Taurokian
Origin World: Gruundark
Current Homeland: Marata
Pantheon: Myraxys
Language: Taurokian
The Taurokians are an extinct race of minotaurs that allied with the god-king Oranthel on his crusade to topple the fledgling Triundan Empire. Massively muscled humanoids with the powerful horned heads of bulls, these beast-men were powerful combatants, easily challenging the Ogres on the world of Gruundark for supremacy. Their martial prowess originated from their culture that was steeped in brutal warfare and ritualistic dark arts. They learned to master the secrets of steel and iron, forging some of the finest armor and weapons ever wielded on Terminus. The Taurokian warriors were known for their strength, speed and frenzied charging ability that they would often use to gore large formations of troops. Filled with boastful pride and quick tempers, the Taurokians were always a threat to even themselves. Like a bull in a china shop, the Taurokians propelled themselves through life in a chaotic and unyielding fashion, never relenting until death.
History
Far from this time and reality, on a planet called Gruundark, the Taurokians had fought an eternal battle with their brutish rival, the Ogres. Here upon lands dominated by ice and rock, the two clashed in battles bathed in crimson tidal waves. It was in this savage world that a fragment was plucked and delivered to the world of worlds called Terminus. Marooned in the patchwork landscape and outnumbered by their ancient foes, the Taurokians were driven south into the foothills of the Strontian Mountains. Within this land of stone, the horned refugees began to carve a fortress that would become the foundation of their new homeland. Small in numbers, yet skilled warriors, the Taurokians stood their ground for centuries, always searching for a means to overtake the Ogre clans of Icehammer. Tales of the might of the small and tenacious Taurokian nation spread through the Dwarven and Human empires. When the Martial Era brought about the great wars, the berserker hordes of the Taurokians were recruited to fight alongside the god-king Oranthel’s army in his crusade to topple the fledgling Kingdom of Triundia. In what was meant to be the crushing blow, the great city of Archway was placed under siege, but in the darkest hour ancient forces returned to lay waste to the hordes of Oranthel, eradicating what is believed to be the entirety of the Taurokian race. Now extinct upon Terminus, the Taurokian's only legacies are their great steeds of Icehammer and tales of their epic battles.
The tales of the Taurokians upon Terminus was believed to be over, but within the recent waves of planar collisions the bones of the undead forces of Oranthel have risen to continue the fight within the ancient battlefields where they fell. The horned Taurokian skeletons are now considered some of the most dangerous creatures stalking Kingsreach and other ancient battle sites.
