Monastic Orders: A list of Sects/Orders/Deities/Alignments

Saxjamm · Post by **Saxjamm** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 10:02 pm

This thread has been created to help all players that exhibit an interest in playing a Monk-class character on this PW. I didn't ask permission to make this. If this is inappropriate, then I apologize. What this list does try to do, however, is provide anyone seeking to play a monk, with a little information on the styles or Orders that monks affiliate themselves with. It does not necessarily give locations of where they come from, but it does give you the mindset of that order. But first, a little bit about myself. 
 
I am not the most learned or experienced monk player. To be honest, I just started playing a monk character for the first time ever on this server. I started one day by going on this forum, looking through the list of Deities, and decided that I wanted a caring monk who serves a deity that few people were mentioning. I saw Ilmater, and said okay. To this day I groan in pain and suffering <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/roll.gif ALT=":rollin"> 
 
Anyway, while a monk does not have to follow a deity or specific order, it would help a player greatly with roleplaying. In my experience, a monk with no following is basically a bland character, a mercenary of sorts, with no history that other characters can even remotely relate to. Even if you don't want to be pigeon-holed, I strongly suggest patterning yourself after the pre-created histories. After being questioned multiple times about where "Zato" comes from, and what he follows, and then not being able to answer clearly, I did a tiny bit of research, and came up with a few things. It has helped flesh Zato out as a reasonable and recognizable character greatly. 
 
This list is not alphabetical or arranged in a particular system. This list will provide the name of the order, followed by the typical monk alignments, and the deities followed. Please note, if you only see "lawful evil" on the alignment list, that means there is no room for argumentation. The sect is most definitely evil. Do not join this sect and then start making friends! Otherwise, usually, interpretation is left to the person's decision. This is all followed by a brief history of the sect and their typical behaviors or philosophy. I also provide multi-class insights as well, though be aware that this PW server has it's own set of rules or restrictions pertaining to that. I am not providing you with rights... just information. 
 
 
Orders of the Monk: 
 
 
Monks of the Long Death: 
Alignment: Lawful Evil 
Deity: Valsharoon or None 
 
I marked these guys as evil simply because that's what it's all about. I don't think you could possibly be neutral when you're torturing or killing people just to learn about death, and you definitely wouldn't be Lawful Good. 
 
For detailed information on them, check this link: 
<a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rt/20030409a" target="top">Rand's Travelogue: Long Death</a> 
 
In general, monks of the Long Death have no deities. They are not interested in life beyond death... but instead are obsessed with the process of dying. And being dead. According to Rand's description, they enjoy taking corpses from cemeteries, and examining them as they rot. They'll also purchase slaves and slowly kill them to observe their deaths. They are warrior monks, to be sure, and I'd imagine their style is all about killing things painfully, and being associated with the aura of death. Would be hard to play, however, since you cannot kill NPC's or PC's without explicit permission, can't find a place to torture them, and it's also just plain hard being evil. 
 
Physically, they are often pale skinned, where dark robes and hoods to obscure features. Probably wouldn't be anything but humans. 
 
Typically multiclass into assassins, blackguard's, or fighters. 
 
Monks of the Hin Fist: 
Alignments: Lawful Neutral, Lawful Good (Dependant on Deity) 
Deities: Urogalan, Yondalla, Cyrrollalee, Arvoreen 
 
As shown within the description, the Hin Fist is obviously an order of monks who are also Hin. These monks may be small, but they are mighty. They would create gauntlets that snap the very air so as to warn their opponents of the skills they possess (or so says the description on the Hin Fist gauntlets in the NWN OC). Either way, this group is also one of the few Hin orders that will occasionally accept non-halflings. Or so says another excerpt in Rand's Travel Guide. If you want his scoop, as well the origins of the order and land surrounding, click here: 
<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20020213rt" target="top">Rand's Travelogue: Hin Fist</a> 
 
Hin Fist followers are generally not evil. So having an evil Hin Fist practitioner will prove ultimately fruitless, most likely. If you read, you'll find that the Hin Fists followers of Yondalla sometimes have rivalries with other Hin Fist schools... it seems it's mainly because of a dispute on whether a great disaster, according to religious tradition, is coming. Anyway, I don't think the Hin Fist originates in the area that this server is placed in, so it might not be an issue worth pushing. 
 
Typically multiclass as rogues, fighters, paladins. 
 
