The Curse of the Lusty Minotaur
The Lusty Minotaur has an unusually diverse clientele, serving patrons of every profession, social class, ethnicity, religion, and subculture found within (or just visiting) the city. With such a wide cross-section of the population gathered in one place, there’s a high potential for violent disagreements, but physical altercations at the Lusty Minotaur are a rarity. While some of the credit goes to the Minotaur staff’s expertise in recognizing and de-escalating conflicts before they get out of hand, the real reason that there isn’t a brawl in the common room every night is much simpler: Everyone’s afraid of the curse.
Summary
According to a long-standing and widely-circulated legend, the Lusty Minotaur's curse is visited upon anyone who intentionally spills blood within the tavern. There are, however, a few stipulations. For one, the curse only seems to affect those who are within the tavern's walls. Blood spilled in the courtyard and surrounding grounds do not trigger the curse, as evidenced by the nightly entertainment provided by Lars Bloodsword. Additionally, it's stated that the curse will not affect "a minotaur," which most presume to mean members of the Minotaur family who operate the tavern. A long-standing rumor holds that stipulation is looser, and that the minotaur-themed uniform of the bar's bouncers, the bullguards, protects them from the curse. Others claim that their protection from the curse isn't due to the uniform, but because the bullguards are secretly adopted by the Minotaur family, possibly through some kind of blood ritual. Regardless of the reason, there is ample evidence to suggest that the bullguards are, in fact, immune to the curse.
Historical Basis
Stories of the curse have been around for centuries, so there are many different versions of when and why the curse originated. Most tales agree that the curse was laid upon the building by a witch (many specify that it was a Horse Lords witch), but the reasons for the curse vary greatly. Some claim that the witch cast the spell to reward Mama or Papa Minotaur for some kindness they had done her, others that the curse was meant for a Minotaur customer who had offended the witch but affected the whole building through some magical mishap.
Spread
The Minotaur family actively encourages belief in and the spread of stories about the curse. It makes for a much more peaceful tavern. Given that those who spill blood in anger inside the Lusty Minotaur's walls frequently do suffer unfortunate (and sometimes clearly magical) fates makes this an easy task.
Variations & Mutation
Some stories say that the curse pre-dates the Minotaurs. The Lusty Minotaur building was clearly not built as a tavern, so some claim the curse was due to something that happened before the Minotaurs moved in. Given the many rumored original uses of the building--the throne room of Gr'thkor the Demon King, a prison housing members of the Sisters of Misery death cult, and a house of torture operated by followers of the The Lord of Bones, among others--there are plenty of believable reasons why someone would curse the place. Stories claiming the curse has been in place since before the Lusty Minotaur moved in typically explain that wizards hired by the Minotaur family were unable to dispel the curse, but did find a way to exempt members of the Minotaur bloodline.
Cultural Reception
The Lusty Minotaur's curse is accepted as a fact of life by Khezvarans who frequent the establishment, and no regular customer would even think to risk bringing it upon themselves.
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