Eberron - Rising from the Last War

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LYRANDAR GALLEONS

A House Lyrandar galleon, also called an elemental

galleon, resembles a Lyrandar airship except that it has

a water elemental ring that propels it across oceans and

seas instead of through the air. This vessel has a speed

of 10 miles per hour but otherwise is similar to a Lyran­

dar airship.

0RIEN LIGHTNING RAIL

The wondrous lightning rail system once linked the

far reaches of the Kingdom of Galifar, prior to the Last

War. Now the system is divided, split into eastern and

western circuits. Reestablishing the conductor stone

paths across Scions Sound and the Mournland is often

discussed in the halls of power in the Five Nations, but

formidable challenges are involved.

How IT WORKS

A lightning rail train is made up of an elemental vessel

linked to a series of connected carts, all of which float

about 5 feet off the ground. Each cart, similar in form

to a large wagon with no wheels, has a conductor stone

embedded in its underside. A corresponding set of con­

ductor stones laid out in a line on the ground interacts

with the stones in the carts to form a rail for the train to

follow. Lightning arcs between the two sets of stones,

accounting for the system's name.

The elemental vessel at the front of the train, called

a crew cart, holds a bound air elemental that propels

the train along its route at a speed of about 30 miles

per hour. The elemental appears as a ring of lightning

encircling the crew cart while the train is in motion. A

bound air elemental can move a train of up to ten carts

without obvious strain, and most trains are configured

accordingly.

The other carts that make up the train have various

purposes. A typical train has a crew cart at each end,

with two cargo carts, four passenger carts, and two

lounge carts in between. Doors at both ends of each cart

enable crew and passengers to walk from one to the

next, even while the train is in motion. Both crew carts

are identical, except that the bound elemental in one is

suppressed. On the return trip, the roles of the carts and

the states of their elementals are reversed.

Specialized carts of other sorts vary in configuration

depending on their purpose and the degree of luxury

afforded to them. Some have solid sides and roofs, while

others are covered only with canvas.

Map 4.10 shows the different carts that comprise most

lightning rail trains.

Operation. The vessel's pilot, a House Orien dragon­

marked heir, stands at the helm, high atop the crew cart,

beneath the elemental binding struts. The pilot controls

the elemental and communicates with it during the trip,

watching the path ahead through broad windows that

encircle the helm platform.

CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES

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