02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

108.1.141.197
stops. This is a trek that would take more than two
weeks otherwise.
In total, Cygnar has 630 miles of rail, eleven
locomotives, nine stations, and twenty-four refueling
towers, and though they do not have an engine to
rival the Khardic Colossal in size, the Lady Ellena holds
the current speed record of 38 mph. This locomotive
once traversed the Market Line from Bainsmarket to
Fharin—a 167-mile six-day ride—in five hours.
Winds of War
rail shipments and travel along the market line Was
reCently brought to a sCreeChing halt by the aCts of
saboteurs. just before Winter, in the middle of the month
of khadoven in 605 ar, menite fanatiCs managed to sneak
aCross the border north of king’s vine and make their Way
West to the mountains. Cygnaran sCouts eventually spotted
them, but not before they reaChed the marChbridge spanning
the marChbank ravine in the upper WyrmWall mountains
betWeen fharin and steelWater flats. the bridge Was
destroyed before Cygnaran forCes Could assemble, although
they managed to retaliate and drive the proteCtorate
forCe aWay and kill most of them in the proCess. this aCt of
sabotage severely hampered Cygnar’s ability to ship CruCial
supplies and reinforCements north and forCed them to rely
on muCh sloWer land and river routes.
king leto made the rebuilding of this bridge a top priority
and pleaded for the help of engineers, metalWorkers, and
even dWarves and ogrun from as far aWay as orven. in the
folloWing Couple of months the bridge Was rebuilt in reCord
time, and the rail line Was restored. rumors among the royal
assembly say that king leto is indebted to the ConClaves at
ironhead station and orven, although the nature of those
promises is not knoWn. restoring the line has been a big relief
to the markets at fharin and bainsmarket, but the damage
Was already done to the War effort. unCounted lives Were
lost by this inability to re-supply the front, and Cygnar’s
northern armies are only starting to reCover from that
setbaCk. this has hardened the hearts of Cygnarans against
the proteCtorate of menoth and also demonstrated the
neCessity of seCuring the eastern border.
Clearly the advent of the rail has borne the Iron
Kingdoms into a new age. Freight can be moved
quickly and efficiently like no other time in the
history of Immoren. In Cygnar, every major city or
large town is eager to be connected to the rest, but
the costs are carefully weighed. Mercir and Ceryl are
the two most vocal communities hoping to connect
to Caspia. However, for Mercir the chances are bleak,
as the intervening terrain presents an all too costly
challenge and the shipping lanes in the Gulf of
Cygnar are well-guarded, making the convenience
of water travel thwart most talks of laying tracks
to Caspia. In spite of the distance, the prospects
are better for Ceryl, particularly if the Church of
Morrow and the Fraternal Order of Wizardry can
be convinced to help foot the bill (proposals are
ongoing). Connecting Ceryl to Bainsmarket requires
over 400 miles of new track. This would cost a king’s
ransom, but those in favor argue the benefits of such
an endeavor. Steelwater Rail has entered a bid with
the Crown to build an alternative route to Ceryl from
Orven. Although shorter, it will likely be just as costly
if not more so.
In whatever way rail production ensues one thing
is clear: it will ensue. The locomotive steam engine
has come roaring into the modern era as a product
of a new and innovative Iron Kingdoms. Now only the
future can tell what other wonders are in store.
rivalries on the railWays
When major nations raCe along in industrial Competition
With one another, as Cygnar and khador often do, rivalry
inexorably esCalates to open ConfliCt. steamWorks and
unions dispute ContraCts, and disputes have been knoWn to
develop into skirmishes. rival rail ConstruCtion Companies
sabotage Camps, lines, Warehouses, refueling stations, and
labor ‘jaCks. Company engineers frequently vanish apparently
kidnapped or slain. raiders lie in Wait to ambush loComotives.
monsters beset Workers, Way stations, and loComotives. tWiCe
in the past five years, tWo trains have Completely vanished in
khador, and ten more have been utterly destroyed in both
kingdoms—six in khador, four in Cygnar.
beCause of all this peril and hostility, patrols of railWardens
have formed in both kingdoms similar to roadWardens.
loComotives are noW fitted With reinforCed armor plating,
and some of them are armed With gun turrets. indeed, the
lady ayN has the distinCtion of Carrying the largest ever
rail-mounted gun, Weighing over 200 tons and able to fire
nine-foot-long shells at targets up to tWo miles aWay at
a rate of one every 15 minutes. she is the leading military
loComotive of the day, transporting troops and ordnanCe
suCh as WarjaCks over the breadth of the motherland. truly,
the rivalries on the railWays have made the loComotive more
than an instrument for trade and eConomy.
World Guide 97