Monk Orders

If your character is a monk there are several places they may have trained at. Your character could be from a remote monastery of your own creation or one of the established ones listed below.

Way of the Open Hand

Order of the Platinum Dragon

• The Monastery of the Platinum Dragon: Located atop a mountain in the Sunset Mountains of Kharza, west of Tisenga (Luxumu) and north of Azan.
• Run by dragonborn & humans who worship Danha, god of cosmic order and peace.
• Monks are urged to assist in handling diplomatic situations, maintain order and civility, correct power imbalances, destroy the unnatural and the aberrant, and weed out cults of Nammu, Eresh, and other tyrannical deities.

Children of the Highest Hill

• The House on the Highest Hill: Located on the highest of the 87 Hills of Hywela in north central Hywela.
• Run by halflings, most of whom worship either Pelenei or Arloh.
• Monks are told to bring hope and happiness with them wherever they go, eschew material goods and wealth, find fulfillment through doing good deeds and protecting others, and seize every day as though it is their last. This monastery also doubles as a winery.

Way of Shadow

Order of Living Shadows

• Cloister of Living Shadows: Located in two locations: the underbelly of Yersek in Kardath and a secret pocket dimension, the portal to which is hidden in Emenna in Namiza.
• Run primarily by human worshipers of Aleth, god of greed. It has been led by one family for generations.
• Monks are commanded to strike fear & respect in the hearts of all who see their symbol, to become living shadows in every sense of the word, and to carry out missions as assassins and spies that further the Orders goals, wealth, and power. They have a rival monastery in Kardath- the Monastery of the Black Rose in Silverhold (Way of the Long Death).

Disciples of the Fellmother

• Hall of the Fellmother: Located far below the surface of the Kharzan kingdom of Va'Sehir.
• primarily

Way of the Four Elements

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Keepers of the Primal Flame

• Monastery of the Primal Flame: Located on a high ledge atop the active volcano of Greater Ilvare.
• Run by Genasi, Azer, and occasional dragonborn- usually the fire resistant kind.
• The Primal Flame chapter accepts students who can prove their passion, zest for life, and fiery confidence and daring. Anyone who is capable of climbing their way up the volcanic mountain, avoiding steam vents and lava flows, and dealing with the stifling heat without giving in or relying on wings or magical teleportation may be introduced into their ranks. Many have lost their lives or at least sustained life-changing burns in attempting to climb to the top. Most people don't go within 5 miles of the base of Mt. Ilvare.

Keepers of the Chasmal Earth

• Monastery of the Chasmal Earth: Located within a deep cavern in the Khorez Mountains in southern Arna.
• Run by Genasi, Galeb Duhr, and the occasional Dwarf or Daof.
• The Chasmal Earth chapter accepts students who prove their emotional fortitude, problem solving, and steadfast determination. Anyone who is capable of taking on the long, winding labyrinthine system of tunnels which often crumble or change which lead to their monastery's cavern (itself being on an island within a boiling lake) may be invited to train with them. Of the four monasteries, this is the most easily accessed and it has the largest number of monks at any given time. Still, many perish from starvation after being lost for weeks within the maze.

Keepers of the Endless Sea

• Monastery of the Endless Sea: Located in an undersea (air-filled) cavern off the coast of Geddri.
• Run by Genasi, Tritons, and a small number of aquatic elves.
• The Endless Sea chapter accepts students who prove their ingenuity, natural instinct, and fearlessness. Anyone who is capable of solving the logistical issues with deep diving, making it all the way to the bottom and dealing with the pressure, and actually finding the elusive tunnel which leads to their undersea monastery will be invited to stay and train. Most people who have the magical or invented means of deep diving in this area are actually killed by the local inhabitants- mainly the merrow and sharks which are commonplace- before they manage to find the nondescript tunnel.

Keepers of the Yawning Sky

• Monastery of the Yawing Sky: Located atop a cloud city, formerly home to a Cloud Giant king, hovering over the central Qusuran sea.
• Run by Genasi & Aarakocra.
• The Yawning Sky chapter accepts students who prove their intellect, tenacity, and ability to speak from the heart and befriend others. The only real way to reach the monastery without wings is to befriend someone with wings or a friend with incredible magical talents. They must then locate the correct cloud that could be any cloud over a vast sea and the monastery is always moving. If one can manage these things they are welcomed with open arms. It is very, very rare that creatures without flight make it here. It is considered the most difficult of the four monasteries to reach. Even the winged have spent years at sea trying to find the right cloud. Most monks from this monastery were invited and brought in by friends who already knew how to find the place.

