Murhuus, The Land of Minotaurs

Murhuus, The Land of Minotaurs, is a claim made for Shard #9, Caelmar . It was created by /u/TechnicolorTraveler. It is populated by the Denru.

### GEOGRAPHY

These lands are cool in the winter and warm in the summer, with frequent light rain for most of the year and heavier rain in others. The only time it doesn’t rain is when all the land is covered in pollen and spores. The land itself lifted off from the surface seas long ago when the first terrestrial plants were learning to rule, and over the millenia more smaller rocks have migrated up and joined the rocky and precarious coast, bringing with it, fungi, strange trees, and stranger primordial animals which have since evolved in isolation across the foggy moors. To the north and west are rocky Highlands where metals and floatstone are mined, and between wide swaths of forests and idyllic wildlands are sprawling farms and “modern” agricultural marvels.

### BIOLOGY/ETHNICITY

The people of Murhuus are called Denru. They are large muscular minotaur-like creatures with bat-like wings. They have humanoid bodies, bovine heads, and bovine legs and tails, and are covered in thick warm fur. Denru average 6 to 7 feet tall, with roughly equal height for men and women, though men tend to have a greater muscle mass. Denru mature as fast as humans and live roughly as long as humans, though a bit shorter; the average life expectancy is 70 years. Denru come in solid shades of black, white, brown, beige, and in rare cases, auburn.

### RACIAL MAGIC

Denru Resilience and “The Push”. Denru have a passive magical ability to “tough out” difficult situations. Caught flying in a storm? It would still be harrowing but they’d survive. Had a long winter after bad harvests? Many would still die, but not nearly as many as in another nation. This is quirk gives them a reputation for having incredible endurance. The Push meanwhile is an activated feature of this quirk wherein a Denru can briefly push themselves beyond their body’s physical limits for feats of strength and power. The price of course is intense exhaustion afterward requiring rest equal or greater to the power expended. The strength of the push is relative to the strength of the person; body builders could push more than weak scholars, but they can still push themselves to be stronger than they could be otherwise.

### HISTORY

For untold years the Denru have lived in warring clans and small kingdoms through the region. Roughly 210 years ago, the campaign to unite the clans brought the Denru together under the banner of the Venruun Greatheart, the first king of the Denru. Since then, through countless wars, breaks, and reassembly, the nation has “toughed it out” and remains to this day. Murhuus is divided into 7 provinces, each under a lord-governor and a semi-democratically elected “state governance”, all of which is ruled by a single monarch.

### SOCIETY

At the very top, Murhuus is ruled by a monarch, currently the Greatheart Clan (after a coup and a war in the past, they got their throne back about 80 years ago). The title of monarch goes to the eldest child of the current ruler, if they aren’t fit, it goes to the next in the line of succession or the royal council until a fit successor is found. Below the monarch’s council are the lord governors who rule with their own council, each of the seven provinces, each with a significant degree of autonomy. Many have called the nation “seven nations in a long coat” for a reason. Murhuus as a whole is an egalitarian nation of many small hamlets and plantations ruled by old nobles and farmed by peasants. Between the nobility and the peasants are the Guild class (also known as the “gilded class”). These include the Commerce Guild for merchants and landless gentry, the Arcanum Guild for the non-military affiliated mages, and the Artisans Guild for singers, artists, and the like, just to name a few guilds. At all levels however the old clans from the days of yesteryear still hold some sway. Every Denru still holds their old clan name, or earns one when the monarch recognizes a new clan, though for the majority of people most of their clan’s power has long since diluted into little more than a hollow pedigree. Those with stronger pedigrees however are often granted seats of power and authority, scholarships, respect, and prestige. All clans are named for a particularly honorable ancestor, so they always hold a certain level of respect and are almost always used as Denru surnames.

