Description:
Within the inner lands of the continent, the centaur are not a loved people. Originally immigrants from far to the south, they spent much of their life as unwanted nomads - wandering gradually from nation to nation. Never persecuted or violently attacked, as some groups like the gypsies still are, they were nevertheless made to feel unwelcome within each area they travelled to. Primarily, this response was due to the stigma among most races towards what they view as a perversion of nature. Neither horse nor humanoid, and regarded by many as a sign of ill will from the higher powers, the centaur often found it easier to simply move on, rather than deal with the perceptions of those around them.
Over time, this gradual migration took them from the plains of Gabon, to the forests of Mildar, up northward to the edge of Keldar, and then finally down to the gap of Lysene. It was at this location that they came upon a quandry. To their northwest lay the kingdoms of Shagenna and Sighvat - old powers, which refused them entry in full. To the southwest, there lay the proto-kingdoms which would eventually become Kadauu, and who also denied them passage. Having just left the lands behind them, it was eventually decided that they would simply rest for a time within the gap. Something of a no-man's land and unable to be firmly held by any of the nearby nations, the gap was an ideal spot in which the centaur could simply abide and pause from their long travels. Provisions were laid down, structures erected, and the beginnings of the first city of the fledgling Taidara came into being - Clemence.
Oddly enough, this short term goal of passive settlement worked better than nearly anyone, including the centaur themselves expected. Free of their disturbing presence, many of the lands were quite willing to simply let them inhabit the lands they themselves could not hold - out of sight, out of mind as it were. In addition, as the centaur offered absolutely no resistance to trade or travel within the region, and normally stayed within their own kind, it was in many ways like they had completely vanished. Wars were waged across the gap, claims were staked to the region beyond by many nations, and yet, throughout it all, the centaur continued to prosper out of sight. Settlements spread like seedlings, setting themselves up within the groves of forests or on the open plains, away from the normal travel routes of the nations. By the time several centuries had passed, the population was beginning to crest into the hundreds of thousands, and finally some of the other nations began to take notice.
The elves in particular were some of the first to protest, holding some of the strongest beliefs regarding the impurity of the centaur race. Gathering a small, but what they believed would be an adequate force, they resolved to push the centaur from the gap and cleanse the land once more. Much to their surprise, the centaur proved a somewhat more resolute foe than they had expected. Holding a strong sense of unity to the race as a single "family" and now having developed a firm bond with the land as well, the centaur were quick to unify under a single banner, and proclaim themselves the nation of Taidar. Vowing to hold back the elves and preserve their homes, thousands came from all across the lands and fought the elves in the hills and plains of their western lands.
However, as determined as they were, as a race they simply lacked the experience of combat and war that the elves had honed for eons. In battle after battle, they lost to smaller, focused forces of elves, and were steadily pushed back from the borders. Seeking aid from any who would come, they sent word to all the nations around them pleading for help - yet none were willing to lift a finger for the half breed perversions. That is, until word came to Ekku.
Fledgling themselves, and experienced in combat after years of war with the elves among many, the Ekkuvians saw a wonderful opportunity for growth and gratitude. Sending messages back to the Taidarans, they not only pledged support, training, and leadership on the western front of Taidara, but also their military aid in distraction on the western edge of Shagenna. Suddenly, the elves found themselves with not one, but two fronts of war, and at least one skilled opponent among them. Rather than lose ground to the vagrants of the west, they called off their assaults on the centaur and staked out a claim where they stood. In a matter of weeks, the aid of a single other nation had both stabalized, and legitimized what had once been little more than a colony of lepers.
In the current day, the kingdom of Taidara encompasses most of the open plains in the central landmass south of the gap. Still wholly unagressive, but slightly more bouyed by their success, the centaur have taken advantage of their central, if somewhat precarious position, and now serve as the gateway between the NW, SW, and East. Holding only small assets in the way of natural resources themselves, their central position has nevertheless allowed them to prosper through market forces. Those who once shunned them are now simply forced to tolerate them as nearly all W-E trade eventually passes through their lands.
Religously, the centaur are a strange breed of tolerance and intermixing. In a sense, the Taidaran don't really believe in the truly "divine". They believe that there are Gods, and other spiritual powers, but they view these all as representations of the universe's naturally morphic nature. In a way, its almost easier to describe the aspects of other groups they have absorbed. On one hand, they borrow somewhat from the animism views of Kadauu to the SW, in which all things in the universe have a representation as both a physical object and a spiritual presence. On the other, they also borrow portions from the divinities of Sighvat and Valgard, in that there is a spirit which is in some way greater than all others.