Way of the Drunken Master

There are no "Monasteries" that teach this martial art. It is not a martial art that is attached to any one god or any one specific creed or list of commandments anymore. The only decree uttered by the first Master was to revel in chaos and believe in luck. They themselves and the first students they taught were worshipers of a now-dead god called Kaltheri- a goddess of luck, drink, and mischief. Over the years the religious overtones have been lost for the most part.
When it comes to the Way of the Drunken Master there are only Masters and Students. During a Master's lifetime they will find and teach no more than three lucky individuals with promise- if that. There is a precedent that each master teach just one other as the knowledge of this sacred art should not become well known-- but it is not necessarily a rule anyone could enforce nor is it always followed. Most end up teaching two, as their first choice often ends up being a disappointment. Potential Students are not supposed to have any family or plans of starting one and most are orphans. This Master-Student tradition is called a "Line", much like a bloodline, and there are different traditions passed down through these lines. Some lines are far harsher than others in their methods and others are almost familial in nature. A Master is to teach their student the art until they themselves are defeated in fair combat. Only then does the student graduate to Master status and only then are they given expressed permission to teach another.
There are some students who never become proper masters until very late in life as their Master was simply too strong- receiving this honor only upon the death of their mentor and only if they had no other (successful) students. If one has an elvish Master and they are of a low-lifespan race they may never become a Master. In one particularly infamous line a student who is not able to defeat their teacher within 10 years of their training faces a gruesome consequence. In some Lines where picking only one student is important, a medallion or flask is passed down. In others a new master is given a special tattoo- sometimes enchanted. They all carry the same symbol, however, the symbol created by the legendary man who was said to have developed this chaotic style of martial arts a few thousand years ago. This mysterious sigil is usually only recognizable by other masters and students of the Art or by people who know them personally. Three potential Lines that currently exist include:

• Tampu the Dry: An old retired tabaxi you can find in the treetop city of Yolwara (in Jacho, Kharza). Once an infamous drunk- now sober as he is sour.
• Kanyari: Former student of Tampu. A human former-pirate living in Mad Harbor on the wild west coast of southern Kharza. They currently run a tavern there.
• Proof of Succession: A Lucky Flask

• Ruby & Rose: A pair of tiefling twin performers who live in Grayshore on the northwest coast of Arna (Namiza). They were the first students of Tashaela (a sea elf famous along the Ashen Coast for their performances).
• Sabrak Zithim: A dwarf who lives in Port Matarva (Namiza, Arna) and works for The Vine. He killed his master (Tashaela) in their final match. No one knows if it was an accident or on purpose.
• Proof of Succession: An Enchanted Tattoo

• Yamesh: An infamous wandering Yuan-ti. Her "line" is infamous because there can only be one student successor, and anyone who fails to surpass them within a decade is given the option to either be blind and deaf or to face death. So far she has not met her match but she is getting older. She has disfigured or killed three students so far.
• Proof of Succession: A Sacred Medallion

Way of the Kensei

Tenants of the Elder Light

• The Elderlight Monastery: Located atop the Godsmount west of the capital of The Marasen Empire but within the free region of Namiza.
• Run by devoted followers of the Elderlight Pantheon (Danha, Tirias, Izumir, Torav & Ilazran). Mostly human or halfling.
• Monks are taught to adhere to the five tenants of the Elderlight Pantheon: Find Inner Peace, Perfect the Body, Perfect the Mind, Perfect your Weapon (students are taught basic smithing techniques), and to uphold the laws of mortals, protect the innocent, and bring law-breakers to justice.

Order of the Divine Martyr

• Monastery of the Broken Shield: Located deep within the forest of Astrithyr.
• Run by elves who worship Shathar, goddess of protection and combat.
• Monks are to adhere to the principles of Shathar, even if they do not worship her, mainly to protect the powerless, question authority, and weed out corruption. Monks from this monastery are expected to show integrity, fearlessness, and tenacity. They are well known for their specific style of elvish sword-play. Some monks here instead learn the Way of the Cobalt Soul.

Order of the White Sands

• Monastery of the White Sands: Located in a hidden temple out in the southern Sehiri Desert on the continent of Kharza.
• Run by a mixture of humans and orc-blooded individuals who are on a path to spiritual enlightenment.
• This monastery does not worship an individual god, but expects its residents to reach spiritual purity through appreciation of life through close calls with death. Monks are put through intense endurance tests and are expected to become one with their weapons and their environment.

Way of the Sun Soul

Sisters of Mercy

• Cloister of Helora's Light: Located within a remote swamp in eastern Belstrad.
• Run by human women who are a part of a religious covenant with Helora, goddess of life and death.
• Monks are expected to find their inner light and use it against the encroaching darkness of undeath and to subdue those who would threaten the sacred balance of life and death. They also guard sacred sites and cemeteries and seek to destroy cults to Vanar.

