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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:23:39 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:24:45 GMT -5
Aquaman
Issue 0: Kings of Atlantis
Written by Brandon Herren
Cover by Brandon Herren
Edited by David Charlton |
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:26:29 GMT -5
The following is an excerpt taken from the apocraphyl Antediluvian Gospels...
...In days long ago, before the dawn of man, the walls of Atlantis were first raised toward the sky, and from whence its people came is lost to the mystery of time.
The Atlanteans were a race of vast knowledge and sophistication and their craft was true. Soon, gleaming spires and golden towers filled the streets of the first city of wonder. Ameilius, the First King, looked on the kingdom with cheer. It was the golden dawn and long was their time in the sun. And the millennia passed and their prosperity knew no bounds. Alas, the dual nature of its people would always prove the undoing of Atlantis and its greatest curse. The voice of discord grew and the opposing ideologies of the Children of Light and the Sons of Belial clashed, erupting into civil war. Great powers were unleashed and the forces of nature unbalanced and the very world rolled on its side in cataclysm. The land was torn asunder and Atlantis fell into the sea.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:27:49 GMT -5
The First Age had ended in fire, and darkness fell across the world for an untold time. A dire new age crept in with evil forces and took root, and the remains of the Land of Atlantis and its people were caught in their grip. Greed and corruption ruled the day and the Atlanteans were overtaken with hardships. The Black Days were long across the world before the champions first rose against the Dark Kings. Heroes of bravery and daring confronted the villainous sorcerers at every turn. Battle after battle was waged and to no avail, so in final desperation the champions journeyed to the Realm of the Gods and brought back their wrath with them, driving the Dark Lords into exile.
And lo, did Neptune decree Atlantis would rise again in splendor. And it was so that after this time the city would also be known as Poseidia, or Poseidonis. All did return to the ruined city and so returned its glory, and restored secrets once thought lost. Masters of Science, Art, Literature, Architecture, Politics, Music, and Commerce brought with them the dawning of the Third Age, and Atlantis had returned to what it once was and more. A time of marvels, technology became as unknown and unseen as magic: pictures upon glass orbs, lanterns without fire, chariots aloft the wind, and power in the air from great glowing pyramids. Atlanteans would even gain mastery of their bodies and illness was forgotten. And amazing transformations could be made as the people could become as creatures of the world. Of wolves, felines, horses, birds, and fish were among the forms taken and so pleased were these people they sundered into the world of Men to live. The sunken city of Old Atlantis was inhabited by the merfolk and was called Tritonis as it was in his favor. Also in this time did the people have the ability to look upon other worlds and realms as looking through glass, and little was unknown to them. Long years followed and Atlantis was a utopia upon the earth.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:28:17 GMT -5
But, their curiosity did attract the attention of things of the Lower Worlds and the Dark God itself was awakened. Xthulhu rolled in its black slumber and gazed on Atlantis with knowing. The radiant city would be as a door to spread its black heart through the cosmos. A great army of darkness was raised and did descend on Atlantis without alarm. And so did begin the Long War. With science and strength the black hordes were repelled but the city lay bare to invasion, and after much deliberation the Great Dome was made. Time and again were the attacks of the demon army and the Atlanteans became as warriors. Bloodshed was the constant of the never-ending campaigns of men and beasts and the world was in turmoil. And then came the Final Day and Neptune himself did forge a Trident to fight the Evil One. The shadow armies marched on Atlantis and the Dark God tore asunder the sky above. King Orin and his men were matched in battle and the last day of the Sun was upon the people of Atlantis. Horrible was the destruction let loose on the world and she did scream out. Volcanoes spit fire and the ground shook. But the battle raged on and would have done so without end but for the machinations of Xthulhu. It reached out into the heavens and pulled down a fiery rock, a great comet to plunge down into the heart of the great city. With all his power, Neptune repelled the Dark God back into its hell and sent the meteor into the sea, but not before the damage was complete. Once again, Atlantis was unseated from the land and sunk into the sea below and a Great Deluge overtook all the lands of the earth. The great city was lost to the land for all time and it became a legend to the stories of Man.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:28:46 GMT -5
And so did Atlantis begin its Fourth Age in its darkest hour. The city and its land now lay in ruin at the bottom of the ocean, and only by the grace of Neptune and the protection of the dome did its people survive. Once great warriors from endless battles with the Dark Hordes, the denizens of the fallen city were now lost in the depths and a heavy sadness befell them. The final war with Xthulhu was won but the people had lost everything as a cost, even the sun and the sky. The god Neptune’s power was diminished and he returned at this time to Olympus for a long rest, from here on to only guide Atlantis from afar. Now King Orin and his Queen Narmea rose as symbols of strength for their people and hope sprang anew. With the help of the Tritonians, the people learned a new life under the sea and began to rebuild their city. Ships were constructed to leave the city at first but soon the remaining science of Atlantis was used to develop a treatment allowing the people to live briefly in the water without aid.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:29:08 GMT -5
Only the King’s brother, Shalako, choose to find power in dark places. The fallen High Priest of the old order turned rather to the Dark Arts of the ancient sorcerer kings. Whispers came to Shalako the Usurper. An old spirit had lain trapped in the depths from the time of the Elder Gods and now stirred from its abysmal prison. Suula reached out to Shalako and found him a willing disciple. From its tainted tongue, Shalako took the words of deceit to the people and those still overcome with despair and weak emotions became his followers. The defiler spread lies about the Tritonians and made them as would-be masters working in secret against the vulnerable Poseidonis. His words struck the downhearted with a purpose and movements began to strike at the sister city. And Suula grew stronger. Shalako did promise a way to power and dark rituals were performed to claim it. The Old Evil would give its disciples a way to live beneath the water where Atlantean science had failed, and when the followers of Suula began to change in form, with their lower bodies as like unto a creature of the sea, they fled from the city to find refuge in the forgotten underground chambers once inhabited by the Dark Kings.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:29:32 GMT -5
As the battle had raged against the inhuman army of Xthulhu, much of Atlantis had been destroyed. The Great Pyramid that once held the window to other worlds had been shattered but the portals contained within did not close but were rather unleashed. Many miles surrounding Atlantis, in a large triangle, the way between realms was now weak to open and close without order. And from another place came the great and terrible beast, Kraken. The people of both cities rallied to stop this grave threat and sent all who could fight against it. In this the Great Betrayal began, as Shalako moved against Tritonis with his followers, the Oceanics, now more creatures than men, and the city fell easily before them. When the Beast was driven back at last and the battlers of Tritonis returned to their city, they were weary from battle and fell quickly to the might of the Oceanics. It took little time for word to spread of the fall of Tritonis and war was soon upon them. Poseidonis stood its ground and thus began the first of many long years of war between the two cities of the sea.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:29:54 GMT -5
Now at last the scientists of Atlantis succeeded, and a treatment was devised to allow its people to live and breathe and communicate under water, but the transformation would be absolute and life again above the surface no longer possible. A decision was made and two groups of Atlanteans left the city in search of land. They sundered into the re-emerged lands to the East and the West and found new places among those people.
