Veridia Empire (Industrial Revolution)

Arcane Engines are large mechanical dynamos that burn refined mana crystals to generate high-yield steam-magic energy. Developed by dwarven engineers in partnership with academic mages, these engines replaced traditional magic and made the Industrial Revolution possible. They power everything from large transcontinental locomotives and combat airships to automated assembly lines in factories. However, the process of refining the crystals releases a magical toxin that pollutes rivers and causes degenerative diseases in workers who handle the raw material without protection.

The Gear League is a clandestine and radical trade union organization that fights for the rights of the racially mixed working class in the factories of Veridia. Composed mainly of dwarf and human workers, the League uses pamphlets printed in underground newspapers, general strikes, and sabotage of industrial machinery to pressure the coal barons and Parliament. Although they preach equality and improved working conditions, their most extremist wings organize attacks against corporate airships and mana depots, and are hunted by the imperial police as terrorists.

New Aethelgard is the smoky capital of the Veridia Empire, a sprawling metropolis where Victorian architecture blends with factory chimneys and arcane transmission towers. The city's sky is perpetually grey from the soot burned by mana and coal boilers. Electric trams, carriages, and early automobiles share the cobblestone streets with elven, dwarven, and human workers. The city is divided between the luxurious neighborhoods of the high aristocracy and the miserable working-class slums of the Gears District, where social discontent and union strikes threaten to erupt at any moment.