Cretareo

**Cretareo** is a warrior of the Frostfell Centaur Tribe. He and his people have waged war with the denizens of the Curios Keep for a long time.

## Description

### Appearance

Cretareo is a well-built centaur that stands over 8 feet tall. His humanoid torso is covered in the traditional light metal armor of his people that exposes his tanned muscular arms. He wears an open visor helmet with a sash extending down from behind.

### Personality

Cretareo is a proud and brave warrior. He attempts to hold himself with dignity even in the most trying of circumstances. He, like the rest of his tribe, appears to be quick to judge others, immediately attacking the trespassers upon learning where they had come from and assuming Tontu could not possibly be a Raccling with how little he knew of his people. Though he viewed Tontu as an enemy, he came to respect him to some degree, being impressed with the young paladin's skill during their duel and agreeing to answer the Tanookin's questions after being defeated.

## History

### Background

Cretareo was born into a tribe of centaurs that inhabit the desolate Frostfell. Growing up in the harsh tundra, he learned of the eternal grief of the Mournful Queen. The Queen, enraged by the theft of her most precious keepsake, massacred an nearby village of Racclings while they were in a petrified state. With this unwarranted atrocity done, the Queen then conjured an eternal winter upon the forest. The centaur people avoided the Keep at all costs, to avoid the same fate.

However, the centaurs had their own enemies to deal with; the denizens of the Curios Keep. For centuries, the Keep harassed the centaurs, intruding on their lands and hunting their people for food. The Keep was also responsible for the extermination of another tribe that lived in the Frostfell, known as the Dorakians. Thus the centaur rallied to defend themselves from these interlopers. Unable to effectively strike back against their foe, the centaurs set up fortifications to prevent further intrusion into their lands. As one of the warriors of the tribe, Cretareo was usually stationed at the fortifications closest to the Keep, ever watchful for its denizens' next attack.

## Phase 3 Story

### Skirmish at the Camp

During one of Cretareo's watches, a group of unusual travelers arrived from the south. Suspicious of their intentions, one of Cretareo's fellow warriors fired a warning bolt from a ballista to scare off the travelers. The rest of his warriors also took ready positions. One of the travelers, a Touriya warrior called Kopi, stood before the group and announced that they meant no harm. Another centaur demanded to know as to where they came from, to which Kopi stated they came from the Keep. Assuming the group to be allied with their enemies, Cretareo and his warriors immediately went on the offensive. Cretareo rode in to the fray to attack with his pike, shoulder to shoulder with his brethren.

During the melee, Cretareo was surprised that he was facing down a young Raccling called Tontu. He expressed this surprise, believing all the previous denizens to be dead. During their fight, Cretareo confessed he was impressed with the young warrior's skill, and that it was a shame he had sided with the Curios Keep. Tontu asked if Cretareo knew anything about the Raccling village to the south. Cretareo stated the village was destroyed long ago. In response to be being asked who did such a thing, Cretareo was astonished that Tontu had no idea about what happened and concluded that Tontu mustn't be a Raccling at all, but rather another one of the Keep's abhorrent creations. This statement earned him a resounding blow from the outraged young paladin, knocking the centaur warrior out cold.

### Sole Survivor

Cretareo was awoken with a slap from the same Raccling not long afterwards. Tontu admitted his intent to his party to interrogate Cretareo, which the old engineer Howie attempted to assist by magically ensnaring him. Cretareo managed to avoid the snare and got to his feet. His victorious opponent told Cretareo that he could go free if he answered his questions. Cretareo took a moment to look around and he saw the corpses of his fallen tribesmen and their killers surrounding him. Resigned and wounded, he agreed to give up what he knew. Tontu reiterated his desire to learn what happened to his people, causing Cretareo to realize the Raccling was in fact being sincere. Cretareo explained that the Racclings were gone for centuries, and that what land was once theirs now belonged to the centaur tribe. He claimed he had never seen a Raccling before and all he knew was what stories his people had passed down through the ages.

Cretareo then retold the story of the Mournful Queen, and how she transformed the land into a snowy wasteland in a fit of despair. He stated that it was believe that a Raccling had broken into the Queen's resting place and provoked her by stealing her prized possession. The genocide of Tontu's people was thus a punishment for this thief's transgressions. At first, Tontu denied this, stating that the Queen's castle was taboo and no Raccling would ever dream of going there. Cretareo briefly entertained the idea that Tontu himself was the culprit, only for Tontu to deny this too. The centaur warrior then admitted that that was all he knew of the fate of the Racclings, and that he and his tribe avoided the Queen's keep for fear of the same fate. He then warned the party against doing so themselves.

As the party discussed and processed the information, Cretareo was confused by how little they knew despite coming from the Curios Keep. The group explained that they had only passed through the Keep and they didn't hail from it nor were they loyal to its custodian. This revelation was devastating to him, as he realized so much of bloodshed had come from a simple miscommunication. He then asked if they knew the Keep's master, the "man with the painted face". The party claimed they did, but not very well, having only met him the day before. Cretareo claimed the Count, as the party called him, was the one who stated the war between their people, sending armored creatures into the forest to abduct his people at night. His tribe had not been the only people preyed upon by the count, as seen by the fate of the Dorakians, and all they sought to do was defend themselves and their him.

As thanks for his help, Tontu used the rest of his healing powers to aid Cretareo before slinking off in a depressed state. Howie also offered an awkward apology to the centaur, stating that the fight between them had been unnecessary and he wished it had never happened. This poor apology offended Cretareo, as did the party's equally poor attempts to criticize him and his tribesmen for not listening to them in the first place. With nothing more to add, Cretareo asked to leave, which the party allowed. With a sour look on his face and grief in his heart, Cretareo rode off back to the rest of his people to inform them what had occurred.

## Powers and Abilities

* ***Pike:** Melee Weapon Attack.* +6 to hit, Reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage.
* **Charge:** If the centaur moves at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a pike attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) piercing damage.

## Etymology

"Cretareo" appears to be an original name created for the Ioverse setting.