The Fifty Worlds: DM Information

Atlantis

In case you wondered, yes, this is the same Atlantis that Plato wrote about. He simply got a vitally important detail wrong. It was the portal between Atlantis and Earth, not the city itself, which was destroyed by an earthquake. If, for some reason, you need locations for the portal, place one end of it in Sparbel and the other in Atlantis Castle.

The scenarii I have written so far do not involve staying in Atlantis for any length of time. They are:

  • Travelling with Xukry's Illusion Show
  • Recruiting adventurers for the Caliph of Agvhazar
  • Maintaining the Roads
  • Guarding a Stagecoach
  • The search for the Book of Macguffin

    Some places in Atlantis are important enough to have pages of their own:

  • The Magical Institutes of Atlantis
  • The Learned Societies of Atlantis
  • The Clubs of Atlantis

    For places which are not important enough to have pages of their own, I have a list of some Typical People one might meet in various settings.

    Should your players stay for any length of time in Atlantis, make things up as you go along, using the following as guidelines:

    Atlantis is an enormous seaport on the world of Delta. It is there to impress players with its sheer size. It's not really based on anything, but if you need to make anything up, adapting from modern Tokyo (substituting magic for electronics) won't hurt.

    Things which Atlantis and Tokyo have in common:

  • Atlantis is non-violent.
  • I'll repeat that, in case you didn't get the message. Atlantis is non-violent. No Atlantean will ever be the first to use violence. If player characters use violence, the Atlantean wizards will be informed. Atlantean wizards are powerful, intelligent and usually of lawful evil alignment. Ergo, player characters using violence will quickly be in deep trouble.
  • Other crime is also very rare in Atlantis.
  • Atlantis is enormous.
  • Atlantis is really several smaller cities rolled into one.
  • Shopping in Atlantis is expensive, but not extortionate. Prices are high, but affordable.
  • Atlanteans do not haggle. You either pay the price asked or you do not buy the goods.
  • Whatever you want, there is a shop somewhere in Atlantis which sells it.
  • Atlantis is a seaport.
  • Atlanteans eat a lot of seafood, and it is really tasty.
  • Atlantean food is nutritious and healthy.
  • There are restaurants everywhere in Atlantis, even inside other restaurants.
  • There are many parks in Atlantis, and the trees and flowers are beautiful.

    Differences between Atlantis and Tokyo:

  • The geography is different. Atlantis is about 50% land and 50% water. It's impossible to say with certainty whether it is a huge lake with islands, or a huge peninsula with small lakes.
  • Atlantis does not have earthquakes (it has tidal waves, which are worse).
  • The Emperor of Atlantis has even less political clout than the Emperor of Japan.
  • The Emperor of Atlantis is not descended from any deities.
  • Atlantis still has an aristocracy. The aristocrats know that in reality they have less political clout than wizards, wealthy merchants and even the Emperor, but they have not given up acting arrogantly in public.
  • The only public transport in Atlantis is boats (think Venetian gondolas).
  • Atlantean public transport is not fast.
  • Atlantean public transport is not frequent.
  • Atlantean public transport is not reliable.
  • Atlantean public transport is not cheap.
  • The native language of Atlantis is a form of Ancient Greek, similar to that spoken by legendary heroes such as Achilles and Odysseus.

    For local colour, mention orichalcum, an alloy of gold and copper. Orichalcum is extremely expensive and not a good building material, but it is a beautiful golden red colour and does not rust or tarnish. All of the external walls of the Imperial Palace are covered with orichalcum, and the richer temples use it ornamentally.

    The climate of Atlantis is damp. There is hardly ever a day during which no rain falls, and some days it rains all day. It is on the cool side of temperate, but the only cold days are in the early spring when melting snow in the mountains runs down into Many Demons River and flows through the city.

    Atlantis is a good place to visit (to recover from injuries, or to study new spells, or as a stopping-off point en route from A to B), but it is not a good place to live. All commercial transactions are recorded and taxed. As far as visitors are concerned, this is not especially onerous - all they have to do is pay the tax. Residents have to keep meticulous records of all transactions, to prove that the tax they are paying is exactly the right amount.

