Transportation

There are many ways to travel across and through the world of Vita, though some are either more accessible or safer than others.

In order to know how long it takes to get from one city or one Kingdom to another, please see Travel Times.

Aeroship Travel

An aeroship is a vessel supported in the air, by both magical interference and one more more balloons. Magic is generally used to manipulate the controls, many of which are hidden from view and can only be operated by a galdor who is trained in the process; some aeroships have been "scalped", meaning the controls are visible, and modified to allow a secular user to control the ship.

Construction and Function

Aeroship balloons are filled with a gas known as artevium. This gas is highly buoyant and can lift heavy objects easily; it is tempered and controlled by several means, both mechanical and magical. The gas' unique properties actually repel the ship away from Vita's magnetic core, and it is regulated by an interior gas control system. It is compressed and decompressed with pneumatic pumps to make the aeroship go up and down. The gas is flammable, which is why proper regulation and control is so important on an aeroship, and pirate aeroships are said to be "running hot".

The balloon itself has a hard outer chainmail shell, and the balloon beneath it is made of watertight leather. It's semi-solid, so if it gets hit it can bounce and then reshape itself. Propellers and rudders aid in steering, making aeroships maneuverable and capable of a sustained hover.

Use and Economics of Aeroships

Although aeroships are not sufficiently advanced enough to be much faster than other means of travel, it is much more convenient to have a direct path to your destination, so taking an aeroship means a net gain in time saved. Aeroships are particularly useful in cross-country travel, for they can pass over mountains and other natural obstacles easily. This makes them the preferred method of travel for the upper-class.

Because of their enormous cost and the preparatory spells that must be cast to protect them, aeroships are indicative of great wealth. Ambassadors, politicians and explorers are among the only people to own private aeroships. There is a booming business for commercial aeroship travel - companies buy or construct aeroships and ferry people back and forth between cities for a fee.

Flying Hot

Rogue aeroships (ships flying without the protection of conversation) are rare, and are usually owned by wealthy pirates, who sometimes accost a legitimate aeroship in mid-air and rob it. Rogue aeroships are incredibly dangerous because they often employ volatile gases to stay aloft, and usually carry gunpowder or other explosive materials on board to threaten legitimate airships and discourage aerial combat. (This is generally indicated by a large graphic image of a poppy flower on the balloon or the flag, which has become the aerial equivalent of a skull and crossbones.) As they tend to be owned by humans or wicks, these rogue aeroships do not have magic on board that is strong enough to repair a hypothetical leak in their balloons, regulate the gas main, or control the steering column in an emergency. A rogue aeroship is said to be "flying hot."

Other Forms of Travel

Animals

Animal-powered travel is still popular among the secular races. Horses and kensers are the most widely used mounts. Moa and chroven are used as mounts by galdori, though only in certain settings; chroven are almost exclusively ridden by The Seventen, while moa serve the purpose that fancy horses do in our world (i.e., less practical than recreational).

Different Kingdoms also have various tamed creatures used for riding in extreme conditions, like the giant beetles of Mugroba or the agile ayeoph in the mountains of Gior.

Carriages, Cable Ways, Cabs & Cycles

Commercial cab companies are on the rise, especially in large cities; cabbies will ferry galdori and civilians back and forth for a small fee. Rickshaw runners are still quite popular in cities like Vienda in the Kingdom of Anaxas, especially among galdori. There are many carriage companies that rent medium-sized or large carriages for cross-country transport, usually with a professional driver at the helm.

The Kingdom of Mugroba, especially [[Thul Ka, is famous for its Cable Ways.

Bicycles are common throughout the nation; the penny-farthing bicycle (called the penny-bird, in reference to underworld currency) has recently been going out of style in favor of the safety bicycle.

Locomotive Engine

The locomotive engine was recently patented by Brent Locksme, and there are plans to implement a new railway system in Anaxas and eventually elsewhere, to unite the entire world. Land travel has downsides compared to aeroship travel, but Locksme sees it as a way to allow the secular population to travel cheaply and efficiently. Unlike aeroships, locomotive travel would be widely available to everyone.

Ships

Travel by steamboat has been steadily increasing in the last fifty years. It is now common to take a steamboat to another city, and many companies exist for this purpose. Steamboats have revolutionized trade and greatly improved the availability of travel to the civilian races. Sailing ships are used more on the open sea. Ironclad steamships are being developed for use in warfare, but are still not common.