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
235
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