Location: North western Davania, east of Arica and West of the Izondian Wall.
Area: 50.000 sq miles
Population: unknown, maybe from 50.000 to 100.000 inhabitants, very variable.
Language: Minoides, not written.
Calendar: no numerical calendar. See below.
Government: tribal chiefs and priestesses, sometimes with an unifying war leader
Industries: hunting, fishing, mining, horticulture, weaponcraft.
History: Sit, young, and hear the story of the priestess. From her mouth, you
hear your story and your fate ! "In the far far times, minotaurs lived in
richness and prosperity. They were immortals like the powers and they lived in
caves of gold where no bounty was missing. They had wings to fly, and lived in
perfect happiness. Their Great Chief was a warrior named Minoides, wise and
strong. But one day, the storm came from the north. Lightings and rains killed
many minotaurs, and the cruel wind broke their wings. When the storm ended, a
white and little sun appeared, shining weakly on our sorrow. Minoides went to
the sun, and spoke to him. What have we done sun father, - he said - to deserve
such a punishment ?. The little sun did not answer to Minoides question. Many
times the priestesses tried to speak with the sun father, but never he answered
their questions. And the beautiful wings of the minotaurs faltered and fall, and
the whelps began to die. Betrayed by the sun father, broken by their sorrow,
Minoides and his people sat on the mud, awaiting death. Then a female arrived,
dressed in black, with her face painted white. I'm here to save the most noble
and strong people of all - she said - who the immortals betrayed to make way to
their weak progeny. Deny the immortals - she cried - and fight their corrupted
progeny who killed your whelp. And so Minoides saw she was the only truth, the
dark mother Ela. In her name Minoides and the priestesses declared the First
Cycle of Rage (2050bc), and the minotaurs fought with all the weak progeny of
the evil immortals. Many and many nights minotaurs fought and win, destroying
the corruption of the immortal progeny, and many Great Chiefs ruled after
Minoides. Many nights the minotaurs ruled forests and hills and rivers. But one
day the vengeful immortals leaded the black men from the west to our lands, to
destroy the minotaurs, to exterminate the minotaurs. The black men killed
warriors and priestesses, whelps and young ones. So began the Second Cycle of
Sorrow (1750bc), and the minotaurs were driven in the evil desert, under the eye
of the cruel sun father, in the lands of the cruel lizard men. In the cycle of
sorrow lizard men killed whelps and young ones, enslaved the minotaurs, and
hunted the minotaurs wherever they find them. But one night a great priestess
came, calling the minotaurs to fight in the name of Ela. Areias was her name,
and she began the Second Cycle of Rage (1300bc). The minotaurs rose against the
lizard kin, servants of the cruel sun father, killing and enslaving them. And
many nights they ruled in the desert, under the envious eye of the cruel sun
father. But one day the sun father sent from the west other servants , the big
grey men, seeking revenge against the strong minotaurs. The grey men were as
numerous as the sand, and they killed young ones and whelps, warriors and
priestesses, until the minotaurs were exterminated, and the survivors were
driven north, to the land of the eternal grass. So began the Third Cycle of
Sorrow (900bc). In the land of the eternal grass lived the horse men. They were
too servants of the cruel immortals, but they were not cruel as the immortals.
They fought the minotaurs with honour, they did not killed young ones and whelps.
