When it came to the vast empire that was the Dominion of Hazlia, a tapestry of nations and differing cultures under a single rule, there was one constant that defined all of its citizenry: faith. Yet not all who called Hazlia’s empire their home were fortunate enough to possess the gift of faith, for non-believers were relatively sparse yet stubborn in their refusal to acknowledge the all-mighty Pantokrator. One such group existed within the ranks of the Bred: inserted into the folds of the Dominion by the Spires, the Centaurs never acquired the sense of belief and faith that permeated everyone around them.

Stemming from their refusal to embrace and adopt the religious creed of the Dominion, the Centaurs at large were pushed to the very margins of civilization, creating nomadic societies that existed in relative isolation. Stubborn, brutish and unruly by nature, the very existence of these unabsorbable Centaur tribes was seen as a nuisance by many within the Dominion, for the persistent Bred would often partake in detestable acts such as stealing, raiding, and even killing. As such, the institution of the Kerykes was born, forging a role for the Centaurs within the Dominion that took free will out of the equation. Kerykes were Centaurs that were taken by the Dominion at a young age, often through violent means, and were raised to become temple messengers. Extensively trained in the ways of war and faith from childhood, Kerykes would become lethal and efficient messengers, carrying communications over vast distances and using their immense speed and military prowess to protect such parcels. However, the second component of the Kerykes’ training never really materialized as it was intended: though faithful to Hazlia on the surface, none of the Kerykes ever truly believed in him earnestly – for their natural proclivities made the very concept of faith incomprehensible and impossible to their minds.

As the Fall slowly began to unfold, the Centaur tribes were one of the few groups within the crumbling Dominion that managed to thrive despite all odds, their distance from civilized society proving a saving grace during the societal collapse around them. In fact, with the Legions disbanded, Hazlia gone, his Church in disarray and unrest having descended into open civil war, their physical fortitude and unyielding nature made them ideal mercenaries. Despite of the prosecution initiated against the Bred during the latest decades of the Dominion, many wealthy and powerful humans sought to acquire their services and pit them against their enemies. Their initial approach, ‘serve or suffer the purge’, was met by the characteristic stubbornness of the Centaurs. Eventually, however, a new approach was discovered: bribery. With generous amounts of materials and gold to counterbalance the threat of the purge, the choice proved easy. Thus, certain Centaur population numbers were sheltered from the purge of the Bred, creating a new institution – the Prodromoi. Lacking the finesse and official training of their Kerykes peers, who often used bows and dexterous blades to quickly dispose of their enemies, the Prodromoi were more brutal and blunt, using overwhelming close quarters force to dispose of those that stood against them. Languishing in the violence they spread and the riches that came from it, the Prodromoi became a notable force during the times of the Fall, serving those with the coin and means that were able to satisfy their hefty fees and shelter them from prosecution.

And yet, the persistent faithlessness and non-belief of the Centaurs that lasted centuries, was meant to crumble. When Hazlia fell from his sky-bound domain and plummeted into Death’s lifeless embrace, he – quite literally – tore open the very heavens with the cataclysmic ferocity of his death throes. The earth shook, and the sky was torn asunder, revealing the plummeting wreckage of a dying god – the same god their forefathers had been denying for generations. Only then, when the very thing they had refused to acknowledge and venerate descended towards them from above, did their denial turn into true, unfiltered and unquestioning belief. Much like the rest of the Dominion’s population around them, the Centaurs prayed for salvation – and Hazlia answered beyond death… While most who serve in the legions of the Old Dominion are mummified husks of their living selves – for faith in life is required to be raised into undeath, and countless faithful existed throughout the reign of the Dominion – such is not the case with the Centaurs. Those Kerykes and Prodromoi that were blessed with unlife were those that became faithful to him during his fall, having no time to decay and wither and being raised almost immediately after their death. As such, they now serve the Old Dominion with a most unique honor, belonging to the chosen few that retain their flesh-bound form while they venture further into unlife…