By mid-2200's the once great Centauri Republic wasn't much more than a joke to the other races, despite the fact that among the younger races their technology was second
only to the Minbari. Although they were still regarded as one of the five major races, they were more interested in boisterous celebrations and revelry than anything more serious. The Centauri
consider themselves better and nobler than other races, and to them wealth, rank and honour are the most important things in life.
Appearance:
In appearance the Centauri are very humanlike except for their hair - the women shave their heads bald while the men have tall, fan-shaped coiffures. Still, there are many quite obvious internal and
external differences in human and Centauri physiology as well: the Centauri have e.g. two hearts and six sex organs.
 
Society:
How high an individual Centauri ranks in the society is very much dependent on his family history. Unions between families are a common way to gain power and prestige. All kinds of immoral activity -
murder, blackmail, conspiracy - is also common if not approved way of improving ones rank.
Still, the society is not so much based on a caste system as it is based on economy - a Centauri whose family is not wealthy enough may very well be forced to become a slave.
Marriages are almost always arranged and they are often used to strengthen the unions between families.
Government:
The highest power (at least in theory) is held by the emperor, who most people consider to be almost a god (some emperors have, in fact, been elevated into godhood and included in the pantheon). When
the emperor dies, his spirit is believed to move into the body of his widow. From that on the widow speaks in plural and represents the late emperor.
In reality the power is often held by the families or the 'Noble Houses' in the form of the Centaurum, a sort of an parliament. There are also several ministers who take care of the bureaucracy.
During the 23rd century there were at least four emperors, Turhan (?-2259), Cartagia (2259-2261), Mollari (2262-2278) and Cotto (2278-?), and one regent (Verini, 2261-2262). The Prime Ministers
have included Malachi (?-2259), Virini (2259-2261), Mollari (2261-2262) and Durla (?-2278).
Religion:
There are several gods in the Centauri pantheon ranging from Li, the hermaphrodite god of passion, to Ilaros, the protector of gamblers and goddess of luck. There are also a few past emperors who
have been elevated to godhood. The most important god, however, is the one referred to as the 'Great Maker'.
Telepathy:
The Centauri have telepaths. The emperor's court, for example, used to employ four telepaths who had been raised together and thus had a special link between them. Whenever the emperor was away from
the court, he was accompanied by two of them while the other two stayed in the palace. This way there was always a direct connection between the emperor and the court. This tradition was abandoned
during the reign of Emperor Cartagia.
Many Centauri also have the gift of prophesy, ranging from premonitions of their own death to true abilities to see the future.
History:
The Centauri were not the only sentient species to evolve on Centauri Prime. They fought for land and resources with another species, the Xon, until they won and the rival species became extinct.
Around the year 2110 the Centauri encountered the less evolved Narns and annexed the Narn homeworld to their own region. During the next hundred years they enslaved the
people and stripped the planet of its natural resources until the Narn resistance in early 23rd century drove the Centauri off their planet.
The humans were fortunate enough to be more advanced than the primitive Narn when they first encountered the Centauri. At first the Centauri claimed humans to be a long lost
Centauri colony, but this claim was soon proved false by DNA testing and a few obvious anatomical differences. Despite the rocky start humans and Centauri stayed in good relations and in time the
Centauri sold humans jumpgate technology.
Around the time of conquering the Narn, the Centauri were still one of the most powerful races, but as time went by they began to lose territories and became a mere shadow of their former self.
Eventually the republic was so powerless that it didn't have the resources or the even the will to stand up against the Narns as they started to revenge the past wrong-doings. Emperor Turhan strove
to bring peace between their races, but when he died in 2259 without an heir (his only son having died in an 'accident' some time earlier), the power was transferred to Lord Refa and his allies who
put their puppet emperor, Turhan's insane nephew Cartagia, on the throne.
When Lord Refa's friend Londo Mollari made a deal with the Shadows in 2258, the Centauri gained a powerful ally. They became once again one of the great powers as they
began expansionism by annexing neighbouring worlds to their territory and enslaving weaker races, including the long suffered Narns. Earth also allied itself with the Centauri by signing a
non-aggression treaty in December 2259. Not long after this Mollari saw the possibly disastrous consequences of his actions and tried to end the deal with the dangerous First Ones, but his desperate
attempts, which included murdering Refa, only shifted the power to Cartagia.
The mad Emperor promised the Shadows the island of Celini to be used as a military base in exchange for his own godhood. When the Vorlons began annihilating allies of the
Shadows, Cartagia decided to sacrifice Centauri Prime as a celebration of his ascension to godhood. In order to save his people Mollari, now Cartagia's Prime Minister, had the Emperor assassinated
and became himself the primary ruler. The first order he gave was the freedom of Narn as a reward to G’Kar who had helped with the assassination. Mollari also had the whole island of Celini with
all the Shadow vessels destroyed, but it was only the Army of Light which managed to stop the Vorlon advance.
The Centauri did not immediately elect a new Emperor, but gave the throne to a Regent. It was unfortunate that at the same time the First Ones left the galaxy and the Shadows' servants, the Drakh, escaped persecution to Centauri Prime in order to revenge Mollari turning against their masters. They enslaved the Regent with a parasite known as the keeper and
made him their puppet.
While the Centauri was falling into the hands of the enemy, the blissfully unaware Prime Minister helped to create the Interstellar Alliance. The Drakh used both Mollari and the Regent as they
began random terrorist attacks at the other member worlds of the Alliance. After a while they framed the Centauri for the attacks and then let the enraged Narn and Drazi
attack the capital city of Centauri Prime. The war ended when the Drakh took control of Londo and allowed him to surrender to the Alliance. With the Regent dead (killed by the Drakh), it was
Mollari's turn to become the puppet Emperor.
The Drakh were now more in power than ever. On Centauri Prime only Mollari knew of their influence, but could do nothing to prevent the aliens from trying to turn the Centauri against the rest of
the galaxy. Mollari wasn't their only puppet, though. Prime Minister Durla was also under their control, albeit unawares. For the next ten or so years the Centauri lived under the near totalitarian
rule of the Drakh, separated from the other races (only Centauri were allowed on the planet). Still, there was a resistance movement brewing with Mollari's former assistant Vir Cotto on the reigns.
The resistance, dubbed as Legions of Fire, sabotaged the Drakh warmachines (created to start a war of expansionism against the Alliance) and eventually in 2278 revealed the alien powers to the
people. The warmachines were turned against the Drakh themselves and Centauri Prime was freed. Emperor Mollari died during the last days of the Drakh reign and Vir Cotto ascended to the throne.
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