I. TOPIntroduction


The life of a Monk is not an easy one. You have forsworn the pursuit of Valor, Wealth, and Power, suborning them all in service of Harmony, yet you have accepted the personal duty of waging war upon the Darkness. This treatise will guide your first steps along this Path.




II. TOPLife as a Monk


TOPSocial Graces

Now that you are a Monk, you may be wondering how you fit into the grand scheme of things. First of all, it is customary to address your fellow Monks as "Brother" or "Sister;" Cail's Unity is strength. You must hold Honor inviolate. Conduct yourself always with dignity and integrity. Do not look upon the other Paths in scorn, for though they do not follow our ways, Cail's Harmony encompasses all.


TOPBasic Equip

The appropriate garb of a beginning Monk is the Dobok for Brothers, and the Earth Bodice for Sisters. This loose-fitting garment provides decent protection while allowing reasonable freedom of motion. If your Master's asceticism prevented him from providing you with one, or if it simply slipped his mind, Doboks and Earth Bodices may be purchased from the higgler in Undine. When you ascend to the next circle upon your 11th insight, you may then don a Culotte or Lotus Bodice, also sold at the Undine higgler. Note that when wearing traditional Monk garb it is expressly forbidden to wear mundane boots, in reverence to Cail.

Rings are an essential part of a Monk's equipment. The bonuses to vitality granted are essential to survival. The first set of such rings, Talos rings, can be worn at the 4th insight, provide 100 vitality each, and sell for 3,000 coins pieces at the Piet armorer. At the 6th insight, Ruby rings; sold at the Mileth armorer for 20,000 coins providing 200 vitality each, may be worn. At the 8th insight, Lapis rings may be worn, granting 300 vitality each and sold at the Undine armorer for 50,000 coins. The final rings for a Monk are Spinel and Emerald rings, wearable at the 11th and 12th insights, respectively. These much sought-after items provide 500 vitality each, as well as possessing enchantments helpful in combat. Spinel rings help you strike true, and Emerald rings increase the power behind your blows. However, they have a drawback: their magic is bound to your soul; Sgrios will claim them if you should ever visit his dark realm. Spinel rings are sold at the Undine armorer for 40,000 coins, and Emerald rings at the Suomi armorer for 54,000 coins. Such great craftsmanship is time-consuming, so each smith can make but a few each week.

Earrings in Temuair provide a number of various enchantments. At your 8th insight, acquire a pair of Gold earrings, sold at the Piet armorer for 8,000 coins. They are the only kind of earrings you need take note of, as their enchantment will lend you strength in combat.

Greaves provide some added leg protection in combat situations. At the 6th insight, you may wear Leather Greaves, sold at the Abel armorer for 4,000 coins. Upon reaching the 14th insight, Leather Greaves possessing various enchantments may be worn. They may sometimes be found in the possession of magical creatures in the woods and crypts, and Priests of the different Deities can consecrate mundane ones. It is suggested that Greaves blessed by Ceannlaidir or Gramail be worn, for their offensive and defensive value, respectively. Iron Greaves may be worn upon reaching the 20th insight, and enchanted Iron Greaves at the 30th.

Bracers are pieces of armor exclusive to Monks. Unlike gauntlets, they do not dampen your innate magical abilities, yet still provide good protection to your forearms. The first bracers you will come across are the enchanted Leather bracers dropped by magical creatures in the woods and crypts; no mundane equivalent exists, perhaps because the secrets of their manufacture have been lost in time. They can be worn beginning at the 11th insight. Again, Ceannlaidir or Gramail bracers are suggested. The next available type is Iron Bracers, the mundane variety of which can be worn beginning the 33rd insight, and can be consecrated as well.

Mundane necklaces provide enchantments enhancing your combat effectiveness. Magical necklaces, in addition, infuse your strikes with elemental power. There exist a great many types of necklaces; investigate which will best suit you.

Similarly, belts provide elemental defense. Mundane belts of each element are sold at various armorers in Temuair for 10,000 coins each. The next belts you will come across are elemental Leather belts, which also have a minor magical attunement and may be worn starting at your 12th insight. Mythril belts, imbued with a body-hardening enchantment, are much harder to find, but that much more prized.

