River Boats

Varying in size and shape to suit the needs of their owners, river boats are a main way of transporting both products and passengers across Dormelia.
River boats represent on of the major industries of Dormelia as navigating the various waterways networking across the continent is one of the fastest means of transporting goods as well as people.
The size and shape of a river boat depends greatly on what it's expected to be carrying along the stream. Vessels meant for hauling raw materials like lumber or coal are typically long barges with only enough room left over for a handful of crewmen to man it. Manufactured goods and products more often than not called for a more enclosed vessel to keep out the elements as well as any bandits looking to steal some cargo.
Lastly, passenger boats present arguably some of the largest and varied vessels on the water. Boats designed for relatively short ferry rides up and down stream are fairly simple while vessels meant for multiday journeys are much larger to accommodate sleeping quarters for passengers and crew alike.

Power Generation

For vessels utilizing steam engines for propulsion, the heat is most commonly generated by burning coal in a furnace. There has been some research done into the potential of using flame crystals instead, but little has been shown for it to be considered an economical alternative.

Propulsion

Larger vessels have begun to use steam engines for propulsion, either by turning paddle wheels stationed on either side of the vessel or a propeller located beneath the water.
Smaller vessels typically rely on traditional sources of propulsion be it men rowing oars, beasts of burden towing barges along canals, or simply riding the current of the river down stream. Some have experimented with fitting engines onto such vessels, but have struggled given constraints such as where they could store enough fuel for long distance journeys.

Communication Tools & Systems

Almost all river boats have shutter lights for communicating between vessels at night or during times of low visibility such as fog or storms. Crew operate these by opening and closing the shutters in practiced intervals, using the resultant patterns to communicate short messages.
During the day, crewman trained in semaphore will signal to other boats using signal flags.
While still having these tools on hand should the need arise, some modern vessels have begun to experiment with integrating systems similar to those used at postal aviaries for their carrier pigeons. These boats have reportedly installed lightning crystals aboard themselves and carry them as they travel around the continent, allowing for written messages to arrive directly to them instead of laying in wait at port for who knows how long.

Rarity

Common