#19 The Howling Raceway

Age: 30 Years

Hidden or Lost?: No

History: Raymond Throttle isn't a vampire, werewolf, or any other flavor of supernatural beast, but as the operator of The Howling Raceway, a place where creatures of the night can come to work out their disputes over contests of strength, skill, and speed, he certainly knows his fair share.

When Throttle (a stage name passed down from his father) inherited the Barker Motor Speedway, it was a rundown dump that couldn't manage to fill a single bleacher on a Saturday night. Like the rest of the city of Barker, PA it was suffering from another rash of murders that was sweeping the streets and keeping away locals and visitors alike.

One night, after yet another no-show, canceled race, Throttle was attacked by a massive wolf creature. It chased him out onto the tarmac and closed in for the kill, but just before the wolf creature’s slavering jaws tore into Throttle’s jugular, a massive spectral hand walloped it aside. As the shifting ghost form and the werewolf tussled, Throttle realized that beneath the growls, howls, and shrieks, they were speaking, arguing over who would get to kill him. Despite the danger, Throttle (ever the showman) called out to them and suggested that they race for the privilege of killing him. Incredibly, the specter and the giant wolf agreed and took to the track. The phantom won but instead of killing Raymond, the monstrous duo agreed to let him live if they could continue to use the grounds as a neutral space for their kind to settle similar disputes. Throttle agreed, and ‘The Howling Raceway,’ as the clueless locals call it, was born.

To the outside observer, the raceway never seems to be open to the public, holding private events most nights. Now monsters, ghouls, and ghosts all gather regularly at the raceway, which has become a safeish space for their kind. And the attractions have grown. Today there’s a full aquatic space where the undead can compete with the sirens over which is deadliest underwater; there's a mythological stable where griffins, kelpie, and other secret fauna are kept to be used in the monthly Rodeo of the Gods; and much more.

The raceway has also been sanctified and warded as a neutral space among the-dwellers-in-shadow, and it is often the site of grand, high tension conclaves or meetings between supernatural factions. Throttle himself has also become no small expert on night creatures, dark magic, and infernal law, using a pair of titanic stone golems to help keep the peace.

Should you be passing The Howling Raceway and hear strange noises from the track, it’s best to keep on driving.

1. ‘Starting Line’ Entrance

2. Totec Spirit Golems

3. Aquarium Contests

4. Temple of Summoning

5. Stage of Glory

6. Unliving Stands

7. Night Hunters’ Bleachers

8. Beast Seats

9. Humanity’s View (Dinner Seats)

10. Howling Racetrack

11. Goblin Pit

12. Sacrificial Altar

13. Asphalt Titan

14. Throttle’s Private Shed

15. Myth Stables

16. Bloody Trailers