The Centaurs

The Centaurs are an odd, yet rabidly independent race native to Ecumene, making their home in the Great Steppe of Sahul. As one of the Intelligent Races, they have achieved a high level of technology, intelligence, and society that not many other species have, though due to their location, their lands have been hungered after by many an Empire, a position they resent. They are a member of the very broad "Demihuman" group of Races, which includes races that are not entirely bestial in appearance, but not entirely Humanoid. This group also includes Dryads and Satyrs, although the three races are only distantly related.   This race has one of the most complicated biologies out of the Intelligent Races, due in large part to their anatomy that is equal part primate and equine. The "top" half of a Centaur highly resembles the top part of a Human, but with a few key differences. The Human-like part of a Centaur generally has a slightly tanned skin color, but the furred equine part can be any color or pattern of a horse coat. The head hair of the race varies from individual to individual, with its thickness being up to genetics. However, almost all Centaurs have black hair, although dark browns can be found on rare occasions. The nose of a Centaur is notably larger than the noses of most other Human-like races, allowing the Centaur to get much more oxygen into their lungs when combined with their powerful diaphragm and larger lungs, both of which are of course found in the upper half of the Centaur. The hyperthrobic main heart of a Centaur is located within the race's wide thorax and pumps out blood that has enhanced oxygen transport capacity (due in part to a greater hemoglobin count), allowing the race to tolerate a higher level of carbon dioxide than most other mammals, though the main purpose of this, alongside the other adaptations, is to allow the Centaur to get a proper, or even larger, amount of oxygen needed to sustain itself and its lifestyle. The ribcage of a Centaur is exclusively located in its upper half and is bigger, deeper, and holds more ribs than most other Human-like races. As a final touch, the muscles of a Centaur's torso and abdomen are more developed than those of Man, due to powerful muscles being located in the area as most of the Centaur's digestive system being located in the equine portion of the race. These muscles allow the Centaur great freedom of movement, at least pertaining to its upper half, essentially making the area function as a giant, glorified neck. The arms of a Centaur are also a small bit longer than those of Mankind, allowing them to more easily pick things off the ground provided they kneel down.   The spine of a Centaur is a marvel of biology. It runs from the neck down to the tail of the Centaur, with a deep curve around where the "man" half turns into the equine portion. This curve allows the spinal cord to absorb much of the physical shock that comes with galloping. However, a Centaur cannot do a full gallop for long. While a Centaur can run even faster than most mount animals and far faster than any other race on foot (a Centaur can reach up to 60 miles per hour) they do not have very good stamina. They can do some of the most impressive short distance sprints in nature and have exceptional horsepower due to their generally muscular builds but must take short breathers in between extreme bursts of speed, which is one of the reasons early Centaurs adopted archery, as well as their natural strength.   The lower portion of a Centaur's body, often referred to as the equine portion, is one of the most interesting pieces of biology in the entirety of Ecumene. Almost exactly at the abdomen (in other words where the two parts of a Centaur meet) the stomach of a Centaur. However, attached to it is an enlarged vertebra which hosts a nervous ganglion (just behind the bend in the spine). This has the dual purpose of both coordinating the secondary blood pumping system of the Centaur and helping to control the Centaur's digestion process. As a whole, the digestion system of a Centaur is far more similar to the other races' than an equine beast. Below the stomach and right where the two halves of the Centaur meet is a set of bones that support the organs of the upper body. A Centaur also has a large equine sternum (that reaches down to its large colon and kidneys) as well as an extended small intestine near the area. Right behind where the front legs of a Centaur are located is a secondary, much smaller, heart. This heart pumps blood throughout all the body just as the main heart does, but is heavily connected with a Centaur's legs, and especially its hooves.   Centaurs can kneel down better than other equines, allowing them to more easily pick things up from below them, although it still can be troublesome. As well, they can rear up easier than other equines, being able to reach 12 feet up at a full rear.   Amazingly, a Centaur needs only 2 hours of sleep a day, though some Centaurs nap during the darkest hours of the night. Most naps are taken in a standing position, as Centaurs are able to sleep standing up, but a proper rest can only come if a Centaur lies down. A Centaur can lie down just as any other equine would, although their upper half takes a position more akin to the sleeping positions of other races.   It should be noted that a Centaur's body needs much more exercise than the body of other races due to its structure. Because of this, it is not uncommon to see Centaurs of all ages partaking in games or simply just running around in order to keep healthy.   The sexual dimorphism of the Centaur race is quite interesting. Centaur males and Centaur females (sometimes called Centaurides) generally look like Human males and females from the abdomen up. It is much the same with their equine halves, with males and females looking like a horse of the same gender from below the abdomen (even having horse-like genitalia and reproductive organs). Centaur males additionally have thicker hairs on their lower legs and are capable of growing full facial hair. Females also have humanoid-like breasts to nurse their young. As members of the Intelligent Races, Centaurs can feel attraction to all of the other races, though they can only breed with members of their own species.

