Palaestroi

The Palaestroi (pronounced pal-AY-stroy) are a minotaur tribe in northwestern Magnia. Well-known for their skilled masonry, most Palaestroi live in or around the semi-subterranean city of Stoneshelter, but some members of the tribe can be found across northern Hellea.

History

The Palaestroi are one of the most ancient of the minotaur tribes of Hellea. Records indicate Eurykrates sought their support in his conquests of the peninsula; unusually, after his request for them to join the ranks of his armies was rebuffed, he left peacefully, a much different outcome than others in the same position faced.

Location

The majority of the Palaestroi live in or near the city of Stoneshelter, a community built partially underground in the foothills of the Sentinel Peaks. Over the centuries some have left for other cities and villages throughout Magnia, the Machaian League, or elsewhere, but it is rare for the minotaurs to leave permanently, as nearly all make the journey to Stoneshelter at least once for their name-carving.

Culture

Religion

Worship of the Hellean pantheon is widespread amongst the Palaestroi. Most feel a particularly close connection to Khalkeus, with the temple to the god by far the largest and most prominent in Stoneshelter, but offerings are also commonly given to Ananke and Psais. Unlike most others in Hellea, however, the Palaestroi rarely view the gods as closely connected to, and interacting with, the mortal realm, seeing in them moral teachings without literalism.

Traditions

As stoneworkers, the reputation of the Palaestroi across Hellea and even farther afield is unrivaled. While most prefer to direct their labors towards projects that benefit their families and communities, others have been known to travel abroad, where they can easily sell their services to the rich and powerful.

Wrestling is a very popular activity amongst the Palaestroi. Several styles of the sport were first developed by the minotaurs before they eventually spread more broadly throughout Hellea.

Architecture and urbanization

The Palaestroi are masterful crafters, and are especially renowned masons, their stonework and architecture the envy of all across Hellea. In their old communities, both in Stoneshelter and in its outlying villages, it is common for homes to be multi-generational, with each young adult trained in their traditional craft adding new features, whether that be carving out a new storeroom, decorating with a new mosaic, or something else entirely. As centuries pass both homes and the communities they are within become increasingly more byzantine and difficult to navigate for the unfamiliar, though those who grow up within find it to be little trouble.

Paleastroi settlements are very close-knit - even in the relatively large city of Stoneshelter it is unusual for any resident of a neighborhood to not know, and frequently talk to, all who live in the surrounding homes.

Food and agriculture

Though they have been settled for far longer than the other tribes of Magnia, the Palaestroi continue to rely on hunting and foraging for their food - they engage in relatively little agriculture. Foraging parties are regularly sent out from their settlements into lands quite far away at times, tasked with bringing back enough until the next party must be dispatched.

Names

The names of Palaestroi minotaurs are mononymic - they do not make use of surnames, relying on references to their parents, aunts, and uncles in cases where familial relations are relevant. Until the age of six they are known by informal affectionate nicknames, or simply as "child". At this point their families convene in a great celebration of their birthday, part of which involves collectively deciding on the name they will carry for the next stage of their life.

Once a decision is reached, the child and their family travel to the Life Wall, a massive stone panel in the under-city of Stoneshelter that bears the names of all Palaestroi dating back millennia. There the child carves their name into the Wall amongst those of their forebears, a permanent monument to their existence for all future generations. Though there is much ceremony to this process, it is not necessarily permanent, for in Palaestroi society an individual may change their name for any manner of reasons. Should they decide to do so, they simply return to the Wall once more, carve their old name away, and etch in a new one in its place.