History
Pathetic. Simply pathetic. To believe that the unyielding might of the Great Kurultai Empire is even remotely matched by the scum that surrounds us? It is a sign of ignorance. I shall enlighten you.

We come from humble roots, our minotaurian forefathers split into nomadic clans that wandered in search of water and game within the southern badlands of the Old World. We were divided, vulnerable despite our superior strength and hardiness. Not until the coming of the Great Hero, Haraj Kurultai, did we unite. It is said that the Great Hero was born fully-formed from the stars themselves, riding upon the constellation Draco with His mighty gunpowder-weapon held aloft.

Haraj Kurultai brought together the nomadic clans under a single banner. Under His rule we annihilated, conquered, and assimilated other races into our superior culture. We gave them our weapons and armor, we taught them our beautiful language. And so our empire grew. There was no use for magic when our technological achievements were far more effective.

The Great Hero's gift of gunpowder gave us an edge over our enemies, and we promptly adapted it into several different technologies never before seen on the battlefield. Along with our catapults and trebuchets, there were now new pieces of machinery that eliminated hordes of opposing soldiers before they could even begin whispering a magical incantation. Improving the old and inventing the new, the Great Kurultai Empire is the greatest civilization that has ever existed, and will ever exist.

Even despite the passing of the Great Hero, His blood lives on in that of the Sultans after him; and thus, a portion of his spirit. With the discovery of Kande, the New World, it is only the beginning; we will grow, and we will destroy. You just may be next.

Government
The Kurultai Empire is a monarchy ruled by a (always minotaur) sultan. The sultan functions not only as the absolute ruler of the Empire and all its inhabitants, but is also the highest ranking leader of its military. Kurultai has no official religion, and most of their ranks are atheists, but those ruled by them have the freedom of religion if they so choose. The laws imposed by the Empire on their conquered lands are some of the most strict in all of Dinja, discouraging many of the most petty criminals through threats of a death penalty.

The People
Those who find themselves under the looming and expansive leadership of Kurultai are incredibly disciplined and hardy. Due to the sheer expanse of the empire, language and religion may be subject to variation based on geography and race involved; most commonly the denizens of the Empire study their mother tongue as well as the Minotaurian dialect Kurultaic, the harsh official language of Kurultai.

Due to the rejection of magic within the Empire, only civilians are capable of learning magic, and must travel elsewhere to receive training. The honor of oneself and one's family is a Minotaur tradition spread throughout the races under the empire, and is the main reason most healthy males (and several females as well) between 16 and 60 join the military.

Armed Forces
The Kurultaic military is simple but effective, based primarily on systems of ten; ten soldiers compose a squad, ten squads a company, and ten companies a regiment. The Empire is unique in that its entire military is not trained whatsoever in the use of magic, sacrificing mana for technological advances. Kurultai is widely known for the sheer brutality of its attacks, as well as their masterful use of mounted archers and an abundant menagerie of siege and anti-infantry machines including catapults, trebuchets, ribauldequins and more.

All soldiers are trained in the use of a glaive upon admission into the military, even if it may not be their main weapon used. Some archers, especially minotaur soldiers and other stronger races, are well-known for their use of special "Minotaurian longbows," which exceed six feet in length and are capable of sending barrages of arrows across several hundred feet. Though Kurultai initially invented firearms, they have only moderately developed them; musketeers and arquebusiers mingle lightly within the archer ranks.