Centaur History
We Centaurs are a proud race. The Two-legs (a term we use primarily for Humans, though for the most part in jest and not in malice) often describe us as ‘hybrids’, and say that we have the legs and body of a horse, and the chest, arms and head of a Human. They often say that they do not believe that Centaurs are a natural race, but suggest that we are the result of some ancient sorcerer’s experiments, hinting at some dark master of our destiny.
What we ourselves say is that we have the legs and body of a Centaur, and the chest, arms and head of a Centaur. We are as a race deeply attuned to nature, so much so that nature spirits will come to us at our bidding to aid us. How then can we be some unnatural hybrid?
For long ages our race lived in the depths of the Great Forest, dwelling in small clans and herds. In time the Clans joined together to build the greatest of all our race’s achievements - the Centaur City of Lineoth.
Lineoth - a small pocket of Centaur paradise! The city is dominated by large areas of park, and pools for bathing and relaxing. At its centre stands the Market of Races, where for generations the many peoples of the Great Forest have met, traded and bartered. For us Lineoth was not just a home, but a place of study and contemplation.
But a shadow fell upon Lineoth. Detesting all that is good and pure, the demons that dwell in the place that is called the Daemonrift looked upon Lineoth with hatred, and drew their plans against it. You may read of the Downfall of Lineoth in the Tale of Caerfawn the Swift. Although the demons were in time driven back to the Rift, the Centaur race became scattered and divided. Today, for the most part, Lineoth stands deserted.
And so it was that we came to the Land of the Two-legs - to the Kingdom of Bereny. Here we are valued for our speed, our noble-hearted courage, and our mastery of the bow. Here we have prospered and our numbers have grown. Many of us have taken an Adventurers Licence from the King of Bereny, and fight for fame and fortune against those that threaten the Kingdom.
It was a far-sighted Centaur mare named Valheru who formed the Centaur Council, to bring together those Centaurs living in Bereny. She was the sister of Chevallier, the Champion of the Centaur Clans and the first ever Centaur to win an Adventuring Licence from the Kingdom of Bereny. Valheru decided to break away from the traditions of the Stallion Council, who had been the ruling body of the scattered Centaur clans in days of old, and instead create a more democratic organisation, less inward-looking and more open to dialogue with other races. In time, with the leadership of Valheru and her successors, the Centaur Council gained the respect of the other Guilds in Bereny and the official recognition of the Berenian Crown.
One of the greatest achievements of the Council has been to create the Centaur Meadows. Located all around Bereny, these peaceful glades are a reminder to us of the serenity of our homeland in the Great Forest.
