The Order of the Open Hand

-Elder, why do we train without weapons?
-Because we need the practice.
-But why put so much weight on fighting unarmed? Surely when you go to war you should bring weapons.
-When you can fight unarmed everything is a weapon. But the question you should seek an answer for is why go to war at all.
-Then why go to war, Elder?
-Half the point of your studies in our monastery is to figure that out on your own. But the short answer is don't.

— Apprentice speaking with an unknown Council Elder of the Soft Stone Monastery

Structure

The monastery is governed by a council of six people. Membership in the council confers the title of Elder but little privilege beyond a measure of respect. Indeed the position entails a great degree of responsibility. The Elders usually split the day to day business of running the monastery between them, with each one overseeing a certain aspect such as sanitation, training, arbitration, or the roof gardens. When a matter arises that goes beyond the routine the council convenes to decide a course of action. Decisions are reached after careful but usually speedy deliberation by majority vote but are almost always unanimous.
The number of Elders on the council harkens back to the six founding members of the order. By tradition any vacancies are filled immediately so that the council is always at full strength. Replacements are selected by the council and are usually based on seniority. Exceptional circumstances have on occasion led to a senior monk being passed over in favor of a junior with a more specialized skill set or knowledge base that was deemed needed at the time.
Apart from the council, all other monks are considered more or less equal. Most deffer to their seniors and anyone who is placed in charge of a specific task.

Public Agenda

The order has offered its protection to any surrounding villages that wish it. In that capacity it acts as a feudal lord would in another area. Many people seek arbitration of their disputes by the monks and the monastery often sends out pilgrims to the allied villages that act as police and also patrols for the tradeways. The monks never demand any recompense but instead depend on the goodwill of those they protect.
The monastery is also open to anyone who seeks refuge for a few days in exchange for doing daily chores and errands, but more importantly it accepts apprentices willing to leave their former life behind and devote themselves to studying the Way of the Open Palm. The latter is the main goal of the monks. To spread their Way to anyone who is willing and thus unite them in peace. Everything else is just a natural consequence of following their beliefs.

Assets

The order is based in the underground fortress of the Soft Stone Monastery. The monastery's roof gardens produce a fair amount of food, usually enough to feed the monks. A portion of that is usually traded for other foodstuffs for variety, or other necessities.
Most of the villages in the general area are allied with the order. They form an effective information network, and they will often trade with the monastery at favorable prices. Outright gifts are also very common, and the villagers will offer any monk food and shelter.

History

The order of the Open Hand was created by six dwarven warriors that left behind the martial traditions of their clans and the clans themselves. What eventually led to this came about during a battle against a tribe of frost giants. After hours of fierce fighting, the warriors found themselves cut off from their allies. The giants pressed their advantage relentlessly, and the dwarves fought with wild abandon, to the point where their weapons dulled beyond use. But, just as all was lost, salvation came in the form of an elf. Unarmed and unarmored she tore into the giants and disabled two of them, opening a gap and allowing the dwarves to escape.
After the battle the six warriors denied the honors their clans heaped on them and left in search of their savior. Their hope was to learn her amazing skills. Decades went by before they finally tracked her down. All six of them gave the elf everything they owned, a truly vast fortune, as thanks and their services as payment for her tutelage. As their first lesson she threw their gifts in the river. Sixty years later, when their training was finally complete, they got their last lesson when they realized the elf had never asked for any kind of service, not even a cup of water.
When they returned to their land, the dwarves denied their clans and carved out the Soft Stone Monastery. There they founded the order of the Open Hand to offer the knowledge and ethos of the elf to any who would espouse them.

The Open Hand has more options than the closed fist

Type

Religious, Monastic Order

Alternative Names

Soft Stone Monks

Location

Soft Stone Monastery

Related Traditions

• Roasted Cockatrice

Controlled Territories

• Soft Stone Monastery