Car or Cart

Car or Cart / vehicle / slang :

Cart - First Page Mentioned (By Name) : ch. “S.U.H.F.T.C.E.E.” – pg. 8

Car - First Page Mentioned (By Name) : ch. “Crossing the Border” – pg. 29 (as in train car)

Car - First Page Mentioned (By Name) : ch. “The Race to Conquer the Seas” – pg. 144 (as in automobile)

Due to their interchangeable nature, especially on the Island of Geb, these entries are grouped together. In general, they are basically the same conveyance – public/private transport, four wheels, with or without a top (cars usually are enclosed, but they don't always have to be, not even non-bullet train cars). Sometimes, car and cart are used as slang to refer to any sort of similar conveyance.

On Geb, carts are typically powered by animal, magical construct or human means, but not always. Automated magical carts do exist, but instead of resembling a more automobile shape, they usually retain the carrying capacity and appearance of a standard cart (seating up front, with a bay in the back used for transporting objects). There are also the “vendor carts”, which are typically just a mobile carriage, of some sort, used to transport and house food or other items. Very little differentiates carts of Geb, with the historical records of carts used by the Gigans.

Train cars are really just large conveyances used for transporting people and items from one place to another on a train track. Many different varieties exist, but their purpose is the same. There is very little difference in appearance between a Geb train car and a Gigan train car (according to historical records).

Automobile cars, while almost identical in appearance to those used by the Gigans, operate on a magical principle. Gigans, who knew nothing of magic, would use extremely polluting combustion engines to power their vehicles.

Regardless of these minor differences, the magic which powers a car, whether it's an automotive or train car, is the same as that which may power a cart.

Because of the magic involved, and continued use of carts, there are no real “trucks” on the Island of Geb, not in the same way as the Gigan trucks. Several theories exist, but the dominate theory is the island just doesn't need a large clunky conveyance in order to provide the power necessary to transport objects from one point to another. Magically floating platforms serve most of that transportation need, and those can either be self-powered or pulled by a simple cart. Hawks also serve as excellent sources for delivery drops. There are, however, some minor exceptions – such as larger powered craft used to move large objects, such as train cars, or buildings, from one point to another. These are probably the closest things to trucks that can be found on Geb.

Related Entries: Bullet Train; Geb (The Island Of); Gigan; Magic; Vehicles

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