Learn the lore behind minotaurs and how to use them to create unique encounters for your D&D 5e game. [https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e8/30/cf/e830cfb2c5a11be6c5fe77590db26fff.jpg]
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/847380486112304073/
Quest Objectives
- Gather survivors
- Navigate your way through the Citadel
- Slay Colmar
***
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Fear pounding through him, Grey found himself backing away, inch by inch, the cold seeping through his veins. Tamrel’s voice cut off by the darkness that blanketed his mind. The horror of having to relive the moment, replaying itself a thousand times at the back of his mind. Each time seeing his family die, again, and again. Each time, he would cower away, and do nothing as heard his mother was being torn apart by the creature that had once been their friend, their home swarming with people they had known their whole lives, devouring her piece by piece. The rotten carcass of her cadaver, left there to rot, as he tried to envision himself somewhere else, prayed to the lightbearer that this was all some horrible nightmare from the dreamless mother, and that he hadn’t seen his father be hauled off into the darkness by shadowy beings that were more smoke than flesh.
Uncontrollable shivers running down his spine, he heard a voice speak to him, but this one felt real, real as the stone that quaked beneath him. It’s blunt, fiercerity, forcing him to open his eyes, he hadn’t even known he had closed. The warriors that surrounded him, equally confused as they drew their greatswords upwards and wreathed their blades with flames that sent the shadows skittering back across the stone walls.
The minotaur that stepped out from the darkness to face them, an immense warrior in rigid black plate with the tips of his horns sharpened into fine edges, his bloodshot red eyes piercing the darkness as he stood there calmly, watching them, his greatsword still sheathed at his back. “Hello, brothers. Have you missed me?”
Shuddering at his words, Grey felt his heart flutter with rage as Winters, drew back the helmet from his skull to reveal his badly scarred lips, his square jaw marred by claw marks. “Come now, brothers, and give me a proper greeting. I have longed to taste your blood on my blade.” The minotaur that was more beast than man, pulling out the decapitated skull of a young boy from behind his back as he smiled down at them.
Ears pounding so loudly at the casual cruelty of this monstrous beast, Grey felt himself rushing forward before he even realised what he was doing, his body smouldering like a furnace, and saw the men around him, lose their minds as well as they charged recklessly towards the blood spattered warrior, who mocked them with the head of a child in his grasp. Falkneer’s shouts to him from behind, lost upon deaf ears as soared across the open space.
Winter at the very last second, tossing the head with enough force to knock Grey off balance, before the big bastard burst forward with unbelievable speed, his greatsword in his hands as he sheared through the Honor Blades, his every movement flawless and perfect as he butchered them all to pieces, laughing as the blood sprayed across his face.
Staring into the dead eyes of the boy, Grey could not help but see the similarities to himself as gently placed the head down, and rolled back up to his feet. Winter’s having quickly dealt with all the surviving Honor Blades, turning to laugh mockingly at Falkneer who remained where he was. The flame lit shadows that illuminated his craggy face, showing nothing at all, his dark eyes glittering in the darkness.
Greatsword swishing by his side to rid himself of the blood that coated his blade, Winter’s smiled dangerously. “Guess you didn’t train them as well as you trained me, master? But then I was always better at killing than you ever were.”
Brown eyes hardened into stone, Falkneer looked over towards Grey, his expression softening a little. “You okay, lad?”
Grey nodded his head, and felt his face flush red with anger at the easy way he had fallen so easily prey to the minotaur’s bait, however there was no time for recriminations now. With the battle raging on behind them somewhere, Grey knew he could not let this minotaur bastard past, and yet judging by his level of skill, he knew he was outmatched. Even with the powers offered to him by Tamrel, this warrior was still beyond him, and yet, Falkneer made no move to leave this place.
Initially Grey thought it was because the wily old fox wanted to simply buy time for the stragglers to get away, but judging by the hard look in his eyes, Grey doubted that very much. There was a connection between these two written in blood and one that had grown stronger over time.
Wincing at the sound of the rubble being cleared further down the hall, he let out a grimace at the sight of more black armored figures moving in to join Winters who for some reason, remained where he was, his eyes locked onto Falkneers, before his gaze swept of Grey’s. His look so cold and calculating, Grey felt his fur tingle at the animosity in those blood red eyes. The black armored commander advancing towards him slowly.
Fighting the rising panic that threatened to overwhelm him, he swallowed back the bile that rose up at the back of his throat, and then with a look towards Falkneer, he stepped forward to meet him.
(Click here to use Heavy Stance.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
He was no glutton for punishment, but even he knew that the only way to end this fight before it could really begin was to come at the big warrior with all that he had, and do what he can to slow their advance.
