Monastery of the Astrailaighai

"We should have brought Falia on this mission..."

Worldbuilding note: The languages of Prima Terra is an ongoing project, as such, some of the unique names and translations within this article are to be considered a work in progress. The specific names or translations may change down the line, so feel free to use anything in this article within your roleplay or character backstory, but remember to check for updates in case things change!

An imposing monastery secluded within a qaurter of the Asrinheim fortress of Mayrin, the Monastery of the Astrailaighi is built around a naturally occurring wormhole and teaches the arts of Psionics to the worthy few warriors that pass their tests.
Astrailaighai, coming from the Old Vaniri phrase meaning “the place of those who work the stars,” is an exclusive order with only a few active practitioners of their ways. The Ice Elf psionic discipline is the only practiced and controlled exposure form of learning psionics within Prima Terra. The monastery has existed since the late mythic age, being formed before the foundation of Mayrin as a full settlement.

Ethos

The ethos of the Astrailaighai was formed in the late mythic age and early first age but the first three abbots. The training and morality of the monastery is a mixture of spiritual and physical rigor. Only a handful of those sent to train at the moanstery as youngesters actually graduate as fully fledged psionic knights, the rest having to live in the monastery as monastic guardians and study for the rest of their lives to control their psionic abilities.
From the teachings of first three, the following ethos is instilled into every early recruit:

1. Honour thy gods, gather strength of faith from those who made and guide us
2. Control your emotions, do not let passion guide your actions, but let your thoughts guide your passions
3. Live humbly and in humility, your power does not define you, only your honour
4. Use your strength and skills to protect those who cannot protect themselves
5. Be the light the stars have gifted you
6. Be bound by your oaths, your word is your bound and your bound is your power

Becoming a psionic warrior is a life long commitment to continued training and control. When left unregulated, Psionics can become dangerous and unpredictable. The monks teach the above edicts as they beleive this to be the best form of channeling astral energy without harming yourself or others. The near chivalric ideas of protecting others and honouring oaths is likely as a form of PR to maintain the reputation of the monastery and its warriors. A psi-warrior is expected to refuse unlawful orders and stand by their oaths and duties to protect the universe as a whole.
Although these ideals are strongly enforced within the monastery, with the monks who failed their tests often going on to perform charity within Maryin itself and the trainee knights being expected to defend the town if it is ever attacked, beyond the monastery there is very little to actually enforce these rules beyond a warrior's own code or that of their teachers.

Current Residents

The monastery currently houses around a hundred monks and trainees. Although not all are known, below are listed the most important figures currently within the building's walls.

• Abbot Freldir: The current high abbot of the monastery, Freldir is around 700 years old and has been at the monastery since failing his first phase of training six and a half centuries ago. Working through the ranks of the order from guardian to tutor to scholar, eventually being appointed as high abbot 350 years ago, Freldir has kept the monastery steady and been responsible for accepting all new recruits. It is said Freldir is able to glimpse sights of the future and uses this to choose candidates he knows will go onto achieve great things.
• Amather Perrilas: A graduated psionic warrior who returned to the monastery as a teacher later in life, Amather preaches a more emotional form of fighting and even has their own family, something most of the other residents at the monastery do not. Amather was a key member of the Asrinheim army during the 40 year war.
• Galthar Tares: The Bull of the Mountain, Galthar is a monk and warrior trainer who failed their final test and spent a century recovering in the moanstery. Following this, they became a martial trainer and is currently a Grandmaster of three forms.
• Quilas the Wise: The high scholar, Quilas is the keeper of the monastery's records and library and considered a favourite by students for their bemusing antics and lighthearted nature.

Notable Members

• Gallus; member of Doomed 2 Die and psi warrior
• Zedithir Galandrel: Grandmaster of Styrildir and ancient Ice Elf warrior. Also going by Zed, although not a household name, Zed's fame and skill as a warrior is the talk amongst many students and masters, and is famous for his rivalry with Galthar Tares.

Purpose / Function

The monastery is built to guide and train psionic warriors in the Astrailaigh tradition. There are several phases to the training and a controlled and slow pace to unlocking psionic powers.

First Phase

The first phase of training takes around twenty years to complete, with the first half being dedicated to mastering meditation and focus. This is usually spent in small classes or isolation with a single teacher who specialises around the spirituality side of psionics. The purpose is to understand oneself and get an intimate control over emotions and actions. Physical forms of meditation with slow practiced movements are also practiced at this time. Following mastery of the self, weapons training is then conducted afterwards in small groups. All weapons are expected to be studied at this time - from how to maintain a weapon to its best utilization.
The first phase concludes with the first rites. A warrior must spend a month meditating in total isolation, provided enough dried food and water to last them for the entire period, in front of a small shard from a meteroirte that fell through the wormhole. After that month, a warrior begins to unlock their psionic abilities in small amounts. If a warrior fails to do so, they are free to leave the monastery, or if the psionic abilities become to strong they must remain as a monk to help regulate their powers.

