The Kons. Generations of their ancestors lived on the Moon. Now they have descended to a world they had only ever seen through telescope lenses. A world of boundless oceans, majestic mountains, and peoples whose existence they could only guess at.
Descendants of explorers and engineers, they brought technology, knowledge, and a desire to discover the unknown. The new world proved more complex than it had appeared from orbit.
Much of this world is bound to Nirex, a yellow crystal with a pleasant warmth. It powers machines and makes possible feats that would seem like magic to the uninitiated. Some researchers believe it can even affect the mind.
But the Kons were not the first to learn how to use Nirex. Long before their arrival, the civilization of the Valess flourished here, its cities rising above deposits of the precious substance. Over the centuries, the Valess perfected their psychotechnics and the art of controlling Nirex, making it an inseparable part of their culture. Their customs, philosophy, and way of life differ strikingly from the traditions of the Kons, the newcomers from the Moon. Yet there are unexpected and inexplicable similarities between the two peoples.
But the familiar order of Depalemon is crumbling. Nirex has begun to move through the depths of the planet. Rich deposits are running dry, while new ones appear where none existed before. Cities are losing their sources of energy, and once barren lands have become the subject of fierce struggles.
The peoples of the world are on the move. Some strive to preserve the world they know; others see change as a chance to build a new one. Researchers seek the causes of what is happening, rulers struggle for power, and adventurers set out for places where, until recently, no thinking being had ever set foot.
No one yet knows what set Nirex in motion, or what course the world of Depalemon will take.
