Centaurs

One of the elderich races, Centaurs are hexapedal in structure, vaguely humanoid in the upper torso and vaguely equine in the hind. They have cloven hooves, pointed ears, wide face w high cheekbones, flat noses, and humanoid torso over an equine type body.

by Friedrich Preller the Elder (German, Eisenach 1804–1878 Weimar)

Basic Information

Anatomy

Centaurs have male and female genitalia on the hindbody and facial hair and a more muscular build in males or gracile build, human breasts, and no facial hair in females. They have a marsupial horizontal pouch on the lower foreabdomen above the second pectorals.

Genetics and Reproduction

No infant centaurs are known, though they do talk of calving. They may have relations with other species, but do not cross breed. Asexual, homosexual or degrees between are recognized and only admonished or scorned for excess or imposition on others.

Centaurs don't make this public, but nor is it actively hidden. It is just that humans don't know in general aside from very close personal friends. Centaurs reproduce sexually with a fertility period every season. Either gender may carry a #RaQua egg produced by females. The #RaQua incubates and spreads through the body and splits off as a young smaller centaur after 3 years. The parent gets heavier and thicker during gestation. Near separation (They call it calving), there are shivers and limb tremors, sometimes change of color in one eye. The calved emerge smaller than the parent but with basic knowledge. Twins are very rare.

Growth Rate & Stages

Centaur young appear in society as juveniles of half the size of a full grown adult and educated in the basics of society and ready for apprenticeship.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Centaurs are omnivores who engage in agriculture and livestock raising. The arts of brewing, winemaking and cheese making are practiced in settled communities. Centaurs are multichamber stomached and practice cud chewing. The hind gut allows them to eat more vegetative matter than humans, fae or Minotaurs.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Family structure is typically extended with elders or siblings with pairs and young. The triad of adults is considered the stable family form, with elder couples or triads making a herd of 5-7 adults plus 2-4 young. Communities are led by those with a reputation of the Highest Honor or Glory and are chosen by consensus. Centaur culture practices general democracy for all and individual equality. They have no nobility or upper classes per se. Those with the highest virtue are admired and looked up to. The vice-ridden are subjects of pity. The Nightpath when revealed are feared and hated, killed or driven out of settlements.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Visual and auditory ranges are comparable to humans.  The unique feature of Centaur practice in the day path are Nodes - which can store physical or mental condition or status of the centaur for later use or recovery. The twilight path has affinity with spirits which give them magical effects.  The Night path uses a Node  method that steals from victims.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Society is organized by Rheeu. (ʁiˈʊ) - Paths which sets Dharma and purpose. The Personal Goals are set in the Houses that feature a Virtue focus and Pillars of focus, while individuals suffer temptations and weakness in their Vice ( or Weakness of Kwee* Path) or Virtue failures.

Rheeu (Paths)

Wyrd - Change and progress, Wyld- Nature and worldliness (stability) Wyrm: Chaos, Disorder. The Rheeu can be changed but requires revocation and denial of prior work, locking it away unless the new path is revoked in favor of the old one.

Jhioop:( Day Path: Wyrd - The ascendant) Change and progress. The day path seeks to refine the Po instinctual /animal souls into the Higher soul - repress the instinctual and body demands. Austerity, minimalism and stoicism. Live for higher ideas and values. They seek to observe and savor the moment, while Whi-vol, Twilight path, celebrates and revels. They respect rank, achievement and seniority. Jihoop magic consists of Node stones which are focuses of stored/ displaced mental and physical qualities and traits which can be called back from the Node. Very high rank masters may make a Node available to another or use someone else's Node.

Whi-vol: (Twilight path: Wyld - The Wheel): The Natural world of senses, & pleasures. Order and stability. Link and merge higher soul into Po soul. Glory and excitement / fun rule their concerns. Live for the day and experience. While the Jhioop sips, the Whi-vol gulps and indulges. Whi-vol magic is in the unity of spirits and the practitioner invokes possession by spirits in dance trace, running, drink & drugs, orgy, song and music to perform magics. Leaders are respected for being bigger than life, bold and loud.

Kwee* : (Night Path: Wyrm - Breakers) - Instability, Chaos and destruction. Give themselves over to the power of hates and evil spirits - banes and manitou. The Kwee* user seeks revenge, destruction of enemies or rivals, or a fast path of power and dominance. Use acquires progressively more Corruption - The manitou and banes require acts of evil, and it frequently advances faster than the user expects and they become consumed and lost to it.

