Transportation

Getting around in the Dom can be fun or terrifying experience, depending on who you are and how good you are with animals, or heights. Since all types of med-long range teleportation magic doesn't function in the world, people have found other ways of getting around.    Walking is always and option and if you're going from one town to the next, completely doable. On average, the next town is half a days walk or less. West of the Mesa, towns are fairly close together and a short walk can easily get you somewhere. To the East in the Golden Fields, towns are a bit more spread out, averagin 7 miles before encountering a town worthy of stopping at. The Northern reach has really only two towns, the farthest of which is 15 miles from Carmela.   To make treks easier, especially for the merchants or the wealthy travelers, several methods of travel is used throughout the Dom. Wealth often have or hire carriages pulled by graceful or strong steeds. The fastest method is by Praon or Horse, depending on your weight and height. Drakes are the most common mount available. And a number of unique transportation methods can be seen and experienced in the cities of Keylara and Elaria.  

Town-Town Transportation

The Dom of Raone have built and maintain an excellent road system that makes travel between towns fairly easy, even on foot. Though you could buy a ticket on a coach, rent a carriage, or buy a mount and have the freedom to travel anywhere.

Carriage/Coach Services

Carriage and coach rentals are in place at all major towns and even some smaller towns closer to the capital. You can purchase tickets for a single seat on a carriage or for the entire carriage (4 standard seats). Merchants that offer these services can often be found along the major roads near the edge of the city/town. There are sometime slarger carriages that have a larger number of seats. Sometimes, these are simply larger carriages with an extra row or two, pulled by more beasts. Other times it is a larger Daegon with a specialized saddle that has rows of seats. Be sure you know which one you're getting on before purchasing. Speed and arrival times vary.   Carriages are typically open air with or without a cover. Coaches tend to be enclosed or at least covered with fabric flaps that fold down in bad weather.  

Typical Carriage/Coach

A typical carriage can seat 4 medium people comfortably to semi-comfortably. Bulkier or heavier people might have to purchase 2 seats to accomodate their size. Smaller people do not get a discount for a single seat. On average, a carriage/coach will travel twice a medium person's walking speed, turning a four hour walk into a just under 2 hr ride.  

Fast Carriage

Some carriages are built to get you there fast. These are typically pulled by the larger and leaner Drake breed called a Strider and pull a slightly smaller carriage than a typical one. The carriage is constructed lighter and may or may not be a fully covered carriage. Travel speed is on average a little faster than a typical carriage, turning a 4 hr walk into a 1.5 hr comfortable carriage ride or bumpy 1 hour with an extra tip to the driver.  

Daegon Carriage

The fully grown adults of the large, friendly creatures can carry ~3,000 lbs and have a strange but smooth ride. This makes them perfect for carrying or pulling large loads, including large groups of people. Daegon carriages are each unique as each builder and driver have different ideas of which way is best. There are carriage saddles and carriage sleds.   Carriage saddles sit directly on the creatures wide back, and so the side to side gentle sway is impossible to avoid. While some people don't mind or notice, there are a few who can't handle the motion well. The Carriage saddle can hold up to 12 passengers with minor to no cargo plus the Driver. With this load, a Daegon's average speed is about the same as a Typical carriage, though the tickets are cheaper.   Carriage Sleds are towed behind the Deagon and secured with harness and ropes. With magic alterations to the sled, this makes the ride much more pleasant for passengers and the sled construction typically allows for more cargo and faster speeds for more energetic Daegons. Sleds can seat up to 20 passengers with a small amount of cargo or up to 24 passengers without cargo. A typical 4 hour walk turns into just over an hour. These Daegons are typically assigned special runs or during festival times. The convience and comfort of these rides do cost more and typically, they will cover longer distances that would normally more than half a day otherwise.      

Mounts

There are quite a few options for a single rider and one or two options for carrying 2 or more people. Mounts are usually recommended based on the weight, height, and experience of the rider, as well as the purpose for the trek.   Mounts must be purchased and sold. There is no rental system in place for mounts. Merchants can often be found along the edge of town along major roads.

