About the Centaurs

Centaurs as a whole are a very people oriented species, however, that is primarily geared towards their own. They can be reclusive when it comes to other species, and prefer to be left alone. They do not get involved with the affairs of others, only doing so when they are directly involved themselves. They tend to be well trained in combat, though they are not typically a violent species unless attacked. However, they do have each others backs, and that goes for village to village too. If another Centaur Village is needing help, others will come to their aid even if they do not know them personally.

The centaurs are unusual in the sense that they do not conglomerate into one people, instead stay spread out in their own little villages. Each Village was founded by a family long ago, who had friends and others join them. Because of this, each village has a certain likeness to them. One Village will be only half Hooves animals, others might be Large Land Animals like Rhinos or Elephants, whereas another might be Large Carnivores like Wolves or Big Cats, even Bears. Many would think that because of this the different types of Centaurs don’t get along, but it’s quite the contrary. Most villages of Centaurs will happily and readily socialize with those of another. Majority of the village's genetics are based on adaptation and environment and not any form of prejudice. One of the big reasons why they are in villages with those similar to themselves is because of their diet. While all Centaurs are Omnivores, their animal half dictates what their preference is. Those with Herbivore halves prefer vegetation and fruit, whereas those with Carnivore halves prefer meat. This doesn’t mean Herbivore Centaurs are prey for the Carnivore ones. It just means it’s easier to live with people working towards the same goals for surviving. Many times the villages will actively trade too, so if a Carnivore Village is struggling to hunt, but a Village of Herbivores has a surplus of meat, they’ll happily help each other out. Basically: They are a united people, they just don’t live as one.
[This was difficult to express and write down, please forgive me if it’s confusing.]

Now, unlike a lot of places, the Centaur Villages do not have “ranks” or titles that bring power. They instead have roles that each individual is given, and it is their duty to fulfill. The Village is led by two people, the Elder and the Shaman. The Elder is more so the Leader of the People, whereas the Shaman is a Spiritual Leader. They work together to make sure their village is safe and thriving. From there other roles are things like Gatherer, Hunter, Healer, Warrior, etc. No one job is less important than the other, but everyone is expected to pull their own weight in one way or another.

Now that their village has been raided, much of it burnt down, the survivors are moving on. This means mothers, children, elders, as well as the other roles. They must all now work together to survive and make it to where they are going.


The Centaur Roles:

Elder: The Primary Leader of the Group. Chosen by the Previous Elder. Consider the Leader of the People, but takes Advisement from the Shaman.
Shaman: Spiritual Leader. Not as In Charge as the Elder, but their Words Mean a Lot and they often Advise and Help the Elder.
Warriors: The Fighters and Protectors of the Group. They Defend them from All Threats and Scout Terrain when Needed.
Hunters: They are the Ones Hunting for Food. They, with the Food Gatherers, are in charge of cooking the food.
Gatherers: There are Two types of Gatherers. The Resource Gatherer is the one who brings back things the Crafters, Healers, and Shamans need. Whereas the Food Gatherers bring back food items like berriers, nuts, etc. They are also in charge of Cooking with the Hunters.
Crafters: They are the Ones who Build Things. From Tools, traps, to Shelter and Houses.
Healers: They are the Ones who Tend to Wounds. They make up salves and teas to help heal their comrades.
Watchers: Kind of a Nameless Rank. But they are the ones who Keep Watch. Kind of like a Sentinel. They keep watch over the Prisoners, the Children, the Herd, etc.




Types of Centaurs:
- Hippocentaur [Human/Horse]
- Onecentaur [Human/Donkey]
- Zebracentaur [Human/Zebra]
- Bucentaur [Human/Cow or Bull]
- Criocentaur [Human/Goat or Sheep]
- Elaphocentaur [Human/Deer]

These are the type of Centaurs you can make for your characters.

For the Human side of the Centaur, they can look more human, or more elven, or somewhere in between. Typically Centaurs are unique looking and have traits that fit in whatever their animal half is. Some might have the ears of a deer or hours, hair that is similar in texture to their animal type, flatter noses, etc etc. They are their humanoid part down til their waist, where it then transitions into their animal half. All centaurs have four legs, never more and never less. Always four. They have realistic animal colors, so you’ll never see an animal half that seems unrealistic. So, no pink horses, no zebras with pink stripes, no sheep with blue wool, etc etc.

