Dragon Lands - The High House Of Light
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:13 pm
The High House Of Light
Within the Togashi provinces of the Dragon Clan, the High House of Light clings to the side of a mountain, seemingly unreachable. Those who wish to join the Togashi Order must find and climb the thousand steps to reach the monastery, braving snow and ice as well as spiritual foes along the way. Visitors who wish only to ask Togashi Yokuni or his followers for wisdom may request a guide when they reach the hamlet at the base of the mountain, though whether this request is granted is dependent on the whim of the monk asked.
Togashi Yokuni is both the Dragon Clan Champion and the head of the Togashi Order. He may be seen meditating in or around the monastery, always in his full ceremonial armor and helmet. Petitioners are likely to receive cryptic wisdom in reply to any questions
Togashi Gaijutsu is a blind tattoo master. His body and scalp are covered in images that appear to shift and change. He tattoos the ise zumi—the monks of the Togashi Order—in the fresh air and sunlight of his workshop’s courtyard. His services cannot be bought. He occasionally receives visions, and he recounts these freely to inquirers.
Togashi Umu lives in a hamlet at the base of the mountain. Though not tattooed, she otherwise dresses and acts like an ise zumi. She is often found chopping wood outside her house or digging the garden, and she enjoys physical labor. She is a woman of few words but will give visitors a straight answer to any questions—usually an unexplained yes or no.
The Journey Within
The monks in the High House of Light pursue Enlightenment through contemplation, meditation, study of the Tao, and any other methods they deem appropriate. The monks train with their minds and bodies, and mastery of both is required to become an ise zumi. Inside the monastery is a maze of seemingly empty rooms, cold and bare, in which visitors may get lost. The same mysterious force that makes the steps to the monastery so hard to find means that only the monks can navigate the interior. What the structure really holds, beyond the numerous shrines on the upper levels, only the initiated can possibly say.
No one knows, or admits to knowing, who built the High House of Light. To construct a fortress of such size so high in the mountains is a major feat, but there are no records of who undertook the task, or when. Some say the ise zumi constructed their monastery themselves, others that the Kami Togashi built it single-handedly overnight.
Mystic Tattoos
Most ise zumi monks have tattoos that grant particular powers to the bearer, but the properties of these tattoos is often known only to Gaijustsu and the owner. Any visitor to the monastery is astounded by the variety of tattoos on the monks, who display them proudly, despite the chill of the mountain air. Some images are more common than others, such as the Lotus which is said to aid focus in meditation, or the Tiger for superior unarmed martial ability, but even these never look the same; each person’s tattoos are unique, since they reflect the steps on their personal path to Enlightenment. None outside the order are aware that the unique power of these tattoos comes from an impossibly rare ingredient within the blessed ink itself—the blood of the Kami Togashi.
Myths and Legends
The ise zumi can call down the elements, leap over mountains, and breathe fire.
The ise zumi are mahō-tsukai. Their power comes from blood magic. They represent a danger to the entire Empire!
There’s some strange force inside the monastery, something you can feel even without going inside. Perhaps it is a captive spirit, a portal to another world, or a being older than humanity.
If you sleep in view of the monastery you dream of the Celestial Dragons. The monastery must be blessed. Maybe the monks can travel to Tengoku itself.
Within the Togashi provinces of the Dragon Clan, the High House of Light clings to the side of a mountain, seemingly unreachable. Those who wish to join the Togashi Order must find and climb the thousand steps to reach the monastery, braving snow and ice as well as spiritual foes along the way. Visitors who wish only to ask Togashi Yokuni or his followers for wisdom may request a guide when they reach the hamlet at the base of the mountain, though whether this request is granted is dependent on the whim of the monk asked.
Togashi Yokuni is both the Dragon Clan Champion and the head of the Togashi Order. He may be seen meditating in or around the monastery, always in his full ceremonial armor and helmet. Petitioners are likely to receive cryptic wisdom in reply to any questions
Togashi Gaijutsu is a blind tattoo master. His body and scalp are covered in images that appear to shift and change. He tattoos the ise zumi—the monks of the Togashi Order—in the fresh air and sunlight of his workshop’s courtyard. His services cannot be bought. He occasionally receives visions, and he recounts these freely to inquirers.
Togashi Umu lives in a hamlet at the base of the mountain. Though not tattooed, she otherwise dresses and acts like an ise zumi. She is often found chopping wood outside her house or digging the garden, and she enjoys physical labor. She is a woman of few words but will give visitors a straight answer to any questions—usually an unexplained yes or no.
The Journey Within
The monks in the High House of Light pursue Enlightenment through contemplation, meditation, study of the Tao, and any other methods they deem appropriate. The monks train with their minds and bodies, and mastery of both is required to become an ise zumi. Inside the monastery is a maze of seemingly empty rooms, cold and bare, in which visitors may get lost. The same mysterious force that makes the steps to the monastery so hard to find means that only the monks can navigate the interior. What the structure really holds, beyond the numerous shrines on the upper levels, only the initiated can possibly say.
No one knows, or admits to knowing, who built the High House of Light. To construct a fortress of such size so high in the mountains is a major feat, but there are no records of who undertook the task, or when. Some say the ise zumi constructed their monastery themselves, others that the Kami Togashi built it single-handedly overnight.
Mystic Tattoos
Most ise zumi monks have tattoos that grant particular powers to the bearer, but the properties of these tattoos is often known only to Gaijustsu and the owner. Any visitor to the monastery is astounded by the variety of tattoos on the monks, who display them proudly, despite the chill of the mountain air. Some images are more common than others, such as the Lotus which is said to aid focus in meditation, or the Tiger for superior unarmed martial ability, but even these never look the same; each person’s tattoos are unique, since they reflect the steps on their personal path to Enlightenment. None outside the order are aware that the unique power of these tattoos comes from an impossibly rare ingredient within the blessed ink itself—the blood of the Kami Togashi.
Myths and Legends
The ise zumi can call down the elements, leap over mountains, and breathe fire.
The ise zumi are mahō-tsukai. Their power comes from blood magic. They represent a danger to the entire Empire!
There’s some strange force inside the monastery, something you can feel even without going inside. Perhaps it is a captive spirit, a portal to another world, or a being older than humanity.
If you sleep in view of the monastery you dream of the Celestial Dragons. The monastery must be blessed. Maybe the monks can travel to Tengoku itself.