Centaur
Horse-man hybrid race that roamed the Plains of Karana for ages; they have no creation myth and claim to have always existed, but were scattered when the Shattering reshaped their homeland.
Overview
Drawn from A History of the Centaur — in-game book.EQ1Primary · mirrored · best available source
A History of the Centaur,” by Wiseman Oluran, centaur of the Thundering Steppes — Being a history of the centaurs, as told by one of their own.
In the years after the cataclysms that reshaped Norrath, changes shook the foundations of many societies. Some were forced from ancestral homes, others were reduced to begging and thievery. The centaurs of the Thundering Steppes adapted to the changes in the world in their own way.
A long time ago, when the gods still lived and the moon was whole, the centaurs lived in Karana. Long did we hunt upon the plains of Karana, racing one another in bands several hundred strong! Tails held high, hooves burnished with thin sheets of copper, silver and gold, the centaurs lived as one with the land.
Centaurs have no creation myth, we know we have always existed. Some say that centaurs were formed by the union of a wood elf queen and the god Karana, which is why centaurs always roam, yet love the land so completely. We centaurs feel no such need to explain ourselves; we have always been, and that is enough.
In the long-ago, female centaurs resented the numerous male centaurs that sought to keep them. The males sought to cherish, confine and keep the females from harm. The females appreciated this attention not and battles erupted. To bring peace to the centaurs, Zehadra the Wise decreed that male and female live apart, only to come together at certain times and places. This living arrangement, while not perfect, allowed male and female centaurs to appreciate each other.
Over the years, the Plains of Karana changed, beset by war, by plague, by violent rending of the very earth. At last, the Shattering desolated the lands so loved by the centaur and brought about the ruin of many of our scattered villages.
Centaurs alone did not suffer, of course. All of Norrath was covered in flame and pestilence, bombarded by shards from the once-veiled moon. The violence subsided. The face of Norrath was completely changed. Centaurs returned to what was left of Karana’s plains, brought together by the world’s suffering and loss.
Overview
Drawn from A History of the Centaur (QuestReward) — in-game book.EQ2Primary · mirrored · best available source
A History of the Centaur," by Wiseman Oluran, centaur of the Thundering Steppes -- Being a history of the centaurs, as told by one of their own.
In the years after the cataclysms that reshaped Norrath, changes shook the foundations of many societies. Some were forced from ancestral homes, others were reduced to begging and thievery. The centaurs of the Thundering Steppes adapted to the changes in the world in their own way.
A long time ago, when the gods still lived and the moon was whole, the centaurs lived in Karana.
Long did we hunt upon the plains of Karana, racing one another in bands several hundred strong! Tails held high, hooves burnished with thin sheets of copper, silver and gold, the centaurs lived as one with the land.
Centaurs have no creation myth, we know we have always existed.
Some say that centaurs were formed by the union of a wood elf queen and the god Karana, which is why centaurs always roam, yet love the land so completely.
We centaurs feel no such need to explain ourselves; we have always been, and that is enough.
Official Lore
5Collected official lore pieces, from in-game and out.
Glory of the Centaurs
Glory of the Centaurs The first centaurs in Norrath did not wander long -- only long enough to find a hospitable home with ample hunting grounds and a measure of solitude. One stable of centaurs raised in the lush grasslands of the Karanas in Tunaria chose to leave their crowded village and create one of their own.
Read the full sourceKarath Smoothmane – Winter Comes
This book is titled “Karath Smoothmane – Winter Comes”. It is a complete volume chronicling the events of a centaur chieftain and the decline of his tribe. The following is the account of my travels with Karath Smoothmane, chief of the Baelazern tribe of centaurs in the Commonlands. Throughout the time I spent with him, I came to know him as a good friend.
Read the full sourceKarath Smoothmane – The Breaking of the Pact
This book is titled “Karath Smoothmane – Breaking of the Pact “. It is a complete volume chronicling the events of a centaur chieftain and how the tribe managed to co-exist with the giants of the Thundering Steppes. The following is the account of my travels with Karath Smoothmane, chief of the Baelazern tribe of centaurs in the Commonlands.
Read the full sourceA History of the Centaur (QuestReward)
A History of the Centaur," by Wiseman Oluran, centaur of the Thundering Steppes -- Being a history of the centaurs, as told by one of their own. In the years after the cataclysms that reshaped Norrath, changes shook the foundations of many societies. Some were forced from ancestral homes, others were reduced to begging and thievery.
Read the full sourceRed Lake
In this book, we see the Rallosian Army’s advance through the eyes of Ilkalla, a Qeynosian Guard at an outpost on Lake Rathetear. For as long as she could, Ilkalla watched Gerren’s progress up the steep cliffs bordering Lake Rathetear.
Read the full sourceFurther sources
5Lore that mentions this in passing.