Lightning Rail distance questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Lightning Rail distance questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
peterson
07-04-04, 06:36 AM First off, does anyone have a decent chart of the routes?

Secondly, and more importantly, anyone with access to the book (mine's at home) know the distance from Sharn to the Thorp of First Tower's lightning rail station?

Thanks in advance,

Peterson
Steven Snyder
07-04-04, 10:29 AM Yes

PM me with your email address and I will send you an excel sheet with all the relevant data on it.
peterson
07-04-04, 10:36 AM Thanks and PM is on its way.

Peterson
Arisen Phoenix
07-04-04, 04:33 PM It is my vague understanding that First Tower is the gateway to Sharn; as such, it seems unlikely that the rail continues past it. The guard checkpoint for entrance to the city is there, as is a large inn - why you would want to stay at First Tower if you could continue through to Sharn I don't know.

My estimate is that First Tower must be within a few miles of the City of Towers itself; it is hard to guesstimate from a map with a scale of 333 mi/in. designed for readability.

I've posted the route distances, costs, and times as both an HTML table and an XLS spreadsheet at http://www.faerealm.com/Fantasy/Eberron/railschedule.html
peterson
07-05-04, 06:08 AM But the book refers to the Station in First Tower multiple times - for example, right at the end of the Ten Thing You Need to Know section, along with the actual description of the thorp of First Tower.

Anyways, my group will probably wish to build their stronghold in/near First Tower (as is their custom), but still want access (more than likely via Lightning Rail) to Sharn.

Thanks for all the help though.

Peterson
Arisen Phoenix
07-06-04, 12:32 AM What I meant in my previous post is - there's a station at First Tower; there's a Sharn checkpoint at First Tower; there's a big inn at First Tower.

So what indications are there that the rail actually continues past it and into Sharn itself? I don't know that the rail actually goes into Sharn. The evidence would seem to be against it. You wouldn't put a big inn at First Tower if everyone went on to Sharn via the rail.

Either the map is strictly accurate for distances, and First Tower is over 70 miles away from the center of Sharn, or it isn't accurate, and you just have to guess. If it's accurate, it's not really a great place to put a town, other than as a natural chokepoint. Sharn is only a city of 200,000 people, but with skyrakers as tall as those in a Cyberpunk setting. How big can it be, radius-wise? If First Tower is 70 miles away, it is effectively useless as a checkpoint to Sharn itself - there are miles of countryside in-between, and days of travel.
woodstock1219
07-06-04, 03:04 PM I thought that both Sharn and First Tower had stations, but maybe I am completely wrong.

Anyways, I can't do the whole measuring thing...I get different mileage each time. Does anyone know exactly how far it is from Sharn to First Tower?
KCDinc
07-06-04, 03:59 PM I thought that on the CS maps the dotted red lines were the rail lines? If so they most definently go into Sharn.
zcthu3
07-06-04, 05:54 PM I agree, the line goes onto Sharn.

The trains stop at First Tower which acts as the 'border control point' for Sharn (as it is in the natural choke point), the customs officials do their thing and then the train can continue on (for another hour and a half or so) for those travelling by train (at a cost of about another 5 gp from memory).

Those travelling by foot, horse etc. are the ones who use the inn. First Tower is at least 50 miles from Sharn proper - which is at least another days travel away.

The inn isn't there for passengers on the Lightning Rail, it is there for everyone else travelling to Sharn.
Shadowalk Nimblefeet
07-06-04, 06:46 PM I'm not exactly sure how much sense it would make for the lightning rail to go to Sharn itself...

As the lighting rail is an earth-bound form of transportation where exactly would it enter into the City of Towers? Logically the lightning rail station could only be on the lowest levels then, and what memeber of the upper class (the only ones who can truly afford to travel via the lightning rail) would want to step of the carriage into the dank, fridid, lightless depths of Sharn's underbelly?

It seems more likely that the station would be outside the city, possibly at First Tower, and then passengers would have to take a coach to the city-proper.
KCDinc
07-06-04, 06:52 PM Originally posted by Shadowalk Nimblefeet
I'm not exactly sure how much sense it would make for the lightning rail to go to Sharn itself...

As the lighting rail is an earth-bound form of transportation where exactly would it enter into the City of Towers? Logically the lightning rail station could only be on the lowest levels then, and what memeber of the upper class (the only ones who can truly afford to travel via the lightning rail) would want to step of the carriage into the dank, fridid, lightless depths of Sharn's underbelly?

It seems more likely that the station would be outside the city, possibly at First Tower, and then passengers would have to take a coach to the city-proper.

By that logic passangers still need to somehow get to earth level in order to reach the first tower, which is about a days walk from Sharn.