Centaurs have much the same reproductive system, and therefore mate much the same as, equine species. Centaurs have a gestation period of around 11 months, with usually only one "foal" being born, though twins sometimes can be found.   The development cycle of a Centaur is both incredibly similar to, and incredibly different from that of humanity, meaning that, while the ages where development stages begin are generally the same, what they mean drastically differs. Once a baby centaur is born, it is completely helpless for the first three weeks of its life, with it often being carried in a sling by its mother. After these three weeks, the Centaur infant gains the use of its legs. However, while its legs are fully functional, its upper half is less so. The foal is unable to keep its head up for a large amount of time, resulting in the Centaur running about with its upper body flopping around. While this is seen as incredibly endearing to the Centaurs, it is seen as the pinnacle of comedy to most other races. When a Centaur reaches the toddler stage, the tendons in the arms of the child grow slightly stiff and tend to remain held close to the chest of the Centaur unless a conscious effort is made to move them. This is thought to be a mechanism to keep the Centaur's now fully functioning upper half balanced until it can grow more, with this adaptation disappearing once a Centaur reaches proper childhood. However, Centaurs of all ages tend to place their arms close to their chest if they are in extreme distress as a sort of psychological comfort device. From here on, a Centaur develops much like a Human, although slightly sped up due to the relatively shorter lifespan of the Centaurs. A Centaur usually reaches seniority at age 50, with their upper body hair turning grey and their upper body in general developing wrinkles. The coat of an elderly Centaur's lower body generally becomes more matted and lighter in color as well.

Centaur cuisine does not have too much presence outside of the Great Steppe, as their food is often plain and unappealing to more "refined" palates. However, this is not to say that food is hard to come by, as the Khanate of Qadjik is agriculturally rich. The most widely raised animals on the steppe are unicorns, camels, and ostriches, as the abundance of grass can easily support their large bodies. Of course, sheep, chickens, and pigs are also raised, but in a much smaller number. Traditionally, meat is boiled and heavily salted, a holdover from the Pagan Epoch in which the Centaurs were a nomadic people. Sometimes, these meats may also be fixed into sausages and kebabs, put into boiled dumplings, or fried. Centaur cuisine is not very heavy spice-wise, with the most common spices simply being salt, black pepper, garlic, cumin, sesame seed, nigella, dill, and onion. Milk products are also a huge part of Centaur cuisine, with cheese and sour cream being incredibly common. However, animal products are not the only thing eaten on the Steppe. The fertile soil allows a great amount of grain and veggies to be grown and, of course, consumed thereafter. Wheat and barley can be made into fried bread, boiled dumplings, or noodles. The aforementioned boiled meats are often paired with corn, beans, cabbage, peas, rice, turnips, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, and cucumbers.   As stated before, milk in all forms is a favorite of the Centaurs. It is often consumed alone, though milk (or cream, for that matter) is often added to tea or fermented. Like in most cultures, alcohol is also incredibly common, with the Centaur race's drink of choice being whiskey or boza (a malt beverage made of corn and wheat).   Due to a Centaur's large body and unique body structure, they are very big eaters. Ever since their transition from a nomadic people to a settled people, they have followed a rather unique meal structure in following with just how many calories their body needs daily. In the morning, the Centaurs wake up to a meal known as Tañğı As (Breakfast): a very fatty meal commonly composed of cheese, eggs, pastries, and bread or flatbread with toast and jam. Throughout the entire day, Centaurs will then snack on things such as jerky, nuts, bread, fried dough, dumplings, and qurut. In the evenings, the Centaurs will settle in for their last meal of the day, a massive affair that usually takes the whole day to prepare. This meal is called Keşki As (Dinner) and is made of meat dishes like sausages, roasts, and stews served alongside noodles, rolls or flatbread, dumplings, wheat pilaf, and various vegetables.

