AGE OF HAMMERS (Renaissance-Steampunk) The continent is now
unified under Imperial rule, and begins an age of discovery and invention. Old
magic is replaced by new science, and these innovations lead to ever expanding
empires. The Age officially ends when the empires finally descend into open
war; with resources like coal and oil rapidly depleting, new methods of science
and political movements turn Shemeld into a world closer to modern-day Earth.
1) Shemeld City: Now part of the Great
Empire, Shemeld’s unique position in the continent means it’s an industrial
centre, with the boring matters of leadership and governance delegated to the
fetid boroughs of Greater Calshan County. When the Dwarven mines were sacked,
Shemeld was in the perfect position to overtake their industries; coal and iron
ore are continually belched from the mountains, down to the village-sized
furnaces and cogworks. Former Elf forests are now part of the Shemeld Civic
Arboretum, which aims to be green and lush, but for most of the year is
sulphurous.
2) The Goldharker Family: ‘Where there’s
muck, there’s brass, and Goldharkers trade both’. This merchant family is so
sprawling and omnipresent that any port or border-town without a Goldharker is
considered the lesser for it. Many would have you believe the entire family
were cut-throats, swindlers, conmen, smugglers and slavers; indeed, the
Goldharkers only cultivate this rumour, because only poor people would believe
such rubbish. That said, wherever here’s a coin to be made, there’ll be a Goldharker
involved somewhere.
3) The Far South Confederacy: As the
invention of airships made traversing the oceans to the south of the Great
Empire easier, contact with southern lands quickly turned into warfare between
the Empire and Confederacy they found. It’s not clear whose fault it is; the
Confederacy were probably uncivilised, while the Empire might’ve been arrogant.
What’s important is the Confederacy use unsporting tactics, and it’s the
Empire’s air superiority over the south ocean that confounds any attempt upon
Imperial soil. Unlike the Empire, the Confederacy isn’t one unified culture;
countries such as Samarkhand, Alashorn and Cathar are member states.
4) IAF Victory: The Imperial Air Fleet’s finest
vessel, the Victory was the first
airship commissioned as a warship, rather than the explorer and merchant class
vessels now used by civilians. Capable of flying majestically over the heads of
startled Confederacy forces during a bombing run, or evading their haphazard,
disorganised artillery barrages, the Victory
is a symbol of Imperial arrogance on both sides of the water. Captained by the
equal parts arrogant and overconfident Lord Commissar Perseverance ‘Percy’
Shipwright, the sight of the Victory coming
to port can lift the spirits of the dowdiest Imperial.
5) The Imperial Family: The ruling
Calshani family became figureheads at the beginning of the Age, leaving
governance to a fledgling parliament. Inside, their wealth was focused on
military and colonial expansion. Imperial armies are the best equipped,
Imperial ships the fastest and strongest, and Imperial flags are the most
readily waved and saluted by cheering Imperial crowds. The Imperial family
individually are universally revered, from the ‘Southern Queen’ Titania I, in
whose honour the first Oceanic Expeditions were launched, or the ‘Prince of All
Vitality’ Gustaf IV, whose medical discoveries eradicated screaming cough and
the deadly Alley-Cat Sweats.
6) He
opened up the letter; “we have been discovered; run.”
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