Minotaur
Beast
Raging Bull

BIOLOGY

Physiology

Minotaurs are towering Monsters with the upper body of an extremely fit woman, naturally muscular (but prone to becoming even more muscular over time due to Minotaur society's values regarding exercise and fitness) and built with a broad and strong frame. Their skin is a bronze-ish color and their fingernails are long and black. Like most Messenian Beasts, they only have four fingers on each hand. The most striking and well known element of the Minotaur are the massive horns on its head, being curved in the fashion of a bull's and extremely sturdy and strong, capable of goring a grown man. Their ears are similar to a bull's as well, and they most often have long and mighty hair, both for biological and cultural reasons. Their eyes are a yellow shade with blackish sclera. The lower body of a Minotaur is that of a bull's hind legs in an upright, bipedal position, with prominent hooves a thin, wiry tail. The hair and fur of a Minotaur is usually black, but it's not uncommon to see a white streak in the hair of one, which is seen as a sign of favor of the Gods and good fortune to come. Very rarely, a Minotaur with completely white hair is born, which is taken to to be a sign they will be a great conqueror among Minotaur culture. While I'd like to chock this up to mere albinism, records do show that most reported whitehide Minotaurs did indeed become great warriors and leaders. At the moment, it's inconclusive if this is a sign of genuine divine nature, or simply the natural result of these calfs being trained from birth to serve this role. The Minotaur is a Monster of greeth strength, capable of tearing humans limb from limb, trampling them with its hooves, and even breaking through doors and weak walls with a charge.

Intelligence

Minotaurs have a common reputation among humans as dumb brutes whose anger clouds all sense of judgment, but the truth is more complicated. Minotaurs overall have a level of intelligence similar to a human, but due to a combination of cultural values and natural instincts they are easily incited into rage, be it from battle-frenzy, insults, hormones during mating season, or merely a keen sense of irritation. In particular, Minotaurs are upset by free-flowing materials such as cloth or silk, and when in a bad mood this can send them into a flight of rage. Outside this sense of anger however, the intelligence of a Minotaur depends entirely on the individual Monster - many Minotaurs are exactly as idiotic as the reputation makes them seem, yet several are intelligent architects and inventors. Overall, it shifts to the average, and Minotaur soldiers are usually well disciplined, but eschew rank and file tactics due to their great strength and size. They have a pronounced fear of darkness and tight spaces, and have a tendency to lose track of where they are when inside a dark and/or enclosed area.

Diet

Minotaurs are carnivorous despite their bull-like appearance and have a particular taste for the flesh of humans, and often in the aftermath of a battle Minotaurs will find themselves feasting on the corpses of the newly dead. This of course contributes the horror stories that make up their reputation alongside stories of their alleged poor wit. I have heard they have a preference for the blood of children, but I believe this is mere hearsay, as children generally do not offer ample meat compared to an adult. When they cannot feed on humans, they rather ironically enjoy the taste of beef. Like most Messenian Beasts, they have a fondness for wine, despite their otherwise carnivorous nature.

Habitat

Minotaurs prefer to live on plains and hills where they are able to run free, much like their cousins the Centaurs. They are also reasonably common high in the mountains, and several live in forests due to their alliances and shared civilizations with Satyrs. They have a great aversion to caves due to their fear of darkness and tight spaces, and are almost never found inside the Nether.

