Aurians (mythological first humans, demigods):
golden-brown skin and longer lifespan (usually between 200-300 years). Golden eyes and tongues, born with innate strength and attractiveness. Typically regarded to be as strong as three bulls, but some of the strongest recorded demigods could wield the power to tear through mountains. Culturally Roman-Babylonianesque. Have a strong veneration of masculine beauty and strength. Patrons of the arts although later turned towards artistic perversion (using dwarf blood or slave labor). Firm hereditary monarchy (aesthetarchy noble class) government style with public legal forums reserved for the warrior class, who were responsible for enforcing the king's order upon the kingdom.
Status: Extinct.
The Aurians had a particular fondness for architectural grandeur. Their greatest feats of construction often carried a sense of alien methodology to them. The blocks of the Providence Aqueduct, for instance, were hewn from sheer black marble. Each brick surpasses the height of fifteen men and carries a thickness equal to the length of ten war stallions. Its reliefs were made into the shape of regal lions and gilded with sheer gold. A great river could flow in each of its many channels and the arches were made so high that they surpassed the height of a tower. The three walls of Helion, then called Aurë in days of old, were arranged upon tiers of the city. Two rings and a square upon the capitol hill. The walls each were thirty Drakefoots high and ten Drakefoots thick. Their upper side was crowned by a ring of red beryl, and their faces were painted on the outer side with yellow pollen to appear radiant like the sun. But the greatest of the Aurians architectural feats was the Ruby Palace. It stood visible across all points of the great city, standing upon a monolith of granite that appeared as if directly plucked from the earth and sat there by the hand of a great god. All the six great aqueducts fed into that block at different levels, bringing thus an abundance of six great rivers into the palace. Multiple gates had to be passed to even reach the monolith, which served as its mere foundation. Each gate is unique, the first—the gate of the Golden Lions: a carving of marble and gold leaf; inlaid with turquoise and cobalt stones; clean falls poured from the maws of the many lions. Beyond its threshold there lay a marble path that proceeded to the next gate, which bore a following of cypress trees to the second threshold—tangled by a covering of morning glory blooms. The second was the Gate of the White Eagle: carved from ghostly alabaster and beset by tiles of lapis lazuli and sapphire gems. The doors themselves were made of bronze and cherrywood. But beyond its other end, if the doors deigned to part, there was a trail of black marble and obsidian glass. Yet even here, at the Gate of the Red Dragon, there remained elegance and beauty—as if to say that all darkness remains to be but the settings of footstones for the steps of the Gods' favored children. Radiant blooms of vanilla strung on vines across the walls, and golden lines marked the path forward. There were innumerable statues hewn from alabaster, each gracing a likeness to only the handsomest and strongest of the demigods. Thus stood the last gate, which bore twin stallions of white marble against an arch of pure black. The wood of the doors was hard as iron and of an ebon absence to luminance. Gold leaf was the fixings and settings and hinges of each door. A coiling dragon embellished by ruby wings unfurled marked the headpiece of the gate. It bore upon its arms and neck countless ornaments of gold: bangles, amulets, and charms; every covering of precious stone and every carving that hands could make. Only after surpassing these three gates, one would enter directly into the imposing maw of the monolith, which held within a thousand pillars of red granite. An alabaster wheel set the center of the floor, which brought one from the lowest depth to the highest peak of the palace—if one should be granted the grace to use it. Those not blessed would take the path of ten thousand steps, until they reached the gardens of the Ruby Palace at last. The canals and fountains flowed with white milk and golden oil. Its flowers were of roses, vanilla, and lilies of all breeds. None could truly recount all flora within the gardens, for they appeared to possess every species in the world. Yet take the paths of white stones and black tiles to see mighty Valerius in the likeness of marble, holding in his hand the head of the Seer, Mēnoth. An entire city could rest upon the top of the monolith, and a palace of seven tiers and nine towers was made so that its tallest peak was crowned by the sun's rays. Each roof of the palace was as the domes of a basilica, but the tiles were of impressive ruby stone. Then there was the throne room, where the great kings of the demigods made their decrees. The throne room was a flat and single piece of polished granite, and the pillars were lacquered with vermillion and held taller than a giant, the great, vaulted roofs, which were painted with the whole odyssey that the founder, divine king Providence, had made. The chairs of the king and queen were a pair. Each bore itself of a slab of pure black marble, then the arm was twisted into shape from a single oak branch. Each outer end of the branch, which so aligned the two chairs as one, was bent and arched into the shape of an eagle's wing bone on either side. Then, it was fixed with the feathers of every bird written in apocryphal texts: Paradise Birds, Peafowls, Quetzals, and Macaws; on its arm were the feathers of Starlings, Flamingos, and of Scarlet Ibises; crowning its ends were the faux eyes of Peacocks, and its whole was trimmed with gold that made brighter these accessories, which so arranged to form a great span of colorful resplendence. Such was the radiance of Aurian architecture, which none can yet claim equal to.