Drakes

Native to this world, Drakes are the most common mount in the Dom and come in a variety of sizes and capacities. The typical Drake is roughly the same size and height as a horse, though a bit stockier. Drakes can also be leaner and taller (making them faster), smaller and leaner (better for small riders), or slightly larger and stockier (for bigger medium riders).   Drakes have a similar form and physicality of a horse, but also resemble the look of a fierce dog. There are a few different species of Drakes (much like dogs) and are visibly different in color, coverage and mix of fur and thick hide. Ridgebacks have a thick hide along their backs (on their spine) that is often brightly colored on males with a more neutral color fur on most of their bodies. Hillocks are typically more grey in color, sturdy and have more fur with patches of thick hide, whereas Striders often have longer and leaner bodies that are built for speed. Goldens are much smaller and slight, but fast and have quick reaction times, making them responsive mounts for smaller riders.   Overall Drakes are used for anything from riding mounts, war mounts, working farm animals, messenger mounts, mine workers, and pulling carts and carriages.  

Horses

Since they are not native to this world, the only horses are ones who came through a portal with their riders/owners or are descendents of horses who arrived via portal. Horses are not rare in the Dom, but are not as common. Since they are considered a more graceful and beautiful animal next to a Drake, they are highly prized and seen as a sign of wealth. Horses are used as mounts for many officers in the Leyvarr Guard and members of the High Council during festivities and recpetion of foreign dignitairies. They can be seen by the average person when pulling a opulent carriage or wealthy    

Praons

Praons are large bipedal flightless birds that can carry one small or lighter weight medium person. Best known for their speed and quirky personalities, Praons are not native to the current world, but came over with the original refugees of the Dom about 180 years ago.   Meaning, "Ground Flight" in the original Alryan language, Praons typically stand at total of 4.5-5 ft high at the neck, which stretches an additional 2-2.5 ft. Adult Praons can weigh between 250-380 lbs and are quite strong. They have long scaled legs, a wide and long body covered in downy fur underneath and thicker fur on the top of their body. Large feathers form on the wings and tail and integrate with the fur gradually. Their neck is also covered in a mixture of fur and feathers with a larger plume of feathers on the top of their head that they control separately to express themselves. They have a short rounded and pointed beak.   Praon coloring is used to indicate species, but centuries of planned breeding have led to a thorough mix of colors that mean little real difference. Males have more colorful bodies and larger feathers on the tail, wings and head plumage and tend to sport multiple strong colors. Whereas females are still colorful but are slightly smaller and trend one major color for the body and a secondary color for tips of plumage.   These powerfully fast and agile creatures can outrun any horse in a long distance race and over time became highly valuable for military scouts, messenger services, and sports racing. As the story goes in history, Goblins were first sighted using the birds as mounts for racing for sport, often cooking the losing bird for a feast after. Feeling pity for the creatures, they were rescued and used first for messenger services within the Alaryan cities, eventually taking a place of respect and admiration within the culture.   Today in the Dom of Raone, Praons are protected by the Crown and Council. They are used within the Leyvarr Guard as fast messenger mounts between stations when messages are urgent. They are also used by the Praon Express, a government operated Association that is a letter and small parcel delivery service within the Dom. There are a few wealthy individuals that have raised some Praons for racing and the Praon Racing Tournament is based in Carmela.   There are laws and rules in place in the Dom to protect Praons from abuse and unwarranted burdens. The most common law is that riders must be under a certain height and weight in order to be a Praon rider, and other laws are in place depending on the use/function.    

Daegons

Native to the world, the original Raone people discovered Daegons in the first year of being in the valley. At the time, they were used (and abused) by the local bandits, giving them a great advantage in the area. Using sneaking tactics, the Raone people learned to gain the trust and loyalty of the large beasts, helping to turn the tide of the Bandit Wars and the fate of the Raone people in the valley. They are long-living creatures whose lifespans are still being studied, but are estimated to be close to 200-350 years.   Daegons are large hairless reptile creatures that have large and long bodies with proportionally shorter legs. Full Adults are approx 8 feet tall at the back and up to 40-60 feet in length mouth to tail (can carry ~3,000 lbs). Young Adults are unique mount options for a small party or can handle 1-2 heavier medium size people (can carry ~800 lbs). Their bodies are wider than tall with large and powerful legs with wide paws. Their hide is thick and pebble-like and tend toward dark greys and the colors of stone. In the Dom, they are often used for transporting heavy loads or large numbers of people, often outfitted with special saddles and harnesses suited to the purpose.   Preferring the warmth of summer, these playful creatures tend to sunbathe for hours in the heat of the summer. They are herbivores and primarily eat the tall grasses and vegetables. Daegons are social animals and will not do well seperated from their own kind for long. They often form strong bonds with certain people, especially their trainers/handlers. Their personalities are often like dogs, happy to be near people and creatures they like.   Daegons need to hibernate during the winter months underground in cave dens. They cannot handle cold well and are prepped for colder months with their natural cycles. Handlers and owners often try to extend this time a little with specialized blankets made to wear on their bodies, legs, tail and neck. This helps to extend their functional use as haulers for a few weeks before it becomes too cold for them. Good handlers know when it's time to stay in the den.  

