9. History: Mu

Written July 24th, 2023

Opening to Mu and Magic

Almost 1200 years ago, circa 430 Common Calendar, the continent of Mu was transported to the current world. Artifacts from before the transfer put it on a place called “Earth” with ancient globes, maps and books written in multiple languages, some in ancient Greek. This was the first transference that happened to the world.

Before Mu was transferred, it was known as Atlantis. The preeminent naval power of their day, the tradition had continued in their new home. For centuries, the Empire of Mu was a dominant force in and among the surrounding islands. Even the Mirishial empire, one of two presumed native islands on this planet, could not hold a candle to the Mu’s naval power.

But Mu had a weakness: their population was severely limited in their usage of magic. Technological advancements were nice, but once the Mirishials began developing their magic weapons and ships the balance of power shifted. No longer were the ships of Mu better defended, armed and crewed. Instead, magic had overcome many of the Mirishials weaknesses and flaws in their designs. With wind magic for faster travel times, explosive and lightning magic for deadly weapons and finally a willingness to overcome their own arrogance, the Mirishial Empire launched countless attacks on Mu.

Severely beaten but alive, Mu was a shadow of its former self. After the war, the Mirishials were terrified by the lack of magic on the island. Their wyverns, ships and weapons all required magic to work, but it seemed like nothing of the sort could be found anywhere on Mu. Exploratory mines were drilled, but they always came up empty, and, starved of vital resources with supply lines running thin, the Mirishials finally left Mu.

In 1243 C.C., the end of the war was felt acutely by the south and west of the former Mu Empire states. Starting this year, large countries split from the main Mu Empire, knowing that the imperial power had lost almost all of its lustre. Countries like Leifor and Sonal still exist from those turbulent times, and both grew massively over the subsequent years. When Mu re-emerged as a true world power, the lust for conquest had left it. Military conquest was a thing of the past, but economic conquest began in earnest for the center of the continent.

The former country of Arue was the final part of Mu re-absorbed in 1372 C.C. and it was done entirely peacefully. With the potential for land-based conflict always present, the Mu military had broadened its horizons. No longer just a maritime power, the standing army of Mu became the well-trained backbone of the defensive efforts.

Technical advances allowed them to keep pace with the Mirishials, even without magic, and now the two continents maintain a friendly peace. Trade even crosses the ocean between them, bringing magic from the Mirishials and technology from Mu. This has allowed both nations to prosper, even without the aggressive military conquests of the past.

With less of a need for these policies, we have seen such an uplift in the lives of individual people on Mu. As modern data shows, the life expectancy in the past 50 years has almost tripled, and the standards of living recorded around the entire continent have reached all-time highs. Even the islands dotting the ocean between the two major continents have benefitted and major construction efforts are currently underway to build proper seaports on some of the smaller islands.

It is clear, then, that neither magic nor technology alone can decide the fate of the world that we know, and every nation absolutely must learn to live with both systems available to them.

—Matthias Clérisseau, 1621 C.C.