In their clothing, Aurians preferred to wear fixtures that complemented their natural beauty, than anything which might distract from it. They wore mantles or a fleece of sorts, a kind of covering for their shoulders during the cooler months of the temperate calendar. At their waist was typically a sash made of one wrapped piece of cloth. These were often elaborately embroidered though the lower class typically wore unembellished cloth. Laborers dressed in white cloth, while warriors wore red, often crafted from a process called the Scarlet Exsanguination, a ritualized process of drawing blood from dwarves. As the dwarven race was noted for having a queer attribute in their blood that made it crystalize upon a period of exposure to the raw airs. Thus this blood was drawn and stained onto cloth in a very quick period. What followed after was a series of other base and pigment elements added to improve the sparkle of the finished cloth. Ruby dust was commonly added to warriors cloth, while a noble's cloth might have some degree of cobalt or emerald dust added to give it a purplish or yellowish color. When the mixings and rituals were done, the cloth became fused with a glittering sand-like substance to make it truly glow under sunlight. This was worn across the chest and waist, typically leaving the wearer's physical build exposed for public admiration. Bangles, bracelets, amulets, and rings were frequently worn as well by the upper class to make glowing their skin for those who perceived them. The crown of the ancient Aurian kings was famously understated, a single semi-ring of gold with its ends bent upward alike to bull horns. It was made to narrow thin towards the ends and worn thick around the head. No other embellishments were ever added, an oddity in an otherwise opulent people. Yet because of its simplicity, the crown had a tendency to meld into the fashion of the wearer, creating the perception that both were of one essence. In less formal settings, the Aurians might wear a sheet over the shoulder or waist, a loincloth, or even nothing at all. Many Aurian nobles, particularly in the vale of their last eras, began to paint their own skin with the blood of dwarven thralls. They created intricate lines, curves, and spirals to mark themselves and distinguished further their own glory from the bare-skinned commoners. Warriors, priests, nobility, and royalty, all had different elaborate markings that glowed like scarlet glass on their otherwise golden bodies to distinguish themselves. Footwear was commonly sandals or a kind of leather sock used by soldiers in wetlands.
Music of the Aurian society emphasized harmonics and emotions, often containing complex rules about which tones or instruments were appropriate for various musical themes. The most common themes were Comedies, Triumphs, and Tragedies. Lyres and Harps were frequent instruments, particularly in court rituals or temple legends. Silver flutes often featured in Comedies or Triumphs, while arched harps, drums, and choirs were a major feature of Aurian-styled Tragedies. Triumphs in particular favored loud horns and drums made of bull or swine leather. Certain ritual songs were used for enchantments and incantations of fortitude, permanence, or "trueness" to invoke fate. These songs were usually purely vocal but may have included soft string instruments or golden flutes. Persistent vibratory sounds were often associated with divine resonance and the invocation of spirits from the Ethereal Realm of the Unmade. The voice was thus the most essential element of Aurian music. Often one speaker was elevated above the choir. The choir would deliver thematic exposition, while the soloist speaker shared intense emotion in every note. Bells might be used at festivals, weddings, or in courtesan houses, often made of copper or silver. Such jingles and dainty sounds were most associated with celebration, joy, or delight. Dancer was a distinguished career to the Aurians, and many aristocrats were given the special privilege to dance on elaborate raised stages for spectacle and legitimacy. Warriors trained using special dances as well to improve physical fitness, flexibility, and unit cohesion. During weddings, dancing was reserved solely for the bride and groom, usually beginning with the groom's solo dance, followed after by the bride's solo dance, before the third and final duet.
