Introduction

London, 1868. The Industrial Revolution is in full swing. It is a time of incredible innovation and progress. Manufacturing has been revolutionized, with more goods being created, faster and better than ever before. Medicine has been transformed—saving countless lives—and scientific experimentation flourishes. It is also a time of rampant economic growth and the ascendance of capitalism. But this progress comes at a price, paid entirely by the working class. Crime, poverty, and exploitation are the hallmarks of their existence. And this is exactly how Crawford Starrick, Grandmaster of the British Rite, has organized things. Wealth, knowledge, and power are to be accumulated by the Order to ensure the maintenance of an EMPIRE—one that now extends across the globe. Should things continue according to plan, all the world will be united beneath the Templar banner. If it costs some their happiness and freedom along the way, well, so be it. Progress requires sacrifice.