Story

Snow drifted down the narrow alleys of a border town as night fell, muffling sound and softening stone. In the governor’s dungeon, a boy sat chained, bruised by his older brother’s men, condemned to rot so the heir would never challenge the throne. Just before dawn, the boy stirred to the faintest knock against the iron door. The lock clicked open without a key, the hinges giving no cry. He stepped into the corridor and found every gate along his path already unbarred, as though fate itself had passed ahead of him. When he reached the courtyard, he caught sight of a lone figure on the wall, draped in plain robes, watching with calm eyes. The boy blinked, and the figure was gone, leaving only fresh footprints in the snow, vanishing into the mountains.

Description

Khazryn, a small and secluded country hidden in the Spine of the World. Its villages cling like lichens to the cliffsides, narrow terraces cut into stone for barley, yak pasture and the hardy tubers that survive in the thin air. Life is austere, ruled by cold winds, roaring avalanches and the eternal snowfields above. Yet the people of Khazryn are proud, resilient and deeply spiritual.

The capital, if one can call it that, is Tseradun, the great monastery, a thousand steps carved into the living rock of Mount Khazra, named for the mountain spirit said to dwell there. Tseradun is both fortress and temple, its walls painted with crimson and gold that glimmer in the thin sunlight, prayer flags whipping in the wind.

The Monastery

The monastery is divided into three tiers:

• The Outer Tier, where pilgrims and villagers gather, offer food and supplies, and receive blessings.

• The Middle Tier, where novices live, trained in discipline, meditation, and martial practice.

• The Inner Tier crowns Tseradun, divided into two halves: the western halls where the Sons of Khazra train in martial discipline, and the eastern Sanctum of Echoes, where the Daughters of Khazra practice their mystic arts. Between them lies the Hall of Still Waters, where monk and nun are bound in silent ritual before parting forever, their fates joined only through a distant bond of fleeting emotions and whispers of guidance.

A new monk only enters when another falls, and a new novice is admitted from the villages. It is said that the monastery keeps its exact number by command of the spirits, and to break it would bring disaster upon Khazryn.

The Monks and the Missions

The monks are known as the Hands of Khazra. At any time, one hundred wander the world on their missions. Each is chosen at the death of another, and their admission is marked by a great ritual known as the Passing of the Flame, where the soul of the fallen monk is said to whisper into the ear of his successor before departing.

Their missions are subtle, almost invisible. The Hands of Khazra do not slay tyrants or march with armies. Instead, they move in shadows, loosening one chain, placing one key, whispering one word that may change the course of a life, and through it, the course of kingdoms.

Some famous tales among the people tell of:

• Brother Tenzin, who gave a starving boy in Estoria a single loaf of bread, inspiring him to one day overthrow the corrupt governor who hoarded grain.

• Brother Nyima, who fought for seven days and nights in the swamps of Samvara to protect a single infant, who later grew to unite his people.

• Brother Dorje, who crept into a warlord’s tent in the Desert Rim, not to kill him, but to leave him with a dream so vivid of his own destruction that he abandoned his campaigns.

The Nuns and the Sanctum of Echoes

Alongside the Sons are the Eyes of Khazra, one thousand nuns who dwell in a sealed section of the monastery known as the Sanctum of Echoes. Where the monks hone body, discipline and skill, the nuns cultivate the mystic arts, visions and communion with the mountain spirits.

Each nun is bound to a monk when he departs on his mission. Through this bond, she guides him, not with words but with impressions, emotions and vague directions. A sense of dread to avoid a certain path, a warmth when the right stranger is near, a whisper of urgency when the moment to act is upon him. The bond is never precise, never like a conversation, but more like two flames flickering in the same wind.

The monks and nuns never meet in person. They live apart, their roles as distinct as earth and sky. Yet each mission is carried not by one, but by two: one walking in the world of men and one in the world of spirits.

When a monk falls, the nun who once guided him never bonds again. Instead, she becomes a teacher, training the next generation of Eyes within the sanctum’s hidden halls.

Religion

Khazryn’s faith is known as the Way of the Peaks. Its core belief is reincarnation, guided by the voices of the mountain spirits. Every peak is thought to be alive, with a spirit of its own living at the summit, some stern, some merciful, some wrathful.

The Spine of the World has thousands of peaks, thousands of spirits, but the most influential and important are:

• Khazra, spirit of the highest peak, represents wisdom and patience.
• Surna, the jagged mountain to the east, is the spirit of vengeance and pride.
• Meyla, the softer slopes in the south, is the spirit of compassion and fertility.

When a person dies, their soul is carried upward by the winds to the mountain tops. The spirits argue over the soul, each making its case. The spirit that speaks loudest, by virtue of kinship with the soul, claims the soul, deciding its next life. Because of this, no man or woman dares set foot on the summits, for it would be seen as trespassing on the council of spirits, a hubris that could damn one’s soul for eternity.

The villages often build shrines not on peaks, but on ridges and passes, where travelers can burn incense and offer yak butter to appease the watching spirits.

Possible Secrets

The Silent Chamber

Beneath the Hall of Still Waters lies a hidden chamber where monks and nuns once met face to face. It was sealed centuries ago, but the door remains.

The Thousand and First

There are not a thousand monks and nuns, but a thousand and one. The extra pair is never seen, never named, and said to act as the monastery’s final judge and executioner.

Broken Spirits

One of the mountain spirits has gone mad, whispering lies into the dreams of both monks and nuns, twisting their bonds and sowing doubt among them.

The Mirror of Dawn

Each dawn, the Hall of Still Waters reflects not the sky but the future. The monks claim it is only the light, but the nuns know otherwise.

The Unbound

A small group of monks and nuns have severed their bonds by choice, claiming it frees them to see the truth. The monastery denies they exist.

Adventure Hooks

The Fallen Bond

A monk on mission dies suddenly, but the nun bound to him still feels his presence. She believes his spirit lingers, trapped by unfinished destiny. The adventurers are asked to seek the truth and either free the spirit or finish his task.

The Trespasser’s Curse

A foreign climber has reached the summit of Mount Surna, violating the taboo against treading upon the spirits’ thrones. Now storms and avalanches plague the valleys. The monks enlist the adventurers to track down the trespasser, who is hunted not only by men but by the wrathful mountain spirit itself.

Chains of Gold

A corrupt noble in a neighboring kingdom has captured a wandering monk, hoping to break his will and force his secret techniques into service. The nun bound to him guides the party through dreams, urging them to rescue the prisoner before both monk and nun are lost.

The Shattered Pool

The sacred pool of the Hall of Still Waters ripples with unrest, bonds between monks and nuns breaking at random. The adventurers must discover whether it is sabotage, a curse, or the spirits themselves turning away from Khazryn.

The Hidden War

Whispers spread of a faction within Khazryn that wishes to use the monks openly, not as subtle wanderers but as weapons to rule. The adventurers stumble into secret clashes between monks loyal to tradition and those swayed by ambition.

Echoes of the Peaks

A mountain spirit has gone silent, leaving a valley barren and cursed. The adventurers must accompany a nun beyond the forbidden heights to awaken the spirit, while the taboo of trespass threatens their very souls.

Getting Out of a Pinch

Cornered, wounded, and out of options, the party faces certain death. Then, without warning, a door they never noticed stands ajar, or a rope lies coiled where none had been before.

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