The Ironpeak Line Vehicle in The Dragonstar Sagas | World Anvil
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The Ironpeak Line

Once quality iron ore was discovered by the first Dwarves to settle in The Great Valley, transporting the ore from the mines necessitated the road construction projects that eventually evolved into The Ironpeak Line - a monorail system and series of railyards. The Dwarves build wide, highly engineered roads designed to last through the ages.  

Traffic

  Foot Traffic - The roads of The Great Valley all began as footpaths. The roads are considered public and there are no tolls for their use. Many folk travel by foot in groups. Most will join up with a Caravan for protection.   Horses- The Dwarves paved the roads with cut stone to improve conditions for horse traffic and carts.   Railcars - The Ironpeak Line is different from other roads in that it has an iron monorail system that allows horse-pulled railcars to transport far heavier loads than otherwise possible. Thanks to the nearly frictionless monorail, the railcars are easier to pull than they would be on wooden wheels. Many smaller railcars are designed to accommodate both wheels for the roads and iron monorail wheels. In recent years, newer railcars have been built as Contraptions powered by Fire Spirits.  

Trail Boards

At regular distances, the Dwarves have installed wooden structures known as Trail Boards. A pair of large sign posts hold up a wooden cabinet. Inside a series of hooks hold grommeted ribbons to convey messages to the next group of travelers. Warnings about dangerous caustic pools, wild animals, rockslides, and other hazards can be conveyed. There is also a small box to hold folded notes if more complicated messages need to be shared. Scouts who work ahead of a caravan will often update the board as they precede their group.    
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Cover image: The Iron Peak Line by Midjourney

Comments

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Jul 26, 2023 23:17 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Monoraaaaaail, monoraaaaail!   I love that the dwarves have done this for this road. That's so awesome and must have been so much work. Worth it though. :)

Emy x   Etrea | Vazdimet
Jul 27, 2023 21:02 by Melissa

They saved themselves some work by only installing the monorail lines where they needed them the most for heavy transport. The rest of the roads are still very well built but they don't have the monorail.