The Iron Wyrm
The tea is running low, my boy. It will not last us the winter. And as the wizards are closing in on Estarel, trade is near impossible. We will have to make do without such luxuries for the months to come, and hope this years harvest will sustain us for the year...
In a continent divided by war and conflict, trade is near impossible, so with an ever increasing need for rapid transportation, the railway is hailed as the transport of tomorrow. It is said it will revolutionise trade and travel between isolated settlements, bringing about a new era of connected prosperity. With the expansion of the wizard Empire cutting off centuries-old trade routes, merchants must either venture through the treacherous deserts of Eziris, the mountains of Vreria at the whim of the dragons, or months long voyages around the coastline to bypass the dangers. However, the invention of high speed railways facilitates the transport of more goods then ever before, even passengers, cutting through the landscape at breakneck speeds. Before the invention of railways, stagecoaches were the fastest form of public transport, which typically averaged 5 mph. A 180-mile journey, for example, could take several days with a stagecoach. But suddenly, the same journey, by rail, could be completed in a matter of hours.
(image generated with Chatgpt)
Invention
The idea for the iron wyrm was first thought up by an inventor called Halrik Wheelsmith when he visited a demonstration in Kendohr of a new invention; the mine cart. The dwarves, for many years, had been looking for a way to transport materials quickly through the mines without the use of animals, and this prototype used a line of what they called 'rails' to mount a metal cart-like ore carrier. It relied on gravity to decend into the mines, but used a magical technology they called an 'steam-engine', using burning coal to power the cart on its accent. Halrik was a keen inventor, but since the war, trade and travel had become extremely slow, meaning much of the resources he required would take months to arrive after ordering, and any travels of his own would take days if not weeks as wizard territories expanded and block old roads. After watching the demonstration he realised the potential of the dwarves' contraption for long distance transportation, and additionally taking inspiration from a horse drawn vehicles, he took the primitive dwarven engine design and used it to create the 'Iron Wyrm', a coal powered creature of metal and fire, winding through the landscape like a grounded dragon. When he unveiled this creation at the annual inventors gathering in Estarel, people were originally skeptical. However as the first prototypes were tested their views changed as select members of the public were given tickets to ride the first iron horse ever, even if it was only for a few metres. Now people are eagerly awaiting the opening day for the track between two of the major cities, Estarel and Varadell, the first major project of Wheelsmith Industries.
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