Memory shards—crystals formed upon a person’s death, holding fragments of their life. These shards are prized for their ability to impart not just knowledge, but affinities—subtle but potent skills or traits honed by their original owner. For centuries, the world has functioned on this system: farmers inheriting the memory of fertile hands, traders buying shards for an affinity for negotiation, and even nobles secretly consuming the memories of soldiers to gain an edge in combat. But the shards come with danger. Ingesting too many can fracture one’s own identity, leaving them addicted or mad. There are whispers of "shard ghosts," individuals whose minds are shattered into fragments of other lives. The most dangerous shards are outlawed—the shards of tyrants, mad inventors, or zealots whose force of will threatens to consume the person who ingests them.