Magicas Imperium

1841 - A cave is found in new zealand containing a large crystal. It is shipped back to London. A chunk of it is made into gemstones, but it is noticed that when the stones were put into silver jewellry, the wearers would uncontrollably perform incredible feats, like blowing out walls of their own house or setting things on fire. 1842 - Slithers from the gemstone are used to create more jewellry, and testing is performed to find out how to control such a thing. 1846 - Breakthroughs come through, as it is found that people, when exposed to the crystal for long enough, develop control. They become extremely powerful mages. These mages are sent to quell uprisings, defend against rival nations, and expand the British Empire. 1857 - Britain now controls almost all of Europe, most of the americas, all of India and Australia, and large portions of China, among many others. 1558 - Work begins on Marionettes, puppets with human faces and cloth hair with a shard of the crystal inside them, making them programmable automatons for the Empire.