### CULTURE

The Denru are a mainly agrarian race of people with rich history, deep community bonds, and deep social ties often spanning hamlets and generations. As the saying goes, “There is nothing stronger than the bond of the Herd.” While the average Denru is not particularly affluent, a whole town may pool their money together just to send a gifted youth to a good school or apprenticeship in an urban city. The Denru firmly believe that the strength of their community - their herd - depends on the strength of each member and thus value personal success and growth very highly. [I won’t go into their religion much cuz this is also very long, but basically,] they also believe that the only way into the afterlife is to be the best they can possibly be, otherwise they will be reincarnated to try again until they succeed.

### OCCURRENCE OF MAGIC

Notes: The genes for magic capability can be inherited or, in rarer cases, randomly crop up in the population. There are many well known mage families, the most prestigious of which is the Runehorn clan. Mages are highly respected and highly encouraged to get an education and put their magic to use (communities loathe a wayward mage). Some go into magitech work (a small but growing field), private work, work for their lord governors or monarch, the military, and academic work at the various schools around the nation. Denru magic is divided into 4 “schools” - each of which have their own prestigious academy citadel in the nation. The four schools are Abjuration (protection+nullification),Evocation (summoning+enchantment), Reparation(healing+purification), and War(a combination of all schools for military use). Magic occurs in a little over 1 in 200 people.

### MAJOR EXPORTS/IMPORTS

#### Exports

hemp and hemp products (paper, fabric, sail canvas, rope, etc), mined materials (iron, zinc, and floatstone), wool and wool products, dairy products (from sheep, goats, and some unique animals), beer, excess agricultural products: wheat, barley, rye, potatoes, carrots, radishes, tofu, rice, beans, nuts, and various unique plants found only in the region, floatstone, and finally, magitech.

#### Imports

finished metal products, raw metals, various stones: granite, marble, limestone, etc, leather products, magitech, books, magic+mages, various lumber, honey, silk, etc.

## Post Archive

Claim Post

Notable Features of Denru Anatomy

Artegun Windsoul’s International Expedition Company

Denru Religion; Dead Gods and the Ancestors

Provinces of Murhuus and Major Locations

Magical Eduction in Murhuus pt.1

Inked Enchantments

Beasts on the Shore [1CE]

[Market Monday] Cirrika

Abjuration Magic of Murhuus

Evocation Magic of Murhuus

Reparation Magic of Murhuus

War Magic of Murhuus

A Murhusian Funeral

Warlocks and Wicked Machinations

What is the Price of Knowledge?

The Four Legendary Artifacts of Murhuus

Domesticated Animals of Murhuus

Warlocks and Wicked Machinations pt2

Marriage in Murhuus: It’s all About the Family

Moonstone Touched Fauna of Murhuus

Small Problems in Murhuus

WSW The Stock Market

Just Some Peaceful Denru Art

Amphi-Mammals of Murhuus

More Small Scenes in Murhuus

More Mammals From Murhuus

The Black Company

Murhusian Clothing

Magical Motion Picture: the Moonglass Kinetoscope

The Beringard Scholarship Riot

Just Coffee Shop Banter

Boiling Tensions Bubble Over

Six Months Since the Lords Banquet

Brothers at Arms

Five Souls Seeking Asylum

Observations on the Murhusian Civil War

Dear Papa: Letters From the Front

The Battle of Cirrika

The Response From Lumehem

The Response from Nierahem

Consolidation of the Southern Provinces

The Battle of Dentred Fortress

The Proud AWIEC Sailor

Winged Bulls on Desert Soil

The End of the Murhusian Civil War

The Denru and the Kroars

WSW Magitech Electric Guitars and the Birth of Metal Music

Mythological Creatures of Murhusian Folklore

Magical Creatures of Sverhem

The Life of Doragar Windblade the 3rd

Amadus Peaceblade, First Prime Minister of Murhuus

Urban Planning and Architecture

Sewage Enchantments in Murhuus

Talk of Eduction Reform in Murhuus

The Things Murhuus Could Be But Was Never Done