Trans-Continental Express

Running from the north of Orolay to the southern provinces of Berok, the Trans-Continental Express is the largest railway system on Bataf. Its steam trains connect the many people from across Sari-Ifa with each other, allowing goods to be transported to and fro at record speed. For those who can afford a ticket on one of the Trans-Continental Express's steam trains travel has become much saver, and the risk of highway banditry has become much lower than before (although not entirely zero). However, those too poor to afford a ticket now have to food the bill for the many bandits who can no longer rob the rich, and guards have become much less interested in keeping these roads save now that the rich no longer make use of them.
== Gobguard ==
The Gobguard are an unit of railway guards employed by the GobGob Engineering Corp (GGE Co.) as security personnel on the Trans-Continental Express. They tasked with keeping the passengers and the trains safe from both threats in- and outside. The Gobguards are almost all goblins, with a few other species mixed in. They serve as both security guards and on-the-fly engineers. The GGE Co. has strict rules in place for its engineers, knowing fully well that tinkering and enhancing mechanical devices are encouraged in goblin culture and that letting the Gobguard do whatever they want would result in the Trans-Continental Express' steam trains being turned into death machines.
In their mission to protect the steam locomotives from highwayman the Gobguard bring various types of weaponry along, most of which are self-made. The most common weapon is the noble pistol, simple firearms perfectly fitting for fighting in the close quarters of the train wagons. The second most common is the mini-cannon, a stocky miniature iron cannon made to let a single guard launch live bombs at their target from a distance. The third most common weapon is the froghop hammer. The froghop maul is a kinetic weapon designed by the Gobguard themselves. The maul is separated in four pieces: the handle, the head, and two pieces that together form an arm. These arm and the head are connected to the handle through a series of axels, and the head is also connected to the arm through a spring. To attack the head is first flipped down and attached to the handle through a velcro-like material. The head is arm is then put into place to put strain on the spring. When the energy in the string reaches its zenith the head flips on, upper cutting anyone unlucky enough to be in its way.
== History ==
The Trans-Continental Express was founded by the GobGob Engineering Corp, an engineering corps run for 90% by goblins. The first railway they set up connected the Corelian capital of Frigshaven with the lumber camps in Orolay. The lumber trade was highly successful, and over the decades GGE Co. has expanded it railway network to connect all the major cities of the Oroborian Empire and several of the friendly states which lay outside of the empire. Plans were originally made to expand north through the Zapno Mountains, but both Berok and Cainaan have denied the GGE Co. request to further expand the railway into their territory. The envoy tasked with asking the vampires of Cainaan was promptly denied and the GGE Co. received the body of the envoy, completely drained of blood, shortly after.
With the arrival of the railway many peoples across Sari-Ifa were able to quickly travel across borders for the first time in history. Many peoples were able to interact with each other that had never interacted before. Many new traditions were formed as cultures mixed and blended together and people intermarried. Sadly a few bad apples on all sides have also caused this intermixing of cultures to be a new source of discrimination against others who are not native to the area.
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