Chariots appear throughout Dark Sun and seem to be used extensively, but how and why?

Chariots appear most prominently in Dragon Kings, where whole stat blocks are laid out for chariot units. Including chariots in this way implies that their use is wide-spread, that they can be affordably manufactured, and that they are viewed as valuable additions to the battlefield. The Complete Gladiator’s Handbook contains rules for charioteers, and chariots appear in Dark Sun art and other media. So we absolutely know they are a thing on Athas.

The Real World History of Chariots

When used in war, chariots were used much like modern cavalry, allowing fast movement around a battlefield. Standing in a chariot allowed commanders to see over the heads of their troops and monitor the battle. They could also be mobile weapon platforms, useful for shooting arrows or throwing javelins. Even melee weapons, like lances, were used from chariots, in an effort to keep infantry at bay. Depending on the design, a chariot could also offer some comfort and protection.

A brief history of chariots in the real world:
* Hittite chariots were noted for being solid and boxlike. They were robust, but weren’t especially fast. Hittite chariots were constructed for a three man crew - one archer, a spearman, and a driver. The Hittites used the chariot’s speed to monopolize trade routes.
* Egyptian chariots used at about the same time as the Hittite chariots had less armor and were more delicate, but were faster and more maneuverable than their Hittite contemporaries.
* The Chinese used chariots, and had awnings or umbrellas over the tops of their chariots.
* The Celts used chariots as well. The Celts were noted for running up and down the draft pole while a chariot was in motion as a show of bravado. They were used to quickly transport infantry to fighting locations and retreat as needed.
* The Persian Empire used scythed chariots, which were considered experimental by their contemporaries.
* The Romans had the most extreme chariot designs: their racing chariots were a small square for the driver’s feet, attached to a center pole and two wheels; maximum speed, no safety net.

So, what can chariots do that cavalry can’t? Nothing; even without stirrups or a saddle, fighting from horseback is superior in every way. There is a reason why chariots got phased out very quickly in real life, at least in warfare. Examples of this abound - it is easy to find accounts of the abilities of the Alexandrian cavalry and the Native Americans, neither of whom needed saddles or stirrups.

Chariots lack the maneuverability or turning radius of a horse (or equivalent Athasian mount). Chariots also cannot operate across the same range of terrain types that a horse can. Chariots require at least a two man crew and two horses to achieve the same things that a single rider and horse can.

In the real world, chariots preceded cavalry use. Reasons for this include horses not yet being bred to be strong enough to carry humans into battle and because of the higher level of skill required to effectively use cavalry before the invention of the stirrup and saddle. Once horses were able to carry people reliably, and the population and logistics supported training cavalry, the chariot began to fade away, quickly and decisively.

A major exception to this was civilian use. Chariots were a popular means of conveyance for nobility and upper classes, as it kept them elevated from the filth of the lower classes. They were also used in processions, parades, and transport. Their popularity in all other aspects of civilian life, however, was dwarfed by their use in games and races.

Chariot races were hugely popular, with hordes of ravening fans, and their use in racing remained long after they were antiquated. Chariot races could be the sport of kings or the domain of slaves, where even slaves could accrue massive wealth, fame, and acclaim. For all the fervor that ancient Rome could summon for their chariot riders, it was in Constantinople that saw the height of popularity for chariot racing.

Constantinople was the site of the Nika riots, where several chariot-based sports teams erupted into a riot that killed thousands, burned down half the city, and almost made the emperor flee the city. What Spartacus was to slave revolts, the Nika Riots were to chariots.

Chariots have been used, and depicted, in a variety of historical and modern entertainment. Here are some historical examples that may be useful to consider for inspiration:
* The Battle of Kadesh, fought between Egypt and the Hittites
* The final battle of Boudicca versus Rome
* Artistic depictions of chariots from China
* The Battle of Gaugamela between Alexander and Darius
* The Nika Riots

Fictional inspirations:
* Any movie featuring the above battles (Viking Queen, Alexander, etc)
* Ben Hur
* Gladiator
* Deadliest Warrior: the inaccuracies of this show make me consider it as fiction, but it features some very fun demonstrations of chariots, which are relevant. * Mythology has many good examples. A favorite of mine is from the Viking myths, with a chariot pulled by kittens.

