Before I get to the topics most readers would consider "technology", I'd like to mention more base applications of the word—technology is any sort of tool people create and use. And before I get into a discussion on the kinds of things people use in the Mythic Age to make their lives easier, I need to talk about the ley lines.
Some modern readers will be aware of the world's ley lines—some of Aidrea's largest cities are still built where they meet, though we have a much more limited capability to make use of them. In the Mythic Age, shamans of the Green are able to pull materials—including food, water, and generally any basic construction material—from a ley line. At particularly strong points along a line (I suspect, but am not sure, that this is often where ley lines meet) shamans can construct nodes where anybody is capable of drawing material out. Almost all cities on Alzhrin are built around one of these nodes, and some of the larger cities have several.
This common access to free material creates an unusual circumstance in the Mythic Age: there is no scarcity of resources and, thus, no monetary systems. While ley lines don't produce manufactured items, cities tend towards a sort of gift economy where people can collect what they need, within reason, from local artisans. The situation is slightly harder for travellers—often, one must provide some gift or service in trade to get items from a foreign town.
Equipment
Gear for Travelling a Hazardous World
While the lack of electricity and common clockworks, as well as the high abundance of powerful magic, make for some differences in daily life between the Mythic and Modern Ages, the basic things people need and ways they live are essentially the same. As such, I shall focus this section on the material needs of the traveller; having travelled the continent myself I have learned much about the process.
Tools
Many legends, being travellers, are accustomed to meeting their own material needs. A large part of this is the ability to build or repair their own gear, rather than trying to convince a local artisan to help them. While tools for any sort of crafting and repair exist, I'll just mention here the ones most often used by travelling legends.
First let's discuss the creation of equipment in the first place. These tools fall into several broad categories: woodworking tools, stoneshaping tools, metalworking tools, leatherworking tools, and alchemical tools. Woodworking tools may involve saws as well as smaller blades and other small tools for shaping wood into the desired form. Stoneshaping tools are primarily a hammer and chisel, sometimes in different sizes for work at different scales. Metalworking tools vary based on the scale. Creation of larger items calls for a portable forge, a heavy, bulky item only hauled around by the strongest or most dedicated travellers. Smaller items such as jewellery or chain links can be done with some handheld tools. Leatherworking tools are primarily a blade for cutting and needle and thread for stitching. The same kind of gear easily translates to working in cloth as well. The most serious alchemical tool is the portable lab. This is large and bulky, though not as bad as a portable forge, and typically only devoted alchemists will carry one around. The smaller alchemical kit, while more limited, is much more portable and useful for most field-crafting work.
The secondary concern is repair and maintenance. In many cases, this can be done by the appropriate crafting tools. Additionally, maintenance tools divided along the same categories can be carried around as a less intensive alternative to needing the tools to construct gear from scratch. Weapons and armour are a notable exception—these call for various oils, blade sharpeners, and the like that are not generally included in crafting tools. Additionally, firearms and other technologist gear typically call for specialist maintenance and extra parts not included in the above kits.
Travelling Gear
A traveller has a variety of needs. First and foremost, a traveller must be able to carry their things. The details vary by culture and personal taste, but the two basic options are a backpack and pouches along the belt. I've noticed that technologists often favour vests and pants with a copious degree of pockets for carrying tools and basic mechanical components. A traveller with a mount or some other kinds of large animal companion may also be able to hang large sacks from the animal, and naturally vehicles have varying levels of cargo space.
On the topic of mounts and other animals, these come with their own needs. A creature for riding will typically need a saddle fitted to it. Most animals will also need some form of tether to prevent their wandering off during the night or other periods of rest. Some creatures may have their own special equipment needs, as well.
All travellers also need a source of warmth and protection during the night. A bag or roll for sleeping is a minimum standard, and many travellers favour tents. These range from small, personal-sized tents to large, pavilion-style affairs, depending in large part on how much packing space one wishes to devote to this comfort. Related, travellers without any magical ability will need an item, either a flint lighter or something alchemical, to start fires for warmth and cooking.
Travellers at nighttime or in underground locations most likely need some ability to make light. While a few ancestries can see in darkness and most magicians can generate their own light, others must rely on tools. Lanterns are the most common, as they can burn for a long time on their reservoir of fuel and are shielded against wind and weather, but some explorers favour torches for the utility of having a burning stick ready at-hand.
