From the publisher:
Welcome to the mythical 19th Century! It is a world of wonder, of adventure, of magic, and of strange technology and amazing (yet unlikely) inventions. The Kandris Seal is a universe in which the great demon lords and their evil servants are attempting to devour our world. Those who stand against them- an order of mages known as the Thaumaturgia- keep our dimension safe from their threats. Steam, Savants and the Kandris Seal presents the world of the Industrial Age as it truly was, envisioned by those far-sighted luminaries and savants who looked beyond the feeble limitations of man and created a world in which science, technology, and logic triumphed over the mundane physical limitations of the Universe.
This is an age that never was, filled with radium-powered flying machines, clockwork automata, and steam-driven computers. It is an age of dark magic, sinister secrets, and unholy cults. It is a time in which the world teeters on the edge of chaos, where the enlightened scientific mind battled against ancient superstition and ignorance, in which the souls of all mankind hung in the balance.
Welcome to the Steampunk world of the Kandris Seal!
From the introduction:
The Kandris Seal: Steampunk presents an entire world of adventure in the 19th Century That Never Was, but it is not a complete game in itself. To use it effectively, Gamemasters should have a copy of the d20 Modern Core Rulebook. In addition, a copy of The Kandris Seal by Lisa Hartjes is required to get an appreciation of the setting and the universe of the Kandris Seal.
Gamemasters should read the entire book through to learn about the genre and the world of the Kandris Seal. Pay special attention to Chapter One, which talks about the core concepts of the Steampunk Age, Chapter Two, which gives the history of the Steampunk 19th Century, and Chapter Three, which outlines character creation. If you’re a player, the information on character generation presented in Chapter Three will be of most use to you.