[quote=@Sifr]
Alright, reading through the lore, my main question I think pertains to technology. Obviously this is an alternate universe from our own given the, well, everything. But some locations (Eg; Vaalin Union) seem to have some very modern looking areas, whereas other places seem to be more clockpunk in its aesthetics, and transportation is specified to be by carriage in one of the descriptions. In short; where are we at exactly, technologically? What do we have VS what we do not have. Is it one to one with the technology of our universe's year of 1526?

And in the particular case of dwarves, if they exist in this setting, are they mostly metal workers, or do they tend to skew towards technological (mainly clockwork) skills?

Expect a character sheet or two in a bit, and apologies if this was answered and I missed it ^ ^"
[/quote]

What ERode said is pretty much correct, some parts of the world are simply more dense in essence than others, and what that's resulted in is a lopsided setting, technology-wise. The Vaalin Union is one of the most concentrated areas of essence worldwide, so they've quickly risen to a modern day quality of life through usage of essence manipulation and the powerful natural leyline that they've built their cities upon. 

Rekordia, meanwhile, is comparatively low in its essence density, and being the oldest nation on the planet, has seen a lot more usage of its natural essence. They get around this with their clockwork technology, reverse-engineered by studying the construction of the Sacred Record they hold ownership over. It can't quite meet the convenience and ease of use of the Kastrix Leyline's power in the Union, though, and with their reclusive "us vs them" mentality instilled by their queen, they primarily focus their technology towards building weapons of war. Things like their tanks or guns that primarily run on construction alone with minimal essence use required, or Gearveins that directly drain a pilot's prime essence rather than taking in essence from the world around it.

Mirris finds itself in the middle, having decent essence flow and in bountiful rolling hills, plains and lakes such that they don't have a desperate need to fight for survival - but also without clockwork tech in their backyard to research and build upon. They find themselves closer to a traditional high fantasy setting because, without a significantly powerful country-wide leyline and no advanced technology to research, a Mirrisian's study of essence is primarily around using it to enhance their martial abilities. They do of course trade with other nations, but no amount of trade can compensate for the sheer geographical advantage that the Vaalin Union has, in terms of essence. 

Transportation is primarily still bound by horseback or carriage simply because other means have not yet been figured out. Vaal Shakta does have an alternate means upon which one of their archmages has a 24/7 obligation to levitate and transport magical metal crates across the city for faster transportation, but that can only be accomplished within the city's walls. Rekordia would have the means in theory, but Queen Carmine sees no need to focus on advancing their transportation beyond that of carriages, with how small their nation is in size and how that time could be put to better use constructing more Gearveins for their country's defense. 

Basically, essence and leylines are cheat codes, and places that are more abundant in them have more opportunities to go beyond the technological limitations otherwise given to others. Technology is all over the place for that reason, and countries with the means to achieve higher tech, at least on the continent of Vein, aren't keen on sharing with their rivals. Technology for many nations can be considered to be like the 1500s of the real world, with variables significantly impacted by essence or the presence of things like the Sacred Record to assist.

Also, Hildegunde is approved! You can either put her in the characters tab, or decide if you'd rather go with the other character you have planned. But as you've made a character, you are locked in for a slot regardless of whether it's Hildegunde or another character you have planned. :)