Yermah the Dorado: The story of a lost race

In Short

Set in the vanished, high-tech, and mystical city of Tlamco—located in what is now California’s Golden Gate Park—this narrative traces the life of Yermah, the “Dorado.” As he balances his duties as a commander, a spiritual initiate, and a lover, he witnesses the creeping corruption of his society. The book is a curious artifact of the late nineteenth century, blending esoteric occultism, geological speculation, and a tragic, operatic tone that mirrors the seismic history of the American West.

The Story

The narrative opens in Tlamco, a sophisticated city of the “lost race,” where the air is thick with the scent of perfumes and the atmosphere is heavy with the influence of the Brotherhood of the White Star. Yermah, a leader of immense charisma and noble bearing, arrives to navigate the complex social and political hierarchies of this advanced civilization. He is deeply connected to his comrade-in-arms, Orondo, and enters a profound spiritual and romantic bond with the high-priestess, Kerœcia. Their love is depicted not merely as a human connection, but as a symbolic alignment of masculine and feminine forces.

As the story progresses, the idealism of Tlamco begins to crumble under the weight of political intrigue and personal betrayal. Figures like the manipulative Setos and the ambitious priest Imos sow seeds of discord, accusing the populace and their leaders of breaking sacred vows. This internal rot is mirrored by environmental instability; the earth itself begins to tremble, signaling the end of an era. The plot moves from the lush, flower-choked canyons and temples of Tlamco to the desolate, shifting landscapes of a continent in flux.

The tension culminates in a catastrophic volcanic eruption. As the ground rends and the skies turn to ash, the city is overwhelmed by fire and flood. Kerœcia, recognizing the event as a forced, apocalyptic purification, leads her followers in a final, defiant prayer. Meanwhile, Yermah, burdened by the physical and emotional toll of his leadership, struggles to maintain his spiritual integrity as the societal fabric unravels. The survivors are scattered, eventually finding their way toward the ancient, desolate sites of what will later become Mexico. The journey ends not in a restoration of the old order, but in a transfer of sacred knowledge to a new generation, represented by figures like Gautama, who prepares Yermah for a higher, post-physical mission. The world of Tlamco is lost to the sea and the sands, left behind as a silent, mythic precursor to the civilizations of history.

How It Unfolds

The arrival of the Dorado Yermah occupies the center of a complex society, moving between the bazaars of perfumers and the high-minded councils of the Brotherhood. His presence immediately marks him as an outsider who holds the key to the city’s spiritual and military future.

The weaving of allegiances As Yermah and Kerœcia grow closer, their union becomes a focal point for the city’s elite. Political treaties are negotiated alongside romantic gestures, binding the fate of the Monbas and the Atlantian colonists to the strength of this central couple.

The rise of internal suspicion Setos and Imos exploit the public’s growing anxiety by stoking rumors of blasphemy and broken vows. This climate of mistrust turns the city against itself, creating a toxic atmosphere that mirrors the instability of the physical world.

The cataclysmic end The earth, pushed to its limit, erupts in a devastating sequence of fire, mud, and earthquake. The destruction is absolute, swallowing the temples of Tlamco and forcing the survivors to flee toward a future they cannot yet grasp.

The final transmission In the aftermath, Yermah is initiated into the deeper truths of his existence by the elder Gautama. The story closes with the preservation of ancient wisdom, suggesting that the destruction was merely a necessary clearing for the cycles of history to continue elsewhere.

The People

Yermah is the central figure, a man of immense physical grace and spiritual depth who carries the weight of a civilization on his shoulders. He wants to maintain the harmony of Tlamco but is constantly undermined by forces beyond his control. Kerœcia is the high-priestess who serves as his spiritual equal; she represents the feminine, intuitive side of the union and eventually embraces the destruction of her home as a necessary, if agonizing, purification. Their relationship is the emotional anchor of the book. Orondo, the loyal, soldierly companion to Yermah, represents the masculine ideal of steadfast friendship, though he is ultimately a tragic figure whose death is orchestrated by the machinations of those around him. Setos serves as the primary antagonist, a meddling, insecure man who uses the rhetoric of morality to mask his own political ambitions. He stands in direct opposition to Yermah’s idealism, acting as the catalyst for the suspicion that eventually destroys the city.

In Its Own Voice

“Because that foolish man has humored an idle whim of thine, must I come to barter? Out upon both of ye!”

Setos delivers this sharp, indignant rebuke to his daughter, Ildiko, when she attempts to involve him in a trade for a vanity item.

“The sphinx, one of the first symbols known to man, demands that we solve its riddle—which is Life, not Death.”

The narrator pauses the action to offer this reflection on the meaning of human history and the ultimate goal of the ancient mysteries.

“Thou hast granted me the purification by fire! Thy spirit laughs and licks out long tongues of flame straight from thy fiery throat!”

In her final moments, Kerœcia greets the volcanic destruction of her home with a mixture of terror and ecstatic, religious surrender.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is a study of the conflict between the ideal of brotherhood and the reality of human individualism. It argues that civilizations rise and fall based on their ability to maintain a balance between spiritual aspiration and material desires. The author suggests that history is a series of cyclical purifications, where the "lost races" of the past are manifestations of an earlier, higher order that must be periodically destroyed by fire or water to prevent the total stagnation of the soul. It is a cautionary tale about how pride and the breakdown of collective unity inevitably lead to the collapse of even the most sophisticated societies.

Why Read It Today

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy late-Victorian esoteric fiction, myth-building, and the heavy, atmospheric prose of the turn of the century. It feels like a fever dream of a lost world, packed with detailed descriptions of impossible architecture, floral landscapes, and intricate, quasi-theosophical dialogues. Reading it today requires patience; the narrative is frequently interrupted by philosophical lectures and long, descriptive passages that reflect the author’s fixation on occult symbolism. Readers should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes, including a fascination with "lost race" tropes and high-flown, sometimes archaic, language that can be challenging to modern sensibilities.

However, the vividness of the descriptions—especially the scenes of the earthquake and the volcanic eruption—remains striking. The book offers a unique, if eccentric, window into the intellectual preoccupations of its time, capturing a sense of transition between the old world and the modern industrial age. It stays with you as a strange, melancholic meditation on the impermanence of all things, leaving the reader with the lingering feeling that the modern world is merely another transient stage in a much older, more mysterious cycle of human endeavor.