Greatsword lifted upward into a two handed stance, he drifted deeper into the sword, sharpening his mind and body, then as he heard the thud of Winter’s steel boots hit the ground, he swung the weapon downwards in cascading strikes that sped down, before curving back up again, each blow meant to pulmerise his opponent’s arms and turn them into jelly. The screeching of metal against metal, showering them both in bright orange sparks.
Foot sliding backwards, he watched Winters smile at him, the minotaur’s pearly white teeth outlined against the shimmering black flames that swirled all around him. Each of Grey’s blows met with enough force that he felt his grip slip on the greatsword, before the weapon was torn from his grasp. The blade’s flame going out in and instant as it bounced across the ground.
And in that split second as steel flashed through the air, Grey knew he was dead. (Lack of judgement and skill has resulted in a permanent loss of 1 attack dice.)
(Click here to use Light Stance.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
If strength could not work here, then perhaps speed would.
Moving on the balls of his feet, he brought Tamrel back up to his hip, and drifted deeper into the sword, sharpening his mind and body, then as he heard the thud of Winter’s steel boots hit the ground, he floated forward to dance across the stony surface, his greatsword a part of him, that flew outward in smooth, graceful motions, that at once seemed so slow, and yet so incredibly fast that it blurred through the air. His steel greatsword forcing a surprised Winters back, before the big warrior let out a bark of laughter, and switched forms to match his speed.
The pair of them dancing back and forth under the watchful eye of Falkneer and the other warriors that had come to destroy this place.
Greatsword loose in his grip, he focused on his breathing, and tried to watch Winter’s footwork, who much to Grey’s surprise, despite being bigger than, old Falk, was deadly quick on his feet, each of his forms effortless and perfect.
It reminded Grey of his battle with Falkneer in the courtyard where he had been soundly beaten, and while he had learned a little since that time, he could find no opening in Winter’s defenses. Each time he thought there was one, the minotaur would grin as though wishing he would take it, before his greatsword would spear forward at incredible speed, turning the opening into a trap that had Grey spinning backwards.
Arms grown heavy and back soaked with sweat from the intense exertion, Grey could feel his energy slowly draining away with Winters continuing to pummell his arms, until with a sudden change in form, the minotaur brought his greatsword down into a heavy two handed stance, and smashed the blade out of his grasp.
And in that split second as steel flashed through the air, Grey knew he was dead. (Loss of 10 Resilience for 3 future battles.)
(Click here to use Balance Stance.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
With little to no knowledge of his opponent, Grey knew he could take no risks here, so chose the option that would best keep him alive, until he had time to gauge his opponent's abilites.
Footwork measured and slow, he took up a defensive posture with both hands firmly grasped around the hilt of his greatsword and waited for Winters to make his move.
The pair of them staring each other off, before the big warrior moved with incredible speed to bring his greatsword down to bear on him, while Grey did everything he could to deflect the blow. The deluge of attacks that followed, battering away at Grey’s arms incessentantly, the heavy strikes, switching from one form to the next form, effortlessly pushing him further and further back, until he realised suddenly that the minotaur was playing with him.
Luckily for him, that wasn’t the only thing he noticed. While being better trained and able to switch forms much faster and much easier than Grey, he noticed that Winters favored his right side. If he could combine light with balanced there was a chance he could crack the minotaur’s defenses, but that could leave him vulnerable and exposed if his blade couldn’t penetrate Winter’s armor. Then there was the option of using balanced and heavy stance, which would still give him the opening he needed, but perhaps make him too slow to act.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
(You’ve unlocked mixed stances.)
Heavenly Strike (Balanced & Heavy Stance) - Allows you to use two additional dice in attack.
Thunder Blade (Balanced & Light Stance) - Resilience doubled.
(Click here to use Heavenly Strike.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
Certain either option would mean death for him anyway, Grey let out a snarl of rage, and timed his next attack to meet Winter’s blade as the huge warrior switched into light stance and with a twist of Grey’s wrist he knocked the greatsword aside, leaving Winter’s open for an attack, and thrust Tamrel towards the minotaur’s chest.
Winter’s dumbfounded for an idle second, stared at Grey in wide eyed surprise, before he coiled his fist backwards and sent Grey reeling with a crushing blow to the side of his skull that sent shockwaves along his jawline. Grey’s mind going briefly dark, before he saw steel flash through the air. And in that moment he knew he was dead.
(Click here to use Thunder Blade.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
Certain either option would mean death for him anyway, Grey let out a snarl of rage, and timed his next attack to meet Winter’s blade as the huge warrior switched into light stance and with a twist of Grey’s wrist he knocked the greatsword aside, leaving Winter’s open for an attack, and thrust Tamrel towards the minotaur’s chest.
