Transportation & Daily Life
CANON — How Athernyx Moves and Lives
Transport Beasts
Mana'mals domesticated over centuries. They feel made for their roles because generations of Alkin bred them that way.
Strider — The Horse of Athernyx
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Analog | Horse meets elk |
| Size | Tall (1.6-1.8m at shoulder), long-legged, built for distance |
| Mana Tell | Faint glow lines along legs, brighter when running |
| Temperament | Patient, bonds with rider, herd mentality |
| Use | Riding, light cart pulling, general transport |
| Lifespan | 25-30 years |
The backbone of Alkin travel. Bred from wild ancestors over centuries. Every village has a few. The Citadel has stables full. Frontier folk might share one between families.
Cost: 8-15 Sovereigns (quality varies)
Drayhorn — The Ox
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Analog | Ox meets bison |
| Size | Massive (1.4m shoulder, 3m long), barrel-chested, short powerful legs |
| Mana Tell | Horns have deep amber glow, pulse when straining |
| Temperament | Unflappable. Won't spook. Won't hurry. |
| Use | Heavy carts, plows, hauling stone, caravans |
| Lifespan | 35-40 years |
Related to wild Drifthorn but bred stockier over generations. One Drayhorn can pull what four Striders can't. Farmers love them. Merchants rely on them. Slow but unstoppable.
Cost: 12-20 Sovereigns
Craghopper — The Mountain Mule
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Analog | Mountain goat meets llama |
| Size | Medium (1.2m shoulder), compact, dense muscle |
| Mana Tell | Hooves shimmer faintly, grip-pads glow when finding purchase |
| Temperament | Stubborn, sure-footed, nervous in open spaces |
| Use | Mountain passes, rough terrain, pack carrying |
| Lifespan | 20-25 years |
The Valkara would be impassable without them. Navigate paths that would kill a Strider. Carries less than a Drayhorn but goes where nothing else can. Frontier villages in hill country rely on them completely.
Cost: 6-10 Sovereigns
Vaultstrider — The Courier
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Analog | Kangaroo meets greyhound |
| Size | Medium (1.3m shoulder), lean, built for bursts |
| Mana Tell | Pouch glows soft, tail leaves brief light-trails |
| Temperament | Curious, energetic, bonds fast but spooks easy |
| Use | Courier runs, fast scouting, frontier sprints |
| Lifespan | 15-18 years |
Too skittish for casual riding, too light for loads. But for covering ground fast with a light rider and a message pouch? Nothing beats them. Can sprint for hours, rest briefly, sprint again. Frontier couriers swear by them.
Cost: 10-18 Sovereigns (speed-bred lines cost more)
Shellback — The River Beast
| Trait | Description |
|---|---|
| Analog | Hippo meets giant salamander |
| Size | Large (1.5m shoulder, 4m long), semi-aquatic, broad flat back |
| Mana Tell | Skin has faint bioluminescent patches, glow underwater |
| Temperament | Docile in water, clumsy and grumpy on land |
| Use | River barges, ferry pulling, coastal dock work |
| Lifespan | 50+ years |
Can pull a laden barge upstream against current. Fishermen use smaller juveniles. Gale Haven has whole teams working the docks. They live in the water; handlers work from shore or boat.
Cost: 25-40 Sovereigns (expensive but last decades)
Vehicles
Mana-Carriage
Wheeled vehicle with a mana-engine instead of beast harness. Luxury of the Golden Age.
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Mana Core | Compressed mana cell — the "fuel tank" |
| Channel Trim | Rune-inscribed frame directs energy to wheels |
| Driver's Rune | Simple activation interface — push mana in, carriage moves |
Year 314: Common for wealthy, available for hire in cities. Year 600: Citadel military and elite only. Hoarded technology. Common folk never see one. Year 619+: Returns to common use.
Speed: Faster than Strider, no need to rest. But cores need recharging at stations — limits range outside Citadel territory.
Carts & Wagons
Beast-drawn. The reality for everyone outside Citadel walls.
| Type | Beast | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Handcart | None (pushed) | Personal goods, market stalls |
| Light cart | 1 Strider | Farmers, small traders |
| Wagon | 2 Striders or 1 Drayhorn | Merchant goods, family travel |
| Heavy freight | 2-4 Drayhorns | Caravans, stone hauling, military supply |
| Mountain train | 4-8 Craghoppers | Valkara crossing, linked pack line |
Roads & Routes
Citadel Territory
- Maintained roads: Stone-paved, wide, mana-lamps at intervals
- Patrols: Soldiers keep them "safe" (and watched)
- Waypoints: Inns, stables, recharge stations
The Frontier
- Trails: Packed dirt, sometimes marked, often overgrown
- No patrols: Bandits, Mana'mals, your problem
- Villages: Days apart. Know where you're sleeping before you leave.
