Chanisal Monastery
Overview
The Alajian Monastery is a small sanctuary and settlement to the south of Var Bandor and to the northwest of Eril Village. Its origins lie in the struggles of the War of Night-- specifically, the occupation of Var Bandor by the shuddeni Arhakhla. After the Day of Liberation, the city was effectively a ruin: its citizens killed, enslaved, or displaced; its walls battered; and its guards and governmental structure obliterated. In addition to the damage to the city itself, the Arhakhla attacked other nearby locations, including the forest of Nendor, the forest of Qilarn, and the Tower of Aramril. With the exception of Qilarn, the damage ranged from extensive to crippling.
In the wake of the War, the provisional government of Var Bandor made the calculated decision to move the most injured and traumatized of their remaining citizens away from the rebuilding process. A tract of torched land was granted to one of Alajial's followings: the Lijenin Order. Founded by Lijeni Ichata, a caladaran psionicist, the Order's purpose was to shelter the lost and cure the afflicted. They were granted this plot in perpetuity, in part because of its perceived worthlessness, and in part because the reconstruction and rehabilitation periods were expected to take years, if not decades. Ichada and his Order accepted this arrangement as a concession to their abilities and ideals.
However, there was another group which wanted to settle in the same space: a clan of ethron descended from Qali the Wildheart. Clan Qali was outnumbered by, and eventually alienated from, the Nendorin Order due to the steadily growing influx of human Lilunite druids. The Lijenin Order lacked the ability to restore the forest, as they did not possess druidic power; and the Qali did not possess the skills or license to defend any home in the forest from other groups. Due to happenstance-- or perhaps, divine intervention from Alajial-- clan Qali's origin myth was compatible with partnership with the caladaran. Conversely, the caladaran monks found the generally pacific and benevolent bent of the Qali to be compatible with their religious ideals.
Together, the two groups underwent a symbiosis, providing a place for Qali druids to preserve and hone their skills with mystical druidic runes, and for the monks to practice and promote their brand of psionics and Spirit magic. Their actions created a fertile ground for other refugees from the War to come to, ultimately leading to the construction of Eril Village. Meanwhile, Var Bandor has been a reluctant and difficult neighbor-- simultaneously appreciating the easy removal of dangerous people from within their city, but also possessing a large and now-valuable tract of land for future city development. This has led their relationship to be tenuous at best, creating some animosity toward them by the Var Bandor Merchant Council.
