The shoe part of the sleigh on top of the turtle has a comfortable seat for easy traveling and will keep its passengers warm and dry along the way.
In hot weather, it will keep the passengers cool though never cold.
When given a destination marked on a map and a drink is given, the turtle comes out of his shell to move the sleigh with magic flippers.
It will slide effertlessly across wetlands, rivers, lakes, and wintery ground at the speed of a racing horse that never tires.
The turtle is motivated by spirited drinks like ale, mead, brandy, whiskey, and wines.
A cup poured from a bottle of drink that cost 10 Gold Drakuls will please the turtle so much it will travel as fast a racing horse for eight hours.
A cup poured from a bottle of drinking costing at least 1 Gold Drakul will inspire the turtle to travel at the speed of a trot for four hours.
Any other drink offered will only get a begrudging speed of a walk for one hour from the turtle.
The better the quality of the drink, the long the sleigh will travel per cupful.
Poor quality drinks annoy the turtle and he will slow to a crawling pace then travel for no more than one hour.
Even with the finest drinks, the sleigh will travel for no more than eight hours on a single cup.
If there is no wetland, waterway, or snow the sleigh will not move no matter how fine the drink given.
Ionache Petran was a boatman on the Mures River. On the lazy side and a bit of a drinker, he barely managed to earn a living. He did keep an eye out for well paid work, though he only took up such jobs if he could do them with little effort.
One evening an old lady wanted him to take her and her chickens to a little used landing on a long and lonely stretch of the river. As the sun was setting, he offered to take her the next day but she insisted that he take her now.
"I'll pay you double if you get us there before midnight."
At that time, he did not have enough coin to buy more than a single mug of ale, let alone any wine. So, Ionache agreed to take her to the landing.
On their way, he grew annoyed with her chickens pecking at his boat and leaving droppings all about. By the time they reached the landing, he was in an ornery mood. He even tossed off a chicken to get them out of his boat faster, angering the old woman.
"You are such a turtle of a man!" She scolded and suddenly he was a turtle. "However, you did keep to your word and brought me here before midnight so I won't have turtle stew after all. But then, what to do with you..."
A smile suddenly filled her wrinkled face. "I've been wanting a sleigh... and I have this other shoe left after making that woman a house with the other one ..."
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