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Description
WARNING! This is a CLOSED SPECIES, insofar as its background is my creation. (I can't possibly copyright humantaurs, after all.) You may NOT use this species without my expressed permission.

A species unique to Mundus Muthodes, the Taurids are the result of the famous stubbornness and pride of Centaurs, and deliberate flesh-warping experiments by people who should have known better.
More human than actual Centaurs, the Taurids were meant to be easier to enslave and for use as beasts of burden. To the deep regret of their makers, however, Taurids also proved to be considerably less robust than full Centaurs, having not the strength, the endurance or the fertility of Centaurs. While faster than Humans, their gait is ungainly when compared to that of Centaurs. What they did prove to have, however, was superior cunning.

Over the years, enough Taurids escaped from their makers that they managed to establish themselves as a people. They naturally gravitate to cosmopolitan cities like Caymore, where the worst they face is frequent insults and prejudice, rather than immediate execution for being abominations against nature, or enslavement. Still, even in the cities they are commonly seen as the unclean result of interspecies lusts by the common people, and as the spawn of vile flesh-warping by the well-informed.

Although they are nominally a people, Taurids show only as much cohesion as the world forces them to. Taurids who manage to attain financial comfort seldom share with any Taurid outside their immediate family. If two Taurids are in line for the same job, they will badmouth their competitor or even attack them if opportunity allows. Neighbours will steal from each other if they see anything they think can help them or their children get ahead. Children are taught ruthlessness from the cradle onward, and friendships outside the family are discouraged. As a result, courtship and marriage are affairs of lengthy and intricate negotiations, rather than romance.

The only reason the Taurids are not seen as completely unadapted savages and forced into ghettoes or forced entirely out of the cities, is that they are only so blatant in their misdeeds against each other; against other species, they are generally cautious to the point of cowardice.
As employees of and colleagues to members of other species, Taurids are generally seen as taciturn to the point of sullenness, hardworking, and obsessed with amassing wealth - much of which is frittered away on deliberate shows of opulence.
A Taurid of means immediately invests in better quality housing, fine clothing - with an oddly fussy obsession with shoes - and fine perfumes, seemingly without a care for how they will pay for day-to-day needs tomorrow.
In truth, the Taurids equate wealth with safety from persecution and renewed enslavement, and their displays are a cargo cult-like behaviour, hoping that shows of wealth will at least offer a version of the safety that comes with real wealth.

Of course exceptions do exist. Some Taurids find themselves unable or unwilling to endure the hostile, materialistic culture to which they are born and seek a different path.
Small communities of Taurids dwell in the wilderness, hiding their towns from Humans and Centaurs alike, but befriending local Fauns, Fey and Satyrs, who are less fussy about their odd appearance.
Other Taurids assimilate into other culyures, forming strong bonds there, or go off to seek afventure and wealth through the strength of their arms and backs and the keenness of their wits.

Taurids are ill-suited to the life of the Scoundrel; they are too bulky to be burglars or pickpockets and too noticeable to be confidence tricksters.
They make passable Warriors, capable of using a number of weapons suited both to mounted warriors and footsoldiers, and put their speed to good use for charges and ride-by attacks.
Taurids rarely become arcane spellcasters; as a people, they are leery of using the type of magic that gave birth to their species, for fear that it might warp them into something new. In spite of this, they show great reverence to all the entities that govern arcane magic, typically worshipping them before any other deities, and showing little interest in the ethics or morality of these entities. Priests are not unknown among their number, but rarely rise high among established hierarchies.
Among the Taurids who live in the wild, Druids are reasonably common, and valued for their ability to hide and protect Taurid towns.

A final mention to those Taurids whose ancestors did not escape, or who have been enslaved in modern times: they are become if not a staple, then at least not an unfamiliar part of the slave trade.
As slaves, Taurids at least feign an extreme timidness and subservience, ever seeking ways to ingratiate themselves to their owners. In painful contrast to their free kindred, enslaved Taurids actually display great solidarity, recognizing their own as their only true allies.
Of course, once an opportunity to escape arises and the Taurids reach safe haven, it's everyone for themselves and Devil take the hindmost...

