Allied Khionic Monasteries

The Allied Khionic Monasteries are an alliance of Snow Elf monastery-cities found in the Khios Mountains of northern Obreidhion. Inhabitants of the Khionic Monasteries are known as Khions.

Monastery-Cities

• Hroth Khantorey- One of the largest and most respected of the monastery-cities, it also serves as the location of the Singing Temple where the Prophet of the Divines lives.
• Namastar- A well-known monastery-city found in the Archei Mountains. It was formerly an Archei city known as Avalania before being ceded to the Snow Elves as part of the Treaty of Choranjaai.
• Sanjmuu- The site of a major battle during the Demon Wars.
• Tirabil- Largely abandoned, once home to the original Singing Temple which legend tells Khione himself built in a day in response to a challenge by General Arisanoko. It served as the home of over fifty consecutive Prophets of the Divines for generations before it was sacked by Dwarves in the Mountain Wars. Though most believe the temple was razed to the ground, rumors persist that it was magically hidden underground.
• Choranjaai- One of the larger monastery-cities, founded by the monk Senpar before he went on to become the ninth Prophet of the Divines. The Treaty of Choranjaai which ended the Mountain Wars was signed here.

Government

The Snow Elves of the monasteries have a direct democratic government, every individual is able to participate in the meetings, but a large portion of the Elves choose representatives while they take care of their everyday problems.

Culture

Inhabitants lead a simple life with many choosing to live as monks, farmers, crafters and librarians. Technology is largely secondary to their society as they are fairly avoidant of complex machinery.

Books are considered critical to their culture as Monastery culture mandates that books are to keep hold of the forgotten memories. Their libraries are open to all but those who wish to use their knowledge for malicious purposes.

Language

The native language completely non-derivative from Tradespeak. As a result, there was a significant communication barrier when they were first contacted by outside nations. It took many years to decipher their language as many everyday phrases in Khiotongue are untranslatable into Tradespeak and vice versa.

Religion

Having originated from a Snow Elf known as Khione, Khionic religion revolves around the ideals of both a simple lifestyle and pacifism. Because of this, they refuse to make use of advanced technology unless threatened by an enemy that requires such tools to defeat. Though they were previously forced into militancy, they reverted after the Khionic Renaissance and began to reclaim their culture and beliefs.

The Monasteries also worship a pantheon of idols known as Divines who are hailed as embodiments of nature. It customary for every household to have small statues of these Divines to pray to, the monks in the monasteries themselves pray before large statues representing a Divine. Some believe that by respecting nature and the Divines, one can, through extreme devotion and meditation, become a Divine. However, some priests contest this, instead enforcing the idea of reincarnation and continual rebirth of the soul as part of the endless cycle of nature.

Military

The Snow Elves are generally peaceful, though in the past, the Khions have deviated from the teachings of the Winter Prophet and the monasteries were armed for war and conquest. Since the Demon Wars, though, a religious renaissance occurred, and the monasteries have been officially disarmed.

Technology

The Khionic Monasteries have deliberately kept themselves in a pre-industrial society as they favor a simple lifestyle as opposed to a life reliant on advanced technology.