Erlang Shen Temple: The Shivasavka

Monastery: Erlang Shen Temple
Element: 5 Elements
Orientation: Neutral
Resident Classes: Monk, Votary (Erlang Sheng), Reverend, Sohei, Clerk, Alchemist, Mechanist, Scholastic Sage, Akhara, Rishi, Sifu
Location: North-Eastern Dragon Empire
Founder: The Brown Stranger
Affiliations/Alliances: Erlang Shen is one of two O13 monasteries within the borders of the Dragon Empire. Unlike the Huandishitu, who were defeated, threatened with destruction, and submitted to the Empire, the Shivasavka were left alone the entire time due to their long history of non-interference in state matters and respect on the part of the Emperor for the monastery that had kept Wangug alive long enough to eventually blossom into an empire. The temple does not seek out recruits, but will assess anyone who visits their courtyard seeking to study. Although the Empire has left the temple autonomous and sovereign over its estate, who is able to make it to the courtyard is largely determined by the Imperial Guards stationed at the entrances to the monastic acreage.

Culture

The kingdom of Wangug that the original temple came out of spoke proto-Shou but displayed a blend of Shou, Pinwa, and Tengric roots in its customs, myths, and attire. In the 14th century, the monks adopted Indric traditions while also isolating themselves from the surrounding society.

History

During the age of kings and chiefs, the once-mighty kingdom of Wangug in northeast Shoulun had seen its holdings eaten up by tribal chieftains from the north and ambitious generals from the kingdoms to the south. Pirates had effectively cut it off from the islands it once claimed. At their moment of greatest despair, the people began to turn away from the king who could not protect them and toward the priests so many of them had turned their backs on since the war against the gods. The priests prayed on behalf of the community and soon found a three-eyed man on their doorstep who would only be remember as the Brown Stranger. The stranger taught them the 13 Elements Hand fighting style and how to master and combine the first four elements (void, light, time, spirit) to produce Element Five, the transformative state between abstract and concrete existence. The newly empowered monks established a recruitment and training program for Wangug’s army and used their newfound understanding of alchemical combination to arm their soldiers with potent explosive weapons.
All this was more than enough to push back the kingdom’s threats and reclaim much of its lost land before building up a navy and turning its attention to its ancestral islands. As the kingdom was rebuilding, the monks insisted that the king must erect a shrine to Erlang Shen, as per the Stranger’s instructions to them, adjacent to a great temple and training centre. This was done and for two thousand years, the monks were known as the Erlangshitu and worked closely with the crown of the kingdom. As the rebuilding of Wangug involved a 5-part strategy of infantry, spies, cavalry, artillery, and navy, it was rechristened the Serene Kingdom of the 5-Headed Dragon.
In the 14th century, the missionaries who had been making their way across Shoulun visited the Erlangshitu and had a considerably more profound impact on the monks there than on most of their cousins. Embracing and Indran spin on their religion, the monks renamed themselves the Shivasavka, taking Shiva to be another name for Erlang, and decided to withdraw from involvement in state affairs. Other sects had adopted an ethos of lawful neutrality but interpreted it differently. For example, where the Temple of the Judge had felt compelled to enforce strict order in its domain and send agents into neighbouring realms to deal with disrupting forces that would bring chaos, the Shivasavka felt the world can balance itself, and after only almost two thousand years into the Serene Kingdom period, abdicated their role in appointing royal successors. One of the long-term consequences of this was a corruption of the throne leading to the eventual rise of the Empire of the Dragon.

Education

Common Script: Showee
Common Tongue: Showa
Liturgical Script: Indric
Liturgical Tongue: Modron
Other Languages Taught: Zoron
Sage Topics: Calligraphy, Plant Biology, Botany, Physics, Metaphysics, Theology, Religious Rites, Geology, Astronomy, Mathematics, Geometry, Numerology, Astrology, Cryptology, Herbalism, Alchemy
Martial Arts: 5 Elements Hand, 5 Elements Temple Style, 18 Hands, Sword of Concord, Niyuddha, Joga, 3-Elements Style, Taiji, Wind Counts Baguazhang, Chaquan, Wan Sing Pro, Jianyi, Erlang Shen Taiji, Olden Throwing
Elemental Mastery: 5 Elements, Void, Light, Time, Spirit, Air, Water, Earth, Metal, Fire
Weapons: Bo, Longstaff, Lirpa, Spear, Jo, Tonfa, Trisula, Butterfly Sword, 9-Ring Broadsword, Trident, Wind and Fire Wheels, Cakeram, Kwandao, Langxian, Tri-point Double-edged Sword, Longxhu Hook, Chain Whip, Three-Section Staff, Light Lance, Shortbow, Uchine, Falchion, Military Fork, Shield, Jian, Iron Fans, Dao, Judge's Brushes, Lungchuan Tamo ,Deer Horn Knives, Double-Spear, Chicken Sabre Sickles, Hook Swords, Bagua Sabre, Whip Disc, Knife, Dagger, Tiger Fork, Tambo, Horse Bench

Apprenticeships: Martialist, Purist, Scholar, Naturalist, Stealthist
Classes Trained: Monk, Votary, Reverend, Clerk, Scholastic Sage, Alchemist, Mechanist, Sohei, Akhara, Rishi, any Warriors or Agilists who enter the courtyard and can abide by the rules

Mythology & Lore

The Shivasavka regard the gods not as distinct entities but as states that may overlap and that constantly transform into one another. While some of their idols correspond to specific gods in other pantheons, some are transitional/chimerical combinations of what other sects would consider distinct gods. The following are the most prominent idols revered at Erlang Shen Temple:
Erlang-Shiva, god of creation and destruction
Heidi-Kali, goddess of void
Marici-Bichuten, goddess of light
Kali-Shangdi, goddess of time
Shangdi-Brahma, god of spirit
Brahma-Vayu, god of breath
Vayu, god of wind and alchemy
Mazu, goddess of water
Prithvi, goddess of earth
Baidi, god of metals
Katen, god of fire