General description
Etymology
The name rhinotaur is a portmanteau of the words rhinoceros and minotaur. It is used as a colloquial reference. They call themselves Gerrans, supposedly because they originated from a city called Gerra on the continent of Lustra.
Physical Appearance
Rhinotaurs are anthropomorphic rhinoceros. Unlike minotaurs, they more accurately appear as the animals that they are similar to. Their human-like features aren’t too jarring. They are significantly less weighty than traditional rhinos, however.
Taller than even their minotaur counterparts, rhinotaurs are only shorter than some trolls. They have three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot, although their middle toe almost seems to be two digits fused together. Most rhinotaurs have a grey or brown complexion. They are known to have very bad eyesight.
Typically they will only live to be about 40 years old, however some have lived past 50.
Clothing and Adornment
Similarly to the minotaurs, for a long while, rhinotaurs wore nothing at all. They only began to wear clothes to combat the climate changes as they began to spread to different places on Tellest.
Rhinotaurs specifically wear clothing and armor while hunting or preparing for battle. They have no middle ground, preferring almost next to nothing or heavy plate mail.
Some of the rhinotaurs, particularly females among the race, adorn their ears as well as their horns. They’re also known to pierce their septum, purely for aesthetic reasons.
Unlike minotaurs, Rhinotaurs will often tattoo their bodies. Certain tribes add a stripe to their body for every foe they best in battle.
Relations to Other Races
There is an obvious resemblance to minotaurs and the way they look like upright bovines. Rhinotaurs specifically look more muscular with human features.
Despite the relation to rhinoceros, they actively hunt them, thinking themselves the more superior version.
General Personality
Personal
Denigrated for their stupidity, rhinotaurs are one of the least reliable of the major races. They are naïve and foolish, and often times incredibly selfish. Conversely, they happen to be very aggressive and territorial, even to their own kind. Unless they bear incredibly heavy armor, they are one of the faster races on Tellest, and strike like a battering ram.
They are also stubborn to a fault. Rhinotaurs never truly realize when the odds are stacked against them, leading to an untimely, often avoidable death.
Relationship, Family and Society
In spite of their stupidity, rhinotaurs have managed to populate most of the continents on Tellest. Their numbers swell in the countries they dwell in, yet they are not often found in the same places.
The race is often solitary, with the exception of mating, or in the case where a mother will watch their young. Male rhinotaur will wait until they are too old to effectively fight before they settle down and have their young. Females, meanwhile, will typically be ready sexually before they are in their twenties. Because of a lack of hair on their bodies, it can be difficult to tell the gender of the rhinotaurs. Their sizes will generally distinguish them, however.
In their societies, the race typically has a singular hunting ground, called a house. If one rhinotaur happens to enter another’s house, it can be a fatal mistake.
Though they are territorial, there are some situations where they will socialize. Typically, especially in the hotter countries of origin, they will have communal bathing. This is where they choose their mates, arranging their relationship for years in advance. Females are usually very young when they are chosen; they rarely see their future mates anyway, leading to a decidedly unromantic encounter.
After young are born, mothers will stay with them until they are adolescents. Sub-adult males may group together into parties of three until their aggression and self-confidence allows them to forge off onto their own path.
Behavior toward Other Races
It is very difficult to convince a rhinotaur to do anything beyond charge you and kill you. Despite an intelligence and language barrier, goblins and gnolls have been known to befriend, or at the very least cooperate with rhinotaurs. They provide an extensive amount of muscle to certain raiding parties.
When the minotaurs were settling in various places throughout Tellest, they often ran into the rhinotaurs. Because of their territorial nature, many were left dead on either side. Because of this history, rhinotaurs will often attack a minotaur on sight, even if it is of no direct danger to its hunting ground or family.
Likewise, the rhinotaurs hate orcs because of their companionship with the minotaurs. Orcs also make easier targets, thanks to their slower speeds.
Language
Speech and Penmanship
Rhinotaurs are one of the least vocal races. Many races imply that Rhinotaurs have low intelligence because of their quiet nature. They also don’t really have a form of penmanship. Unfortunately, because of this, many of their direct stories have been lost to history, with the only tales of their endeavors being passed down aurally at their communal baths.
Religion
Personal Beliefs
While most of the races believe in some semblance of the afterlife, or the gods, rhinotaurs do not believe in anything but the hunt. They worship nothing, their sight only on the days ahead.
History
General History
Not much is known about the history of the rhinotaurs. They don’t pass their knowledge down by inscription, and there is often so much infighting that they don’t live long enough to pass down their lore aurally.
It is supposed that the rhinotaurs likely have a similar origin to their minotaur adversaries. They were likely at one point living in relative peace and on track to lead a life of cultivation and intelligence, but they were driven from their homes at the points of a blade.
Unlike the minotaurs, the rhinotaurs devolved into strings of nomadic savages, tearing into anything that gets in their way.
Technology
General Technology
Because intelligence is often shirked by the massive rhinotaurs, and because they are so solitary, they have never really expressed an interest in expanding their technology. Outside of updating their weapons and armor, it is rare to see them embracing anything that endorses forward change.
Unfortunately, this includes medical advances. When a rhinotaur is injured, they will typically be adverse to recovery, and will have a senseless death indeed.
Magic
Rhinotaurs have absolutely no concept of magic. In fact, it is one of the things that almost exclusively frighten them. The idea of energy being manipulated from seemingly nothing can shake them to their very core.
Military/Combat
Military Structure
While wars are typically not fought between the rhinotaurs and other races, due to their solitary nature, they have come to arms against minotaurs on several occasions. They will also participate in the wars of other races in smaller numbers. On their own, they are difficult to mobilize, which may be a boon to many other races.
Weapons and Tools
The huge race favor hefty axes and polearms like minotaurs. They also wield curved lances that are shaped similarly to their horns. Occasionally, just like the rhinotaurs, a secondary tine will be affixed off the side or further back.
Wars and Enemies
They don’t typically have very many enemies, or the propensity for war, but they will find themselves at odds with other large races, including minotaurs and giants. They can often be found assisting goblins or gnolls.
Michael DeAngelo
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