A need to climb is pretty common in many regions. While a length of rope is a simple solution, there are some other tools that go in the kit of any avid climber depending on the height and material of their commonly-climbed surfaces. Climbing trees can mostly be done with the assistance of rope, if that. Climbing a rock face calls for pitons, a small hammer to pound them into the wall, and often a harness to arrest one's fall if the traveller loses their grip. Some ice structures in the north, especially in and around Issheim, can be climbed with the aid of ice picks. The urban climber often uses a grapnel on their rope to get hold of building surfaces.
Vehicles
While many heroes walk, and others ride various animals or stranger mounts (see Denizens of the Mythic Age), vehicles also see a fair amount of use. There are the kinds of vehicles we would expect from less-advanced civilisations, such as boats and wagons. The magical artisans of the Mythic Age, however, are also able to make vehicles we would find surprising or strange in our modern times. Most of these are clockwork or lumentech and will be discussed in the appropriate sections below.
The Mechanitropolis of Azig and the Striding City of the South have some basic clockwork which is not fuelled by the magical prowess of clockwork engineers. One prominent device is the crawling couch, a small (one- or two-person capacity) compartment, sometimes enclosed, which walks the streets on, typically, four to eight legs. Similarly, Azig has the vertical octopus, an enclosed chamber which uses alchemically-sticky tentacles to ascend and descend the levels of the city. Barzan's Riders, in the Striding City, build their own clockwork mounts. Many of them are replicas of animals, but some of them create wheeled bikes similar to the magical-clockwork versions seen among the Hikarr. While these clockwork mounts are not common in other areas, in principle any talented technologist could produce one.
Arms and Armour
Battle—both against other legends and various monsters—is a common part of life for many legends. Non-legends are often warriors, as well, depending on their culture, but they cannot carry the martial arts to the heights that legends are able to.
Armour
Warriors from most cultures wear armour of some kind. While the particular stylings vary heavily by cultural guidelines and individual taste, armours can be divided broadly into several different types.
Leather and hide armours are similar. The first is made from the cured leather of herd animals (most often pulled out of a node), while the other is made from the alchemically-strengthened hide of hazardous denizens, which must be collected "in the field". In both cases the armour is typically a full suit, though some stylings will lack sleeves or have more of a short skirt of material rather than full pants. A cap helmet is often used as well. The armoured coat is effectively a style of leather armour which is popular among the Jami (for its quick removability) and in the Mechanitropolis of Azig (for the style).
Chain armour is made of a number of small metal rings interlocked in a fashion reminiscent of weaving. It is often made in one of two kinds, the chain vest (covering the torso, sometimes hanging down as far as the knees) and the chain suit, which also has sleeves and pants and, often, a mail cap.
Plate armour is made out of metal plates. Typically these are large pieces, one or two for each part of the body (torso, legs, etc.), but several southern cultures trend towards overlapping lamellar plating instead. Warriors also sometimes wear "partial" plate—one or more individual segments, rather than a full suit—on its own or in combination with lighter armour. This is often done for considerations of encumbrance, though sometimes somebody doesn't have access to a full suit or is only wearing partial armour for aesthetic reasons. Helmets vary between a cap and a fully-enclosed helm, with several styles in between.
Silk armour is made either from alchemically-treated silks (this variety comes from the south) or woven from the silk of giant spiders (this variety is made in the Undercaverns). Either way functions similarly, though the visual styles are quite different. Silk armour is often favoured for having an extra resilience to bullets, but it is only minimally protective against other weapons and tends towards being flammable.
Shields are often carried by warriors of different cultures. While the visual styling varies heavily, the main difference between types of shields is simply their size. This ranges from the buckler, small enough that a pistol can still be fired with that hand, to the wall shield, often used in formation with other warriors to create an impassible barrier. Shields are made from a variety of materials, most commonly metal, hide, or wood. Materials with greater durability are heavier, and thus harder to use in prolonged combats.
Weaponry
Martial artists across Alzhrin have developed a number of fighting styles using a wide variety of weapons. In many cases the difference between weapons from different cultures is simply a matter of style, or that the name of the weapon is in one language rather than another. Here I discuss the broad, practical distinctions between different weapons.