With the subjugation of Tritonis and the weakening of Poseidonis, times were dark for Atlantis. To inherit this world as ruler, Suula needed to make its spirit flesh and sent forth Dardanus, son of Shalako, to claim the bed of King Orin’s daughter, Cora, on the night before she was to be wed. The unholy union bore terrible fruit months later as the violation of Dardanus the Intruder was revealed. The child was cast out at birth, born a misbegotten monster. Its appearance was as horrible as its conception, covered in scales and with yellow hair. Taken up by Shalako the monster grew unnaturally fast and soon took the throne. The Bastard of Atlantis was a dangerous opponent in war, with the strange power to command the creatures of the sea large and small and brought a deciding force to the battlefield.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:30:14 GMT -5
King Orin had grown old and knew his time was short, and that before long his army would falter, so he began preparations to end the War. Again, those weary of combat left Atlantis to live elsewhere in the seas of this world, and worlds still undreamt of. And further was the city of Poseidonis weakened. Soon the armies were readied and the songs of final battles sung, and when they met on the ocean floor in battle the clash was devastating. The conflict was short and the waters ran red for many miles. Many times did the tide of battle shift until at last Shalako and Dardanus lay dead and Kordax the Horrible was driven out. Without their generals the Oceanics retreated back under the ground and the mermen and mermaids of Tritonis were free at long last. Cora took the throne and wisely guided the people of both cities into a new period of progress and renaissance, and Atlantis was finally at peace.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:30:33 GMT -5
Many generations passed in harmony at the bottom of the sea, the only threat coming from sea serpents and other beasts finding their way into our world from the strange waters. But in time, Honsu the Warlord came to power and all knew change was upon the waves. Strong words and contentions grew between the two cities and Honsu preached the ways of war, but Honsu’s son, Atlan the Wanderer, came with tidings of the world above. Honsu was filled with a lust for power and his pride would not suffer so small a kingdom, and made ready war ships to travel to the surface world. At the advice of Atlan they moved into the East, easily crushing each army before them. Further they pushed as Atlan guided them into the Land of Egypt. Alas, the people of Egypt were not unprepared. The Egyptians had knowledge of the Atlanteans from their own ancestors and Prince Khufu Maat Kha-Taar met them in battle with ferocity. The weaknesses of the Atlanteans was soon exposed on the dry and hot land, and they were quickly matched and sent back into the sea, their march across the surface world ended for good. Atlan disappeared as well and was henceforth known as Atlan the Wise or the Mysterious One, returning to Atlantis through the ages in its times of most need. But mistrust was rife among the two peoples again and years of turmoil followed them into the Fifth Age.
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:30:57 GMT -5
Atlantis settled into years of petty battles and Kings hungry for personal indulgence. Sons overthrew fathers and brothers fought brothers. Betrayal and decadence overtook honor and dignity in the Royal House and the civilizations languished. Little changed among the people who were content in their lives, and long was the coming of a great King. But in time one did come to Atlantis, born of Queen Atlanna and the powerful wandering wizard Atlan the Mysterious. Orin the Second would claim the throne of Atlantis from despotism and become the Last King of Atlantis. The King of the Sixth Age would be a champion like unto no other as protector to all of the inhabitants of the oceans and his feats would know no equal in the millennia to follow. And even the surface world would know his deeds and called him the Aquaman. Great would be his struggles and victories as he led Atlantis through it darkest hours and its Final Days…
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Post by Admin on Oct 11, 2005 23:42:43 GMT -5
'Next Issue: Join us for the Secret Origin of Aquaman and for our first exciting Adventure!'
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Post by Brandon on Oct 17, 2005 8:53:21 GMT -5
 Real Name: Orin Secret Identity: Arthur Curry Status: King of Atlantis, Protector of the Seven Seas Place of Birth: Poseidonis, Atlantis Base of Operations: Atlantis. HT: 6'2" WT: 356 lbs Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Abilities: Aquaman can breathe water and exist on land without limit. He also has telepathic abilities and is able to speak with undersea life. He possesses great strength and endurance and can swim at amazing speeds. The full extent of his powers may not yet be known. History: Coming soon! Special Items: The Trident of Neptune, an ancient and mysterious weapon that can project energy blasts and add to or disrupt other energy sources, including magic. |
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Post by mockingbird on Jul 26, 2011 13:22:54 GMT -5
To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!
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