The industrial quarter of Wessend has never seen a shortage of oddities and curiosities flowing between its myriad workshops. Innovation has always been the craftsmans forte, and the incredible supply of rescources, manpower and inventive mages present within the city only stokes the fire of progress.

Usually, the focus of the cities creative talents are aimed towards the art of war; rarely a day is there not a new crossbow, an improved balistae or imposing suit of armour produced from this city quarter.

Today though, the largest gathering of proud worksmen ready to display their products is not outside the blacksmiths, nor the boywers, but instead they are gathered around the master carriagemaker Felton's workshop.

 Felton is your average workshop master - 39 years old, balding brown hair and wrinkles on all visible patches of skin. He wears a murky yellow tunic accompanied by red hosen. When working, he is commonly found wearing a red sugar-loaf hat, and he ties a single white piece of cloth around his waist as an apron to prevent his work from dirtying the clothes more than neccessary. 

What stands before him today, though, is certainly not something an average workshop master would expect to see. Ever since being sent off into apprenticeship under the workshops master from 2 generations prior at the age of 9, Felton has never seen such an abnormal carriage. 

Carriages and wagons, for wealthy patrons and the transportation of goods respectively, are usually a product of the combined effort of wheelwrights, carpenters and blacksmiths. Carpenters produce the axles, framework and odd bits required for the carriages. Wheelwrights use the shaped wood produced by carpenters to produce, obviously, the wheels. The blacksmiths produce the iron sheets that encircle the wheels, to be fitted by a specialist, and any other metalic constructs the carriage or wagon may need. Then, finally, the carriagemakers construct the final product, generally involving fine carpentry skills.

To involve magic smiths, upholsterers, glassmiths and all other manner of craftsmen? Felton can't even begin to image the eccentricity of the fellow who ordered such a carriage as this.

What's more, the final product itself is completely abnormal and goes against all sense of logic. The frame is much larger than common long-distance carriages, yet there is only space to harness two horses even when it would take 4 to carry the weight at any respectable speed. The wheels look much too fragile and fancy; instead of the usual iron looping, the wheels outter rims are lined with a 2cm thick opaque crystal structure. The spokes of the wheels are also constructed of this odd material, and are centered around a large white gem. 

The body of the carriage is shaped no differently than the usual noblemans carriage, yet the large clear glass windows on each of the 4 doors, all backed by silk curtains, greatly differ from the usual small windows placed on either side.

Talented upholsterers spent days fitting their finest benches within the carriage, with each seat painstakingly constructed to their patrons request, and using the odd foam substance provided.

 On the very front of the carriage, two completely metal hemispherical devices are attached to either side of the body. Felton truly does not understand their purpose, but the collaboration of people required to construct them is outstanding enough. Firstly, simply the employment of the cities magic smith in building these strange ornaments is already impressive. To also employ glassmiths and gearwrights, those who work in the construction of mages measuring tools and other impressive gadgets, just to make what seem to be lumps of metal? 

Felton could not understand these devices, but the fact still stood that they were the hardest parts to fit; an intricate array of ropes are weaved into the body, leading to a lever fitted on the carriage drivers perch. And yet, all the lever seems to do is lift metal disks hinged onto the hemispheres, revealing a circular glass window in front of a completely hollow space.

 The most curious part of all, though, is the metalic compartment hidden within the back of of the carriage. Although the compartment certainly has room to store goods, the iron used in its construction, in Feltons opinion, surely will do nothing but contribute to the bulk of the already overweight carriage. 

Granted, all the old masters doubts were soon to be proved superfluous. 

Their patron, Sir Walter, along with an entourage of servants , shortly arrived infront of the carriagemakers workshop. Felton immediatly sighted the large wooden crate that the servants were carefully carting along with them. Full well knowing this man was their most "generous" customer to date, Felton ordered a small group of apprentices to aid the servants with their strenuous task. It's never a bad idea to curry favour with the wealthy, Felton believed.

Bowing towards the nobleman, Felton respectfully addressed the blue robed man, "Greetings, my lord. For you to come all the way to our most humble workshop is an honour. I only wish we could repay such kindness"

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 Having dealt with many a noble and wealthy fellow, the master has long since learnt how simple such men are; flattery is a straight path to the upper classes approval. Unfortuantly, Walter payed the mans honeyed words no mind in his reply.

"Two months have passed since I placed this order, and today is the deadline for its completion" the mages impatience revereberated with every word, "so, is there a reason for me to not want to see my carriage first hand?"

"Of course not, my lord. The carriage is completed, as to your request. From the...ornate design, I understand this is show piece, no? I can prepare a suitable place to store it if you desire, lord". Felton called over one of the younger apprentices, and began assigning the task of scouting sufficient land to produce a storehouse, before Walter interrupted. 

