I like making settings so much I had to give this a go. I've written up a fancy description, and I included a few plot points that I came up with while thinking it up. If you do like the setting feel free to disregard or change anything I came up with.

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Since the age of myth there has been Summoners; people capable of the amazing feat of calling forth the ‘Essences’ of everyday objects. Some Summoners train their skills in commanding a great range of objects, able to control almost anything they encounter with the power of their mind. Others train for the mastery of specific objects, becoming able to summon human-like spirits from their chosen objects. Regardless of the path they choose, Summoners and the objects they summon from have been respected and revered for generations.

All this has begun to change recently with new research into the practices of summoning, bringing this art to the middle class workers. Essences and summoning techniques are used to run factories and power machines, with many treating these once sacred objects as mere tools. This new manufacturing power has fuelled the growth of the cities, requiring the clearance of large amounts of the surrounding woodland, ancient forests still covering much of the continent.

Modern science tells that Essences have no conscious of their own, being created by the beliefs of the people who use the objects they are from. This is one of the main justifications used by those who would use them for their own purposes. But all this is thrown into doubt when a young girl finds something thought to be impossible: an Essence that can summon itself.

Here's a list of the main points:
  • Summoners can summon spirits from objects or control the objects magically.
  • The period is roughly the begining of the industrial revolution, but using Essences to run machines instead of steam engines.
  • The majority of the continent is covered in thick forest, isolating the villages and towns inside.
  • The level of development varries from town to town, with those closest to the cities being most advanced, while distant villages may even have a tribal atmosphere.

Hope you like it!