Donkeys

Another non-native mount, Donkeys were brought over by various people via portals from other worlds, including the people of Raone. They are an excellent work/burden animal and are common enough in most areas. Some species of Drake are good for the same purpose. The Drakes that are similar size can't carry as much (though have better temperments), and Drakes who can carry the same amount tend to be a bit larger.   Donkeys are common in the cities and rural areas pulling carts, mining carts, and as burden animals on the main roads.      

In Town Transportation

Though mounts are still seen somewhat in the larger towns, the cities of Keylara and Elaria (and are currently being built in Esen) have other unique methods to transport people from one section of the city to another.   Small to typical size open air carriages are a common for-hire method of getting around, with room for 2-6 passengers. Often pulled by a single Drake, Donkey or on nicer carriages a horse.  

Elevators of Elaria

The Mesa that Elaria is built upon is 80 feet high at its shortest point, 150 feet high at it’s tallest. Getting up and down at first was difficult and time consuming. The caves were discovered leading down to below and provided a path to build a series of ropes and pulleys. Once a series of natural caverns and old mining tunnels left from people before is now a massive complex of magic mechanical gears, cogs, platforms and chains. There are two elevator locations built within the bedrock of the mesa.   The older and larger elevator system is on the northside of The Banks with the topside being located right next to workshop districts and the southern Leyvarr Guard Fort. This system has two large heavy platforms for moving heavy loads such as cargo, livestock, or building materials and has been used to move entire units of the Guard at once. Each large platform is 30 ft x 40 ft and can hold several tons of weight. Nearby are multiple smaller elevators for the express purpose of transporting people up and down from The Banks to Elaria proper. Many people live in the Banks and work in the workshop district near the elevators. These smaller elevators typically hold just over a dozen people at once and make the trip in about 10 minutes.   The newer elevator system was added to the northern end of Elaria proper at the Undercrossing during the Reconstruction period. It has one large platform for heavier loads and a series of smaller elevators for people, some of which are just for Guard use, others are public, and two are mostly used for Council officials and honored foreign guests. The elevators at this end of the mesa are significantly cleaner and nicer looking. All the elevators are grouping close, but have different entrances/exits facing different directions at both the bottom and the top of the shafts. This way, honored guests are not greeted with cargo elevators or seeing the Guards elevators.    

Sky Coach in Elaria

Once you've reached the top of the mesa where Raone's capital, Elaria was built, you'll realize just how spread out the city is. With Elaria being the oldest settlement in the Dom, the people have already found a solution to crossing long distances across the mesa with a mostly linear system of Coaches on elevated platforms that are magically enhaced to be weightless and are guided by strong ropes that pull the coaches along certain paths between carriage houses and guiding posts. Directly below the coaches are major roads for the city.   The coaches are on the small side and only accomodate up to four people. They do require mages to work them daily and there are times and ticket prices posted in each coach house. Festivals are particularly busy times and the fees increase.   Currently, a similar system is being constructed in Esen, but is not yet completed.    

Canals of Keylara

Although the land right next to the lake is lush and well watered from the freshwater of Giant's Tears Lake, not far inland, the land is dry and arid. As the city of Keylara grew and it needed more farmland to feed it's people, a series of small canals were dug to bring some freshwater inland. Today, these canals are integral to moving heavier loads and act as major roadways throughout the city, moving goods and people more quickly.   The canals are accessible throughout most of the city, with walking bridges at frequent points for walking around as well. There are Boat Drivers for hire, usually drifting up and down canals slowly waiting for customers to transport for a small fee. Their boats can accomodate anywhere from 2-6 people, depending on the boat size.