Centaur

Resembling humanoids (commonly elves) from the waist up, and (typically) typically equines from the waist down, the centaur are an enigmatic race native to the Annwfyn and are believed to act as the plane's natural guardians, standing at the rifts between planes in order to keep outsiders from entering their eternal home. Among the commonfolk of Aradia, centaur are more mythical creatures akin to minutaurs and loxodon than standard beings, and those few that do pass through always and inevitably draw the attention of the masses - for good and for bad.
As centaur are fey and native only to Annfwyn, their immigration to the Material Plane during the Age of Rifts led to much adjustment of their biology. The Material Plane's stable rules of physics and variability in both climate and culture led to centaur having to adapt to survive their new home, including rare (but existant) cases of interbreeding with non-Fey humanoids (and even other creatures). Though small variabilities are too numerous to list, the following is a list of currently-known genetic offshoots of the original, Annfwyn-born centaur:

Equine Centaur

The 'original' centaur, this appearance most closely resembles what the species looked like prior to exposure to the Material Plane. The humanoid half of these centaurs bears a resemblance to the original elf projenitors shown in the lore of the Free People, including such traits as long ears and bronze-to-gold skin colors. However, they have also been depicted with brightly and oddly-colored hair more fitting to gnomes, with colors such as violet, vibrant blue, or purple. The lower half of this centaur's body resembles a horse, deer, zebra, moose, etc. The coloration of the lower half tends to match the upper half, though not always. These centaur are found most abundantly in inland forests, as well as in places where the barrier between the planes is thinnest. The majority of Aradia's centaur fall into this category.

Artiodactyla Centaur

Genetic variation and adaptation to surroundings, as well as separation from the magic energy of the Annfwyn, caused centaur to change from their original form into something more befitting their new environments. Over time, with adaptation and some intermixing of ancestries, centaur bearing more human traits began to emerge, including more 'normal' hair colors and a broader range of skin colors. The artiodactyla centaur also have lower bodies similar to that of oxes, cows, sheep, and other hooved creatures. Some well-documented variations include mountain-goat-centaur (found in mountaneous regions) and camel centaur (sighted in the Great Desert).

Wild-Type Centaur

Though centaur are typically hoof-based creatures, with much of their cultures being centered around this. However, there are documented cases of centaur mutations with lower bodies similar to large felines (tigers, panthers, etc.) or canines (foxes, wolves, etc.) It is difficult to know what has caused this mutation to occur, however groups of these roving centaur were sighted in the North Highlands, the Great Desert, and other wildland areas. They appear to be more aggressive than other centaur, with a largely maraudering lifestyle.

Monstrous Centaur

A collection of rare mutations of centaur united not so much by their similar features, but rather by the oddity of their appearance. In this category are owlbear-centaur (centaur with the lower body of an owlbear), sphinx-centaur, dino-centaur, etc. These are mutations, typically resulting from exposure to magic surges or extreme circumstances, or perhaps (although less likely) born from the breeding of a centaur and a monstrous creature. These centaur are rarely found among their fellow kin and often end up being isolated or hunted for their uniqueness. Many do not live very long, for various reasons.

Cetacea Centaur

The rarest of the centaur and the one whose existence is most aggressively disputed as wild speculation or mis-sightings of other aquatic species. Cetacea centaurs appear similar from the waist-up similar to sea elves or triton, with webbed hands, gills (allowing for water breathing), and sometimes even scales. From the waist-down, however, they are quite different from most other centaur or even most other species. They have two front equine legs and a long, powerful tail, similar to that of a dolphin, orca, or whale (appearances vary). This tail makes their appearance quite similar to that of merpeople, however their anatomies are quite different, and cetacea centaur tend to be quite a bit larger than an average merperson. These centaur are typically found deep in the oceans and often live close to or with triton and merpeople communities. For obvious reasons they also have a difficult time functioning on land.

