Martak’azhe

In the tundra of the far north stand five mountains apart from any other range: the Khit Paki. These peaks are inhabited by the Martak’azhe, a society of reclusive monks.

The Martak’azhe were formed over the course of many years as refugees, outcasts, and wanderers gradually found their way to the Khit Paki. Over time, this mixed group of people arranged themselves into orders of monks, creating a loosely structured society. The roles of the orders tightened over years, and currently the Martak’azhe have a tightly ordered civilization.

## History

### Politics / Social Structure

#### The Five Orders

While more than half of the Martak’azhe live in villages throughout the Khit Paki, the primary source of culture and government are the five monasteries of the Orders of the Martak’azhe. The monasteries are constructed on the very peaks of the Khit Paki, and are home to the approximately thirty percent of the Martak’azhe who are deemed worthy of the studies of the Orders.

##### The Order of the Body

The Order of the Body represent the main governing body of the Martak’azhe, and are the oldest of the five Orders. Their monastery is built on top of the center and highest peak of the Khit Paki. The roles of the Order of the Body encompass law-making, arbitration, and prison-keeping. The monks of the Order of the Body study law and politics.

##### The Order of the Mind

The Order of the Mind represent the scholars and archivists of the Martak’azhe, and were the third Order created. Their monastery is built on the taller northern peak of the Khit Paki. The primary role of the Order of the Mind is archiving the collective knowledge of the Martak’azhe. The monks of the Order of the Mind study history and all knowledge that enters their archives.

##### The Order of the Heart

The Order of the Heart represent the artists of the Martak’azhe, and were the fourth Order established. Their monastery is built on the lower northern peak of the Khit Paki. The primary role of the Order of the Heart is creating works of art and expanding the culture of the Martak’azhe. The monks of the Order of the Heart study all forms of art and people.

##### The Order of the Body

The Order of the Body represent the farmers, shepherds, and builders of the Martak’azhe, and were the second Order established. Their monastery is built on the western peak of the Khit Paki. The primary role of the Order of the Body is providing for the Martak’azhe as a whole. As a result, they experience the most travel of any of the monks. The monks of the Order of the Body study agriculture and construction.

##### The Order of the Fist

The Order of the Fist represent the military strength of the Martak’azhe, and were the most recent Order established. This Order was only created recently in response to the first invasion of the Khit Paki by an outside force. Their monastery is built on the southern and lowest peak of the Khit Paki. The primary role of the Order of the Fist is the protection of the Martak’azhe as a whole. The monks of the Order of the Fist study combat and strategy.

### Laws

Law and order is maintained by the Order of the Body. The Martak’azhe have a long and detailed system of laws, designed to ensure that all Martak’azhe work to better the entire society. The monks who live in the temples experience a tightly regimented daily life, and the slightest slip-ups can be met with demotion to the lesser monks in the villages. The village monks have a significantly less structured life, although depending on the location they still have to observe several rituals a day. Most transgressors are jailed for extended periods of time by the Order of the Body, and those who live through their sentences tell tales of the Order dungeons that scare the rest of the populace into keeping in line. Those who greatly damage the tight structure of the Martak’azhe can be exiled permanently, although this is typically just a death sentence, as trying to leave the Khit Paki with no supplies is a nearly impossible task.

### Warfare

War is uncommon with the Martak’azhe. Not once have they been the aggressors in a conflict, but when defense is necessary, combat is handled by the Order of the Fist. Holding the high ground of the Khit Paki generally proves a far easier demand than attacking it, and invading forces rarely make much progress, despite usually having greater numbers.

## Culture

### General Behavior

The Martak’azhe live intensely regimented lives. The higher order temple monks have little freedom, having to follow tight schedules that include daily rituals, practices, duties, chores, and many other tasks. The lesser order village monks are freer, although they are still expected to observe a variety of rituals, typically involving some sort of tribute to the temples.

### Interpersonal

Conflict among the Martak’azhe is rare, as stepping out of line is dealt with harsh punishment. The monks have a strict hierarchy, and those lower on the chain are expected to treat those higher than them with extreme reverence. While some higher in the hierarchy take the roles of teachers, most simply ignore the existence of lesser monks outside of expecting tribute and punishing disrespect. Rarely, lesser monks who show high degrees of ability may be promoted to higher ranks, although it is much more common for higher monks to be demoted for failing to keep up with their responsibilities.

### Courting

Courting between monks of different orders is infrequent, due as much to social taboo as the physical difficulty of getting between mountains. Pairings across social standing are even more rare; higher monks who court lesser monks may be shunned by their peers, and sometimes can be demoted.

