Babylon 4: Centauri Republic

CENTAURI

APPEARANCES - STATUS - NOSTALGIA - DECADENCE

HOME PLANET: CENTAURI PRIME
GOVERNANCE: CENTAURI REPUBLIC

"How many Centauri does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Just one, but in the great old days of the Republic hundreds of servants would change a thousand lightbulbs at our slightest whim!" - Londo Mollari

One would not be amiss in thinking that the Centauri homeworld revolved around the Emperor rather than a sun. Centauri culture is deeply entrenched in the ideas of nobility and tradition, but underlined by a sense of nostalgic melancholy, a yearning for the "Good old days" when the Centauri ruled the galaxy.

Their culture is driven by the political machinations of the Centaurum; the legislative assembly containing the heads of each of the noble houses. Manipulations and betrayals are common within the court, and poison was once the preferred weapon of the Centauri Republic for settling old scores.

The Centaurum is ruled by the Emperor who has complete and absolute power. To question the word of the Emperor or disobey an order is treason, the mere idea of this completely unthinkable to most Centauri, and yet several Emperors have met their end via assassination. Many past Emperors were elevated to godhood when they died and joined the Centauri’s ever-growing pantheon.

For most Centauri, increasing their own personal power is the driving force in their life, whether it be through fighting for status in the court or for glory on the battlefield, this need to improve their social standing can be all-consuming. Losing face is the greatest misfortune that can befall them and usually leads to a life dedicated to revenge against the one they see as responsible. The Centauri are very good at revenge.

Many Centauri seem to possess some minor prophetic ability that gives them dreams of their own deaths. Only the older and more conservative Centauri take these dreams seriously however, the younger generation tend to dismiss them as just dreams. Women in particular often have a greater talent for prophecy and it is common for each of the noble houses to have a seer who provides guidance to its members. These prophets command a great deal of respect from all Centauri.

The Centauri built their power and position through waging wars and conquering the homeworlds of other peoples with inferior technologies, enslaving their inhabitants. They once conquered and enslaved the Narn, occupying their world for over 120 years before finally being overthrown. Slavery remains a common practice, with conquered peoples and Centauri alike being traded, sold and used as free labour.

For hundreds of years now the Centauri have been a society in decline, their Empire slowly shrinking as worlds are abandoned or break away. The Narn gaining independence about 20 years ago was just the most recent sign of the Centauri’s faltering power.

The current Emporer is Emperor Turhan, he is an old man and many in the court are predicting he will not have many years left.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

"We Centauri live our lives for appearances, positions, status, title. These are the things by which we define ourselves." – Londo Mollari

Centauri are visually similar to Humans, but despite their outward appearance, their biology is completely different. Centaur have two hearts, slightly more pronounced canine teeth, and a completely different circulatory system. Their most striking differences in appearance however are from their cultural and fashion styling choices.

Men will groom their hair to stand high and fan out. The size of the crest traditionally represents their power and status. Some Centauri style their hair for the “status they want” rather than the status they have, to compensate for not being as powerful as they would like. Women usually shave their heads to symbolise that they are above the trappings of status, despite playing the political game as well as any.

As with most things Centauri, the fashion includes highly decadent garb that the court of Napoleonic France of Earth would be envious of. They bedazzle with rich overcoats, lavish waistcoats, knee high leather boots, and elaborate buttons. If you have the wealth, then flaunting it with shows of gold adorned gem jewellery is a must.

It is the fashion among ladies to wear a headband to accentuate the face. These headbands are often lavishly made with detailed embroidery, fancy beadwork, and complex weaved patterns. Women wear full length dresses of rich heavy brocades that seem to flirt with Earth's European Renaissance stylings.

TRADITIONS

"Love? Pah. Overrated. Here, look, these are my three wives: Pestilence, Famine and Death. Do you think I married them for their personalities? Their personalities could shatter entire planets! Arranged marriages, every one, but they worked out. They inspired me. Knowing that they were waiting at home for me is what keeps me here, 75 light years away!" - Londo Molari

Centauri are polygamists, with most men of age having multiple wives. Weddings are used as political tools, with houses vying for power and social standings through making advantageous matches. To be an unwed man is not something to be proud of. Nor is marrying for love.

They like to throw parties and have a festival for almost every occasion, usually involving feasting and a great deal of alcohol. One particularly important ceremony in the life of each Centauri is their Day of Ascension, this represents their transition into adulthood and is celebrated with a large party that guests must attend barefoot. Centauri continue to celebrate the anniversary of their Day of Ascension each year.

Many Centauri nobles have membership in a duelling school and train with a short sword called a coutari. The duelling schools are taken very seriously, being a member is a great honour and members are expected to train and regularly participate in duels.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The Centauri worship a pantheon of over fifty gods, each with their own area of governance. Some gods in the patheon were former Emperors who were elevated to godhood following their death, others come from their mythology. The Centauri also believe in household gods, minor deities unique to each of the noble houses.

