Monk of the long death Monks of the long death belong to the Order of the Long Death monastic order . These monks study the nature of death , and are particularly interested by the moment of passing . They don ' t bother about the afterlife or nature of the soul . The ceremony of introduction is filled with hideous acts meant to test the resolve of initiates . As they become more powerful , they gain limited abilities related to death and study alchemy , poisons , and resistance to death effects . Though the organization known as the Monks of the Long Death is strongest in Thay , it does have monasteries in several other parts of Faerûn , including the Silver Marches . Some two dozen members of the order dwell in a hidden stronghold built long ago by unknown hands in the Turnstone Hills , not far from where the pass is blocked by a gigantic landslide . From here the monks pursue their one abiding interest : death . These monks seek for the secrets of life by studying death . It is the condition of being dead that concerns them most , and not what lies beyond : The afterlife holds little interest for them . Their laboratories are full of decaying , dying , and dead animal and plant specimens that they study with detached interest ; they frequently purchase rare specimens that they cannot obtain easily themselves from adventurers and merchants . But such studies are only part of the monks ' daily life : They seek to understand death as it pertains especially to intelligent living beings . To this end , they exhume corpses from crypts and graveyards , and then they transport the corpses to their monastery . There they examine the cadavers in their well - stocked laboratory and observe them as they decompose . They also - and it is for this that they are most reviled and feared - purchase living slaves and put them to death , slowly , recording their observations and asking the perishing slaves questions about their fatal experience . Slaves are hard to come by in the Silver Marches , however , because Lady Alustriel and her confederations condemn the practice . The order has been obliged to obtain its living specimens by other means , such as abducting them from outlying farmsteads and poorly - defended hamlets in the dead of night . The monks suffer no moral qualms about these deeds : Death is the most natural thing in the world , from their perspective , and to expire in service to its principle is the most profoundly holy experience any living being can hope to enjoy . It is for this reason that the monks themselves do not fear death , and while they may study the dead , they do not seek that state themselves . Most of the order ' s members are either scholars who share mutual fascination with and worship of death and dying , or clergy who worship one of the deities concerned with death . Some of the monks consider themselves to be nothing less than visionaries whose work will pave the way for a better future for all Faerûn : When death is truly understood , it can be harnessed and used as a tool for the betterment of all , or so they rationalize to themselves . Others who take the Vows of Death could not possibly care less about anything other than increasing their personal measure of understanding about their chosen subject . The Monks of the Long Death are easily recognized by their pale skin and gaunt features . They eat little , and they spend most of their time inside their monasteries , in crypts and graveyards , and other dark places where there is little natural light . They affect the trappings of death in their garb , wearing long , dark robes and shroudlike hooded cloaks to hide their features . Though fearful of those who do not understand them and who might seek to thwart their studies , they can be civil hosts if approached by learned folk who offer to share knowledge or wisdom . Their narrow vision and single - mindedness makes them dull hosts , however , and the rigid structure of their society seems quite stifling to outsiders .