Centaur

The Ruined Horselords
Following the events that led to the creation of Orcs the old Ancients of the Plains feared they might suffer a similar fate. They abandoned their cities and returned to the plains. They brought with them their great horses and planned to live off the lands in peace. Sadly, they would suffer from a thirst for power. The old Ancients of the Plains had broken into small tribes amongst the great plains of the world. As the tribes grew they required more horses and more game to hunt. This eventually led to war between the tribes. Cíneai, Goddess of Nature, wished to turn them away from more bloodshed, but they would not listen. Valefor, the Lord of Greed and Theft, offered to give his aid. He came to the great chieftains and offered them peace if they would surrender their prized horses to him. The Ancients of the Plains coveted these creatures above all else and refused his offer. So, Valefor came in the night and reversed the unborn children of all their women and horses, resulting in the birth to half horse offspring. He then cut off their connection to the arcane arts. As a final touch he removed their lust for one another, giving them eyes only for their new kin who he had named Centaur.

Physical Description
Centaurs stand anywhere from 8-10 feet tall and can weigh anywhere from 800-1000 pounds. They possess the trunk, head and arms of an Ancient and the lower body of a horse. Their torso is long, strong and resilient. They have however, a lack of nimbleness. Centaur women and men have no noticeable difference in height or weight. Their body hair colors vary from tans to blacks with a mixture of these colors occasionally. The hair on their head and facial hair ranges from blonde to black. Often these two hair colors do not match. Centaurs do grow facial hair and often have very thick beards. Centaur eye colors have only been found in black and browns. A Centaur is considered an adult at the age of 15 and can live to be more than 60 years old.

Personality
Centaurs are extremely prideful, to a fault. It is not easy to gain the trust of a centaur, and even easier to lose that trust. They are a solitary people, rarely venturing outside of their tribes. They are extremely loyal to one another, stopping at nearly nothing to give aid to a wounded member of the tribe. Centaurs are extremely cautious of outsiders in their lands and will track these people for days sometimes before approaching them. They are also very defensive of their lands and will not hesitate to strike any who seek to harm their tribe or lands. With this Centaurs are very short tempered and do not enjoy jokes at all. They are a serious people who set themselves to tasks until completion. They pride themselves in battle when opportunities arise, as a cavalry force by nature. They are a very honorable people, but with barbaric ways of life.

Relationships
Centaurs have little contact with people outside of their tribes. Therefore, they are untrusting of everyone until such a time they have earned that trust. Throughout history they have never had a strong connection with any of the other people of the world. From time to time they have waged war, but never consistently choosing the same side. They do, however, tend to have a deeper connection to the High Elves for their shared connection with nature and they may get along well with Nai over a shared pride in battle. They are most likely to not work well with Orcs, Ogres, and Goblins.

Lands
Centaurs are not commonly seen these days. They have gone into solitary lands within the deep woods of the world. Here they make homes at the base of trees or in small openings of the forest roof. Centaur cities do not exist they only gather in tribes, typically no more than two hundred.

Religion
The primary deities of the centaurs are Ovar, Cíneai and Hylón. Centaurs are known to worship more than a single god and have been found worshipping all of them. They are least likely to worship Valefor however.

Language
Centaurs have a language of their own referred to as Centurion. This language often varies from tribe to tribe. They also speak the common language of the world.

Names
Centaurs give names that they believe to be strong horse or old Ancient names. Centaurs do not carry a sir name, but instead have a tribal name. For example, Kilgorin of The Farrse Tribe.

Centaur Game Rule Information
Attributes: Base Classes: Acolyte, Fighter
 * Body: 12/28 Strength, 6/16 Dexterity, 10/24 Vitality
 * Mind: 6/16 Intellect, 8/20 Cunning, 6/16 Willpower
 * Soul: 8/20 Charisma, 8/20 Perception, 8/20 Spirit

Prestige Classes: Barbarian, Cleric, Crusader, Inquisitor, Warrior

Racial Specialization(s): Hoof Master

Size: Large

Base Land Speed:

Automatic Languages: Centurion and Common

Discipline Modifiers: Skill Modifiers: +2 Listen, +2 Spot, +2 Survival
 * Weapon: +2 Pole Arm, +2 Spear