Reproduction

Similar to Centaurs, Minotaurs do not mate with fellow Minotaurs, but rather with the Oreiads, Fay monsters of the mountains. Minotaurs will often fight each other for the right to mate with a given Oreiad, and the one to ultimately succeed is considered a specimen of Minotaur strength while the loser is considered weak and likely to be bullied by the other Minotaurs. A history of wartime hlory, battle scars, a streak of white hair, and great strength or height for a Minotaur increases the likelihood of success. Unlike Centaurs, Minotaurs are generally faithful to their mates and will not attempt to abduct human girls. Especially strong Minotaurs can often be found with many Oreiad lovers.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Minotaurs are generally communal, though lone bulls do exist. Minotaurs are unlikely to form communities all by themselves, and are more likely to form alliances with weaker and more plentiful monsters - though oftentimes they will outright subjugate them as well. Maenads, Satyrs and Centaurs are the most common recipients of this treatment, but Goblins, Kobolds, Dire Wolves, and Harpies are common victims as well. However, just as often as they subjugate or assimilate weaker Monsters, they are often made to serve Monsters of greater strength and/or skill with manipulation, such as Dragons, Gigantes, Cyclopes, Messenian Sphinxes, Lamiae (especially Echidnae), Devils, and even their own Oreiads. Their culture is inherently martial due to the value they place on strength, and they are more likely to get some other Monster to handle boring affairs of governance, contributing to the ease of which manipulative Monsters become their masters. They value fitness and strength and as such sports such as running, wrestling, and especially jousting with their horns are observed culturally and given great significance in affairs, even having their own perverted version of the Messenian games - with far more bloodshed. Despite their rough and martial culture, they appreciate and honor the insights of Minotaur architects and metalsmiths, and Minotaur-made fortresses and weapons are generally instantly noticeable due to their unique architectural feats such as all corridors and doorways being wide, ceilings being rather tall on average, most buildings having courtyards, and especially their dungeons, which are made to be great labyrinths prisoners are thrown into rather than simple rows of cells. This was inherited from the Aquilan Empire, which imprisoned Minotaurs in mazes to use as a means to execute unruly human prisoners, relying on their fear of darkness and tight spaces.

Technology

Despite their reputation as brutes, Minotaurs are rather skilled technologically, at least for a Messenian Beast. In addition to their architectural insights mentioned above, their history with the Cyclopes has lended them knowledge of how to smith steel, a rarity even for many human cultures, and despite their rough and angry nature, they are skilled tacticians who can often drill even rowdy and undisciplined Monsters such as Satyrs and Centaurs in following strategies and battle plans. They are also somewhat skilled with livestock and taming animals, likely also inherited from their relations with the Cyclopes, and take to farming Greatbulls especially well, quite a feat given how rowdy the animals are, to the point most non-Messenian cultures don't even know how to handle them at all. They're also reasonably adept at war-training animalistic Monsters, and Auric Lions in particular are valued as war beasts due to their near-impenetrable skin.

Theology

Minotaurs have a developed, if ghoulish, religion that worships both Mon and Dire in near equal measure, placing emphasis on Dire's status as one of Mon's most prominent warriors among the traitor Gods, thus seeing her as Mon's sword. Worship, temple duties, and religious ceremonies are observed by a Moloch, the priests of Minotaur religion, who are also the only Minotaurs allowed to learn Magic, and specifically only Blood Magic, Fire Magic and Diabolism. Rituals often focus on ceremonial consumption of humans, particularly maidens, and are often undertaken so as to ask for luck in wartime, blessings of virility for Greatbulls, and simply to appease Mon and Dire.

Diplomacy

Minotaurs are, to put it lightly, hard to negotiate or perform diplomacy with, human or Monster. When it comes to humans, Minotaurs are unlikely to even accept messengers, often kicking them into pits or sending their eviscerated remains back with their horse in a basket. In the rare cases they do decide to accept diplomacy with humans, they are often exceptionally unfair in the terms, and attempts to negotiate otherwise often result in outright declarations of war. When it comes to interactions with Monsters, Minotaurs are unlikely to accept anything but assertiveness and strength from the individuals they're negotiating with, and as a result are likely to demand ritual combat between champions, else it'll be raiding time. However, they will show great respect if the negotiating side does prove mighty, and oftentimes will outright instantly join the forces of an aspiring Monster Lord should they show enough strength in ritual combat. They are reliable allies to Monster societies which have earned their respect, often aiding them against aggression from humans or other Monsters, which can often introduce an unexpected dangerous element to the conflict for human societies unaware of the alliance