Houses

Sun: House of Duty. (Valor) Warriors. Doers - actions before words: defeat a challenge or overcome a difficult obstacle.

• • Challenge, Competition, labor, production, tenacity, Courage. Righteous
• • Pillar of Honor and Duty: The challenge of overcoming challenges or tasks Courage
• • Pillar of Arms: Martial skill in combat to defeat enemies or obstacles
• • Pillar of Death and wrath, creating obstacles. Destruction and waste. Cause fear in the weak.

Test: If failing an objective, courage, flee a fight. If failed = Anger: must hunt and destroy an enemy. Reckless: immediately charges into combat without fear or restraint at next opportunity.

Moons: House of Passion: Artists, Makers. (baccinalians) - instictive (feeling). Win massively, act on impulse or feeling. Passions and feelings define the self

• • Art , Making and Music (love, Compassion) - (Jealousy, bitterness).
• • Pillar of Compassion, fellowship, sharing, charitability. Equity. Helping poor, suffering, sick.
• • Pillar of Creation: generosity, making, revel and inspire
• • Pillar of Cruelty and selfishness, insensitivity, meaness
  

Test: to ignore pleas for mercy or help, the sick, innocent, oppressed. Failure = Martyr: will throw self into taking blows, helping victims in most direct way without violence. Sacrifice wealth or goods. Tears: loss of action for a turn, able only to flee. Rage: immediately attacks causes of suffering

Stars. House of Understanding. (teachers, healers, sages) - Seekers of the truth of all things, (Knowing, Understanding). Find secrets, plans work. There is a name or identity that is the truth to and with all things. Reveal or discover a truth or lie/ deception

• • Thought and Study (Reason, Temperance)- (Disorder, chaos isolation) patience, tact
• • Pillar of Mastery: Must find out about a thing. collect library
• • Pillar of Service - understanding others as ourselves: Empathy, forgiveness, Kindness
• • Pillar of Secrets: Greed and control - destroyer of secrets
  

Test: To act rashly, engage in heavy drink, lie, to hoard without a plan or end. Thwarted by indulgence of others. Failure = Ascetic cast or give away all possessions and retreat to solitude and meditation in a temple or isolated location for days or weeks. Puritan: attack the vanities or indulgences and excess of others. Overindulgence binge - will beg, borrow or steal to make way to a place for sex, gluttony, drink or drugs for 1d12 hrs.

Eclipse: House of Commitment - Judges, Merchants - rightness, things that are built and made matter. They are proved right. Right a wrong. Mediate. (Certainty). Dealers.

• • Justice, trade ( Conviction) - (manipulation, deciet, theft): Loyalty, Honesty, respect, Prudence
• • Pillar of Justice: law, rightful authority, Integrity,
• • Pillar of Judgement: Fairness and honor are most important
• • Pillar of Deceit - manipulation, Sophistry

Test: Abandon companions, Give up under hardship, in face of torture or adversity. Backed to the wall. Commit Atrocity or cause wrongs. Failure = Cruelty: wound, kill, or beat to force loyalty and obedience. Contempt: treats others as inferior / flawed and will browbeat or attempt to show the “right path’ by any means necessary.

Void: House of Purity - connections, patterns and conspiracy: Clear undiluted. Pure perfect motives. Excellence.

• • Humility, Gratitude. (Pride, Hubris) Purity. reliability
• • Pillar of Loyalty, Devotion
• • Pillar of Sincerity, Oathkeeping
• • Pillar of Unclean: Disease, madness
  

Test: Oath breaking, Causing collateral damage, Failure of trust or loyalty. Failure= Fault Finding: belittle others with mockery. Meekness: Dithers and indecisive following direction from others. Shame: shy and over aware of dress , rudeness, nakedness or inuendo or suggestion/ suggestiveness.

Average Technological Level

Centaurs were the first culture to have attained Bronze in antiquity.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Language phonetics: #= Purred “hurh” rolled r * slide mouth “click”. ( ǁ I think is the correct symbol) å = Aqua ae= say a= ah (bar) e= pet e´=ee (see, lee) u¨= oo (took, soothe) u = uh (cut) i= ih (pit) ie=Pie
Taurien

