Nexus Carriages

A relatively recent invention, the carriages of the nexus were made as a means of global travel by the ikayal. The first branch was made to travel beneath the Araen Wastes from Liyru to the town east of the Westerwoods. Now there are several of these tunnels, providing fast and easy travel. But it has not always been so safe...

Founding

When the first real battle between humans and ikayal occurred in 437 A.E, the ikayal of Liyru began to work on a new, more secure travel method. Their first main issue was that the town of Vira, which had always been a friend to those ikayal living within the Westerwoods, was being occupied by forces from greater Axu. In response, the exit for the first tunnel lay several miles east of Vira, within a patch of hills. A small settlement grew around that entrance, known simply as the Tunnel afterwards. Ilir, a nomad of the Araen Wastes, thought up the original concept of the carriage, although there were several issues during the actual construction. Foremost among these was the digging of the tunnel. Due to the strange nature of wyr within the Wastes, the runes used to hold up the walls had to be infused into crystals, and then to be renewed every six months or so. Despite this and other such setbacks, the first tunnel was soon constructed, paving the way for an era of fast travel.

The Explosion

In 452 A.E, a merchant caravan was sent from the northern nation of Renhau to the great kingdom Arwifal, which was thought destroyed by humans. The first nexus carriage was sent with eight merchants and the guard Arrel. One of the merchants, an elf named Freya, later reported:

While we waited to arrive, I noticed the fountain of wyr suddenly turn dark, and black-violet mist spilt out instead of silver light. The Guard, Arrel, sensed something was wrong, being the closest to the panel. Then I heard, from all around, a voice that whispered about an Ending. Arrel threw himself at the panel. I cast wards around it. Then, the next thing I remembered was fire, darkness, and a cloying sensation that stopped me from casting. Arrel and I were the only survivors, and you know what happened to him.

This incident was later connected to a man with auburn hair who brought the news of Arwifal's "destruction". This is not a coincidence, for there are mentions of this stranger dotted throughout history just before a disaster. In this case, it was the true downfall of Arwifal. It had in fact sent out pleas for help to Renhau. Its messengers never arrived, and so by the time Arrel Half-Horn and his companions reached it, the great city of Aralifells was falling.

Power Generation

The nexus carriage runs solely on wyr. Once an initial infusion is given, a constantly-active siphon rune is activated, allowing the carriage to pull wyr from elsewhere as it moves.

Creation Date

464 AE