Characters in this setting are engaged in epic conflicts in a world of ancient ruins, mighty mechdoms and towering city-mechs.
Dragonmech is set in a world where the moon is quite literally falling apart, resulting in regular meteor showers across the planet's surface.
One of the defining characteristics of this setting is then it is NOT humanocentric; the single most successful and powerful core race of the planet is in fact the Dwarves.
But in this campaign, while they have suffered disastrously from refugee invasions, their innovation has in fact made them able to rebound dramatically, catapulting them into a level of political and social power rarely seen.
Together with Duerok, arguably the core of Dwarven civilization that remains underground, these five city mechs form the Stenian Confederacy.
Humans: The rising power of Highpoint, the Legion is headed by a single, massively charismatic figure by the name of Shar Thizdic.
Plagued with failures and poor efficiency on a daily basis, Rebirth remains a citymech, and is still a powerful force in its own right.
Because of its problems, Rebirth is generally acknowledged to be the weakest of all existing citymechs, and was originally discounted by dwarves and elves alike.
Haven is a significant improvement over Rebirth, and a massive undertaking whose scale is greater than all other citymechs save Tannanliel itself.
Many in Highpoint are wondering what power the human nations will wield by the time the final citymech has been built, and support is growing amongst both elves and dwarves to deal with the Legion in general, and Shar Thizdic in specific, on a permanent basis.
Shar Thizdic is very much prohuman, a stance caused by the fend-for-yourself mentality that gripped the races during the early parts of the lunar rain.
He holds no actual malicious intent against elves, gnomes, and dwarves, but because they did not compassionately aid humans during the early, and most intense, part of the crisis when the plains-nomads humans had no shelter at all, he does not aid them, and if he builds his five more city mechs like he plans to, they each will need a substantial territory to roam—territory which is held by the elves and the dwarves.
Unaccustomed to working together, they are losing ground badly to the unified front presented by the gods of the lunar monsters.
Should Dotrak emerge as a fully empowered deity and join the fight against the lunar gods, the tide of battle will shift drastically.
Many coglayers and steamborgs view him as the designer and builder of the Great Engine of the universe, a power who does not require that mortals think of him, only that they think.
Feral halflings who have adapted to the new world, Coglings make their homes by living as unobtrusively as possible in the gear forests of the largest mechs.
Coglings live in constant fear of discovery, which makes them hone their stealth and hiding skills to perfection.
They have also taken up preventative maintenance on the gear forests in which they live, correctly reasoning that no one comes into the dangerous innards of the biggest engines in the world unless they absolutely must enter to locate and fix a problem.
Tik'toks have emotions and build their own children, but the process is difficult and prone to failure, a consequence that can scar them for many years.
Reptilian, tortoise-like humanoids whose heavy shells and armored hide protect them from all but the worst of the lunar rain.
However, they cannot get everything with raiding, so they are forced to trade with other races, but because of their perceived pride, they take part in a ritual fight with their merchant partners.
These are as varied as the Necroborg (undead and powered by a steam engine), the Lunarborg (whose physiology is being altered by burning a substance in their engine), the Chainmuscle (who gains great physical toughness, improvements to their combat ability, and improved attributes as they replace more of their body), and the Ghostgear (who combines the steamborg with lethal stealth).