Sky Sanctum

This monastery is built on the eastern edge of Empyris Island on the outskirts of Imperos, the capital city of the Euhukoa Empire. It holds great importance not only to the monks living there or the city where it resides, but to the world at large. At the back of the monastery there is a room that is seemingly open to the sky outside but it is actually a portal to the Plane of Air. This is the only portal to said plane which remains open at all times and it is protected by the monks at the sanctum. Not necessarily from people trying to enter the Plane of Air but rather from things wanting to enter the Prime Material.

Purpose / Function

Of course the main purpose of Sky Sanctum is to guard the portal to the Plane of Air to make sure that it is stable and that no creatures with ill intent comes through. There are numerous daily rituals to keep the wards around the portal and the building itself strong.
The second purpose is to train the next generation of monks who will stay at the monastery and protect the portal and the world around them.

Architecture

The ceremonial and public areas of Sky Sanctum are built out of white marble with light blue veins, reinforced by layers of magic. For the living quarters and training areas a pale wood was used, however it is also reinforced by magic to guarantee longevity considering that the monastery sits right on the edge of an island floating 5990 feet above sea level.
The rooms in the public area are large and airy with exquisite furnishing and art pieces. The training areas are similarly large and one of them without a ceiling but less extravagant in design and decoration. Living quarters are smaller and more practical, with at least two people sharing every room. Of the downtime rooms, the kitchen and the library are the biggest.

History

Sky Sanctum was built around the portal some time after the Breaking - the event that led to Euhukoa's landmass to break apart into separate islands and all but one floated up into the air. By then the portal had become small enough to fit into a room and that first part of the monastery was built in a hurry. The goal was to contain the portal with magical structures which would make it nigh impossible for it to grow massive and unstable like it had before. Many magic users, both arcane and divine, participated in the building of Sky Sanctum in order to stabilise the portal and reinforce the sanctum with as many magical defences as possible.
Although it didn't start out as a monastery, it was decided that it would be best if at least a few powerful individuals would stay in the building at all times to guard the portal. Over decades it transformed into a comfortable place to live and train with the discipline of monks and so it became a monastery. No one knows who the first actual monk was at Sky Sanctum or how they convinced everyone staying there from then on to become monks too, but now they are honoured for their services and many children dream of joining the monastery.

Alternative Names

Sanctum of Air

Type

Monastery