[✗] The Old Ways Join the New (A Monk Reformation)

[Keldrith 717]

 

The Old Ways Join the New

 

 

Lore

Spoiler

 

Since the dawn of time, the Monks have been watching over the mortals and their realm. In the background these Monks truly allow for mortal life to continue, but what most don’t know, is that there are two sections of the Cloud Temple Monk. Perhaps the most known are the Wilven Sanctuary Monks. These Monks live in or near the Cloud Temple, and are well known to the people because of their grand healing rituals and spells, but perhaps more so because of their great knowledge and most of all, neutrality towards all people. However, before the Wilven Sanctuary.. A very long time before, in a time forgotten by most there was another grand and wise band of Monks known as the Temple Monks.

 

The Temple Monks were the residents of the Cloud Temple, and were once the grand spiritual healers of the land. Responsible for incredible healing magics, including the mysterious ritual known as Resurrection. The Temple Monks remained within the confines of their temple walls, never setting foot outside of the sandstone barriers, nor speaking with outsiders of the temple. Sharing knowledge was forbidden, and all was kept secret deep within the temple and it’s ancient library. However, one day the Monks began to dissolve from the inside out, fighting over ancient knowledge and relics, arguing over wealth and leadership. The Temple Monks suddenly lost their neutrality towards each other as if in a day, while keeping it with the rest of the realm. Nobody is truly sure what occurred within the temple during this time of struggle, but the Triumvirate did not hesitate, and banished the Monks from their home, forever.

 

The Temple Monks have gone completely since then, without a word. The basic beliefs of the guild being recovered by and adventurer known as Wilven Adonan many years later, who formed the Wilven Sanctuary Monk guild with very little information. With all the knowledge of the Temple Monks gone, Adonan was left to create the Wilven Sanctuary by himself, hoping that he could do it right with the little information he found remaining in the ancient monk library, but for the most part would start from scratch. The basic beliefs formed by Wilven Adonan have remained the same, over hundreds of years and carried out by his Monks.

 

The Wilven Sanctuary, founded by the mysterious Wilven Adonan has deeply been connected to the people of the realm since it was created. The neutrality and openness of the Monks has welcomed them to every land, and allowed their temple to thrive for hundreds of years in peace with nearly full support from the public. The vague beliefs left by Adonan being cherished by the Monks, and to this day they scavenge the realm for information he left behind. It is said to be the reason for their many sudden disappearances over time. The guild’s beliefs have remained the same, however the Wilven Sanctuary has changed over many years, and has fallen more than once, only to be recovered by another Monk or small band of Monks seeking peace for the realm. It is said that over 100 years ago, Spike Vondar was the only remaining monk in the temple, studying the ways of Adonan in total solitude without realizing it. It was not until he understood the severe consequences that this could bring after his death that he restored the Monks to the best of his ability, and reunited the guild, restoring what beliefs left behind from Adonan he could. Spike managed the guild for hundreds of years, but spontaneously and mysteriously in 1564 he vanished and has not returned to the Wilven Sanctuary since. It is not known if he said anything to this students before this, but they claim he said nothing, and left without a word. Since then his apprentices, Yohei and Alder call for all remaining Monks to continue searching for messages that Wilven Adonan left behind, in hopes to recover and once again reunify the guild during it’s darkest days.

 

On the 9th of The Amber Cold, 1566, the Monks were on the verge of disbanding once more, until one man would approach the Cloud Temple during an Elder Meeting. Drenched in heavy brown robes with a hood that almost completely covered the face, he entered the council room, approached the elders in their silent meeting before lowering his hood to speak. “I am Ko’nani,” his voice was low and spoke with a deep accent. “-  Abbot of the Temple Monks, I was given a holy task from the Triumvirate; it is finally time for the Wilven Sanctuary to truly take our place, you have proven yourselves loyal to the beliefs we once cherished, you are ready to learn what we have been waiting so long to teach you.” The Monk joined the council, Alder, Yohei, and Soleil welcomed him with many questions. They then vanished for many years following this, in hopes they could learn the forgotten secrets of the Temple Monks, and return to teach their apprentices, and all future generation of Monk the ancient ways.

