Liberi Culture
Liberi Centaur Culture
Liberi Centaurs are a primitive yet noble race. They do not have ambitions of new territory, power, or possession. Liberi’s believe they are as much a part of their land, The Great Swarth, as the grass, the rocks, the termites, and even the horrible constrictor worms. To the Liberi the Swarth and all its creatures are gifts from the gods- the Big Chiefs, the original Liberi that galloped across Nowhere many millennia ago. From it they draw all their sustenance, yet they believe they own it not but are more its guardians, its protectors, and from this comes much of their fearsome reputation.
The Liberi have many secret words, words spoken only around the great fires of the Moon Nights; special festivals organized and led by their Shamans. These festivals are the only time that the many tribes of the Liberi intermingle. It is a time of renewal, celebration, and betrothal, for no Liberi may marry a member of his or her own tribe. Liberi women are few. After reaching puberty, and until they are married they are called Filla (maiden) or Filly until they are wed and give birth when they are then known as Maranei, (mother) or Mares. Male Liberi are known as Clototi (prince) after puberty and become Stallions once they have sired offspring. All Liberi children are called foaleri or foals, whether they are male or female before puberty and with so few of them born each year they are considered the tribe’s greatest treasure and fiercely guarded.
Knife, Club, Bow and Lance- The Warrior’s Journey
To claim that Liberi are the finest cavalry in Nowhere does them tremendous disservice. Unlike creatures riding other creatures as men ride horses, Liberi are one being – swift, powerful, and able to run like the wind. A Liberi foal is forced to keep up with the herd from earliest days and given a weapon within its first year. The Knife ceremony marks a Liberi’s journey to adulthood and is the beginning of the warrior life. Even the Shamans must begin this way. The Knife symbolizes the Tooth of the Worm – the constrictor worms that lie in the long grasses in packs, ready to take down a wandering Eun.
The Bow is given to a Liberi several years before puberty, and a Liberi cannot pass onto the next phase of life without mastering its use. The bow and its arrow symbolize the connection to the Lon Bubh, the great vulture spirits always accompanying the Liberi in camp and on the hunt. A Liberi bow is a short bow, imminently suitable for rapid firing on the move yet very powerful at close ranges. A well placed arrow form these bows can take down a full grown Eun, weighing some two tons, at full charge with a well placed shot. By the age of 12 years, right after puberty and just before the Trials, a Liberi centaur has become proficient in the use of the bow and become an excellent marksman. Colts are organized into small bands for the Hunt and in War. They dash about the battlefield taking down foes with shot after shot, often closing to within bow range, loosing, and then dashing off before the opponent can react.
