While some kasatha leave their clans to go in search of
adventure, others find a sense of purpose in serving their goddess,
honing their bodies, minds and spirits in order to be her agents in
the world. Those who follow that path often gather in buildings
dedicated to that purpose.
The
Monastery
Refer to the map above for the following location
descriptions.
1. Entrance
Entry to the monastery comes via a broad chamber that is
sealed with iron-bound wooden doors on both sides (hardness 5 and 20
hit points; DC 25 to break), providing a first line of defense should
the monastery ever be attacked.
2. Courtyard
This area, open to the sky above, has two notable
features. First is the monastery's well, which is almost ten feet in
width and a hundred feet deep. That, of course, is the life's blood
of the structure; the monks spend considerable time every day
dropping buckets on ropes to haul up water. The other feature, the
sparring platform, is described below.
3. Shrine
Dedicated to the Mother Goddess of the Kasatha, this
room contains a statue of her, along with numerous small cushions for
those who wish to meditate here.
The Mother Goddess of the Kasatha
Embodying
the duality of the universe, the Mother Goddess of the Kasatha
incorporates aspects that people from the Sol System would
associate with both Gaea and Lamashtu. In this way she represents
both the creative possibility of new life, and the eventual death
of all things. While some might see these two aspects as
contradictory, for the Kasatha they reflect the way of their
world.
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4. Armory
The walls of this room are lined with shelves containing
all manner of weapons. These include many variations of the ones
allowed for monks on page 57 of the Core Rulebook. What is more, the
monks use the open space in the middle of this room for training on
those rare occasions when weather does not allow them to practice on
the sparring platform.
5. Washrooms
Both of these areas—one for the males and one for the
females—includes privies and washbasins for the monks to take care
of their bodily needs and maintain cleanliness.
6. Monks' Cells
Each of these rooms is furnished with a small,
functional bed along with a table and chair for reading, writing and
other activities. Doorways to the rooms are covered by curtains, and
open onto covered walkways that run along the sides of the courtyard.
7. Superior's Quarters
In addition to the furniture provided for other monks,
each of these rooms boasts bookshelves filled with scrolls, tablets
and codices—the collected writings of previous order members. Those
are, of course, passed down from each Superior Master to the next.
Note that, while there are male and female Superior Masters at any
given time, the female holds authority when necessary.
8. Sparring Platform
This platform, made from a wood frame filled with earth,
is where the monks do most of their training. It stands three feet
above the surrounding ground, and four short sets of stairs lead up
to it.
9. Refectory
Three long tables, flanked by benches, fill this room;
it is where the monks take their meals.
10. Kitchen
Cupboards line the walls of this room; it is also
furnished with a broad table for food preparation, along with barrels
of water and fuel. Most notable, however, is the hearth against the
outside wall that is used for cooking along with warming braziers for
heating the monks' cells during the cold winter months.
11. Storage
The shelves that line the walls of this room are stocked
with all manner of foodstuffs, filling jars, boxes, sacks, baskets
and crates, as well as hanging from hooks attached to the ceiling.
The
Monks
To find stats for a Novice (1st-level) monk,
refer to page 174 of Bestiary 4. For immaculate (5th-level)
and Superior Master (7th-level) monks, refer to a previous
article.
That article also details a location that characters
would likely visit during a voyage to the kasathas' homeworld.
Using
the Monastery in an Aetherial
Adventures
Campaign
This location can be used in all sorts of adventures,
including a few of the following possibilities.
- If any of the PCs are trained in the martial arts, then they might go to the kasatha monastery during a competition in order to prove themselves against these dedicated combatants. This would no doubt attract all manner of beings—some honorable, but others not so much—from the Sol System and beyond.
- The Royal Interplanetary Company, hoping to strike a lucrative trade agreement with the kasatha, could recruit the PCs to act as envoys. Such an undertaking would require impeccable etiquette and protocol, of course.
- When conflict between the kasatha and the shobhad erupts, the PCs are part of a delegation sent to negotiate peace.
- During one type of business or another, a murder occurs, and the PCs become embroiled in efforts to solve it. This might have been committed by one side or the other in a conflict, or by a third party that is trying to sow the seeds of discord.
- A particularly free-spirited kasatha monk, hoping to see more of the galaxy, might ask to ship with the PCs in order to travel and learn.
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