The Empire corrupted magic itself. They built a device and attached it to the Everstone, the world’s source of magic, and used it to power their army of automatons.
In the end, the hero and his companions weren’t able to remove the machine, and the Everstone was destroyed in the battle. The world soon lost its connection to the magical realms.
As his powers faded, the hero wondered if the sacrifice had been worth it. But he believed that broken things could be fixed, and that which was lost could be restored.
This was the foundation of the second Empire.

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