Post by ThaddeusGrey on Jun 11, 2012 13:05:46 GMT -5
I noticed this still wasn't replaced after Cael imploded, so I figured I'd go ahead and put it back up for you guys to refill and while I'm at it I'll just go ahead and SHIT EVERYWHERE ON IT AHAHAHAHAHAHAA
TAURS
Centaurs occupy the lower half-to-middle area of the continent. There are vast plains areas, occasionally riddled with patches of hills, ditches, small copses of trees, and to the northeast, the occasional small fruit-bearing orchard. Some centaurs stay to tend the orchard year-round; these are typically shamans that commune with the spirits through the trees themselves and nearby holy areas, older centaurs that can no longer endure the rigors of everyday centaur life, pregant females that have become sickly, and, very occasionally, the few cripples that have important enough heritage to escape culling. Each centaur tribe has their own orchard, and each year at harvest the tribes pass through their own orchard to enjoy the harvest. The majority of these tribes are horse centaurs, though they do mingle with antelope, plains deer, buffalo, gazelle, okapi, giraffe, and similarly hoofed taurs. Occasionally hoofed taurs will come together with smaller-bodied taurs, such as plains mouse, hare, rabbit, and prairie dog, but these unions are short-lived as the smaller taurs are not naturally migratory. Most tribes of non-migratory taurs are farmers or fish the large two rivers in the middle and southeast of the plains, the Tail and the Mane, and then deal and trade with the hoofed taurs when they pass through on their migration paths.
Directly north of the plains lies the thick forest of the satyrs and their kind, and between this and the heartland of the plains is mostly flat grassland. To the northwest of their plains domain is a labyrinth of thicket and briar-ridden canyons. Not only are these canyons maze-like and disorienting, they are riddled with vast, complex formations carved by the powerful winds that blow through them, as well as deep, vast caverns full of mineral-rich water, fungi, vines, and moss curtains. Most of the entries to these caverns are marked by patches of bright green fertile vine tendrils, fat mushroom heads that open only at night, or small curtains of moss--yet these are not easy to spot, as they are often hidden by dominating patches of sharp briar and thorny thickets. It is from these canyons that the centaurs extract much of the ores they use to forge their weapons, armour, and tools, and it is within the same canyons that these things are forged. Because of the canyons' rich mineral and ore deposits, and excellent fires for forging, many small human tribes of blacksmiths and merchants indigenous to the mountains of the far north deal and dwell in the far northern end of these canyons. This is occasionally a point of dispute between the two races, and as humans grow more prominent and push further south, "occasionally" is becoming more and more frequent. Because of their wide variety of colours, from jade green to rich brick red to soft pastel gold, the canyons are often called "insert-centaurish-word-here", or, "The Rainbow Bridge To The Sky". The centaurs believe that the canyons were stained with the blood of gods during the battles of old, before centaurs themselves were formed from the different clays of the canyons and the sky. There is a colour in the canyons for each of the centaurs' colourings--gold for palaminos, red for chestnuts and strawberry roans and so on, deep grey blue for blue roans and dapple greys, coal for black, chalk for white, and so on--which inspired these beliefs. These canyons are peppered with towering spires of strange, twisting formations of glass, varying from a few feet to several centaur-lengths wide. These are believed to have been also formed during the wars of the gods, from giant bolts of lightning that sparked when the blades of their ancestral gods clashed. These spires of lightning are considered sites of deeply holy ground, and only the most senior of shamans may dare to set hoof on it. Unfortunately, some of the canyons surrounding the spires also contain some of the most ore-rich veins in the entire area, and the humans' recent discovery of this and persistence in trying to mine them is the largest conflict between them and the centaurs.
To the west is where the plains often peter out into desert and badlands. This is mostly the domain of the lion, hyena, jackal, wild dog, and larger prey taurs of the flatlands. Tensions thrive naturally between the different tribes of races, and whatever tensions exist between them also exist tenfold between their hoofed cousins. Prey taurs deal mostly in leather and fur armours, as due to their differeing builds, their bodies are not structured to possess the stamina of the hoofed taurs, and so can not hold up under metal armour for long periods of time. Prey taurs also deal in clothing woven from grasses in their territories, bone jewelry and weapons, rock-made weapons, and clay items--since hoof taurs do not spend much time in one place, they are not capable of dedicating the time to sculpting art and clay tools that the stationary prey taurs can. Most clay the prey taurs use is taken from the mud surrounding the few waterholes scattered about the badlands. The badlands is also the dwelling place of the very few reptile-taurs known to exist. These are rare and rarely spotted, the most often seen being the alligator taurs, which live almost exclusively around the largest watering hole, which is big enough to have its own small marshland surrounding it. This watering hole is the farthest south on the plains, only a few dozen miles from the beginning of the southern swamplands. Reptile-taurs are often considered freaks or relics of a time long passed, and are believed to live half-in-and-out of the Spirit World. While they are feared and avoided, easily enough considering they don't want to be found, they are also revered as the most spiritually tuned creatures of the plains, and in times of great suffering believed to have been brought on by spiritual crisis--such as droughts, plagues, or natural disasters--dozens of tribes have sent their shamans to seek them out for their counsel and guidance.