Description
WARNING! This is a CLOSED SPECIES, insofar as its background is my creation. (I can't possibly copyright humantaurs, after all.) You may NOT use this species without my expressed permission.

A species unique to Mundus Muthodes, the Taurids are the result of the famous stubbornness and pride of Centaurs, and deliberate flesh-warping experiments by people who should have known better.
More human than actual Centaurs, the Taurids were meant to be easier to enslave and for use as beasts of burden. To the deep regret of their makers, however, Taurids also proved to be considerably less robust than full Centaurs, having not the strength, the endurance or the fertility of Centaurs. While faster than Humans, their gait is ungainly when compared to that of Centaurs. What they did prove to have, however, was superior cunning.

Over the years, enough Taurids escaped from their makers that they managed to establish themselves as a people. They naturally gravitate to cosmopolitan cities like Caymore, where the worst they face is frequent insults and prejudice, rather than immediate execution for being abominations against nature, or enslavement. Still, even in the cities they are commonly seen as the unclean result of interspecies lusts by the common people, and as the spawn of vile flesh-warping by the well-informed.

Although they are nominally a people, Taurids show only as much cohesion as the world forces them to. Taurids who manage to attain financial comfort seldom share with any Taurid outside their immediate family. If two Taurids are in line for the same job, they will badmouth their competitor or even attack them if opportunity allows. Neighbours will steal from each other if they see anything they think can help them or their children get ahead. Children are taught ruthlessness from the cradle onward, and friendships outside the family are discouraged. As a result, courtship and marriage are affairs of lengthy and intricate negotiations, rather than romance.

The only reason the Taurids are not seen as completely unadapted savages and forced into ghettoes or forced entirely out of the cities, is that they are only so blatant in their misdeeds against each other; against other species, they are generally cautious to the point of cowardice.
As employees of and colleagues to members of other species, Taurids are generally seen as taciturn to the point of sullenness, hardworking, and obsessed with amassing wealth - much of which is frittered away on deliberate shows of opulence.
A Taurid of means immediately invests in better quality housing, fine clothing - with an oddly fussy obsession with shoes - and fine perfumes, seemingly without a care for how they will pay for day-to-day needs tomorrow.
In truth, the Taurids equate wealth with safety from persecution and renewed enslavement, and their displays are a cargo cult-like behaviour, hoping that shows of wealth will at least offer a version of the safety that comes with real wealth.

Of course exceptions do exist. Some Taurids find themselves unable or unwilling to endure the hostile, materialistic culture to which they are born and seek a different path.
Small communities of Taurids dwell in the wilderness, hiding their towns from Humans and Centaurs alike, but befriending local Fauns, Fey and Satyrs, who are less fussy about their odd appearance.
Other Taurids assimilate into other culyures, forming strong bonds there, or go off to seek afventure and wealth through the strength of their arms and backs and the keenness of their wits.

Taurids are ill-suited to the life of the Scoundrel; they are too bulky to be burglars or pickpockets and too noticeable to be confidence tricksters.
They make passable Warriors, capable of using a number of weapons suited both to mounted warriors and footsoldiers, and put their speed to good use for charges and ride-by attacks.
Taurids rarely become arcane spellcasters; as a people, they are leery of using the type of magic that gave birth to their species, for fear that it might warp them into something new. In spite of this, they show great reverence to all the entities that govern arcane magic, typically worshipping them before any other deities, and showing little interest in the ethics or morality of these entities. Priests are not unknown among their number, but rarely rise high among established hierarchies.
Among the Taurids who live in the wild, Druids are reasonably common, and valued for their ability to hide and protect Taurid towns.

A final mention to those Taurids whose ancestors did not escape, or who have been enslaved in modern times: they are become if not a staple, then at least not an unfamiliar part of the slave trade.
As slaves, Taurids at least feign an extreme timidness and subservience, ever seeking ways to ingratiate themselves to their owners. In painful contrast to their free kindred, enslaved Taurids actually display great solidarity, recognizing their own as their only true allies.
Of course, once an opportunity to escape arises and the Taurids reach safe haven, it's everyone for themselves and Devil take the hindmost...