Gondola Rail

Excerpt from Ianis Corvak: My Life as a Noble

I stepped into the slightly swaying gondola with joy. I was 12 and this was my first time traveling on it. I made it sway a little more until father gave me his stern look. He climbed in with me and smiles again, letting me know he wasn't that upset. I looked at the intricately carved walls of the interior. It told the story of Thoranis the Mighty and showed him slaying the demon. I knew the story well, but the carvings were magnificent. We were hoisted into the air and I stared out the window, turning my head to see the Railway Beetle clinging to the pole above.

As it moved slowly along, we would sway back and forth, but kept safe by the support lines. I could see others ahead of us and behind us as well. A line of gondolas each designed with a different story. Although we weren't very far off the ground, it was an amazing feeling. At one point we passed a giant walking up the stairs. He pushed a large crate up the side rail. Father said they use it to move supplies from the farms. The giant smiled at me as I waved at him. The trip took a long time in the gondola, but I don't really remember that. After the trip I vowed to take every gondola and read every story. Father just laughed at that, but I knew I could.

The Gondola Rail

The Gondola Rail was a simple transportation vehicle in the early Phases of Crevice. They were built along the massive stairs to make travel more convenient. At first it was mainly used by Nobles to travel between the Strata, but some cheap gondolas (with less comforts) were created at lesser prices for the commoners.


They lost popularity with the creation of the Strata Lift and eventually just stopped being used. The Lifts were much faster and more comfortable. The stairs were still used for some large transport and the Railway Beetles were used for that until the Phase of Brillance in which the stairs became almost irrelevant.

Weight

The Gondolas (Empty): 65 lbs

Speed

Travel from the Lake to Aqua: 2 Periods (About 7 hours). Slower on the way up.

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

2 Adults and One Child