    It is difficult for strangers to find their way around Atlantis. The concept of addresses, as used in Earth cities, is unknown in Atlantis. Directions are given with reference to prominent landmarks, usually bridges (which are numerous and distinctive) but sometimes well-known buildings such as Atlantis Castle and occasionally even well-known road junctions such as Atlantis Square.

    Sociological note:
    Minor aristocracy will generally have a town-house less than four miles from the Marketplace of the Magicians (which is there for servants, not aristos) and a castle or villa somewhere inland, more than thirty miles from the centre of Atlantis.
    Major aristocracy will generally have a town-house in the region east of the Law Courts and north-east of the offworld hotel district and a palace in an arc to the east of the Imperial Palace, in addition to any territory they may rule inland.
    By law, no-one may build a palace further west than the Emperor.

    Place Names in Atlantis

    To create a consistent feel, where I have given place names in Atlantis, they are translated from similar place names in Tokyo. For example, the shopping districts in Atlantis are Silverseat, Newlodge and Elegant Valley.

    I have used some artistic licence. For example, the proper translation of tamagawa is Much-worn-away-river. However, it is very easy to misread it as Many-demons-river. And Many Demons River is a much more interesting place name.

    In Atlantis, like everywhere else, a valley is a place with hills at the sides and water at the bottom. In valleys in Atlantis the water level is rather higher than in valleys elsewhere.

    If you add place names of your own in Atlantis, I recommend that you follow these traditions.

    Law in Atlantis

    The Criminal Code of Atlantis is long and complex, but can effectively be summarised in four words:
    Do Not Cause Trouble!.

    If you want more, click here.

    Money in Atlantis

    New Money

    Atlantis uses ceramic currency disks, and has done for two decades or so. The wizards would rather move to an all-paper economy, but the temples insist on retaining currency as they make a good deal of their money from people throwing currency into their collection boxes. Prior to the introduction of the ceramic disks, Atlantis used metallic coins (see below). The denominations are:

    10 crowns. Circular. Bear a landscape view of the The Temple of Nakikha the Generous.

    5 crowns. Pentagonal, outer radius being the same as the 10 crown disc, inner radius being the same as the 1 crown disc. Bear a landscape view of the The Temple of Teus the Wise.

    2 crowns. Oval, outer radius being the same as the 10 crown disc, inner radius being the same as the 1 crown disc. Bear a landscape view of the The Temple of Na the Foolish. There are few 2 crown discs in circulation, as the temples do not like them (they do not roll well, so it can be difficult to put them in collection boxes).

    1 crown. Circular. Bear a landscape view of the The Temple of Poseidon.

    500 pennies. Pentagonal, outer radius being the same as the 1 crown disc, inner radius being the same as the 100 penny disc. Bear a landscape view of the The Temple of Vulcan.

    100 pennies. Circular. Bear a landscape view of the The Temple of Kaieak the Navigator.

    50 pennies. Pentagonal, outer radius being the same as the 100 penny disc, inner radius being the same as the 10 penny disc. Bear a landscape view of Atlantis Castle.

    10 pennies. Circular. Bear a landscape view of Atlantis Square (which is really octagonal).

    5 pennies. Pentagonal, outer radius being the same as the 10 penny disc. Bear a landscape view of the Comedy Theatre. These discs are rarely found in circulation. Not many were made, as their monetary value is low. Some people believe them to be lucky and hoard them.

    The sketches for a 1 penny disc, bearing a landscape view of the Tragedy Theatre, are on display in Atlantis Castle. However, no 1 penny discs were ever made.

    Old Money

    In the past, Atlantis used metallic currency, as follows:

    The Gold Crown, after which the current Crown is named.

    The Silver Crown, with one Gold Crown being worth ten Silver Crowns.

    The Bronze Crown, with one Silver Crown being worth ten Bronze Crowns.

    The Penny, with one Bronze Crown being worth ten Pennies.