It is the Word of Cail that we do not sully our hands with the weapons of Man. Many in our Path have wondered at the exact interpretation of his decree, as to whether this proscription includes shields, or whether non-combat handling is allowed. It is commonly known that many of our techniques are rendered impossible by the additional imbalance, so there are strictly practical reasons to avoid either weapons or shields.


TOPCommunity Involvement

In addition to our abilities and duties in combat, we possess some skills of value to the community.

First of all, our attunement to Nature allows us to identify medicinal herbs and brew potent potions from them. These have a variety of uses, and are prized by all Aislings. Bertil, the Fae Priestess of Suomi, will begin your training in this science for a nominal fee. For a more in-depth discussion of herbalism, consult Priest Chloe Ta'Null's work, entitled "Herbal Lore."

Secondly, our understanding of weak points makes us competent at armory. Arnljot, the Abel higgler, can teach you the basics of this craft.

Thirdly, our knowledge of poisons and their cures allow us to aid poisoned Aislings, especially deeper in the woodlands or while liberating treasures from the crypt chests with a Rogue.




III. TOPBasic Training


Your body is a weapon; your being delivers the might of Cail. Through rigorous training, you will hone your skills to perfection.

The first combat skill you should learn is Kick, followed by High Kick. Learn these techniques from the Mileth Fighter. Next comes a decision. Will you advance your offensive, defensive, or tactical abilities? For greater offense, learn Double punch, followed by Poison punch. The Fighter will teach these also. For a better defense, learn the secrets of the Mist dodge from the Mileth Fae Priestess. If, however, tactics is your greater concern early on, learn Ambush from the Mileth Special Skills Trainer. You should learn all of these eventually, as they are all of these essential to becoming a well-rounded Monk.

Later on, you should definitely spend some time with Devlin, the Mileth Fae Priestess to learn the intricacies of detoxification for the Ao puinsein secret and eventually, the ability to cure blindness with the minor spell Ao dall. If you wish, the Mileth Fighter can also teach you a few choice insults to Taunt your opponents with. Consult the appendix for the training regimen required for each skill or secret. For a more in-depth discussion of the combat skills, refer to the Còmhraig Principia, Volume I.


Basics of Monk Combat

It is always more effective to attack an opponent from the flank or back. The more damage you can inflict while your opponent's defenses are down, the more assured the victory. Unleash as many of your strikes as possible while your enemy is facing away. Once he turns to face you, either Ambush to his back or step to the side, leaving his flank open to you when he pursues. In either case, take advantage of the opening in your enemy's defense immediately.

One of your first strikes should be Poison punch, if you possess that technique. Because the goal is to cause as much damage to your enemy as possible, you are aiming to keep him poisoned during the fight as long as possible. Once he is poisoned, don't waste your Chi by attempting to poison him again before the initial poison wears off.

The Ambush skill has a number of uses, not least of which is to distract your enemy from your presence, giving you some breathing room to strike at undefended quarters, as mentioned before. You can also use this window to cast a spell, use a potion, reposition yourself, or make good your party's escape.


Esoterica

There are other, more advanced techniques. These will become available when you are ready to embrace them.




IV. TOPAdvanced Training


Animal Forms

When you achieve a certain proficiency in the martial arts, you may choose to specialize in one of a number of animal forms. You may either study the forms from the original manuscripts in the possession of the Suomi Fighter, or learn them from an elder Monk training at his facilities. Consult the appendix for the specifics of the forms.


Draco Form

This form is based on the deadly and well-nigh invulnerable wyrms that inhabit the Underearth. Training in this style will harden you to pain, but slightly desensitize you. The balance involved in the techniques also makes it difficult to move quickly, and may decrease your effective agility. This is a well-rounded, strong form.

Draco Tail Kick
This is a sweep striking in a full circle around you. It is a fairly powerful technique but beware its slow recovery and the potential to draw the focus of multiple opponents at once.

Draco Stance
Coupling Chi with magic, the Draco Form's signature stance provides an impenetrable defense, but is severely fatiguing and difficult to maintain.

Snort
Exhaling the mystical steam of the wyrm, a Snort can scald an enemy and attract its attention. This is not the true flame of a dragon, and does not do much actual harm.