Order of the Light Bringer

• Monastery of the Light Bringer: Located within some old ruins found in the Somberveld of the empire of Marasen.
• Run by humans and halflings belonging to the church of Tirias and lead by a Ki-Rin of Tirias.
• They seek to attain the virtues of Tirias, god of the sun and shield, by exhibiting loyalty, bravery, honor, and self sacrifice. These monks are tasked with protecting the weak and exposing truths as well as aiding their fellow man in any way possible.

Way of Mercy

The Order of the Merciful Hand

• The Monastery of Lake Heliah: Located within the Sunset Mountains south of Azan, this monastery also doubles as a sanatorium and pharmacy.
• Run by a mixture of different races, all worshipers of "Heliah" aka Helora, goddess of life and death.
• Monks are taught as either a combat medic, religious healer, herbalist/alchemist, or therapist. The principles of their belief system encourage them to aid and heal anyone who requests it, no matter their sins, and to try and guide them towards peace and redemption. Monk herbalists use the local sominra plant to create various medicines and painkillers as well as assisting with suicide...

Brotherhood of Kalar

• The Spire of Kalar: Located atop the mountain of the isle of Kalara.
• Run by Twilight Elves (a variant of drow) who live on the surface.
• Monks are tasked with delving into the underdark and converting followes of Lolth and bringing them back to the surface. They find virtue in redemption and believe in destroying your inner darkness.

Way of the Astral Self

Order of the Infinite Stars

• The Monastery of The Infinite Stars: Located on an island in Lake Elyra near within the forest of Astrithyr.
• Run by elves and fey creatures in service to Ceralae, goddess of prophecy.
• Monks are guided to find their truest form and discover their life's purpose and destiny. Each monk embarks on a journey of self discovery, enlightenment, and a greater understanding of the universe.

Order of the Wanderer

• The Monastery of the World Walker: Located in the Andun Mountains, built into a mountain cliff.
• Run by primarily humans and half-elves who worship Mythelea-Pelenei- a goddess believed by these followers to have two cultural identities among elves and humans (and halflings) but one single self. Most monks spend a great deal of their time on extended spiritual journeys with their mentors or other monks rather than spending all their time within the monastery.
• Monks are taught and guided in finding the purest form of expression of their independent soul. The best way to do so is through travel and exploration and meeting people from all walks of life; only by knowing the world can they find their place within it.

Way of the Long Death

The Order of Tungeldow

• The Cloister of Tungeldow: Located on the mesa-isle of Tungeldow in Geddri.
• This scholastic order is run by gnomes with an obsession with studying death and the energy of life.
• These monks have learned to channel their knowledge of anatomy and life essences into what they call the "ultimate" fighting style- one that is deadly. Their goal is to find the means to live forever without relying on rituals that result in lichdom, vampirism, or other forms of undeath. They scour the world looking for the secrets to obtaining this. This order is infamous and feared by the other scholastic orders of Geddri.

Order of the Black Rose (Order of the White Lily on paper)

• Monastery of the White Lily / Black Rose: Located near Silverhold, Kardath but within a hidden cave system.
• This order, which appears to outsiders as a monastery to Helora, doubles as an assassin's guild, its mostly human and half-elf membership being devout followers of Aleth and/or Vanar.
• Members of this order are divided into two factions: Hands of Aleth or Vanar, with hands of Aleth becoming death monks and hands of Vanar becoming necromancers. Both are tasked with glorifying their gods through service- usually in killing others or bringing the undead into service. Their public services as assassins are a means of funding their monastery.

Way of the Lore-keeper (Cobalt Soul)

Fellowship of the Lore-keeper

• Monastery of the Divine Lore-keeper: Located a ways outside of the city of Emenna (Namiza). Another sister location can be found in Ilzhara, Va'Sehir.
• Run by various races, all worshipers of Izumir, god of knowledge.
• Monks of the Lore-keeper are dedicated to acquiring knowledge for their vast archives and using this knowledge to fight the tides of evil and/or tyranny. They specialize in keeping vast archives of history, mythology, and medicine.

Heirs of Izumir

• Monastery of the Silver Descendants: Located on the single mountain of Vaythera in The Western Isles.
• Run by dragonborn and a few tortles, worshipers of Izumir, god of knowledge.
• Monks are in charge of a large archive located there which has amassed a great deal of history. The monks here work towards physical and mental perfection and either work within the library or they are "seekers" of knowledge and journey out in the world in pursuit of more to add within the library. This monastery was supposedly started by direct descendants of the draconic version of Izumir- sharing a heritage with his mother, who was a mortal silver dragon.