Silurians

Silurians: The term 'Silurian' in its original usage applied purely to those species created by Tan, the Young God. As time has passed, however, it has come to apply to the wider culture.


 * True Silurians: True Silurians are the original Silurians; those created by Tan in the First Creation and those thought of as his chosen. All True Silurians are known for their bestial form. Horns protrude from their skulls and fur covers their bodies. Besides these similarities the Silurians live in a highly organised and structured social structure divided along the lines of their species: Satyr, Centaur or Minotaur.
 * Satyrs are the worker caste - concerned with the upbringing of children, the preparation and provision of basic food, the gatherers. When a building is needed it is the satyrs that construct it. When needed Satyrs can act as skirmishers for a warherd but are rarely involved in the melee - this is not because of an inherent physical weakness, more due to a lack of training and experience.
 * Centaurs are the hunter and warrior caste. When meat is desired it is the centaurs that ride out in search of prey. Defenders, invaders, the centaur is both depending on need.
 * Minotaurs are the natural leaders of the Silurians. While a creature of the lesser species can function in a leadership role they would always defer to a Minotaur. While centaurs may lead hunting packs of their own kind, a larger force would always expect to march under a Minotaur. Strongest and largest of the three, they are also the least in number.
 * Subject races: Due to their way of life other races will often find themselves living within the territory of a Silurian tribe. Their relationship with the True Silurians is not unlike that between a servant and a master. These Subject races are viewed by True Silurians as Silurians themselves, though obviously of lesser order due to their different origin, and are afforded the same protection all Silurians can expect. Subject races will be expected to supply a proportion of their resources (Minerals, food, manpower) to the Silurian tribe they are subject to, and a failure to do so will be punished harshly. In other respects though the subject race will find their lives carry on as if they were independent. Their governance is left to themselves and their culture is generally undisturbed - notably religious freedom is unanimous. Many will find such an existence distasteful, but others find it is not without its merits, specifically the degree of safety afforded by being protected by a martial race. The number of Subject races paying homage to a tribe is seen as an indicator of that tribe's status amongst Silurians.



Culture:
 * Society: Silurian society is divided into various tribes. Each tribe will comprise a variety of True Silurians and underneath them are any Subject races that answer to the tribe. It is not unknown for conflict to occur between different tribes of Silurians, though the killing of True Silurians is frowned upon. Instead single combat between champions is common. All Silurians, even Subjects, know to respect the words of the Shamans. Due a lack of permanent government Silurian society may seem anarchic to passing merchants and the occasional visitor, but their inherent hierarchy lends them a certain stability that other cultures (specifically those modelled on social constructs) may lack.
 * Rule: Shamans are the closest thing to a permanent leadership the Silurians have (Though leadership would never be explicitly used regarding Shamans - Guidance would be the more appropriate term). As mentioned earlier Subjects races are mostly left to govern themselves. Daily routines are guided by habit and instinct, for instance no Satyr would have to be ordered to maintain the weapons of their brethren or to clear the dung pits as it is their very nature to perform these tasks. Other than that, Minotaurs will temporarily take lead of their tribe when they feel the need (e.g. when hunting or forming warherds), mostly individually though sometimes a council of the most worthy Minotaurs will form.


 * Shamans: The Shamans of the Silurians are the interpreters of their God's Voice. Shamans are identified at birth by their red eyes. Few in number, the majority remain on Duw Llais where they deliberate on the whispers handed down to them. The only time a Shaman would leave the mountain would be when a message was too delicate for a normal messenger, and only then under the escort of the Gard'o'r Llais, mighty Centaurs sworn to protect the shamans. Most shamans are Satyrs and it is the only part of Silurian society where the caste system is foregone. The remainder of shamans are Minotaurs and Centaurs; a Shaman from a subject race is unheard of (The only exception to this being the Ifanci due to their common descent from Tan).


 * Gender & Mating: Each species of the True Silurians has both male and female genders. In most regards genders are treated equally, and only exception being when a female is pregnant in which case they are exempted from toil and cared for by Satyrs (Unless of course they choose to forgo this preferential treatment). Interbreeding between True Silurians (let alone Subject races) is thought to be impossible.


