86. Centaurs, unfriendly neighbors
The so-called 'Wanderers of the Wilderness' refers to the centaur people of the world of Iber. The title 'Rambler' is not actually a name for a race, but a title that unites the three major subhuman races of the continent, namely centaurs, half-antelopes, and half-human deer, whose upper bodies are human bodies, and whose lower bodies are four-hoofed creatures. For the sake of detailed distinction, the three groups are called 'wilderness walkers' (centaurs), 'hill walkers' (half-antelopes), and 'bushwalkers' (half-deer) according to the environments that are most commonly seen by the three groups.
Among the three major groups of ramblers, the Hill Walker and the Jungle Walker demier are relatively peaceful in nature and rarely clash with humans. The only Centaurs of the Revenant Wanderers are cruel and irascible by nature, and have a poor relationship with humans.
There are many theories about the origin of the centaurs on the continent of Iber. The generally accepted orthodox explanation is that the centaurs are a side tribe of the Titans and horse-like creatures on the continent. The origin legend of the demi-antelope and the demi-human deer is also similar to the origin legend of the centaur, as for the truth, with the current discoveries of archaeologists in the world of Iber, it is impossible to judge.
The centaur people lived a way very much like the nomadic peoples of ancient China on the earth, such as the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, etc. Their social system is loosely tribal. Each clan is ruled by a khan, the most powerful and often the oldest centaur in the clan. The centaur society adheres to the simple principle of "the strong is king, and the strength is respected", the khan himself is all the laws of a clan, and the foreigners only need to prove their strength to gain the respect of the centaurs. Although the centaurs are not ignorant, they have something to do with the title of "intelligent race". But even if their brains are not very useful, it is undeniable that centaurs are determined and cunning, and their brains are basically used to make themselves stronger.
Centaurs are patrilineal clans, and like most primitive societies, female centaurs are generally seen simply as 'serving the next generation'. However, because the Centaur reveres the strong, any female centaur who can prove herself strong enough will still earn the respect of her clan members.
Similar to the nomadic people, the centaurs also appear to be very backward in their civilization. Their dwellings were generally rudimentary leather tents or simple huts made of mud and thatch, which seemed to humans to be more like stables than houses. The centaurs are not very skilled in metalwork, and the metal weapons and armor they use are mostly looted trophies. However, due to their size, most of the armor stolen by the centaurs did not fit well, so the vast majority of centaurs did not wear much armor, and those who could wear leather armor on their bodies were rare, and very few would have armor to cover their bodies. As for the weapons - the melee weapons used by the centaurs included large and heavy wooden clubs and axes, and of course spears that were more suitable for their body structure - in addition to the metal axes and spears obtained from looting, the centaurs' homemade axes and spears were mostly made of sharpened stone and stone tools made of leather strips tied to long sticks. From this point of view, the civilization level of centaurs remains in the Stone Age.
The centaurs have no written language, and all the inheritance of civilization depends on the oral transmission of the elders within the tribe from generation to generation. Centaurs usually speak the Centaur language (i.e., the language), they are not very interested in the languages of the foreign races, and few centaurs will learn the continental lingua franca (i.e., the lingua franca of the Ibers continent and the language of humanity).
The centaur family does not produce and relies mainly on grazing wild horses for food. Centaurs are omnivores, and their diet is mostly horse meat and mare's milk, but they can also eat some fruits, vegetables, and cereals. And when there is a shortage of food within the tribe, they will also go out to raid the whole tribe - in fact, on the continent of Iber, the centaurs have never stopped raiding other races, but all the non-species that appear in the centaur's field of vision are under the threat of their iron hooves. Even when there is not enough food, the centaurs will raid and even annex their weaker tribes.
Centaurs have a hideous face, their strength is much greater than that of adult men, they are agile in running, and their long-lasting combat effectiveness is very strong, but their physique is not much stronger than that of humans. After being injured, they can also lose their combat effectiveness due to blood loss and pain. Overall, they are only relatively strong subhumanoid creatures. Adult centaur warriors are low-level fighters whose individual combat power is comparable to that of humans, and their combat methods are mostly long-range javelin or axe throwing, as well as melee hand-to-hand combat. In addition to melee combat, a handful of centaurs are able to use the rudimentary powers of nature to cast spells - these centaur casters tend to have a high status in the tribe, just below the status of the chief.
Centaurs show a high degree of fearlessness and cruelty in battle. They did not seem to have any intention of taking prisoners, nor did they have any intention of retreating or surrendering. Their battles are more like venting their wildness than the pursuit of organization and efficiency. So in combat, the efficiency of the command system of the centaur units was very low, and the troops were not disciplined. But even so, with their maneuverability to come and go like the wind, centaurs are the most formidable enemies in the eyes of humans in the plains.
Thankfully, the total population of the centaurs is small. In general, a large tribe has only three or four hundred people, and the total number of centaurs in the whole continent is only a few tens of thousands, which is only one thousandth of the human population of the whole continent. In addition, the reproduction of centaurs is difficult, and the survival rate of young centaurs is low, which makes it difficult to increase the number of ethnic groups. So these centaurs, though frequent, have never shown a climate
However, even so, these centaurs, whose numbers have not been able to reach the climate, have become a major problem for the human kingdom in the city-state era.
After the southern city-state of King Tristram expanded its territory to include several plain counties in the south, including Brettnia, it was raided and looted by centaurs every year. From time to time, news came that caravans were attacked by centaurs or villages were broken by centaurs, and the surrounding county lords also sent many troops to try to exterminate this gang of wandering centaur bandits, although many centaurs who penetrated deep into the heart of the city-state, but there were still many centaurs everywhere to harm. At the same time, because these centaurs live in a fixed place, it is difficult for the county leaders to find their traces and annihilate them at once. Later, these centaurs began to act more and more unscrupulously, and the attacks on the villages and towns of the human city-states became more and more frequent. Finally, when spring comes, these centaurs will blatantly appear in the heart of the human city-state, raiding villages, destroying farmland, and looting everything they can. It has caused great threats and losses to the people of the southern county of the Tristram Kingdom.