Minotaur
Minotaurs are the hulking bull-men born from a bestial nature. These beasts vary greatly depending on where their from and which social evolution they are at: Feral, the base and primal instinct version of this monster; Tribal (also known as Instinctual), the secluded and tight-nit version; and Civilized (also known as Intellectual), socially the same as any other Senitant species you'd see in a city. Minotaurs are drastically different between the different social evolutions, but the base is the same: rough, imposing, and strong. Minotaurs are often considered to be mean as a stereotype, caring only about themselves or their interests; there are several exceptions to this rule, however, and can be seen all the time.
Tribal Minotaurs stay within their tribe, it's their home and they prefer to stay within their community. Some are open to strangers to a degree, others kill on-sight, both tend to stay far away from civilization. Civil Minotaurs have little differences between themselves and the other civilized races of city-living. These civil humanoids are not hated by the other races with any amplified prejudice, generally as well liked as any other. They owe no loyalties as a race, only to themselves or specific tribes. Civilized Minotaurs generally treat their chosen city of living the same as a Tribal would his tribe; it is their home and they generally don't really leave. With that said, many Minotaurs will become mercenaries or take up other such work. Despite going off to work in other kingdoms or even continents, Minotaurs will generally feel a sense of belonging to which ever city they come from.
Minotaur's are not from any one land, their origins come from the continents of Macha, Deglanaos, Zenew, and Karros; all of which settled and highly inhabited by other races. These lands are now more defined by the races that settled it. With that said, the breeds that come from these places can be found on other continents as well. In these four places, considered to be their origin homes, the civilized Minotaurs integrated into the society of the other races and have taken up their newly adapted cultures while keeping regard to their own. The tribes have kept to the outskirts of the wilds, way away from civilization and have little culture outside of their tribes.
Religion
Primary Religion
While primal Minotaurs do not worship anything, Tribal Minotaurs are highly religious to their deity of Taurog, the Minotaur Lord. While Tribal Minotaurs don't recognize the terms god, deity, or the like, Civil Minotaurs, with their knowledge on other cultures, have begun to realize that what they worship is a god. Unlike most other cultures, Minotaurs only have the one deity, which only serves to amplify their dedication to him.Adaptability
Civil Minotaurs have begun to adapt to other culture's religions, though most keep to their roots and still worship their patron deity.Basic Information
Biological Traits
Deglanaosian Minotaurs differ from the other breeds in the way of size. This breed has noticeably larger horns by ratio to their body, they also grow to be fairly larger; standing at a range of 8'4 to 9'6 ft. tall, weighing at 330 - 500 lb. They are also the only breed to have a consistant fur color (minus slightly varrying tones), black fur which can't even be found on any other breed. This breed of Minotaur is also the only one that does not have an "instictual" variation, they are born exclusively of either the "intellectual" type, or the "feral" type, with feral being very rare.
Genetics and Reproduction
Minotaurs don't reproduce through traditional breeding methods; all Minotaurs are born male and do not breed to reproduce. Instead, Minotaurs are created through a Minotaur Shaman's magic; forming several Minotaur children from the dirt, usually 3-6. From there, these children are taken far away from the tribe, one day by tradition, and abandoned; left to their own devices. If the Minotaur child decides to make his den in a nearby cave, living for nothing but to feed or sate his desires, he is considered Feral and nothing more than a creature by both the tribe and other civilizations. However, should the Minotaur child instictually begin traveling back to the tribe and judging the world on pure instinct of survival through his journey, he is considered Tribal (or Instinctual by the actual tribe) and will be welcomed back to the tribe with open arms should he make it back successfuly. Lastly, if the Child acts just as the Tribal child does, but does so with more logic and thinking, reason and deduction, he is considered Civil (or Intellectual by the actual tribe) and will usually grow to become a chieftain of the tribe, or move to make his own. Civil Minotaurs also have a presence in cities other societal dwellings of mixed cultures; these Minotaurs seek out local tribes to adopt Civil Minotaur children to raise as their own, thus repeating the process of inducting the Civil type into the mass cultural society.
Growth Rate & Stages
Minotaurs age slightly slowler than humans, reaching adulthood roughly 22 years into their life. However, with their longer life expetancy at roughly 120 years, they, in translation of time, mature at a faster rate than humans. Minotaurs do not have an infant stage of their life, they are born (or more accurately, created) as the equivalent of a 10 year old human child. After 7 years of being with the tribe, they are then perceived as the equivalent of a teenager; in 15 more, they are a full adult and are seen as fully equal by the tribe. Lastly, once they reach around 85 years of age, they are then considered a "Gray Bull," which is the title of honor for elder Bulls.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Minotaurs are primarily carnivorous, though they can survive on fruits, vegetables, or other such grown products if need be. As for meat; they can eat it raw or cooked either way; they often eat raw while traveling, but have grand feasts of cooked foods in celebration or any reason that they can come up with to slow-cook their kills. Minotaurs have no gardeners or other such growers, but they excel in hunting; not by using stealth, but by using sheer force of persuit and use of their deadly axes.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Feral Minotaurs are solitary and will always remain that way for as long as they can control it.
Civil Minotraurs integrated into Senitant society meld into that social structure.
Tribal Minotaurs keep a tight family among their tribe and treat each one with respect and honor. The structure is set up into 6 catagories: a single, leading chieftain; a single shaman, the elder Minotaurs, the hunters, the warriors, and the children. Decending in authority in that particular order. However, the chieftain often picks one member of his tribe as his replacement, much like a right-hand man. In the case that something happens to the chieftain, the chieftains chosen tribesman will take his place; in an ideal tribe, the shaman, despite being second in order of authority, should never assume the position of leader.