 

 

Magic Changes.

Spoiler

 

In the past, we (or any other healer) have not been allowed to perform any type of resurrection rituals. It is an extremely powerful magic that would likely stir up conflict within the community (probably the healing community), or at least this is the current belief to my knowledge. I’d like to prove this wrong, and show that our guild has the support of the community, and even the other healers on the server. I believe that people would find resurrection roleplay interesting and fitting for a Monk, or at least more interesting than a simple respawn button with vague lore behind it all. The Monks are already the ones responsible for resurrection in the lore, and with the right care, respect and management it could become something really entertaining and fun for the player-base to enjoy. I will take full responsibility for any mishaps in the future, and work hard to resolve them, but quite frankly I don’t believe you will be seeing any of this at all. Your worries are reasonable, but the Monks have what it takes to handle such a reformation. It is a heavy task, but after all this time as a Monk myself, and with the experience some of the other Monks have now,  I’m confident in our ability to handle it, I’d like faith from the staff team this time. And if I’m wrong about all this,  I still don’t believe it would have hurt to try. We all want fun for the server, we are trying something out that we feel really good about, and managing it ourselves.

 

 

 

 

The Soul Gate

Spoiler

Little is known about the Soul Gate, but the Wilven Monks have told it is a fracture in time and space, a connection from the land of the living, to the realm of souls, or the soul realm. The Monks claim that since the dawn of the Temple Monk the Soul Gate has been responsible for the fabled connection they have to the realm of souls. Every Monk is said to be connected to it, and can tap into it occasionally thanks to their deep connections with the Triumvirate. They will use this gate often during their time as a Monk. Whether it be to find a soul in the world, or bring a soul back to the land of the living.

 

To connect to the Soul Gate, a Monk will first have to connect to a patron. Keldrith, Rellenia or Tariel. To do this, a Monk must first learn much about who they wish to connect to, and draw power from in the future. They must study what they can, and truly agree with the simple known philosophies of each. Keldrith, a lover of wisdom and a prince who was extremely loved by his kingdom for his great knowledge and the faith he had in his kingdom’s people. Princess Rellenia was kind, and wealthy with not just money but affection from her people, thanks to her kind heart and generosity. She would often give a helping hand to those less fortunate than her, giving poor traders much more for their goods than needed. Tariel was poor, but allowed for life to continue in his small town with the farm he operated, working alone to support an impoverished village, with great patience and good fortune, he eventually drove his town out of poverty and allowed it to flourish for hundreds of years even  after his departure with Keldrith and Rellenia, and his death.

 

After learning enough about a patron, a Monk will learn how to meditate, and do so within the walls of the temple. Eventually, if the Triumvirate deems them worthy a vision will come to them, perhaps showing them something, or they might even hear their patron speak to them and greet them. At this moment, a Monk’s spirit will be connected to a member of the Triumvirate. A member of the Triumvirate now is responsible for connecting the Monk to the Soul Gate. During meditation a Monk will focus hard, and attempt to disconnect their mind from the body. It is believed that when this occurs, it is what opens their mind to the Soul Realm, and allows them to view the incoming, passing, and even living souls in this alternate realm. This connection opens the door for nearly all of their spells, and is the foundation of nearly all Monk magics.  

 

Resurrection

Spoiler

-being rewritten.. I didn't like it-

 

Soul Blink

Spoiler

-being removed, working on editing some of the other magic so it's removal makes sense, also didn't like this at all.-

 

 

Grand Healing

Spoiler

Grand Healing also originates with the Wilven Sanctuary Monks, and requires enormous amounts of mana, and an extremely strong connection to your patron, if attempted too early a Monk can die almost instantly. Grand Healing requires countless years of training with an Elder or Master Monk, and an extremely large mana pool. But once mastered this will likely be the Monk’s main way of healing grand wounds such as many lost limbs, and extreme blood loss or extreme cases of taint. When the Monk performs the spell, his staff will emit a dim hue, the color of their patron (Sun, Moon or Stars) and slowly the person they are healing  will be repaired, as if the body was going back in time. But really the Monk is using the Soul Blueprint to carefully repair the wounds. As the Monk healed, a dim aura would surround the person, the process being extremely quick and surreal.

