Jrokya (TRO-YA)

A jrokya is a large horse-drawn vehicle adapted for travelling in snowy and icy conditions. It is used as a popular mode of transport between the cities of the northern regions of Arros, particulary the Confederation of Ru'mensh.

Appearance

Exterior Appearance

The body of the vehicle closely resembles that of a common wooden carriage found all over the continent, but equiped with large ski-like apparatuses, called runners, that allows the carriage to act like a large sleigh. A pair of them on each side allows the heavy vehicle to glide along on snow covered path or on top of frozen rivers and lakes.
The passenger box is elevated above the path, allowing for any excess snow to pass underneath it without hindrance. However, because of this, the doors located on either side of the box are nearly half a metre awa from the ground, requirering a step to be easely accessable to passengers going in or out of the vehicle. A curved roof covers and protect the interior of the carriage from the harsh cold and snowy conditions outside, typical of the region.
The carriage may be painted a variety of colour, but the most common are black, grey or blue. Blue is usualy reserved for private carriages carrying high born people, like nobles or members of the clergy, while other colours are for everybody else. Red is also used by nobles on occasion, but is not as appreciated as blue is.

Interior appearance

The interior of the passenger box is made up of a narrow corridor framed on either side by two large benches facing each other, each large enough to comfortably accomodate 3 average sized people sitting next to each other. The benches, just like the rest of the carriage, are usualy made of wood. The seats may be padded by pillows made of hay or cotton, or simply covered in aminal pelts, in order to keep passengers warm during travels. The floor may also be covered in hay for the same reasons.
The doors on each side have a small window equiped with a retractible pannel, allowing passengers to close it when temperatures drop too low. These, as well as the occassional oil lamp hung from the high ceilling, provides ample light for the small and somewhat cramped interior.
If additional space is needed inside, the benches can be removed by sliding one of them towards the middle corridor and then getting them out via one of the doors to the side. The same can then be repeated with the other bench, leaving behind a large empty wooden bow that can be filled with larger products.

Conductor seat and Horses

The driver's seat is situated at the front of the vehicle, in between the carriage itself and the horses pulling it. The seat is large enough foronly the driver and is elevated slightly above the the base of the doors, requirring the driver to step of the foot rest after the first step to reach the seat. The driver's seat can be acessed from both sides.
A wooden dashboard situated in front of the seat is conneted to the foot rest, which is itself connected to the rest of the vehicle by the seat. This configuration separates the driver from its horses and protects them from mud or snow splashes when traveling at higher speeds. From ths position, the driver holds the reins connecting to the horses.
The horses are attached to the vehicle in pairs, numbering up to three, for a total of 6 horses. This configuration can change depending on the load needed to be pulled, which can change especialy depending on the number of carriage being pulled. This is done with the help of a pole extending from under the carriage and driver's seat. A multitude of straps and collars holding the horses in place and distribute the weight of the vehicle.

Model Variations

In some models, the benches and the doors trade position. The door on either side become one door at the back of the vehicle, while the benches are placed along the sides walls. In this configuration, the benches are longer, which allows for up to 10 people to come on board. However, it is noticibly less confortable and is therefore usualy reserved for peasant travel while the first configuration is fot he higher class citize, like merchants and nobles.

Height

3-4 metres in height

Speed

It can accelerate up to 50km/h

Complement / Crew

1 driver

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

Each vehicle has space for up to 6 passengers