To the east is the most lush and prosperous lands of plains, covered with flowing grasslands, rich black mud, thick copses of trees, most of the taur-tended orchards, and the reason this area is so lush: the Tail and the Mane, the two large rivers that divide the west and middle of the plains from the east. The far eastern side of both rivers is where the centaurs congregate for spring mating and summer birthing, safely guarded from any preytaurs, humans, or other invading races by the two massive rivers. There is a unanimous peace between all tribes during the time of birthing, or when wee taurs are being born, and attacking during this time, or especially killing newborn taurs, is considered a sacriligeous act before the gods and punishable by death before all the clans of the plains. Killing newborn taurs during summer birthing is one of the few things gauranteed to unite the clans in bloody vengeance. The culling of lame or disfigured newborns is the only exception made, considered a mercy, but must be sanctified and carried out by the clan shamans. It is rare that lame or disfigured hoof-taurs are spared from culling, and typically the only exceptions are born from clan leaders or are foreseen to possess spiritual abilities by shamans.
To the south, the Mane and Tail split and become many smaller rivers, then streams, and dissolve into the marshlands ruled by the Naga. The sweet, fertile eastlands continue right up to the edge of it, though the last several miles between plainsland and marshland are not patrolled by any centaurs as they are too soft and bog-pocked to be safe. Smaller and lighter taurs, such as gazelles and antelope, may claim this area for breeding to avoid the larger, noisier horse-taurs, though they will move on shortly after the young have been born to prevent their rambunctious newborns from straying into treacherous bogs and quicksand. The Naga do not typically venture into this area, preferring the reassuring cover provided by the thick trees, net-vines, and deeper sands, grasses, and waters of their native swamps. Thus the area is considered by both species to be a neutral ground. Conflict arises over this land only in the event of a drought, when the taurs are forced to remain alongside the rivers much longer into summer than usual to survive, and tribes will stretch up north and south along its length to prevent from fighting too much and expending energy in the moisture-sapped heat. This sparks conflict with the Naga who are similarly forced to stretch north onto the edge of the plainsland, seeking prey and the deeper waters of the larger streams that begin at the ends of the Mane and Tail.
TAURS
Centaurs occupy the lower half-to-middle area of the continent. There are vast plains areas, occasionally riddled with patches of hills, ditches, small copses of trees, and to the northeast, the occasional small fruit-bearing orchard. Some centaurs stay to tend the orchard year-round; these are typically shamans that commune with the spirits through the trees themselves and nearby holy areas, older centaurs that can no longer endure the rigors of everyday centaur life, pregant females that have become sickly, and, very occasionally, the few cripples that have important enough heritage to escape culling. Each centaur tribe has their own orchard, and each year at harvest the tribes pass through their own orchard to enjoy the harvest. The majority of these tribes are horse centaurs, though they do mingle with antelope, plains deer, buffalo, gazelle, okapi, giraffe, and similarly hoofed taurs. Occasionally hoofed taurs will come together with smaller-bodied taurs, such as plains mouse, hare, rabbit, and prairie dog, but these unions are short-lived as the smaller taurs are not naturally migratory. Most tribes of non-migratory taurs are farmers or fish the large two rivers in the middle and southeast of the plains, the Tail and the Mane, and then deal and trade with the hoofed taurs when they pass through on their migration paths.