Second Phase

The second phase begins with learning how to use the psionic abilities gifted by the astral sea. No speciality is chosen at this time, but rather that of a general psionic harnessing. This phase is amongst the most grueling, with warrior monks training the knights relentlessly in this time to push them to their extremes to ensure the psionics are able to be contorlled under all circumstances. A smaller level of scholarly teaching is also practiced at this time, learning the history of the order and warfare strategies.
The second phase concludes with the Final rites. A candidate must spend an hour looking into the wormhole deep within the monastery's vaults. This massive exposure to the astral sea can cause all manner of side-effects. Some go mad, some sea the universe, some experience complex visions, and others feel nothing. If one completes this rite, they most then pass seventeen trials of mind and blade before finally being allowed to return home.

Third Phase

The third phase is passing the seventeen trials of mind and blade. During this time, a speciality in psionic training must be selected (listed below.) The trials themselves vary per tradition, but involve ranked matches, tests on history and strategy, and learning how to act to the ethos of the order beyond the walls. Sometimes small expeditions of knights are taken out on training missions, with the final trial being to defeat your teacher in combat. After this is completed, a psi-warrior is considered fully trained and free to return to their families or guild.

Psionic Styles

There are six psionic styles a warrior can practice. These are taught during the third phase, and student is expected to master a minimum of one. If a trainee is willing to undertake more years of training, they can technically master all of them. There are five levels of competency at a style; student, novice, adept, master, and grandmaster. the ranks of adept and master are achieved through the seventeen trials, whilst Novice is a rank obtained upon spending the neccesary time to learn the basics of style. At anytime after graduating, a student can return to learn a new style if they so wish. The rank of Grandmaster is only obtained after a minimum of a century practicing and using a form, and then competing in a special tounrament within the walls of the monastery against all other masters of the form.

Thailidryr - the path of the Mountain

Form one, known as the path of the mountain, is about defence and controlled, precise attacks. The mountain favours taking hits from opponents and striking only when a clear oppertunity to attack lies open, often absorbing a lot of damage and harm in the process. As such, warriors who use this style favour heavy armour with a shield, and use their protective psionic field to absorb additional damage. Thailidryr weapons are usually polearms or one-handed piercing weapons to utilise the precision. When attacking, a psionic strike is also used to increase the precision and harm of the assault. Form one favours minimal attacks, and focuses on keeping enemies at pays using pushing techniques.

Styrlidyr - the path of the Storm

The path of the storm is focused on waring down an opponent through tactics and big, heavy strikes in order to force your opponent into a mistake in order to use a fatal strike. Warriors utilise a mixture of psionic abilities from thrusts to strikes and use light footwork to manouever yourself and your opponents into an advantageous position. Flurries of attacks with scattered psionic strikes and moving around an opponent is the hallmark of this style, whilst using psionic shield sparingingly and leaning more on natural defences such as parrying or armour. Form 2 practioners favour using two handed weapons such as greatswords, greataxes, longswords, or glavies and prefer light to medium armour to garuntee manouverability.

Auras - Path of the Clouds

Form 3, Auras, favours manouverability and a high focus on psionics and terrain with a preference for ranged assaults and mid-line fighting. Auras pracitioners are known for their mastery of psionic abilities and are usually minor magic users on the side as well. A highly acrobatic and athletic form, psionic leaps and telekenisis are combined with thrown weapons such as light axes, javelins, or daggers. In melee, two-weapon fighting is favoured usually with a shortsword and dagger or a lightaxe and battleaxe. Form 3 users prefer light armour and dexterity over strength.

Elasilyr - Path of the Wave

The most aggressive form of fighting taught at the monastery, Elasilyr's battle philosphy focuses on heavy and brutal strikes to force your opponent into defence only. Considered brutal, Elasilyr involves pushing and battering your opponent whilst being able to take on heavy strikes yourself. An unrelentling style, it favours fighters with stamina and strength, although dexterity fighting can still be used as a subform of Elasilyr. This path teaches the whole body can be used as a weapon, and uses psionics to aid in strikes and thrusts to push enemies down. Pracitioners also tend to use shields as battering weapons as an additional way to knock enemies prone to allow for more brutal assaults. Elasilyr users prefer using slashing or bludgeoning weapons, sometimes with a shield, and prefer medium to heavy armour.