Axes carry a broad, sharpened metal head on a metal or wooden shaft. The large crescent axe is two-handed, with a pair of distinctly crescent-shaped axe heads at one end. Throwing axes, broadly, are any small axe with some aerodynamic design for throwing. In between lies the battle axe, which is mid-sized and typically has one head.
Bows are a length of flexible wood with the ends connected by cord. They're used to fire arrows, being a shaft of wood with a metal point at one end and feathered fletching at the other. Bows come in two main varieties, long and short. A good longbow is typically about as tall as the user, while a shortbow is generally about half or two-thirds this length.
A variety of chain weapons have been devised, mostly by the martial artists of the Shutein. The tri-staff is a staff split into three sections and then reconnected by short lengths of chain. The handflail is similar, with two shorter sections of wood connected by a longer chain. The flail is a flanged or spiked head on the end of a short chain attached to a handle. The simplest chain weapon, popular among the rogues and outcasts on the surface of Balsteinn, is the fighting chain—simply a heavy length of chain. Some users favour decorating it with spikes and barbs, but others insist that the way the spikes catch on armour is ultimately a disadvantage. The rope dart typically uses rope or strong cord, rather than an actual chain, and has a sharp, heavy metal head on the end of two to three metres of rope. The meteor hammer is nearly the opposite of this, with a large metal sphere on the end of a metre of chain.
Daggers are distinguished from knives in their greater length and design for fighting—commonly, references to a knife will be to the tool, while a dagger is for combat. The main difference from this trend is in the throwing knife, which is shorter than most daggers and hiltless. Daggers may have a curve to them, like the kalar of Khanos, or be straight-bladed.
Firearms come in a wide variety. Being largely constructed by technologists, an individual creator's style comes through very strongly in their design. Setting this variety aside, they mostly follow one of a few basic designs. They almost always fire a round metal bullet with the aid of an alchemical black powder commonly called gunpowder. One notable exception is the burn guns of the Ver'kamel, which load alchemical cartridges that shoot a stream of flame. The primary distinction in guns is about their size. One-handed firearms are pistols, while longer two-handed varieties are rifles. A special type of rifle is the blunderbuss, which fires a quantity of tiny pellets rather than a single bullet.
Hammers made for battle are sturdier than the common tool, often made entirely from metal. The head of a fighting hammer is typically a large, rectangular block of metal. The (relatively) smaller warhammer is used one-handed, while the greathammer is a huge, two-handed variety. The mace is similar to a hammer, with a smaller head and greater manoeuvrability due to this lightness.
Spears are a long shaft of wood with a pointed metal tip. They come in three basic varieties: a short spear can be used in one hand, a long spear takes two hands and is long enough to keep foes at bay, and the javelin is designed for throwing. One variety, common in aquatic or sailing areas, is the trident. This spear has its end split into three prongs, rather than holding the single point of most others.
A staff is a long shaft of wood, typically about the length of the user's height. The shorter handstaff is about a third of this length, and many fighting styles use them in pairs.
Swords can be one- or two-handed, based on the size of the blade in question. The long sword has a blade around a metre in length and is often used two-handed. The short sword is short enough to be used one-handed. The Hikarr's saif is emblematic of a one-handed curved blade. The Yaoren use a long, curved sword called the atara which serves as the archetype for a two-handed curved blade. A hook sword runs straight until near its end, where it has a large bend back in the direction it came. Some styles use them in pairs, using a move where they link the swords by their hooks to increase their reach, striking at foes with the elaborate, bladed handguard.
Alchemy
Though the science of alchemy is less advanced in the Mythic Age, its creations are still quite potent. Alchemists can create explosives, salves, and all manner of tools, from glues to solvents to glowing bulbs. Alchemy, in either its modern or mythic form, is not one of the sciences I'm well-versed in, so I will simply mention the most common types of alchemical gear I encountered in my travels.
Restoratives
Healing potions and medical salves of various potencies, and geared towards particular types of wounds, are some of the most widespread alchemical concoctions. Additionally, alchemical draughts serve to treat many poisons and diseases. To use the word "restorative" in its more modern sense, this category also includes energy draughts to make up for not sleeping or performing long exertions. A rarer form of restorative can even replenish a little bit of the energy it takes magicians to cast spells with, though this is much harder to make.
