Post by Farain on May 18, 2007 5:29:07 GMT -5
If you haven't figured it out, the names basically separate the two sections of the word "minotaur".
These are the two nation-clans of the minotaurs. Through trade with the Aquarian ocean, the clan of Minos has a richer culture and more wealth than their landlocked relatives. They have a fishing based economy, and their entire coastline except for about one mile on the southern edge, which is a bit more frigid, is shipyards, moors, and docks. A well traveled highway mirrors the coastline, making intranational trade quite easy. Minos, the capital, is situated in the foot hills, a ways back from the ocean. Here is the center of Minan Hornedism, the official religion of Minos. More about that later.
Taurus is situated in a temperate valley beyond approximately ten miles from Minos, though that would be as the airplane flies, because there are huge mountains in between. They have an agricultural economy in the green hills, and live rather like medieval Europe. They are isolated from the outside world, they don't even realize that the Aeronite Theocracy is moving steadily toward their valley. They worship Tauran Hornedism, and their capital city of Taurus is mainly a castle for nobles and a cathedral.
Minan Hornedism is a easy going religion, practitioners pray to the Horned One whenever they feel like they need help deceiving someone or help telling the truth. Only the clerics spend much time praying to the Horned One, and they often invoke her to used their magic, allowing them to see other things going on in the rest of the world.
Tauran Hornedism is much more severe. The style is basically like the medieval Roman Catholic church was, the church has the real power. The clerics, or priests, as they call them, also invoke the Horned One's gifts. They know about the Aeronite Theocracy spreading, but they tell no one, because it may upset the balance.
Long ago, The Horned One, Vera, as an ogre, had children, which she spirited away in the dead of night. Their names were Minos and Taurus. They grew up together, as they were demigods, they were immortal. That is, until they fell in love with a pair of ship wrecked human maidens. The maidens were scared, but their godly charms soon seduced them--perhaps The (Late) Unknown One stuck his fingers in their relationship--and soon Taurus and Minos had many children, having been blessed by The Unknown One. The two clans interbreeded, because The Horned One had made them biologically separate--the son's fathers came from two different clans. Unfortunately, the brothers fell to bickering, and soon they were unable to speak, these very brothers who had done everything, these twins. The slightly older brother, Taurus, was an adept at seeing the truth, while the younger brother, Minos was an adept at deception and false truth. They both, however claimed to be more truthful to their children and grandchildren. Finally, the two clans were forced to separate, splitting the brothers' mutual grandchildren apart by which clan their fathers came from. The brothers however, decided that they needed to have one be superior once in for all. They killed each other in their titanic battle.
The nations grew, the Minan began to breed--the sentient races all are the same basic species, allowing interbreeding--with humans that began to arrive to trade with the growing nation, while the Taurans bred with the ogres. Eventually, the races split far enough apart to allow interbreeding, and the two separate races became apparent. The Taurans had wider horns and bigger muscles, and the Minans were more clever and quicker. Slowly, contact began to peter out until only the priests, with their scrying knew the state of affairs in the other nation.
These are the two nation-clans of the minotaurs. Through trade with the Aquarian ocean, the clan of Minos has a richer culture and more wealth than their landlocked relatives. They have a fishing based economy, and their entire coastline except for about one mile on the southern edge, which is a bit more frigid, is shipyards, moors, and docks. A well traveled highway mirrors the coastline, making intranational trade quite easy. Minos, the capital, is situated in the foot hills, a ways back from the ocean. Here is the center of Minan Hornedism, the official religion of Minos. More about that later.
Taurus is situated in a temperate valley beyond approximately ten miles from Minos, though that would be as the airplane flies, because there are huge mountains in between. They have an agricultural economy in the green hills, and live rather like medieval Europe. They are isolated from the outside world, they don't even realize that the Aeronite Theocracy is moving steadily toward their valley. They worship Tauran Hornedism, and their capital city of Taurus is mainly a castle for nobles and a cathedral.
Minan Hornedism is a easy going religion, practitioners pray to the Horned One whenever they feel like they need help deceiving someone or help telling the truth. Only the clerics spend much time praying to the Horned One, and they often invoke her to used their magic, allowing them to see other things going on in the rest of the world.
Tauran Hornedism is much more severe. The style is basically like the medieval Roman Catholic church was, the church has the real power. The clerics, or priests, as they call them, also invoke the Horned One's gifts. They know about the Aeronite Theocracy spreading, but they tell no one, because it may upset the balance.
Long ago, The Horned One, Vera, as an ogre, had children, which she spirited away in the dead of night. Their names were Minos and Taurus. They grew up together, as they were demigods, they were immortal. That is, until they fell in love with a pair of ship wrecked human maidens. The maidens were scared, but their godly charms soon seduced them--perhaps The (Late) Unknown One stuck his fingers in their relationship--and soon Taurus and Minos had many children, having been blessed by The Unknown One. The two clans interbreeded, because The Horned One had made them biologically separate--the son's fathers came from two different clans. Unfortunately, the brothers fell to bickering, and soon they were unable to speak, these very brothers who had done everything, these twins. The slightly older brother, Taurus, was an adept at seeing the truth, while the younger brother, Minos was an adept at deception and false truth. They both, however claimed to be more truthful to their children and grandchildren. Finally, the two clans were forced to separate, splitting the brothers' mutual grandchildren apart by which clan their fathers came from. The brothers however, decided that they needed to have one be superior once in for all. They killed each other in their titanic battle.
The nations grew, the Minan began to breed--the sentient races all are the same basic species, allowing interbreeding--with humans that began to arrive to trade with the growing nation, while the Taurans bred with the ogres. Eventually, the races split far enough apart to allow interbreeding, and the two separate races became apparent. The Taurans had wider horns and bigger muscles, and the Minans were more clever and quicker. Slowly, contact began to peter out until only the priests, with their scrying knew the state of affairs in the other nation.
