As of 1219
Until the events of
The Extinction War , "Atotakah" would have been a completely meaningless word to 99% of Archaios. Even still, it holds meaning to only a precious few people.
So far, there have been only a handful of encounters with the Atotakah people or evidence of their passage.
The group of adventurers that traveled between the Planar Spires combating Cataclysm first encountered the remains of Atotakan travelers who were killed in the City of Brass on the Plane of Fire, though they did not know it at the time. It was clear from their remains that they were a technologically advanced society that were capable of replacing organic limbs with advanced prosthetics.
Later, the same group traveled to Mechanus and learned that Atotakan warriors had been there previously as well. They left little to mark their passage, however, with only cryptic mentions of "internal problems" that incited a speedy return to their homeland.
Finally, wholly separate from the previous two instances, an exploratory vessel landed on the southern tip of Requiem and encountered elves from Sui'lad. Sigil spies were able to learn that these people also called themselves Atotakan and were in possession of ships and navigational tools significantly more advanced than anything manufactured in Archaios. According to their reports, these explorers also wielded a unique blend of magic and industrial technology that was reminiscent of the work wrought by the reclusive societies of rock gnomes, but again, far more advanced than what has been seen previously.
Unfortunately, the explorers returned to their mysterious place of origin across the sea before more could be gleamed and they have not been heard from since. The events of the Extinction War have all but precluded any other meaningful attempts to learn more from this admittedly brief encounter.
As of 1590
Many of the questions that Archaios explorers would hope to find answers to when they began voyaging across the seas themselves remained a frustrating mystery. though they were quickly eclipsed by a far greater question: Where did the Atotakah go?
Despite their proximity, members of the Assembly nations of the Talhani Isles were just as in the dark in regards to the fate of the Atotakah. So far, all that has been gleamed is the civilization rapidly crumbled and vanished shortly after the Convergence circa 1221 EP. Entire cities were left abandoned as if the entire populace had been raptured. There were signs of combat and destruction, but it is unclear if these wounds were caused by an outside source or self-inflicted during the death throes caused by whatever calamity struck them.
But even as ghosts, the Atotakah offered much in the way of technological and magical advancement. Much of what they left behind seemed to be derived of a unique metal alloy called
Nuridium, an almost-otherworldly material with magic negation properties.
They clearly possessed a vast knowledge of engineering and used it to create floating cities, the most remarkable which being the artificial island-city of Threshold that sits on the perimeter of the Talhani Isles. They were also able to fashion ships out of iron that utilized a still-unknown energy source instead of sails to navigate the seas. Lastly, and most notably, they were able to develop a means of magically connecting constructs with organic components in the form of prosthetics and artificial appendages. These constructs were capable of functioning just as an organic body part would in addition to bestowing additional powers and abilities upon the wearer.
For now, much of the Atotakan's culture, goals, and ultimate fate remain shrouded in mystery, but one of the Assembly's chief goals within the Talhani Isles is to uncover more lost artifacts and records in the hopes of slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle back together. Because of this, it is likely that a clearer picture will one day emerge as to what befell this enigmatic civilization.
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