Steam

Steam power. A simple thing. Boiling water, something most worlds have.
But harnessed properly, steam can herald a new era.
Veshiri has had steam power for a mere two hundred and eight years, a blink of an eye in an elf's life, and in that time life for everyone has changed irrevocably. Buildings have soared as steam-powered cranes and lifts became a reality, enabling ever taller construction. The world has grown smaller, railways and steamboats and airships, linking outlying towns and villages to the cities and therefore the portal network to the wider Council of Worlds. Opportunities have soared as Veshiri's population and production has boomed, but so too has inequality.

Utility

Steam was first used in mining, primarily to clear flooded mines. It was later used to drain lakes and wetlands, and then the uses multiplied exponentially - steam-powered vehicles from boats to airships to railway locomotives proliferated, and steam drives power looms in textile factories away from convenient rivers. Steam made irrigating previously non-arable land possible, further enabling Veshiri's ongoing agricultural revolution.

Manufacturing

Precision manufacturing was initially rare, slowing down the adoption of steam technology into wider society. Numerous factories now exist, however, that can produce steam machines with incredible precision.

Inventor(s)

Delehi invented the first modern steam engine.
The first steam toy was invented in 737 by Riqim, an ancient polymath.

Access & Availability

Steam is now widespread throughout Veshiri, powering nearly everything. Books on early engines and the science of steam grace the shelves of every major library and schoolhouse.

Complexity

While initially viewed as complex, steam power is based on simple principles, opening up the world of engineering to anyone who can manage an education in applied science.

Discovery

Steam power was first discovered millennia ago in the planet of Veshiri, initially regarded as a mere curiosity, a way to make children's toys and miraculous doors.
Two hundred and eight years ago, the Veshirin inventor Delehi was the first to successfully harness steam in the modern era, crafting an engine that could pump water out of mines. Seven years later, she improved her invention, and it went on to be a commercial success.