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The Order of Master Anquo is officially known as the Contemplative Order of Washiko-minir (which means "wisdom traveling abroad" in Morakki). It was founded by Master Anquo, who accompanied the armies of Xydlont and the Morakki Emperor during the Great War of the Gem. Master Anquo saw the sorry state of the Free Folk of Western Jerranq after the devastation of the war, and he worried that the westerners might, in their desperation, sink into savagery or internecine strife. And so, he determined to bring the blessings of Morakki philosophy in general and the mental and physical discipline of Morakki monkhood in particular to the gaijin of the west. When most of the rest of the Morakki returned to the east after the Deceiver was defeated, Master Anquo and some of his disciples remained and convinced the dwarves nearby to construct a wondrous monastery atop one of the highest peaks of the Aynayjor Mountains. He then cast about, some say with divine guidance, for children and adolescents, many of them orphaned by the war, with the mental makeup and physical potential to master the Morakki internal arts. These he raised almost as a father and trained in the ways of monkhood and many were eventually initiated as full fledged monks. Since then, rumour of the monastery spread and other candidates have come to the monastery by many means, some given by parents, others adopted as orphans, and still others sent to the monastery by the new monks who left the monastery and entered the wide world.
The order exists primarily to begin to teach Westerners the benefits of certain aspects of Morakki philosophy. It does not espouse prejudicial notions of Morakki supremacy. It also does not seek to convert Westerners into Morakki. It does not embrace any religion or god, though it does not forbid such worship either. Rather, Master Anquo, in his observation of the westerners, saw a fiery spirit amongst them that was untempered by discipline and un-honed by mastery of mind and body. Master Anquo pitied the Westerners their lack of mastery and worried that the Westerners might self-destruct because of it. Time has proven this latter fear unfounded, but still Master Anquo believes that every Westerner he teaches mastery of self is an improved Westerner. And while the monastery is in no way fervently evangelical, Master Anquo's order is by no means a secret one, and its techniques and teachings are not secret. The order, in fact, wants to teach as many Westerners as it can.
However, members of the order know that mastery of self is an arduous process that takes years of study and meditation. It would be careless indeed for a member of the order to teach, for example, only the martial aspects of monkhood without also teaching the philosophy and meditation necessary to temper such martial abilities. Teaching monk fighting techniques to those not capable of mastery of self is akin to giving a three-year old a wand of fireballs. This is not to say monks of the order are forbidden to teach techniques, but such teaching must be monitored closely and accompanied by tutelage in mastery of all aspects of self.
Training in the monastery generally involves 8-10 years of training, though this can vary by several years depending upon the age of the candidate and his abilities. Upon initiation, monks (who are then 1st level) may leave and enter the world, or may commit to becoming a master of the order and remain to teach at the monastery.
The monastery teaches self control, mastery, and ethics. It does not concern itself with morality, though nothing the order teaches would be in direct support of evilness. Nevertheless, the order assumes that a person fully aware of self would be unlikely to turn to evil unless circumstances required such acts for the greater preservation of law and order. Most monks of the order are Lawful Neutral.
Once a monk leaves the monastery,
he owes no further loyalty or due to the order. He is, upon initiation,
branded on the back of the left shoulder with a mark of Morakki
runes that signifies his initiation as a monk of the order, but
no further ties to the monastery are necessary. A monk is certainly
entitled to return to the monastery for shelter or advice and
monks are encouraged to send suitable child candidates to the
monastery for training.