Basic Information

Growth Rate & Stages

Centaur mature at roughly the same rate as humans, reaching full mental maturity by age 18, however their physical maturation process differs vastly from most humanoid species. Centaur give live births, typically to one or two foals in a cycle. The baby is born with short hair on both the humanoid and the animal section. Within an hour of the birth, the baby is able to get up on its legs and begin feeding (typically the desire for food urges tem to get up). Despite appearing able to walk, feed, and interact with its environment so quickly after birth, the first week of a foal's life is actually the most dangerous, as their body is still getting used to its new surrounding. Their reaction times are slower during this period than their adult kin and they require the protection of the adults in order to stay alive, especially during extreme weather conditions (as they cannot regulate their body temperature yet). During this first week, the baby gains a lot of weight and learns to gallop. For the first month of their life, the child is closely attached to their mother, relying on her for protection, safety, and food. After that, however, foals are typically removed from their mothers and herded together, making them easier to protect and educate by the older members of the group. By 8 to 12 weeks old, the foal will slowly transition from their mother's milk to solid food, allowing the mothers to return to their usual activities in the group. Full physical maturity is reached between 4 and 6 years old, however mental maturity requires more education and much more time. Centaur on the Material Plane live to be around 100 years old, however exact age expectancy depends on the region.

Ecology and Habitats

The large size and four (often hooved) legs makes life in confinement difficult for centaurs. They prefer the wilderness to cities and dislike any structures that require them to climb stairs. In their own settlements, they favor simple structures situated on or attached to the ground, commonly just a roofed enclosure for sleep and other activities. Notably this is not the case for all centaur, as some do prefer to build their homes on the mountainsides or up trees, however these deviations are rare.
Centaur have adapted to life in a number of environments over the years of exposure to life on the material plane, however the majority prefer to live in temperate climates with four seasons and moderate amounts of rain.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Like most humanoid species, centaurs are omnivores and thus able to consume both meat and vegetable food sources. However, due to their belief in nature and all living things being connected, most centaurs lean towards a vegetable-based diet, with meat being eaten on special occasions. Of note are the wild-type and monstrous centaurs, who generally deviate from this trend. The diets of these subraces are largely or entirely made up of meat.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Centaur with close connections to the Annfwyn make their homes deep inside forests, where the barriers between the planes are thinnest. They patrol such areas in order to keep outsiders or foolish travellers from ending up in their home plane. Other centaur populations make their homes in areas that allow for freedom of movement, such as the North Highlands or the Great Desert. Wild type centaur have been sighted in the jungles of Saint-Arkh and Valiant.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Centaur are proud people, both of their culture and of thekr heritage. They keep meticulous records of their kin, of each exploit, achievement, and failure of their kind, and in every flock there is a centaur responcible for keeping the tribe's history - the Keeper of Memories. This is a role reminiscent to the Clan Keeper seen among the Free Elves, however instead of it being a leadership position, it is instead advisory. The Keeper of Memories is the only member of the flock that will never be allowed to either lead or fight, as their death is equivalent in the mind of the centaur to the death of the entire flock.

Without memory, without history, we are without future. --- Centaur proverb

A Keeper of Memory lives many years older than a typical centaur, with the oldest recorded Keeper retiring at the age of 4,865 years old (whereas a typical centaur lives only around 100). How this longevity is achieved is unknown, with it being a closely-guarded secret, however a similar phenomenon is recorded in the Mer communities, so it is likely that extraplanar magics are involved. When a Keeper reaches the ending point of their tenure, they choose an apprentice from among the foals just entering physical maturity, and train them. At the age of 18, the apprentice becomes a full Keeper, and their former master - now titled a Shard of Memory - makes a journey, their last journey, to the Gates of Annfwyn. None of the Shards are ever seen again.

Common Myths and Legends

As beings that originate from the Annfwyn, the centaur initially followed and worshipped the Eldest, the closest thing the Annfwyn has to divine beings. Many cetaur flocks have retained this belief after coming to the material plane, offering their prayers to the fey lords as well as nature itself. They typically also revere the deities of the elven pantheon, the Four Divine Beasts, either individually as a collective.
Some flocks have renounced their connection with the Annfwyn and its fey inhabitants, and instead choose to abandon worship entirely (seen commonly among the monstrous centaurs) or worship one of the many obscure deities of Aradia. A centaur raised away from their flock in an environment that woships one of the official pantheons typically chooses to also worship one or more of the deities in that pantheon.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Centaur have a long-standing relationship with the elves, seeing them as distant kin. In some places, such as the forest of Altair, the two people live together in harmony, protecting the boundaries of their land. That being said, the proud centaur often see the elves of today, especially City Elves, as a shadow of what they were during the days of Elyor, and thus do not take them very seriously.

Scientific Name

Fey

Lifespan

100