Sandstorm Reliquary

The Sandstorm Reliquary was discovered half-buried beneath a riveted riser basket after a once-in-a-century sandstorm swept the Brass-Sanded Apex. When the Steam-Putterer's Guild engineers unearthed it, they found it already full of sand from leagues no living member remembered playing, its etched cog-teeth counting seasons older than the Guild itself. They declared it the keeper of every league to follow, and it has been passed down ever since.

The Reliquary is a sealed brass-and-smoked-glass vessel that never empties, no matter how much sand is added or removed. The sand inside shifts and settles to mirror the current league standings, and its surface etches a new cog-tooth for every completed league. It remains warm to the touch regardless of the desert temperature, and its interior emits a faint steam-hiss whenever a new league begins.

The Sandstorm Reliquary serves as the living archive of the series, its etched cog-teeth tracking every league's history and its settling sand determining tiebreakers at the end of each season. When the Last Stand arrives, the Reliquary is opened for the first and only time each year, releasing a burst of steam that reveals the final course layout.