Shambala Vale

Nestled in the Himalayan Mountains is a secret valley not marked on any map. The sole passage is hidden behind a towering waterfall, deep in a narrow canyon where the mighty Tsangpo River plunges down to the rocks below. Past the cascade of the Hidden Falls is Shambala Vale. It is known as Lotus Land, Pemako, Shangri-la, and many other names. Despite the harsh environment of the mountains, the legendary Vale remains temperate and spring-like year-round, its weather protected by ancient magic, which also shields it from prying eyes. In truth, Shambala Vale is a beyul, a “hidden land,” within a dimensional fold like that of Utopia Isle or the Lost World, which has kept it concealed from the outside world for untold generations.
Mystics from Atlantis settled the vale millennia ago to escape the war between that island nation and the Serpent Empire of Lemuria. They intermarried with the local people and founded a community, protecting it from the elements and potentially hostile outsiders. The eventual destruction of Atlantis affirmed their belief in isolation and pacifism, so they remained and studied the esoteric arts.
Shambala Vale is best known for its temple of learning, meditation, and contemplation, and for the crypts that lie beneath it. Only learned mystics and martial arts masters even know of the vale’s existence, and fewer still know how to find their way there.

THE SHAMBALA TEMPLE

Located on a mountainside overlooking the green and fertile valley below, the Shambala Temple has stood for centuries as a place of contemplation and learning. Many of Earth’s Master Mages have trained at the temple, and many mystical and martial arts traditions can trace their roots back to it, if one delves deeply enough into the past.
The masters of the Shambala Temple apply many tests to determine the worthiness of potential students. The first test is actually reaching the temple, no small feat for an outsider. Would-be students are often rejected and sent to live in the valley below to learn humility, or made to wait outside the temple for days or weeks to learn patience. Once accepted, students do menial work in between lessons in meditation, exercise, martial arts, philosophy, and (in some cases) the mystic arts.
The martial arts taught at the Shambala Temple are said to be the “sun source” of all unarmed fighting techniques throughout Asia, perhaps even the world, dating back to the ancient adepts of Atlantis and their esoteric disciplines. Thus students of the Temple can learn virtually any fighting style in the world, and true masters are among the greatest fighters the world has ever known.

THE CRYPTS OF KARU

In catacombs deep beneath the mountain of the Shambala Temple lie the Crypts of Karu. Within these vaults rest the mortal remains of many of Earth’s Master Mages, placed there by the monks of the Shambala Temple. The crypts are a sacred place, and no one except for the monks and the current Master Mage (or those with his or her expression permission) may enter. The statues within the antechamber of the crypts are enchanted as guardians over the final resting place of the honored dead.
Some Master Mages come to the Crypts of Karu to reflect and meditate, others to more directly commune with the spirits of their predecessors. These ancient spirits can give sage advice, but they only do so in times of the greatest need, since it is difficult for them to manifest on the earthly plane. This can serve as an opportunity for a mystic hero to spend a hero point for some inspiration in the form of advice or hints from the ancient spirits.

Alternative Name(s)

Lotus Land, Pemako, Shangri-la