Chariots on Athas

Inix are poorly suited for pulling chariots - they are too large and have a huge tail. Mekillots are even bigger than the inix. Erdlu and crodlu are often referenced as being used to pull chariots, especially in art. There is some art showing someone riding a crodlu, but most of what we see are chariots and carts. While their high profiles and tall necks may cut down on visibility some, they seem to be the best option. I imagine kanks could be strapped to a chariot, but they are more often seen being ridden.

We are dealing with a fantasy universe, however, which means that the options are infinite. Druids, psions, defilers, preservers, and clerics all command powers which allow them to use unusual beasts for transport. Chariots could be pulled by tembo, boneclaws, psionic cats, elemental beasts, reanimated skeletons, and more. So long as the charioteer could control the beasts and drive the chariot, magic and psionics open up a lot of possibilities.

The world of Athas is also a cruel one. Baazrag could be dehumanized to the point where they are treated like beasts of burden. Anyone using slaves might decide to strap them to a chariot, especially if they were enslaved enemies wearing a literal yoke, pulling a general after a triumph.

I would also expect to see chariots in other processions and celebrations, almost like modern day parade balloons. Imagine the effect on commoners, slaves, and other lowly folk seeing a templar or noble passing by in a chariot, pulled by crodlu better fed and dressed than they are! I can imagine the wealthy making a big show of only using crodlu or kanks, especially to advertise stables that have their patronage: “Don’t use those House Shom crodlu! We have the best ones!”

The use of chariots in Athasian warfare is a little difficult to parse. I do feel that they are realistically too antiquated for use in warfare; heck, running elves would probably be more effective. The most effective use of chariots would probably be as mobile weapon platforms, but not for mundane attacks: chariots could be great for moving “caster” types - arcane, divine, and psionic individuals - about a battlefield. The less time these individuals spend trying to get to the right place, the more time they have to cast spells or use powers. They may also be an option when qualified cavalry riders are in short supply, but you have ample mounts.

The Nika riots should also be an inspiration. The potential for chaos and carnage of such an event in a Dark Sun campaign is great. Consider a given city and its monarch: is the monarch a cunning one that would orchestrate such an uprising to manipulate the populace or jump start some serious urban renovation? Or is the sorcerer monarch weak or otherwise have a blind spot in this area? Perhaps there are agent provocateurs from another city-state that would agitate such a riot?

Chariots and the City-States

Given the varied cultures of the city-states, a myriad of chariot racing traditions could exist in each city-state:

Gulg - The Oba’s iron grip of pseudo-religious control extends to the races just like it does to everything else in Gulg. Lalali-Puy views the races not only as a means of mollifying the populace, but as another means of control. By default, the Oba owns all of the chariots and racing crodlu, which the templars justify as a way of maintaining fairness in the races. Thus, few of her people are actually accomplished charioteers. Instead, war prisoners, slaves, and criminals are often forced to become the drivers, although sometimes mercenaries or adventurers eager for acclaim will volunteer instead. Regardless, drivers are tied to their chariots with giant hair rope and are marked with a magical brand so that templars can track those who try to flee.

The Gulgan race track itself is a series of well-worn and carefully maintained trails through the forest, all linked together to form an interconnected web. Though there is a starting point and an endpoint to the race track, it is a rare participant who can even make it from one end to the other on the first try, as templars stand by to summon walls of plants to force riders to take alternate paths around the track. Gulg’s raceway has no viewing stands. Instead, the Oba trusts her people to gather at popular viewing locations of their own accord.

Chariot races in Gulg all revolve around one thing: The Huntmaster. The Huntmaster is equipped with spears, bows, bolas, and more, and his role is to hunt down and slay the other chariot drivers. Serving as the Huntmaster is a great honor, and the Huntmaster is always a noble who has jockeyed and campaigned relentlessly for the role. Winners of the chariot “race” are those who can survive from sunrise to sunset, or more rarely, slay the Huntmaster.

Urik - In Urik, chariot racing is regarded as the sport of kings. A noble might consent to have a driver, but the noble will be riding in the chariot with the driver, so that he may toss javelins or shoot arrows from the chariot. Any noble wishing to prove their puissance, however, had best be able to prove they can fight from a chariot - the fact that chariots themselves are rarely used by Urikites in warfare is beside the point. Out of all those in the Tyr Region, Urik’s chariots are the most likely to be drawn by enslaved enemies.

Like the city’s arena, Urik’s chariot stadium is irregularly shaped and strewn with jagged pillars of obsidian. The stadium has no designated track, much less an obvious starting or ending point. Instead, there are several gates around the edges.