So the minotaurs made peace with them, because the horse people were honoured
warriors. But the minotaurs were few, and from the south the grey men raided and
took prisoners, and from the north others grey men came, to kill whelps and
young ones, to enslave and to exterminate the minotaurs. Long was the third
cycle of sorrow. But one night a warrior came, Kres was his name, and proclaimed
the Third Cycle of Rage (400bc). The minotaurs fought with honour and courage,
and killed many grey men in the south, and many black men in the east, and many
of the white man and the little grey man in the north. And so the minotaurs
rebuilt their rule, and the progeny of the immortals once again feared them. But
one day many and many grey man came from the south, to kill minotaurs and horse
men, to take all the land of the minotaurs. They killed young ones and whelps,
fighting without honour with their dark power, and so began the Fourth Cycle of
Sorrow (100bc). The grey men hunted the minotaurs everywhere in the land,
spreading the blood of the whelp on the land of the eternal grass. And so the
minotaurs went north, but north they found no haven, only others grey men who
killed whelps and young ones. So the minotaurs had to hide in dark forests and
bare hills, with no food to give to their whelp. Hard, hard and sad was the
fourth cycle of sorrow. But one day a priestess came, Hagias her name, and she
proclaimed the Fourth Cycle of Rage (250ac). The minotaurs leaved the dark
forests and the bare hills, and descended upon villages and cities of the grey
men, and upon villages and cities of the black men. And they killed and won, and
no progeny of the immortals dare to defy the minotaurs, for many nights, because
the minotaurs were ruler of hills and forests. But one day many grey men came,
many from the north, many from the south, and many of the little grey men from
the east. And so began the Fifth Cycle of Sorrow (500ac). All the progeny of the
immortals attacked the minotaurs, trying to exterminate them. There were no
place to hide, no land to live. Every day the minotaurs were fewer, every day
many minotaurs died. But Ela send them an omen, and the minotaurs went to the
lands of the horse people. And the horse people, who were warriors of honour,
hid them in their land. Many nights the minotaurs lived in the lands of the
horse people, but at last there was not enough food for the whelp of the horse
people, and the whelp of the minotaurs. Stay with us - the horse people said to
the minotaurs - and we will divide the food. But the minotaurs went away,
because they did not want the horse people suffer for them. And so the minotaurs
began to wander in the land of the eternal grass, always fighting their enemies,
always with little food for their whelps. Many nights are, that last this cycle
of sorrow. But we, the priestesses, have received an omen from Ela. Prepare
yourselves, minotaurs, because this cycle is near to the end, and one night a
warrior will come, and he will lead us to the Fifth Cycle of Rage.
From Erkani Erental, adventurer and explorer, to Illeia Ishelial, third golden matriarch of Pelatan
Bless upon you, my radiant mother
Here is, as you wished, some information about the minotaurs of the land of Mis.
I will begin with their history, as I learned it from them, together with some
consideration of mine upon the matter.
The minotaurs divide their history in cycles. I will try to organise the cycles
in a timeline more familiar to us.
From 4900 to 2400 BI (before Iemara, BC 5500-3000)
The first cycle was the time when they had wings, and lived in perfect happiness.
It's easy to comprehend that they refer to the times of the enduk empire. They
have just a confused myth of these times, and they call this cycle the Cycle of
Strength.
From 2400 BI to 1450 BI (3000-2050 BC)
The second cycle is the time of rainstorm and dark days when many of them died.
They call this cycle the First Cycle of Sorrow, and they said that in this time
the Sun God abandoned them. Obviously they speak of the dark and difficult time
after the Great Rain of Fire. In this time they began to worship the Death
Goddess, who they call Ela. It's very interesting the fact that they don't make
mention of the enduks, neither of the civil war between the winged enduks and
the fallen minotaurs. As we know well the war ended with the decimated enduks
forced to sail north and leave Davania forever.
From 1450 BI to 1150 BI (2050-1750 BC)
But the civil war is not included in the first Cycle of Sorrow, but in the First
Cycle of Rage, when the minotaurs attacked every living being on Davania. With
regard to the enduks, the fact that they are not mentioned in minotaurs history,
as if, after the First Cycle of Sorrow, was survived no winged minotaur, is a
clear signal of the sense of guilt for the killings of their brothers. The
minotaurs are not mindless brutes as many nations of Davania believed and still
believe. They have a strong sense of honour, and they have never tried to
exterminate other people, neither the enduks, while other people, particularly
Aricans, ogre tribes and Izonda, often tried to exterminate them. That don't
exclude that to forget about enduks was an useful lie too, and a way to forget
the curse the Sun God placed upon the followers of Minoides: never to have a
nation, never to have peace. That don't exclude either that people of Davania
suffered under the minotaurs' rule, particularly elves of Pelatan and the newly
arrived Tanagoro colonists in Arica.