The Valkara
- Passes: Narrow, treacherous, Craghopper-only in places
- Dangerous route: Quick but people die. Bandits, weather, terrain.
- Safe route: Around the mountains. Adds weeks. Caravans use this.
Sea Routes
- Gale Haven: Hub for all maritime trade
- Coastal shipping: Safer than overland for bulk goods
- Shellbacks: Pull ferries across rivers, work harbor docks
Communication
Couriers
The standard. A rider on a Vaultstrider can cover 200km in a day if pushed.
| Type | Speed | Cost | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking courier | Slow | Cheap | Local only |
| Mounted (Strider) | Moderate | Standard | Regional |
| Sprint (Vaultstrider) | Fast | Expensive | Long-distance, urgent |
Signal Towers (Citadel Only)
Mana-powered light beacons. Can flash coded messages across line-of-sight distances. Military use only. The frontier has no access.
In Year 600
Most messages travel by foot or hoof. If you're in the frontier and need to reach someone in the Citadel... start walking.
Everyday Mana-Tech
The Golden Age brought comfort to common homes. The Dying took most of it away.
Lighting
| Era | Citadel | Towns | Frontier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 314 | Mana-lamps everywhere | Mana-lamps common | Some mana-lamps |
| 600 | Mana-lamps (maintained) | Mixed — some working, some oil/candle | Fire, candles, darkness |
| 619+ | Restored | Restored | Slowly returning |
Mana-lamp: Glass orb with rune-inscribed base. Feed a trickle of mana, get steady light. No flame, no smoke. Lasts years if maintained. In Year 600, the rune-scribes who made them are dead or controlled.
Alternative: Oil lamps, candles, firelight. What most frontier folk use now.
Heating & Cooling
Mana-brazier: The "brazier" described in architecture — not real fire. A contained mana loop that radiates heat. Safe, steady, no smoke. Citadel homes still have them. Frontier homes burned through their fuel years ago.
Alternative: Wood fires. Fireplaces. Bundled clothing. The old ways work fine.
Cooling: Rare even in the Golden Age. Wealthy homes might have rune-inscribed cellars. Everyone else waits for evening.
Cooking
Mana-stove: Flat surface with heating runes. Instant, adjustable heat. No smoke, no fuel gathering.
Reality in Year 600: Most cook over fire. Even in the Citadel, mana-stoves are for the wealthy. The frontier never had many to begin with.
Water
Mana-pump: Draws water from wells or rivers, channels it through pipes. The Citadel has running water. Aqueducts feed public fountains.
Frontier: Wells, rivers, carrying buckets. The pump in Ashfeld broke fifteen years ago. No one can fix it.
Preservation
Cold-box: Insulated container with cooling runes. Keeps food fresh for weeks.
Reality: Rare even in good times. Most people smoke, salt, or dry their food. Cold-boxes are merchant luxuries.
The Technology Gap
| Technology | Citadel (600) | Towns (600) | Frontier (600) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mana-lamps | Common | Failing, mixed | Rare/broken |
| Mana-carriages | Elite/military | Never had them | Never had them |
| Striders | Stables full | Some available | Shared, precious |
| Running water | Yes | Some | No |
| Mana-stoves | Wealthy homes | Rare | Almost none |
| Communication | Signal towers, couriers | Couriers only | Word of mouth |
The Hoarding
Lazerin doesn't just hoard weapons. He hoards maintenance.
The rune-scribes who inscribe mana-lamps? Licensed by the Citadel. The smiths who forge mana-cores? Work for the military. The knowledge to repair broken tech? Taught only to approved apprentices.
The frontier's mana-tech isn't banned. It's just dying. And no one's allowed to fix it.
Travel Times (Approximate)
| Route | Method | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ashfeld → Helga's Cabin | Walking | 2 days |
| Ashfeld → Helga's Cabin | Strider | 1 day |
| Frontier → Citadel (safe route) | Strider | 3-4 weeks |
| Frontier → Citadel (Valkara pass) | Craghopper | 1-2 weeks (dangerous) |
| Gale Haven → Citadel | Ship + Strider | 2 weeks |
| Citadel → Veradyn | Ship | 1 week |
Story Implications
Kael and Veyra travel mostly on foot, maybe acquire Striders along the way. They're not rich enough for Vaultstriders, not desperate enough for the Valkara passes (yet).
The Fallen Cap would have a small stable — maybe two Striders, one old Drayhorn for deliveries. The mana-lamps inside still work, barely. The cooking's done over fire.
Gale Haven is the only place where technology flows freely — trade brings in what the Citadel hoards. You can find a working mana-lamp there. For a price.
Eyuun has been walking for 271 years. He doesn't need a mount. The forest is his road.
"The Golden Age had carriages that drove themselves. We have our feet and our patience."