I simply assume that while overall the status of the lower levels is less then the higher ones, the upperclass still needs to get to the bottom level if they intend to leave the city and thusly there would be parts of even the lowest level controlled and maintained at high level standards. This would obviously center around major centers like a Lightning Rail station or even a wealthy merchant clans personal section of the docks. It just seems silly to me to assume that that the whole of Sharns lower levels is the worst of the worst.
zcthu3
07-06-04, 07:09 PM There is also no real reason why there can't be a tall hill on the outskirts of Sharn - afterall it is built on a series of cliffs. Perhaps there is a higher cliff on one side with the station on it.
Shadowalk Nimblefeet
07-06-04, 07:09 PM I would assume that once one gets a certain distance from Sharn one would have the choice of continuing on foot or carriage, or catching one of the sky-coaches to the upper levels of the city.

It doesn't seem so silly to me that the lower levels would be "the pits," so to speak... At the lowest levels there would be little, if any direct sunlight due to the artificial canyons the towers would create and the canopy-effect of the bridges that connect the towers.

Not only would it be hard to see, it would be extremely cold. Of course, it could be argued that magic could be used to maintain a certain amount of heat and light...but it doesn't make economic sense to spend money on heating and lighting such a little-used area of the city. Rather, why not simply avoid the place entirely and bring more money into the local economy by making people take the sky-coaches to the more densely inhabited upper-levels.

And following that logic, the only maitenance the lower and lowest levels would receive would be cursory at best. No need for heat, no need for light, no need for cleaning...and what a convenient place for waste, those deep, dark tower-canyons...
Roo
07-07-04, 10:23 AM In Sharn, upper levels = upper class... so how does one get to down without going through the riffraff?

Sky coaches take them to the Lightning Rail stations!
KCDinc
07-07-04, 03:46 PM I dont know where you get this idea that the lower levels are uninhabitable. If anything the book seems to state that the ground level and below is hot due to the heat rising from the supposed lava lake under the city. The city proper even extends down underground. I'm not arguing that the lowest levels are not as a whole worse of then the higher ones, my argument is that almost everyone is sharn has to be down thier at one time or another.

The fact is the sky coaches cannot leave the city. You HAVE to enter into the cities lowest levels when entering sharn before you have access to sky coaches. The whole point of the city buidling up is that it sits in a manifest zone and the city has reached its horizontal limit due to this and its natrual geography. That is to say the city is built right up to the limits of where the sky coaches can operate.

