Arcanic Light Rail

The Arcanic Light Rail boasts a mastery of magic, engineering and ambition. It utilises a type of engine which can compress pure Elemental energy, generating power in the process. The compressed energy is very powerful, as it comes from Dragons, and is used in high speed trains.

Creation

History

The ALR was created because steam trains in the Known World were quite dangerous at the time. They were known to cause severe breathing problems to many citizens on the continent. But because they were cheap, and coal was easy to find, especially in the west, steam trains were widely used. Engineers, medics and other professionals wanted a safer way of travelling across the continent. However, not many iterations were safe enough to be replacements, and companies didn't import much from the New World at the time.

The Elemental Engine

"We know that Dragons use Dragon Breath to speed through the Spirit World, and occasionally, through our Mortal Plane. The engineers who built the engine thought, why not harness that power for high speed travel?"

— A lecturer from Veloras

Some engineers and scholars who were interested in Arcanis heard about Dragon Breath and how it allowed Dragons to travel the world. Though they wanted to use Dragon Breath, the challenge was trying to get it in the first place. The Dragons had all but hidden after the Ice Age was over.
At the time, it was common knowledge that the only way to get Dragon Breath was to anger a Dragon. The engineers and explorers wanted to find a less dangerous way of getting the energy. They never managed to find a better way, but they did design a tool that could harness Dragon Breath the way humanoids did. So when the Dragon spewed its element at the team, the tool collected it. This tool later became the prototype to the first Elemental engine.

Controversy

When the first trains were released to the general public years later, they were met with excitement by many. However, a few groups had many problems with the trains. The Dragonic Protectors and the Guardians didn't like how the engineers got the power in the first place, because it used the Dragon's elemental powers. Because Dragon Breath was the main draw to the ALR, these groups boycotted the railway company. Their boycott still continues today.
Many people were afraid of the new engine. It came at a time when there was a lot of fear of the unknown, especially as the Spirit World remained inaccessible to many, centuries after the Ice Age. Some traditionalists also hated the new engine, as it was better to stick with what "worked well". Eventually, people learned to get used to the trains.
One final controversy was its cost. Today, it is cheaper, but when it was first built, it was quite expensive. The engineers said getting Dragon Breath was way too difficult, so they couldn't keep sending people to make dangerous trips to get it. That was why it was so expensive. However, the cost lowered over the next decade, as the United Government invested in the railway company.

Nickname

The ALR

Current location

Known World

Connections

The railway system runs through the Known World mainland, connecting many of its big cities together. The first railway started in northern Veloras and ran down to the southeast of the Known World. Later, two more tracks were built across the mainland.