Free sample: the ARC Riders
26 characters from HOWLING WILDERNESS
The next Engines novel is about a fantasy race down the Appalachian Trail, either on monsters or machines. I elected to do a writeup of all 26 contenders in the book, breaking down their age, their mount, and a piece of their backstory. It helped me keep it all straight for the book.
Here it is, for those interested.
MEET THE RIDERS
Bib: 1
Name: Jane Kyland Culbertson, 29
Class: Mecha, gryphon mimic, New Jersey banner
About: Jane Culbertson, of the Port Atlantis Culbertsons, is the first in her family to take up the traditional sport of mech racing. Though never having placed first outright, Jane is a career points aggregator, and places consistently high enough to earn a berth alongside the fastest riders in the country. During the 2034 season she competed in the Cumberland Rally, the Shenandoah Backcountry Series, the Carolina Island Crossing (a protracted flight over open waters), and New York Mechathon, finishing second across the board. Although she has hinted at retirement and family life in the near future, the Appalachian Rally Classic remains her ultimate goal.
Bib: 2
Name: Consuela Sagunto, 34
Class: Mecha, trophy truck, Florida banner
About: Consuela Sagunto hails from a family of Spanish mechanics and engineers who built quad-rods during the Second Revolution. Her primary experience is in the Georgia backwoods and Florida swamps. Consuela famously entered the Nueva Azteca Campeones del Desierto series against ninety-six contenders, ninety-one of whom were of the fauna class, and placed eighth overall. No other mecha contender has ever broken into the upper half of finishers.
Bib: 3
Name: Kenneth “Kenny” Parrish, 28
Class: Mecha, drake mimic, New York banner
About: Kenny Parrish is the popular face of M.O.G. Racing, and brings a loyal base of admirers to the sport wherever he goes. During the 2034 season he ran two different endurance races, keeping his high-end EFI mimic running at peak efficiency for more than fourteen of twenty-four consecutive hours. While critics will point out that these were circuit races on repetitive tracks, Kenny has also proven himself in the backwoods, winning the Cumberland Rally outright.
Bib: 4
Name: Henry Sublette, 43
Class: Fauna, gryphon, Illinois banner
About: Sublette is a newcomer to racing, but an old hand at fauna ranching. His family’s operation remains independent of the larger conglomerates but still does contract work on a regular basis. His expertise in breeding, raising, training, and handling magical fauna without the aid of illegal mancery has helped him catch up on his late start to the sport. Despite the predictions of numerous pundits, he completed the Carolina Island Crossing faster than the median time and with minimal breaks.
Bib: 5
Name: Logan “Wasatch Whisper” Kearsely, 29
Class: Fauna, ostrommasaur, Western Territories banner
About: Logan Kearsely started out as a postal rider for mining companies in the western wilds. At seventeen he switched from horses to ostrommasaurs, called “strommies” by the locals, as they were lighter and needed water less often. Strommies are natural predators and not given to endurance racing, but Kearsely’s mount—named Provost—was specially bred by Brimble & Sharpe’s. Kearsely is not an annual contender in the rally scene, as he has farmlands to tend to among the Shoshone. In the 2034 season he took first in the fauna class at the Great Basin Sprint Series.
Bib: 6
Name: Earl Cobb, 25
Class: Mecha, drake mimic, Kentucky banner
About: Earl Cobb is an accomplished backwoods rally racer, one of the first to log five thousand miles of woodland competition without a crash or breakdown. He has finished in the top three among amateur mecha jockeys for the last four years, and set a new record for the Bluegrass River Romp, a shoreline ride between Louisville and Cincinatti.
Bib: 7
Name: Phoebe Bristol, 23
Class: Mecha, drake mimic, Pennshire banner
About: Phoebe Bristol is one of the youngest and most successful mecha jockeys to burst onto the rally scene in the last twenty years. She set an all-time speed record between Boston and Harrisburg just this spring, and again from Harrisburg to Cleveland, taking first overall in the tenth annual Drakes On The Lake endurance run.
Bib: 8
Name: Bryce “Hebrew Hammer” Spencer, 26
Class: Mecha, drake mimic, Georgia banner
About: Bryce Spencer is making the jump from the lesser-populated Jewish racing scene to the mainstream rally circuit after solidifying a special arrangement for his Sabbath observance. He’ll take his rest on Saturdays and make up the time on Sundays, and has used this model with great success in races all around his native Georgia. Spencer is one of the few to compete on a newer-model drake mimic with electronic fuel injection. While more complex than the carbureted models, these EFI engines tend to be more reliable, and are changing the face of the sport.
