The Tai Kalayne were inventors. Tinkerers who looked at the overflowing mana and thought: "what if we put that to work?"
They fused steel and sorcery, a technique they called Runemancy. The art of carving intention into metal, of binding mana to gears, cogs, and steam until the machine itself becomes power... Power with purpose.
And with that power, they devised the Obelisk Shield. Eight monolithic pillars that were 100 feet high, 30 feet long, 20 feet deep... and other measurements as well!
The pillars were assembled by the finest rune crafters - resourceful minds who prided themselves on turning trash into treasure - and infused with magic by scavo technomancers - brilliant, mole-like artificers who melded mana to mechanism. Tethered by rune-carved stones, they wove a protective layer over the world.
The rifts sealed... And thus, the long collapse ceased and the realm slowly healed.
The Tai Kalayne's runic system became the infrastructure powering the world. And, for eons, there was a semblance of balance. Such bountiful mana, however, would not stay hidden forever. Something dark, ageless, and patient lurked between planes... and it was itching for a way in...
