The Stonemancers

Centuries ago, a group of scholars discovered by chance a dimensional crack leading to a whole other world. This odd world was similar to Earth, yet everything was different. As far as the eye lingered glistening rocks, crystals and gemstones. Each one could bend reality in a certain way. Conjuring fire out of thin air, accelerating or slowing the flow of time or enhancing one's physical abilities.   Aware of the danger of such a power if put in the wrong hands, the scholars decided to hide their discovery from the eyes of their sovereign. At the same time, they could not just ignore the goldmine of knowledge and endless experiments that lied before them. They seized the power of the stones, swearing to only use it to protect their secret and study the supernatural magic at work in this other world. They were to never directly interfere in human matters, most of them living in seclusion, entrusting carefully chosen individuals to join their order.   The statu quo lasted several centuries, a time where the influence of the secret order grew as more members entered circles of power. All to protect the most important secret in an ever more connected society. As they grew, dissensions appear and voices are now rising against the policy of non-intervention. As the original stonemancers are mostly gone, they are getting louder and louder, threatening to upset the balance so carefully set in place.