Monk
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Monks are mostly a mixture of contemplative scholar and deadly martial artist, though self taught brawlers do exist. the hand to hand fighting traditions of the known world have a number of sources. Many originated east of Xiang Sei, across the Roof of the World and in the lands of Ten Thousand Gods and among the Islands of Jade. Others found root in philosophical definitions made manifest by the orders of some of the gods who proposed self perfection and the pursuit of enlightenment. The fighting styles are as varied as the ones who practice them. Dozens of Monastic orders exist on Gaea. Most are small circles of no more then a dozen or so members, living in isolated monasteries in the wilderness. A few orders include hundreds of members and influence events across entire nations. Some of the more prominent orders include:
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Monastic Orders
The Basalt Palms (Neutral or Evil) The monks of the Basalt Palm are a disparate collection of sects that espouse a variety of paths to enlightenment. At its core, the group reveres Vardama and he cycle of life and death which all living creatures are bound to. All of them practice a style of combat that is elegant but ruthlessly swift in delivering punishing blows. Improved Critical (Unarmed Strike), Improved Grapple, Power Attack, and Stunning Fist are common feats. The Basalt Palms further divide themselves into different sects that focus on their different philosophical alignments. The White Marble Column believes that all virtuous beings have the right to a full life, so that they might fulfill their paths and become truly judged when death takes them. The Bone Mountain focus upon death itself in an attempt to understand its causes and how it is perceived in other lands. Bone Mountain monks that focus upon violence tend to incorporate what they have seen into their own fighting styles. The Crimson Thread is a functioning cell of assassins who assassinate those whose times has come.
The Crimson Templars (Varies, speak with Whirlpool) were an order of Monks created to serve the former vampiric, sorcerous overlords of Blar. Their numbers were drafted from those with the proper potential within the city and were trained extensively in hand to hand combat. Many of the more powerful and loyal of their numbers were gifted with arcane sight. When the Garnaks were overthrown, the burgeoning order fell with them and most fled with their masters from the revolting city. Some young recruits, not fully indoctrinated into the service of the masters, are remaking the order to better serve their kind as part of the Blarite forces, serving in a similar capacity to its ruling generals. PC monks are appable only within this latter group.
The Iron Fists of Dran (Neutral, Sometimes Good) Despite being based in a very lawless region of the world, The Iron Fists are a monkly order that actually thrive on the training of those with giant blood within them to better utilize their talents. They also strive to tame the chaotic nature that often rides within their bloodline. Members are subjected to a grueling regime that hardens and toughens the body and focuses on power-striking, chokeholds, pressure points, throws, joint locks, and how to utilize the advantages of size as well as skill. They believe that through the strength of their body, blood, and mind can they overcome any challenge.
The Jeweled Order (Neutral) The Jeweled Order is a radical group of monks that has forsaken all gods and celestial forces to carve their own path. Monks of this order cast away all faith to outside powers and swear to only pray to themselves, such that they might not grow soft or bound to external forces and their agendas. Eventually they all aspire to become near-godlike beings of insight and foresight, breaking free of their shells and attained power that the gods would have denied them.
The Keepers (Good or Neutral) This order of monks follows the tenants of Navos, lawful neutral deity of civilization, time and self perfection. Monks of this order are members of the reformed order that was once known as the Keepers of Time but as Navos shifted to become god of the balance, and history, they did as well and they focus more on the balance of ones physical body and mind in pursuit of perfection then simple scholarly matters.
The Shadow Fists (Evil) This is an evil Monkly order that follows the tenants of Taara the Shadow Sorceress. Orcs, half orcs, shadow elves and other races known to affiliate with evil are part of their ranks. They believe in the spreading of the will of Taara and often function as agents and assassins who believe that by combining Ki and Arcane Magic they can achieve heights and depths of power not seen by most others. Please note that evil PCs are best left as NPC antagonists, and that evil PCs are not available for chargen.
The Thrashing Dancers (Neutral, Rarely Good or Evil) The monastic order of the Thrashing Dance is an uncommon but thriving group that believes in perfection through emulation. Nature has seen fit to present shining examples of perfection, such as the predatory grace of the tiger and the unmovable presence of the elephant, so it is to these examples that the Thrashing Dancers draw inspiration from. Their maneuvers and stances mimic the movements of animals, and their monasteries are gardens secluded in the wilderness whereby they might observe the animals around them.