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Well, Karathos' bio says he came from Taladas. It's another continent on Krynn, but in all honestly, I know little to nothing about it. I've always preferred Ansalon myself, which is where all of my other Dragonlance games (Pod-Caverns, Chronicles, and this one) take place. His bio specifically says he doesn't like talking about his past, so that should save you some trouble.

I can tell you a little about Minotaurs. Although keep in mind that Karathos is a bit of an oddball, as far as his people go. Most Minotaurs are evil, for instance, where as Karathos is not. So right off the bat, he's not 'average' even if he wasn't from a far-off land.

Overall, the Minotaur people are very honorable. They believe that one minotaur represents them all, so a dishonorable minotaur brings shame not only to himself and his family, but to his entire race. They believe that might makes right and are very competitive. They're also rather stuck on themselves--very arrogant, making the elves seem open-minded in comparison. They truly believe they are a superior race.

It is said that Minotaurs first came to Ansalon from Taladas. They invaded and managed to secure a foothold in a series of islands to the north, known as the Blood Sea Islands (including an island called Mithas). The Blood Sea earns its name from the fact that the waters are red. See, when the gods threw down a fiery mountain at the city of Istar (the Cataclysm), Istar sank to the bottom and became a new sea--the Blood Sea. Some say the waters are red because of the blood that was spilled that day, others think that is just a legend.

Although you probably wouldn't guess so, from their appearance, but the Minotaurs are actually a sea-fairing race. Minotaur pirates are a scourge in the seas of Ansalon, especially to the north. Minotaurs in Solamnia are very rare, so Karathos is bound to not only stick out, but probably frighten a few people in the process. However, the minotaurs do have a history with the knights. They value the knights' sense of honor, and it's even said that Huma Dragonbane himself fought alongside a minotaur known as Kaz.

I do know that in Taladas, the minotaur civilization covers a 1/4 of the continent. They are called the League of Minotaurs and may well be the most advanced civilization on all of Krynn. It's a very harsh existence, however, where concepts of mercy and compassion are seen as weakness.

I am just popping by, nosing, thought I'd let you know Hubby is away all week with the Kids (any posts will be by me, through him over the phone).

Taldas aways eluded me, I had the box set, just never cared for it. It seemed like padding that wasnt really needed, Ansalon is big enough.

Understood.

Taladas, I think, was meant as a clean slate. There were lots of players who felt that Ansalon had too many 'big players' that kept influencing things (like the Heroes of the Lance). And since all of the books took place in Ansalon, it was sometimes necessary to keep up with both the novels and the supplements. Taladas, on the other hand, had no big heroes or any novels based from it. So it had more freedom, I suppose, for DMs and players to muck around with it.