Flying carriages Vehicle in Imperial Soulmates | World Anvil

Flying carriages

Welcome to Imperial Soulmates! In a gigantic and futuristic fantasy empire filled with solarpunk magitechs, Hélène is hiding that she's one of the emperor's soulmates. However, to lift the legal curse on her best friend, she will have to blackmail the emperor himself... Come read about her plans, and the world in which she lives!
Introduction to the story | Hélène | Soulmates | Novel upcoming

Table of Contents

Among the fantastic organic magitech made possible in the last century by the invention of magic anchored in plants and fungi are flying carriages. Fast, comfortable, and practicable, they have taken over all of society in the empire. Hop into an omnibus and let it bring you to your destination!  
The vehicle
  • A flying carriage, with magic for levitation, propulsion, and navigation.
  • 2-seats private vehicle to several dozens-seats public omnibuses.
  • Moss on the outside of the vehicle to anchor its magic
  • Powered by the driver, but few people have the amount of magic necessary to do it for long.
  • Secondary source of power through a link to all local magic reservoirs that are in range.
  • Wards for protection of the moss, protection against collisions, and climate control and comfort inside.
  • Navigation is done through a link to the communication hub
  •    
    Its place in everyday life
    Flying carriages are expensive and so they are owned by few private individuals. All cities however have a very dense network of public omnibuses that can bring anyone anywhere. There is a strict code guiding air traffic so as to avoid accidents, although the wards on each vehicles protect against the worse of them.   Because most vehicles are powered through local magic reservoirs, they have to stay within their range, and so within cities and their agglomerations. Inter-city travel is possible with
  • a reservoir on board - expensive and take a lot of space and so limited to high traffic routes
  • a team of drivers that can relay each other in powering the vehicle.
  •   As the last century and its many inventions have progressed, roads have become completely deserted. Pedestrians are able to use the adjustable house technology added alongside all roads to jump instantly from street to street. The only one left are old vehicles unable to levitate; they are now reserved for the slow transport of non perishable goods.
     
    Hélène winced at the rolling and shaking of the vehicle as it descended through the Sannian wards. Was this because it was from another country that it reacted so strongly to the defences? Or were non-imperial vehicles all of such poor quality?   The sight of the Sannian capital slowly appearing through the windows distracted her. When they got closed, Hélène gasped at the street warming with people and cars, all rushing to their destinations without regards for the others around them. It was enough to make her claustrophobic. And to say that the imperial capital had been the same just a few decades ago!
       
     
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    Cover image: Capital of the Empire by AmélieIS

    Comments

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    Dec 13, 2023 19:37 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

    I love the idea of a driver relay. XD

    Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
    Dec 13, 2023 19:39 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

    Thanks <3 I thought it was a fun idea to put some limits on transport and on magical reservoir XD I like that not all technologies have been completely perfected yet and to have this sense that this world is not in the middle of technological revolution!

    Dec 13, 2023 21:31

    If not many people have enough magic to power a bus, I imagine that it would make bus drivers a surprisingly well compensated position, which is fun to think of haha

    Dec 13, 2023 22:08 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

    Yes indeed XD I'm trying to think of the consequences. That would make any travel rather expensive unless the state subsidise them...   Thanks for the comment <3

    Jan 2, 2024 01:23 by Melissa

    It's wonderful that the flying carriages are mostly limited to city use. This leaves room for more difficult travel while exploring frontier areas or traveling for a long distance. The need for a relay team reminds me of the need to swap horses in The Three Musketeers. What a fun article!  

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    Jan 2, 2024 09:00 by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

    Thanks <3 Yes, I didn't want to make things too easy for my characters :p And all these new organic technology are very nice, but they're still very young and imperfect. There is a lot of room for future growth!

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