### Ceremonies

#### The Festival of the Five Temples

Following each harvest from the Order of the Foot, a festival is held in the great courtyards of the Order of the Body. The monks from each temple and many villages travel to the center peak to display their works for the highest ranking monks in hopes of being promoted. The festival lasts several days, and culminates with the High Monks of each temple selecting those who impressed them to return to their temples with them.

### Education

Village monks are given a bare minimum education in the work of the temple that their village is associated with. This education is not usually enough to allow any but the most talented to advance at all, but rather is primarily instruction in how to pay proper tribute to their temple. Temple monks are given access to a great many resources of their temple. The degree of their education typically depends on their social standing, with the highest monks receiving the highest quality education.

### Art

The vast majority of Martak’azhe art comes from the Order of the Heart. This spans all forms of art: music, writing, performance, painting, sculpture, etc. As a result of the Martak’azhe’s group-oriented society, very little art is actually used as a form of self-expression. Art made by lesser monks is generally some form of tribute to higher monks, and includes a lot of blatant flattery. Art made by the higher monks is usually intended to showcase Martak’azhe society in what they view as its ideal form.

## Resources

### Currency

Trade within the Martak’azhe is virtually nonexistent, and as such there is no formal currency. Lesser monks are given enough portions of basics to survive. Higher monks are given portions of tributes related to their rank, with the highest monks receiving the most.

### Food

The Martak’azhe are primarily vegetarians. Almost all food is grown and distributed by the Order of the Foot.

### Products

As the Martak’azhe rarely engage in outside trade, they produce very few commodities that would be appealing to outsiders. Occasionally, monks of the Order of the Mind may attempt to gain knowledge from outsiders by offering knowledge of their own in exchange. Sometimes temples will trade old works of art for items of interest to the higher monks.

## Architecture

Building is primarily done by the Order of the Body. Village architecture is functional in nature, and is generally made simply of wood. While the temples started as patchwork constructions to house the first generations of Martak’azhe, they are now large, impressive, and lavish after generations of having the majority of the resources generated put into their improvement. The Orders of the Body and the Fist have the smallest and simplest temples, while the Order of the Heart has the most beautiful and decorated temple. The temple of the Order of the Mind does not look very large from the outside, but in reality extends into the interior of its peak in order to create safe repositories for the accumulated knowledge of the Martak’azhe. The Order of the Body has the largest temple, both covering the entirety of the central peak in large courtyards and extending deep within it with dungeons.

## Transportation

Martak’azhe travel mostly only around their own peak, with travel between peaks being long and difficult, especially since travel is done exclusively by foot or by carts pulled by other monks. The Order of the Foot makes treks between peaks far more often than the other monks, such is the nature of their responsibilities. They have become so good at it that monks of the other orders who require passage to other peaks will often wait for the next Foot caravan to join, and Foot caravans almost always have many followers from other orders.

## Clothing

Martak’azhe dress is dependent on the temple a monk is associated with. Monks of the Order of the Body wear beautiful white robes; higher monks have more ornate robes. Monks of the Order of the Mind wear long grey robes, and the dress does not change much across ranks. Monks of the Orders of the Fist and Foot wear simple tunics and trousers, as more ornate clothing could interfere with their very physical work. The clothing of the monks of the Order of the Heart varies wildly between monks, and higher monks typically craft their own wardrobes. In addition, the Order of the Heart creates most clothing for the other orders, as well.

## Geography

### Location

The Martak’azhe live in the Khit Paki, the five peaks in the far north that stand separate from the any other mountains.

### Features

#### The Center Peak

The center and tallest peak is home to the Order of the Body. Its top is covered almost entirely by the courtyards of the Order. The slopes of the center peak are home to nearly half of the Martak’azhe villages. As a result, nearly all of the center peak is covered by construction or roads.

#### The High North Peak

The taller of the two peaks to the north is home to the Order of the Mind. As the steepest of the five peaks, it is sparsely built upon, and is home to few villages. The temple of the Order is a small construction on the surface, but its libraries and archives honeycomb deep within the peak.

#### The Low North Peak

The shorter of the north peaks is home to the Order of the Heart. Even from a distance, this peak is clearly the most colorful of the five, with the banners and constructions of the Order standing out starkly against the white and grey of the mountain.

#### The West Peak

The west peak is home to the Order of the Foot. It appears almost layered, as the farm land tended by the Order is formed into step-like constructions around the mountain in order to provide flat land to cultivate.

#### The South Peak

The south and lowest peak is home to the Order of the Fist. As the base of the mountain of this peak is the only truly accessible entrance to the Khit Paki, it is guarded by the palisades and guard-posts of the Order. Almost no villages are built on the south peak, and those few that are are only constructed on the north face.