Long ago there existed a monastery high up in the cliffs overlooking the sea. The monks had built the monastery next to a lush and fertile valley with vast orchards for fruit and groves for grapes. The monks became brewers, vintners and distillers of exceptional skill. They also maintained a herd of tame stench cows and affectionate catobelpas that the founding monk had somehow befriended. Reputedly the founding monk was blind and she had absolutely no sense of smell. They used the milk from the docile creatures to make delicious and expensive Death Cheese, which they sold along with their alcohol. Perfecting their skills over a lifetime the monks eventually earned a great reputation. Kings, Queens, merchant princes and even a dragon soon became customers of the monastery paying in gold, riches and magical artifacts for the amazing delicacies the monks created. Becoming quite wealthy, the monastery/brewery became grander than many palaces and now contained a vast library the monks began to fill with their wisdom and recipe books.
That reputation however soon reached the ears of evil and greedy people. Bandits raids became common and eventually a warlord began terrorizing the monetarist to steal their alcohol and cheese. To defend themselves the monks developed a martial art style that would mimic the jerky, unpredictable movements of a drunkard to confuse their enemies. The also studied the stunning tail attack of the catobelpas and learned to mimic that strike to stun their own enemies. Using their newly created style of fighting, the monks were able to defeat the warlords forces time and time again until the warlord had enough. He banded together all his forces with those of every nearby despot lord to form a vast army. With no chance of winning the monks had one final hope. One of the artifacts (a ring) they had collected over the years contained a powerful genie. They bargained with the elemental that they would free the genie from imprisonment in the ring if she could protect the monastery from the army and hide it so that no one would ever be able to find it and threaten them again. The genie agreed and immediately disappeared. Then the cliff side began to rumble and shake as the whole valley began to raise up out of the earth. The genie had transformed herself into a immense zaratan, an elemental turtle with the whole valley on its shell. Into the ocean living island went; never to be seen near land again.
Some say the Wandering Monastery is still out there. The monks and the zaratan blissfully ignoring the outside world. Contently creating new kinds of alcohol and training new generations of brewers and fighters in their unorthodox ways. Others say it is simply just a legend.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
The Wandering Monastery
Long ago there existed a monastery high up in the cliffs overlooking the sea. The monks had built the monastery next to a lush and fertile valley with vast orchards for fruit and groves for grapes. The monks became brewers, vintners and distillers of exceptional skill. They also maintained a herd of tame stench cows and affectionate catobelpas that the founding monk had somehow befriended. Reputedly the founding monk was blind and she had absolutely no sense of smell. They used the milk from the docile creatures to make delicious and expensive Death Cheese, which they sold along with their alcohol. Perfecting their skills over a lifetime the monks eventually earned a great reputation. Kings, Queens, merchant princes and even a dragon soon became customers of the monastery paying in gold, riches and magical artifacts for the amazing delicacies the monks created. Becoming quite wealthy, the monastery/brewery became grander than many palaces and now contained a vast library the monks began to fill with their wisdom and recipe books.
That reputation however soon reached the ears of evil and greedy people. Bandits raids became common and eventually a warlord began terrorizing the monetarist to steal their alcohol and cheese. To defend themselves the monks developed a martial art style that would mimic the jerky, unpredictable movements of a drunkard to confuse their enemies. The also studied the stunning tail attack of the catobelpas and learned to mimic that strike to stun their own enemies. Using their newly created style of fighting, the monks were able to defeat the warlords forces time and time again until the warlord had enough. He banded together all his forces with those of every nearby despot lord to form a vast army. With no chance of winning the monks had one final hope. One of the artifacts (a ring) they had collected over the years contained a powerful genie. They bargained with the elemental that they would free the genie from imprisonment in the ring if she could protect the monastery from the army and hide it so that no one would ever be able to find it and threaten them again. The genie agreed and immediately disappeared. Then the cliff side began to rumble and shake as the whole valley began to raise up out of the earth. The genie had transformed herself into a immense zaratan, an elemental turtle with the whole valley on its shell. Into the ocean living island went; never to be seen near land again.
Some say the Wandering Monastery is still out there. The monks and the zaratan blissfully ignoring the outside world. Contently creating new kinds of alcohol and training new generations of brewers and fighters in their unorthodox ways. Others say it is simply just a legend.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww