Minotaur
On the Island of Asterion, in the waters southwest of Imperium in Dannor, lived in an honor-based society where strength determined power in both the gladiatorial arenas and in daily life. As the Nydeisian influence became more widespread many of these people of Aurs were put to the blade senselessly in the arenas, though few found honorable deaths.
Many died in the hope they could raise enough from their efforts to send their families off to find better lives in the new colonies of Rhigol and some boarded ships headed to this new land of opportunity, many simply remained as hands on those ships with no clear place to call home.
Eventually they would find themselves as at home at sea as on land. The Asterionaur became the Aurs to fellow shipmates or "Bull Men" to the wider known realms, ferocious sea raiders who ranked as the ablest and most dangerous sailors in the world. Weary of such a force from a group they considered monstrous and beneath them, the leaders of the Nydeisian Colonists stripped their wealth and citizenship from them and forcing them into slavery at every oportunity, taking advantage of what little trust remained. Eventually they dropped all pretenses and started confining the old, feeble or uncooperative to the Island of Vacros until only a few remained for entertaining the crowds in the arenas or work the docks, being treated as little more than beasts of burden throughout the empire.
Centuries later, with the rise of Andril against the colonies, the Asterionaur were given a second chance at freedom, an opportunity to be freed from their slavery under the returned prince of Rhigol. Regaining their status as citizens in exchange for their help in The Crown War, a war of succession that would split and then rejoin the Kingdom of Rhigol into Andril and Rhigolia. Those who survived the battles that followed had earned the respect of those in the Commonwealth for their honor and bravery. They had once again regained their freedom.
Aurs embrace the notion that the weak should perish and that the strong must rule and that they themselves are among the strongest and most powerful races in the world. They believe their destiny is to retake their ancestral island home and that their dominion will be one of conquest and military might. To that end, all aurs are trained in weapons, armor, and tactics from a young age.
The Asterionaurs 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 this combination of traits is what sets them apart from their former masters.
Aur society is built on the principle that might makes right, and that considerations of justice are unnecessary. The aurs are led by an emperor served by a council of eight kings. All posts within the government, including the emperor’s, are won by the strongest and cleverest aurs, as proven by combat in the Circus. The Circus is the only means by which a aur can rise in society. It is a grand, annual display of single combat in which aurs battle each other for supremacy in the Ruins on the Island of Vacros. Youths must prove themselves in the Circus to earn their passage to adulthood.
Participation in the Circus is yet another reason why aurs look down on other folk. To the aurs, death and glory in battle are a natural process and part of their history and traditions. 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, aurs are bound by a powerful sense of honor. Each victory brings greater honor to both individual aurs and their families. Defeat invokes a stain that only death can fully wash away. Honor demands aurs keep their word once it is offered, and each will remain faithful to friends and clan above all else. Aurs rarely befriend folk of other races, as they all too often encounter them only in battle. If an aur does strike up a friendship, it is typically with other creatures that display the aurs’ virtues and love of battle. To such friends, an aur becomes an ally whose support will never waver.
The aurs would eventually be given rule of the Island of Vacros, a small island off the eastern inner sea coast of The Commonwealth and uphold the laws and traditions set forth in their agreement with the Coronal. Bound by the sea on all sides, the aurs continue to focus their tenacity, strength, and cunning to become the most skilled and ferocious mariners in the world. They range across the inner sea to the waters of Dannor in their ships, raiding and pillaging as they wish in the hopes of gaining enough seapower to challenge the navy defending their ancestral Island of Asterionaur.
Aurs 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.
Aur clan names originate with a great hero whose descendants take on that name as their own, doing their best to live up to the ideals of their ancestor. Clan names are always preceded by the prefix “es‐” for aurs from lands controlled by the island of Vacros, or “de‐” for aurs from areas under the sway of Dannor or Nydeis such as the Isle of Asterionaur.
Male Names: Beliminorgath, Cinmac, Dastrun, Edder, Galdar, Ganthirogani, Hecariverani, Kyris, Tosher, Zurgas
Female Names: Ayasha, Calina, Fliara, Helati, Keeli, Kyri, Mogara, Sekra, Tariki, Telia
Clan Names: Athak, Bregan, Entragath, Kaziganthi, Lagrangli, Mascun, Orilg, Sumarr,
Teskos, Zhakan
RPG Datasheet
Minotaur
Unearthed Arcana: Waterborne Adventures page 1(d6) Bond
(1) My opponent in the Circus for my trial of adulthood was chosen years ago. Though we sparred only once, I fell deeply in love. Rather than fight my beloved to the death, I fled from home and have been branded a coward.
(2) I’m the last of my clan. If I die without achieving great deeds, the hero who is my clan’s patron will be forgotten.
(3) I was part of a raiding party that was defeated and enslaved. I’ve escaped and sworn revenge.
(4) I never shared my people’s love of violence. I’m part of a conspiracy to topple the emperor’s violent regime.
(5) I claim that I am an exile from my people, but in truth, I have been sent to serve as a spy. I’m expected to leave secret messages telling my folk of villages and towns that are ripe targets for conquest.
(6) I’m the last survivor of a shipwrecked in a storm. Occasionally, the spirits of my shipmates appear in my dreams and ask me to complete tasks they left unfinished in life.
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