Centaur

Centaur
Depiction of a centaur, by Wesley Burt from D&D: Monster Manual, 5th ed, page 24.
Biological Information
Type	Monstrosity
Alignment	Neutral good
Movement	50 feet
Abilities	Charge
Physical Characteristics
Size	Large
Sociocultural Information
Planes	Material Plane (Exandria) Fey Realm (near the Sablecast Grounds)
Locations	Tooth of Zehir Throne of the Arch Heart Dividing Plains
Language	Elvish Sylvan

Centaurs are creatures with the lower body of a horse and the torso, arms, and head of a humanoid. In Exandria, they are related to elves, and sometimes build joint societies with them.

Centaurs in Tal'Dorei

The centaurs of Tal'Dorei primarily live in the Dividing Plains, where they gather every ten years in an event called the Herdsmeet at the Throne of the Arch Heart, the supposed site of their race's creation. At the Herdsmeet the centaurs pay homage to the Arch Heart and discuss tribal matters with each other. The various tribes of the Dividing Plains are somewhat scornful of the elves of Syngorn, still holding a grudge regarding their escape to the Feywild during the Calamity.

Official art of the Herd of the Damned, by John Anthony Di Giovanni from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn pg. 255.

There are rumors of a small tribe of centaurs living in the south of the Parchwood Timberlands. While this rumour is true, their population began succumbing to a curse of undead. As of 812 PD one of the affected was Ichabarr, a headless stallion-lord leading his Herd of the Damned across the region. In 836 PD these centaur skeletons were causing the disappearance of many young bachelors in the region, which worried the population to the point of contacting the Chamber of Whitestone asking for help. The undead activity in the Parchwood seems to be a consequence of the stay of Sylas and Delilah Briarwood in Whitestone roughly between 805 and 810 PD. The couple enjoyed experimenting with the remains of different creatures, combining and animating them. Thus, many of the centaur skeletons in the region were made this way and were never living centaurs, although others like Ichabarr became undead with similar abilities; in the case of the stallion-lord he is even more powerful than the common centaur skeleton, being able to send the kidnapped men to the Ethereal Plane with his Spirit Away ability, that some other centaur skeletons also have.

Centaurs in Wildemount

There was once an elven and centaur society in the Strathfell Forest, in the north of the Tooth of Zehir. It was destroyed by the invasion of Karkethzerethzerus, a shadow dragon who petrified the forest with energies from the Shadowfell, but a few centaurs survived. As of 835 PD their descendants were still fighting back, hoping to reclaim their ancestral home.

Centaurs in the Fey Realm

The centaurs encountered by Bells Hells within the edges of the Sablecast Grounds of the Feywild had pale grey skin covered in swirling tattoos and wild, tangled wavy hair of black and dark brown. Their eyes were black and pupil-less. They wore strips of hide armor and carried longbows as well as other weapons. They spoke Elvish.

History

Official art of a centaur and a human, by John Anthony Di Giovanni from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting pg. 120.

While many elves survived the Calamity by retreating to the Feywild, the Horselords of Lapithas stayed on the Material Plane and fought Gruumsh alongside Corellon. According to legend, when Corellon stabbed Gruumsh through the eye, in an epic battle during the first century of the divine war, the magic merged the bodies of these elves with those of their horses, killing them. Out of gratitude for their loyalty, Corellon resurrected them so they could live as the first centaurs.

Shortly before the fall of Aeor, a centaur ranger named Ridge acted as the friend and companion of Trist, a mortal incarnation of the Everlight. He was one of the warriors defending Hawk's Hill when the town was attacked by devils.

In 843 PD Bells Hells, during their mission in the Feywild, were found by three centaurs who tried to capture them and sell them to the Unseelie Court. However, the adventurers fought back, managing to knock two of them unconscious and destroy the animated tree they had summoned. The third centaur was killed by a powerful combination of Fearne, Imogen, and Laudna's magic.

Trivia

• The elves of Laphithas, who died by the blood of Gruumsh and were resurrected by Corellon as a new race, seemed to have been in contact with the Court of Ullusa when it still existed, since they were aware of how its members fled to the Feywild, and as centaurs they transmitted that tale to their descendants.
  • Many centaurs are zealous worshipers of Corellon, precisely because of their creation myth.
• In 5th Edition centaurs are generally considered monstrosities, but some of them are actually fey creatures with a connection with nature. While Exandrian centaurs can live in the Fey Realm, it is unknown if they can become (or be born as) fey beings themselves.

References

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