 

To perform the spell, the Monk will first put themselves into deep meditation, when connected to their patron they will ask if the person is ready to die, if their patron declines, the Monk will usually follow with a soul blueprint spell and say “Illuminate the Soul” before raising their staff high in the air and allowing the healing process stated above to begin. Their mana pool becomes drained quickly during Grand Healing, so they must be within temple grounds to heal, drawing energy from the temple while they perform the spell.

 

 

 

Soul Blueprint

Spoiler

Soul Blueprint is a spell developed by the Wilven Sanctuary Monks, but created by the Temple Monks. The spell designed to help a Monk see the missing limbs, or beating heart for example of an injured person. It is used for just about everything when it comes to Grand Healing, and can even come in handy when diagnosing taint or other medical problems. It is apart of Grand Healing and will connect the Monk to the Soul Realm through their vision. to figure out what parts need healing. They might also heal while simultaneously viewing the soul  if the job is too big for the memory alone, however this will likely fatigue the Monk much more rapidly.

 

To see a person’s Soul Blueprint, a Monk must first be connected to the Soul Gate, and will ask their patron to “Illuminate the Soul”. After they say this, the person’s limbs for example will return in a phantom state, appearing light blue and mostly transparent, not actually physically being there, but the outline is clear and they are even able to move the joints around. This will help a Monk repair the flesh and bone exactly how it was before, as if it never happened at all.

 

(Freya's example:)

 

Monk magic isn't healing - at least, not in the conventional sense. Whereas Clerics use their understanding of anatomy and the body to create new flesh and muscle, Monks 'recreate' damaged portions of their target's bodies by using their soul as a blueprint.

 

(If the two magics were scientific instead, Clerics use plain stem cells and force them to grow into what they want, whereas Monks clone back the damaged parts of their patients from the patient's DNA.)

 

Here's a handy diagram to demonstrate.

See the man on the left? This is Bob. Say hi, Bob!

On the right is Bob's soul. As you can see, it looks just like Bob.

Now, Bob is out adventuring when an Orc comes up and lops off his arm. Oops.

Why isn't important, what's more important is what happens when he visits a Monk in desperate need for Healing. This is what the Monk sees.

As you can see, Bob is physically hurt, but his soul is fine. Now, the Monk summons forth the Triumvirates power. And this power rebuilds Bob's body from his spirit 'blueprint', and he's as good as new!

 

Monk Bread

Spoiler

A spell that originates with the Wilven Sanctuary worshippers of Tariel,  made to create bread from nothing but magic and faith. A Monk must first create a recipe, then they will learn the recipe by heart before closing their eyes and truly imagining that the bread is in there  own hands, just waiting to be eaten. And as they open their eyes the bread will be there, warm and ready to hand out or eat.

 

Self Healing

Spoiler

 

The Trimumvirate bless all Monks who are about halfway through training with the ability to self heal when injured, without having to use a spell. But still this costs them a lot of their own energy, and can not be done forever.

 

 

 

 

 

What we are removing from the Magic

Spoiler

 

-All current Soul Healing magic along with the lore for it (not including Monk Bread and Soul Blueprint)

-All current Alchemical Healing magic

-Secret Fourth Patron (might do something with this in future but right now I don’t think I ever will)

-Current Teaching system

-Titles of Monks. The new titles are Teacher= Master, Initiate =Student, Monk Student = Disciple, Head Monk= Abbot. Elder remains same.

 

 

New Student Requirements

Spoiler

 

Becoming a Monk is a daunting task for those who are aware of what it takes to become one. For hundreds of years the Monks have been representing wisdom and healing in the realm, but more than anything neutrality. The Monks are known to be an old and wise band of Triumvirate worshippers, and often those who join are among  disciplined elder scholars, or bright young children looking to become a wise Master and Monk scholar one day. Although on occasion random adventurures will find themselves a place within the Monk libraries and crypts, feeling at home with the rest. 