Winter’s dumbfounded for an idle second, stared at Grey in wide eyed surprise, before he coiled his fist backwards and sent Grey reeling with a crushing blow to the side of his skull that sent shockwaves along his jawline. Grey’s mind going briefly dark, before he saw steel flash through the air. And in that moment he knew he was dead.
But then he wasn’t and he didn’t know why?
Head lifted upwards, he felt a sudden wash of premonition as he looked up to see Falkneer standing over him, his greatsword roaring with flames as he swatted Grey to the ground, and parried away Winter’s attack.
The old warrior, glancing down at him briefly, before grunting, “You still have a lot to learn, boy, but that will have to wait for another day. There’s a tunnel to the north-west of here that will get you past the inner wall of the Citadel and into the temple. If you are going to end this fight, you’ll need to find Colmar, and do it now. You hear me, lad?”
Senses deadened to everything around him, Grey stared down at his hands, again seeing the midnight steel blade sweeping down towards his throat, when Falkneer grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and shook him awake. His rheumy dark eyes looking deep into Grey’s as he spoke softly, “You’ll never win every battle, but that doesn’t matter as long as you keep fighting. Now I need you go, brother, and leave this one to me. Darkness has come to our sanctuary, and there is no more time for doubts. Go, save your friends, and end this war. The fate of the Citadel now rests in your hands.”
Unable to believe Falkneer had called him ‘brother’, Grey searched the old wrinkled warrior’s face, and saw him smile as though it were the first time. “Go now. I have another pupil I must teach, one that is in dire need of a lesson in honor, duty, loyalty, and decency.”
Winter’s who had done nothing but stand there during the whole exchange, laughed at Falkneer’s last words, and retreated back a step to wave at his men that tried to get past him. “Hold here, this fight is mine. Let’s see if your skills are as good as they used to be, old fool.”
Blades blurring through the air, Grey found himself instantly entranced as the two master swordsmen went at each other with movements so fast Grey found his jaw gaping open, the shock of his defeat, mixed in with a dawning realisation that he was no longer needed here, and that every second he wasted, more lives would be lost.
Scrambling back up to his feet, he quickly retrieved Tamrel, wondered if he should try to help Falkneer, but one angry glower from the ancient Honor Blade in the midst of battle was enough for Grey to get moving again, and head back down the corridor. The ground rocked by more explosions that brought dust down to tickle the back of his throat and get in his eyes as he tried to race back the way he had come. The chamber where he had entered a blood drenched massacre of fallen Honor Blades, black armored warriors, and commonfolk that had been caught up in the middle of it all. The candles that burnt in the nooks along the walls, exposing light brown walls darkened by rivulets of fresh blood that ran down in streams. The racks of weaponry that sat around pillar in the center of the room, mostly bare with only a few recently sharpened swords remaining, and a crate that looked like it might still have a few potions inside of it.
Kneeling down beside it, he collected the last remaining vials, and quickly headed for the north western tunnel as Falkneer had told him to do, the winding corridor lined with more bodies that caused Grey to pause and check to make sure that none of them were his friends, though in the chaotic mess it was hard to tell who was who. (Acquired x 4 Health Poultices: Heals 20 Health Points each (Can only be used once.)
Hoping against hope that they had made it out okay, he pressed onward along the empty corridor, his feet slapping against the puddles of blood, and heard the ring of steel on steel. The battles that were being waged down below, growing less frenzied as the ground beneath him slowly stopped shaking, which did not bode well.
Ears pricked at the sound of bones being cracked and slurped, he turned the next corner, and discovered a side chamber along the hallway that was filled with dozens of blood soaked Ash Spawn, surrounded by innards, and feeding upon the recently dead. Their pale pink flesh decorated with shades of deep red, while behind them hunkered in the far corner, huddled two females and a scared little boy, hiding underneath a bed. All it would take was for one of the beasts to turn their heads to see them and end their short lives.
Fortunately for Grey however the way ahead was clear, and with the beasts distracted, he could easily slip past them undetected, but then that would mean leaving the three survivors to their ghastly fates.
(Click here to face off against the Ash Spawn.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
Remembering the code he swore to uphold, he took a deep calming breath to settle his nerves, then charged into the room with a roar. Tamrel, slicing through flesh and bone as the creatures turned and came at him on all fours, their horns aimed at his chest, and claws raking his flesh as Grey chopped them apart. His form moving from light stance to evade, then into heavy to cut them down, before backpedalling again to avoid their surging attacks, their monstrous howls, and twisted up faces lived with anger as they came at him with mouths that still had flesh clinging to their sharpened teeth. Their battle cries soon turning to moans of agony as Tamrel put an end to their lives.
