BlackSand Pony Racing - The First Ride
“That could work, Azazel” Archmagus Crowley replied. Battle Mage Hothor also gave a thumbs up in approval. The three members of the Council of Mages were meeting in Azazel’s quarters, discussing new ways to attract visitors and merchants to the city.
The BlackSand Tournament had been a great success so far, and it was about to move to its second round. They had even managed to recruit a renown trainer to provide sparring sessions to the remaining contestants: the famous Samual Dueler of the Flowers.
But now Azazel had come up with another idea: pony racing. The logistics seemed challenging, but he believed it could be worth a try.
“This will work! BlackSand Pony Racing will become a pillar of Runiverse entertainment” Azazel followed with conviction.
The three mages spent the following weeks sending messages across the Runiverse to gather interest and arrange the ponies’ arrival to BlackSand. To everyone’s surprise, thirty-six ponies signed up to compete.
As ponies and their holders started arriving, the city quickly adapted. New pubs and inns opened up to satisfy their demand. The doors of the Black Stable opened for the first time to host the magnificent steeds. More visitors and merchants came to visit and witness the very first pony race in the Runiverse.
Racing Day #1 - The First Ride
Finally, after weeks of preparation, everything was ready. The race had been carefully planned. It would take a total of 7 days. The ponies would first run laps around the city perimeter, to then venture out towards the near mountains through the woods. In the last stretch, they would turn towards the shore and run on the black sand of the city beach to reach the finishing line. Azazel was overly excited.
He knew a seven-day race would be quite demanding, so they had prepared refreshment stations along the race path. Pony owners could decide to feed their pony some treats to re-invigorate their energy. Carrots, eggplants, pumpkins and much more was made available. “Why is there a bottle of rum there?” Azezel thought as he spotted some liquor bottles at the first refreshment station, located right at race start.
The crowd was filled with excitement as Azazel approached the starting grid.
The ponies looked marvelous and eager to race. Some even had some special fits thanks to a new Body Shop that had opened in town.
Everything was ready: “May the inaugural BlackSand Pony Racing commence. Welcome to the First Ride!”
The first day of racing saw a pony sprint all the way to the front from Lane C: Hell Pony the Stupendous. In his beautiful racing fit, he had conquered the crowd, who cheered him all the way to first place. Two other ponies were closely following: Periwinkle the Precious and Ponyzilla the Quick.
Racing Day #2 - The Promise of Riches
The second day of racing started with an incredible announcement that got the crowd extremely excited. The Council of Mages revealed that they would award treasure boxes to winning (and losing…) ponies. Legends said that those boxes had been purchased by BlackSand from the Nightmare Imp, and that they could potentially carry invaluable items and riches.
Ponies kept racing hard and something new pushed a new contender to the top of the race:
Hell Pony the Stupendous managed to maintain a narrow lead. But now Periwinkle was joined by Dover the Bold and Vitalik the Strong in second place.
Pony Racing Day #3 - The Feeding
After two full days of racing, ponies started to get hungry and demanded their treats.
Before the race, pony owners had been allowed to register crews and buy treats to support the ponies throughout the race. So, as soon as the ponies finished their second lap around the city, the crews rushed to the refreshment stations to prepare their treats.
It turned into chaos...
When the racing ponies reached the stations, each crew tried to get to and feed them as fast as possible:
- Some crews started throwing pumpkins, cherries, and peaches to their ponies, often missing
- A crew tried to feed a massive carrot to their pony Hippo and pushed him right back to the race. More than half of the carrot fell back to the floor. Hippo still hungry…
- Other crews tried their luck with hot peppers. What could go wrong? They sprinkled the ponies’ nostrils with the spice: some ponies, reinvigorated, started galloping even fasters. Some others had to stop as they began sneezing on their crew
- The bravest crews went tries to re-fuel their ponies with cognac and rum. Results were spectacular. Some ponies sprinted ahead thanks to their new liquid courage. Others awkwardly spilled and dropped the liquors to the floor. Things caught on fire and crews started screaming and running for their life
- One of the ponies seemed more interested in eating than racing. She ate what looked like a dead fish and after a couple of steps she fell down on the road, not looking too good
After the mayhem created by what will be remembered as the “Feeding”, a new star emerged: Milo the Odd took the lead of the race; Hell Pony the Stupendous kept in second with Dover the Bold solidifying his third place.
Racing Day #4 - The Traveler’s Blessing
In the fourth day of racing, all ponies had to turn away from the city and run into the woods towards the nearby mountains. Few amongst the crowd managed to keep up, but those who did claimed to have witnessed something magical. A traveler with a deer-looking head approached the ponies who looked the most exhausted. He would pray in their ears and re-invigorate their strength in a magical phenomenon that became known as the Traveler’s Blessing.
Racing Day #5 - The Kobold’s Gambit
As they reached the mountain path that was supposed to lead them back to the city, a Kobold approached the ponies. After days of racing the were tired, hungry, and thirsty, and quite vulnerable to temptation. A sneaky, suspicious figure, the Kobold tried to lure the ponies to his cave, promising delicious treats and a possible shortcut back to BlackSand.
It turned out the Kobold was not to be trusted. He took advantage of most of the ponies who entertained his offers. Some of the ponies got lost in the woods, others just felt too tired and decided to start racing backwards. Only a few got lucky and managed to find an escape and run forward.
