Harka Tribal Combine

Like most Beastkin it is unknown how they came to be on Tyrrell, be it natural evolution or be it creatures unnaturally uplifted by the Field or the Forgotten. In either case the beastkin subtype of minotaurs can be found all across Tyrrell often adapting to the environment they reside in. The Minotaurs of Ciradon vary from herd to herd and can resemble multiple types of anthropomorphic Bovine, from resembling large muscular bison and hairy buffalo, to the more skinny Zebu or more classical cattle. Similar to humans and other species, Minotaurs come in a wide range of body types, colours, shapes and sizes. 

Most Minotaurs are omnivores but often prefer a Vegan or pescatarian diet consisting of wild-grain, bugs, roots, fruits and fish. Nearly all minotaurs are naturally gregarious and fond of company, living in unstructured herds that consist of large extended families where the herd is led by those chosen by their social standing, size or by pure chance. Together they roam in search of food, company and resources adopting a nomadic lifestyle often returning to favourite seasonal spots. 

Most elderkin have ignored these journeys besides the rare occasional trade, enslavement or alliance between individual herds and elderkin factions.

The time of the spread out nomading herds were over when the 9th gate opened on the island of Velta in the ruby sea and swiftly the armies of the forgotten spread across Tyrrell. Beastkin were killed, enslaved, corrupted and displaced. That included the worlds Minotaurs, the ancestors of the Harka where enslaved, divided and formed into vast armies of cannon fodder sent to blunt the blades of the Elderkin. 

The Army that would in the future become Harka, campaigned on the borders of the Elruth Empire, the Union of Greatholds and the Red Mountains, the minotaur shock troops backed by cultists and abominations of the Forgotten proved a lethal counter to the heavily armoured dwarves and many a border province where sacked beneath their hooves. 

As the elderkin counter attacks grew in momentum in the closing days of the 9th gate war, the minotaur horde found itself in  preparation to besiege the southern foothills of the Red Mountains and the Guilholds located there, though before any sidge tunnels could be dug or before any tunnels into the Red Mountains where breached, the 9th gate was closed. And all of the Forgotten’s abominations turned upon each other In a mad frenzy, while the more sentient minions prepared to face the wrath of Tyrrells defenders and the madness of their once overlords. 

The minotaurs now with their old senses back found themselves surrounded by minotaurs and beastkin from all over Tyrrell, while the minotaurs where from many different scattered herds they still recognized their fellow minotaur kin and instinctively started to gather together in new forged herds, even through the differences in culture and language made the process tedious it still bore fruit. And the new Harka herds managed to hold on to a piece of land for themselves between the Keeka and Keruth rivers, by expelling the non-minotaur beastkin that once were their allies in the Forgottens Hordes, and by keeping the fallen cultists and elderkin at bay by their united bulk. 

The Harka found themselves unable to go back to their former lives as nomads in the centuries after the 9th gate war, rival lesserkin tribes and states popped up around them, some still remembering their raids or how they had treated their fellow beastkin after the banishment of the forgotten. The Harka gathered in 17 different herds of somewhat similar cultural and ethnic backgrounds and tried to adapt to a new life, some choosing to live along the rivers, others hiding in the hills and others raiding their neighbours for resources and knowledge.  

Skirmishes with the Kottur to the west, the dwarves to the north and the other lesserkin to the south and east allowed the different herds to maintain some of their martial learnings from the times under the Forgotten. At times new ideas could be gleaned or new resources could be gathered from trade or raids, but most times the Minotaurs were on the backfoot against their more aggressive neighbours . At times of hunger and drought the herds of the hills and plains would clash with the herds of the rivers, though this was not the norm. 

Things changed in the year 1542 of the 2nd age, 350 years after the end of the 9th Gate War. When a rare unarmed trading caravan travelled into the Harka Territories from the Pitted Sands towards the Dwarven Guildhold of Ryeka, unsurprisingly it came under attack by the local herd and were quick to surrender. Among the caravaneers were a number of foreign dwarves and to the Minotaurs great surprise a Cyclops, a being only heard of in old legends. 

The Cyclops was able to speak many of the tongues of the Minotaurs, and after allowing the dwarves to freely continue their journey it gathered the chieftains of the 15 herds of Harka, some it had to convince by way of word or strength. But eventually the Harka herds gathered in the first chieftain council since settling between the rivers. 

Over the next 300 years the Cyclops stayed with the harka, teaching them the farming techniques of strange human lands and helped them form a common language loosely inspired by their nearest elderkin neighbours; the dwarves. The Harka were more united than ever, thanks to the adoption of agriculture they became less reliant on foreign trade and raids, and allowed them to pursue the more docile and friendly traits of old. Openly trading with their old Kotturi Rivals and even opening up diplomatic channels to the Red Mountains thanks to the Cyclops. 