Explosives
Besides healing the wounded, the other thing alchemists seem to love is causing explosions. To facilitate this, they can create throwable vials which burst on impact, having both intensity and size of the explosion based on the volume and concentration of the fluid. While the most basic alchemical bomb creates a concussive wave, alchemists have also created them in formulae which cause other forms of harm: fire, electricity, intense cold, caustic burns, and sometimes more exotic blasts.
Exploration Aids
Blaze
This short stick produces flame when scraped against a hard surface, similar to modern matches. Unlike matches, the size and concentration of a stick of blaze makes it highly reusable. Also unlike matches, the blaze itself doesn’t ignite–it just ignites whatever available fuel is near the struck surface.
Dual Goggles
The lenses of these goggles are treated. One lens is made to amplify light, allowing for easy vision in dim lighting, while the other lens is made to dim light, allowing for easy vision in very bright conditions. It seems to me like one lens would always be causing a problem in its opposite scenario, but something about having them both active at the same time gives a sort of mixed signal that the mind can easily parse out.
Firegel
This clear gel burns for quite a time by volume, compared to other fuels like oil. Often used in lanterns, or squeezed directly onto a surface for burning, firegel is also the fuel for the Ver’kamel burn guns.
Glide Shoes
The soles of these shoes are extra-slick, allowing for a sliding motion similar to having wheels on one's feet. Special alchemical application of the compound on the soles makes the slickness directional, so that a practised user can slide or stop as they wish.
Glowsphere
This ball of flexible resin starts glowing when squeezed tightly. It emits about as much light as an electric lamp and lasts about eight hours.
Glues
Most alchemical glues are designed to bond a particular type of substance to the same type of substance. The trickier formula of crossbond allows a user to glue any two items together, however.
Sneak
This tonic dulls a particular portion of the drinker's mind. This makes the user invisible to psychic sensory powers and magesight, but also prevents them from using any magic of their own. A dose typically lasts two hours.
Tight Boots, Tight Gloves
These pairs of gloves and boots have a special surfacing on the palms or soles, allowing for a greater grip or attachment than normally possible. While mostly used for climbing, the tight gloves have a number of applications.
Clockwork
Unlike the technology of our Modern Age, clockwork in the Mythic Age is one of the expressions of magical power. While some clockwork devices are usable by non-clockwork engineers, they are less accessible to the average user than normal machines would be. Full details on how clockwork engineers create devices is in Magic of the Mythic Age, but here I will discuss some of the more common devices seen in the world.
Vehicles are one of the most common clockwork devices people see. These are mostly in three forms: airships, bikes, and skiffs. Airships fly somehow, although the details are one of those magical secrets impenetrable to the uninitiated. Bikes and the larger skiffs are typically wheeled, though some use a combination of magnetism and fans to hover a short distance above the ground. On a more personal level, some engineers build themselves metal wings or a jet pack to fly around.
Clockworks also produces a variety of arms and armour. Many of them are similar to mundane weapons and armour, especially guns, but superior in some way, be it more accurate firing, more devastating and sharper alloys in blades, or new capabilities like shooting lightning or being wreathed in flames. A notable clockwork gun is the resonant rifle used by Undercaverners. Designed for use in cramped tunnels, it produces a jet of disruptive sound which can be bounced off of a hard surface (such as stone).
Many people in the Aerial Nations, a minority among the Hikarr, and thus a variety of travellers, possess integrated clockworks. These are clockwork devices built into a person's body, either to replace a damaged limb or organ or to provide some advanced capability. Depending on the skill of the engineer and, to a degree, the nation of origin, these can be more or less obvious.
The final common application of clockworks is in industry. Especially deep in the Hellfurnaces, where such massive devices can be run on the heat of the deep earth, processes such as smelting and forgery can be improved or automated with vast clockwork instalments.
Lumentech
Exceedingly rare, this technology originates entirely from the Luminescent Spires in Khanos. These devices use some kind of light-based technology which is opaque even to my Modern Age knowledge. They perform all manner of wondrous tasks, and seem to be able to communicate directly with their owners to divulge their uses. Users of lumentech report dreams of themselves in distant lands, using their devices for tasks which feel mundane during the dream but are inexplicable upon waking. Strangely, the dream-uses for a device rarely have anything to do with how they actually function in our world. All the evidence together, including reports of strange dreams of people who are simply near the Luminescent Spires, suggests that lumentech is directed by some alien intelligence for unknown purposes. It’s possible that the Spires or devices themselves are sentient.