 
Monks of the Yellow Rose, Or Disciples of St. Sollars, Twice Martyred:  
Alignment: Lawful Good 
Deity: Ilmater 
 
The Order of the Yellow Rose is the group that my character, Zato, alligns himself, although according to his story, he is from the tradition, but not directly connected to them. The order is a group of Ilmater followers who seek to, according to the Travelogue, "...revere Ilmater, the god of pain and suffering, and maintain a museum in addition to serving alongside paladins of the Golden Cup as they travel. While journeying, they assist the paladins with healing, spreading the word of Ilmater's care, and saving lives." I did not provide a link because the line comes from a story about a possible monk character, and has only a little to do with the Yellow Rose history. 
 
St. Sollars apparently was a devout follower of Ilmater. Following Ilmater means that you are willing to take on suffering in order to ease the pain of others. You are therefore allied with the servants of Tyr and Torm, since those gods are all allied together. Followers of Ilmater can also be clerics. The Yellow Rose apparently never travel alone, which Zato is guilty of on a few occasions, and will often accompany Paladins of the faith. 
 
typically multiclass as shadowdancers, rangers, divine champions. Note, they are not typically clerics. A cleric of Ilmater is usually just that. But the personality of a Yellow Rose monk is not that of a desire to give healing. 
 
 
The Broken Ones: 
Alignment: Lawful Good 
Deity: Ilmater 
 
This is the second monk order of Ilmater that I know of. The Broken Ones are slightly different from the Yellow Rose. The Yellow Rose could b scene as a sect, that follows the principles of a person that fell before them (St. Sollars). The Broken Ones are coined after the nickname of Ilmater, who is also known as "The Broken One". They are devoted to Ilmater. They endure the pain of their training and the suffering of others, as Ilmater does. History is not the same as the Yellow Rose, but the principles are still there. Customs, such as not traveling alone, probably do not apply. 
 
These monks can generally become clerics. 
 
 
Monks of the Old Order: 
Alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil 
Deity: None (absolutely none) 
 
The Old Order is a group of monks that do not really follow or believe in one true deity. It is supposed that they followed a deity at one point, but over time stopped following it, either because it perished or they simply did not care, and instead just inherited the philosophical principles behind it. They enjoy philosophical debates as well, and introspection. 
 
I suppose their main motivation is simply to improve their fighting skills and finding a truth about life for themselves. Following a deity would pretty much discount you from being of the Old Order. You can be good, neutral, and evil, though it is rare for an Old Order member to be evil, and is probably usually neutral. Multi-classing restrictions would be along the lines of anything involving deity powers. So becoming a cleric is a no-no. You don't follow a deity. 
 
 
Monks of the Dark Moon: 
Alignment: Lawful Evil (nothing more) 
Deity: Shar 
 
Here's another evil monk order, if that is what you like to be. The Monks of the Dark Moon are followers of Shar, the goddess of darkness and loss. They seek personal glory and whatever other spiritual power than can obtain. Other than that, the history of the Dark Moon doesn't go too deep. If you want a character reference to a follow of the Dark Moon, check out this link from Rand's Travelogue: 
<a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20021106rp" target="top">Sindonish, Monk of the Yellow Rose (actually a member of the Dark Moon) </a> 
 
Monks of the Dark Moon occasionally multi-class into sorcerers. 
 
 
There are many other orders of monks in existence. I was about to say I had no more information, but then I checked around and found a wealth of even more information available, about sects I did not mention, including their enemies, etc. 
 
The thread was slow to load, so I will do two things. 
 
1.) Here is the Link to the site that I found the information on Orders like the Monks of the Sun Soul. Just scroll to the last post of that page, and you'll see tons of stuff. 
<a href="http://www.rdinn.com/show_topic.asp?which=1395" target="top">Information on Monk Orders</a> 
 
 
2.) I'll simply post what he posted, just in case the website is ever too low or down. 
 
----------------------------------------------------------- 
Posted by: Bromern Sal (done for credit reasons) 
 
The Order of the Sun Soul is a Forgotten Realms monastic order. There is very little information on them within the Forgotten Realms handbook, so I took what info they had, took the information from the Forgotten Realms Faiths and Pantheons concerning the gods they venerated, took information from the Sword and Fist, Player's Handbook, and Internet research to come up with the details for this order. 
 
The Order of the Sun Soul 
 
The Order of the Sun Soul represents three distinct sects of monastic worship. Each sect is as different in their application of achieving perfection, as are the gods they revere, and each monastery is as likely to differ in practice as in their methodology for pursuing perfection of body and mind. The one thing that this monastic order has as common ground within its diverse membership is that they are as likely to have a monastery placed in a remote landscape as they are to have one in the heart of a city. They are a wide-flung order with influences all over Faerun. 
 