Kelberoth Form

This form embodies the sheer unbridled power of Temuair's most savage feline. It incorporates near-berserker rages into devastating strikes, so beware the blindness of its fury. A powerful form, Kelberoth Form has useful abilities for solo or group hunting.

Kelberoth Strike
A massive lunge at your enemy, powered by the channeling of your own life-energies. Use with caution, as it can greatly harm the practitioner.

Kelberoth Stance
Tapping into the raging beast within, Chi and magic temporarily imbues the practitioner with massive strength.

Roar
A magically amplified primal scream, the Kelberoth's roar can incapacitate those nearby.


Scorpion Form

This form imitates the venomous, scuttling giant scorpions in the crypts. The strange rhythm and gait of the form keeps enemies off balance but the unintuitive style can be distracting to the practitioner. Scorpion Form is a choice to consider for Monks who need to develop their agility, and prefer to hunt alone.

Sting
The practitioners of the Scorpion Form have developed a more potent form of the Poison punch. By using both in conjunction, a practitioner can poison multiple enemies at once, or keep an especially resistant enemy poisoned longer.

Scorpion Stance
Adopting the armored crouch of the crypt scorpions, a practitioner of the style becomes even harder to hit. It is primarily a defensive stance however, and is difficult to maintain.

Trance
Moving rhythmically in time to the hypnotic and deadly dance of a scorpion's tail, a practitioner of Scorpion Form can confuse some of the weaker minded creatures.


White Bat Form

This form uses the abilities of the quick and cunning larger species of bats in the crypt as its template. A style deeply entwined with magic to emulate the inhuman abilities of the bats, White Bat Form places arcane abilities over physicality. This is definitely a form more suited for Monks more interested in mystical, rather than physical, abilities.

Dark Spear
Channeling Chi along the fingers of the striking hand, this technique scrambles the visual field, temporarily blinding the target.

White Bat Stance
Curling inwards to mimic an enfolded bat, both physically and magically, tendrils of light are deflected around the practitioner, rendering him invisible.

Echolocation
Emitting a shrill cry, the White Bat practitioner can discern details unfathomable to the naked eye.




V. TOPTactics


Due to the many dangers we face in our war against the Darkness, well thought-out tactics is very important for survival. Know your enemy and know your allies, and always know where you stand.


Hunting Alone

If you prefer to wage your war alone, make sure you are especially prepared for the dangers you meet.
If you will be encountering creatures that possess magical abilities, wear as many pieces of armor blessed by Gramail as possible - one spell can quite easily mean the difference between escape and death. Otherwise, you may want to wear a complement of Ceannlaidir and Deoch equipment, to make up for your lack of support.
Be sure to mix plenty of Hydele Deum and carry several with you. If you know how many strikes it will take to kill you, you can make an accurate judgment of when to use the potion. Don't try to save your hydeles! A general rule of thumb can be determined by hunting in the area first in a group and checking the amount of damage you will take in a single attack or spell. Double that vitality and you will have a general idea of when to use a hydele if you are fighting one creature in a non-spell area, or if there is only one hostile creature within your vicinity in a spell-casting region. Triple that vitality if there are two, quadruple if there are three, and so on. This estimate should not be above half of your total vitality, or you are hunting in areas too dangerous for you to handle. Some Monks also advocate the use of Betony Deums, but their uncertain success rate makes them an unattractive space-filler in your pack, especially when you could carry more healing potions instead.
As for actual combat, your strategies will be wildly different than for hunting in a group. Primarily, make use of "hit-and-run" tactics: strike with as many attacks as possible in a single burst, and immediately move to the side, or back a step, depending on where you want to lead your foe. If you are doing it right, the enemy will not have had a chance to attack you before you attack him and move again, barring spell casting. This may seem like it takes a lot longer than just standing in place and brawling face-to-face, but without some support, it is the only safe method.


Hunting with a Warrior

This group is fairly straightforward. You bash on the enemy, the Warrior bashes on the enemy. For greatest effectiveness, you should stand on opposite sides of the enemy, so no matter which of you he is engaging, one of you is striking his undefended back.
If either of you starts to get hurt pretty badly, have that person cease the attack long enough for the other to get the enemy's attention, then resume attacking. Move away from the enemy if you must.
If it is just you who is low on health, and the Warrior is fine, consider Ambush. Dashing past your assailant is usually enough to draw his attention away from you, often long enough for your partner to engage it. In fact, it's a pretty good idea to Ambush whenever the enemy's focus is on you, just to distract the enemy from attacking.