However, the way that the Taidaran beliefs differ is in their interpretation of these views in respect to a morphic universe. Holding that all of the spiritual is affected by the physical, it is common wisdom that the wishes of the body bring life to the divine. Should a body wish for a new home, then their will brings life to that home, and to the hearth spirit which dwells within and represents it. On a larger scale, the wishes of the group and society at large also bring life to greater, more abstract concepts, such as those of good and evil, morality, and justice. Each of these concepts have their own representation within the real world, but also a spiritual form. Finally, although they believe in a greater, unifying spirit, which is drawn from the views of the Sighvat and Valgardian faiths, they do not believe in such a spirit as a personal entity, but rather as a spiritual representation of morphism itself. Within the cosmos, to their mind there must naturally be some process which guides the assignment and formation of spiritual representations of the physical. It is then the spiritual representation of this abstract concept itself which could truly be said to be the god of the centaur peoples. As if to only further incense the religions around them, they have however taken the naming conventions which the other religions apply to their own supreme beings and then applied them to their own greatest spirit.
Ethnically, Taidara is unique among the central lands, as it is the only area with a significant centaur population. Initially founded by their kind and nearly mono-ethnic for a time, Taidara has slowly diversified its population through commerce and immigration. While still largely centaur dominated, a significant portion of halflings also make their residence in the nation. The largest group by percentage anywhere in the nearby nations, halflings have found that the their lifestyles and communities mesh well with the simple nature of centaur groups. In addition, although they practice a number of their own, halfling specific faiths, a number of converts to the vaguely animist way of thinking have been found among the halfling population.
Communities within Taidara are generally quite spread out, even when on the scale of a metropolitan area. With their horse-like nature, the centaur have a natural preference for open spaces and this design sense has driven the formation of most communities. Open roofed courtyards, single story homes, and limited tenement development are all quite common in most cities. Road systems are generally organized around wide lanes that provide ample room for the oversized foot traffic of four legged bodies with limited use of inter-building alleyways or tunnels. Those halfings and other races which live with the centaur have simply adapted to this lifestyle, and low, sprawling suburban communities are quite common. Unfortunately, for those races without the rapid movement capabilities of centaurs, this has proven something of a challenge for organization and urban development. As such, most Taidaran cities actually tend to grow around multiple, smaller "downtown" areas so that travel distances are minimized. This growth pattern is also reinforced by the members of many immigrant races, who still prefer to maintain as much distance between themselves and the centaur as they can.
Politically, Taidara could best be said to be a form of representative tribal monarchy. Initially composed of a number of ethnic tribes, the original centaur settlers of Taidara have maintained these distinctions as they have evolved as a nation. Although loyalty to the nation always comes first, loyalty to the tribal subset is also quite important for many day to day interactions. Most population centers within Taidara have formed around loci of certain tribal groups and the territory of Taidara can also be fairly easily partitioned into subsets related to each tribe. Currently, there are 16 tribes which are recognized by the ruling council of Taidara, with the three largest being the Aren, Lecceit, and Morelle. Within their own areas, governance of the tribes is handled through as needed assemblies. Generally, there are fixed representatives which attend each level of such meetings and speak on behalf of their population groups. However, there is no fixed requirement or priviledge for such speech in law, and if a concerned party wishes to speak at a council meeting, they need only be recognized by the group.
At the national level of government, this process is somewhat more formalized, with specific representatives being nominated by each tribe to attend regular meetings of government, and a number of set titles existing to recognize particular functions. Foremost among these is the title of Chief of Taidara, a position roughly equivalent to a king or perhaps chancellor within another nation. Nominated from among the attending representatives, Chiefs are granted their position in terms of fifteen years, in which time they are relatively immune from interference or worries of being disposed. However, as with all representative governments, the Chiefs still must maintain good relations with most of the representative body and possess a healthy dose of political skill if they want to accomplish anything during their term. In addition to the Chief, other fixed positions with multi-year terms include War Minister, Minister of Foreign Relations, and the Trade Minister, each of whom hold extensive purview over their particular field.
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