As mentioned previously, the Order of the Sun Soul is fractioned in its pious worship. Some sects worship Lathander, The Morning Lord. Others worship Selûne, Our Lady of Silver. While still others worship Sune, Lady Firehair. In our effort to broaden the understanding of common folk in reference to the Order of the Sun and Moon we will be delving into each aspect of worship and how the whims of these gods affect the actions of the monks as well as their relationship with the clergy of the three gods. 
 
Lathander Sect 
The monks of the Lathander portion are protagonists of art and agriculture. Those that remain within the monasteries pursue a greater understanding of oneself through painting, sculpting and carving, or the care of a garden. The Lathander monasteries are perhaps the most gaudy of all monasteries, rife with statues, colorful gardens, and stained glass windows, pools and streams. 
 
The Daily Routine of such homebody monks begins early, with the Morning Meditation. This is a time of quiet contemplation where the monks face the east in order to be enlightened by the first rays of the rising sun. They sit upon prayer mats, legs crossed, fingertips barely touching, held in front of their chests, their faces turned up, towards the sun, their eyes shut and they examine their future activities, planning their day so that they can achieve the most growth. This meditation lasts until the sun completely breaks the horizon at which time the monks eat a community meal and then set about their creative or gardening endeavors. These practices are done in the morning hours unless a great conflict is on the horizon, then they are done in the afternoon hours. This signifies which particular growth is more smiled upon by Lathander himself. Lunch is another community meal after which the monks proceed with an afternoon of martial training, or if they have already done so, then their creative endeavors are pursued. The monks refer to the kata that they practice as the Light of the Sun, and it is truly a beautiful thing to watch. Evening meal is taken as a community after which the monks gather for communal teachings from the head of the monastery – edicts, philosophies, and principles straight from the holy scriptures of Lathander. 
 
Adventuring Monks of the Lathander sect have come to the conclusion, or been instructed, to leave the monasteries to further their training by seeking out the enemies of Lathander and protecting those not able to protect themselves. While adventuring they strive always to practice their Morning Meditation, generally following it up with the Light of the Sun where the morning rays can kiss their bodies. They like to feel the sun on their skin and will generally practice their katas in nothing more than a loin cloth, or in the case of females, a loin cloth and a single length of cloth to cover their breasts. 
 
The Clergy of Lathander has a good relationship with the monks of the Order of the Sun Soul, Lathander Sect. Within the monasteries there is often a Priest of Lathander (known as a Dawnbringer) to help with the spiritual instruction, provide healing and guidance. In kind, within the lavish temples of the Morninglord monks are employed as guardians of the grounds. In times where war is necessary the ranks of a Lathanderian army swell with monks ready to defend their god’s edicts. Paladins of Lathander and Monks view each other with extreme respect and often jump at the chance to serve together. 
 
Allies of the Sect include those who worship Eldath, Liira, Oghma, Milil, and Gond, but most importantly Chauntea. On some occasions monasteries will be built within sacred druidic groves dedicated to Chauntea where the monks of the Order of the Sun Soul will help protect the land from destructive influences. 
 
Enemies of the Sect include those who worship Bane, Cyric, Loviatar, and Talos, but while the Order of the Sun Soul will strive to thwart the followers of these fell gods they will go out of their way to seek out and destroy those who worship Shar. In addition to these enemies the Lathander sect will not stand for undead of any kind, placing their destruction almost as high as Shar’s followers. 
 
The Dogma of the Sect is similar to that of the clergy’s with some very minor alterations to the wording so that everything influences the monk’s achievement of perfection. Further information on the specifics can be found within the Forgotten Realms Faiths and Pantheons book. 
 
Selûne Sect 
This portion of the Sun Soul order consist primarily of female practitioners. While a male member is possible it is a rare thing as Selûne worship generally revolves around female rights and empowerment. As such the Selûne Sect is something of a recognized recluse for women seeking to better themselves. Members of this sect seek perfection through compassion, acceptance, and equality of all things and people that are not evil in nature. 
 
The Daily Routine of the Selûne Sect monks begins with care-taking duties. Whether this includes those who are entrusted to their care for infirmities of the mind, women seeking solace from abusive environments, pregnant women who have come to the monastery for a peaceful birthing, or the grounds of their monastery such activity is pursued with intensity mixed with compassion. All meals are taken as a community and the preparation of such meals is handled by a rotation of the monks within on a weekly basis. The afternoon is spent in combat training, often focusing on tactics best used against lycanthropic creatures, but not neglecting common forms. As evening draws on the monks find a place where they can watch the rising of the moon, and during this episode they hold the Meditation of the Moon. Sitting with their legs tucked underneath them, their hands resting on their thighs, they watch the moon crest the horizon and contemplate their failings, and how they may improve upon their shortcomings. Once the moon has risen to a point twice its height above the horizon the monks begin their kata. Simply called The Moonmaiden’s Dance, monks of the Selûne Sect believe that perfection of the kata can only be achieved while basking in the pale light of the moon. Only at times of the new moon do these monks refuse to practice their kata for fear that their intent might be misinterpreted as respect shown to Shar instead of Selûne. Very often, practice of the kata lasts well into the night, and monks of this sect tend to retire late. 
 
