Dude.

[alexmegami]

This great decline was known as the Quiescence, the Sleeping Curse. Cut off from the higher realms, divided from their birthright by the Abyss, souls could not maintain their luminosity and so fell into Sleep. Worse — the gravity of the Abyss pulled on them and weighed down the lids of their inner eyes, causing them to refuse any vision of the higher world. The mages — those who remained Awake — could no longer work their magic before those who Slept without invoking the powers of the Abyss. Only a rare few in any place at any time remained Awake, tending the flame of Supernal knowledge, keeping the lore of magic alive.

Now, I wonder if that means that the Abyss lays the smackdown on mages, a la Paradox, or does it mean something else?

Eee. I need more spoilers.