The citizens of the Vaustian Republic have had access to powered devices for over one hundred and fifty years. The most common form of power comes from a mineral commonly called alch.
A host of devices exist that are powered by alch. These devices provide cooking, writing, transportation and entertainment. Most importantly, alch is used for both heat and light in almost every home in Vaustia.
Alch is converted into power using an alch boiler. Older homes have central alch boilers which send power through conduits to various devices inside the home. Newer homes are sometimes connected to city operated alch boilers which service entire neighborhoods. Some wealthier districts with old homes have upgraded to this system.