Pillared courtyards vie for attention with many tiered buildings that tower as high as sixty feet. Friezes of serpents and flowers decorate everything. Ornate statues stand everywhere, representing idealized dwarves, and many walls are carved with scenes of dwarves being served by human slaves. Slender crystal towers capture and focus the light onto the center palace, which sparkles like a thousand stars. Claren Elian enjoys a mild climate for most of the year, thanks to warm southern currents from the Blood Sea.
Summer lasts for nine months of the year, and winter is only a dulling of the ever-present heat.
All men of the Ran-Eli are raised in the island's monasteries from the age of eight years old. When they master the techniques of ki, they are considered men and allowed to leave the monasteries to marry. For the serious students, however, there is another level, and they seek to become Masters of Rank. Ran-Eli monks are identical to the monk class described in the Player's Handbook, except for their choice of weapons. While the kama, a weapon derived from the tools of farmers and woodsmen, is common all over the island, Ran-Eli monks replace their proficiency in nunchaku and siangham with the shortsword and dagger, respectively.