Thaumaturgical Revolution

The Thaumaturgical Revolution was a series of changes that swept the world of Derlavai (which plays host to the Darkness series) sometime before the events of the novels. It parallels our world's Industrial Revolution. Curiously, the social and political changes which accompanied the real-life Industrial Revolution do not seem to have occurred in the Darkness Series, as virtually all governments are some form of monarchy. The world of Derlavai is noticeably autocratic. The Revolution saw the discovery of ley lines and great advances in the realm of theoretical sorcery, with much of the sorcery seen in the series having been developed during this time.