Minotaur

Unwilling vessels of an all-consuming rage.

Written by starzomskiwrites

"For too long have we been imprisoned. Now we are free! Free to take back the world that was once ours!"
- Duomin Braveskull

Minotaurs of Akronis

Minotaurs are a complex race in the world of Akronis. Within them, they harbor a dangerous force known as the Raserakt, an all consuming rage that mus be controlled, lest it control them. For some, the Raserakt is a source of pleasure, a rush of neverending power constantly surging through their veins. For others, it is a dangerous path, one they must never walk lest they lose themselves to it. It is a nuanced concept among the Minotaur.
Most minotaurs hail from the Makra Badlands, a desolate wasteland of volcanic ash and dark crags. It was once a lush place, but after the Great Sundering, it remains little more than fire and rubble. But the Minotaurs, with their tough hides, are one of the few races that can call it home. Though some do not wish to live in the Makra Badlands, instead moving away to the Imperial cities, renouncing the Raserakt, and trying to fit in with polite society.

Minotaur Features

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Minotaurs mature and age at about the same rate as humans.
Alignment. Minotaurs who follow the tenets of Karnus Flamefist tend towards more chaotic alignments, while those that reject senseless rage in favor of tempered strength and power tend towards more lawful alignments.
Size. Minotaurs average over 6 feet in height, and they have stocky builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Horns. Your horns are natural melee weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Goring Rush. Immediately after you use the Dash action on your turn and move at least 20 feet, you can make one melee attack with your horns as a bonus action.
Hammering Horns. Immediately after you hit a creature with a melee attack as a part of the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to shove that target with your horns. The target must be within 5 feet of you and no more than one size larger than you. Unless it succeeds on a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier, you push it up to 10 feet away from you.
Imposing Presence. You have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Intimidation or Persuasion.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Minotaur.

The Curse of the Raserakt

Long ago, during the Great Blood War, there was an order of pacifist clerics following Luven, the God of Law. They were attempting to end the War and bring the world into an age of peace. On a whim, Yagi, the Goddess of Chaos cursed them. They were twisted to the form of the livestock animals they survived upon, and their spirits were intertwined with an inescapable force of senseless rage. Their leader was given the name Karsus Flamefist, and he was elevated to the status of demigod from the reverence of his legion. He brought his new order, now the Minotaurs empowered with the Raserakt, into the war, bringing a new level of chaos and blood to the world of Akronis.

Karsus Flamefist at the height of his power.

The Imprisonment of the Minotaurs

At the apex of the Great Blood War, Luven saw what Yagi had done. During one of the Minotaurs' invasions, the God of Law imprisoned their forces within a mountain in what is now known as the Makra Badlands. After that, the Gods of Law and Chaos fought, leading to the God of Chaos being sealed away within the earth of the Badlands. Thousands of years later, the Great Sundering brought ruin to much of the world of Akronis. From the destruction that the weavers wrought, the minotaurs were unsealed, but Karsus had become one with the great Mount Makra. The minotaurs settled in the Makra Badlands, keeping a fanatical devotion to their imprisoned demigod.