Overview
Trains are high-speed rail vehicles and rail networks built through magical engineering. Thalena develops them in Thalassai as a rail network for city links, national routes, trade, diplomatic travel, official travel, and long-distance communication.
Design
The first full Thalassai train is a massive violet, white, and purple metal vehicle with an angular, windweaver-inspired shape and long wagons large enough to rival small ships. Its cabins are spacious and Chronasis-styled, with skylights, large sliding doors, connected carts, essence lights, and sections reserved for diplomats and officials.
The vehicle combines aether artifacts, essence-engine propulsion mechanics, and opposite magnetism. The aether artifacts make it fall forward, the engines provide propulsion, and opposite magnetism gives it a floating appearance and a nearly soundless ride. Its tracks are embedded into the ground and flanked by high metal guardrails. Because the trains move too quickly for easy direction changes, routes are built as straight lines where possible. Earth mages carve the paths, fire mages heat metal into rails, and some routes pass through mountains or beneath shallow ocean.
Development
Thalena gets the idea from Earth after first dismissing trains as slow rail-bound vehicles and later deciding a rail system could serve Thalassai. She first imagines a line linking Thalmyris, Irrathis, and Chronasis for trade, then assigns the project to the Nexus Research Center. Her blueprints draw on windweaver design. Jareth, Cyrena, Thalvian, Astryx, and Nexus Research Center researchers build the rail vehicles and tracks from those plans.
The first full test runs from Chronasis toward Irrathis, with the Irrathis-Zeydrith span near completion and the Zeydrith-Thundermarch track already built through the mountains. Astryx coordinates capitals along the planned route, Kaldaryn agrees to join, and Astrid drafts Kaldaryn's route.
Network and Uses
The train project expands into Valrindor as tracks and routes link Thalassai with Xalmyrra and neighboring nations. Rail travel carries residents, diplomats, officials, trade goods, tourists, Celestial Games visitors, and long-distance messages. Later routes and stations serve or connect places such as Chronasis, Irrathis, Zeydrith, Thundermarch, Kaldaryn, Stormbrook, and Linzhou Station.
The same network can be attacked. During the Battle for Cyndarel, Aldar follows the train line through the mountains, reaches repair activity near Linzhou Station, and kills infiltrators near the tracks after Xalmyrran messages are intercepted.
Other rail systems also exist. Solvarria relies heavily on rail for internal travel, Archibald sends engineers to implement a rail system linking Solvarria and Ulzathir, and in 5369 AX, Maraveth in the Malverand Intergalactic Empire uses fast urban trains and smaller crisscrossing trains similar to rail-based constructs or vector carts.