Tocih

Tocih, or dynastically Tocih Atlaneas, was the sixth of the great Atlantean Sorcerer-Kings. She reigned following the Second Atlantean War of Succession until her abdication in 13237 OC. A member of the Domos Arbouneas (“the House of Arbounia”), initially a junior branch of the ruling Domos Atlaneas, she rose from diplomat and itinerant scholar to become a wartime general and ultimately the Queen of Atlantia. The aftermath of the civil war marked her reign, as she carefully navigated interstellar politics, particularly concerning Lansinar and the Universe War, and faced significant personal challenges that led to her eventual ascension to Eternal and her abdication.

Tocih is a pre-ascended form of the Sovereign, who serves as the female co-head of the Earthly Powers. She is a counterpart to figures like Hera, Juno, and other similar goddesses. Her name is derived from Toci, an Aztec goddess referred to as “our grandmother.”

Biography

Early Life and Career

Born during the latter part of King Atlantiades (the Younger) reign, Lady Tocih’s formative years were shaped by the intensely partisan politics that plagued Atlantia, culminating in the Second Atlantean War of Succession and the subsequent interregnum under the rule of the usurper known as the Sun Prince.

Tocih belonged to the Domos Arbouneas, descended from Arbounia Atlaneas, the sister of the first Sorcerer-King, Orin Atlaneas. Despite hailing from a junior branch of the wider Domos Atlaneas, Tocih undertook significant duties as a representative of the ruling Domos. She travelled extensively as a young woman, serving in diplomatic capacities. Notably, before the outbreak of the civil war, she served as an Ambassador to the Great Provinces of Thule and Mu, and later to the neighbouring power of Gaderia. She also served intermittently as Ambassador to the city-state of Lansinar, during which time she developed a close personal relationship with Dyeus Pitr, one of the three ruling Borades.

The death of Atlantiades (the Younger) without an apparent heir propelled the Domos Arbouneas, through lines of succession, into the position of the de facto senior Domos and the legitimate claimants to the Atlantean throne. Seizing power during the succession crisis, the Sun Prince imprisoned Tocih’s father, Lord Argantrorix, head of the House of Arbouneas, using him as a hostage to deter opposition from the house and its loyalists.

Opposition to the Sun Prince and the War of Succession

Following her father’s imprisonment, Lady Tocih dedicated herself to opposing the Sun Prince’s rule. Unable to operate openly within Atlantia, she adopted an itinerant existence, travelling between the other Great Provinces. During this period, she taught at several Great Academies, using her position to build alliances and gather support against the usurper.

The catalyst for open conflict came when news was smuggled to Tocih, confirming her father, Lord Argantrorix, had died whilst in the Sun Prince’s custody. Shedding her guise as a wandering scholar, Tocih stepped forward, declaring herself the rightful heir and leader of the opposition. The minor princess and academic transformed into a military leader, raising an army to reclaim her family’s birthright.

The ensuing conflict proved decisive. Support for the Sun Prince rapidly crumbled in the face of Tocih’s legitimacy and military campaign, which received substantial backing from Thule and Gaderia. Attempting to flee Atlantia as his forces collapsed, the Sun Prince was intercepted by Tocih’s loyalist navy in the Straits of Lyr. He drowned during the opening naval manoeuvres of the ensuing battle. Shortly thereafter, Lady Tocih returned to Atlantis and was formally anointed as the Sixth Sorcerer-King.

Reign

Even before the war’s conclusion, rumours circulated regarding Tocih’s relationship with Lansinar. Detractors, who sometimes referred to her as the “Adamant Lady,” speculated that she had received clandestine support from the Lansinarian Borade, Dyeus Pitr. While their long-standing love affair was something of an open secret amongst the political elite of both realms, Tocih remained resolute in maintaining a strict separation between her private life and her duties as Queen. She consciously avoided any appearance of favouritism or allowing the relationship to influence state policy.

This determination was evident in her handling of the Lansinarian-Atlantean Accords. Despite her connection to Dyeus Pitr, she delayed their restoration, wary that her opponents might portray the decision as biased. Eventually, however, the strategic necessity led her to restore the Accords formally. This act drew Atlantia back into the wider conflict known as the Universe War, aligning the kingdom with Lansinar and the Coalition of Light against their cosmic adversaries. Queen Tocih permitted Atlantean forces and resources, along with those of the other Great Provinces under her rule, to contribute to the Coalition’s war effort. Many junior members of the Atlantean great houses, along with nobility from the Provinces, volunteered for service.

During this period, Tocih also personally collaborated with Dyeus Pitr and representatives from New Genesis on the concealment of Rama Kushna, the dying Celestial daughter of High Father. Queen Tocih led the contingent of Atlantean mages who worked alongside the New Genesians, their combined power weaving the intricate spells necessary to create the timeless pocket dimensions of Nanda Parbat and Shamballa to shelter the fading Celestial.

The intensity of their collaboration on the Rama Kushna initiative marked a turning point in Tocih and Dyeus’s relationship. They subsequently acknowledged their bond openly. Tocih personally gifted Dyeus Pitr seed stock from the legendary royal apple orchards of Atlantia. These orchards, first cultivated by her ancestor Arbounia Atlaneas, who also pioneered Atlantean apple wine, were highly prized and their lineage closely guarded. Dyeus planted the seeds in Lansinar, creating a small orchard grove that became a private sanctuary for the couple. Influenced by the unique atmospheric phenomena known as the Auroral Curtain, this grove would later become mythologised as the Garden of the Hesperides.