The Centaur people are, now, not only free of the Empire, but of local nobility. Following "temporary" land seizures to aid the war effort, the lands and titles of the Otamans would be stripped from them, and a massive sector of yeomen farmers and agricultural co-operatives have grown from the downtrodden sharecroppers of the Imperial Age. Many Centaurs live as sedentary ranchers, the nomadic class of Host-less Outcasts dying out after independence as their Anti-Imperial ideals became defunct, land was redistributed out to the people, and industrialization came to the Steppe. While many are still poor and mechanization is spotty, these farmers live much better lives than they did under the Empire, for, both politically and economically speaking, they can breathe free.   The Khanate is divided into five Hosts: Tausy, Segati, Anuran, Kenalan, and Jagasi. These serve as the state's federal entities and they each have their own identities. The Tasuy are the largest Host in both population and territory, only by a little bit as far as population goes but very much so as far as territory goes. For this reason, the Tasuy are not often liked by those of other Hosts (who love to ridicule their traditions of wearing the fez or their special love for kebab), especially when the superiority complex almost the entire Host has is taken into account. Tasuy Oil Wrestling is a highly honored tradition in the Tasuy Host. Before a match, the two competitors will slather one another in oil as a sign of respect, the purpose of the oil being so that the two wrestlers cannot grab onto each other's fur so easily. Wrestling is done completely naked, except for a belt secured around the Centaur's waist. Wrestlers will commonly try and put their arms through this belt to get better control over their opponent, the goal being to force the other onto the ground and spins them onto their back. The Tasuy Host remains a bastion of poetry in a world that is rapidly shifting to novels as its preferred form of literature, with some of the greatest poets of the age being of the Tasuy Host. This may perhaps be due to the fact that the Tasuy Host is a bastion of Centaur conservatism, where your Gods and your livestock come before all, where the women stay in the home all the day, and the ways seen as traditional and integral remain firmly entrenched and unchallenged, perhaps due to the fact that they are the only Host to not be of the Temple-Creed of Integration; most Tasuy belong to the Temple of Lumination, one with a more socially conservative philosophy and worldview (and for this, they are often seen as strange by other Centaurs, but Commonalists are still Commonalists, no matter what road they have chosen to the Eternal Peace).   The Segati Host is the smallest of the Centaur Hosts, but they are not without culture. Segati culture tends to be very cosmopolitan, with the Segati people having long integrated customs and cultures from other Hosts (and even the Dwarves in no small part) into their own culture, a fact that is constantly joked about by the other Hosts who call the Segati "cultureless mutts". Goulash is a well known part of the Segati diet, as is "Fisherman's Soup". The Argichi River runs through Segati land, and although it is not a common dish at all, it is still quite strange that any steppe people be known for eating a soup of carp, dumplings, and paprika. Since the Deluge, the Segati have adopted the Sylvan tradition of bathhouses, maintaining that in a world enlightened by modern science all Centaurs must do their best to keep their fur clean, and as such cities both major and minor throughout the Host have seen a rise in spa culture. Circle dances (some of which are traditionally performed only by women) are quite common here. The Segati tend to be a more progressive people.   