An elevator is a magically-powered vehicle used to transport passengers quickly across great vertical distances. The modern Irynian elevator can trace its origins back to manually-operated dumbwaiters, which were often found in commercial kitchens and the homes of wealthy individuals. As Irynian buildings were built taller and taller, staircases became impractical for numerous reasons: disabled persons could not use them, heavy objects were difficult to transport in narrow stairwells, and it took a long time for even an able-bodied, unencumbered individual to climb many flights of stairs. For these reasons, larger lifts powered through magical means were used to expedite travel between floors, although staircases remained in use for emergency purposes.
By the late 800s, most multi-story buildings in Iryna had at least one elevator, with larger towers containing multiple elevators running concurrently. When Iryna's upper platform was first being conceptualized at the beginning of the 900s, it was evident that the planning of its elevators would be integral to the larger design. 16 support pillars hold the platform aloft, with two elevators housed in each of their interiors. These elevators take several minutes to travel the 200 feet between ground level and the upper platform level. On arrival, their door remains open for several minutes to allow passengers to enter and exit, then closes so that they can reverse course. Each of these elevators is 12 feet by 24 feet in length and width, with a capacity of approximately 120 persons, depending on their size. One of the longer sides has a single large door, while the other three sides have benches for passengers to sit. The central area of the elevators are open, allowing large objects and even vehicles to be transported inside. The support pillars containing these elevators are evenly distributed around the city, approximately a mile apart from each other.
Elevators travel along mythril cables that transfer arcane energy to their power cores. Unlike magitech devices such as SmartStones, which need to be periodically turned off to allow the core to recharge, elevators can run without pause because of the arcane energy conducted through their cables. Most elevators stop at every floor on a timer, although especially tall buildings sometimes use express elevators to transport passengers or cargo directly to higher floors. Many of these design features were carried over to the subway train, which is a direct descendant of the elevator.