Average Intelligence
Feral Minotaurs are of purely instinctual, they cannot speak or understand any language, they act for the sole purpose of sating their desires or basic needs such as food. They are beasts and nothing more.
Tribal (or Instinctual) Minotaurs speak in the species' native language, craft basic equipment, take an interest in arts such as carvings or wall paintings, they keep "written" record of their tribe's history by way of wall paintings, and more. While called "Instinctual" by the tribe, they still possess a fair amount of intelligence. They can learn to speak Common or whatever language is most prevalent in their immediate local, but it's basic knowledge, usually just enough to communicate basic things.
Civil (or Intellectual) Minotaurs are on par with other Senitant beings such as humans. If left to be taught by the tribe and only the tribe, Civil Minotaurs will grow to have far more tribal mind-set, but on a slightly higher level of intelligence or understanding of the world. Civil Minotaurs are known to be deep thinkers, they question the world and why their instincts work the way they do. These Minotaurs are often directly tutored by the chieftain of the tribe as they are virtually always Civil Minotaurs themselves. Besides the rare case of Feral, this is the only way Deglanaosian Minotaurs are born.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Minotaur names resemble harsher, tribal names. Beruug, Gorog, Doral, and Vruug are all examples of such names. There are only male names as there are only male Minotaurs. Minotaur last names are just whatever tribe they are from and can range from all kinds of things, title-like names like "Ironhide", localtional names such as "Aurellian", or more distinct names such as "Hrollom".
Gender Ideals
Since Minotaurs only have males within their species, they barely understand the concept of female gender, more exotic genders are understood even less. They understand a concept that other races need these multiple genders for their reproduction, but they don't quite grasp the differences or qualification of such genders.
Courtship Ideals
(This section only applies to Civil Minotaurs)
When a Minotaur decides to court someone, they begin by simply trying to spend time with them and enjoy their company, hoping to get the other to enjoy theirs. Next, they often provide a gift, maybe two; these are usually hand-crafted by them or other Minotaurs, prefering to share a piece of them or their culture as the gift. Afterwards, if they can, they aim to lay with their would-be partner; if he mates them, they are, at least in the Minotaur's mind, officially partners. The reason this only applies to Civil Minotaurs (and ones that don't live with tribes at that), is that tribes don't court with others, they don't enter relationships in normal circumstances.Relationship Ideals
(This section only applies to Civil Minotaurs)
Minotaurs have some similarities to other Senitants in the sense of what they desire in a relationship: a partner to hold close, perhaps a child or two, a den they can return to, so on and so forth. In their partner, they desire someone caring, passionate, but also strong and determined. They want someone that will put as much focus on the them as they give to their partner.Average Technological Level
(This section only applies to Tribal Minotaurs)
Minotaurs have learned how to work a forge to a fair degree; they craft axes regularly and have come to be very good it. They can even forge sets of armor, though they tend to be a little more primitive, and rarely do Minotaurs have access to such an amount of metal required for more than maybe one set. When they craft anything else, it's all done by hand; usually with stone and chisels.Major Language Groups and Dialects
Minotaurs have their own language. When they speak it, it sounds very similar to a series of roars, moos, grunts, puffs, and bellows. To non-Minotaurs, this language can be learned through the tone, pitch, and length of the sounds. While most Senitants cannot replicate these precise noises, there are words that can be learned that Minotaur's brains process in the same ways they would process their own language, allowing Senitants to actaully learn to speak the Minotaur language in some way. Furthermore, many Minotaurs learn to speak Terran depending on the region in which they settle, as many Minotaur tribes form bonds with the earthly creatures around them; using Terran to communicate.
Common Dress Code
Tribal Minotaurs wear nothing but a loincloth, more often made of hide but sometimes cloth. The Chieftain is often adorned in a more "expensive" loincloth, usually made of pelt; he will also often be wearing charms on a necklace or hanging from his wrists like bracelets. Shamans, however, wear loincloths with bones covering the surface, a mantle also made of bone, and sometimes an animal/creature skull as a mask.
Civil Minotaurs often prefer to wear just loincloths, but have taken to wearing kilt-like attire, short-togas, but on occasion they wear the common attire of the local.
Origin/Ancestry
Minotaurs were created on the mortal plane by the deity Taurog, Lord of the Minotaurs.
Lifespan
120 years at most.
Average Height
The smallest breed of Minotaurs, being Karrosian and Zenewian Minotaurs, tend to range from 7 ft. to about 8 ft. tall.
The largest breed, being Deglanaosian Minotaurs, range from about 8'4 to 9'6 ft. tall.
Average Weight
315 - 425 lbs. of mostly muscle.
Average Physique
Minotaurs are hulking forms of muscle. They are very athletic and their sheer strength can be perceived by their looks alone.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Zenewian Minotaurs' bodies are mostly covered in fur, bare only on the front of their torso. Their fur colors range in greys with the lightest almost white in color, the darkest being a dull grey. Their skin color matches the fur in color.
Karrosian Minotaurs' bodies have the least amount of fur of them all, having fur only at the head and neckline, calfs and hooves, and lower-arms and hands. The rest of their body is bare of fur, the skin being tan in color.
Machian Minotaurs' bodies are entirely covered in fur from head to hoof, the color ranging tones of brown; from very dark brown to an almost sandy color.
Deglanaosian Minotaurs' bodies are also covered from head to hoof in fur, always tones of black, the absolute brightest fur recorded could have been argued to be a very dark grey.
All Minotaurs share the same eyes; favoring duller colors with vibrant and/or exotic colors being more rare.
Related Organizations
Trivia
- When experiencing a sense of pleasure in high amounts, Minotaurs are capable of emitting a rumbling noise from deep within their chest; very similar to a cat's purr. This vibration can vary in volume and/or intensity depending on the amount of pleasure experienced.
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