The reason for the stadium’s unorthodox design rests in the nature of Urik’s chariot games themselves. The goal of the games are a sort of reverse “counting coup.” The participants are always nobles, and their animals and chariots are festooned with specially designed ribbons. Each noble races about, driving as close to the pillars as possible. The goal is to get the ribbons caught on the sharp edges of the obsidian. If a ribbon is torn off, a point is scored; if a ribbon is caught on the pillar, it is worth two points; if a ribbon is knocked off by a rival, that removes the points scored.

Racing dangerously close to the pillars and trying to lose all their ribbons while trying to dislodge their opponents’ ribbons often leads to quite a few bloody accidents. The nobles usually have more than enough healing on hand to survive, but fatalities do occasionally happen.

King Hamanu often attends the chariot races. He makes a big show of picking a favorite in secret, and hiding the prediction in something like a basket, with the name only being revealed after the games have been won. If the king’s favorite won, then he can claim to be an excellent judge; if not, he can make a show of being a good loser, endearing himself to the people. It goes without saying that Hamanu can easily change his secret choice with a simple wave of his hand.

From time to time, Urikite nobles will demand the right to duel via chariot. Only one participant need be a noble, though a noble challenging a commoner this way is unseemly. In these competitions, weapons are allowed. These chariot duels are brutal, with all the savagery of gladiatorial combat combined with the speed of charioteering. Death is often the result.

Draj - Though not quite as bloody as other Draji pursuits, chariot racing in Draj is still quite dangerous and violent.

Draji chariot racing centers around geoglyphs - massive designs worked into the landscape - located in the desert outside the city. Measuring hundreds of feet across and as much as 20 feet wide in places, the designs are used as racing paths by Draji charioteers. Not just a means of entertainment, it is widely believed that traveling the paths of the geoglyphs appeases the Elements, helping to bring life-giving rain to the city’s crops and fertility to the land.

Chariots race along the designs at high speeds, attempting to knock competitors off of the race track. Charioteers who stray from the path risk injury to themselves and their draft animals, as well as damage to their chariots - largely broken wheels and snapped axles - from the loose stones and rocks that lay just beyond the carefully maintained geoglyphs.

The geoglyphs are watched over and maintained by a sacred order of monks. The monks are an adjunct order that is completely subservient to the Moon Priests, but also includes psionicists in their ranks. The monks sweep and rake the paths of the geoglyphs between races and ensure that the sanctity of the designs is maintained at all time- which often includes ensuring that unscrupulous individuals do not sabotage or otherwise alter the raceways.

While competition to win the Draji chariot races is understandably fierce, those charioteers in the middle ranks face especially stiff competition - a fact that outsiders often find surprising. Indeed, the lower ranks are so contentious because the losers of Draji chariot races not only bring shame to themselves and their houses, but gain one last chance to serve their city - on the sacrificial altar atop the Father and Master Temple, the city’s Great Pyramid.

Tyr - King Kalak seemed to prefer gladiatorial games to chariot races, but the latter never languished for lack of funding or acclaim while Kalak ruled. New chariot racing facilities were under construction just outside the city walls when Kalak was deposed, but work on the nearly completed facilities was abandoned upon his death. Chariot races can still be held in the arena, but the once proud Tyrian arena is now bankrupt, and is instead used as a market most of the time.

Like gladiatorial games, chariot races are still held from time to time. When prospective charioteers sign up for an event, they contribute funds to a pot. When enough money is garnered, the arena is cleared out and races are held with the winner taking the pot. Sometimes enterprising merchants or nobles will donate a large amount into the pot, with the condition of being listed as sponsors.

There are almost no restrictions on the races: any chariot, any beasts, and any riders are allowed. There are even thri-kreen and elves who sometimes join and simply race on foot. Flying, however, is not allowed, and racers are expected to stick to designated track. Magic and psionics use, both by the racers or members of the crowd, are technically prohibited, but there is no effort made at enforcement if even the barest attempt at subtly is made.

It would be an understatement to say that Tyrian races are brutal, chaotic, and lethal; it’s not uncommon for the winner to be the sole survivor. More than a few former gladiators participate in the races - mainly men and women who miss the pageantry of the arenas, and seek thrills as charioteers instead. There are even rumors that there are secret drag strips located outside the city where hopefuls practice their dangerous sport.