Hunting with a Rogue

Before the Rogue has learned Sleep Trap, this team-up is mainly about the Monk attacking a creature frontally and leading it over a series of damaging traps laid by the Rogue. Effectiveness is decent, as you are doing more damage together than either of you could alone, while being hit less. As well, in situations when the enemy is approaching faster than the Rogue can lay the traps, you can keep it at bay for awhile with your greater ability to shrug off damage.
When the Rogue you are hunting with has Sleep Trap, however, things change drastically. Executed correctly, this is one of the most efficient two-person groups, perhaps even more so than having a Priest. Taunt or strike an enemy into following you over a series of Sleep Traps laid by the Rogue. As soon as the enemy is asleep, attack him relentlessly until you hear or see signs that he is stirring, at which point you should back away for him to blunder into the next trap. Done effectively, this tactic will ensure that neither of you takes any damage whatsoever, barring spell casting. In the event that the enemy sends reinforcements, the Rogue can lure them away from your one-on-one battle and keep them from interfering with Blind Traps. Should you weaken to the point where you feel it is too dangerous to face the enemy directly, the Rogue can then finish him off with simple damage traps.
If you find yourself backing towards a wall while leading an enemy over sleep traps, ask the Rogue to start laying Sleep Traps behind the enemy, leading in the other direction. As soon as the first trap is laid and the Rogue moves onto the next, Ambush your enemy. You now have an equal amount of room to lead him in the other direction over a new row of traps. It is very important to study the habits and patterns of your enemy. Learn to trick them into existing traps as opposed to asking for new ones to be set.


Hunting with a Wizard

This group is also fairly straightforward. You fight the enemy and retain its attention while the Wizard blasts at it with spells. Your purpose is to be the distraction as well as a primary source of damage. Being physically frail, Wizards can not take very many hits before becoming incapacitated, so get between the Wizard and any foes, and stay there. If your enemies overwhelm you, back off and let the Wizard strike to distract them, and then resume your attention on one at a time.


Hunting with a Priest

The most basic hunting unit: a healer and a basher. You attack, and the Priest heals you. Your health ceases to be your concern and becomes the Priest's. Be considerate though, and make sure you don't strain the Priest's mana. If the Priest says "out," listen. Of course, like the Wizard, the Priest can't take very much damage, so your secondary role is their protector. The Priest keeps you alive, and you keep the Priest alive.


Hunting with other Monks

This type of group can be very entertaining, as well as decently effective, especially when the group has Monks with different forms. The basic theme is still plain and simple bashing, but with the various animal form skills, as well as the confusion to the enemy caused by multiple Ambushing Monks, a lot more can be achieved.


Hunting in larger, mixed groups

This generally means one or more Priests, one or more Wizards, perhaps a Rogue, and a number of Warriors and/or Monks. In these type of groups, your purpose is to be one of a number of Aisling walls surrounding an enemy and bashing him down, while Wizards cast at him from relative safety and Priests keep the wall healthy.
The Rogue will generally act as interference for enemy reinforcements, except in situations with fewer than three bashers. Under such circumstances, you and the Rogue should function similarly to how you would hunt with just each other. The other basher, if present, should strike at the enemy's back while you strike his front. If the enemy loses interest in you in favor of the other basher, ask him to cease his assault long enough for you to regain the enemy's attention, in order to lead the enemy over the next sleep trap. Should the enemy simply lose interest in you in favor of one of the Wizards or Priests, follow closely and make your presence felt until the cowardly being turns to face you again, at which point you should lead him back to the last unsprung trap. You can afford to be a bit more careless about stepping quickly to avoid taking hits because of the Priests present.
In all cases, if someone in your group is in trouble, go to their aid. As a Monk, you will generally be healthier than the others near your insight will. In addition, an Aisling loses all of their mana when they are knocked unconscious, even if revived, so it is better that you take the blow than have a magic-user in your party lose his effectiveness.




TOPAppendix

Principia Monastica
Brother Randolf, Fall of Deoch 5