Nearly a century ago, a small alliance of powerful dukedoms in the westernmost part of the Cirrhonian Provinces broke off to form the Khyne (kai-n) Technocracy, an independent nation of engineers, mages, and merchants, who aim to accrue power via technological advancement. Though no one person or group has absolute dominion over Khyne, the mayors, sages, and chief merchants of Khyne wield considerable influence over what this territory does.
Stories of the marvels of Khyne have spread far and wide across Io — from the Arcane Express, a magic train routed all across the nation that never stops running, to Labyros, the Labyrinth City of Stone, home to a slew of magical dungeons, to its capital, Aqaba, a grand mages’ tower which rises eminently from the center of its eponymous lake.
Every ten years, Khyne prepares a festival in Aqaba to reveal and demonstrate the latest results of its research — twenty years ago, it was the Arcane Express, and ten years ago, it was a system of magical runestones that revolutionized communication. This year, Khyne celebrates its 100th anniversary since its founding, and rumor has it that the Khynean elites are preparing something larger than anything they’ve ever revealed.