    These coins were minted in great numbers in Atlantis and large numbers of them are in use throughout the world of Delta, except (ironically enough) in Atlantis itself. They are no longer legal tender in Atlantis, although the reality is that most tradesmen would accept them. The value of the metal content is, in all cases, greater than the face value of the coin.

    The Gold Crown is the coin known elsewhere simply as the Gold Piece. You can buy more outside Atlantis with a Gold Piece than you can buy in Atlantis with a ceramic Crown, but that is because prices are higher in Atlantis. Nominally, they are worth the same. The gold content of a mint-condition Gold Crown is worth more than one crown, but most Gold Pieces in circulation have been in circulation for a long time, and have worn down (or been filed down), so the gold content of a typical Gold Piece is worth about a crown.

    The Silver Crown is the coin known elsewhere simply as the Silver Piece (or sometimes the Shilling). You can buy more outside Atlantis with a Shilling than you can buy in Atlantis with a ceramic 100-Penny disc, but that is because prices are higher in Atlantis. Nominally, they are worth the same. The silver content of a mint-condition Silver Crown is worth more than 100 pennies, but most Shillings in circulation have been in circulation for a long time, and have worn down (or been filed down), so the silver content of a typical Shilling is worth about 100 pennies.

    Outside Atlantis, no-one distinguishes the Bronze Crown from the Penny. They are regarded as interchangeable. They are the coins known elsewhere simply as Copper Pieces (or sometimes Farthings). You can buy more outside Atlantis with a Farthing than you can buy in Atlantis with a ceramic 10-Penny disc, but that is because prices are higher in Atlantis. Nominally, they are worth the same. The metal content of a mint-condition Bronze Crown is worth more than 10 pennies. The metal content of a mint-condition copper Penny is nowadays worth around 5 pennies, and the value continues to rise as more people find uses for pure copper as a material spell component. However, no-one would bother taking either to Atlantis, as shipping costs would more than offset any profit to be made from a favourable rate of exchange.

    Urban Atlantis

    In due course, I shall draw a map of Atlantis. Until then, you'll either have to imagine it or draw your own. I'll give grid references for major locations.

    The built-up area is roughly circular, with a radius of nearly twenty miles, centred on the dockland and commercial centre.

    A map of urban Atlantis would fit reasonably well into a square area, 39 miles by 39 miles. Locations in this built-up area are given with reference to a 39x39 grid, with each square being 1x1 mile. The grid runs from 01:39 in the north-west corner to 01:01 in the south-west corner to 39:01 in the south-east. The tighter city-centre grid corresponds to squares 19:22-19:18-21:18-21:22 of the looser grid.

    One quick way to work out distances between two places is to use Atlantean Pythagoras: take the north-south distance and the east-west distance, and add the larger to one-quarter of the smaller. It works reasonably well.

    25:38
    Ulipa Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.
  • According to some, it's the northern boundary of the city.

    01:20
    Professional Arena
    The use of magic is encouraged in contests staged here.
    According to some, it's the western boundary of the city.
    More information may follow in due course.

    16:27
    The Temple of Zeus

    15:25
    Rhil Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.

    17:23
    The Institutes of Cabbalism and Invocation.

    19:23
    Naund Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.

    18:22
    The Institutes of Illusion, Enchantment and Transmutation.

    20:23
    The Temple of Teus the Wise

    17:21
    The Institutes of Necromancy and Astrology.

    14:19
    Hencymva Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.

    18:21
    The Temple of Poseidon

    18:21
    The Temple of Na the Foolish

    18:21
    The Glue Factory
    More information may follow in due course.

    26:26
    The Temple of Vulcan

    22:23
    The Comedy Theatre
    More information may follow in due course.

    22:23
    The Disgusting Society of Sorcery and Diabolism

    23:23
    The Learned Society of Anatomy

    17:19
    The Temple of Nobody

    14:16
    The Indoor Sports Club

    22:21
    The City Cemetary
    All you need to know is this:

  • Most Atlanteans bury their dead here.
  • The cemetary must not be overflown - it's disrespectful.