In 1842 The children of the 15 herds waved goodbye to their ancestors' guide as the Cyclops left for Elysia, and left the Minotaurs in the fate of their own elders and teachers. Armed with the teachings of irrigation and agriculture they prospered for a time. Until a century later the sound of hoofs and war drums could be heard in the east, as the green orcish hordes arrived.

The orcs have fought many war, lost some of the communities, lost land. Big Dwarf save.

Pals with Ryeka, the first contract, the slow manipulation, the brass bull, the replacement and destruction of their old culture

Modern times wod, smuggling human things from Turangar trough Elioda, independence movement from the youth.

This section is work in progress. 

The governance of the Harka Tribal Combine is intricately woven with the operations of the Ryekan Guild of Agriculture with both authority and mutual dependence. Guild guards stationed in Harka oversee the consistent flow of foodstuffs into the Red Mountains, ensuring a direct channel of trade exclusively with the Dwarven realm. Guards and Mercenaries employed by the guild patrol the borders, fiercely upholding the prohibition of external trade with the Beastkin, stopping the Minotaurs from trading with the outside world. 

Within Harkas Territories are divided into 11 communes overseen each by a Herd, each commune is led by a manager-chieftain, known as a "Vur'Koth." The Vur'Koth assumes the role of guiding their people in ceremonies and overseeing the meticulous distribution of produce and resources to the divine emissaries of the Guild of Agriculture who control their own administrative commune in the centre of Harkas Territories.

Within the communes the elder Minotaurs, often the Patriarchs or Matriarchs of the largest herd who manage the day to day of their large tight-knit community. The elders elect a member from their council or an exceptionally charismatic or talentful member of their community to be their Vur'Koth that will represent their commune and be their spokesperson for any dealings with the Rykean dwarves. 

The Council of chieftains is where the different Vur’Koth gather to discuss internal policies and external affairs. The Council is the de jure ruling body of Harka, but After the Orcish Invasions it is the The Rykean Guild of Agriculture that is the true de facto government of Harka, which also in a twisted way makes the Rykean High Lord of Agriculture Harkas “Monarch”. 

The communes have quite good relations with each other, though rivalries occur due to old blood between communities or in a bid to gain the favour of the Mountain. With the death of Ryekas Thane in the War of the Dawn, the guild of Agriculture has bolstered its effort in maintaining control of Harka and has gone to great lengths to achieve higher profit margins every year which helps fuel the rivalries between the communes even more.  

This section is work in progress. 

While some aspects of Harka resemble traits seen in primitive stone age or bronze age civilizations, some aspects of their culture are also more advanced than even some modern human nations. 

The Harka might have some of Ciradons most efficient pre-industrial  irrigation systems that allow them to produce large food yields way beyond what the arid climate they inhabit would suggest. The Harka canal and dams irrigate the river banks in a seasonal pattern, shifting which river side to use each year, replenishing the nutrients of the ground they don't use. Dwarven made aqueducts have helped spread their fields further, though in recent years the slow decrease in water has been slowly noticed as Harkas rivers are being taxed beyond their limit.

The Minotarus have natural endurance and strength and therefore rarely use beasts of burden, often choosing to carry goods or drag ploughs themselves, but do use river barges on the two rivers to carry heavier loads and has a number of watermills that are incorporated in different forms of production.

Harkas greatest advantage might be its metalworks, though they produce little themselves, the dwarves of Ryeka has happily supplied the Minotaurs with high quality ploughs, digging and farming equipment, often some ploughs have been in use for nearly hundreds of years thanks to the quality of their craftsmanship. 

The culture of Harka favours strong bonds between individuals, families and communities. Each of the 11 herds have their own unique cuisine, music and cultural dress. Some inherited and remembered since before the 9th gate war when the Minotaur herds were nomads that travelled the whole of Tyrrell.

Minotaurs live in tight knit herds containing between 60-120 families who see the Herd itself as one big family. A herd is each led by any number of Patriarchs or Matriarchs who either lead the herd together choosing one of their members to become Vur'Koth to represent the herd, this does not occur as a result of planning or coordination. Rather, each individual is choosing in correspondence with most other members, possibly through imitation, intimidation or possibly because all are responding to the same external circumstances resulting in a herd choosing their leader out of nearly pure instinct which have made internal politics on a herd level nearly absent. 

