Yong'Yao

Of all of the Felkata people to come to Eyumel in the 3rd Era, none are as mysterious and yet well known as the Yong’Yao. The Yong’Yao are a mixed group of feline folk that made their home on the Scaly Isles in between the Eastern Kingdoms and the Le’Tarnish regions of the map. They are intriguing in that they exist in two ways as part of a whole. The first is the way most Yong'Yao live, within small social groups of villagers and farmers, organized under small families or clans, making up the basic population of the Yong’Yao. The second is more peculiar, a monastic order of warrior monks living in temples erected soon after their coming to Eyumel and settling on the isles. The Yong’Yao are a people of culture, peace, and cooperation. They learned early on that in a land with no allies, it is better to make friends rather than go it alone in the unknown.

## The Monastery

The monastic order of the Yong’Yao monks long predates the first landing of the Felkata on Eyumel and most among the Felkata cannot tell you when it begun either as the knowledge was long lost in the great calamity. The monks was a spiritual order that promotes peace, harmony, and spiritual enlightenment and inner perfection through meditation, prayer, and rigorous martial training. They followed a spiritual religion called Mu’Tai wherein they seek a spiritual enlightenment that they believe will bring them perfect peace in all aspects in life and in death.

The Yong’Yao monks strived to protect the people on the island and the temples in which they themselves lived. However they often ventured away from the isles to spread the Mu’Tai way to others and to aid in other lands if and whenever needed. The monks were not people that valued gold, though they were aware of its power in the right hands. Hence they spent whatever was earned or given to them on bare essentials and donated the rest to others in need.

The idea of the monastery was that there are many things in the world that come to break a person’s will and subject them to pain of mind, body, and spirit. Ultimately the soul corrupts and gives into the negative and loses itself in it, thus a person is prone to terrible actions and madness. The mind and heart corrupt and the spirit twists and taints, enlightenment becomes a fever dream and the cycle of suffering becomes all one knows. This is where the higher path comes in. To lift the mind from darkness and ignorance, meditation becomes essential. To stop the heart from twisting and corrupting acts of compassion and kindness become paramount. And to cease the pain of a withering body, rigorous physical training is practiced in the form of the martial arts to strengthen it. Combined with discipline and immense patience and what you are left with is a Yong’Yao warrior monk, a being bent of peace and harmony with the strength and skill to back it up.

The monks were the elite martial artists of Eyumel, with the highly honed unarmed combat skills and peak physical conditions obtained from years of vigorous training. They made complete use of their abilities, claws, fangs, and the fighting styles learned in their order to assure a victory. The monastery trained their monks in four martial styles. The first is *Tai’Fae*, an acrobatic style that makes use of the graceful poise and agility of these Felkata folk. The second is *Sa’Mat*, a series of weapon specializations designed to ready the monk to handle just about any weapon they come into contact with. The third is *Gua’Rho*, a strong and counter offensive style emphasizing unarmed martial prowess. Finally, the fourth style is *Hen’Yo*, a more spiritual style predicated on the idea of pacifying foes by means of submission holds and nerve strikes.

The *Grand Abbot* wass the one that lead these people, a figure said to have achieved enlightenment in life and seeks to aid others in the search. The *Grand Abbot* was often an elder monk who has well mastered all four styles and who is in perfect harmony with themselves, a truly enlightened being. The other clergy of the temples were as follows:

* The Abbots, the next in line for the Grand Abbot post and the guides to lower monks.
* The Priests, religious figures that tend the temple and the handle ceremony for the lay visitor and cleric.
* Master Monks, the seasoned teachers of the martial arts styles of the temples.
* Warrior Monks, the guardians and clerics of the order.
* Monk Acolytes, monks and priests in training.

## The Yong'Yao Following the Dark Ages

At the end of the third era the Isles started experiencing unnatural phenomena; rumbling, heatwaves and ashes flying by the wind. This was the start of the volcanic eruptions that occurred on the isles, completely destroying towns and wrecking the land. The people were forced into leaving their homes and had to move, most towards the mainland. However, the greatest blow was dealt towards the monastery, fully emptied and annihilated beyond recognition. One of the biggest powers and biggest center of knowledge was gone, much of the records destroyed with it.

For a time, the order was gone, having lost the only people able to carry it forward and being nearly impossible to comprehend or keep going by any outsiders. Though, after some time passed, some of the old monks and acolytes found themselves returning to the isles, in an attempt to rebuild the monastery, or at least keep its ideals alive. While it may not be as grand and powerful as its predecessor, the new enclave is still active, having rescued some of the texts and records to help it become what it was.