Touka/Karossa: Death Mover

The touka ("death mover"), or karossa ("hearse"), gets its name from the peaceful, trance-like state of its passengers. They often would take something that would allow them to sleep for a long time, to make the journey go by that much the quicker. It would be an odd sight indeed for an actual dead body to use this vehicle. The drivers, a set of eyeke weroiki, are trained to travel from one destination to another to get treats and sustenance. No human guidance is usually required, though there are some instances of passengers waking up in a field somewhere, far from most civilization. The chances of that are a percent at most.

Touka, common on the flat plains of Tuhra, run low to the ground. Cargo wagons pulled by larger beasts of burden are able to move over the touka while the vehicle slides gently underneath the axles. Karossa have many wheels and many axles to make for softer carriage. Fresh grass is stuffed between the axles and the wagon itself to absorb any shock that a rock or ledge might pose on the karossa's journey. There is no seating on the vehicle, just a flat board. Travelers are expected to simply lie down on it, but there is ample room for smaller passengers to bring a few belongings.

This makes for rather cheap yet still quite comfortable travel, and even the lowliest peasants cough up money for the trip if they have the chance. Rental services often offer sleeping drugs for a small additional fee. The only limiting factor for the industry was that a vehicle with that many moving parts is difficult to manufacture or mass produce. That fact would ensure a permanent supply shortage in the market.