Minotaurs

Pirates, merchants and soldiers from the island of Xanxos, half-man and half-bull.

Appearance

Minotaurs are bovine creatures with the head, horns and legs of a bull crossed with a humanoid body covered in short, coarse hair. They stand slightly taller than a human, standing between six and seven feet tall and weighing in between 200 and 275 lbs. They sometimes grow long mustaches or beards from their long faces, brand themselves with hot irons in the tradition of tattoos, or adorn themselves with piercings. Minotaurs have brown or black eyes and the coloring of their fur and hair span from pale blondes and greys to dark brown and black. They dress in loose, flowing clothing that allows for freedom of movement.

Personality

Minotaurs spend much of their life aboard boats and ships, and have a great respect for other mariners. They respect conviction and physical strength, and are often unexpectedly mercantile. Minotaurs snort when they laugh, a trait which they are often sensitive about. In addition, Minotaurs are widely known for being short-tempered, short-sighted, and stubborn. They prefer to tackle things head-on.

Habitat

Minotaurs come from the island of Xanxos in the Sea of Swords. Their seafaring life leads them to many ports-of-call, however, so one can hardly be surprised when a Minotaur is found somewhere unexpected. Minotaurs prefer the feeling of sturdy wood walls and planks in the construction of their abodes. They appreciate tangibles: accumulation of wealth, treasures, weapons, boats, slaves, etc. Minotaurs desire "grit" in the things they surround themselves with, considering rust, dings, dents and notches the markings of survival and measure of antiquity.

Society

A male Minotaur's horns are his pride. Proud warriors will often reinforce the tips of the horns with steel, or adorn them with rings and trophies. To lose one's horns, which take years to grow, is a mark of shame and defeat amongst Minotaurs. Male Minotaurs are extremely possessive of their families and protective of their wives, of which they may have three. As the men of Xanxos are away from home, fishing, plundering, and sailing for months or years at a time, they are not expected to remain faithful to just one wife. A Minotaur is faithful, however, to his ship. Captains come and go, crew die or retire, but a Minotaur is bound to his/her ship. Minotaur society is extremely male-centric, and women are expected to be subservient home-makers.

One point of interest is that Minotaurs keep the secret of the making of Soma, a potent liquor which is extremely valuable. Minotaurs clash regularly with the Sidhe over the procurement of wood and other natural resources, including the ingredients required to brew the Soma. The Soma is highly praised by the Vanara ascetics, with whom the Minotaurs do much business. The Threshans' outlook and values work well with the Minotaurs since both races are seafarers and boat-builders, so they tend to get along. The Minotaurs respect the power of the Trowls, but consider them too reclusive. As a whole, Minotaurs tend to be extremely ethnocentric, respecting Humans, Zjenithi, Koh-ri, Tuorn, and Wardrones above all the rest for their tendency towards physical prowess.

Minotaurs keep slaves, but consider them part of the family unit, and so are protective of them. A Minotaur would never let another person lay a hand on anything that was theirs, including slaves. For this reason, Sobaki and Minotaurs rarely get along.

Max Caps

• Presence 12
• Muscle 12
• Agility 8
• Self Control 8

Powers

• Gore: A Minotaur's horns may be used to gore opponents. Treat this as a hand-to-hand attack with a Hurt score of 5.

• Horned Charge: At the end of a charge, if a Minotaur makes a hand-to-hand gore attack, the bonus to damage from charging is increased from +2 to +4.

• Stubborn: Minotaurs receive a racial bonus of +2 to saves against mind-control.

• Mariners: Minotaurs receive a +2 to Swim.