Some of the Centauri deities include:

The Great Maker: The creator of all things and greatest of the gods. Worship of the Great Maker has spread to many other worlds through the Centauri’s conquering and trade.
Ilarus: Goddess of luck and patron of gamblers.
Li: Goddess of passion, represented by a figure that features a merging of the male and female form.
Mo-Goth: God of the underworld and protector of front doors.
Tuscano: Emperor of the First Centauri Empire, and raised to godhood through the proclamation of the ancient ;Venzen: God of food, and the 17th Emperor of the Republic. Elevated to godhood for declaring that joy and excessive consumption was the responsibility of every Centauri.
Gon: Former Emperor and builder of a temple on Immolan V that is widely regarded as the most beautiful building ever constructed.
Zoog: A controversial deity. They were originally a household god whose worshipping family used their power and influence to get Zoog officially recognised as part of the greater pantheon.

NAMES

Centauri usually have two names, a given name and a surname that is the name of their House. These names tend to be reminiscent of old Italian names. Examples from the TV show include: “Londo Mollari”, “Vir Cotto”, “Ladira Kiro”, “Antono Refa”, “Lyssa Deradi”, “Dius Vintari”.

Some Houses from the TV show include:

House Cotto: A relatively minor house.
House Davo: Once a minor house, they purchased higher standing by buying up the assets and prestige of House Miro.
House Drusella: Known to be a ruthless house with a strong military.
House Jaddo: One of the oldest and most respected houses, though some would say that they are long past their prime.
House Kiro: Once an old and highly respected house, they fell into disgrace after losing an important royal treasure called “The Eye” which was the symbol of the first Emperor.
House Miro: A major house that fell upon hard times and sold off most of its holdings and status to House Davo.
House Mollari: An old and very conservative house, famed for briefly being in charge of the Empire long ago. Emperor Mollari was famous for meeting a particularly nasty end but no one wants to talk about the specifics.
House Refa: An old and prestigious house.
House Tavari: Known for their talent in manufacturing weapons, and for owning most of the Republic’s major orbital shipyards. They designed many of the Centauri’s ships.

Players are also free to make up their own Houses if they choose.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Earth Alliance: "We were the first race the Humans ever met, did you know that? We sold them their jumpgates and taught them to reach for the stars. They have made good trading partners ever since, even if they can be a little stubborn and foolish at times."

Narn Regime: "Barbarians! When we came to their world they had nothing, they were a primitive people that didn’t even know there were other worlds. We taught them to fight, we gave them their technology, and how do they repay us? Betrayal and rebellion! We should have wiped them out when we had the chance!"

Minbari Federation: "They are like machines, they have no emotions, no sense of humour, and they dedicate their lives to helping each other! Fah! But what’s worse is that we have no choice but to respect them, even at the height of our power, we never dared to challenge the Minbari."

The League of Non-Aligned Worlds: "Trivial governments, barely worth our time. Once we would have conquered them and taken their resources, today we trade with them and invite them to visit our worlds. It’s hardly the good old days anymore."

Vorlon Empire: "They are worse than the Minbari with their cryptic words and strange ideas, who knows what goes on inside a Vorlon’s head. We don’t even know what they look like, for all we know they could be some elaborate Drazi prank!"

VOCABULARY

Brivari: A potent alcoholic beverage. Vintage is important and some bottles of Brivari can go for a small fortune.
Ducats: Centauri currency. A small gold coin with wavy edges.
Great Maker: The deity’s name is often used as an exclamation or verbal charm, as in “Great Maker protect me from fools!”
House: All Centauri are born or married into one of the noble houses. Some are great houses with considerable power and a position on the Centarum, others are minor houses that have little to no power.
Jala: A sweet alcoholic beverage, usually served hot. It resembles green milk.
Lady: An honorific title bestowed on female Centauri who are married to Lords.
Legator: The title for a member of the Centaurum.
Lord: A hereditary title carried by noble male Centauri.
Minister: An honorific title bestowed by the Emperor on a Centauri in charge of a specific aspect of Centauri government. For example the Minister of Defence, The Minister of Protocol, or the Minister of Intelligence.
Prime Minister: The highest ranked Minister. Often acts as the Emperor’s aid or messenger.
Prophetess: A Centauri with a particularly strong gift for precognition.
Regent: An old title applied as a stand-in when there is no Emperor or when the next Emperor is too young. Effectively “Acting Emperor”.
Spoo: A white meat dish, eaten after it has been aged. Made from grubs.
Val-too!: An exclamation made when drinking a toast, equivalent to the Earth expression “Cheers!”.
Vocator: A title for a noble who is appointed to represent the voice of the people to Centaurum.
Xon: An extinct species that evolved on Centauri Prime at the same time as the Centauri. The Centauri exterminated them.

General

Factions

League of Non-Aligned Worlds

Vorlon Empire

Telepaths