    18:18
    Piepet Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.

    18:17
    Zetippenos Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.

    23:20
    Magicians to the Aristocracy
    More information may follow in due course.

    28:23
    The Temple of the Imperial Cult

    22:19
    Autumn Leaf Plain: the Marketplace of the Magicians
    The goods sold here are cut-price magic, not always reliable.
    More information may follow in due course.

    19:17
    The Institutes of Alchemy and Diabolism.

    26:21
    The Temple of Po the Demonic

    22:18
    The Slave Market
    More information may follow in due course.

    22:17
    The Gladiatorial Stadium
    More information may follow in due course.

    24:17
    Sefranom Park
    More information may follow in due course.

    25:16
    The Grove, where druids meet in place of a temple, adjoins Safranom Park
    More information may follow in due course.

    27:16
    The Imperial Palace
    All you need to know is this:

  • The Emperor of Atlantis lives here.
  • You don't go to the Imperial Palace unless you are invited.
  • Player characters are never invited.
  • The Imperial Palace must not be overflown.
  • You can recognise the Imperial Palace from miles away. All of its external walls are covered with orichalchum.

    31:16
    The Zoological Gardens
    More information may follow in due course.

    21:07
    Joakis Park
    All you need to know is this:

  • It's a park.
  • According to some, it's the southern boundary of the city.

    Central Atlantis

    In due course, I shall draw a map of central Atlantis So far, I have only mapped out one small area, enough to give a general impression of what Atlantean geography is like. Until the rest appears, you will either have to imagine it or draw your own. I shall give grid references for major locations.

    The dockland and commercial centre of Atlantis covers an area approximating to a five miles by three miles rectangle, with the long sides running roughly north to south. It is roughly in the middle of the built-up area.

    Locations in the dockland and commercial centre are given with reference to a 24x40 grid, with each square being 220x220 yards, running from A40 in the north-west corner to A01 in the south-west to X01 in the south-east.

    The first map has squares J26 to J19 inclusive running down the left-hand side. The scale is one pixel to ten feet. Green is land, blue is water, other colours are locations (and are implicitly land-based).

    One quick way to work out distances between two places is to use Atlantean Pythagoras: take the north-south distance and the east-west distance, and add the larger to one-quarter of the smaller. It works reasonably well.

    (19:22) C37
    The Learned Society of Alteration and Alchemy

    (19:21) E31
    The Magical Maze (literally a tourist trap)
    The maze is a place where people who would be scared rigid by real monsters can go to play at being adventurers; there are a few relatively harmless traps and no monsters; even so, about one person in a hundred who has gone in has not come back out.
    Real adventurers usually sneer at the wannabes who frequent this maze (and rightly so).
    More information may follow in due course.

    (19:22) H35
    Newlodge, the preferred aristocratic shopping area (including jewellery shops).
    More information may follow in due course.

    (19:20) B21
    Amateur Arena
    Use of magic is prohibited in contests staged here.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:22) O39
    The City Art Gallery
    More information may follow in due course.

    (19:20) E24
    A block of hotels catering for tourists. The prices are extortionate.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:21) K29
    Atlantis Castle, now a museum
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:22) P35
    The Temple of Akshar the Maleficent

    (20:21) J26
    The Institutes of Thaumaturgy, Words and Incantation. These are the pinkish buildings in the top left-hand corner of the first (and so far only) map.

    (19:20) F20
    The Temple of Kaieak the Navigator

    (20:21) K26
    The Palace of Culture This is the yellowish building near the top of the first (and so far only) map.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:20) K23
    The Institutes of Sorcery and Divination and the Psychic Institute. These are the pinkish buildings to the left of the centre of the first (and so far only) map.

    (20:20) L24
    The Learned Society of Conjuration, Binding and Enchantment. This is the purplish complex to the right of and slightly above the Naval Dockyard on the first (and so far only) map.

