The Glimmering Transition

The Glimmering Transition (c. 1950 – 1900 YE) marks the zenith of societal change within the greater Age of Weaving, serving as the fragile hinge upon which the prosperity of the Lost City of Umbral swung toward eventual collapse. This 50-year period was defined not by novel technological discovery—the core of Resonance Weaving having been previously established—but by the wholesale, enthusiastic integration of Auric Resonance mastery into the mundane existence of the dwarven metropolis. The inscription of this era is perhaps the most cautionary, demonstrating how rapidly a civilization can become dependent on power it barely attempts to truly comprehend.The zeitgeist shifted from the cautious, deep-delving pragmatism of earlier years to an unbridled, almost arrogant confidence focused on vertical expansion and light. The primary event was the systematic activation of refined, standardized Aetherium Conduits across Umbral's mid and upper levels. This transformation was so profound that we term the first sub-era the First Glow, acknowledging the moment when perpetual, channeled energy lighting became ubiquitous, replacing older, more labor-intensive methods of illumination. This sudden, cheap access to energy reshaped the entire economic structure of Umbral, fostering the rise of a new class of political manipulators who understood the flow of power better than the engineers themselves. This powerful, emergent faction was led prominently by the ambitious but politically ruthless Senator Kaelen, whose wealth was derived solely from controlling access to the mountain's liberated energy.This glimmer was not without profound shadow, however, and the Transition solidified the ideological schism that would define Umbral's end. The fiercely conservative, traditionalist faction, the Deep-Delvers, viewed the widespread ‘glimmering’ as sacrilege, claiming the constant hum and extraction of energy was a direct, blasphemous wound inflicted upon the eternal stone. This dissent accelerated their retreat into the deepest, unlit regions of the mountain, creating the final, formal division between the dwellers of the light and the dwellers of the dark. Their fears were only amplified by the creation of the Conduit Census, an immense, publicly mandated catalog designed to map every branch of the power grid, inadvertently revealing the breathtaking, unsustainable scale of Umbral’s energetic consumption. This census, while a bureaucratic marvel, proved to be the ultimate historical indictment of the city's hubris, charting the arterial pathways that would eventually hemorrhage during the Great Sundering.The sheer pace of progress, coupled with the political silencing of internal opposition, created a volatile atmosphere. To properly categorize this crucial period of societal refinement and hardening division, the chroniclers of the Abbey divide the Glimmering Transition into five distinct chronological segments, each marked by escalating usage or rising dissent, leading inevitably toward the final decades of Umbral's story:

1. The First Glow (1950–1940 YE): The initial widespread deployment of public energy networks.

2. The Barons' Rise (1940–1930 YE): Senator Kaelen’s political consolidation and the monopolization of Aetherium distribution.

3. The Period of Structural Hum (1930–1920 YE): The first widespread reports from engineers noting palpable, sustained vibrations in the core stone due to power strain, often ignored by the ruling elite.

4. The Deep Rift (1920–1910 YE): The formal, irrevocable cultural and physical separation between Umbral’s soaring society and the Deep-Delvers.

5. The Veiled Summons (1910–1900 YE): This closing sub-era saw the first recorded, vague prophecies concerning seismic instability, often disguised as religious or philosophical tracts, which were later understood as the earliest precursors to the grim warnings of Anya, the Gloom Weaver.