 

 

 

-Must find a Master Monk to train you. You will greet yourself and tell of your intentions to join the Monks. The Master may or may not accept you, as they have their own personal requirements. Afterwards they will face the Abbot for a second round of judgment before joining. 

 

-A Master Monk or Elder will not recruit someone with less than 1 year of membership on lotc. (Since the day you get accepted)

 

-Any potential students must not have any bans, ig or ooc warnings, or toxic behaviour in server or on forums for a full 6 months.

 

-Must have time for at least 1 lesson per week during early training process. (Will take 1 month or 4 full lessons to finish early student training)

 

 

 

[Neri 3587]

Hey I wrote the soul blueprint stuff! :( still, glad to see the monks are still going!

[Keldrith 717]

52 minutes ago, Freya  said:

Hey I wrote the soul blueprint stuff! :( still, glad to see the monks are still going!

will fix that!

-edit-

fixed

[Neri 3587]

Just now, Yohei said:

will fix that!

 

Thanks! I don't really mind it was just weird seeing spikes name on it (though I believe spike did write a good amount of monk lore).

I might rejoin you on my old "t5" monk sometime, I didn't realize they still existed.

[Keldrith 717]

1 minute ago, Freya  said:

 

Thanks! I don't really mind it was just weird seeing spikes name on it (though I believe spike did write a good amount of monk lore).

I might rejoin you on my old "t5" monk sometime, I didn't realize they still existed.

 

Yeah we exist, these last few years have been hard for us but I'm attempting to change that now. We have been completely inactive since they removed us and brought us back again a few months ago, we just owe it to all the people who gave us their support to try something different with the guild, something that will actually make the server a little more fun I hope. And again, sorry for that. I thought spike wrote that, but I wasn't ever sure. 

[Gladuos 857]

I'm not sure I understand the new way resurrection is being handled. Is this saying that they literally teleport the body to the temple to be healed and brought back to life? What about people that their character's body was entirely destroyed but don't want to OOCly PK? What about the people that wish to keep their slain enemy's body but then it suddenly vanishes before their eyes? I thought before this the soul lingered over to the temple and a new body was 'healed' over it to be brought back.

[marimbamonk 1498]

Former leader of the Wilven Monks in Asulon, here. I played Monk Zachai.

 

Great to see someone taking care of this still. Freya and I created some events at the Asulon Cloud Temple a few times, it was fun. 

Zachai has since passed away, but I am open to helping you out and/or getting monks organized again. 

 

My old credentials:

 

[Keldrith 717]

44 minutes ago, Gladuos said:

I'm not sure I understand the new way resurrection is being handled. Is this saying that they literally teleport the body to the temple to be healed and brought back to life? What about people that their character's body was entirely destroyed but don't want to OOCly PK? What about the people that wish to keep their slain enemy's body but then it suddenly vanishes before their eyes? I thought before this the soul lingered over to the temple and a new body was 'healed' over it to be brought back.

Looks like I missed a little something, I will make a quick edit. 

 

-edit- I hope that is better, I honestly think I will always feel uncomfortable with my ideas when it comes to Resurrection. Still open to changing this but so far this is the best I've got. 

[Keldrith 717]

Just now, BGBuster said:

Former leader of the Wilven Monks in Asulon, here. I played Monk Zachai.

 

Great to see someone taking care of this still. Freya and I created some events at the Asulon Cloud Temple a few times, it was fun. 

Zachai has since passed away, but I am open to helping you out and/or getting monks organized again. 

 

My old credentials:

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Any support is appreciated, I'm sure this road we are picking is going to be a struggle..

[KeatonUnbeaten 1101]

nice to know how everything works with them

 

+1 

[AC 68]

Anything Yohei makes is perfect.

Yohei is perfect.

+1

 

[Kvasir 1118]

Glad too see this.

[Destroyer_Bravo 1052]

I think RP in the cloud temple is somewhat cancerous beyond a sort of antechamber for new players.

[Neri 3587]

18 minutes ago, Destroyer_Bravo said:

I think RP in the cloud temple is somewhat cancerous beyond a sort of antechamber for new players.

We don't have a cloud temple (and monks don't have any authority in the docks afaik).

[idiot 501]

The monks will never die.