Steam engines

Before the discovery of the Daemon Devices Salike had begun to use steam to power some of their technology. They were already using hydro power, due to the proximity of two flowing rivers running through the city, however it wasn't enough to power the growing industry within the city. Advances in clockwork technology meant a need for independent power sources, and steam driven engines became the solution
An abundance of coal in the Syklan hills, made up for the lack of wood on the plains and this became the primary fuel source for the engines. The use of coal however, brought with it the inevitable smog and pollution. This did not sit well with those in power. They didn't want Salike to be buried a haze of coal smoke, they wanted it to shine as a beacon of wealth and sophistication. However they couldn't deny the money that the increased industry brought to the city. This extra wealth eventually allowed them to put up a prize for the first person that could present them with an alternate and cleaner power source.
Meanwhile, the network of clockwork machines and engines continued to expand through city providing advances in public services, as well as increased industrial and commercial output. The city was becoming to depend on the new technology and the smog continued to increase. Eventually a briliant young engineer and mage, Ispeth Krosta, came forward with the idea for the Daemon devices. She and a few others had been working in secret to develop them, and were able to provide a rudimentary working example of how they work.
Those in power were impressed by what they were shown and said she had one year to make them a viable alternate to the steam engines. A year later the first Daemon engine was ready, and was installed in place of one of the steam engines that ran the cranes on the docks. It was a resounding success. The city never looked back and proceeded to replace steam power with Daemon power.