Post by DM on Jul 26, 2014 2:09:43 GMT
The Monastery of St Domin
On the shores of Firedrake Bay, the cliffs lead down to a stretch of sand and mud flats that at low tide stretches out some thousand feet to the water’s edge of the Sea of Swords.
The monastery sits on a mound of stone littered with rocks and draped in sea weed. There is a small jetty visible but it is decrepit and half washed away. Besides, there are no boats around and at low tide the jetty stretches out over the mud flats.
History
St. Domin was a high priest of Valkur and this monastery was founded by him around 750DR (year of The Dying Dwarf) when he was shipwrecked upon these very shores and claimed to have seen an avatar of Umberlee and Talos in a vicious sea battle over his soul but both were driven away when Valkur appeared in a massive galleon with bright red sails and carried by the prow on a lightning storm that shook the ground and caused the mound the monastery is built upon to rise from the flats and the stones it is built from to fall from the cliffs around.
Domin was said to be drunk or insane from being shipwrecked having clung to the mast of his ship “The Whitebird” as it sank around him killing all hands so his story is regarded as metaphorical rather than fact, even by his devout followers.
Drowned Brothers of The Hallowed Storm
The Drowned Brothers of The Hallowed Storm are made up of converted pirates, former slavers, retired sailors and those with an affinity for things lost at sea such as drowned loved ones or missing ships. Most have a tale of being drawn here after some calamity at sea. Some have drowned and somehow were returned to life.
Some have been here since children and either apprenticed here or orphans who have lost both parents at sea.
They now serve others who seek answers from the sea, voyages or the bottom of the ocean. They offer comfort and respite to those in need whatever their faith.
They weave fishing nets and gather fish, shells and sea food for trade in local villages and towns and once every two months the monks will walk to the nearest towns and villages.
The monks are here to serve mortals, not Valkur. Though they worship and revere him, they believe their place on Faerun is to tend the victims of Valkur’s enemies, help his friends, and comfort those who have lost to the sea.
They live on the bounty of the sea but also respect it, like a hunter respects the prey he finds in a forest. They brew a mean ale, mead, sea weed whisky and cider from the apples, pears, gooseberries and they grow in their garden come summer.
They take wooden coracles out to sea to fish or stand on the rocks with rods and spears. Some catch by hand.
The monastery has a central bell tower and a stout wall about it swarming with perhaps thousands of gulls and albatrosses.
They visit Saltmarsh to the north most of all but travel further to port Kir, Viper’s Tongue and Rock Orchard. Some travel inland to Mosstone.
Most of the brothers are not monks but experts and commoners. They are monks in the traditional sense of the word apart from Abbot Casadi and Prior Tantus who have been gifted by Valkur.
The Gifts of The Sea
Many things wash up on the coast; driftwood mostly which is used to craft furniture and tools that are used or sold on. Chests, treasure etc but also corpses. Those that have (obviously) died through means other than drowning are given burial in the monastery’s lichyard, those that (apparently) died by drowning are given a pyre then their ashes spread into the sea.
Prior Tantus uses Speak With Dead to learn the unfortunate stories behind their deaths.
On the shores of Firedrake Bay, the cliffs lead down to a stretch of sand and mud flats that at low tide stretches out some thousand feet to the water’s edge of the Sea of Swords.
The monastery sits on a mound of stone littered with rocks and draped in sea weed. There is a small jetty visible but it is decrepit and half washed away. Besides, there are no boats around and at low tide the jetty stretches out over the mud flats.
History
St. Domin was a high priest of Valkur and this monastery was founded by him around 750DR (year of The Dying Dwarf) when he was shipwrecked upon these very shores and claimed to have seen an avatar of Umberlee and Talos in a vicious sea battle over his soul but both were driven away when Valkur appeared in a massive galleon with bright red sails and carried by the prow on a lightning storm that shook the ground and caused the mound the monastery is built upon to rise from the flats and the stones it is built from to fall from the cliffs around.
Domin was said to be drunk or insane from being shipwrecked having clung to the mast of his ship “The Whitebird” as it sank around him killing all hands so his story is regarded as metaphorical rather than fact, even by his devout followers.
Drowned Brothers of The Hallowed Storm
The Drowned Brothers of The Hallowed Storm are made up of converted pirates, former slavers, retired sailors and those with an affinity for things lost at sea such as drowned loved ones or missing ships. Most have a tale of being drawn here after some calamity at sea. Some have drowned and somehow were returned to life.
Some have been here since children and either apprenticed here or orphans who have lost both parents at sea.
They now serve others who seek answers from the sea, voyages or the bottom of the ocean. They offer comfort and respite to those in need whatever their faith.
They weave fishing nets and gather fish, shells and sea food for trade in local villages and towns and once every two months the monks will walk to the nearest towns and villages.
The monks are here to serve mortals, not Valkur. Though they worship and revere him, they believe their place on Faerun is to tend the victims of Valkur’s enemies, help his friends, and comfort those who have lost to the sea.
They live on the bounty of the sea but also respect it, like a hunter respects the prey he finds in a forest. They brew a mean ale, mead, sea weed whisky and cider from the apples, pears, gooseberries and they grow in their garden come summer.
They take wooden coracles out to sea to fish or stand on the rocks with rods and spears. Some catch by hand.
The monastery has a central bell tower and a stout wall about it swarming with perhaps thousands of gulls and albatrosses.
They visit Saltmarsh to the north most of all but travel further to port Kir, Viper’s Tongue and Rock Orchard. Some travel inland to Mosstone.
Most of the brothers are not monks but experts and commoners. They are monks in the traditional sense of the word apart from Abbot Casadi and Prior Tantus who have been gifted by Valkur.
The Gifts of The Sea
Many things wash up on the coast; driftwood mostly which is used to craft furniture and tools that are used or sold on. Chests, treasure etc but also corpses. Those that have (obviously) died through means other than drowning are given burial in the monastery’s lichyard, those that (apparently) died by drowning are given a pyre then their ashes spread into the sea.
Prior Tantus uses Speak With Dead to learn the unfortunate stories behind their deaths.