Adventuring Monks of Selûne believe that their purpose in the world is to promote equality among men and women, showing that compassion is a far greater strength than aggression, and seeking the destruction of evil lycanthropes. In these successes will Selûne show them the path to perfection, and these monks will strive to carry out all important tasks in the light of the full moon so that the influence of their goddess may enlighten their efforts. 
 
The Clergy of Selûne often employs monks of the Order of the Sun Soul as temple guards, and mixtures of clerics and monks often make up the population of both monasteries and temples. Monks tend to be helpful in many missions required by Selûne and the somewhat chaotic clergy of Selûne does not forget their usefulness. Often, the monks of the Sun Soul order are looked upon as the stable backbone of the faith since they are about the only lawful and ordered portion of the faith, and as such they are delivered much respect. 
 
Allies of the Sect include those who worship Liira, the Drow goddess Eilistraee, and Lathander, but surprisingly enough their most prominent ally resides within those who worship Mystra, the goddess of Magic. Due to the control the moon has over lycanthropic creatures Selûne Sect monks offer their assistance to good-aligned lycanthropes. 
 
Enemies of the Sect include those who worship Mask and Umberlee, but while the Order of the Sun Soul, Selûne Sect opposes these faiths, they do not try to make open war upon them. Mask’s evil done under the canopy of Selûne’s light is frowned upon and if the chance arrives that a monk of the Sun Soul might put a stop to such activity they are more than happy to take that chance. Where Umberlee’s faithful are concerned there is just an uneasy antagonism present. Their truest enemy lies within the worshippers of Shar, the dark sister to their Selûne. The monks of the Sun Soul will do all within their power to put a stop to any effort the faithful of Shar have underway – often going out of their way to discover the plots of the Sharites and positioning themselves in a obstructive manner. Never standing for evils committed under the light of their goddess’ moon the Selûnite monks happily take up arms against evil lycanthropes. In some cases they make it part of their pursuit for perfection, deriving a sense of accomplishment from besting the beasts. 
 
The Dogma of the Sect is similar to that of the clergy’s with some very minor alterations to the wording so that everything influences the monk’s achievement of perfection. Further information on the specifics can be found within the Forgotten Realms Faiths and Pantheons book. 
 
Sune Sect 
This sect of the Sun Soul order is perhaps the most erratic. While the Lathander and Selûne Sects accept the Sune membership as brothers and sisters of their Order they do not often rely on them for support. The Sunite monks are protectors of love and beauty. They are the most amorous of any clergy believing perfection can only be obtained through the pursuit of personal pleasure. 
 
The Daily Routine of the Sunite monks begins with a bath in scented water and the Soul Meditation, which also takes place within the bath. This meditative practice consists of the study of oneself within a mirror, naked so that the beauty of the monk’s sculpted body can truly be admired and thus strengthen their ki through self-love. All meals are generally prepared by a hired cook so that the monks can partake of the finest in culinary pleasures, and all meals are taken within the company of fellow monks and the available clergy of Sune. The mornings are spent in exercise and here the monks of the Order practice their kata, which they call The Dance. In fact, it is very similar to the dances performed by the worshippers of Sune during the Feast of Love except that there are definite combative elements to it. Afternoons are spent beautifying their grounds, or each other, or themselves as they are wont to do. If the monks feel they are already in a state of beauty they will indulge in listening to minstrel, or even trysts with whoever has caught their fancy at the moment. Evenings are always spent indulging in writing poetry, reading poetry, or the making of beautiful things, partaking of the company of beautiful people, or continuing their trysts. 
 
Adventuring Monks of Sune are rare, but those who do seek perfect beauty outside the walls of their monasteries or temples are usually in pursuit of something or someone of great beauty. They view their particular path to perfection as one of surrounding themselves and filling their memories with beautiful people and sights while destroying that which is terrible to behold. 
 