Balic - Balic has a cultural tradition of ‘fair play’ and good sportsmanship, and Andropinis’ stated policy is one of fair and open competition, this simply means that the corruption and cheating endemic to Balican chariot racing is well-hidden - each course has locations (often behind rocky outcrops or through narrow archways) hidden from public view where competitors know that their actions won’t be witnessed. Approaching one of these locations is often done with trepidation, however, because racers know that if a competitor is going to attempt an ambush, leave a trap, or engage in some other kind of underhanded tactic, it will likely occur there.

Clad in clean white robes that are meant to be highly visible from a distance, the Observers are ostensibly neutral and independent individuals who monitor the races. The Observers are typically staged at strategic locations around the track and are expected to report back to the templars at the end of each race. However, certain Observers are known to be amenable to bribes, be they bags of coin, invitations to private parties, or the promotion of the Observer’s goods or services.

Small and light racing chariots are most common in Balic, and those who equip their chariots with armor or weapons are often seen as brutish and unprofessional. It is not uncommon, however, to have such an ‘outsider’ join a race in a more hulking chariot in order to clear the chaff out of a race to allow the ‘true professionals’ vie for victory at the end. These chariots often have an additional passenger ledge to give space for a syntrofos, the traditional companion or warrior who accompanies a skilled chariot driver. The career of a syntrofos is often short and dangerous, but can quickly lead to a great deal of acclaim, with ample opportunities for daring and bold deeds.

Raam - Under Abalach-Re, Raam’s chariot games were a wild spectacle. The first day was kicked off with a parade of the contestants. Bread was tossed to the crowds, and sometimes had prizes baked within it, like ceramic bits or even the rare gold coin. Local champions were celebrities, complete with screaming fans lining the streets to catch a glimpse of their favorite. The parade concluded with a group of Raamite templars intoning a holy benediction to Badna, praying for a fair and clean race. Attendance of this ritual prayer was, of course, mandatory.

It was an open secret that the games were corrupt to the core. The templars monitoring the games took bribes so readily that they were viewed as entrance fees. The parades were heavily guarded to prevent mobs charging the participants, and the bread tossed to the crowd was typically torn to shreds before it could feed anyone.

Charioteers in Raam were funded primarily by various neighborhoods or districts within the city. Charioteers were treated as local heroes: templars would generally not harass them, businesses didn’t charge them for services, and people often named their children after them. Should such a hero accrue too many losses and fall from grace, they rarely lived long enough to escape the city and their former fans.

Chariot fans tended to be wild, rowdy, and potentially violent, sometimes even going so far as to interfere with games in progress, hurling weapons or obstacles into the race. The penalty for such things was paying fines, which only incentivized the templars to address it after the fact.

Abalach-Re behaved little differently at the chariot races than she did at the arena, lounging in a concealed box so she didn’t have to interact with her population directly. The sorcerer queen only revealed herself if the crowd interfered with her enjoyment of the festivities or showed too little reverence for Badna - a well placed fireball was usually sufficient to teach the crowd a lesson.

Brawls and small riots typically started between fans before games could even conclude. With the teams associated with districts of the city, these could easily boil over and spread throughout the city. Riots were typically only put down after there had been significant property damage and loss of life. Those of a conspiratorial bent sometimes claimed that the queen of Raam held chariot games as a means to do cheap urban renovations, but others claimed she simply did not care.

Today, with Abalach-Re gone and the city Raam in chaos, chariot races are no longer being held.

Nibenay - Groaning underneath the weight of ages, Nibenese chariot races are draped in tradition. Elaborate carvings sprawl over every inch of the race complex. Fans and racers alike have favorite bas reliefs or statues they touch for luck. The stadium seats are worn smooth from hundreds of years of use. Vendors at the stadium are all strictly regulated, and each must be endorsed by a trading house or nobles; competition for these prized positions is fierce.

The design and makeup of chariots are also strictly regulated, more out of a sense of tradition than any concerns about fairness. Many of these regulations are based on unsubstantiated claims, such as the idea that painting a chariot red would make it go faster or or that an axle made out of agafari wood that was harvested by Gulgan slaves might inflict a curse on said chariot. Trading houses and nobles commonly adorn their chariots with their house’s insignia; failure to do so is often seen as a sign of weakness or shame.

