Centaurs

**Centaurs**, also named **Horsefolk** and **Kharchumul**, are an intelligent species native to the steppes of Asmukhar. They are a relatively rare species, making up a miniscule proportion of Asmukhar's population, but their folk history holds that they used to dominate the steppe during the Age of Titans before the Annihilation nearly brought them to extinction and they were subsequently out-competed by Humans.

Centaurs once spoke distinct indigenous languages, but these languages have never been recorded; Centaurs adopted writing late compared to their neighbours, and the historical record indicates they began writing in Raskevite before coming to adopt Asmukharian as well. The reasoning behind why they did not write in their own language is unknown, but it is almost certainly the reason why their own languages fell out of use and came to be entirely replaced by Raskevite and Asmukharian. When this transition took place remains debated, as the only concretely known fact is that it was at least partially underway at the time of the conquests of Emperor Athdus the Great, since Nesarian records clearly described the Centaurs they met as speaking Asmukharian.

Centaur communities are split between those who speak Raskevite and those who speak one of several Asmukharian languages, with the former being more common in the south and the latter more common in the north. However, neither group believes themselves to be Raskevite or Asmukharian; though they speak the languages of others, they continue to maintain a distinct culture, and both groups consider themselves closer to each other than to the Human population whose language they speak.

Centaurs have a mixed relationship with the Humans and Cisens around them. Centaurs could find themselves as valued allies, but could also be subject to systematic genocidal violence when they competed with Human communities for key resources. Centaurs who were thrust off the land that sustained them often took up arms as soldiers of fortune, serving as mercenaries, hunting bounties or preying upon the helpless as bandits - often, the sources indicate, all at once. Centaur communities generally welcomed the arrival of the Nesarian Empire, seeing it as a stabilising force that could ensure their survival in the face of an overwhelming population disadvantage.

## Appearance

Superficially, Centaurs resemble a mix between a hominid and a horse, with a hominid-like torso attached to an equine body where the neck normally would be. Given that traditional Centaur folk mythology holds their race to be horses blessed with intelligence and immortal souls, it is likely they were intentionally designed as a mix between these two creatures by a Titan.

Centaurs have black or dark brown skin, but their fur - which covers both their equine lower body and hominid torso - has been observed in numerous different shades; most commonly black or some shade of brown, but white fur is common amongst some specific populations. Speckled coats have been recorded but are very rare, likely because Centaurs perceive a speckled coat to be highly unattractive and so selectively breed against this trait.

## Physiology

Centaurs have two hearts and two sets of lungs split between their two ribcages, which are perfectly synced with each other through electrical signals. A Centaur can survive with just one heart or one set of lungs if the duplicates should fail, but they will find themselves easily fatigued and short of breath. In cases of extreme starvation, a Centaur's brain will deliberately shut down the heart and lungs in the hominid torso to save energy, keeping the equine ones active as they are larger and more powerful. Other internal organs are not duplicated, and are spread out across the hominid and equine portions of the body.

The lifespan of Centaurs varies between communities, though it remains unclear whether these differences are environmental or genetic. For the most part, they live as long as Humans, with a general life expectancy range of 70 to 90 years. Centaur males and females both enter and complete puberty at roughly the same ages, beginning at 10-11 and completing it by 15-16 - though Centuar society generally does not consider an individual to be fully mature until they reach 18. Centaur children - sometimes called "foals" by other species, but the Centaurs themselves use different words for their own children and those of horses - gestate in the womb for approximately 12 months, and as such newborns are more developed than those in hominid species (besides the egg-laying Harpies).

### Digestive System and Diet

The digestive system of a Centaur is extremely extensive, as it is essentially two distinct digestive systems linked together. Centaurs can digest a wide variety of foods and are able to extract the nutrients and calories of foods they eat with up to 99% efficiency - a necessary feature, as the large bodies and complex organs of a Centaur require substantial energy to function.

The full meals of Centaurs are largely Human-like, consisting of fruits, berries, vegetables, cereal grains, meat and so on. However, Centaurs of all classes supplement this with continually snacking on grass and leaves throughout the day, in order to satisfy the massive energy requirements of their body. Eating the leaves of trees and bushes straight from the plant is common, though Centaur society considers it highly impolite and uncouth to graze on grass straight from the ground - likely because doing so means taking an awkward and unbalanced pose for a Centaur. Those who eat grass instead cut and gather it and eat it from a bowl.