So, I've introduced a new race into my story. Minotaurs.
Appearance: Large, but humanoid in form. Men grow up to eight feet tall, and have long horns on each side of their head, sometimes equaling four feet in length. They have thick, knotted necks to hold their heads up and are covered in thick hair. Hands are similar to humans but they have claws they can extend much like a cats. These are long and black and poisonous. Lacerations caused by them are very prone to infection as well. The women are usually smaller, and they are missing the horns the males have, but their claws are longer, and they're very fast. They're of average intellect, but you don't usually find a brilliant genius minotaur.
Society: Patriarchal fighting society. Status is determined by hunting exploits and dueling. Huge horns are also a huge status boost. Men do the hunting (yes, they are omnivorous) and fighting with other minotaur tribes. They also build the houses, and till the fields, and run most of the village affairs. The women cook the food (except for meat which is also considered a man's job.) They plant and harvest the fields, and make the clothing and other things needed for the house. The ratio of men to women is slightly lopsided, so duels are usually over marriage rights. (3 men/2 woman.) That sounds chauvinist, but really the whole culture is very chivalrous and respectful.
History: Minotaurs are originally from a large island (kind of like Iceland) off the coast of the mainland, but those who tried to migrate to the mainland were killed as monsters by the humans. That was maybe a thousand years ago and there has been no further contact. Minotaurs withdrew into their own society and told horrible stories about hairless demons that haunted the mainland shores. Then about a century ago the island was re-discovered and a tentative trade was established. Soon chieftains of the different tribes noticed that they could sell their war captives as slaves to the traders, and they were highly prized for their strength and ability to do work. So minotaurs have been re-introduced into the mainland and a slave population has multiplied and grown.
*deep sigh* So nice to get all that sorted out.
Just a few more miscellaneous things.Horns. They're REALLY important to a male minotaur. His whole national pride and masculinity are bound up in them.
Insults. This is the reason I didn't put them in the creatures category. (Besides them being sentient and having a culture.) Don't EVER call a minotaur "cow" or "ox" or anything similar. They REALLY resent anything comparing them to a beast and it really hurts and angers them to be called names like that. They're very sensitive.
Any questions? They're still fairly rough.
So glad you like them! Do you have any questions to help me flesh it out more?
Tsahraf has the best ideas.