So logically just about everyone entering and leaving the city has to do so through the lowest levels. And as I said the upper class would therefore maintain at the very least pocket routes of better maintained areas. This would inevtiably lead to a lightning rail station in sharn itself.
woodstock1219
07-07-04, 04:33 PM You know that we will all be told the specifics of Sharn and the station or not the station in November when the Sharn book itself comes out. And all of our fretting will be over.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
peterson 07-04-04, 06:36 AM	First off, does anyone have a decent chart of the routes? Secondly, and more importantly, anyone with access to the book (mine's at home) know the distance from Sharn to the Thorp of First Tower's lightning rail station? Thanks in advance, Peterson
Steven Snyder 07-04-04, 10:29 AM	Yes PM me with your email address and I will send you an excel sheet with all the relevant data on it.
peterson 07-04-04, 10:36 AM	Thanks and PM is on its way. Peterson
Arisen Phoenix 07-04-04, 04:33 PM	It is my vague understanding that First Tower is the gateway to Sharn; as such, it seems unlikely that the rail continues past it. The guard checkpoint for entrance to the city is there, as is a large inn - why you would want to stay at First Tower if you could continue through to Sharn I don't know. My estimate is that First Tower must be within a few miles of the City of Towers itself; it is hard to guesstimate from a map with a scale of 333 mi/in. designed for readability. I've posted the route distances, costs, and times as both an HTML table and an XLS spreadsheet at http://www.faerealm.com/Fantasy/Eberron/railschedule.html
peterson 07-05-04, 06:08 AM	But the book refers to the Station in First Tower multiple times - for example, right at the end of the Ten Thing You Need to Know section, along with the actual description of the thorp of First Tower. Anyways, my group will probably wish to build their stronghold in/near First Tower (as is their custom), but still want access (more than likely via Lightning Rail) to Sharn. Thanks for all the help though. Peterson
Arisen Phoenix 07-06-04, 12:32 AM	What I meant in my previous post is - there's a station at First Tower; there's a Sharn checkpoint at First Tower; there's a big inn at First Tower. So what indications are there that the rail actually continues past it and into Sharn itself? I don't know that the rail actually goes into Sharn. The evidence would seem to be against it. You wouldn't put a big inn at First Tower if everyone went on to Sharn via the rail. Either the map is strictly accurate for distances, and First Tower is over 70 miles away from the center of Sharn, or it isn't accurate, and you just have to guess. If it's accurate, it's not really a great place to put a town, other than as a natural chokepoint. Sharn is only a city of 200,000 people, but with skyrakers as tall as those in a Cyberpunk setting. How big can it be, radius-wise? If First Tower is 70 miles away, it is effectively useless as a checkpoint to Sharn itself - there are miles of countryside in-between, and days of travel.
woodstock1219 07-06-04, 03:04 PM	I thought that both Sharn and First Tower had stations, but maybe I am completely wrong. Anyways, I can't do the whole measuring thing...I get different mileage each time. Does anyone know exactly how far it is from Sharn to First Tower?
KCDinc 07-06-04, 03:59 PM	I thought that on the CS maps the dotted red lines were the rail lines? If so they most definently go into Sharn.
zcthu3 07-06-04, 05:54 PM	I agree, the line goes onto Sharn. The trains stop at First Tower which acts as the 'border control point' for Sharn (as it is in the natural choke point), the customs officials do their thing and then the train can continue on (for another hour and a half or so) for those travelling by train (at a cost of about another 5 gp from memory). Those travelling by foot, horse etc. are the ones who use the inn. First Tower is at least 50 miles from Sharn proper - which is at least another days travel away. The inn isn't there for passengers on the Lightning Rail, it is there for everyone else travelling to Sharn.
Shadowalk Nimblefeet 07-06-04, 06:46 PM	I'm not exactly sure how much sense it would make for the lightning rail to go to Sharn itself... As the lighting rail is an earth-bound form of transportation where exactly would it enter into the City of Towers? Logically the lightning rail station could only be on the lowest levels then, and what memeber of the upper class (the only ones who can truly afford to travel via the lightning rail) would want to step of the carriage into the dank, fridid, lightless depths of Sharn's underbelly? It seems more likely that the station would be outside the city, possibly at First Tower, and then passengers would have to take a coach to the city-proper.
KCDinc 07-06-04, 06:52 PM	Originally posted by Shadowalk Nimblefeet I'm not exactly sure how much sense it would make for the lightning rail to go to Sharn itself... As the lighting rail is an earth-bound form of transportation where exactly would it enter into the City of Towers? Logically the lightning rail station could only be on the lowest levels then, and what memeber of the upper class (the only ones who can truly afford to travel via the lightning rail) would want to step of the carriage into the dank, fridid, lightless depths of Sharn's underbelly? It seems more likely that the station would be outside the city, possibly at First Tower, and then passengers would have to take a coach to the city-proper. By that logic passangers still need to somehow get to earth level in order to reach the first tower, which is about a days walk from Sharn. I simply assume that while overall the status of the lower levels is less then the higher ones, the upperclass still needs to get to the bottom level if they intend to leave the city and thusly there would be parts of even the lowest level controlled and maintained at high level standards. This would obviously center around major centers like a Lightning Rail station or even a wealthy merchant clans personal section of the docks. It just seems silly to me to assume that that the whole of Sharns lower levels is the worst of the worst.
zcthu3 07-06-04, 07:09 PM	There is also no real reason why there can't be a tall hill on the outskirts of Sharn - afterall it is built on a series of cliffs. Perhaps there is a higher cliff on one side with the station on it.
Shadowalk Nimblefeet 07-06-04, 07:09 PM	I would assume that once one gets a certain distance from Sharn one would have the choice of continuing on foot or carriage, or catching one of the sky-coaches to the upper levels of the city. It doesn't seem so silly to me that the lower levels would be "the pits," so to speak... At the lowest levels there would be little, if any direct sunlight due to the artificial canyons the towers would create and the canopy-effect of the bridges that connect the towers. Not only would it be hard to see, it would be extremely cold. Of course, it could be argued that magic could be used to maintain a certain amount of heat and light...but it doesn't make economic sense to spend money on heating and lighting such a little-used area of the city. Rather, why not simply avoid the place entirely and bring more money into the local economy by making people take the sky-coaches to the more densely inhabited upper-levels. And following that logic, the only maitenance the lower and lowest levels would receive would be cursory at best. No need for heat, no need for light, no need for cleaning...and what a convenient place for waste, those deep, dark tower-canyons...
Roo 07-07-04, 10:23 AM	In Sharn, upper levels = upper class... so how does one get to down without going through the riffraff? Sky coaches take them to the Lightning Rail stations!
KCDinc 07-07-04, 03:46 PM	I dont know where you get this idea that the lower levels are uninhabitable. If anything the book seems to state that the ground level and below is hot due to the heat rising from the supposed lava lake under the city. The city proper even extends down underground. I'm not arguing that the lowest levels are not as a whole worse of then the higher ones, my argument is that almost everyone is sharn has to be down thier at one time or another. The fact is the sky coaches cannot leave the city. You HAVE to enter into the cities lowest levels when entering sharn before you have access to sky coaches. The whole point of the city buidling up is that it sits in a manifest zone and the city has reached its horizontal limit due to this and its natrual geography. That is to say the city is built right up to the limits of where the sky coaches can operate. So logically just about everyone entering and leaving the city has to do so through the lowest levels. And as I said the upper class would therefore maintain at the very least pocket routes of better maintained areas. This would inevtiably lead to a lightning rail station in sharn itself.
woodstock1219 07-07-04, 04:33 PM	You know that we will all be told the specifics of Sharn and the station or not the station in November when the Sharn book itself comes out. And all of our fretting will be over.