Posthouses

The posthouses serve as an important backbone to travel and communication throughout Estalia. These houses - typically not more than a simple hut with a large single room with an enclosed paddock for horses - dot the major roadways across the republic at exactly 20 km spacings from the next ones.

Government officials passing by a post house may exchange their horse(s) for any ones kept at the posthouse, so that they may continue on their journey at speed with fresh horses. By blowing a horn while approaching a posthouse, the staff of the posthouse are warned of oncoming riders, and hurry to prepare horses to be exchanged. By doing so, the waiting time for new horses is minimal, and travel far quicker. Additionally, posthouses serve as overnight resting places for officials, who are welcomed to a warm meal and a soft bed. These services are only available to government officials, however, many travellers choose to camp near posthouses anyways due to their convenient spacing. As such, many posthouses serve as the cornerstone for many small communities throughout Estalia.

The staff of the posthouse - referred to as "postmasters" - are typically a family who have worked their station for generations. Postmaster wages are paid for directly from the government, and all services they charge are free. Although not official posthouses, other way stations are maintained by other groups (such as by The Brothers), although these are typically along the frontier of the Republic or along less-tread routes.