The Clergy of Sune is not as often found amongst the more rigid monks of the Order as they are flighty and flirtatious, chaotic and given to moods where the monks are more ordered in their devotions. This does not mean that they don’t aid one another when necessary and often the role of protecting someone or something of great beauty is given to monks of the Sun Soul. 
 
Allies of the Sect are numerous and change often, though as of late Mystra’s worshippers are counted a silent, strong ally, and Selûne, Milil, and Lathander have also gained the Sunite’s support. Since most think the worship of Sune an inconsequential practice they don’t often seek out the services of the worshippers of Sune. 
 
Enemies of the Sect are rare as most don’t consider it worth their while to confront the rather flighty worshippers of Sune. Of late, however, Sunites have found those who worship Shar to be something more than an annoyance in their efforts to cause Sunites trouble. Sunites have also been given reasons in the past to find affront from worshippers of Auril, Malar, Talos, Umberlee, Talona, and Tempus because of their destructive methodology, but have not openly declared them enemies. 
 
The Dogma of the Sect is similar to that of the clergy’s with some very minor alterations to the wording so that everything influences the monk’s achievement of perfection. Further information on the specifics can be found within the Forgotten Realms Faiths and Pantheons book. 
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That should conclude a wealth of information on the monk sects. I hope this information is appropriate for this forum and this PW. If not, I'll of course accept the fact that it needs to be removed. Either way, if anyone ever has questions then, I would be glad to attempt an answer, though I must emphasize that I do not own the player handbooks or FR campaign books, so my knowledge is definitely second-hand. 
 
Hope this stuff helps. I'd love to see monks with good histories or affiliations. This way, we don't all have to be followers of Ilmater. Zato doesn't want any friends <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"> . 
 
Take care.

Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub188.ezboard.com/bthevast.showUserPublicProfile?gid=saxjamm@thevast>Saxjamm</A> at: 3/1/04 6:03 pm

Innuvindyl · Post by **Innuvindyl** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 12:32 am

Haven't read it at all, but since my limited knowledge of the monk class has previously held me away from it, I expect reading through it might make it easier for me, should I ever care to make one <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)">

Saxjamm · Post by **Saxjamm** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 1:21 am

Agreed, it is a ridiculously long list. I read most or all of it, but that's only because I was collecting it and wanted to know more about monks. I spent about a month or more in complete ignorance of it, however. 
 
It's not absolutely necessary to know every single sect. Just knowing the two evil sects, Long Death, and Dark Moon, and then maybe one more sect of good, will usually give enough information than you'll ever need to know.

Cornelius Scarecrow · Post by **Cornelius Scarecrow** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 2:45 am

Informative... 
 
Additionally: 
 
FR Campaign Sourcebook, Page 25. 
Monastic Orders sidebar. 
 
Shining Hand (Neutral): 
 
 
The Shining Hand is one of the oldest monk orders of Amn, mixing faith in Azuth and the practice of wizardry with monastic devotions. Amn's crackdown on the practice of wizardry has sent some Shining Hand groups underground and sent others out into the wider world. Monks of the Shining Hand can multiclass freely as wizards so long as their monk level equals or exceeds their wizard level. 
 
 
-- 
 
I should try playing a monk. 
Very interesting creatures... 
 
Never had a penchant for playing lawful characters unfortunately. 
 
- CS esq.

Saxjamm · Post by **Saxjamm** » Tue Mar 02, 2004 7:11 pm

Well, I think a lot of people don't necessarily want to play "lawful" characters. On the other hand, there are some of the sects on this list which are not prone to being lawful in the "paladin" sense. Personally, I hate paladins to death. (His secret is revealed!) but Zato of course respects them IC. 
 
The Monks of the Sun Soul, however, seem like a good choice if you wish to play a monk that is "lawful" yet "chaotic" in their nature, i.e., they may follow the rules of the order, like following meditation practices, doing the martial techniques, and protecting people, but they also have a penchant for being... weird. 
 
So if you want to be a vain Monk, not overly vain of course, but one that has a few weird mannerisms, and a penchant for admiring beauty, I think Sun Soul is the way to go. 
 
Or, if you're into graveyard stuff, being lawful evil, but that doesn't mean that you have to be a rigid blackguardish type guy, then the Long Death is a way to go as well. After reading about many of these types, I've also taken an interest in what kind of monks can be done, but since Zato has been getting worked up, I don't really plan on making another monk... that would just get too confusing. 
 
"Hey, Zato, you see that latest monk out of a total of four show up?" 
 
"Nope, and I never will see that evil monk because he is me!"

The Vast

Monastic Orders: A list of Sects/Orders/Deities/Alignments

Monastic Orders: A list of Sects/Orders/Deities/Alignments

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