Assassination Attempt and Abdication

By 13235 OC, Atlantia was firmly committed to supporting Lansinar and the Coalition of Light in the Universe War. Whether motivated by lingering loyalty to the defeated Sun Prince or dissatisfaction with Atlantia’s role in the war, an assassin attacked Queen Tocih on the steps of the Tomb of Cleito in the capital city. She suffered grievous wounds from a poisoned blade. The toxin proved resistant to all known Atlantean healing magic and antidotes.

Given the failure of Atlantean remedies, the gravely injured Queen was transported to Lansinar, renowned for its advanced science, for treatment. During her convalescence, her nephew, Melias Attacus, was appointed Regent of Atlantia.

The regency lasted two years (13235-13237 OC), during which Melias proved himself a capable administrator. However, Lansinarian science, while able to stabilise Queen Tocih’s condition and halt the poison’s advance, could not provide a complete cure. Faced with a slow decline and finding prolonged separation from Dyeus unbearable, Tocih decided to abdicate. Already a mage of considerable power, she chose to undergo a process of transformation, becoming an Eternal to prevent her death from the lingering poison.

Freed from her royal duties and now immortal, Tocih joined the Council of Eternity. Soon after, she married Dyeus Pitr, uniting them formally as fellow immortals. Her nephew, Melias Attacus, subsequently succeeded her as the seventh Sorcerer-King of Atlantia.

Legacy

Tocih’s legacy has been somewhat obscured by those who resented her connection to Lansinar and the centuries of sexist myth-making during the Adamant age. Nevertheless, she was one of the militarily strongest of the Sorcerer Kings, relying more on her diplomatic and martial skills than her magical ones.

Family

This tree shows the Arboureas Dynasty, which ruled around the end of the Orcichalcum Age. Only those immediate descendants that have Codex entries.

Timeline for Tocih

1. Atlantean Chronicles 10282 OC

   Birth of Tocih

   1333 year of reign of Atlantiades (the Younger): Lady Tocih, daughter of Lord Argantorix (1261) and Lady Ilugebis of Domos Arbounia, is born. — Atlantean Proto-Chronicles.

2. Atlantean Chronicles 11617 OC

   The Atlantean Civil War, beginning of the Restoration

   1018 year of reign of Sun Prince: The Atlantean City War. Lady Tocih (1335), a descendant of Orin the First and possessor of the blood of Atlan, rallies the Atlaneas Faction, including the warriors of Challa-bel-Nalla and Thule, against followers of the Sun Prince. At the end, only Hy-Brasil sides with the Sun Prince. The Sun Prince is drowned during a sea battle to control the Straits of Lyr. At War’s end, Tocih is unanimously proclaimed Queen Regnant of the Atlanteans, Seventh of the Sorcerer Kings. — Atlantean Proto-Chronicles. Our lineages are fragmentary, and the ancient sources are transparent, showing that Tocih was of Atlaneas blood, but we do not have the full genealogy. The period of Tocih’s rule and the regency of Melias Attaccus is known in the Chronicles as the “Restoration”. She had a relationship with Dyeus Pitr of Lansinar, and there appears to have been a retroactive attempt to play down if not outright suppress, her achievements.

3. Atlantean Chronicles 12564 OC

   The Flight of Rama Kushna

   947 year of reign of Tocih: In this year, the Lansinar–Atlantean Accords are reinstated. Lady Tocih and Dyeus Pitr assist the flight of the ailing goddess from Lansinar to refuge in the timeless east. The Courtship of Dyeus and Tocih begin. — Atlantean Proto-Chronicles. The Flight of the Goddess is an allusion to the concealment of Rama Kushna in Nanda Parbat.

4. Atlantean Chronicles 12689 OC

   The planting of the Orchards of the Hesperides

   1072 year of reign of Tocih: Lady Tocih gifts Dyeus Pitr apple seeds from the Royal Atlantean orchards. — Atlantean Proto-Chronicles. It seems an odd thing to note in the chronicles, but under the Auroral Curtain, the trees became the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. They were so precious that Dyeus set a guardian avatar, a Genesian serpent sprite Ladon, to protect them. The Orchards would be their private space and one of the few spaces she would incarnate after becoming Eternal.

5. Atlantean Chronicles 13235 OC

   Melias becomes regent

   1618 year of reign of Tocih: An attempt is made on the life of Lady Tocih. The Queen is taken to Lansinar for treatment and is nursed by her lover, Dyeus Pitr (18283) of the Boreades. Her nephew, Melias Attacus (410), is left as regent. — Atlantean Proto-Chronicles. It is believed that the assassin was a follower of the Sun Prince who had allied themselves with the opposition in the War of the Timeless Ones.

6. Atlantean Chronicles 13237 OC

   Accession of Melias Attacus

   1620 year of reign of Tocih: The second year of the regency of Melias Attacus (412). After healing in [Lansinar]], Lady Tocih (2955) becomes Eternal. Tocih and Dyeus Pitr (18285) are wed. Melias Attacus is proclaimed King of the Atlanteans, Eighth of the Sorcerer-Kings. — Atlantean Proto-Chronicles.