Centaurs
Might through competition
Centaurs are known to originate from the Cauldron of Creation. Having suffered as well with the humans during the ancient times of the yuan-ti, albeit in different roles, the centaurs now live free and are free to roam in their large, nomadic clans. Very few have dared to travel outside of Cauldron of Creation, but it is not unheard of to see a centaur board a ship towards the mainland in hopes of new discoveries and lands.Basic Information
Anatomy
Centaurs of Taurua have a humanoid upper body while their body from waist-down resembles that of a small horse or a large pony. In comparison to their lower bodies, usually the human side is a bit larger than the equidae side. While their animalistic side shows usually variation in colour and patterns, human side of a centaur is usually very tanned or dark in skin.
Growth Rate & Stages
Centaur fawn usually learns to walk much faster than a human baby and it takes the fawn 20 years to age to an adult. Centaur elders are a rare sight, since with the cruelty of the world and the survivalistic tendencies of the centaur clans, elder centaurs often become a liability in their slowness. Centaurs have been known to live around 70 to 90 years.
Ecology and Habitats
While most prosperous centaur clans inhabit the Parched Highlands on Phorex Isle, some are known to have spread on other islands in Cauldron of Creation as well. Centaurs usually prefer either large grasslands, deserts or savannahs. Dry environments with large, open plains are ideal for a clan to settle as it presents plenty of opportunities to grow as a clan and to hunt as a pack.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Centaur firstnames differ from tribe to tribe, but tend to be focuses on heavy use of consonants. Their surnames most often come from combined elements of the surrounding areas, or from accomplishments.
Beauty Ideals
Centaur appreciate physical prowess above all and as such most are found having a chiseled body, trained to perfection. To this ideal, both, their equine and human torsos matter. It is especially disgraceful for traditional centaurs not to take care of their bodies or to grow extra fat or show signs of laziness.
Gender Ideals
While valuing different opinions to help their survival as a clan, centaur clans are most often defended by male centaurs although both male and female participate on larger hunts. A child-bearing centaur is forbidden to enter any hunts or combat before the fawn has been birthed.
Relationship Ideals
As rules of nature would dictate it, centaur relationships are found from a middleground between sophisticated and primal. Female centaurs most often have a larger stock to choose from and take more care in choosing their mate, which lead the male centaur to show great feats of prowess and strength in hopes of attracting attention from the female of their liking. In a situation where two males are interested in the same female, great feasts and competitions are held that are dictated by the female. These competitions usually include racing, sometimes obstacle courses or even wrestling or dueling.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Although the centaur would make for perfect explorers with their equine features and wild minds, their culture is very much focused around the safety of ones clan. A centaur with a family is expected to protect it at all cost from any threats and a centaurs family is the only thing that matters to them even more than a clan. This has lead to some contradictions when it comes to tales of betrayal or of love, where a family of four or five has fled from their homeclan after causing others to suffer from ill will.
To an outsider, a centaur clan is mighty lively and lovely. Being active and remaining on the move dictates the very lifecycle of a centaur as with wide, empty spaces surrounding their clan grounds the centaurs move in large areas to ensure the safety of their clan, and to explore new locales and to hunt. The clan tents are most often empty, reserved to either the wounded, elderly or those bearing a child. Outside of that, a camp during an average day is filled with the giggles and roars of centaur fawn that play around on the clan grounds and train to hunt. Exotic smells might arise from nearby firepits where food is cooked from whatever the hunters bring home every day.
However, there is an exception to this. During bouts of strength and competitions (of which there are many), a centaur clan sometimes finds itself divided. If different sides of the competition are both beloved within the clan, the clan members find themselves rooting for their favored champions and take any offenses towards their champions to their heart. This is time for many smaller skirmishes and combats to erupt inside of a clan and foul language is usual during these days. However, after a competition is over, the centaur quickly forget any ill will towards each other and rarely carry any resentment towards each other.
To an outsider, a centaur clan is mighty lively and lovely. Being active and remaining on the move dictates the very lifecycle of a centaur as with wide, empty spaces surrounding their clan grounds the centaurs move in large areas to ensure the safety of their clan, and to explore new locales and to hunt. The clan tents are most often empty, reserved to either the wounded, elderly or those bearing a child. Outside of that, a camp during an average day is filled with the giggles and roars of centaur fawn that play around on the clan grounds and train to hunt. Exotic smells might arise from nearby firepits where food is cooked from whatever the hunters bring home every day.
However, there is an exception to this. During bouts of strength and competitions (of which there are many), a centaur clan sometimes finds itself divided. If different sides of the competition are both beloved within the clan, the clan members find themselves rooting for their favored champions and take any offenses towards their champions to their heart. This is time for many smaller skirmishes and combats to erupt inside of a clan and foul language is usual during these days. However, after a competition is over, the centaur quickly forget any ill will towards each other and rarely carry any resentment towards each other.
History
Another race born in shackles of slavery. Ancient history of the centaur race has been wiped from existance with cruel years of slavery and using them for transportation as well as couriers by the yuan-ti. Some scholars and academics still hold faith in yuan-ti records being capable of discovering the hidden past of the centaur.
After the violent slave rebellions ended the yuan-ti rule, the centaur have acted as a middleman between nature and humans. Still offering useful services to the humans for coin (such as acting as cavalry, for delivery or hunting from them), their clans rarely grow to such numbers that they would harm nature themselves. It is a dream and a need for every centaur to be free to roam as they please and due to their nomadic nature they have made friends with many more primal races, such as the wood elves and some tribes of Phorex Isles.
After the violent slave rebellions ended the yuan-ti rule, the centaur have acted as a middleman between nature and humans. Still offering useful services to the humans for coin (such as acting as cavalry, for delivery or hunting from them), their clans rarely grow to such numbers that they would harm nature themselves. It is a dream and a need for every centaur to be free to roam as they please and due to their nomadic nature they have made friends with many more primal races, such as the wood elves and some tribes of Phorex Isles.
Common Myths and Legends
Legend of the Browbeaters
An old centaur hero from the ancient slave rebellion was said to use mystical and majestical "Browbeaters". A weapon constructed by humans, but that was designed for centaur use. The Browbeaters are depicted in various forms, either as scythe-like blades or spikes protruding from an armor designed to protect the front legs of a centaur.
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
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