A rough, little overview of this and that.
Most transportation above ground on Aeris is similar to that found on Earth in the early to mid 1800’s, with the exception of steam power not being used yet by humanity for transportation. There are some small, magically powered conveyances in some human cities – small, magically powered/assisted carts and small carriages, and some small magically assisted boats (with and without sails) for recreation. The boats having minor magic spells of a gust of wind to help full out the sail(s), and/or a minor control water spell to help the water be more calm and or move the boat along a bit faster, and/or aid with steering. These are typically toys of the rich to simply show off and are quite expensive to make as the magical power supply needed to replace, say a couple or quartet of horse, is quite substantial. If not toys for the rich, in some cities a magically-assisted conveyance would be for public use, such as a lift of some kind. There may also be magically-assisted mechanisms in the use of some ports to assist with loading and unloading cargo.
Some human societies have proto bicycles, but not very comfortable as use wooden or metal wheels. Some scooters, as in the child’s toy. Some pedal boats for recreation.
Relatively rich human nations/regions do maintain some paved main roads, most are unpaved (as in cobblestones/bricks) until getting into large towns or cities. Dwarven roads are almost always paved, and typically the best made, unless for some strategic reason the road is left dirt and mud.
No sky ships or large scale commercial flying machines. There are always some mages that may make some object fly – chairs, divans, beds, small carts, carpets, no brooms (witches don’t ride brooms or wear pointy hats, and why would you want to ride a broom, how uncomfortable), flying bicycles, and even a flying tub or two. Humans do not possess the magical capabilities yet or technology to power a flying ship or large scale vehicle that could carry lots of people and/or cargo. Humans do have hot air balloons for observation purposes, technological curiosity, and as a novelty for the rich. Elves have no need of flying machines – can travel magically efficiently enough. Ameya would not make such a show of their skills. Humans also have gliders, here and there. Again as more of a technological pursuit and/or novelty for the rich. Some with minor spells for gusts of wind and such.
Dwarves have rail systems thru their mountains and hills that cover long distances underground. Not a global system of rails but some are regional. Primary rail lines for mass passengers and cargo, secondary and tertiary lines for local, small scale transportation. The primary and some secondary rail lines may use steam engines plus a bit of magic, some use a combination advanced mechanical engineering and magic (dwarves had developed steam powered devices back in the First Age). Many secondary and tertiary lines are small cars powered by the riders rowing or pedaling the cars along the tracks, some cars also implementing some kind of mechanical feature a kin to the winding up of a clock (or some combination of these things), and/or a bit of magic. Elves and ameya in good standing/allied with the dwarves are allowed to use these rail lines should they need to.
There is of course purely magical transportation as in teleportation and some portals here and there. As the elves have done a very good job of stifling humanity’s magical prowess most purely magical transportation is had by the other peoples, with the elves using magic for transportation the most.
Dwarves, being the master metalworkers of the world, and doing so in large volume, were the first peoples, in part to mostly living underground, to have to deal the health and environmental issues stemming from the use of coal, mining of metal ores and coal, and metal foundries (this early on in the First Age). Over the millennia, to mitigate harm from these exploits, dwarves have implemented a range of safety measures which include the following:
Centralizing forging areas with a main exhaust system rather than dozens to hundreds of smaller forges and thus dozens to hundreds of exhaust vents;
Forges that use geothermal power aka volcanic activity/lava;
Forges that are heated and sustained using magic, magic plus mechanical bellows and such;
Cogeneration systems – heat from forges used to heat water and distribute hot water thru pipes throughout dwarven mountains and hills for general heating, heated public baths and pools, etc. Steam power generated thru cogeneration methods for assisting in repetitive mechanical works and/or general heating systems. Heat/steam from thermal vents/geysers also utilized;
The above mentioned steam locomotives use magic as a heating source, but could use combustible material if needed. Some number of steam locomotives are slowly being upgraded to mechanical plus magical engines so as not to have to deal with steam exhaust in underground areas and not have to use precious water supplies;
Combination non-magical and magical filtration systems to deal with the toxic exhaust from using coal, charcoal, other combustibles, and metal production of all kinds in general. Non-magical/magical filter masks/respirators that metal workers can wear.
Mechanical + magic constructs do much of the actual mining, most dangerous tasks, and most repetitive tasks;
Most cooking and heating in underground dwarven homes may be done thru any combination of nonmagical to magical methods. Many underground homes’ exhaust systems (pipes/chimneys) are either connected to a larger, central to semi-central exhaust system, magically ported away, or fitted with a magical filter of some type;
Collection and filtration of water tainted with coal and metal ores via strategic stonework engineering, mechanical tech, some natural filtration techniques, and some amount of magic to assist these methods along the way.
Growing subterranean plants as sources of carbon, trading/buying fallen trees and plant waste from elves;
Recycling as much metal and other materials as possible;
On going research into other sources of carbon, ways to make steel, etc.