The Anuran Host is perhaps the most culturally progressive and modernist Host. Though it is still quite scandalous in the Anuran Host, this region has the highest percentage of working women in the Khanate and is the heart of a small but growing Centaur feminist movement. The Anuran Host is also notable for its firm support of nationalist, more unitary parties, and it is fact that most Anurans do not really see themselves as Anurans - instead, many simply see themselves as Qadjiki. It should be here noted that the first Khan of a united Qadjik was of the Anuran Host. Anuran cuisine is notable for its usage of saffron, which is grown in abundance here and is widely desired by foreign nations as well. As for art, the Anuran maintain an odd musical tradition known as "Meyxana": spoken word poetry (that is often improvised) performed in time to a beat. Meyxana Battles in which two performers perform one after another, sometimes joking about or insulting their opponent, are very common. Though the Centaur people as a whole are known for their traditional skill in weaving, handmade Anuran-made carpets are sought after across Ecumene.   The Kenalan Host resisted the transition of the Centaurs from a nomadic people to a sedentary people the longest and hardest of all, and while this was a lost cause in the end, the unique culture of the Kenalan reflects the nomadic origins of the people more than others. Many rural Kenalan families still keep chums (hide tents) on the property to be used as a summer kitchen (if the family does not have electricity), a guest room, or to be taken around the region for camping or hunting trips. Indeed, hunting and falconing remain very popular pastimes in the Kenalan Host, with game meat in general having a higher presence in their cuisine. Interestingly, the Kenalans have a throat singing tradition, very similar to the one found amongst the Ogres. The Kenalan Host also tends to be a more traditional one, obviously, though there are sectors that support more progressive causes.   The Jagasi are perhaps the odd ones out within the Khanate at large. For centuries, the lands of the Jagasi Host were not part of the entity known as Greater Qadjik, but known to Imperial authorities as Lesser Qadjik, isolated from their brothers in an attempt to keep the Centaurs down. During that time, their culture diverged in unique and somewhat strange ways, at least when compared to their brothers and sisters. Though not to the extent of the traditional Centaur crop of wheat, native-grown rice has a rather large presence in the Jagasi diet. They also are known to have a deep love of pulled noodles: perhaps the best known Jagasi dish is "lağman", a dish of lamb or unicorn, peppers, eggplant, radishes, potatoes, onions, garlic, and pulled noodles. Jagasi men tend to shave their heads and wear a skullcap known as a "doppa" instead of the more Pan-Centaur papakha and tend to always carry a small knife as a show of their masculinity (a tradition that developed due to the constant threat Humanity posed to the Jagasi both then and now). Another unique piece of Jagasi culture is the "meshrep": a men's only gathering or party hosted by a local elder that consists of singing, wild dancing, poetry recitals, religious, philosophical, and political discussions, and "tribunals" to shame men in company for slights against other men in the community or other moral transgressions. The Jagasi tend to be a more traditional group.   While the Host in which they belong often makes up a large part of a Centaur's identity, it should be noted that Centaur nationalism is a big part of modern Centaur life, the thing that gives all of them unity and meaning. The Khanate also has a total internal immigration ban, which prohibits Centaurs from living outside of their birth Host, a very divisive law indeed.

