Bestiary: Minotaur by GavinoElDiabloGuapo on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Alignment: Chaotic Evil(Primal Minotaur), Neutral Good(Yak Folk)
Threat Class: B(Primal Minotaur), C(Yak Folk)

The Minotaurs are a race of bovine-like humanoids that first appeared during the Fourth Age. After the devastation caused by generations of war between the pantheons of godlike Titans, the Titans had withdrawn themselves from the rest of the world, allowing the mortals to govern themselves. Though the Titans still ruled from afar and interacted with their followers through demigods, some mortals still desired to have a godlike being to worship and rule over them directly. Some had turned to worshiping idols molded after great beasts of power. One particular cult worshiped an idol of a Taurus, a symbol of strength.

This cult had gained the attention of an Archdevil, one of the lesser Aeons that served the Fallen One. This Archdevil contacted the cult's high priest and gave instructions on how to bring him to the mortal plane. As punishment for defying the Progenitor, the Fallen One and his devils had been cast into the Abyss and needed to be summoned in order to corporealize. In a dark ritual, one of the cult's priestess conceived a child with a Taurus. The abomination within her rapidly grew until her body burst, allowing the Archdevil Moloch to enter the world. To create an army to conquer Midgard, Moloch sired children with all of his female followers, each of them suffering the same fate as the priestess that was chosen to be the vessel of Moloch.

These children of Moloch were the Primal Minotaurs, fearsome warriors that stood 9 feet tall and weighed 700 pounds. While they aren’t very intelligent, they are cunning and powerful. Their native tongue is Tauren but they also understand Infernal, the forbidden language of the devils. For a time, the Cult of Moloch grew in power, Moloch using his Minotaur warriors to capture humans to use as slaves, food, and breeding stock for more Minotaurs. But the Titans grew aware of the cult's activities and so sent their demigod children to confront them. A battle was waged between these heroes and Moloch's forces resulting in the Archdevil being banished back to the Abyss.

And though most of them were slain, some of the Primal Minotaurs survived by retreating into Nidavellir, the Underground. There, they made their homes in labyrinthine caves, living in small herds led by a chief. Their innate sense of direction prevents them from getting lost and allows them to remember any path they have traveled. Their favorite prey are humanoids, which they lure into their maze-like homes. They take sadistic pleasure in hunting their panicked prey as they try to find their way out. Though most are dimwitted, some are more intelligent and thus can use magic. These Primal Minotaurs serve their herd as shamans, offering sacrifices to Moloch.

For generations, the Primal Minotaurs continued to venture to the surface world in order to abduct humans for food and to sacrifice to their dark father, Moloch. But some of the newer generation didn't agree with the barbarism of their ancestors. They believed that they could live alongside the surface dwellers in peace. But they were seen as weak and were attacked by their cannibalistic kin. Driven out of Underground, these peaceful Minotaurs sought refuge in the high mountains of Midgard. There, they befriended the humans that lived in remote villages and adopted their culture as their own.

By the Fifth Age, these peaceful Minotaurs had become their own race: the Yak Folk. They had become more human in size, the bulls standing about 7 feet tall and weighing 300 pounds and the cows standing about 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds. Their coats are also denser to protect them from the cold. Their culture is a mixture of their human neighbors and bovine herds, their tribes being led by the elder bulls and cows. Unlike their primal ancestors, the Yak Folk are pacifists. They're omnivorous but prefer vegetarian diets. They speak Tauren along with the languages of neighboring races. They also retain the innate sense of direction of the Primal Minotaurs, making them excellent guides through the unforgiving terrain of the snowy mountains.

The Yak Folk are a peaceful people, but they can be very stubborn and strictly adhere to their traditions. But they are a very welcoming people, wanting to shake off the stigma of their ancestors by showing good hospitality. Though they are peaceful, they still have their enemies. The Primal Minotaurs see them as stunted weaklings and infidels. A Primal Minotaur will kill and eat a Yak Folk on sight, and any calves they find will be taken to be sacrificed to Moloch. The Yak Folk also fear another large predator of the high mountains, the Yeti. But despite these threats, the Yak Folk remain pacifists, choosing to run rather than fight.

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