[https://em.wattpad.com/23f626b77e63a5741c58a5713c89b08492a134e3/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f3754487368684b695436566c61513d3d2d3731343034373536372e313563366237353432613732616136313332393236333635373738322e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280] x 8
Adrenaline still coursing through his veins, he paused to take a breather, and look around the room to make sure he had gotten them all, before heading over towards the bed and paused. “The monsters are all dead now, if you can, you should get to the surface, and find a better place to hide. The fighting will not end here.”
No time to see whether or not they would heed his advice, he let out another heavy sigh, and walked back out the door. (+ 15 Honor.)
(Click here to leave them to their fate.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
No time to be taking risks like this, Grey bit the inside of his lips, and pushed on past the doorway, his body unable to shake the feeling he was being watched as he slipped away from the room. ( - 50 Honor.)
Knuckles tightened around the hilf of Tamrel, the corridor became darker ahead with the only source of light now coming from his blade, the whispers of the night crawling in through the back of his mind as he twitched at every sound. The last echoes of battle having finally grinding to a halt.
Mouth quirked upwards as he tried to feel his way along the walls, he saw four shining lights pierce the darkness.
Palms wet with sweat, he raised Tamrel higher in the hopes of seeing who it was first, then let out a soft hiss at the sight of the lights coming towards him, becoming more distinct, until he realised they were carrying greatswords like him, the unmistakable faces of Joral, and his fellow brother and sister appearing out of the darkness.
(Click if you have the required trust of the Honor Blades: Required Trust 150.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
Grinning at him, Joral held out his arm to clasp Grey by the wrist. “It is good to see you, brother, I had feared we were the last ones left alive down here. We had hoped to link up with the others, but we’ve seen no one else down here besides those god cursed beasts, and the traitorous curs who led them here.”
Grey who was still unsure as to what had happened to bring the Citadel down around them, opened his mouth to question Joral further, but already sensed the explanation would be a long one and would take time away they did not have.
Soreen after staring at him for a moment as though not believing he was really here, finally asked, “You know the way back out of this place is the way you came?”
Grey nodded his head and let out a heavy sigh, the weight and speed of everything that had just happened, weighing him down more than realised. Then shrugged his big shoulders. “Falkneer says this way will lead me to the temple, and hopefully Colmar.”
Eyes widened at the obvious suggestion of what he planned to do, Joral’s face split into a grin, his hazel coloured eyes lighting up in delight. “Then let us join you, brother. Together we shall fight our way into the beating heart of our enemy and put an end to this bloodshed.”
But as much as Grey wanted to believe that it would be that easy, he somehow doubted that the way forward would be anything but, still, he it couldn’t hurt to get some help.
(You’ve gained four Honor Blades to act as your allies and companions. Each Honor Blade is worth 100 Health Points each and can be used to take the damage dealt to you.)
(Click if you do not have the required trust of the Honor Blades: Required Trust 150.)
Spoiler: Spoiler
Face stiffening at the sight of Grey, Joral lifted his greatsword upwards as though preparing himself to attack. Tamrel warning Grey of the threat posed to his life, when Sureen seeing the look in Joral’s eyes stepped out in front of him and placed an arm on his shoulder.
“Leave him be, Jora, we don’t have time to waste here. Our brothers are still in danger, we must keep moving.”
Eyes hot with anger, the young minotaur, exchanged hard looks with her, before letting out a snarl, and lowering his greatsword. The young minotaur brushing past angrily and mutturing, “May your death be a slow one.”
Tamrel quiet for now, he continued along the relatively quiet corridor, Joral taking his left side, while Sureen and Nazdrael took up the rear guard. The darkness that had been caused by the candles going out, becoming lighter as they neared the end of the tunnel. The corridor opening up into an underground canal, spanned by a single grey bridge that sat above water that had been darkened by blood and flooded with bloated corpses that released a noxious stench. The air filled with buzzing balls of white light, and blue electrical charges of energy that sparked through the air and brought the fur on the back of his neck rising up.
More importantly he could feel some type of strange magic flowing through him, like this place was a direct channel to dark energies that ran through the world. His body nerve endings awakened by something he did not understand. However, all of that was wiped away by the presence of something else that he sensed here, something powerful and ancient, a being that smelled of neither darkness nor light.
Heart thundering inside of his chest, he began to wonder what it could be, when the air on the bridge twisted and warped together, revealing a distinctly human figure in midnight coloured robes, her grey wrinkled skin waxing with delight as she saw him and smiled. “Well isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”
To be Continued...