Dwarven Tram System

Dwarven Trams are cable car machines often built at dwarven surface villages for the purpose of transport to and from the Underdark. There are 26 eruk'a ("below to surface") trams throughout Avo, and three permanently decommissioned or destroyed trams.

Tram systems usually consist of a station at the beginning and end of the tram line, where passengers can board or disembark from trams, as well as rest stops or waypoints in between, where trams stop to allow passengers to stretch their legs or even sleep for the night.

Trams are pulled by enormous metal constructs known in Common as dwarf golems. These constructs can reach heights of up to 50ft, and consist of a metal latticework or series of interlocking metal plates designed to look like a giant dwarf. They are not meant to bear resemblance to any particular dwarf in history; rather, they are individual, named golems to the dwarves, and are considered people and citizens of the cities they serve. The golems have a series of gears within, and each are powered by an activated orichalcum rock, the kasera, or heart.

Beside the enormous golems are huge, thick pillars with a lateral pulley system affixed to the top. Depending on geography, the pulley may be built from the ground up, or hang from the ceiling. Wrapped around the pulley is a thick rope made of threads of twine, drider silk, steel, and occasionally mithril. The rope is often around 5 to 6ft in thickness and capable of holding several tons of weight. Each rope is pulled tight upon assembly, creating a suspension for hanging cable cars. The tensile strength of the ropes is incredibly high; the Seruka Tram incident of 3309 VR illustrates the danger of a rope severing, as the ensuing whiplash cracked against the Seruka Waypoint, a station carved out of the hanging rock, splitting the rock from the ceiling and causing it to fall onto the drow city of Loras-Akha, killing roughly 3,000 drow. Since the incident, tram ropes have been reinforced with steel or mithril and enchanted to prevent severing.

Tram cable cars are attached using magic and mechanical spring-loaded clips, rendering them immobile on the rope itself. Some tram ropes have grooved sections to also help keep them in place. Along with the passenger cars, a separate, reinforced storage car is affixed to the rear car.

When activated, the dwarf golems grab the ropes and pull or push them to move the trams to their intended destinations. When a tram has reached a waypoint, passengers disembark to rest at waypoint hotels, or take other trams further into the Underdark.

Active Trams

Lekathor

East of Lilingbroke in Dorian, among the foothills of the Fangs and following the Rava River, is Lekathor, which descends into the Underdark and is directly connected to Augzennet. Lekathor has no surface village, instead being a separate station on its own. The golem construct of Lekathor is affectionately known as Mister Grumbles, as his metal plate work makes grumbling sounds as it awakens.

The Point

A waypoint known as Rest Stop 1 on the manifest from Lekathor and Augzennet, carved out of the side of an enormous stalactite. A barebones stop, currently patrolled by two dwarves, Gergel Ironspear and Rusty Diamondtooth.

Mushroom Mansion

A hotel rest stop waypoint, known as Rest Stop 2 on the manifest from Lekathor to Augzennet. It is a mansion built atop a nestled group of enormous mushroom heads which glow a dim green. The mansion is owned by Lady Wistell Worthington, half-elf, and operated by Corin Veght, also half-elf and granddaughter of Oswin Veght, a human capitalist from Garrod who invested in the mansion's construction roughly 80 years ago. Oswin's son, Velor, sold the mansion to Lady Wistell.

Decommissioned Trams

Bozemvar

Beneath the island where the Tree of Flames resides in the far south of Deneshae is this ancient and unused tram system. It has become a home for firenewts who escaped into the Material Plane from the Plane of Fire. The firenewts found Alrenn’s phylactery and used it as a seat for their warlock’s throne. Rogue Wave killed off the firenewts and took the phylactery, which The Eye then absconded with to try and raise Alrenn.