From 1150 BI to 700 BI (1750-1300 BC)
The minotaurs' power upon the people of Davania ended when Aricans, aided by the
elves, defeated the minotaurs. So begin their Second Cycle of Sorrow. It has
been reported in ancients chronicles that the elves of Pelatan stopped to aid
the humans disgusted with their ferocity against the defeated minotaurs. So the
assertions of minotaurs' history are made testimony to even by our chronicles.
In the following centuries the minotaurs, driven in the desert, were enslaved by
the lizard kin, until a priestess leaded them to a revolt that reversed the
situation.
From 700 BI to 300 BI (1300 - 900 BC)
The minotaurs ruled in the desert for four centuries, and in that cycle, called
the Second Cycle of Rage, they raided mostly Arican humans, leaving ourselves in
peace. There are even reports of Pelatians merchants who travelled to the lands
of the minotaurs and traded with them.
From 300 BI to 200 IY (900 - 400 BC)
The civil war in the Arican lands drove away ogres and ogre kin of Arica. The
ogre kin of good nature escaped mostly in our lands or in the north, while the
ogres and ogre kin of evil intention attacked the minotaurs. So began their
Third Cycle of Sorrow. The ogres had no mercy of their enemies. The minotaurs
were driven north, where only the kindness of the zebrataurs saved them. The
zebrataurs gave the minotaurs some of their lands. This fact is only partially
recognised in minotaurs' history. As we know well the ogre kin founded Izonda,
and shortly after more humanoid came from the north. That was a bitter time for
all the people of Davania, but for us was also the glorious time of the
foundation of the Golden Matriarchy (600 BC).
From 200 IY to 500 IY (400 - 100 BC)
When the humanoids began to diminish for the constant wars with Izonda, the
minotaurs began their Third Cycle of Rage. They drove away many humanoid tribes,
defeated Izonda, and secured the grassland north of the desert for them and the
zebrataurs. In Izondian history the shame of the defeat at the hands of "barbarians"
minotaurs has been carefully hidden.
From 500 IY to 850 IY (100 BC - 250 AC)
The real barbarians were revealed in the minotaurs' Fourth Cycle of Sorrow. The
Izondian army invaded minotaurs lands killing everyone without discrimination.
The minotaurs escaped north, only to encounter other hostile humanoids and the
goblins of Kresh. They hid in jungles and hills, and hid so well that a Pelatian
explorers of that time wrote to the Golden Matriarch Iasia he was sure that the
minotaurs had been utterly exterminated by Izondians and savages humanoids.
From 850 IY to 1100 IY (250 - 500 AC)
But that statement was not the truth, because some centuries after the minotaurs
came out from their hidden villages, to begin their Fourth Cycle of Rage. Once
again they defeated Izondians and humanoids and conquered many lands in the
north. The Golden Matriarch Iasia sent an ambassador to speak with minotaurs
chiefs, and for some time Pelatan and the minotaurs had an informal alliance
against Izonda.
From 1100 IY to the present days (500 AC - 1016 AC)
When Izonda declared the great humanoid war the minotaurs were a primary target
of Izondian ferocity. So began the Fifth Cycle of Sorrow. This time, as is well
recognised in minotaurs history, the zebrataurs saved them from extermination,
giving them hospitality. When Izondian pressure on the north diminished the
minotaurs became the nomadic people they are now. They roam the grassland
peacefully, fighting only if attacked. But still they await a Fifth Cycle of
Rage.
Here ends my report. I hope it will prove useful to you, my radiant mother. I
hope also that Pelatan will establish peaceful and constant relations with those
people. Living among them I began to comprehend and appreciate them. Their
honour and their courage, and even their stubbornness to live against the will
of the immortals.
Forgive my last phrase.
Bless upon you, my radiant mother.