Aelyrisyr - Path of the Blizzard

Form five, Aelyrisyr, is the only ranged priority style taught at the monastery. This style favours remaining as far away from an enemy as possible and attacking the multiple times with ranged attacks from a bow. The main philosophy is to be like a blizzard and harm your opponents with barrages of attacks without being vulernable yourelf. Psionics are utilised to keep enemies at bay, using leaps to escape from an enemy or thrusts to push them back. Constant movement around a battlefield is favoured, with a preference to taking cover using the landscape over shields or armour. Simple weapon fighting with light weapons, mainly daggers, is taught alongside but only in its most basic form for defence. Aelyrisyr users prioritise longbows or shortbows, with only a few crossbows being used. They also favour light armour and never use a shield.

Coreliyri - Path of the Wind

A psionics and unarmed focused fighting style, Coreliyri is the most pacifist form and is made to contain and control an enemy rather than directly harm them. Pracitioners use thursts and leaps, prefering simple weapons such as staves or their fists to hit targets, using their psionic abilities to push them down where a grapple can then take place to subdue and control an opponent. At range, Coreliyri users favour darts for their minimal offencive capability but also utlise poisons and magic to help control and calm those around them. Coreliryi users are often unarmoured and this style is favoured mainly by the monks within the monastery.

History

The monastery was built circa 3780, me during the late Krowethic Period and during the third generation of Ice Elves, where the genetic distinctiveness was starting to show amongst the northern population.
Legend states how Aelvastrailir, literally “Elf of the Stars” founded a commune around a naturally occurring rip in the fabric of space time. Believed to be a miner or explorer, Aelvastrailir discovered the wormhole within a deep cavern beneath Mount Radva, and was so awed by his experience staring into the hole he vowed to protect it and learn from it. The small commune grew with those interested by the discovery, with theories developing about it being a ‘gateway to the gods’ lead to a religious aspect taking hold. Within half a century, Psionic abilities started to grow within the commune’s residents.

“And so, the gods themselves bestowed the wisdom of the stars before the gathered, where the disciplined mind now governed the rules of mortal realms.” – Chronicle of Aelvastralir.

Supposedly it was the very discoverer of the phenomenon that gained the gift first, and from this spend the next century turning the commune into a monastic order devoted to psionics and unlocking the god’s gift.
By the time of Aelvastrailir’s death in the 3rd century of the first age, the monastery had been fully built as an enclosed space with a strict order to it. The second leader of the monastery, one of the early migrants to the commune, Thalvindir, furthered the monastery’s program of training and focused on the spiritual side of the operation. Only the most faithful were allowed exposure to the wormhole, thus starting the tradition of intense meditation before learning psionics itself.
Information on Thalvindir is scant, but what is recorded is the monastery was attacked by members of House Stormsky in the early first age. Supposedly, the Stormskys were seeking to find the power of the wormhole for themselves. The order was promptly reorganized to serve as a knightly guild and the Stormskys were defeated.
The martial traditions and use of psionics as a martial art began to take hold following the reconstruction of the monastery by the third abbot, Corelthir. The order’s numbers continued to swell, with Asrinheimers of all backgrounds sending children to the monastery for training. Corelthir believed that training young elves was the optimum way of teaching psionics due to a child's ability to easily learn and adopt new skills. Teaching an adult, as in an elf over 100 years old, would yield less effects as they would contain more emotional baggage and bias.
The monastery entered its golden age in the late first age with around a thousand warriors scattered throughout Asrinheim, the Vale, and the Aedrinarian kingdoms. Due to the growth of the monastery at this time, a smaller supporting town and fortress began to be formed around it as Mayrin was built. In Asrinheim tradition, many psi knights from the monastery, and monks, journeyed to the continent to face Soulthek during the waning century of the first soulthek war.  Many would die throughout the war, and the numbers of psionic practioners continued to dwindle throughout the second age.
The rigourous and strict training meant many did not succeed in passing their tests of the warrior, so the more prominent houses stopped sending children to train there in case they ended up having to spend their life as monks. This loss of influence and prestige saw the supporting town of Mayrin grow instead, with the abbots becoming fully reliant on the elders of Mayrin.
The number of psionics users in Asrinheim remains around the 150 mark, including those who work in the monastery. Of that number, most are simply the monks that tend to the monastery whilst only around 30-45 are fully fledged psionic knights. This ancient martial art has remained a source of pride and is deeply respected by the older houses and within Mayrin itself, even if the monastery does not command the influence it once did.

Founding Date

circa 3780, me

Type

Monastery

Parent Location

Mayrin