    (20:20) L23
    The Naval Dockyard. This is the bright red line near the centre of the first (and so far only) map.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:20) J19
    Atlantis Square
    This is the nominal centre of the city. It is really an octagon. It is the red dot in the bottom left-hand corner of the first (and so far only) map.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (19:19) H16
    Elegant Valley, the Tourist Shopping Area
    The prices are extortionate. This is the area shaded yellow to the right of the Old Dockyard on the first (and so far only) map.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (19:18) A06
    A block of taverns where adventurers meet
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:20) K20
    The Old Dockyard
    This is the bright orange group of lines in the lower part of the first (and so far only) map. When Atlantis was smaller, this used to be a commercial dockyard. The current dockyard is considerably further west.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:20) L20
    Silverseat, the most fashionable and overpriced shopping area.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:20) M21
    The Headquarters of the Atlantean Secret Police.
    Every large city has its secret police. Some admit it. Others don't. Atlantis is one that doesn't. But here it is anyway. Its headquarters is the barely-visible black L towards the right-hand side of the first map, and if the Secret Police had their way you would not even get that much.
    More information may follow in due course. Then again, if the Secret Police have any say in the matter, it may not.

    (20:21) P25
    Bookshops
    There are bookshops elsewhere too, of course, but this is the bookshop district.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:19) I15
    The Temple of Frark the Controller

    (20:19) K15
    Commercial Magicians
    These guild magicians charge relatively standard prices.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:19) J13
    The Prison
    More information may follow in due course.

    (21:20) R24
    A group of magicians selling specifically to the tourist trade
    Prices are extortionate.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:20) O19
    The Tragedy Theatre
    More information may follow in due course.

    (19:18) C02
    The Temple of Nakikha the Generous

    (21:20) R22
    A block of extortionately-priced taverns catering for tourists and of dancing-clubs
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:19) N16
    The Institutes of Conjuration and Abjuration.

    (21:20) S22
    Fashionable (and overpriced) magicians
    More information may follow in due course.
    The magicians include the Beseemers of Elegance Street, of whom more information may follow in due course.

    (20:19) O16
    The Law Courts
    More information may follow in due course.

    (21:20) Q18
    Taverns catering mainly for the Atlantean Aristocracy
    More information may follow in due course.

    (21:20) S19
    A block of fashionable (and overpriced) taverns
    More information may follow in due course.

    (21:20) V20
    Memorial Square
    Like Atlantis Square, it is really an octagon.
    More information may follow in due course.

    (21:19) U12
    The Temple of Johark the Diabolical

    (21:19) T10
    A block of overpriced hotels catering specifically for visitors from other worlds
    More information may follow in due course.

    (20:18) P03
    Frigwul Park
    More information may follow in due course.

    (21:19) W11
    The Learned Society of Discovery, Divination and Knowledge

    Xukry's Illusionist Show in Atlantis

    Click here if the player character decides to remain in Xukry's company and go on to Megalopolis.

    The player character may ask Nylchrinie to remain in Atlantis too. If she does, make a loyalty roll. If the roll is successful, Nylchrinie remains with the player character as a henchwoman.

    For her fifteen weeks in the show, give the player character experience points as follows: add her charisma, dexterity and intelligence, and multiply the total by fifteen. If Nylchrinie remains with the player character, calculate her experience points using the same method, but halve the result as she is an NPC.

    The brooch is magical. It enables the wearer to cast one cantrip (player character's choice) twice per day. If Nylchrinie remains with the player character, her brooch is magical too.

    Amongst the options available for the player character are:

  • make her way to the maze (I shall add the necessary hyperlinks in due course)
  • join one of the gangs of Qwanet as a moll (I shall add the necessary hyperlinks in due course)
  • leave for Agvhazar on the Caliph's flying carpet (I shall add the necessary hyperlinks in due course) - if the player character chooses this option, Nylchrinie automatically stays with her (no need for a loyalty check)
  • marry a rich Atlantean and settle down (end of adventuring career, start a new player character)
  • earn a living as a dancing-girl in the entertainment districts of Atlantis (fun for a while, but gets very tedious when the Atlantean authorities decide that the player character is a resident rather than a visitor and ask for her tax return)
  • earn a living as a model at the The Learned Society of Anatomy (this is close to the Comedy Theatre, so it is likely that after five weeks the player character will know people there)
  • go against Xukry's advice and visit the Disgusting Society of Sorcery and Diabolism (this is also close to the Comedy Theatre, and is an adventure hook which I have not written up yet)
  • join a road maintenance party (an adventuring hook, not as dull as it sounds)
  • get involved with the search for the Book of Macguffin
  • join an adventuring party (adventuring parties often visit Atlantis, and meeting them is simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time)

