The narrator soon discovers that the inner-earth inhabitants are actually descended from an antediluvian civilization. Like the myths of ancient Atlantis, the Vril-ya live in a Utopia based on advanced technologies. Central to their systems is an "all-permeating fluid" called "Vril", a potent source of energy which the Vril-ya are able to harness for a myriad of uses. The power of Vril is immense and has the potential to either heal or destroy. Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803-1873), was an English politician, poet, playwright, and prolific novelist. His other novels include the subterranean adventure VRIL, also available from Rebel Satori Press Bulwer-Lytton is credited with the famous opening line "It was a dark and stormy night".