The Thanas Circuit is a series of races which began in the rural region of Thanas, a sleepy corner of Ibevar known only for its agricultural production. Held as a yearly festival, the Circuit can be broken into a double meaning, referring to both the modern circuit races of motorcarts around a set track, and the "circuit" that spectators take between the viewing of modern races and the traditional and artificed Thanas Cart racing. The latter two consist of a series of downhill races, the contemporary version being distinguished from the traditional by the presence of any safety features or control mechanisms on the carts. Still one of the greatest tourist attractions in the otherwise serene elfrealm, the Thanas Circuit's races are spectacle enough to give an elf all the excitement they would need for the year.
History of Cartracing[]
Origins[]
Traditional introduced by the apprentices of the local chapter of Ibevar's Avusíllerní or Cartwrights' Guild, who took to racing newly minted carts as a test of their durability. Participants would initially use sturdy horses such as the Cursewood draft to draw their carts up to the top of tall hills, unhook them, and "pilot" the uncontrolled cart in a race to the bottom, the one who was able to get the most distance from it typically being considered the winner. While originally a sport among the apprentices of the Avusíllerní and a mere by-product of cartwrights' craft, soon enough, the practice grew popular enough for specific Thanas Carts to be commissioned. However, due to the danger of racing heavy carts downhill with no method of steering or braking, the sport was infamous for the numerous fatalities amongst pilots and spectators alike, giving it a rather dismal reputation, condemning it to be seen as the sport of the region's uncouth rural folk. Originally held on any sloped roadway in the region of Thanas, the practice was quickly limited to specific stretches of closed or specially constructed roadway that would not send the carts barreling into unfortunate pedestrians or residential areas.
Artificery and the modern Thanas Cart[]
The man responsible for the spread of the sport to the rest of Ibevar and beyond was an elven artificer named Munarion Kinwheel, who manufactured a prototype cart made of metal, with a functioning steering wheel and braking device. He used his creation in order to win several local races, showing the potential that the Thanas Carts had. He used the proceeds from his victories and the support of the local organizers in order to create larger events, attracting wider audiences, and creating the initial rift between the traditional and artificed Thanas Cart. Many practitioners, even to this day, consider the plain un-controlled wooden carts of days past the only "pure" form of racing. Kinwheel was notably inspired by the small population of goblin refugees that had been resettled in Thanas at around the time of the Ibevari Reformation, creating a small but thriving community of artificers that helped Ibevar to maintain cling onto a sense of modernity, despite the constant backlash of more powerful traditionalists in the elfrealm.
Carts across Cannor[]
Thanas-Cart racing would evolve into a professionalized sport in the years after the artificed cart's introduction. First spreading to the trendsetting Núrael, and then to other locales throughout the Elfrealm, the excitement of the downhill races grew in exponential popularity, especially with the severe decline in one's risk of being flattened by a toppling cart that had turned off course. Beyond Ibevar, professional teams sprung up first in Giberd and Telgeir, and soon spread all across Cannor. Few could resist the "Thrill of the Hill" as the spectacle of carts barreling down the hill at speeds faster than a horse's gallop, along with bloody, often deadly wrecks even despite the safety measures implemented drew the attention of an uncouth public hungry for the drama of it all. Horse races could hardly compete with the spectacle, elevated by the sensational commentary of the Tellumite Criers who to this day maintain a running narrative of all three forms of the sport. The early Thanas Circuit, which invited participants from all across Cannor, is noted for being one of the most successful forces in the easing of Ibevar's strict regulations on outside visitors, a tradition maintained since the time of the White Pestilence, opening the nation up to humans and the other races of Cannor. While prevalent in early years, the use of potions and unsanctioned spellcraft has been forbidden in all races despite their prominence in early years as the Circuit has become the domain of artificers and renowned for pushing the limits of automotive design, and the classic races the domain of purists who disdain even the idea of safety harnesses or personal warding that would minimize the tragedy of collisions and crashes.
Thanas Car[]
Despite his heavy battle-scars from centuries of cart racing, Munarion Kinwheel would not only miraculously survive a number of crashes and collisions that far outpaces his years but again transform the sport. Following one of his "missionary" trips to spread the thrill of the Thanas Cart across the world, he became aware of the Taychendi motorcart. Captivated by a device that could take all the thrill of a downhill rush under its own propulsion, across any road or path in Halann, Kinwheel was one of the earliest adopters of the motorcart in Cannor, establishing the Thanas Circuit races, and establishing the Lungráilt Motorcart Company, which has cemented itself as the maker of some of Cannor's most coveted motorcarts. The incontestable patience of elfkind has produced the length of the modern Thanas-style Car Races, wherein cars are expected to make hundreds of laps around the circuit track, requiring the frequent exchanges of wheels and other parts due to the strain that the high speeds and specialized modifications put on the components of the motorcarts participating.
The Circuit's Races[]
All three forms of Thanas Cart Racing are still practiced on a yearly basis at the Thanas Circuit, where enthusiasts for various methods of Cannorian transport meet and swap stories, carts, and memorabilia commemorating the long and storied history of Carts, Carriages, and Motorcarts.
Traditional Thanas Cartracing[]
The traditional Thanas Cart is a contraption made of wood and four wheels, placed lower to the ground than a normal cart or wagon would be, the original Carts, alongside their modern replicas, (or those few enough lucky to survive decades or centuries of use) feature no steering device or brakes. The traditional Thanas Cart is "piloted" by a single soul, and pushed to the point where it will roll downhill by the rest of their three-man team, who can hop into the cart or not at their leisure. Competing schools of thought exist on whether to use the full team's weight to sway the cart, or to pray to Ara and let a single pilot see the race through.
Artificed Thanas Cartracing[]
Somewhat unloved in recent years, Artificed Cartracing is the middle child between the traditional and modern, its safety features scorned by traditionalists, as the limit of the downhill run turns the noses of Motorcart fans. Typically, a single driver uses the limited power of the cart's engine to give it the first push, steering through a much longer track following the downhill slope. Cars are expected to traverse the two or three miles to the finish after the hill, jockeying for a lead in the way one would expect in modern motorcart racing. The craft in these races still conform to the basic shape of the cart, and certain regulations keep the designs from veering too close to the motorcart's more aerodynamic designs. Often, the sport is mocked for the fact that many carts regularly fail to make it to the finish line, leading to many centuries-overused jokes about under-performance.
Thanas Motorcart Racing[]
In modern times, Thanas-Car racing is a professional racing circuit involving a number of teams, where a team consists of one driver, a cart, support staff, sometimes magic, often prayers, and always adrenaline. Racing is quite often a dangerous endeavor, and thus a favorite pastime of youths and thrill-seekers alike. A wide array of makes and models are seen to participate from artificers all across the world, entries shifting and adapting year to year, but the distinct ta'Luneteín blue chasse and moon-yellow crescent rims that define the elegant curves of the Lungrái motorcart still consistently dominate Thanas-style races all across Halann.