Once, the world of Mekannis was united and prospered under the guidance of the Great Enginean enormous thinking machine built into the molten heart of the world. Over millennia, Mekannis was transformed until every piece of land was incorporated into the gears and levers of the Engine itself. An act of hubris by the worlds rulers caused a series of devastating malfunctions that shattered the land and the death of the Great Engine. Now four empires rise to dominance. The Kestrel Dominion, descending from ancient hereditary rulers and cherishing their ancestral tradition of honor; Nova Centralis, a plutocratic nation built upon exploiting wealth and greatly desirous of maintaining their economic edge; the Sylphian Commonwealth, a once-verdant land now poisoned by the aftereffects of the Engines destruction; and the Grail Prelacy, a theocratic nation emboldened by prophecies of ultimate victory.Each empire vies to fulfill the prophecy and restore the Great Engine, the source of ultimate power. As gears turn, empires are forged!