Hostility

Minotaurs are extremely hostile towards humans even outside their state of rage, and may choose to kill a human simply because they looked at her funny. When enraged, there is no hope of a peaceful resolution - you will either die, escape, or win, and for a single human, the latter two options are extremely unlikely. When it comes to interactions with Monsters, Minotaurs are more level headed in their calm state, though they may choose to rough up or bully a weaker Monster depending on their personality. When enraged, they are just as likely to murder weaker Monsters as they are humans, and in a battle fury it's not uncommon to see a Minotaur rip up a Satyr follower simply for being in the way of their target of hatred. Sometimes, two Minotaurs, if both enraged, may enter a battle with each other in the heat of the battlefield, ignoring everything around them, friend or foe.

HUNTING

Range

Minotaurs can be found all throughout southern Stelen, but they are most concentrated in the Messenian region and the Golothos mountains to its north. They can also be found in many other regions close to southern Stelen, which is somewhat unique for a Messenian Beast. These additional regions include Steletae, Klythe, and much of northern Kosos. Scholars such as myself suggest this may have been due to the Melqart empire of the early post-Moonstrike area, which dominated most regions bordering on the Messeni Sea.

Magic

Magic among Minotaurs is limited to the Molochs, priests of their savage religion. These Minotaurs make up for their rarity with their power, as most Minotaurs actually have some considerable magic potential. The reason why they do not further exploit this is unknown, but even other Monsters seem to generally try and keep it that way. Molochs are primarily sorcerers, but are talented in the use of Fire Magic for combat, capable of summoning fireballs, pillars of flame, and walls of fiery destruction as necessary, though they are often fatigued by using too much magic at once. When it comes to sorcery, Molochs are skilled with Blood Magic, which they use to regenerate the wounds of injured Minotaurs, extend their own lifespan, and bring a cursed fecundity to fields and cattle. Rarely, a Moloch may also use Blood Magic in combat, but this is somewhat frowned upon as it is intended for use in ceremonies primarily. Finally, Molochs are trained in the art of Diabolism - a Black Art forbidden to humans, which calls upon the unholy power of Mon herself. It is primarily used to summon True Demons from Hell and other Nether regions to serve the sorcerer, and Molochs most often use it to summon War Demons to aid Minotaur forces in battle, though they may also summon Imps - usually Flame Imps - to help attend to rituals.

Combat

A Minotaur when in battle's strategy largely relies on their weapons, but in general their great strength and speed makes it so that they can operate in an irregular combat form with greater ease and safety than most other Monsters, such as wielding dual weapons or even attacking barehanded. They may often attempt to trample their enemy with their great hooves, gore them on one of their horns, or just rip them apart limb from limb. When enraged, any sense of tactics goes out the window, replaced by wild flailing and pure rage. For many other monsters, this would make the Minotaur more vulnerable, and while it's technically true, it also makes them massively more dangerous.

Strengths

Extreme strength for a non-Giant. Horns can pierce through shield and armor with ease, and towering size and great speed makes it likely most enemies will be unprepared to face them. Can easily wield weapons that would need two hands in the handers of lesser Monsters or humans and use them in conjunction with shields or even another weapon. Moloch priests are powerful mages.

Weaknesses

Blind rage can hamper as often as it helps, and generally a Minotaur is unlikely to wear full plate. Often extremely dangerous towards allies when sent into a rage.

Final Summary

If you lack any magical potential, do not attempt to fight a Minotaur one on one. You will die, and you will die bad. If you have no other option, try to inflict as much damage as possible before your end. When in a group, try to avoid close combat and instead focus on attacking the enemy's vulnerable areas with ranged weapons - crossbows in particular are of use. If possible, throw flashpowder into the eyes of the Minotaur, as blinding her will limit her combat effectiveness, even if it's likely to send her into a range. Do not engage a Moloch if you are a mundane fighter, even if you're in a party. The presence of a capable mage can make facing singular Minotaurs much easier, and give you at least a fighting chance against a Moloch.