The naming traditions of the Centaurs are very unique. When a Centaur is born they are given a first name, which is divided from their surname by a hyphen. Middle names are not given. However, after a Centaur's Coming of Age ritual (called the Özgerister Ceremony) they are given an "Atawı" or "title-name". This is not a traditional name, no, but rather an epithet describing their achievements or characteristics at the time of their Özgerister, in which the young Centaur man must spend one whole day camped several miles into the wilderness, where he must find his own meals and make his own shelter for the night. Due to the nature of an Atawı, it can be changed many times throughout a Centaur's life, with a new title-name being given at the discretion of the Centaur's father or any other father figure. An example of an adult Centaur's name would be something like "Shynar-Aidosova the Swift" or "Ayat-Kairatev Strong Hoof".   Centaur nobles do not have a different naming tradition than that of the common folk, but upon his ascension to the throne, the Khan of Greater Qadjik will abandon his surname (which is the name of his Host) and instead adopt the surname of "Xan" (the Centaur spelling of Khan) to symbolize the unity of all Hosts. This is not separated by a hyphen. For instance, the first-ever Khan was named Ruslan Xan the Great, formerly Ruslan-Tasuy the Great.

Despite their fiercely independent attitude, Centaurs do share many similarities with other cultures on Sahul. One of these similarities is their sense of gender, as the Centaur lands operate under a patriarchy. While men work in the fields, their wives and daughters stay at home. In other areas, women will sometimes help in the fields, it is considered incredibly taboo for female Centaurs to do any physical labor outside of the household. This comes out of necessity, as the race's big appetite requires a kitchen to be running almost constantly, so if women are out of the house, there will be no food to eat.   This makes the bearing of sons to help with agricultural work a necessity in Centaur lands, but if this does not happen, the adoption of sons is both common, totally stigma-free, and encouraged within Centaur society. However, the adoption of daughters is much less common and does have a stigma, as why would you willingly choose a daughter over a son who can work your land and carry on your name, even if he was not technically born to you?

As in other places, arranged marriages are quite common, although they are steadily declining in popularity within most of Centaur society. Once a couple is ready to marry, the man will buy two necklaces, akin to how most Trinitists use rings or bracelets. However, the woman has no say in when she is to be married. Once he feels he is ready, the gentleman will contact his lover's father, telling him that he is prepared to marry his daughter.   After this is done, the groom will gather his friends and prepare for the time-honored tradition of bride kidnapping. When the soon-to-be bride gets out of the house, her lover and her friends will abduct her and take her to the groom's venue of choice, with the local Monk in attendance. Obviously, this is a terrifying experience for many Centaur women, especially if she did not want to marry her lover, but it has always been romanticized as a sign of true love (and many grow to laugh about it later if they do actually love their husband). As the families of the bride and groom gather, the Monk will be given the two necklaces, and the bride and groom will take up opposite positions from each other. To symbolize their love, the Monk will tie a ribbon around one hand of both the bride and the groom, connecting them, before placing the necklaces on their neck, usually to much applause. A large party will come after, in which the bride and groom will still be connected by this tied hand, and it is expected that they do not cut off the knot until the party is over and they are completely alone.

While the Qadjiki economy is almost entirely agricultural, the geographic position of the nation means that it has absolutely excellent railroad connection. Through the programs of the independent government, every town has telegraph connection and the cities are electrified, although this is not saying much, as an overwhelming majority of Centaurs live in non-electrified, rural villages. Agricultural mechanization, while creeping in, is also doing so very slowly.

Centaurs speak a language known as "Centaur" which is in essence real-life Kazakh. This language uses an alphabetical system of writing known as "Runic", which utilizes 40 letters to form words and phrases, with the letters themselves looking quite like those used in the real-life Deseret Alphabet.

The most common greeting among Centaurs is just raising their right front leg up while not moving. If they are on the move and want to greet someone without stopping, a simple nod is a sufficient substitute. If you are greeting a large group, it is traditional to greet them all individually and in descending order of age or rank. When visiting a Centaur, no matter the setting, it is expected that you do not visit when they are taking a meal. Interrupting a meal is a major faux pas, as the host often does not have enough to serve you, not to mention that you are interrupting time between the family.   Interestingly, Centaur culture has no stigma on covering up their lower body. Of course, while their upper body must be covered for reasons of warmth and modesty, it is both impractical and uncomfortable to cover up their lower body (with the fur that covers it offering insulation enough, anyway).