 * 'Dehorning': The process of dehorning a Silurian is the greatest shame they know, and as such is their highest form of punishment. A dehorned Minotaur can expect to spend the rest of their life overseeing the management of dung disposal, while a dehorned Centaur will be lucky to hunt again. For a Satyr, dehorning is tantamount to death, as they are exiled from their tribe and shunned by all others. The only route back into acceptance for a dehorned Silurian is to achieve a feat of great renown.
 * (This process is only relevant to True Silurians. Subject races guilty of an equivalent transgression will invariably face death).


 * Hunting & War:
 * To hunt is the very nature of a True Silurian. A hunting pack is a frequent sight both within territory the Silurians consider theirs and on its outskirts, and may contain any combination of species; the most common make-up though would be a Centaur herd led either by one of their own or a Minotaur seeking to gain status (Subject races desiring to earn respect from the True Silurians may be seen accompanying such a pack). The reason for frequent hunts is primarily one of necessity - food - though it is gaining value as a sport as well. Their most common prey are the lesser creatures of the world - not necessarily in size or strength (in fact beasts of great strength are preferred hunts as proof of prowess), but in intellect. When hunting outside their territory, any species regarded as inferior to the Silurians is viewed as a viable food source (This is a rarity however, and subject races being are an obvious exception).
 * War is a different matter to these people. It is viewed as a noble event, and all Silurians who enter into war are expected to seek fame and act honourably. Of course, the Silurian view of honour may differ from those they fight against. War will most commonly be fought to acquire land, either by driving away the native inhabitants or annexing them outright. 'Shock' tactics are often employed, such as the massacring of the first enemies encountered with the desire of convincing the remainder to submit quickly. This is not seen as dishonourable, instead it as viewed as a way to prevent prolonged conflict and spare the general populace the worst aspects of war. Such slaughter is rarely committed without reason.
 * Assembling an army: Due to the great importance of such an event, only a Minotaur is ever considered for leadership. If anything resembling true war is to be waged by Silurians, it is most likely due to the whispers of Duw Llais. For this reason a warherd, the name given to any 'army', is often accompanied by a Shaman, guiding the Minotaur on its course. However, it is not unknown for an ambitious Minotaur to take it upon themselves to wage war without the guidance of their god - Such a Minotaur must be careful though as if such an attempt is made in folly their fellow Minotaurs will usually dehorn their brother. To gather a warherd the Minotaur intending to lead will give several short blasts on their warhorn; all Silurians know this call, and all able are expected to answer it. Those Subject races with martial tendencies are expected to present themselves. Even the Satyrs, unused to combat as they are, are considered vital if the leader hopes for success due to their abilities as skirmishers. A Silurian warherd is most at home in woodland or on the plain, but they can be quick to adapt to new terrain.
 * Slavery: Accepting the premise that Subject races are not slaves, slavery is relatively uncommon within Silurian domains. The reason for this is simple: they are considered unnecessary. Satyrs are designed to perform the functions commonly associated with slaves, and for all else there are Subject races. The most likely cause for slaves would be if a Minotaur decided his tribe needed more Subject races or leverage over a particular foe.


 * Technology: What some might call intellectual pursuits (maths, science, philosophy) the True Silurians as a whole ignore. If they are to be found anywhere it is amongst the Shamans or the Subject races from which technology is copied if deemed of value. Their settlements lack the grand architecture of other civilisations, and there are no great works of literature from their people. Partly because of this, and no doubt because of their appearance, True Silurians can be taken for simple beasts by xenos. This is a mistake not repeated, as those that make it generally find themselves formed into the Subjects races of the conquering tribe. Those that know them better spy a cunning intellect centred on the ability to hunt and war. They are a practical race, and focus on the aspects of life which matter to them. As such, the art of metalworking is well known to the Silurians. It may lack the finesse or the ornateness of other cultures but no warrior would doubt the keenness of a Silurian blade or the sturdiness of their shields. Cruel-looking, their weapons and armour are designed to inspire fear in their opponents. After all, it is better to shock and enemy into submission than to fight one.


 * Magic: In accordance with their distaste for the intellectual magic is uncommon amongst True Silurians. All magic users are viewed with a degree of mistrust, and no wielder of the arcane would ever come close to leading Silurians in any way. It is not completely ignored though, and Fire Magic can be found amongst the Shamans as a Divine gift of Tan. If other magic users are required they may seek out spellcasters for hire or Subject warlocks.