Centaur

Myths

To the Emdarian scholar, Centaur history is a labyrinthine mess of contradictions and impossibilities that escapes any attempt to sort, classify and write down in a coherent chronology. To the Centaur, these stories help explain the situation each tribe finds themselves in, and the contradictions are but an excuse to tell stories and speculate when two tribes meet.
The Twins feature prominently in tribal mythology, their names and their roles vary but often they are two brothers who lead the first Centaur tribe and establish contact with the divine by performing the very first sacrifice. In some versions they work together, in some one of them dies on the sacrificial hunt, in others one murders the other, in others still they part ways amicable or even split the tribe in conflict and vow eternal vengeance.
The Old East is a concept that once upon the time, the great Skyrian steppe extended far to the east to where the Sun rises. The ancestors of the Centaur once travelled west from that land. In some stories the Twins are those who lead the exodus, in others they existed long before and it were other kings who led their tribes west. Some say the Old East is lost in some calamity, others think it still exists as the land of the ancestors, or the gods.
The Breath of the World is a concept that comes very naturally to the centaur, for when they thunder freely across the steppe with the wind in their manes, are they not truly happy and alive? When the wind blows, and the great grass sea ripples and sways, is it not dancing to an unheard tune? When all living beings die, do they not stop breathing?
Sacred Kings lead the tribal confederations, but are rare. When such individuals emerge, they are often great heroes who rise to their position due to their great renown and through the acclaim of the tribes. When they die, great earthen mounds are erected in their honour and the kings buried in simple stone cairns on the top of the mound to forever gaze over the steppe. They are said to guide their people, and in a sense they still do, for these ancient mounds are one of the few distinct points of orientation on the great open steppe.
Sacred Metallurgy is an art that elevates the dark, hot and sooty profession of a blacksmith and transforms it into a mystic ritual. The metals extracted from the earth are seen as tears of the Sun, the Moon or the Stars. And who is to say that this view is wrong when liquid metal as bright as the Sun is poured into a mould, which is then broken to reveal a glimmering bronze spearpoint?
Sacred Fires are associated with the arts of civilization, whereas the Wind is tied to the wild steppe. It is said that the first flame was captured from heaven and domesticated, and each fire that burns in every tribe has merely been passed on from that primordial lighting strike. There are the holy flames of a sacrificial pyre, and life-giving bonfire that warms and feeds the tribe at night, there is the fire of creation in a smith’s forge. Fire is the agent of change that transforms meat into a worthy sacrifice, glimmering ores into metal, and some mad shamans self-immolate believing it would turn them divine.

Life on the Steppe

All the Centaur tribes of the steppe rely on a mixture of herding and hunting, and the roles of the herder and the hunter often blend together. If a herder sets out to take down a beast that threatens his herd, it would be wasteful to let the meat and the bone go to waste, wouldn’t it?
Such tribes are often broken up into smaller groups that travel together and only convene for important tribal ceremonies. Such groups are mostly egalitarian, with the herds and hunting grounds held in common and children raised by the group. Even so, the shamans and blacksmiths are usually exempt from mundane work and allowed to practice their divine arts. In times of need a chieftain might be elected based on merit, but otherwise the elders rule.
As the steppe developed further, some tribes took up trade, passing goods across the steppes. Others took up raiding. The more developed tribes have permanent chieftains who call themselves kings, and are aided by their retinues of brave and skilled warriors that more and more resemble the western warrior-aristocracies. To meet greater threats, tribes sometimes unite into confederations, but they rarely last longer than the current calamity or outlive the king who brought them together.
The nomadic life of herding, hunting, trading (and raiding) is broken up by nights of storytelling and given further meaning by ritualistic hunts, rites of passage, great tribal games and other ceremonies.
Most humans of Emdar consider such life barbaric and poor, but to almost all Centaur the freedom to roam and to hunt is preferable to a lifetime of backbreaking labour on the fields. And any open-minded western explorer will soon find that while the centaur may not have built cities or kingdoms, they have created a rich culture and sophisticated laws that are enshrined as traditions and customs.
Some of the values seen as good by the Centaur are courage, freedom, strength & good health, communal solidarity, deference to the elders, proper pride, respect for tradition.
Some of the traits seen as wicked are sloth, lying, refusing to help family and clan, outrageous boastfulness and ego, outright selfishness.

Known Tribes

Aethorsae