Ylmazeyiri
Ylmazeyir Centaursare a group of mostly arabic breed light horse Centaurs that are most populous in the deserts and sands of the Northeast of Kagren. They are somewhat similar to a Turkish culture of the Real world.
Culture
Common Dress code
Ylmazeyir centaurs wear layers, often favoring brighter colors, which helps reflect heat. There is a transition between skin of the upper, humanoid portion to the belly, into the equine portion, which is covered in a thin coat which has a natural metallic sheen that naturally both camouflages and helps reflect heat. The layers worn are often a silk, or tighter-weave cotton, wool, or some other fabric which is thick enough to prevent sunburn, and loose enough to allow heat to escape the body.
Both men and women of all classes and professions tend to wear a long-sleeved undershirt which reaches to the wrists, protecting the body and arms from sunburn. All tend to wear tunics over, though the style and decoration varies from socioeconomic class, and even between herds, which tend to have their own distinct sub-cultures. Rarely is a material left blank or pattern-less- often, intricate embroidery decorates the fabric, with rich blues, purples, crimsons, and emeralds, and even golds for the wealthier.
Blankets, drapery, and other equine wear are common- rarely does one not cover at least the back of their equine form, if not more. It simply serves as further protection from the sun, heat and sweat regulation, and often a buffer between their coats and anything they carry.
Long silk scarves as belts, shawls, and embroidered yeleks or caftans are the hallmark of the rich or wealthy- though it is often considered poor form to dress significantly richer than the rest of the immediate sub-herd- it is an indication that the centaur has not appropriately shared the wealth, and it is a sign of ego- likely, the riches one shows off was not earned solely by that centaur, but by the efforts of their herd. While it may be a great sign of wealth to dress opulently, is it not a greater sign of wealth to dress the entire herd opulently, for it shows that one can afford to do so?
This mentality has spread to a strange level of altruism- if a stranger seems to be dressed in rags, is it not a greater show of wealth and indeed generosity, both favored by the centaurs, to dress the stranger in finer wear?
In this case, it is almost considered taboo to dress poorly- but the offense is not directed towards the one dressed poorly, but anyone dressed richly who is associated with them. And in the other case, it is often considered taboo to dress too opulently, if one cannot dress their herd in as opulent a manner.
Certain styles of vestments mark merchants from laborers, or scholars from farriers, but much of this blends together. Each sub-herd may have their own traditions which dictate separate professions, but the wear of profession-to-profession is marked more by the practicality of said profession, rather than a social norm.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Centaurs are herd creatures- they live and breath the presence of their herd-mates, and they are incredibly tuned to the behaviors and emotions of others around them. For the centaurs of Ylmazeyir, the loss of one of their own- through age, famine, disease, war, anything- is tantamount to a lost limb.
But like a lost limb, there is often little to do after its departure than move forward and adjust.
The centaurs of the sub-herd grieve- like the Canticle of Gold and Glass, song and tone defines much of their world. There is a grieving song, named the Hallowed Winds, which is wordless, but nevertheless, the herd will sing together, in pitching tones which mimic and harmonize the desert winds, carrying the fallen’s spirit through the sands. It is believed, in a great sense, that the winds of the desert are brought by the thundering herds of the dead, and that by singing with the winds, it calls this herd to take its newest member.
And as quickly as the desert winds can shift, Ylmazeyir moves on. Members are permitted to still grieve, but it is considered poor form to let a grieving member fixate on the loss. There is a common saying with death in Ylmazeyir: “We are born with the inevitable fate of death, but we are not born to die. There are greater things to do than grieve for inevitable loss- the world is for the living.”
The body is often left in the desert- it will be stripped of valuables, but clothes are often left, and the body will be permitted to rot and desiccate, feeding the other creatures of the desert. If a centaur passes outside of the desert, their body is often brought to the edges of the desert, where the desert winds reach them. And if they cannot be brought to the desert, they are burned, and the ashes preserved. The ashes are then brought home, to the desert winds, where its remains may fly in the winds, to the herd.
Encompassed species
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