Buriat Kharvaa

An ancient mounted archery sport which is practiced by many Khudaldaan citizens on the city streets of Ustgelt's Plate. Simply put, the sport is a horse race which also involves shooting a certain amount of targets before reaching the finish line.

How to Play:

Game functionality-wise, this sport requires one to hit a pre-determined amount of targets whose AC must be beaten. These targets are grouped by circuits in groups of 10, meaning that in each circuit, the player must roll up to 10 d20 ranged attacks, and the same target cannot be hit twice. Once a racer wishes to move onto the next circuit, they may do so as they please. However, once they move onto the next circuit, they are unable to return to the previous circuit. This can lead to intense comeback victories, or reverse comebacks if one gets too greedy. The DM then rolls to determine the AC of the targets as follows:

• Beginner's Course, 18 of 30 targets must be hit: AC = 11+1d4
• Intermediate Course, 22 of 30 targets must be hit: AC = 14+1d6
• Master's Course, 35 of 40 targets must be hit: AC = 17+1d8

There are also bonus targets which only one racer is able to hit per circuit, these gold-painted targets counting for 3 targets over the usual 1, but they are incredibly difficult to hit. Each circuit has one bonus target, and if two racers are aiming for the same bonus target on the same circuit, the racer who rolls the higher score on the check hits the target first and earns the point. The DC for the bonus target is as follows:

• Beginner's Course: AC = 17+1d8
• Intermediate Course: AC = 20 + 1d6
• Master's Course: AC = 23 + 1d4

Each turn, or lap, consists of the player rolling an amount of d20's equal to the amount of targets they have yet to hit this circuit (starting at 10 targets + 1 bonus target and decreasing from there) The race finishes once a racer has completed the last circuit (third on the beginner's/intermediate course, and fourth on the master's course), that racer finishes the race. If two racers finish on the same lap, the racer who hit more targets is declared the victor. Each race contains 6 racers, and rewards are typically granted to the top 3 placers.

History

Buriat Kharvaa, like Bohk, is a sport with a lot of Ezlekhian tradition tied to it. The sport has its roots in an ancient hunting ritual which took place before written history; Supposedly, Malnovans would begin the hunting season by taking turns practicing shooting pieces of fruit with their arrows while horsebound, which was said to bless their hunting season with bountiful game. As the years went by, the tradition became more ingrained in Ezlekhian society; The tradition would also be repeated in particularly tough harvesting seasons with the hopes that their sacrifice and show of skill would impress the gods themselves and provide them with a plentiful harvest.
With the tradition being intergated into many Khudaldaan festivals and parades, one particular variance on the tradition is believed to have led to the creation of Buriat Kharvaa. When multiple horsebound Ezlekhians were sent out at the same time by mistake, they began treating the tradition like a competition, leading to their accuracy being tested by a scoreboard. This beloved variance on the tradition eventually became the sport itself by around 800 AE, while betting on this sport became popular around the 1300s AE.
Another possible origin of the sport proper comes from the faraway land of Chertaminè. It is said that a sport similar to jousting was brought over from the overseas land, and Ezlekhians who attempted to imitate that sport were said to have combined it with their local traditions and created the hybrid sport of Buriat Kharvaa. Though folks can't agree on the exact origin of the sport, it remains the most well-beloved sport in all of southern Ezlekh.

Components and tools

The players of this sport are typically outfitted in gear which takes as much advantage of Runic Magic as possible, but only in ways to increase the safety of the sport. Buriat Kharvaa athletes dress in colorful robes and wear bowl-like hats adorned with decorations of their choice (typically colored-fur accent pieces, flowers/greenery, or medals/jewelry). The gloves which Buriat Kharvaa riders typically wear are outfitted with special runes which activate upon the rider uttering a vocal component; The right glove discharges a harmless bolt of electricity to their mount to easily communicate with it, while the left glove can be clenched to activate a large gust of wind to save the rider from injuries if they were to fall off their horse.
Any ranged weaponry which passes an inspection by those in-charge of the match is acceptable to be used during the sport, with contestants having used anything from slings, to classic bows and arrows, to, more-modernly, firearms. Thanks to transluscent glass barriers located alongside the course, spectators are, of course, kept safe from the any projectiles which come from the athletes, while also maintaining front-row seats to the action. Because of the intuitivity of the sport, the low buy-in cost for playing, and the versatility of the tools that can be used, Buriat Kharvaa has become very popular among all age groups across Khudaldaa and Southern Ezlekh as a whole.

Participants

The sport is primarily dominated by the shorter/lighter races of Aekko, especially those native to the Southern half of the Malnovan continent.  Approximately 45% of the sport's participants are halflings, 20% of the participants are Kobolds, while 20% of the participants are other short races including Gnomes, Goblins, and Dwarves.  The remaining 15% of participants are moderately-sized humanoids like humans, elves, dragonborn, gith, and genasi, as heavier races are typially less aerodynamic and are much more difficult to find horses for.

Observance

Larger matches of Buriat Kharvaa, those on the Master's Courses, typically occur in the city of Tsetserleg in the middle of each month, as well as during the mornings of holidays right before parades. The beginner and intermediate courses host matches on select city streets on Tsetserleg's Plate district twice weekly, and the tradition has even been seen in Khuurmag and Tagnuul festivals and rare occasions.  The non-Khudaldaan performances of this sport are the least-traditionalistic, sometimes even adding obstacles or gimmicks to their stadiums which shake up the races even further.

Primary Related Location

Khudaldaa