Due to the unique biology of the Centaur race, the way they dress is far different from most other races. As stated before, they will only cover up their upper body, leaving their equine half bare. Working men will often wear loose-fitting, plainly colored tunics that hang a bit over their abdomen. In the winter months, they will also often wear a "czamara", a type of coat with narrow sleeves, a high collar, and pankou knots that flows down below the abdomen and even covers a bit of the Centaur's lower half, as well as a "papakha", a tall woolen hat. Women will wear a vyshyvanka shirt, known for its unique and geometric pattern. During the winter, women will also wear a warm, fur-lined arkhalig jacket, but during the summer, they can often be found wearing a wreath on the top of their heads. This wreath is made of a strip of stiff paper upon which flowers are tied via a ribbon. Working people will also wear a belt with attached bags around their abdomen or thrown across their back, as, for obvious reasons, Centaurs and pockets don't exactly mix. During winter, both sexes will drape a blanket over their lower half, no matter their social status.   Centaurs with a bit more wealth will dress to show it off, like most wealthy on Sahul, will dress in the Dwarven fashion, though heavily modified to suit their own body structure. Men will wear tight-fitting shirts under jackets that flow over their backs and then down their sides paired with a papakha or less commonly a planter's hat. Women will wear something far more different. Many high-class Centaur women will actually wear dresses, especially when going out formally. With the help of a corset, the top portion is situated around the upper body and the rest is allowed to flow down and around the lower body, often covering everything but the hooves under intricate lacing and designs. Usually, a woman needs the help of another to put this on properly.   The preferred hairstyles of the Centaur males range between a completely shaved head and long flowing hair, with a hairstyle known as an "Oseledets" being the most common among working men. Interestingly, it is the tradition not of high-class women but of high-class men to have their tails braided. Women in Centaur society wear their hair long, but often braid it, with a more complicated braid showing a higher social status. Uniquely, the "shoes" of a Centaur are seen as great status symbols as well. Due to obvious reasons, a Centaur cannot attach their own shoes, so farriers are in high demand, especially expert ones. Sick Centaurs especially need farriers, as their hooves will grow quite long depending on how long they are out of commission. As well, shoes are seen as a sign of a life of leisure, as to wear horseshoes often means that your hooves are not trimmed by labor. Due to this, high-class Centaurs will pay top dollar for highly skilled farriers to apply elaborate, difficult-to-apply shoes made of only the finest metals and studded with the finest gems. Likewise, a clean, immaculately groomed lower body is a similar sign, for it both means that you do not have to labor for yourself and that you have servants to clean you regularly.

