The Duke

“	"Congratulations to Ferathmai for taking 1st Place in the Eastbrook Races! "	”
 	—Herald, after The Duke wins the First Eastbrook Races 	—Herald, after The Duke wins the First Eastbrook Races
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The Duke was a racehorse belonging to Ferathmai and one of the fastest natural born equines in Dragonhollow history.
He was the victor of the First Eastbrook Races and owned all major speed records at Eastbrook Raceway, which were never broken.
=History=
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	Wojcik: i've got seibi which is a 12 i think<BR>Wojcik: you more than welcome to borrow him<BR>Retro: I appreciate it, but I think the Russian Steed is 12 as well<BR>Wojcik: it was fera's favorite horse but not his fastest i guess<BR>Wojcik: i think the duke hit 13<BR>Retro: very nice<BR>Wojcik: thats what he won the first eastbrook with<BR>Retro: damn, that was a while ago<BR>Tox: yeah, the Duke was definitely a high 13...timed a ten second lap at Eastbrook<BR>Tox: he's still in the stables, forever awaiting the return of his beloved master	
	—Remembering The Duke 	—Remembering The Duke
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===Early Life===
The Duke was a gray stallion with white legs, black hooves, and a black forelock.
During the Fourth Era he was discovered in the Summerlands as a foal by Dolphin, part of the same herd as Sven. The man gifted him to his friend Ferathmai, who was searching for a reliable horse.
Fera was astonished to find discover him capable of sprinting faster than thirteen meters per second and decided he would make a fine racehorse. He took The Duke home with him to his impressive estate at 381 Swampian Lane in Trance Swamp. 
When Wojcik constructed the massive livery yard of Equestria in Trance Swamp, The Duke was briefly stabled there until Acey publicly announced the opening of Eastbrook Raceway. Fera received a stable there.
The Duke would spend the next 257 days of his life there, save for a single day in the sunlight full of excitement and applause.
===As a Racehorse===
	"May the best me win." 	
	—Ferathmai correctly predicts his victory	—Ferathmai correctly predicts his victory
Fera debuted The Duke at the inaugural First Eastbrook Races at Eastbrook Raceway. 
Tohbeh and Dolphin received much fanfare in the lead-up to the race and their horses were expected to vie for first place. 
Nevertheless, Fera jumped out to an early lead followed close behind by Boo. By the end of the first lap, Fera had extended the lead to a comfortable two horse margin.
The Duke crossed the finish line comfortably in the lead by three horse lengths, having never trailed, and won with a total time of 19 seconds. He set the track's lap record with a time of 9.997 seconds and ran the fastest three-lap time at 19 seconds. Both records would survive the Second Eastbrook Races and remain unbroken through the rest of the Fourth Era.
===Later Life===
	I stole The Duke. 	
	—Wojcik admits the truth	—Wojcik admits the truth
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After the mysterious disappearance of the goddess Eris, Eastbrook fell into disrepair and the stables became inaccessible to the general public. Eventually, Fera departed Dragonhollow for other worlds in the universe and the prize steed was largely forgotten within the dim depths of the raceway's stables.
At some point during the Hyperhollow era, HyperSilence made the necessary repairs to the facility and Eastbrook 
reopened. However, because no one but Fera had permission to enter the stable where The Duke resided, the horse remained unused.
Fera did not return to participate in the Second Eastbrook Races on 4E:391, so The Duke had no chance to defend his title. Sandinista was crowned as the new champion of Eastbrook.
On 4E:405, Wojcik performed a perfectly legal necromancy ritual allowing him to possess the body of Fera as a thrall, which he used to free The Duke from Eastbrook. He took the stallion back to Castle Wojcik, where he began using him as a stud breeder to develop a new generation of speedy racehorses that could be rented and sold to other citizens.
Woj intended to enter The Duke in the third iteration of Woj's Races on 4E:420 as a preliminary test run in preparation for winning the Third Eastbrook Races. Unfortunately, neither event would end up happening.
===Fate===
	Retro: didn't that one die in woj's castle?<BR>Tox: nah I evac'd him before Jinx got there<BR>Tox: he died a free man<BR>Retro: gg	
	—A Fifth Era discussion of The Duke's fate 	—A Fifth Era discussion of The Duke's fate
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On 4E:412 the magical seals of Eris granted by the golden shovel completely failed, leading to an unparalleled bout of murder, arson, and looting known as the Fall of Summer. A band of brigands and scallywags led by Jinx burnt the castle to the ground and killed most of the livestock within.But The Duke was not among them. Before the fiery horseocaust, Tox had rescued him from the castle and briefly hid him within the stables at the Tox Box. When the Tox Box was destroyed by a gaggle of lunatics organized by Eris, he escaped upon The Duke and traveled far from Summergate using the South Road.
Tox safely stabled the horse in a hidden barrow not far from the jungle abodes of Sprankles and Wojcik before returning to document the destruction in the central Summerlands. Like many of his fellow refugees, he soon departed for the Badlands and never saw The Duke again.
It was unclear if The Duke managed to survive the complete destruction of the region by the strange corruption underneath the Black Claim, but it was thought to be exceedingly unlikely and he was presumed dead.
=Pedigree=
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The Duke was related to many of the fastest and winningest horses in the Fourth Era.
He was a brother of Sven, seventh-place finisher in the First Eastbrook Races. Sven's identical genetically-engineered clone, Sandinista, was the victor of the Second Eastbrook Races. His brother sired Croatoan, a horse with elite speed that Tox planned to ride in the cancelled third Woj's Races.
Horses belonging to The Duke's bloodline won every major horse race of the Fourth Era.
Category:Horses