Bullguard
"They say it all started with the Curse. Sure, having the threat of a curse hanging over the head of anyone who spills blood in the bar goes a long way toward keeping things peaceful. Sooner or later, though, you're going to get someone who's too drunk, too mad, or too stupid, to consider supernatural consequences. And once a fight breaks out, you can't have your muscle holding back to make sure they don't spill blood. Papa Minotaur called in some favors from a wizard, but the curse was too powerful to just remove. The best he could do was carve out an exception to the curse that kept it from affecting the Minotaurs. "For a long time, the Minotaur family handled security at The Lusty Minotaur themselves, but as the tavern got bigger it got harder and harder for the family to keep up while still doing all the other work involved in running a thriving tavern. That's when some other Papa Minotaur got the idea that if the curse didn't affect Minotaurs, all he had to do was hire some bouncers and make them Minotaurs. Some say the outfits cover it, others say the masks are enchanted to trick the curse into thinking the person wearing it is part of the family, and there are even rumors that every 'Bullguard' is secretly adopted or goes through some kind of blood ritual that makes them a Minotaur and protects them from the curse."--Klev Kelaven, Lusty Minotaur Patron
Career
Qualifications
Fighting ability and physical strength are not the top priorities for becoming a bouncer at the Lusty Minotaur. While some taverns hire the most intimidating brutes they can find to work security, the Minotaur looks for people who can remain calm and deescalate a situation before it becomes violent. Based on the bullguards who usually get hired, the ability to look good in the outfit also seems to be a consideration.
Career Progression
The bullguards are a small group (usually numbering between 15 and 30), so the only real chance for promotion is to be named Captain of the outfit. Still, bullguards with seniority to get better pay, more control over their shifts, and a few other fringe benefits.
Perception
Purpose
The bullguards' job is not to remove rowdy customers from the bar, it's to prevent customers from getting so rowdy that they need to be removed from the bar. A bullguard's usual night involves much more time spent making customers are happy than busting heads.
Social Status
Since the Curse seems to make bullguards redundant, many assume their real role is to serve as a spectacle that lures customers (especially non-Khezvarans) into the bar with the promise of novelty and eye candy. This can cause some people to think of them as (at least adjacent to) entertainers or sex workers, and treat them accordingly. Some people think they're a joke, some think they're tawdry, and others just want to take them home and do unspeakable things to them.
Demographics
The overwhelming majority of bullguards are men (specifically young, strapping men), but a few women have worn the minotaur mask over the years (with some minor uniform modifications).
History
Like most Lusty Minotaur lore, the true genesis of the bullguards has been lost to the centuries and replaced with "Papa Minotaur stories" that may or may not have some relation to the truth.
Operations
Tools
The most distinctive thing about a bullguard is his uniform: an animalistic leather mask fitted with actual bull horns, large gold nose ring, cowhide pants (complete with tail), and large boots with a heel set at a steep angle to suggest a bull's hoof. The uniform doesn't include a shirt or tunic, but many bullguards use tattoos, jewelry, and body oil to accentuate the musculature of their exquisitely sculpted bodies.
Dangers & Hazards
Aside from the usual dangers of working bar security, the most common hazards that minotaurs face are sexual harassment, jealous men who think their date is paying a bit too much attention to the guards, and tail-pulling.
Comments