    The Caliph and the Carpet

    The main two problems facing the Caliph (and his associate from Xenby, if present) are (a) that he is not taken seriously, and (b) his alignment is wrong - lawful citizens of Atlantis would be more likely to side with his enemies. No-one will get in his way, as what he is doing is entirely legal, but he will find it difficult to recruit anyone.

    The suggestion at the Caliph go on to Qwanet is a bad one. If the Caliph goes on to Qwanet alone, he naively goes down the wrong dark alleyway and ends up dead. End of plot-line. If someone goes with him, either wait until I write this up or make things up as you go along.

    The three male fencers are Atlantean aristocrats. Treat as NPC fighters with 2d12x100 experience points (i.e. there is a small chance that one of them is 2nd level). They are swashbuckling-style swordsmen rather than plate-mail-and-shield-style swordsmen. The main problem with them is that they do not take orders very well - Atlantean aristocrats are known for their pride and stubbornness. If you are looking to introduce fighter player characters to the campaign, this would be a good point to do so.

    The fencers are genuinely looking for adventure. It is likely that their motivation is that they are displeased with the way Atlantis is changing, and in particular with the way the Institutes seem to be running everything nowadays. It is also possible that they have made a bet with their friends that they can see the inside of an oriental harem - Atlantean noblemen will go to extraordinary lengths to win a bet.

    If the player character dancing-girl and Nylchrinie left Xukry's show in Atlantis, they are the two dancing-girls. If not, there are plenty of other dancing-girls from Xukry's show. The main problems with them are their lack of real adventuring experience and that, if the adventurer from Xenby is a wild mage and the dancing-girls are bards or illusionists, the party balance will be seriously off.

    The pretty young woman thief is a spy for the Atlantean Secret Police. She has an important message to deliver to an Atlantean agent in Omnatia. After she has delivered the message, the Secret Police do not really care what she does next, and spying in Agvhazar is as good as spying anywhere else. She is not all that experienced - although the message is important, the Secret Police do not anticipate that delivering it will be difficult, so they have assigned a novice agent to the mission. Delivering the message gives her enough experience points to reach 2nd level. If you are looking to introduce a thief/spy player character to the campaign, this would be a good point to do so.

    The three female fencers are most likely to be Atlantean aristocrats, sisters or cousinesses of the previous three. Treat as NPC fighters with 2d8x100 experience points (i.e. there is no chance that any of them is 2nd level - they are not as experienced as their brothers at fighting duels). They are swashbuckling-style swordswomen rather than plate-mail-and-shield-style swordswomen. They are displeased with the way Atlantis is changing (and in particular with the way the Institutes seem to be running everything nowadays) and are genuinely looking for adventure. The main problem with them is that they do not take orders very well. If you are looking to introduce fighter player characters to the campaign, this would be a good point to do so.

    Another possibility is that they are the same three Atlantean aristocrats back again, after visiting a transmuter who could change them from male to female. They still want to see the inside of an oriental harem and win that bet. It is precisely because Atlantean aristocrats will do such stupid things purely in order to win a bet that no-one will allow them any political power.

    If the Caliph's advisor asks, it is possible to mix male and female Atlantean aristocrats. The result will be either a brother/sister pair or a boyfriend/girlfriend pair. The Atlanteans will not suggest this option themselves, and the Caliph will not think of the idea himself.

    If you want to introduce another player character (not a noble swashbuckler, a dancing-girl or a spy) at this point, that's fine. Invent some reason why he currently happens to be in Atlantis and wants to leave.

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