Soul Network

The soul network is one of the empires largest technological marvels. It was created during the reign of emperor someone as a way to power many of the growing projects.

History
Emperor Somone needed a way to power the ever increasing number of magical constructs within the capital. Who he made a deal with is still uncertain but a large building was constructed which created the first soul reactor. Using powerful magic the souls of people near the reactor would be sucked in creating a powerful source of energy to draw from.

People in the capital were amazed by the new magical lighting which allowed the city to function well after the sun went down. The newer more powerful War Golems were used to help expand and defend the empire. Airships became a normal part of everyday life in the empire. Under this new secretive power source the empire flourished and soon separate soul reactors started popping up all across the empire, the most notable being the one in super australia. A single reactor large enough to power the entire sub-continent.

A specialized group of people had to be created to maintain these machines. Since mere exposure to the reactor begins to remove peoples souls this was often fatal. A new group of liches was created. These people would have their souls voluntarily removed and placed in a newly designed phylactery. This allowed them to work with the reactor without fear of damage or death. Over time as the phylacteries began to rot their semi-immortal bodies they began to wear a uniform that completely covered their bodies. Plague masks were being worn to hide their rotting flesh. These people, though they had no official title, began to be called shepherds or maybe something else after we come up with a good nickname that has more reason behind it.

The super reactor in SA went critical and exploded. Tearing a massive hole into the shape of the sub-continent and releasing a huge amount of energy into the environment. This created the new SA that we have today. All of the evil and monstrous things that were there were created that day. Some historians mark this event as the first domino leading to the fall of the empire.

After the SA event people began to question the nature of these reactors. The lack of expansion and war with the empire meant that more and more criminals had to be used as fuel. And after the revolutions and the collapse, the soul network for the most part fell into desrepair.