"Minotaurs are more than mindless animals. Each of us battles the beast within, and only those who prove themselves in that battle are acknowledged." -Oestra
Origin[]
Homeland: Prontera
Cities: Ansalon
Folk[]
Minotaurs live in an honor‐ based society where strength determines power in both the gladiatorial arenas and in daily life. At home on both land and sea, the minotaurs of Prontera are ferocious sea raiders who rank as the ablest and most dangerous sailors in the world. Minotaurs embrace the notion that the weak should perish and that the strong must rule - and that they themselves are the strongest and most powerful race on Prontera. They believe their destiny is to rule the world, and that their dominion will be one of conquest and military might. To that end, all minotaurs are trained in weapons, armor, and tactics from a young age. The minotaurs’ arrogance stems from a combination of strength, cunning, and intellect - three virtues they hold dear, and which they deem the foundation of their greatness. They believe that this combination of traits is what sets them apart from their rivals.
Minotaur society is built on the principle that might makes right, and that considerations of justice are unnecessary. The minotaurs are led by an emperor served by a council of eight minotaurs called the Supreme Circle. All posts within the government, including the emperor’s, are won by the strongest and cleverest minotaurs, as proved by combat in the Circus. The Circus is the only means by which a minotaur can rise in society. It is a grand, annual display of single combat in which minotaurs battle each other for supremacy. Minotaur youths must prove themselves in the Circus to earn their passage to adulthood. Participation in the Circus is yet another reason why minotaurs look down on other folk. To the minotaurs, death and glory in battle are a natural process. Combat is the key to ensuring that the strong survive, and that the weak are set aside before they can undermine their superiors’ grand schemes of conquest.
For all their cruelty, minotaurs are bound by a powerful sense of honor. Each victory brings greater honor to both individual minotaurs and their families. Defeat invokes a stain that only death can fully wash away. Honor demands that minotaurs keep their word once it is offered, and each minotaur remains faithful to friends and clan above all else. Minotaurs rarely befriend folk of other races, as they all too often encounter them only in battle. If a minotaur does strike up a friendship, it is typically with other creatures that display the minotaurs’ virtues and love of battle. To such friends, a minotaur becomes an ally whose support will never waver.
In the realm of Prontera, the minotaurs rule a chain of islands dominated by the isles of Mithas and Kothas. Bound by the sea on all sides, the minotaurs focused their tenacity, strength, and cunning to become some of the most skilled and ferocious mariners in the world. They range across the water in their ships, raiding and pillaging as they wish. Minotaurs sometimes engage in trade, but they much prefer to take what they want by force. After all, as the strongest of all folk, they deserve the treasures and goods that lesser creatures have gathered.