The idea of gunpowder is something I've pondered about, due to the popularity of guns among characters.
This is a continent at the edge of an Industrial revolution among the style of steampunk, the introduction of clockwerk mechanisms have been around for about 2 years at the start of the story-line and is known to be imperfect at best. Cannons are among the functional things with gunpowder, and I'd imagine simple ( yet volatile ) flintlocks to be around made by those who like to tinker around with such mechanisms.

I'd consider it late Middle Ages, the Knights in shining armor are dying out as a result from the 'technology', religion is a huge thing, it's still very monarchy-based rulership and a lot of old-fashioned ideas. But it all depends on how the story develops how we get ( or don't get ) out of these 'Middle Ages'.