Merchants, nobles, and many others travel frequently through Pallavia. They use different methods depending on their cargo and needs, as well as how quickly they need to arrive at their destination.
| Mode | Speed | Daily Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | 3mph | 20-24 miles on flat roads, 8-10 miles in rough terrain |
| Wagon | 2mph | 16 miles on good roads |
| Horseback | 4mph | 30-32 miles on roads, 40-50 with good horse and experienced rider |
| Barge | 2mph | 20 miles |
These distance estimates assume 8 hours of actual travel during a day, with the remaining daylight taken up by breaks and meals.
By far the most common method of transportation is good old walking. Healthy adults can cover plenty of distance in a day, averaging 3mph on smooth terrain, paths, or developed roads. Pallavia has a fairly robust network of dirt and gravel roads which are well-traveled throughout the year.
Walking also allows for easy off-road travel. Even difficult terrain does not prevent passage, but merely slows it down. Hiking through hills, marshes, or other tricky environments reduces the travelers speed to around 1mph.
The two big drawbacks of walking are its effort, and the lack of space for goods and equipment. This means that while peasants will walk wherever they have to go, anyone who can choose typically uses a different mode of travel.
Wagons are the most common land transport used in Pallavia. They’re a bit slower than walking, averaging 2mph, but require hardly any effort and allow the traveler to bring lots of goods and gear.
Unlike foot travel, wagons are unable to traverse difficult terrain. If there’s no road, a wagon is most likely to get stuck.
Wagons are typically drawn by oxen or horses. Provisions for any trip need to include animal feed, but the space in the wagon can easily handle it.
Traveling on horseback is easily the fastest way to get around Pallavia without using magic. Riding horses are expensive to buy and to care for, and don’t include the cargo space of a wagon, so they’re not used all that often. Nobles and couriers are the most likely to be seen on horseback.
Horses are also not as easy on the rider as a wagon seat. While a riding horse will average 4mph, an inexperienced rider probably can’t stand being in the saddle for 8 hours. More experienced riders can not only stay in the saddle for a whole day, but can get more out of their horses. When riding a good horse, they can interleave periods of trotting and cantering into their day, bumping the average speed to 5mph or even 7mph.
Like draft animals, horses need feed on any journey. This is more of a concern than with wagons, since there is less space to hold the extra provisions. The Royal Guild of Couriers maintains a series of way stations for their riders to rest and re-provision, and nobles always have the social connections to stop at a friendly estate for the night.
The other main method of travel is on Pallavia’s waterways. Barges and ferries move at a steady 2mph on most rivers, estuaries, canals, and lakes, and can carry an immense number of people and goods. The biggest advantage barges have over land travel is that there is no need to stop moving for meals and breaks. As long as someone is able to steer, the boat can keep going all day.
Travel on a ferry is cheap, typically costing 1c per day. This puts it in range of almost everyone, especially if the traveler is willing to help out on the ship.
Major merchants often own at least one barge that they use to haul goods between the capitol, Thalis, and the southern ports in Maramir. These barges are well guarded thanks to the value of their goods.