The Aurian Government is divided into two tiers: the Divine King and Ordinance, and the Martial Forum of Law & Order. The Divine King and Ordinance stood as the official title of the Aurian's kings. Such kings were chosen via a system called Formogeniture, whereby the strongest and most beautiful among the royal line is chosen as the royal heir. The strongest is selected according to a match of arms. This often follows as one of the grandest events in the capital, attracting as many as a hundred thousand spectators from among the populace. Beauty is selected according to both a physical criteria determined among the royal male siblings of the king, and the public success of the king's children in aesthetic trades. In the case that there are no living siblings of the king to determine as such the physical beauty of his sons, the king himself shall be the judge of their beauty. Strength of arms was often the most important qualifying factor in successorship battles, yet great patrons of the art whose names were spoken far and wide could often surpass a mightier heir in the line of succession if demonstrated to be a competent warrior and attractive enough. The king's word was sacral and limited. Often kings began their coronations by making an oath, which would become the defining ordinance of the nation, dictating its direction and procedural focus for the span of the king's entire life. But that does not mean that the system lacked flexibility. Kings could change oaths or ordinances if a national crisis was identified that demanded a diversion of focus. In private, kings were free to speak plainly, though it was a given that all who resided in proximity to the palace or in the direct presence of the king would submit to his rule and obey his commands. Refusing a king's command could be punishable by death, depending on the circumstances and the gravity of the crime. But, often it involved no more than a mere light flogging to the hands or back. The Martial Forum of Law & Order was more the systems operations side of government. They were responsible for executing the king's ordinance and reinterpreting the law according to the current king's decree. The membership of the forum was often senior military commanders or personal champions of the king, known as the Aurilian Guard. These commanders were often replaceable, on the condition that either they had their position revoked by the king after a forum review, or if their membership was extended onto a superior candidate. Those with excellent military records could often surpass their superiors, assuming they found and seized the opportunity to stand out. The military also presented an opportunity for its highest members to marry into the royal family, potentially becoming a part of the Divine King and Ordinance succession. Local politics was maintained by Governor Generals or Districtorials, who were officials responsible for either colonial provinces or specific designated cities. Strategic baronies or hillforts were the personal stewardship of active commanders in the forum.
Westmans (descendants of Aurumere):
Variably pale skin, four major subethnics with some mixing. The central Westman is the Troyan, who are typically light-skinned and carry brown or amber eyes. The northern Westmen are the Nebalese, typically fair skinned and light hair colors, with grey or rarely blue eyes. Border Westman (sometimes jokingly called Eastern Westman) are known as the Lay-Venegéshae. Usually a light bronze or brassy skintone, brown or black hair and eyes. Southern Westman are called the Mahadrum; darker skin, often coppery or olive. Chestnut or hazel eyes are common, along with dark spots on their necks and backs from sun exposure. Culturally a Greco-Roman tradition with Byzantine aesthetics; ceremonially babylonian. Similar veneration of beauty to the Aurians but often moved from admiration of the physical body to admiration of perceived elegance or aura. High tendency of vocational tradition (child inherits the trade of their parents across generations). Monarchal-Imperialist government style (primogeniture) with feudal nobility and a knightly class (often warriors who were ascended into the nobility for meritorious service). Legalism varies between royal forum and decree style based on the perceived majesty of the emperor (a crown authority system). Primary tin and iron producer of the west. Also rare gemstone mines in the north by the Stonewall Mountains.
Status: Thriving power of the west.
The Westmans of the Helios Empire inherited much of their architecture from the Aurians, yet they struggled to live up to the same glorious excess of their predecessors. As such, Westman architecture became more romanesque, with elements of Byzantine exuberance incorporated in areas of high visibility, such as courtyards, gardens, atriums, colonnades, and great halls. The Westmans have a highly diverse culture due to their many subethnicities, and as such, some practices of architecture differ depending on biome. The colder, northern regions of the empire, primarily populated by Nebali citizens, construct thick, enclosed structures, smaller courtyards, and prefer insulated materials like wood and cloth over cold stone and metal. Thatched roofs are a common sight in the Nebalese countryside, while the baronies are often secured with wood and cloth interiors amid stone fortifications. Yet they are not entirely without open spaces. The northern lands, particularly approaching the Eninbal Peninsula, are prone to high seasonal variance. At times, winter is long, while summer is short. Other times, winter passes quickly and summer lingers. Thus they settle near rivers and lakes to make the availability of refreshing cool water frequent. By contrast, southern Mahadrum citizens prefer airy open space. Their wide colonnades and airy homes often existed alongside open meadows or hills where the breeze is strong. Yet the south of the empire was a dangerous place, and thus, often fortifications forced the Mahadrum into various diffuse clusters across the southernlands. Dozens of small villages populate the south and are accompanied by extensive farmlands before the Hills of Leed southbound. But relatively few large settlements or castle-cities, clustered along the southern border. The pinnacle of southern architecture is the great Tower of Ariel, a pale sliver of limestone and marble grazing the sky from the tip of its spire, a bronze dome to cover its heading, which is a colonnade set by clear falls of water. The Black Keep was yet another staple of southern imperial architecture, though, more so regarded for its function, and the corruption that eats at it, than for its grandeur. For the Black Keep was infected by a terrible curse that turned its once gray stones black, and caused queer fish-scale-like growths to form on its surface like a terrible moss. The silvery scales clutter heaviest along its curtain wall facing southwest. But the Troyan's architecture, however, is naturally the most opulent of all. They are largely responsible for the later aqueducts, Solomon, Justinian, and Constantine, although these pale in comparison to the great ones of old, they are certainly impressive by a reckoning of all human capacity of craft. Granite and basalt were cut from the Altus Quarry of Lithopolis and the mines of the Stonewall Mountains to build the high edifices of Helios. Yet most of the Troyans greatness–great as it is–ultimately appears to be inherited from Aurumere of old. Thus, in the likeness of the last king Raath, the Troyans find themselves struggling to live up to the legacy of their forebearers, and perhaps equally driven by that goal to approach an abject end.