Bib: 9
Name: Clarence Bessemer, 33
Class: Mecha, warg mimic, New Jersey Banner
About: Clarence is an heir to the Port Atlantis Bessemer conglomerate, and has been hobby-racing since he was a child. He qualified for the Appalachian Classic with the minimum of points, and has elected to compete this year on an antique warg mimic, recently restored by a team of mechanics in his family’s employ.
Bib: 10
Name: James Norling, 28
Class: Fauna, horse, Kentucky banner
About: James, who goes by Jim, is a classically-trained horse jockey, the latest of a proud Kentucky tradition dating back to the First Independence War. Although his horse Peyton is a purebred non-magical creature, Norling still took him to Brimble & Sharpe’s for various health assessments during the qualifiers this year, as he’s never had to finish a race longer than fifteen hundred miles. He should make a strong case for himself all the way down the range.
Bib: 11
Name: Peter “Ohio Pete” Hamden, 40
Class: Mecha, dirtbike, Ohio banner
About: Born to an English father and a Seneca mother, Peter Hamden is familiar with both popular civilization and woodland endurance. He trained as a horse jockey from an early age but soon took up the noble Merykan interest in machines. Many expected him to transition to walkers; instead he opted for Spanish-style bi-rods, preferring contact with the ground. He’s been a regular finisher in Ohio Country races since the age of 25. This is his fourth run down the Appalachian Trail, and his first in the Classic.
Bib: 12
Name: Jasper “Calico” Hind, 29
Class: Fauna, jaculus, Tennessee banner
About: Hind is a second-year contender in the mainstream rally race scene and is already a force to be reckoned with. Other than his debut contest last year, he has placed first or second in every competition he’s entered. For the 2034 season he and his jaculus, Bellerophon, easily won the Red River Rally, the Ozark Invitational, and the Baton Rouge Grand Prix, catapulting him to the top of the fauna class for the ARC.
Bib: 13
Name: Carlos Emilio Alonso Tenorio, 37
Class: Mecha, “frog-leg” mech, Florida banner
About: Carlos Alonso has an impressive trophy rack of rally wins, yet the 2034 Appalachian Rally Classic is his first real contest outside of a swamp. His unconventional mech, which is really just a stripped-down matador frame with nothing but the engine and the legs, has proven itself time and time again against others of its type. However, Alonso has his work cut out for him this year on new terrain and against a varied field of competitors.
Bib: 14
Name: Allen Lang, 32
Class: Mecha, hippogriff mimic, Maryland banner
About: Standing at a towering six-feet-six-inches, Allan Lang is the tallest and heaviest rider in this year’s Classic, and rides the largest mech to boot. Like gryphons, hippogriff mechs were built for two riders. Lang’s machine is optimized for him alone, packing a powerful eight-cylinder engine and titanium lifter fans. He won the Delaware Dash by an hour earlier this season, and stands to make a similar impact in this year’s ARC.
Bib: 15
Name: Miles Beckworth, 45
Class: Mecha, “simian” mimic, Georgia banner
About: A longtime veteran of the rally scene, and a third-time qualifier for the ARC, Beckworth has announced that the 2034 season will be his final run as a contender, citing age and cost of upkeep as reasons to “hang it up.” Beckworth has been a regular fan favorite with his unconventional mech, which he built himself as a smaller version of the war-era clockwork giants. Unlike its cumbersome ancestors, Beckworth’s mimic can run upright or on all fours. Despite its size, Beckworth has mastered the art of jockeying the machine smoothly across almost any terrain.
Bib: 16
Name: Erich Von Steuben, 58
Class: Fauna, bison, Virginia banner
About: While originally from the Germanic towns of Pennshire, Von Steuben moved to Virginia as an adolescent to work for Brimble & Sharpe’s. Like some of the other fauna riders in the 2034 Classic, his mount is a hybrid of natural and lower-magical species, carefully tested so as to remain compliant with League and national regulations. His bison, Heinrich, is one of few that can handle endurance racing. He won his third qualifying contest this spring in a fauna-exclusive race across Indiana.
