Cryptarc: Shades of Sorcery

Cryptarc was a planet full of magical energy. The essence of the gods flowed through The Conduit every 200 years, when the 8 moons of power aligned. It was the lifeblood of our world, a persistent cycle, the pulse of our beating hearts. The souls touched with magical energy swayed to that rhythm. That is, until Ulnara Corp got… ambitious.

You see, not everyone was born with innate magical ability. This presented a problem in the world, an imbalance of power. To level the playing field, some clever alchemists created Essence Cores, a way to imbue physical materials with magical energy. This allowed the ungifted to leverage magic by fueling weapons and tools with different forms of magical essence.

There was only one problem. The magical energy needed to fuel the nascent technology was finite. It had to be transferred from people and creatures with magical ability. For a time, this presented a good economic opportunity for magic users who were paid for borrowed power. Productivity increased and a booming civilization emerged. Ulnara Corp were heralded as heroes of a modern age.

But… There is no poison quite like wealth and greed. Their profits soared and their leaders grew wealthy, well past the precipice of gluttony. An apt word, as their appetites turned voracious. In the darkness of the eight moons, the oligarchs plotted a vile treason. A genocide of magic. As the time of the next lunar alignments grew near, the rats scurried about The Conduit, shitting on everything.

Through their wicked machinations, the thieves reverse engineered the flow of The Conduit. When the day came, and the moons aligned, they stole the essence of the gods and all other magical beings. The people could only watch in horror as the souls of their kin were strangled from their bodies. All magical beings on Cryptarc died that day. Save for a glimmer of hope.

In a fleeting moment, with the faintest reserve of power, the gods salvaged the souls of as many magical beings as they could. Stowing them away on the dark sides of their moons, awaiting the next alignment. Vengeance and wrath have been brewing for centuries. And it’s all about to boil over.