Heartlander:
Tanned or leather-brown skin, lighter among the upper class. Black, brown, or fair hair and brown or black eyes usually. Can be divided ethnically into the Belissarians (ceremonial or traditionally called the Eshsųvenbúnmann people), the Ramians, and the Direfolk. Direfolk are often paler than the Belissarians or the Ramians. Cultures vary significantly. Belissarians are a typical river people with hunting traditions and extensive bow arts. Government style is a clan system. Ramians are firm capitalists and republicans with a banking syndicate style government. Highly meritorious. Direfolk are builders and advocates of mercantilism. Their government is a republican monarchy with a power division between the legislative senate and the supreme judicial king. Military funding is a collective donor system by individual senators and the royal coffers resided over by delegated (by the king) officials of the senate assembly. Producer of flower dyes, rare timbers, and limestone. Tin is often bought from the Altus Hills of Helios by the Direfolk and traded with the far east for their bronze industry.
Status: Fractured but stable societies.
Karfolk (colloquially beastkin):
Also called Karesshi (humans descended from beasts) they have tanned or dark skin and brown or black hair. Eyes are usually black or brown. The broader beastkin race is more animal-like while humans that live under Kar'kashan rule (the name of their empire) are often referred to as Karesshi. Tall, averaging above seven feet with a muscular build. Culturally caste-oriented, tribal with a warmongering tendency and a tradition of strength-worship. Logistically speaking, a vast empire but diffuse, and full of many useless lands (southern swamps and Sanguine Jungle for example). Operates as a High Thralldom society where tiered slavery takes place and Kar hegemony (the 'beast' part of beastkin) is enforced by threat of violence. Minimal trade; rite of force philosophy makes them difficult to cooperate with. Some ivory trade with the Rovanë Galahadrim and a major slave trade within their own borders.
Status: expansive in the south, aggressive.
Helmish Dwarves (forerunners of the Direfolk):
Bronze or reddish-tanned skin with red or brown hair and eyes. Ethnically tied to the city of Helm, or An'tia as it is called in the third age. Culturally early merchants and slavers with a civil monarchy government style. Aside from trade and technological exchange, they're isolationists and have no official military. They do however, implement a "Border Guard" who're drafted from the general public and serve as soldiers on the walls of Helm for at least ten years. Drafts exist as a fundamental part of their constitution and are used in all trades of the city. Dwarves are drafted for city defense, public works (architecture or construction usually), financing, manual labor (mining or crop harvesting usually), and legal attorney service. Candidacy is based on district and mandatory testing during childhood to determine aptitudes. Once traded tin and copper with the Aurians before they became enemies at war.
Status: Extinct.
Arcticonians (of the far north):
Fair skin, reportedly as white as snow. Charcoal hair and eyes. Culturally fatalistic and natalist, with a revised orthodoxy to religion. Veneration of death is a large part of their culture, to the extent that their favorite proverb is "live young, and die young," as a rite among the people. To die honorably is craved by the youth. To live to grow old–unless one of the designated elders–is a mark of shame and the brand of a coward. Polygamy is common and the typical age of marriage is younger to offset their lower lifespan and infancy mortality rates in the cold north. Pain is sacred in their culture, it is both sinful to gratuitously seek or inflict pain, as is it also sinful to intentionally avoid pain as well. Endurance of pain is the highest virtue. The government is a centralized monarchy with a king that solely elects their heir from among his many, many children. A few elders are selected from the noble families (spare siblings of the king) to serve as teachers and moral/spiritual guides for the younger generation. The rest of Arcticonians do not live on average beyond the age of thirty and are even teased for living past twenty. No specific class distinctions outside the royal family. Most Arcticonians are both citizens and soldiers of the kingdom interchangeably. Has a trade deal with the Isles of Iseer, purchasing grain from the isles using gold. The gold is acquired via an exchange for northern iron with their southern trade partners.
