The Stygian Art was a technique devised by the Dark Side Adept known as Cronal during the Galactic Civil War. In the aftermath of his failed campaign against the New Republic, Cronal fully embraced mechu-deru, a Sith power that allowed him to manipulate mechanical structures through the Force. In doing so, the Dark Side Adept combined mechu-deru with Sith alchemy, forming his own method of creation which he dubbed the Stygian Art. While residing on the planet Trailia, Cronal spent a number of years experimenting with the Stygian Art on the native inhabitants. Among the creations spawned from these experiments included a group of technobeasts.