While there are many types of mounts approved for use in the races, the greatest prestige is reserved for the parade crodlu. Grand parades announce the beginning of the chariot races, and only the finest crodlu are used to draw the chariots. Crodlu breeders continually flock to the city, hoping their beasts will be purchased to display their superiority. Many nobles and trading houses have their own stables of beasts, and it is not uncommon for fans of the games to spend far more time discussing the finer points of the crodlu than the charioteers or the chariots. Breeding, pedigree, training, feeding, and even the state of their feces are all topics of interest.

On the other hand, nobles and trading houses regard the true game as beginning after the end of the previous series of races, considering the ultimate race to be the one they win before it even starts. This often includes the slight drugging of a driver or a draft team to slow their reactions, the sabotage of several of a chariot’s pegs or ties to weaken it, or merely the denigration of a rival’s team to demoralize them. However, maintaining the appearance of propriety and fairness is tantamount. It is a serious sin to blemish the games with clumsy meddling, usually resulting in a loss of face and business, at the very least. At worst, the templarate steps in to “restore the integrity of the games.”

It used to be that Nibenay himself was represented at the races by a high ranking templar or other favored individual. With Nibenay trying to improve his popularity with the masses, he now puts in regular personal appearances in his royal box. It is not known if the Shadow King enjoys the games or not, though the consensus is that he spends much more time watching the stands than the races.

The city of Nibenay is rarely troubled by games-related riots, as the heavy hand of tradition, strict regulations, and the close scrutiny of powerful groups prevent any violence from breaking out. Teams and fan clubs are rare, making related disruptions unlikely. The only exception is cheating: it’s an old Nibenese tradition that the best way to “cleanse the stadium” after an overt and unpopular instance of cheating is to riot. Nibenay’s law and order is such that such riots can be put down with little trouble, but Nibenay’s displeasure is always made known afterwards, and whatever purges are necessary to restore the games will be enacted.

Eldaarich - The residents of the Dim Lands have always been hungry for new forms of entertainment, and chariot racing has been extremely popular in Eldaarich ever since its introduction. Charioteers are the ‘rock stars’ of the Eldaarish entertainment world, accruing exceptionally large numbers of avid fans - even more so than other types of personality cults in Eldaarich.

In fact, the cult followings of charioteers got so intense that a tied score in a race two King’s Ages ago led to massive city-wide riots that threatened to burn down half of Eldaarich. After that, Daskinor banned chariots in general and chariot racing specifically, demolishing the city’s raceway to make room for more dilapidated tenements and forcing the sport to go underground - literally.

Today, chariot races are held in small, hidden, underground stadiums, usually connected to or located near other types of entertainment venues (bars, brothels, drug dens, etc.). Such races are usually chaotic, ‘no-rules’ affairs that can be as lethal to spectators as they are to the participants, with magic and psionics being launched from both the drivers and crowd to “liven things up”. Few Eldaarish charioteers survive more than a handful of races, but those that do become living legends.

Eldaarish chariots are always pulled by slaves - the more debased and strange, the better. Popular choices are currently children and old women, but in the past blind slaves or those fed powerful psychotropics were quite popular - anything that can distract Eldaarish citizens from the horror of their daily lives.

Kurn - Dangerous competitive games are quite popular in Kurn, despite the fact that the Kurnans reject the kinds of inherently bloody and deadly gladiatorial games such as those enjoyed in the Tablelands. Combined with the fact that Kurnan nobles use chariots to patrol and defend their estates, this makes chariot racing immensely popular in Kurn.

Kurn has a proper arena, but because outlanders are not allowed beyond the city’s Merchant District, the arena is not open to visitors. Instead, those in the Merchant District can attend games at Kurn’s Sporting Grounds, sunk below the level of the rest of the Merchant District and encircled by several rows of seating that descend from street level to the playing field. Children (and the occasional halfling) often participate in wasp races here (the giant wasps raised within Kurn are not big enough to support full-grown humans), and Kurnan chariot races are often seen as a logical continuation of these races.

Chariot races in Kurn usually feature crodlu as the draft animals, but stranger creatures are sometimes featured, such as flying teams of giant wasps, psionically or magically summoned or created creatures, and even braxat-drawn chariots. In the case of braxats, however, it is made clear to everyone that the braxats ARE the charioteers (as in Kurn, braxats are understood to be intelligent creatures with the same rights as a human or an elf), with the chariot being driverless and instead loaded with heavy stone blocks. Though this technically makes such races more akin to a pulling contest set along an obstacle course than a true “chariot” race.