Status: isolated but enduring.
Izalae Dwarves:
Harsh greyish or chalkish skin; rough like leather and hairless. Eyes have sallow sclera and typically black or stone-grey eyes. Nihilistic mountainfolk who live in the Izalae Mountains. Indifferent and tribal, they carve out and defend caverns in the subterrain but otherwise have little interaction with society. The government is typically authoritarian and structured around demonic cults that demand highly material worship and ritualized poverty. Called the "little trolls" by the Arcticonians and "Mudskins" by the Westman in a derogatory sense. But indifferent overall and will at times work with the Nebalese Westmans or the Arcticonians when convenient for them. Their works are often intentionally crude, be it weapons, building, art, or clothing; a reflection of the supposed pointlessness of creation.
Status: generally expanding in population scale but otherwise despondent.
Eastman (of the Azuna Desert):
Variably tanned skin and black hair. Eyes are usually black or dark brown, sometimes amber or chestnut. Divisible into three ethnic castes, the Ankhalil are the ruling caste. Highly judicial with a supreme judge as king whose words (when officially beheld during ceremonies) are literally the law and passed down to the lower courts. Clan-style government with a centralized bureaucracy around the bloodline of the Qanuun or the 'King' in a more common sense. Al-Iseer are the merchant/free worker class whose name literally means (Of Iseer). Noted for their mixed heritage with Ankhalil and Iseeri blood. They run numerous businesses including sprawling entertainment and pleasure works. Awanet is the lowest caste and serves as chattel and manual labor. Often seen as "paying off a blood debt" for the bad history they share with the Ankhalil. Religion centers around the Eastern Revision of Sacred Texts, and primarily emphasized the veneration of life and condemnation of death. Has a tenuous trade agreement with Arcticus for their iron trade, which sustains Ankhalil's hegemony in the region.
Status: economic power of the far east of Jania
Ar Galahadrim (high elves):
Fair skin and hair; tall and bearing aquiline features. Eyes are typically gold or green, the elves of the Vermillion Forest have uniquely red eyes though. They are highly musical and passionate, with a veneration for the arts. Naturally very gifted, but with a tendency to lack goals or direction in life. Freespirited above all. Government style is decentralized and somewhat reminiscent of a loose monarchy around highly gifted elves, but with a focus on community harmony. Openly inviting to strangers (although not without discernment). No specific military but a volunteer militia force often composed of their most skilled kin. Major grain exporter; the breadbasket of Arcticus and Iseer. Agricultural giant but reserved traders.
Status: reclused from worldly affairs.
Mor Galahadrim (dark elves):
Oil-like skin and black hair. Eyes are uniquely chromatic and change color based on light exposure. Petite (relative the average human) and slender with somewhat androgynous appearances. Functionalist, and radically pragmatic with a tendency to treat all interrelations with other civilized peoples as adversarial or an "alliance of convenience." The government tends towards authoritarianism with decentralization based on social or place differences. They often form sprawling utility based societies in the subterrain of the Terra and have no moral basis of law. It is a system of pure tool-oriented function. Major slave traders and mercenary workers. Primarily trades with Westman, Eastman, and Karfolk in various fractured underground city networks.
Status: Recluse; mildly aggressive in some cases.
Rovanë Galahadrim (savage elves):
Fair, seamless skin, often described as milk-white in color. Black hair, and eyes that are usually said to appear verdant or yellow serpentine. No clear facial features can be discerned on account of the masks they wear on their faces, made from one solid plate of bone or ivory. They have vascular, roughly talon-like or claw-like appendages where human feet would be and a leonid prehensile tail with a haired end that is used for sensing. Tall; averaging between six and seven feet, and lean in overall frame. Culturally, a climate-isolated nomadic tribe found endemically in the Sanguine Jungle post-exodus from Alanor. Their government style is communal with some elders for spiritual guidance, and a set of skilled hunters who can slay the monsters of the Sanguine Jungle single-handedly. The masks they wear are for life and only taken off in the presence of a matrimonial bound partner who is exempt from Ishdal's curse due to the grace of THE ONE. Other figures who spy the true face of the Rovanë Galahadrim will be driven by primal lust—just as the goddess of beauty was beset by Sodomus in days of yore. A punishment she inflicted on their bloodline rather vindictively. Minimal exposure to other factions or groups.
