PI - faction - the centaurs

[Finley Ward]

I have to admit, I don't know a great deal about the centaurs - there seems to be very little information on them. So I'll just go on what I've managed to surmise based on what I have found.

The centaurs are a tribal race, and nomadic - for obvious reasons, they don't build cities and such as the more traditional two-legged species do. They're probably closer to nature than their Panling counterparts could ever hope to be, for all the Panling's tree-shaping and desire to be at one with the forest. The centaurs' culture is, I imagine, very alien to regular cultures, and it is this difference which defines their role on PI.

For centuries, they've guarded the entrance to Gulanadur, preventing the dark adhiel from leaving - but now, the dark adhiel have succeeded in coming to the surface. The centaurs have failed. What that might mean to their faith is anybody's guess, their society even more so. (Who decreed that the centaurs had to guard Gul in the first place - anyone know? I assume it was a god?) What I can tell is that the centaur's society, built around this ancient duty, must now be in a state of freefall. In defeat they essentially have two choices - desperation, or withdrawal. Either they continue to fight in the hopes of yet claiming some sort of victory and saving face - or they give up, and move on, rebuilding their society in new ways and forging a new path through the future.

So... perhaps we have multiple factions of centaur? I know (from past threads) that there are seperate tribes of them, and it's no leap to assume these tribes don't all agree with one another all of the time. I don't know if they have any great leader (and to be fair, I don't think I really need to know, either), but we can assume they might have tribal leaders and perhaps, an overall leader. If we split them into two, we have this:

The first group still wishes to force the dark adhiel back underground, and will not admit defeat even though the situation looks close to hopeless. (And in metagame terms, it's probably the best for the game if the dark adhiel integrate with the surface world - having them stuck underground creates problems for mods and coords alike, and playing out their arrival in society will be fun!) This group of centaur traditionally hunt down dark adhiel as a pack of dogs would hunt a fox - relentlessly. They can easily outpace any two-legged creature, and they are fine hunters... these will still pose a major threat to the dark adhiel.

Our second group of centaurs, perhaps for religious reasons, will reason that if they could not hold the dark adhiel back, then indeed it was the correct time for them to rise - that this is a time of change, and therefore the time of their ancient duty is over. That they have fulfilled their task - and therefore wish to withdrawn from the squabbles of the other factions on the island and attend to their own affairs - building a society of their own, without the constant duty they once had.

Obviously, both groups may come to blows with each other about their interpretation of the dark adhiel's rise to the surface - was it their failure, or was it the end of their task? A religious divide, in many ways.

The centaurs and the Panlings
Frankly, I see no reason why the centaurs should care less about the Panlings. They've lived on the same island for many years, of course, and probably are on nodding terms, but they aren't best of mates and they have no real obligation to the Panlings. Those of the centaurs who choose to withdraw have their own things to do (as do the Panlings), and those who choose to continue the hunt against the dark adhiel do not have time for the Panlings, they only have time for their sacred quest. Perhaps the Panlings and the centaur might meet certain understandings - trade, defence, or even an agreement to destroy the dark adhiel - but this will depend on how things work out IC. At the moment consider them civil, but little more.

The centaurs and the dark adhiel
As mentioned before, some of the tribes of centaurs want nothing more to do with their duty to the dark adhiel, which they see as complete... and therefore will withdraw from certain territories and avoid the pointy-ears. Others of the centaur, however (and probably the majority) choose to continue the hunt, their sacred duty; some even take pleasure in it. Open emnity, then, between the dark adhiel and their hunters.

The centaurs and the Mouthies
Similar to the Panlings, the centaurs see no reason to get involved with the Mouthies whatsoever - indifference bordering on disinterest. If the Mouthies try to invade their lands, side with the dark adhiel, or hurt the centaurs - then they'll have a real fight on their hands, but otherwise there's going to be little going on between these two factions. The Mouthies consider the centaurs to be sub-human, barely human at all - practically animals and therefore beneath notice and certainly not worth diplomacy or trade. The centaurs simply... don't consider the Mouthies at all.


The rest of this thread left open for additional dev work, and listing of important NPCs from this faction, including off-screen NPCs.