
