[quote=@Carthang]
First off, I would like to compliment you on your work with the detailed backstory and the world that you have built. It is very good, and it was a pleasure to read both the backstory in the first post as well as the descriptions in the glossary.

Second, I'm obviously interested in participating (if I wasn't I probably wouldn't be posting, would I?).

And thirdly, my first question is how long magic has been around. The lore provided so far states that it has returned and is present at the start of the RP, which I'm guessing will be year 56 of the Age of Dawn. I guess what I'm wondering is if the magic returned during the Years of Dusk, somewhere around the transition into the Age of Dawn, or just a few years back? I have a character idea in mind(two actually if that is allowed), and how long magic has been around will obviously influence the degree of mastery that the character has.

There will likely be more questions in due time, but that is all for now.

Regards,
Carthang
[/quote]

I appreciate the kind words.

Magic returned at the beginning of the Years of Dusk, roughly 66 years ago. Note that this is the oldest I will allow your characters to be. This is not a coincidence.

[quote=@KOgaming]
How advanced is technology?
[/quote]

One of my previous players summed this up quite nicely.

[quote=@Shorticus]
Think High Medieval / Early Renaissance, or more specifically 16th-17th century Europe. Gunpowder is a thing, and armies of this period would be mixing gunpowder with the push-of-pike. Cavalry are still relevant, obviously, and crossbows and longbows have strengths over the guns of this period (like actually being able to hit their targets), so they're still very relevant as well.

Now, combine that with a plague that decimated a lot of people.

Steel, plate armor, muskets/arquebuses, blunderbusses: all are available. But barbarian hordes are out there, too, and they don't generally use such weaponry/armor. So, you can have equipment (depending on where you're from) ranging from crazy dudes in mail and fur to knights in shining armor to a musket-carrying man with a breastplate and a cabasset.
[/quote]

[quote=@KOgaming]
How compatible is technology with magic/alchemy?
[/quote]

This is a difficult question to answer, because "technology" is not an outstanding or distinguishable force or resource in this setting. What is available is what is available. Perhaps there are some savant engineers crafting something vaguely clockpunk/steampunk out there, but from my point of view there is not "science vs magic/alchemy" dichotomy because technology is not nearly advanced enough to have any meaningful impact on this concept. This information is applicable to all of your other queries, I'm just not going to repeat myself.

In any case, alchemy has a fundamental role in the technological level of the setting, as it is literally chemistry, only somewhat more fantastic. It has a great influence on medicine and metallurgy, and is the only way to craft gunpowder. Magic is a much more abstract concept, and the only reliable way to imbue a weapon or something like that with magic would be to expose it to a great deal of magical energy and hope something beneficial happens, or to bind some sort of magical entity to it.

[quote=@KOgaming]
What's the difference between science/magic/alchemy?
[/quote]

See above for "science."

Magic is the power to reshape reality by force of will. The acquisition of this power relies on many vague, fickle and poorly-understood variables, and so magical talent is seemingly granted at random. The capacity to wield magic is distinct from the ability to do so, as for most magic still must be learned. One can learn lost rites and sorceries from ancient grimoires and relics, or can be taught by some otherworldly power. Others have a more innate magical proficiency that manifests unconsciously or by instinct. People without inborn magical power can still learn to channel magic from other sources, such as magical entities or artifacts. The important things to remember is that magic is inherently dangerous and unpredictable, and really nobody truly understands what it is or how it works. It's extremely abstract at the best of times, and is a far cry from casting Level Four Fireball.

Alchemy is a learned skill, really like any other trade. Alchemists know the recipes, formulas and procedures for crafting a variety of fantastic things, such as rare, advanced metals or curative elixirs. It functions much like chemistry, though its rules are based more on symbolism than interactions between atoms. That is not to say that alchemy can be made up as one goes along, as it is a well-studied field with documented research and experimentation.

[quote=@KOgaming]
Is it easy to learn all three systems, or does one have to choose one or the other?
[/quote]

Alchemy is a complex skill that can take a lifetime to fully master. It is dying out as a craft in the Age of Dawn due to the deaths of most of its masters, the collapse of its guilds and the loss of much of the accumulated knowledge and secrets regarding it.

Magic is an otherworldly, reality-bending force that is barely understood at best, and actively destroying the world at worst. Its practitioners are frequently viewed with justified suspicion, and are often subject to violent persecution. To even approach reliability with magic requires years of meticulous research, or selling your soul to an otherworldly entity if you're lazy or short on time.

Technology, see above. I guess you could consider this becoming an engineer or blacksmith or something.

You tell me if you think it's reasonable for a person to learn some or all of these in a single lifetime.