Cenobite

*"Suffering? Yes, it is the sweetest lesson that can be learned. And I have learned it well."*

## Basic

(RC) Cenobites live in communities, generally called monasteries, and follow the advice of a leader. The leader is often charismatic but often equally insane. At the very least, they are fanatical followers of a very personal vision of the truth (the con-artists do not set up in the Borderlands). Most Cenobites are Human; members of other races rarely show much interest, though most monasteries would admit them if they asked. Unwanted children are sometimes left on the doorsteps of monasteries. These children are taken in; those who do not run away are accepted as Cenobites. Most run away.

**Option:** It is possible for those who seek to purify mind and body to volunteer to become cenobites, even though most are raised in the role. With GM approval, the cenobite career may be entered from apprentice wizard, initiate, grave robber, or zealot.

### Secondary Profile

**Skills:** Academic Knowledge (Theology), Blather, Common Knowledge (Border Princes), Heal, Perception, Torture

**Talents:** Hardy, Resistance to Poison, Stout-hearted, Strong-minded

**Trappings:** Filthy Loincloth and Tunic

## A Day in the Life

Born in pain. That is what it means to be a cenobite. While each monastery differs, all share in common the belief that only through purification of the flesh can the mind and the soul be liberated. Some choose specific rituals and limitations – eating only the sparsest of food, for example, or wearing clothes lined with thorns and briars which constantly tear at the skin. The reward is purity of mind – freedom from the temptations of Chaos.

Each day is one of routine, discipline, and study. Cenobites often go among the townsfolk, asking for alms or propounding their particular philosophy. Those who do not perform gruelling labour using primitive tools at the monastery. Only the most enlightened receive instruction in the higher mysteries, the secrets that the pain are meant to unlock.

The highlight of each day is the Evening Recital, where all members of the monastery will pronounce some revelation or insight their day of suffering has brought to them. This is where the oldest and wisest cenobites will cull the truly worthy from the weak, determining who is learning from their pain and who is merely being hurt.

## A Cenobite Monastery

Every monastery has a different philosophy and a different focus. Some claim to teach meditation techniques that grant complete immunity to the powers of Chaos, others claim to unlock the completely safe magical power hidden inside every Human being, and others claim to impart ancient secrets of combat that go far beyond those known today. Evidence suggests that all of the monasteries are wrong, and the vast majority of Cenobites believe that the Cenobites at other monasteries are deluded fools Almost all monasteries inflict great pain and deprivation on their inhabitants, ostensibly as part of the path to enlightenment. It could be argued that, as many Cenobites flee their monasteries, this process actually works.

The buildings of a monastery tend to be simple, austere, and wellfortified. They have a single gate, representing the single-mindedness required to learn their secrets (and making it easy to defend), and at least one tall tower, representing the heights to which they can lead a person (and providing advance warning of any attacks). Beyond that, they are suited to the location and available resources. The members of a community are almost invariably of a single gender, though both male and female monasteries are known.