The Grayburn area contains a unified Steampunk society, spread out over many large areas that are partially separated by natural barriers. Grayburn has faced little armed conflict throughout its history, in part due to abstract religious traditions that are expressed through charity. While the Industrial Revolution at first brought a lot of advances, the upper class now are suffocating technological advance due to their obsession with public image and steam engines. As a result, technology and society has only meagerly advanced in the past six decades.