A creature that appears more beast then man
Centigors, or Centaurs as some call them are a drunken, jealous race who, through some exposure to the warping powers of Chaos, have become a cross between a four-legged creatures, such as horses and oxen, granting them great speed and strength, but the upper body of a humanoid with which they wield brutal weapons. Though they are not considered Beastmen in the strictest sense, being more beast than man, they nevertheless are often seen alongside their smaller brethrens, especially during times of war.[1a]
Strong, vital and crude, these beast-centaurs are powerful creatures. However, they are not especially agile, and while they have great strength they lack the dexterity to manipulate objects with any skill or control. Centigors are bitter and spiteful, resenting their clumsy, awkward nature, and harbour a deep jealousy of creatures whose minds and bodies are better matched.[1a]
This resentment engenders unpredictable behaviour, rage, and merciless hatred, especially towards Humans. Although they are not very dexterous, they are able to wield brutal, basic weapons which match their vicious and bloodthirsty nature. Nomadic centigor warbands can be found roaming the plains and steppes of the Chaos Wastes, occasionally venturing into the northern forests of the Empire.[1a]
Overview
A Centigor with his crude array of handcrafted weaponry
Centigors live mainly on the northern and eastern reaches of the forests of the Old World, where the trees reluctantly yield to sparse grasslands for the Centigors to roam freely. The wooded foothills of the Middle Mountains are also home to a large concentration of the creatures, a dangerous menace in the heart of the Empire, and they have been seen as far south as Wissenland. They are nomadic, without settlements or even encampments of any kind, finding what little protection they need in the lee of cliffs and natural rock shelters.[1a]
Centigors are wanderers and brigands who acquire everything they need by pillage and robbery, preying upon the wagon trains of traders and the few settlers that try to scratch a living from those barren lands. They make nothing of their own, but steal everything they need from other races, sometimes taking slaves to heat iron or stitch leather. The Centigors has a brutality of mind which matches the clumsy power of their bodies. They are vulgar snarling creatures, little more than beasts, with a brute cunning rather than considered intelligence. Their thick tongues can barely articulate speech, their voices are slow and growling, and their words often degenerate into howls of rage.[1a]
Centigors will fight for anything they need or desire. They have a great craving for ale and wine, for which they will break into a well-defended stockade or attack the most heavily escorted wagon train. When they get their hands on alcohol they gulp down gallons at a time, becoming drunken and violent and often fighting amongst themselves. Before a battle they drink bucketfuls of strong ale and become excited and aggressive, so that their tempers can only be quelled by deeds of the most bloodthirsty kind.[1a]
Despite, or perhaps because of their drunkenness, the Centigors play one very important role in the world of the Beastmen. They are often used as the messengers of the Bray-Shamans, yet the messages they deliver are imparted to them when they are extremely drunk, and delivered in the same fashion. The Centigors have no real knowledge of the messages they carry. It is said that when delivering such messages, the Centigors speak in a voice other than their own. Sometimes the voice is that of the Bray Shaman that imparted the message, but at other times a dread voice, swathed in the screams of the damned, comes from somewhere else entirely.[1a]
Warfare
When the brayherds are summoned it is not uncommon for Centigors to heed the call along with the Beastmen. While the chieftains enact the ritual of scribing their runes upon the herdstone, the barbaric Centigor chiefs can only defecate at the stone's base to record their attendance. While the Beastmen chieftains observe the rituals of the brayherd, the Centigor strut and swagger about the clearing with vulgar bravado, swilling looted wine by the skinful and making outrageous boasts about their own vigour. Fortunately, the Beastmen largely ignore such displays, accepting them as part of the Centigors' nature, though brawls can often ensure between the two ill-tempered breeds.[1a]
As the sun rises and the warherds march from the herdstone to make war upon man, the Centigors rouse themselves from their drunken stupors, taking up the weapons of the Beastmen and galloping to war beside them. Even as battle is joined they guzzle copious amounts of liquor, the effects driving them to extremes of violence, hard-headedness and cruelty.[1a]