Houses And Architecture
As with most things in the land of the Centaurs, their homes are tied in deeply with their anatomy. Centaur houses, no matter the wealth level of the family, are huge. However, it is traditional that each couple has a house of their own as soon as they are married. Appearance-wise, Centaur houses look like the traditional Ukrainian abodes of real-life, wide and with thatched rooves. Stone, rock, or even packed dirt is the most common building material, as wood is quite uncommon on the Steppe, and most farmers cannot afford to build an entire house out of imported wood which can be better used elsewhere anyways. The interior of Centaur houses is very different from others as well. Centaurs don't have beds, but instead sleep on large sacks similar to an oversized beanbag chair. Poorer families will fill them with straw or grass, while the rich can afford to fill them with feathers and down. Instead of chairs and tables, Centaurs use chaise longue to rest and eat on, which allows their whole body to be comfortable. Tables and shelves are raised higher than they are elsewhere for easier reach. While most Centaur houses are single-story, those with two stories (usually owned by nobles) often have two sets of ramps connecting the stories, one going up and one going down, as Centaurs have great difficulty turning around in a tight space. Centaurs do not like traditional flooring, due to their hooves and the need to wear them down, so most homes just have a "floor" of packed dirt, which can also be seen in town design, as Centaur roads are not paved.   Music And Art
Most Centaur women are skilled in weaving, both of thread and of straw. Handwoven materials coming out of the Great Steppe can often fetch a high price, although this industry has begun to suffer as of late with the invention of industrial machinery. Other arts are of course quite common with the Steppe, although none is more beloved than music. Folk songs are a major part of Centaur culture, unique for their incredibly loud singing and heavy use of whistling, with instruments such as banduras, kobzas, ghijaks, sopilka flutes, sybyzgy, garmons, and turkish crescents being quite common. There are also instruments that belong to one Host or another.   Sports And Games
The natural athleticism of the Centaur race owes itself very well to their love of sports. Races, hurdle jumping, and horseball (known to the Centaurs as "hoop ball) are all common, though the upper classes prefer sports like tent pegging, running archery, and polo. Rugby (modified for their biology) is also quite common in all sectors of society.   Funerary Traditions
Centaur funerals may seem odd, or even macabre, to some, but the reasoning behind them is fairly sound. When a Centaur dies, they will be buried in a white cotton sheet tied with flowers, but not in a cemetery. Instead, they will be buried in their planting field or garden as the local Monk watches to ensure proper burial. Just as they believe the soul will reincarnate, the Temples of the Valleys and Steppes believe that the body is best used to sprout new life after it has completed its mortal task.   Philosophy
The Centaurs are a very individualistic race. From the moment they are born, Centaurs learn that their freedom to do as they choose is one of the most important things ever. Furthermore, Centaurs learn that they are not true Centaurs unless they are self-reliant and self-sufficient. Tragically, it is Centaur custom that elders who become too old or too sick to contribute much anything to their community are killed. Their family will gather around them and keep them company as the town undertaker gives them a cup of tea spiked with more than enough hemlock to end them quickly. While this tradition is rather grim, neither the elders nor other Centaurs resent it too much, for it has been a tradition that has survived for thousands of years, not to mention that it is seen as more humane than allowing the sick senior die of their ailment. Because of this focus on the individual and those close to them, the Centaurs resent anything and anyone who seeks to take what is theirs, for they need no one that they have not chosen themselves. The Steppe is hard, but the Centaurs who have conquered it are harder, so to claim that a Centaur and their race need protection from anyone else is laughable.

Offensive Slurs And Insults
Slurs for the Centaurs include "Clip-Clops", "Neighsayers", "Horsemen", "Nags" and "Neighers".   Centaurs often refer to other races as "Two-Legs" or "Snails".   Cultural Taboos
The greatest way to disrespect a Centaur is to treat them like a common beast. They are a proud, independent race, and to be treated like a horse is an insult like no other. Under no circumstance will a Centaur allow someone else to ride them or use them as a beast of burden, even if the situation is life or death. Furthermore, Centaurs will not allow anyone of another race else to brush their lower halves. As Centaurs cannot do this themselves, the act of grooming someone is incredibly personal and a sign of great trust, respect, and love that foreigners would just not understand and would likely mock.

For rather obvious reasons, Centaurs do not use other animals as mounts. Most Centaurs are more than capable of pulling a plow or cart behind themselves, with such a thing being a common sight in the rural Steppe. Upper-class Centaurs, however, will often own llamas or horses or hire a "cart servant" to pull their belongings for them.   Even before the Deluge, Humanity and Centaurs have never had a favorable relationship. In the Pre-Divine days of the Aurelian Empire, Centaurs were often enslaved by the Empire Of Great Mountains, an Empire the Humans helped to build. Now, after what the Centaurs refer to as the "Great Struggle", an event defined not by revolutionary heroism, but by attempted genocide, relations have soured further. Qadjik and Tellus (the Centaur and Human nations respectively) have no formal relations, and a resumption of war for the Transaurelia is always near. Now that they are free, the Centaurs would rather die than give up their liberty, although the two might go hand in hand. However, while rapidly independent, the Centaurs have a friend in their fight against Human aggression: the Gnomes, their honored brother people who have fought with them for centuries against oppression both from the Empire and now from Tellus.