Duǎn Sled
They're not pretty, kind or pleasant in any way... But there's no better way to travel.Duǎn Sled are bladed or skis-equipped wagon-sleds used in Dhanû, pulled by the Duǎn-Kah Fungi-Eel native to the region. The sleds are used to transport either goods or people, as long as care is taken with the ornery animals. As the unnatural cold closes around Sheoin and Dhanû, the bladed sleds are being used more and more often - especially to carry warriors to where they need to go.
Description
Wheee!The sleds are long, segmented vehicle pulled by two to four Duǎn and made out of either hattick or more commonly bone. Each segment of the sled sits on either a set of narrow blades or a single wide ski to help cart it over the cavern floor. The sleds can carry either cargo or passenger, either loaded into the body of the sled or hanging on the sides. Like the sled, these blades are often made out of sharpened bone.
The Duǎn that pull the sleds are kept mostly blind and do little more than move, turn or stop. These commands are given with a long, hooked pole that either pushes, pulls or turn the harness to which they are attached.
Duǎn sleds are built into compartments that can easily be detached from one another should a tunnel turn too sharply or the weight be too great for a climb. The animals that pull them are deceptively strong for their frame and able to pull a much greater load than humans could. When the path is well-established, the sleds are built to maximize the load. Wide, cart-like sled compartments attach to a harness that leash four Duǎn travel between the Fortress-Garden and Dhanû. Other kinds carry people and can include seats. Nobles sometimes travel in special made sleds, adorned with carapace, precious metals and even screens with a ceiling. These rarely travel anywhere dangerous, except in the most dire of circumstance.
Dhanû Located in the hostile Sheoin Region, Dhanû is a city-state of warriors and poets. They are a proud people, bound together by an intricate web of obligations and expectations. Some would say no one else would be mad enough to strap a Duǎn to a sled. Read More About Dhanû
Downhill in a Hurry
With efforts, the sleds can climb inclines and slopes. The sled is usually taken apart and taken up the climb individually. Downhill is another matter. In such instances, the sled will out-speed and injure the Duǎn pulling it by colliding with them. With no breaks, such descents are often out of control and ill-advice.Thrill-seeking warriors will sometimes unlatch their Duǎn from the sleds when confronted with a particularly steep descent and make sport out of what most would tell them not to do.
This was fantastical :D A truly interesting way to get around, though I'm not sure if I would want too see whatever is pulling it up close, the DUǍN-KAH FUNGI-EEL sound fascinatingly horrifying in it's own right
Beasts of burden in caves looks pretty different, I imagined! No cows or dogs in Araea, only weird things. If you want to read more about them, they are here:
Duǎn-Kah Fungi-Eel
Part fungi, part eel and part insect, the Duan-Kah are not exactly domesticated but close enough to see common use in Dhanû, with only the occasional peasant being devoured.
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.