A herd can include coordinated groups where individuals have distinct roles, often individual families within the herd specialise in certain trades where a tradesperson teaches their offspring their art, like baking, farming, fishing and smithing.

Most minotaurs find partners within their own herd, but at times they also travel to other herds in search for partners. Most Minotaurs are polyamours and have multiple partners which they form a family with, each member of the family shares in raising their young and teaching them their trade, as well as providing resources and food for the family unit as a whole. An individual within the family through chance or social standing becomes its Matriarch or Patriarch and represents the family in official matters within the Herd.

Each minotaur has a personal preference in how they dress but nearly always dress in the colours of their Herd combined with the unique pattern of their family, which they either wear as a full outfit or as a simple band of cloth around their horn or arm. 

The mightiest families still wear colourful garments and patterns made from imported dyes from Elioda, though after the Orcish wars ended the dye trade, forcing those families to not make new garments, making them inherit their older members' clothes and patterns or adopt new less colourful colours. Nowadays most Minotaurs are clad in local or dwarven made textiles, often making them more earthy or drab in colour due to the limits of local dyes. 

The Harka after many generations influenced by dwarven or cyclops customs sometimes painting patterns on their foreheads or decorating their horns with dwarven runes, the Harka hope for the mystical aid of dwarven rune magic, even though the absence of Aurite or a Runesmith renders these adornments mostly cosmetic. 

Their language is heavily influenced by dwarven Core-Speak, with occasional Orcish words interspersed and most minotaur dialects drags each word out making them longer and slower, though an individual minotaur is able to pick up certain auditory information from each word based on rhythm, pitch and volume that is missed by non Minotaurs. 

The minotaur celebrate their own ancient festivities and rituals but have also picked up many dwarven habits, celebrations and rituals. The dwarven rituals are regarded with utmost reverence, as the Harka believe that any deviation may incur the wrath of the mountain. The close interaction with the dwarves has led the Harka to adopt a taste for strong drink and a surprising proficiency in mathematics, an unexpected skill for their brutish ox-like appearance.

Harka being now under the control of Ryekas Guild of Agriculture has resulted in Guild guards being the main military might of Harka. The Guild guard is responsible for patrolling Harkas borders and in enforcing the trade prohibition on foreign trade and travel. Following the War of the Dawn the guild also employed a large number of different mercenary groups to bolster its stretched manpower, with the “unfortunate” side effect of increased smuggling across Harkas borders.

The Minotaurs of Harka still continue to practise their ancient martial traditions, with entire families dedicated to the protection of the Herds. These families use equipment and martial arts considered outdated by nearly all modern standards, though it is still effective on some levels thanks to the natural biology of the Minotarus. 

Though their tools and equipment is of the highest standard, little can be said for their weapons where maybe the most advanced piece of weaponry is maybe the bow or the rare crossbow. With bronze or iron knives, axes and spears. Minotaur dietary culture contains little meat, and as such little progress has been made in the creation of tools that are used for hunting, often their only weapons are either repurposed tools, weapons that they have bartered for or their own two horns which they might adorn with metal plating, blades and spikes.

With a Minotarus body often being its best weapon, minotaurs through the ages have had a great appreciation for personal armour, helmets and shields. A minotaurs warriors most prized possession usually is their custom made helmet that is forged to fit their bovine heads.  The families in charge of protecting the herds are equipped with remnant and inherited weapons and armors from the orcish wars, often gear used by the orcs themselves thanks to the two species sharing similar bulky sizes.

While the Harkan Herd protectors have old outdated gear, that is not true for all Minotaurs. Since the end of Orcish war where a band of Minotaurs fiercely held the ground and protected a Rykean field commander, many young Minotaurs have found themselves employed in the legendary “Brassen Horns”. A Dwarven elite military unit consisting of only Minotaurs have since the end of the Orcish wars been in charge of protecting the Thane of Ryeka and and also had the honour of protecting the High King of The Red Mountains on some occasions. 

The Brassen Horns are clad in finely wrought Dwarven forged armour, wielding weapons in one hand that a dwarf would need two for. While an aspirant to the Brassen Horns needs to cut off their own horns, the helmet a full fledged member wear makes up for it. The fine crafted helmets have solid metal horns attached to them gilded with Ryekan brass and fieldic runes which with the aid of a Runepriest creates a fieldic shield around the wearer. 

The Brassen horns are armed with mostly halberds,but following the War of the Dawn they also wield dwarven firearms to great effect. The Brassen horns number around roughly 2000 Minotaurs accompanied by roughly 10-20 specially trained dwarven Runepriests that oversee the function of their equipment and runes.

• Harka was created by ZimZamZimbaloo.