Atlantis and Other Lands

Atlantis, Mu, Lemuria, Shangri-La, and other legendary lost lands have appeared in literature, occult speculation, and Mage sourcebooks. But where did these legends originate, and how can Storytellers use them?

This episode draws on L. Sprague de Camp’s Lost Continents to explore the origins of these myths, their relationship to Mage’s treatment of history and Consensus, and the ways hidden civilizations can become memorable Chronicle locations.

We also discuss ruins, Shallow Realms, Realm Sphere Ratings, magical discoveries, and the political consequences of uncovering forgotten knowledge.

Finally, we build an original adventure involving Mu, the Itz’at, and a hidden realm where Time magick offers extraordinary possibilities.

Show Notes

• Lost lands, mythology, and historical sources
  • Lost Continents: The Atlantis Theme in History, Science, and Literature by L. Sprague de Camp – The book that inspired the episode, examining lost-continent legends and their historical development.
  • Prester John: The Medieval Legend – Otto of Freising’s account of the mysterious Christian priest-king and his kingdom beyond Persia.
  • Lost Horizon by James Hilton – The 1933 novel that introduced Shangri-La to modern popular culture.
  • Shambhala and the Kalachakra Tantra – The Buddhist teachings concerning Shambhala, its rulers, and its spiritual significance.
  • Beyuls: The Hidden Valleys of the Himalayas – Sacred refuges associated with Padmasambhava and Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
  • The Lost City of Ys – Brittany’s legendary drowned city, associated with King Gradlon and his daughter Dahut.
  • The Lost Continent of Lemuria – The nineteenth-century scientific speculation that eventually entered Theosophy and occult literature.
  • The Secret Doctrine by Helena P. Blavatsky – A foundational Theosophical work describing Lemuria, Atlantis, and the supposed evolution of humanity through root races.
  • The Lost Continent of Mu by James Churchward – The influential 1926 book proposing a vanished Pacific civilization.
  • The Madrid (Tro-Cortesian) Codex – An authentic Maya manuscript connected to the nineteenth-century misinterpretations that helped generate the Mu legend.
• Atlantis: Ancient sources, archaeology, and occult speculation
  • Timaeus and Critias by Plato – The original literary accounts of Atlantis, including its geography, royal lineage, and destruction.
  • Atlantis: The Antediluvian World by Ignatius Donnelly – The influential 1882 work arguing that Atlantis was the source of numerous ancient civilizations.
  • Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Abraham Ortelius – The landmark 1570 atlas, useful for chronicles involving forgotten geography and locations erased from Consensus.
  • Oronce Fine’s World Map– A sixteenth-century map depicting the hypothetical southern continent Terra Australis.
• Lost civilizations in fiction
  • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne – Captain Nemo and his companions explore the ruins of Atlantis beneath the Atlantic.
  • The Shadow Kingdom by Robert E. Howard – A Kull of Atlantis story featuring ancient kingdoms, forbidden knowledge, and reptilian conspirators.
• Mage: The Ascension and World of Darkness sourcebooks
  • Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition – Core rules and setting information, including the mysterious Itz’at and the use of hidden realms in chronicles.
  • Halls of the Arcanum – Explores the Arcanum, a society devoted to investigating occult mysteries and lost knowledge.
  • The Infinite Tapestry – Explores the Umbra, strange realms, and supernatural territories, including references to Atlantis.
  • Beyond the Barriers: The Book of Worlds – Descriptions and mechanics for Umbral realms, unusual magical environments, and travel beyond the Gauntlet.
  • The Book of Chantries – Rules and setting material for constructing Chantries and Horizon Realms, useful when transforming a discovered lost civilization into a player stronghold.
  • M20 Lore of the Traditions – Expands the history and secret traditions of the Council of Nine, including material relevant to magical lineages and ancient knowledge.
  • Sons of Ether Revised Tradition Book – Defectors from the Technocracy, the Sons of Ether embrace strange science and bold invention to build a utopian future after the Ascension War.
  • Dark Ages: Mage – Before the Technocracy, magic ruled a perilous world. Create Dark Ages mages with rules for surviving an age of war and supernatural terror.
  • Dead Magic and Dead Magic II Secrets and Survivors – Explore lost civilizations, forbidden rituals, and surviving magical traditions whose secrets could reshape modern magick.
  • Changeling: The Dreaming’s Dreams and Nightmares – This guide takes you from the Near Dreaming to the far reaches and unexplored regions of the Deep Dreaming.

The place where the secrets used to work is probably the best place to research those secrets.