For clothing, it’s kind of up to individual style and taste. Some centaurs wear nothing at times, as nudity is not something that is viewed as taboo for them. If someone is wearing clothes it’s typically not because they’re uncomfortable being naked, but because they like the clothing. It’s not uncommon for Centaurs to wear accessories on either half of them, nor is it uncommon for centaurs to wear something as a form of shirt or top. Typically they’re loose, flowy, or something like that so that it doesn’t hinder movement. They also tend to only wear natural fibers, as they pretty much make everything they have, only occasionally trading with outsiders.

When Centaurs do fight, or go to war, they do have armor they tend to adorn. Typically this covers the vitals in their torso and a helmet, but they also have barding for their legs. Since Centaurs have a lot of weight on their legs, they take special care to protect them. Typically the most protective armor they have is around their legs, so that they cannot simply be sliced once at the legs and be done for. The barding for their legs is specially crafted and very, very difficult to penetrate in any regard. There is more armor they can wear of course, but it’s up to them. Though most won't let another Centaur into battle without some form of protective gear.





Other Types of Centaurs
Likely appear later on
- Leocentaur [Human/Lion]
- Tigrecentaur [Human/Tiger]
- Panthecentaur [Human/Panther]
- Iaguarocentaurs [Human/Jaguar]
- Leopardalocentaur [Human/Leopard]
- Ertoperidocentaur [Human/Cheetah]
- Lupacentaur [Human/Wolf]
- Ursataur [Human/Bear]

These currently are not able to be made, that may change later on in rp. But for now, they’re unusable.



Centaur Anatomy

As you can imagine, Centaur anatomy can be rather.... complicated but I'm going to try and make it simple as possible. If you have questions though, please ask.

In terms of Organs, it is more straight forward than it seems. They have one set of organs, but they're scaled to fit a much larger creature. In the Human torso there is a large, a much larger, set of lungs, and a much larger heart. Below these is a decent sized stomach.These are protected by a bigger and deeper ribcage with extra rib bones, and more develop muscling on the abdomen to better protect the stomach. The human half also holds a stronger, more curved and cushioned spinal cord to better absorb the shock from galloping. Longer arms with more developed muscling of the arms and muscle attachments. Beneath the stomach, and wear the two halves basically meet is a very, very strong diaphram. This area is also where there are much larger and stronger vertebrae that hold a section of nerves that help with everything from digestion to blood circulation, etc. Beyond that, the rest of the organ are all in the horse half of the body, including reproductive organs, intestines, etc. What is unique is there is a smaller heart within the animal half that helps circulate the blood in the animal portion. This heart is a diminished heart, and is not enough to keep the host alive if the primary heart, in the human cavity, were damaged. However, the primary heart can survive without the secondary as it's already strong enough to do it all on it's own. Now majority of the organs are larger than the average size for even the animal half to account for the large size of the two halves that make a whole. So even if they were to be compared to a normal animal of that species, their organs would be much larger.


Reproduction

I'm going to only get into this a tiny bit, mostly because I know someone will ask. Yes, the Centaurs can reproduce. The reproductive organs are in the animal half, as they can better occupy the size of Centaur offspring. Now since Centaurs are naturally larger/taller than their animal counterparts, they can typically only have one child at a time. Anything like twins or triplets would have a very high chance of killing mother and offspring. So typically that doesn't happen, as the genes for that have been long lost. So even animals that typically would have litters will have one offspring and have the reproductive organs more similar to a horse's. In terms of when the child is born, it does still need to be nursed, and that is done through the human method. Use your imagination, please don't make me explain.

Gestation of Centaurs last about a Year.

For cross species offspring, they only ever take after one of the parents in term of animal halves. So if it's a deer and a horse, the child will have an animal half that is a deer or a horse. If it's a Wolf and a Deer Centaur, same thing, wolf or a deer. They do not hybridize, at least for this rp, because I don't want to make things that complicated.



Lifespan

Centaurs have an extended lifespan, much like elves, and can live for hundreds of years. Once they reach about the ages of 18-22, their aging slows considerably. The true lifespan of a Centaur is unknown. For one, they don't give out that kind of information. Two, historically none have lived long enough to find out.



The Elves

Here is a Brief Run Down about Elves:
1. They are naturally Tall. Minimum 6 Feet. Maximum about 7-7.5 feet.
2. They are not Bulky, but Lean and Lanky. Athletic.
3. Range in Skin Tones, and Hair/Eye Colors. For the Latter they can be Unnatural Colored.
4. Varying Degrees of Pointy Ears
5. Enhanced Reflexes, Abilities like Strength and Speed, Minor Earth Elemental Abilities.
6. Elongated Lifespan, Consider Almost Immortal. No One Knows the Lifespan of them.
7. All of them are Well Trained with 1 to 2 Weapons.