Centaur
A noble creature designed to be steeds for Elves that split into three species, the High Centaur which still serve the Elves, the Wild Centaurs which escaped from servitude into the wild lands of South Belahir, and the Shadow Centaurs which followed the Elves into the Shadowfell and subsequently got corrupted and blessed.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Shadow Centaurs tend to be weaker and shorter, weighing in about 250 lbs below the Centaurs still in servitude to Eves, who tend to end, in turn, shorter and weaker than the wild Centaurs roaming South Belahir, who weigh about 450 lbs more.
Growth Rate & Stages
They were designed by Ruler to be a noble warrior steed, and as such mature quickly, reaching adulthood after only a year, but mature fully after 30 years, after which they steadily decline, becoming weaker and weaker, more vulnerable to disease and injury until they are killed by one or another, usually either living to 75 or being ritually executed at 40.
Ecology and Habitats
They were designed to live in forests or regal cities, and as such survive best there, although they seem to have taken well to colder forests and mountainous climates.
Biological Cycle
In warming they shed fur from their horse bodies and regrow it during cooling.
Additional Information
Social Structure
In the wild they tend to form tribes of warriors, with the chieftain being a hereditary position.
Domestication
Once a Centaur is wild, it is considered untamable.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
They are used as mounts and protectors by the Elves.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Average Intelligence
They are generally very smart, learning their first language within days and any subsequent language just a few months, although it rarely extends beyond being good at languages.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
High Centaurs and Shadow Centaur who are still in service seldom use names, instead referring to themselves as their owner's steed. Wild Centaur tribes tend to use a set of slightly modified Elven names that they pass down through generations.
Average Technological Level
They struggle to fashion anything out of metal, but have become proficient in sewing using pieces of bones and making any type of stone tools, but can use nearly any tool.
History
They were created by Ruler as steeds for the Elves. During the end of the Great War, many groups of centaurs broke off from the main forces, creating many wild tribes that still plague Suthphor and the southern part of Belahir, running around South Belahir freely, which became known as Wild Centaurs. When Elves fled from the Ashlands into the Shadowfell, the centaurs they owned followed, and both got corrupted by the Shadowfell, but the centaurs were soon blessed by an unknown force, suspected to be either Faller or Vampiron, with the ability to pass through planar boundaries, creating a subrace that came to be known as the Shadow Centaurs.
Common Myths and Legends
Tribes of wild Centaurs tell of how their tribe left the various armies, which is useful because everybody else scrubbed ignored from history.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Wild Centaurs dislike or hate the Elves , while tamed ones serve them, and both harbor hatred towards the Dragonborn who the Centaur species as a whole fought against during the Great War.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Genetic Descendants
Lifespan
40 years
Average Height
For Shadow Centaurs, about 6ft
For High Centaurs, about 6 1/2ft
For Wild Centaurs, about 7 1/2ft
Average Weight
For Shadow Centaurs, about 1800 lbs
For High Centaurs, about 2050 lbs
For Wild Centaurs, about 2500 lbs
Average Length
For Shadow Centaurs, about 7ft
For High Centaurs, about 7 1/2ft
For Wild Centaurs, about 8 1/2ft
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