High Wheel Wagon

In the subtropical environment that is the interior of Ruathawaul, the ground can often be soft and marshy. Tall wheels make rolling through less than ideal areas easier and keep the body of the wagon out of floods. Add a thick canvas cover to keep the rains off cargo or a traveling apartment. The front end must be narrowed to have room for the wheels to turn for steering. Newer designs use trapezoidal steering which keeps the wagon more stable than pivoting the whole axle. Merchant caravans do not use wagons of this style and generally stay on packed roads. To see a high wheel wagon coming into town only means a few things to the locals. Mostly it's someone that travels for a living, that means a charlatan or some kind of vagabond. More rarely it is some adventurous types, but all three mean the quiet peace of village life is about to be disrupted.
More recently, in the region of Thornrest, smaller settlements have been neglected by the larger merchant caravans and the direct roads to them are not traveled as much. New merchants have begun to serve these villages and have found the high wheel wagon easier to navigate through the rough country. After meeting some resistance from prejudiced locals, these merchants have taken to displaying bright livery and hiring outriders to identify them. Unfortunately, Pine Valley was extorted by a charlatan claiming to be a wizard specializing in potions which they sold on the cheap. They made people sick and the charlatan tried to sell them the cure for ridiculous amounts. They paid the wizard and were "cured." The charlatan left and the village discovered it was just the spring flu. They chased them down, took back their money, burned the wagon and lynched them. What left of the high wheel wagon can be seen along the road to Pine Valley. The high wheels belonging to Kursk Mercantile are the only ones welcomed now. Despite the competition, other merchants that want to sell in Pine Valley have to caravan with Kursk.
High wheel wagons can be found for sale in larger towns and cities where the Adventurers' Guild has a strong presence. It is not uncommon to find good deals on used ones, but the buyer must beware. Used one time, single owner might be huge red flags.