Warmachines

Though skyships have facilitated trade in an unprecedented way (and are derived from similar technology), warmachines without a doubt have altered how cultures view war and the places of individual warriors within it. Developed millennia ago by the dwarves, warmachines are rare and expensive, but grant a decisive edge to an army that can use them correctly. Specialized infantry and cavalry formations can take them down, but the myth and glory of piloting such a machine has captured the imagination of every aspiring warrior. Dwarves may have invented warmachines (and perfected, if you ask them), but humans have proven capable of producing more, and using them in ways that dwarves hadn't thought of. Rarely seen though they are, elven warmachines take advantage of magics and technologies the dwarves don't use (and don't know how to use), granting them an edge even as dwarven machines are more economical.

Manufacturing

First, a power crystal of sufficient potency must be found and purified. Smiths will begin work on the massive metal plates making up the carapace while tinkers begin crafting the hydraulic systems used for movement. Dedicated mages then go to work painting in the long, complicated runes that channel power where it needs to go, a process which can take up to two weeks. Crafting the cockpit and its controls proceeds as well. When all of this is done, weapons are fitted where they are meant to be placed (these can be built separately, and usually are, as they can require just as complex a process). Lastly, if any cosmetic preferences were outlined by the buyer, these are added.

Access & Availability

Dwarves use the best machines, humans have the most, and elves... do their own thing. Dwarves prefer specialized pilots for these devices, and given the overall defensive nature of dwarven skirmishes, they still place a high value on competent infantry. Humans have trouble affording warmachines, even human-made, meaning that most are either legacies passed down family lines and kept in excellent condition, or they're purchased by nobles going to war.

Complexity

The magic woven into these machines requires weeks of ritual and the tracing of complex runes in metallic inks, though once initiated, warmachines are comparatively easy to repair.

Discovery

Initially devised as support for heavy infantry and scouting missions, dwarven warmachines have been consistently used in pitched battles for nine thousand years. Dwarves believe they've reach the limit of technological advancement, and keep their very best weapons and designs for themselves. Given how few dwarves are cavalry, these machines were developed by a concerted effort at the dawn of dwarven history to combat human warriors on horseback.