The Great Wandering of the Centaurs
Birth in chains
The origin of the centaurs is shrouded in mystery, but the oldest sources speak of an elven group that performed a magical ritual uniting man and horse. The result was the first centaurs - strong, intelligent beings originally intended for service. At first there were only a few of them and they served as slaves or curiosities. However, the experiment got out of control. The centaurs began to multiply and gradually acquire their own identity. After this group was discovered and executed on the orders of the ruler Cuionor, the centaurs fled to the eastern regions of the elven empire.
Yellow plains
On the Yellow Plains, the centaurs found room to grow. Without direct control of the elves and outside the main concern of the empire, they began to build their own way of life. Their number grew rapidly and around the year -4000 there were tens of thousands of them. Along with this, however, the first problems began to appear - division into tribes, rivalries and conflicts with the surrounding nations. Nevertheless, the basis of the centaur identity - a nation defined by movement, strength and independence - was formed here.
Break of winter
Around the year -2750, an extremely severe climate change hit the Yellow Plains. The soil was no longer fertile and it was difficult to secure food even in the summer months. The centaurs were forced to face the first real crisis of their existence. Hunger and lack of resources forced thousands of them to leave their homeland. This began the Great Migration, a process that lasted generations and changed an entire continent.
The road to the west
The centaur migration was not uniform. Some tribes traveled through elven forests where they had to tread carefully so as not to cause conflict. Others passed through the territories of human kingdoms, where they often faced resistance. It was at this time that Onix, the legendary centaur, came forth to lead his tribe through hostile territory. His victory over a hundred human warriors secured him free passage to the west. Onix thus became a symbol of determination and the first leader to lead the centaurs into new territory.
The Great Plains and the First Wars
The Great Plains seemed an ideal home. Open space and plenty of resources suited the nature of centaurs. However, this territory was not empty. The kobolds had lived here for generations and were not about to give up their home. A clash was inevitable. The first wars between centaurs and kobolds were fierce and bloody. Onix also fell in one of these clashes, defeated by the kobold juggernaut Hatur.
A new home
Despite the losses, the pilgrimage continued. More and more centaurs came to the Great Plains and gradually began to dominate here. Around -1500 the majority of their population lived here, and around -750 the Great Plains became their main territory. Some of the centaurs also settled on the edges of elven forests, where they adopted some elements of elven culture. However, the majority remained true to their tribal and free way of life.
A legacy of wandering
The Great Wandering created the centaurs as they are today—a nation without a fixed empire, but with a deep sense of freedom and movement. It also laid the foundation for the longest conflict in Ulvenor's history. The war with the kobolds, which began around -2700, continues to this day. The centaurs thus found their home, but at the cost of the endless struggle that defines their existence.