Minotaur

The minotaur are a species little known in the Aelyrian Empire, and even rumor and legend have had little to say of them. The origins of the race are also unknown to many. Even many minotaur know little or nothing of their true origins. The minotaur tell a very different story of their race’s origin than is true, though few of them even know this. Let us start with the minotaur's version.

The minotaur believe that ages ago, the Aeternian Pantheon created the minotaur species as a master-race, superior to all species, save the gods themselves. Most minotaur believe that they were even greater than the ancient Aelyrians and surpassed all that any species past or present has to offer. They deliberately isolated themselves from the world because they do not wish to bother themselves with the affairs of petty, lesser beings. Ask a minotaur for the history of his race and this is the standard answer you'll receive (assuming the minotaur talks to you at all). However, the truth of the matter is less high-flown and proud as the minotaur would have you believe. The following information was obtained at great risk from very reliable sources and documents best left unnamed for safety's sake.

As some very high-up minotaur know, the minotaur species has a vastly different history than the common version most minotaur believe. Ages ago, during the lull between the first and second Cyraxian Wars, Jorel and the other fallen deities of Aeternia took stock of the way the war was going. Their Cyraxian legions had just been beaten back from Aelyria at great cost by the warrior, Queen Diana, and her forces. Although the Cyraxians possessed power equal to the Aelyrians, it did not seem to be enough, especially when compared to the Aelyrians' mastery over Arcana, which gave them a tremendous edge. The Cyraxians, being a new species, had not had time to develop the finesse to control their burgeoning powers.

Jorel came to the conclusion that if he was going to conquer the Aelyrians, he needed shock troops to absorb the impact of Aelyrian weapons and magic long enough for the Cyraxians to unleash their powers and swords against the Aelyrians. Therefore, while his Cyraxian armies were being replenished and rearmed, Jorel began to search the world for something from which to make the shock troops he needed. In his search, he happened upon a meadow where a bull was napping. A predatory lion saw the bull's slumber and decided to make the most of his chance.

The bull, startled awake by the sound of the lion moving through the grass, saw his threat and charged, slaying the lion with his horns and momentum. Jorel believed that he had what he was looking for and began rounding up bulls and cows from the surrounding area. Once the animals were penned at Jorel's Aeternian palace, his work began.

In the labyrinthine depths of his palace, Jorel began to use his divine powers to shape the bovines to his purposes. He gave them humanoid form, leaving them the heads of bulls as a reminder of their past. He gave the minotaur vast amounts of physical power and a vicious temperament to go with that power. He began work on designing a natural personality pattern for his shock troops, but by that time the Cyraxian legions were restored to battle-readiness. Jorel's armies and subordinate deities were chomping at the bit to return to action and Jorel, under pressure, abandoned his new species before it was fully completed, moving on to launch the second Cyraxian War that would prove so disastrous for him.

Meantime, in the depths of Jorel's palace, the minotaur, completely formed though not to Jorel's exacting standards, took council amongst themselves. They were more aware than their creator believed. They understood that they were to be used as mere spear fodder for Jorel's armies. The minotaur, already filled with the arrogance and pride endowed upon them by their creator, refused to fight and die in any cause but their own. They decided that they needed to escape before Jorel could turn his attention to them again. Breaking out of Jorel's palace by force, the minotaur escaped into Aeternia. By following the path where Jorel's armies had marched, the minotaur discovered the weak point in the barrier that separated Aelyria from Aeternia. This tear in the dimensional fabric had been opened by Jorel to bring his troops to Aelyria, but the minotaur saw in it their chance for freedom.

Leaping through the tear, the group of early minotaur found themselves on a battlefield. The Cyraxian hordes were attempting to take an Aelyrian outpost near the shore of the present-day Isle of the Crown. A raging battle was occurring between Aelyrian and Cyraxian ships, while those Cyraxians that had reached the Island struggled towards the outpost on its' hilltop near the shore. The minotaur came through the portal only to fall into the sea. Although some drowned, many minotaur made it to a deserted part of the shore, where they witnessed the battle.

Having no wish to involve themselves, they sneaked close enough to climb aboard a Cyraxian ship that had just landed and discharged its compliment into the fray. The minotaur seized the empty ship, figured out how to control it with a quickness born of desperation, and set sail. The lone ship deserting the battle was not considered amiss by the Aelyrians, for by now they were beating the Cyraxians back and they believed that the ship's captain had panicked and fled rather than risk capture.

The minotaur sailed eastward aimlessly for a few days, confused by the geography of Aelyria. Their journey was pleasant until they were waylaid by an immense storm. At first, the minotaur believed that the storm could be handled easily, but they soon learned otherwise. The storm was immense in its' raw, elemental fury. The Cyraxian ship was thrown about like a toy for the better part of two weeks. All attempts at navigation or control were rendered useless. Sails were ripped to shreds as soon as they were put up. Rigging was hopelessly tangled and anchors were literally ripped from the ship. For all their supposed superiority, the minotaur were helpless until the storm blew the ship ashore on an island.

The surviving minotaur, finding themselves on the island, immediately took stock of their situation. Their ship had run aground on some shoals before the storm had ripped the ship free and blown it around some more. The ship had taken on a lot of seawater, which had ruined most of the food and water supplies. Some minotaur had been blown overboard and presumably perished and the survivors were testy and discouraged. The ship was mangled completely beyond repair, so the minotaur were going nowhere. Things looked bleak. Hopeless, the minotaur began searching the rather large island they were marooned on.

They soon discovered that the island was rich in raw stone and lumber from the forests on the isle. The minotaur survived to take advantage of this due to the fact that their island has many fresh rivers stocked with many varieties of fish. The trees also produce many varieties of fruit. It was not the minotaur's preferred fare, but they had no choice for they could not explore deeper into the trees than they had already explored because they had not the resources at that time.

Surviving on this diet of fruit and fish, the minotaur quickly went to work in the quarries and forests, building for themselves a magnificent city of stone. This city was built like a maze, based on a racial memory of the labyrinthine depths of Jorel's palace, where the minotaur race was born. The city was named Labyrinth and the island was christened Minatos. The remains of the ship were carefully probed by those few minotaur to whom Jorel had given some knowledge of Arcana. Practicing the Necromantic arts which came naturally, these minotaur released the spirits that bound the ship of flesh together. These spirits were quickly bound to prevent word of Minatos Isle from reaching unfriendly ears. That done, the minotaur then set out to build their society.