Racing Day #6 - Pony Art, Stories, and Movies
With the ponies out of sight in the middle of the woods, art, stories and movies about them started to flourish. Painters shared beautiful art pieces, historians shared fantastic stories, and film makers premiered amazing documentaries on the life of their beloved ponies.
Racing Day #7 - The Final Lap
The brave ponies finally re-appeared from the woods on their way back from the mountain. They rushed towards the last stretch of the race on the sands of the city beaches. They all look exhausted, yet beautiful in their joy for racing.
After their adventure in the woods, their order and positions were totally different. And the race for the top was neck to neck!
The crowd started cheering their favorite ponies. It was loud. Chants emerged to encourage them towards the finish line. They were hopeful.
The ponies finally rushed in: Galloping on the black sand. Neighing to the sunset. Racing to their best!
And in a concert of claps and cheers, the winner of the first ever pony race in the Runiverse crossed the finishing line. Fireworks blasted off, music started playing, the crowd went insane!
Pony #147 was the first ever BlackSand Pony Racing winner! In close second came Pony #219, in third Pony #65. Last, but still very happy was Pony #300.
Azazel took it all in. It was incredible. They had made it. It was done. The First Ride was complete.
BlackSand had made history. Again.
Entered by: 0x8717…A7A8
BlackSand Mounts
Origins
“It was time to put BlackSand back on the map” Wizard #7718 thought, “It was time to build anew.”
For centuries the city had been forgotten. Just a long lost memory in old history books. But the city had started to rebuild and the Races came to help.
“Ah, the Races!” Azazel said. Emotions filling his words and tears falling down his cheeks. Never could he have dreamt of what the BlackSand Races would become. The Races had gifted the city with a renaissance of life.
New Citizens and Visitors traveled to spectate the mighty steeds. Merchants flocked to sell their precious wares. Play and fun were brought back as little pony dolls became the favorite toy of every kid in town. Artists joined in. They brought their colors. Bards visited again. They brought their music. Wizards came back. They brought their magic.
Together, they brought back life. Together, they put BlackSand back on the map. The City that Once Was became Once More.
Filled with passion and purpose, Azazel started to write as another important quest was before him. With letters he summoned new Adventurers. He needed their help to scout the lands nearby, to discover what lay beyond BlackSand. To know where his beloved city stopped and the wilds of the Runiverse began.
Azazel offered a new breed of steeds to those who answered the call. Constructed with magic from the remains of the QuantaPony War and powered by Quantum Crystals, the Mecha Ponies were built to defend the city and enable travel across the land. They were built to serve.
Upon their new mechanized mounts, the Adventurers met with forests and lakes. They discovered ruins of ages past and found new paths to unknown locales. But more importantly they found Them: some of the most magical creatures in the Runiverse, who sought shelter in BlackSand after humans left.
The first encounter was BaoBob: a formidable beast of raw power and immense strength. Gold facets were adorning his neck, tusks, and tail. No one dared to get a closer look, lest they be charged, trampled, gored, or even poisoned by what looked like oxalic acid dripping from his tusks.
Then they found the velociraptor, Hostilian, hunting in the woods. Adapted and bred to become an apex hunter, the beast had evolved to become a true predator. Hostilian represented a natural freedom and edge that other species…even humans…could only ever dream about.
They first heard him, and then saw him: Boba. A giant stumpy goat herder with thick purple fur developed to easily camouflage amongst herds of null goats. Tales of Boba’s cunning and nimbleness were known throughout the region. His cuteness is renowned across the entire Runiverse.
The Giant Duck, Quavius was spotted bathing in a large lake. Born in forests north of Rabbit Lake, Quavius came from a long line of royal avians: once revered as gods, today a semi-forgotten species. But Quavius had been different since an early age, and grew up learning how to master its innate magic.
Lord Humphrey the Wise, a magical ostrich, was found in the middle of a narrow path. He looked disoriented, yet focused. Almost as if he was waiting for something. Maybe for someone to attack? Maybe someone to race against? An average passerby would mark this creature as a fool, soon to be another’s meal. Little do they know Lord Humphrey always had a trick up its wing.
The alpaca, Victor de la Sierra, was first spotted resting close to the Mountains of Light. The Adventurers who found him learned that Victor was the leader of an ancient herd of alpacas blessed with longevity and the rare ability to sense magic. His gaze seemed to gift a glimpse into realms of untold knowledge awarding patience and calm to those deemed worthy.
To those who ventured all the way up Sol-Top Summit, another creature manifested. Such beauty and powers to behold in Devourer Omopho of the Salt, the only Peryton known to exist. Some considered it an abomination. A mistake of the gods. But those lucky enough to see it, would know what true greatness really meant.
More creatures than could be accounted for were spotted hunting across the woods, traveling across the dark night sky, or resting on the calm seashores. They all exuded a sense of might. A sense of speed. A sense of eagerness to win.
Someone even claimed they saw a creature, familiar but otherworldly…a horned figure of darkened shadow…something resembling the devil, itself…Best not to dwell on it. Adventurers tend to have one-too-many kobold koolaids.
Finally, in the most remote lands, Adventurers learned about an ancient ritual. A ritual lost in time, but with powers beyond current knowledge. A ritual to evoke the very soul of living mounts. A ritual that required rare crystals…and demanded powerful magic. It was here they found the first Soul Pony. And instantly they knew: more were to come.
Who will control Them? Who will control their powers? Who will race them to victory? How about you, Adventurer? Are you brave enough to embark on this new quest in the land of BlackSand?
Lore by Legatus & Deltamouse
Entered by: 0x8717…A7A8