Status: few in number but alive within the isolated "death zone" jungle.
Iseeri (of the isles of Iseer):
Honey or wheat skinned people with brown or bronze colored hair. Eyes are usually brown or rarely green. Culturally, a mercantile people with various imperial naval colonies and trade partners. They have a centralized guild syndicate system of government and collectively owned and funded navy. Republican forums serve as both legal panels and marketplaces simultaneously, often with the orators "selling" laws to the public at the highest possible bid. Artisanship and craft are highly prized, and collector's works are hoarded like dragon gold by the most successful and prominent merchants. Some elvish influences (via Alanor) have created a love of the people for art and music. Meanwhile, copper and gold from the Azuna Deserts of Jania is transferred en'masse across the Lasad Ocean from the Isles of Iseer. The volcanic island of Othmir is among their most valuable colonies for its exclusive luxury resource: Othmichalcum, or Black Silver in the common tongue. A rare metal that is dark like obsidian and lustrous like silver, minted into jewelry or coins by the Iseeri high lords (usually a guild grandmaster). One gram of it (about the size of a wheat grain) is worth nearly twenty times as much gold on average. Major trade partner of Alanor, Arcticus, and Azunain (kingdom of the Eastman peoples).
Status: Economic naval power of the far east.
Archon:
Gleaming silver skin and mirror or fog-white irises. Hair is typically pale as moonlight and nearly a head higher than a human man. Culturally, they're scholars and researchers. Highly rational and calculating—sometimes to a machiavallian degree. Government is a merit-based apartheid system that values excellence within a tiered ethno-supremacist society. Arcane mastery originates from the Archons and all modern spellcasters claim some form of legacy from the Archons either genetically speaking or through their intelligent biological design. Archons build floating cities of silver that once travelled across the world. Their empire–Effinitia–stretched like a disjointed splattering of ink across the continent before their collapse. The Black Curse which was inflicted on them by Aezellioth drove them to desperately seek out ways to pass on their knowledge after death. Once major silver buyers and slave traders. Everyone hated the Archons and everyone bought their slaves.
Status: Extinct
Satyrs (lesser demon/corrupted humanoid):
Upper body of a pale-skinned man, marbly in appearance with a dancer's physique. Lower body of a black goat. Black hair and eyes. As with all demons, it possesses two tongues– an upper goat-like tongue and a lower serpent-like tongue, which are used together to form the phonetics and syntax of Bôlgnoch. They can cast basic concealment magic innately using the words for "Secret" and "Prey" in the demonic tongue. Culturally, romantic and poetic—even gallant. But twisted towards dark ends. Poetry is often laced with euphemisms or veiled threats. Romance is often predatory and stalkerish. Gallantry is often transactional and oppressive like a cage. Government is a radical cult of personality centered around a higher demon. No formal organized trade. Interactions with other factions are usually hostile or wary.
Status: diffused and mostly subterrain.
Centaurs (lesser demon/corrupted humanoid):
Upper body of a pale-skinned man, marbly in appearance with a sculptor's physique. Lower body of a dark horse. Black hair and yellow eyes. Can use the arcane words for "Pursuit" and "Haste" in Bôlgnoch. Culturally, assertive and hierarchical; strong nomadic society with a reliance on a slave-based economic model. Government is clan-based and hegemonic around eugenically chosen leaders. Centaurs are often multilingual and have a unique affinity for learning languages. Minimal organized trade in some tribes. Interactions with other factions are usually hostile or wary.
Status: rare but alive; mostly endemic to the Heartlands or the Plemmyra Savannah.
Minotaurs (lesser demons/corrupted humanoids):
Torso of a tanned man with the legs and head of a black bull. Thick muscular build and brown goat-like eyes. Nearly eight feet tall on average. Can use the arcane word for "Push" in Bôlgnoch. Culturally, they're individualistic and greedy. They love jewelry and gold. The government is mostly anarchistic with some mild authoritarian submissions (when a higher demon commands them). Minotaurs were once the shock troopers of the Dark Army during the War of Choice long ago. No formal organized trade. Interactions with other factions are usually hostile or wary.
Status: few in number, nearly extinct.