It is a big world that we live with a wide variety of religious influences. One such unique influences is that of the Horse Lord of Kyaht. Once the deity praised by those that rode the plains just Southwest of where Elenore now currently stands, the influence has settled into the island city. Nowhere is the deity’s presence felt more than in the annual Horse Games honoring the the tribes that once roamed the plains.

The Horse Games are a draw to many tourists seeking entertainment but very few participate in the event if they aren’t already a city dweller. This year was different. More than half of those that entered come from outside the city walls and it made for an interesting turn of events.

“I’ve never laughed so hard in my life,” says one of the townspeople who watched the day’s events from the stands. “A dwarf on a full grown horse? It’s like watching a child compete against adults.” What makes it worse is the Dwarf’s amusing display in the first round. He barely managed to stay atop his horse during the archery contest. Whizzing past five sets of targets, he only managed to strike one target on the very outside. It was a poor display of skill but it was  better than one of the riders raised within the city walls who didn’t manage to strike a single target. It was clear from the beginning of the competition who the favorites to win were; a Wood Elf named Adalae who barely took the lead in the first round by two points against our home raised choice to win Killian Soms. However, by the end of the round, out of nowhere came one of the best performances to ever grace the field for the archery contest from an Half Elf named Elwyn.

However readers, the games are not decided in the first round and when the jousting came about all three who were leading were knocked off their horses. Surprisingly it appeared the Dwarf called Veit seemed to quickly pick up skill upon horse back sending one after the next flying from their mount. In the end it came down to Veit and Horus, another outsider participating in the games. The jousting at the top tier was incredibly intense as blows were matched on each side. Eventually Veit won out over Horus taking the top of spot in the second portion of the competition. At this an obvious swift was felt in the audience toward their outlook of the dwarf and many were disappointed with Killian Soms knockout in the first round.

Again, it is the chariot races that where the real winners are decided. The points awarded at the end of the races have had many glorious comebacks from nowhere. This just happened to be the case this year and the crowd loved every minute of it. From the very get go Killian and Adalae raced as hard as they could both vying for first place hoping to take home the prize of the Horse Champion title. Many of those who came from beyond the city walls to compete fell quickly behind but none fell quite as far as Veit and another of Kyaht’s natives who’s horses did not cooperate at the start of the race. Their folly made for great humor out on the field but Veit quickly gained control of his steed and the fire in his spirit drove his horse faster than any we had seen on the track in many years. From almost last place he managed to overcome both Adalae and Killian as the race neared the halfway point. The race was only half way through and you could tell he knew he couldn’t let up. With steely resolve, he pressed his horse with an intensity the Horse Lord himself would be at odds to maintain moving ever farther away from the rest of the contenders.

At one point near the end of the race one of the riders was flung from his horse causing others to come to an almost standstill which allowed the three in the lead to press ever harder toward victory. Killian pushed as hard as he could to overtake Veit getting right on his heels while Adalae’s horse started to lose speed and she fell behind. At the end of the race Veit and Killian were neck to neck but Veit synched the win by half a horse’s length. It was incredibly as he crossed the line the stands stood and cheered belting out his name in unison. You could feel their feet stomping the grounds rattling the very earth. What started as a very poor display of his ability had turned the crowed on their head. Sadly with Elwyn’s poor display in the races and Veit’s poor display at archery neither had enough points to take first place. That honor went to Kyaht’s very own Killian Soms! It was a close game as Veit and Elwyn were both tied with 21 points but Killian’s overall performance garnered him 23 points and the title of Horse Champion.

What great intensity from those not accustomed to Kyaht’s ways. They may not have gained prestige inside the city but it’s clear to me that their names will not be forgotten. I dare say they’ll dance across the lips of the townsfolk for some time after today.