VNR Orange

Vekllei takes a lot from its land. That fact is the bedrock of the Vekllei way of life, in fact — land stewardship and dependency. In this sense, they owe a great debt to the physical landscape of the country, a concept usually translated as the ‘Landscape Sovereign’ in English. The human royals may be long dead, but Vekllei’s flowering petticoat society retains a monarch — the literal physical presence of the land.

Several times a year, their debt is paid through the dramatic interruption of ordinary life. The ground cracks, hot sulphur fills the valleys, and streams of molten rock hiss as they emerge into the cool, temperate air of Vekllei. These are the magic mountains of Vekllei, living and breathing as creatures do; violent as creatures are.

Pictured here is a commuter express train in the sparsely-populated and highly volcanic borough of Troll. It’s a Mustard-56 series in VNR orange, made during its original production run in 2056. Most passengers prefer this series over older models because of its large skylights, which immerse the cars in the strikingly beautiful landscape of their commute. They are also an example of Vekllei National Rail’s shocking disregard for profitability, as lines like these are subsidised entirely by urban centres. Their function as a social engine is priceless, however, and justified easily by the experience of riding along any of these rural lines.