Directly north of the plains lies the thick forest of the satyrs and their kind, and between this and the heartland of the plains is mostly flat grassland. To the northwest of their plains domain is a labyrinth of thicket and briar-ridden canyons. Not only are these canyons maze-like and disorienting, they are riddled with vast, complex formations carved by the powerful winds that blow through them, as well as deep, vast caverns full of mineral-rich water, fungi, vines, and moss curtains. Most of the entries to these caverns are marked by patches of bright green fertile vine tendrils, fat mushroom heads that open only at night, or small curtains of moss--yet these are not easy to spot, as they are often hidden by dominating patches of sharp briar and thorny thickets. It is from these canyons that the centaurs extract much of the ores they use to forge their weapons, armour, and tools, and it is within the same canyons that these things are forged. Because of the canyons' rich mineral and ore deposits, and excellent fires for forging, many small human tribes of blacksmiths and merchants indigenous to the mountains of the far north deal and dwell in the far northern end of these canyons. This is occasionally a point of dispute between the two races, and as humans grow more prominent and push further south, "occasionally" is becoming more and more frequent. Because of their wide variety of colours, from jade green to rich brick red to soft pastel gold, the canyons are often called "insert-centaurish-word-here", or, "The Rainbow Bridge To The Sky". The centaurs believe that the canyons were stained with the blood of gods during the battles of old, before centaurs themselves were formed from the different clays of the canyons and the sky. There is a colour in the canyons for each of the centaurs' colourings--gold for palaminos, red for chestnuts and strawberry roans and so on, deep grey blue for blue roans and dapple greys, coal for black, chalk for white, and so on--which inspired these beliefs. These canyons are peppered with towering spires of strange, twisting formations of glass, varying from a few feet to several centaur-lengths wide. These are believed to have been also formed during the wars of the gods, from giant bolts of lightning that sparked when the blades of their ancestral gods clashed. These spires of lightning are considered sites of deeply holy ground, and only the most senior of shamans may dare to set hoof on it. Unfortunately, some of the canyons surrounding the spires also contain some of the most ore-rich veins in the entire area, and the humans' recent discovery of this and persistence in trying to mine them is the largest conflict between them and the centaurs.
To the west is where the plains often peter out into desert and badlands. This is mostly the domain of the lion, hyena, jackal, wild dog, and larger prey taurs of the flatlands. Tensions thrive naturally between the different tribes of races, and whatever tensions exist between them also exist tenfold between their hoofed cousins. Prey taurs deal mostly in leather and fur armours, as due to their differeing builds, their bodies are not structured to possess the stamina of the hoofed taurs, and so can not hold up under metal armour for long periods of time. Prey taurs also deal in clothing woven from grasses in their territories, bone jewelry and weapons, rock-made weapons, and clay items--since hoof taurs do not spend much time in one place, they are not capable of dedicating the time to sculpting art and clay tools that the stationary prey taurs can. Most clay the prey taurs use is taken from the mud surrounding the few waterholes scattered about the badlands. The badlands is also the dwelling place of the very few reptile-taurs known to exist. These are rare and rarely spotted, the most often seen being the alligator taurs, which live almost exclusively around the largest watering hole, which is big enough to have its own small marshland surrounding it. This watering hole is the farthest south on the plains, only a few dozen miles from the beginning of the southern swamplands. Reptile-taurs are often considered freaks or relics of a time long passed, and are believed to live half-in-and-out of the Spirit World. While they are feared and avoided, easily enough considering they don't want to be found, they are also revered as the most spiritually tuned creatures of the plains, and in times of great suffering believed to have been brought on by spiritual crisis--such as droughts, plagues, or natural disasters--dozens of tribes have sent their shamans to seek them out for their counsel and guidance.
To the east is the most lush and prosperous lands of plains, covered with flowing grasslands, rich black mud, thick copses of trees, most of the taur-tended orchards, and the reason this area is so lush: the Tail and the Mane, the two large rivers that divide the west and middle of the plains from the east. The far eastern side of both rivers is where the centaurs congregate for spring mating and summer birthing, safely guarded from any preytaurs, humans, or other invading races by the two massive rivers. There is a unanimous peace between all tribes during the time of birthing, or when wee taurs are being born, and attacking during this time, or especially killing newborn taurs, is considered a sacriligeous act before the gods and punishable by death before all the clans of the plains. Killing newborn taurs during summer birthing is one of the few things gauranteed to unite the clans in bloody vengeance. The culling of lame or disfigured newborns is the only exception made, considered a mercy, but must be sanctified and carried out by the clan shamans. It is rare that lame or disfigured hoof-taurs are spared from culling, and typically the only exceptions are born from clan leaders or are foreseen to possess spiritual abilities by shamans.
To the south, the Mane and Tail split and become many smaller rivers, then streams, and dissolve into the marshlands ruled by the Naga. The sweet, fertile eastlands continue right up to the edge of it, though the last several miles between plainsland and marshland are not patrolled by any centaurs as they are too soft and bog-pocked to be safe. Smaller and lighter taurs, such as gazelles and antelope, may claim this area for breeding to avoid the larger, noisier horse-taurs, though they will move on shortly after the young have been born to prevent their rambunctious newborns from straying into treacherous bogs and quicksand. The Naga do not typically venture into this area, preferring the reassuring cover provided by the thick trees, net-vines, and deeper sands, grasses, and waters of their native swamps. Thus the area is considered by both species to be a neutral ground. Conflict arises over this land only in the event of a drought, when the taurs are forced to remain alongside the rivers much longer into summer than usual to survive, and tribes will stretch up north and south along its length to prevent from fighting too much and expending energy in the moisture-sapped heat. This sparks conflict with the Naga who are similarly forced to stretch north onto the edge of the plainsland, seeking prey and the deeper waters of the larger streams that begin at the ends of the Mane and Tail.