"Don't bother. I simply require you to harness two decent horses and bring the carriage out to the front road, where my servants will take over. That is all"

Felton, though doubtful of the nobles intentions, did not wish to offend such a wealthy customer, hence he simply bowed and left to do as requested. Walter then approached the young maid Margery, who had come at the request of the house master, and began issuing a series of instructions to the young woman. 

 An hour later, the gathering of curious onlookers and worksmen had all moved to the districts main road and assembled at either side of the vehicle now mounted with two stirdy looking white horses. Seeing the great struggle the carriagemaker employees had in transfering the carriage, the crowd grew with those wishing to see the foolish designer. 

 People who were watching since the moment the carriage reached the roads, though, were staying for an entirely different curious itch. 

These early bird onlookers had witnessed some households servants, along with a collection of carriagemaker apprentices, lifting a large green structure and smoothly sliding it into a space at the back of the carriages body. The few who approached for a closer view noted the two long strips of different coloured glass running either side of the objects center point. One of these glass panes was an opaque white, while the other was a deep turqoise. 

Although the sightseers may not have understood the purpose of the structure, they soon comprehended why the carriages owner cared little for the extra weight. 

After a blue robed man followed by a young maiden stepped into the carriage through a swivle door, one of the servants stepped up into the front perch of the carriage. The elderly looking driver grabbed the reigns, and with a swift flick of the wrists, the carriage started moving, much to the amazement of the onlookers.

The old master, Felton, was the most astounded; when moving the carriage earlier, the horses were barely able to move at a snails pace. Now, though, the carriage was going as fast, no, faster than any carriage he has seen before! The two horses barely broke a sweat to start moving the monstrosity and trotted along the paved path, yet the body of the vehicle barely even vibrated, let alone shook like would be expected. What an incredibly sight! 

But suddenly, Feltons awe turned to horror - he'd noticed a large pothole right in the path of the wheels. No matter how solid the crystal wheels were, the moment the horses step into the pit, the sudden jutter surely would shatter them to pieces. 

Yet, the sound of cracking glass never came. Instead, Felton witnessed the hooves of the leftmost horse step right into the pothole and...walk on the air above it?

No! Upon closer inspection, Felton observed a blue, glass like aura filling in the pit. In fact, this aura created a completely flat surface right underneath the vehicle, and followed it as it moved. The entire carriages body seemed to glow with a multitude of transparent colours that morphed into a turqoise hue at back end of the construct. With this, Felton was assured of his previous assumption - his client was indeed a mage. 

Inside the carriage, a certain maid's inquisitiveness was completely overriding her uneasiness of sitting right next to a nobleman. Without even saying a word, the young womans pleading eyes, much to his dismay, told Walter exactly what his maid wished to hear. The mage never intended on teaching her anything, but clearly she was going to learn whether Walter wanted it or not. 

"You are such a tiresome maid, making me teach you basic magic concepts, I hope you understand that" Walter began, though the large grin forming across his face told Margery otherwise, "to put it into simple terms, element is attracted to area's of greater element" 

The mage took out a crystal quill and began drawing a deep pit onto a piece of parchment, then continued "Image dense area's of element like a pit - element of the same type nearby will naturally fall into the pit. The steeper the pit, the faster the element falls down. The wider the pit, the greater the amount of element that falls in"

"Sir, if I may interupt, what exactly does this have to do with the carriage?" Margerys interjected.

"If you would let me finish," Walter sharply responded, "I was about to get to that. Anyway, element is attracted to dense element. The aewer ore you proccured is actually the solid form of pure element, mana, and hence is an incredibly dense source" 

Margery finally begun to understand, "Oh! So by introducing the aewer to that bead, which must have been element, you created an object that the element around us is naturally attracted too!"

"Exactly! Then, by isolating it in a specific manner, the element is rapidly attracted, then expulsed around the entire carriage, powering the gems stored with specific magic formulas. The element used to produce the pathway is then recollected and the cycle continues. Though, the element used to soothe the horses and lighten the carriage cannot reenter the cycle, so this process is incredibly crude and highly dependent on the concentration of the right elements"

Margerys excitement only rose each time she grasped another aspect of the workings of magic, and at this point you entire mouth was agape as each concept wriggled its way into her brain. Though, without warning, the maids suddenly face shrivelled up from one of elation to one of confusion. Slowly, she one again turned to her master and posed a yet unanswered question, 

"Sir Walter, then why do we still need horses? Surely you could just make the carriage move on its own, or even fly?" 

Walter simply looked at the girl, and smiled.