Common Dress Code

The humanoid torso is dressed in vests, shirts or long coats. The Hindbody may be covered with a long dress, or set with packs or harnesses but is usually bare. Other traditional clothes for the hindbody:
Hwyu: A long blanket skirt similar to a Caparison or heraldric trapper.
Eboov* (click): Trouser like leg and hindbody cover. Ties over back. May have a drop and pull-up flap in the back.
Ebb: Leggings which may be fluffy, smooth or set with bells.
Uhay#(purred "R")asheh: a long coat with waist tie and long "tail" that stretches over the hindbody and hangs down at least half hindbody height. The long tails are weighted at the hem so it is less likely to ride up or flail. This is a formal garment.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Flamanco style dances with stomp and tap, Lipizzaner leaps, kicks and hind leg stances, castanets, maracas/ rattles, stringed instruments and drums. Prefer low couches or standing to chairs, big hay stuffed nest beds. Architecture is usually single story. Multistory will have large wide steps or preferably a sloped ramp. They prefer wide open and airy to closed and may suffer Claustrophobia in tight, narrow spaces.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Both Jhioop and Whi-vol paths practice courtesy and hospitality. Bravery and convictions are respected. The Day path is reserved, respectful, loyal and ignores mild insult. The Twilight is boastful, rowdy, prone to dramatic display, quick to anger at insult or injury but easily settled with a duel or ritual combat. The Night path is in hiding and may play at being either of the other paths.

Common Taboos

Each individual is subject to a specific Vice weakness that should be resisted.
• Greed: Avarice and acquisitiveness in extreme and without concern for consequences. More is better, all is best. This Vice drives acquiring things by theft, trickery, bribe, murder, betrayal. Scavenging and hoarding - wealth, knowledge, art, Magic, something rare, a place or a dream. Having is all important. tightwad and never let it go, suspect others out to steal or undercut, cheap .

• Gluttony: Over consumption - of goods, of sensation, of food, of drugs. Indulgence without restraint, relent or foresight. Consumption without end. Collector of all, or only the very best - the finest products and only the best. The conissour of sensation and experience.

• Lust: The unrestrained desire, craving and seeking after surface and the moment’s pleasures soon past and missed without appreciation. Snide comments, pandering and lasciviousness. Rude comments and innuendo. Frequently sexual lechery, wanton and wanted, but also acquired things, positions or status as goals to achieve but not of value in themselves - things and actions are tick marks to be pursued, taken and pursued anew.

• Envy: Resentment over something they desire that another has - status, beauty, wealth, friends. The possessor should lose it and the envious gain it. You are owed respect, owed people doing things for you, owed favors. Spiteful behavior

• Pride: excessive self worth, achievements, status and importance. Unwarranted effusive praise for deeds, accomplishments or qualities. Self righteous, holier than thou, busy body. Vain, bragging, gloryhound and distinguished by a calling card or mark they must know it was YOU.

• Sloth: Sadness, despair and depression. It is better to never try. The easiest path, simple and least demanding. Ignoring right wrong or best in favor of only self interest.

• Wrath: Hate and rage. They are out to thwart you, undercut you, and if thing go wrong it is their fault. They are enemies. Impatience with having to deal with lessers and idiotics. Need to punish the impure or those who are not in agreement with you.

Historical Figures

Inx region: Romoul the Mighty. Romoul was a elderly scholar who was hired to instruct the sons of a Noble family of the Kingdom of Ata, at the end of the Heroic Age. He was noted for his angostic stance that the Gods were far away and unconcerned in the daily affairs of mortals. As the evil Wizard Bihigan rose and brought war to the whole Inx region, the youngest son of the family ran away to fight and become a hero in the classic Old Kingdom sense. The old Scholar was blamed for filling the boy with fantastical stories and causing him to neglect his role in house. Romoul was banished until he brought the errant son home. So began the somewhat comic epic as he wandered seeking the boy, stumbling into unexpected situations and conflicts, pushed and guided by the God known as The Watcher of the Ways and slowly shaped into one of the great heroes of the War of Inx even going with the armies that overthrew Bihigan on his fortified island home.

by Mutterwolf

Origin/Ancestry

The Centaurs are an ancient race that arose before or during the Demon Age.

Lifespan

100-150 years

Average Height

Large (7-8ft tall, 6-8ft long) Sweet grassy odor.

Average Length

2.2 m

Average Physique

The average Centaur is about 30% stronger than a human.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Skin color ranges from a tanned brown to dark brown. Coat is anywhere from white, chestnut, fawn to black, palamino or buckskin. Hair is typically one of the primary body colors. The Forest tribes have zebra stripes bodywide or just the hind body.  Mountain tribes are paint or spotted/ dapple patterned.

Related Organizations

• Taurien States

Related Myths

• The Chaos Demon Scroll ( The Scroll of Ixonal )

by Rijksmuseum