Brief History
Minotaur that inhabit the Anwanbas region and peninsula.
Formerly, they coexisted with and gave tribute to the Kaiju that frequented the region, the details of which are not well known in current time.
Hundreds of years ago, The First Cataclysm marked the upheaval of Anwanbas and minotaur society within the region, as the land quaked from the clash of two Kaiju that decimated a majority of the underdark routes and holdings. Kaiju spawn and corrupted variants flocked to the region during this period of time, cutting off the Anwanbas Minotaur from former Underdark trade alliances and pushing the minotaur society to establish above ground holdings via Anwang, the First Hunter.
In the periods that followed, Anwang would found the Kaiju hunting roots that Anwanbas Minotaur society would grow from.
Society
Hunter-gather society that has taken to hunting Kaiju as a sustainable source. When corrupted kaiju began to surface, leading to rampage events, the Minotaurs moved towards overwhelming force as their answer. Meat became their primary source of sustenance, and lesser kaiju were regularly hunted and field dressed for the needs of the community. The Ossuary became an important site for hunters of all artisan skills to contribute and trade from fresh hunts, with a bone bleaching yard, trading row, blood letting pit and holding cells. Adolescents are often brought to the Ossuary to observe and learn from trapped Kaiju. Young adults may also come here to learn and begin an apprenticeship in an artisan trade.
City life and trade is heavily run by three guilds, and a council of community elders from the region’s minotaur towns and clans. The three guilds are led each by their own appointed Grand Herald, their Senses, and a congregation of chosen from each company or division within the guild. Clans must petition and pass certain requirements to have their community elder added, though holding differing views is welcome within reason. The Tribunal of Might makes up the arm of justice, upholding laws within the region and often overlaps with the Steelhorn military to ensure enforcement. Many hunters within the Hunters Guild also tend to overlap with service to the Steelhorns, thus filling ranks in times of low Kaiju activity, and times of greater conflict.
Horn adornments and tattoos are commonly used to express a minotaur’s affiliation within Anwanbas society, with many organizations and guilds having their own identification marks and adornments for members to add to their mooson. Horns that are lopped off or capped short with copper are punishments for impersonation, and prevent offenders from holding status without meeting certain requirements.
Surnames commonly describe a minotaur’s clan, and later achievements or most powerful traits. Minotaur that have yet to carve out their own achievements or reputation will first carry their clan as their surname. Surnames can change often, and those lacking a surname tend to be exiled, from exiled families, or criminals stripped of their status. A lack of surname can also signal strangers to society as a whole, something equally regarded with caution and unease by the rest of Anwanbas minotaurs.
All Anwanbas Minotaur are expected to contribute and serve in some way to the continued lifeblood of this societal structure, even if they choose to remain away from the city and forgo enlisting to any of the main organizations or guilds. Each being’s life is thus priceless, and crime is often punished via forced labor or involuntary conscription. Rarely is the punishment an execution, though the non-lethal punishments are meant to extract as much service as possible and can be regarded as slower, more painful death sentences.
Habitat
Anwanbas Minotaurs formerly built surface markers and outposts while their main settlements were carved out underground in the Underdark. The majority of these underground settlements were connected via underground roads and mazes until the rampage of kaiju spawn collapsed the majority of these tunnels, including several clans that vanished.
Plains and highland heading towards the mountain, the area tends towards semi-arid the further south one goes, and hosts a variety of flora and saurian fauna that attract lesser kaiju spawn. Many areas have become deserts since The First Cataclysm, due to underground kaiju spawn rapidly contributing to existing weathering processes.
Fauna significant to the minotaurs are the Tontay wyverns of Tontay Roost, and Taktaga terrorbirds. The latter are larger than the average terrorbird, and pull wagons with ease at a greater average speed than most oxen. Taktaga are favored mounts of the Anwanbas, most especially for their vicious nature in combat, and are regarded well beyond the common grace given to beasts of burden.
Religion and Beliefs
Spiritual beliefs among Anwanbas society favor a balance of individual improvement and collective contribution over the worship of deities, and thus most deities that do not align with the former beliefs tend to be frowned upon and scrutinized. Temples and churches are absent from Bina Capital, with strict laws and ordinance to prevent missionaries of any deity from taking root and threatening religious conversion. Kaiju worshipping religions are outlawed and one of the few crimes punishable by exile, or execution, depending on the Tribunal’s ruling.
Healing houses among most settlements commonly provide alchemical and medical aid without seeking the blessings of a divine, and rarely, if ever, contain a priest.