Bib: 17
Name: Joop “The Handsome Dutchman” Groenewegen, 24
Class: Mecha, “velocipede,” New York banner
About: The blushing young gentleman doesn’t mind his nickname, but he will teach you to say his real name if you give him a moment. “Yope Gray-nev-egg-en” is a promising young engineer combining mimic science with prosthetics, and is testing out one of his own creations on the rally circuit this year. Dubbed “velocipede,” the contraption is strapped to the wearer’s torso and legs, powered by a four-cylinder engine with impressive range. Even without the machine, Joop measures an impressive six-feet-four-inches, and with the machine he’s well over eight feet tall. He qualified in three New York-based races this season.
Bib: 18
Name: Anderton K. Rockefeller, Jr., 41
Class: Mecha, “hoverbike,” New York banner
About: A.K. Rockefeller is of the New York Rockefeller family, pioneers in modern petrochemicals and engines. The family tradition of sponsoring rally racers has been on hold for the last for seasons as A.K. put himself in the saddle, competing on a hybrid of a Spanish bi-rod and a Merykan drake mimic called a “hoverbike.” While Rockefeller never won a qualifying race, he did earn enough points through the ambassador program to land a berth in the Classic.
Bib: 19
Name: Jack Reeves, 50
Class: Mecha, manticore, Western Territories banner
About: Jack Reeves is a member of the Brotherhood of the Brazen Serpent, of the Far West Territories. He has entered the ARC in his sabbatical year, in the Mecha Class.
Bib: 20
Name: Sylvester “Sly” Trask, 35
Class: Fauna, bighorn ram, Missouri banner
About: Another product of the Brimble & Sharpe’s animal husbandry, Sly Trask’s bighorn ram is bred for endurance as well as an unmatched climbing ability. Trask used the animal to great effect in two Rocky Mountain contests this season, and expects to repeat those accomplishments in multiple sections of the ARC.
Bib: 21
Name: Mary Katherine “Mickey” Littleton, 19
Class: Mecha, drake mimic, Pennshire banner
About: Few riders have ever had such an explosive debut onto the mainstream rally circuit as Mickey Littleton, taking first in two minor qualifiers and second in a major earlier this season. She rides a repurposed drake mimic with a six-cylinder gryphon engine, fully compliant with all ARC regulations.
Bib: 22
Name: “Badger” William Lupton, 48
Class: Fauna, stilt-legged horse, Illinois banner
About: Badger Bill is a fan favorite from the plains of Illinois. While his steed, Gale, is a conventional breed, stilt-legged horses are rare, and tame ones even less so. In accordance with ARC regulations, the animal was cleared by Brimble & Sharpe’s, proving that Badger and Gale are the genuine article, as are their impressive qualifying times from the spring. While Badger is a veteran of the ARC, this is Gale’s first time on the Trail.
Bib: 23
Name: Nelson Daggett, 27
Class: Mecha, dirtbike, Kentucky banner
About: Nelson Daggett was a cattle rancher for hire in eastern Kentucky, and managed large herds across wide acreage on his bi-rod. A modest group of investors backed him in amateur races early on, helping him to build his name in the Bluegrass circuits, and now he competes as an independent every other year. A hat-trick of third place finishes in three qualifiers earned him a chance at a sudden death prize, which he won in Virginia this summer. This is his first ARC.
Bib: 24
Name: Holly York, 27
Class: Fauna, hippogriff, Virginia banner
About: Holly York is an esteemed client of Brimble & Sharpe’s aviary and has been raising hippogriffs since she was a child. She has won the Carolina Island Crossing twice and placed consistently in the top three at Shenandoah for the last three seasons. Though she has qualified before, this is her first time competing in the ARC.
Bib: 25
Name: Claire Godin, 30
Class: Mecha, drake mimic, Mississippi banner
About: Claire is a highly decorated rally veteran who has survived three separate encounters with violent alligators during swamp runs. While she did finish off-pedestal in the Gulf Coast Rally, Rulon Smith—who edged her out—broke his leg over the summer, vacating his berth in the ARC. With a shot at vindication, her story will be one to watch.
Bib: 26
Name: Etienne Leroux, 53
Class: Fauna, dire moose, Michigan banner
About: Leroux is the second-oldest contender in this year’s Classic, right after an associate of his, Von Steuben. Like his friend, Leroux rides a specially-bred mount from Brimble & Sharpe’s, capable of the necessary endurance for a run down the Trail. He spends most of his time in the northern wilds of the Huron lands, living off the woods, returning to civilization only for the qualifiers. It is his lifelong dream to win the ARC in the fauna class. This is his seventh attempt.
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