New Tea Monk (Type 1)

by DNDMichael

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New Tea Monk


Monks that follow the teachings of Zsiabpichu (This is what the words Tea Monk sound like in Nepali), believe that all things in nature hold the soul of their ancestors and the essence of Nature. Through mixing the correct ingrediants and harrnessing their own soul, they can create a variety of harmonies between the different parts of plant, nature, water, and soul in the form of teas. These various integrations of material and spirit are used by these monks to highten their abilities.

The History

The following is Alternate History with some refrences to legitimate history. Pls do not confuse with real history. In 1240, the Mongols under Doorda Darqan attacked Tibet. Along with this venture, was an attempt by a rebellious commander seeking glory to drive deeper into the mountains, who managed to enter the outer portions of Nepal. Atop part of Mount Agknnako (Of the Soul's sound in Nepali) sat a small shire of haflings, who were entirely peaceful,
and who had very little contact with the outside world. This mysterious town, Amdi Kosomilan (Similar to Summit of Peace in Nepali), would face the brunt of the rogue Mongol, who would demand tribute from the town in the winter of 1240 and into 1241. His desicration of Buddist Monestaries and insubordination would lead to him being
dismissed from command by the Tangut Buddist Doorda. However, the deceptive commander kept his dismisal silent and ruled his soldiers with an iron fist, yet gifting them many rewards. While the rest of the invasion force would leave the Tibetan Platue and surrounding area soon after, the unnamed ever rogue commander would refuse the call, and
would instead continue to prey on the towns in the borderlands between Nepal and Tibet, enjoying the riches recieved througout the process. The cruel treatment of his people, would lead Jyack Sresth to be kicked out of town as he tried to attack the forgotten commander but was tossed aside and then by order of the commander, banished from Amdi Kosomilan. From there, Jyack Sresth traveled around the mountains seeking answers to why his world had come to this, and how to solve it, as well as dealing with the internal thoughts of in his different reaction to the invaders than his fellow neighbors. At last, after months of hiking, climbing, and walking, Jyack stumbled across a dilapidated Monestary, where he stayed for seven nights. Upon the final night, he discovered a secret trapdoor in the floor, and after opening it,
found a bundle of scrolls inside. Believing them to be the answer to his questions, but unable to read the ancient text, he set out to find someone who could decipher the old remains. After nine days, Jyack found another temple, yet this one was inhabited. Jyack was sick and tired but the monks refused to let him in unless he became one of their own. After agreeing to live by their tenets he was allowed to live there for a few months. He soon befriended a kind monk named Zopa, who worked with Jyack to translate the scolls. In the end, they discovered an ancient art technique of tea brewing combined with spirituality used by past monks, which they aptly named Zsiabpichu. Many pieces of the scrolls were missing, and other plants and words lost to time, forcing the pair to reverse engineer the teachings of the scrolls, but after 6 years they successfully completed their venture, and after another half a year, Jyack successfully managed to master the recipes.
Alongside his discovery, Jyack learned much from the Monks of the temple. These two factors at last gave him spiritual peace and an answer to his dilemas. That winter, Jyack left the temple. He returned to Amdi Kosomilan to see it had fallen into disrepair. Slowly sucked of its fortune by the commander and his lackeys, it was a place of famine and disrepair.
Gazing at the scene, Jyack noticed the evil man himself walking up the mountainside, evidently there to steal yet more from Jyack's hometown. Without hesitating, Jyack followed him, and using his newly aquired skill set, managed to best the commander and both of the men with him in front of the town. As thanks, the town held a feast to his return and the
end of returns from the commander, which would later become an anual holiday sometime during the Winter months: Yu-levie. Importantly though, Jyack refused to drink anything but tea the whole night, which became part of the holiday and peeked the intrest of the town. While recounting his travels, Jyack was warned that the town would face retribution for the death of the commander. Realising he would be outnumbered by the Mongol
force, Jyack began to train a select few from the town in Monk and Tea arts. This
force would manage to repel an attack from the rougue Mongols just under a year after their leader was

defeated. From there, the town would begin to rebuild, and Jyack would teach more and more of its members.

But all good things must come to an end. Ninety Years after the battle, Jyack would succumb to old age and a calling from his next life. Upon his

deathbed, he shared with his first two students that he had reburied an edited form of the original texts and he told the younger student that he had refused to share with any of his

students a few of his more self-personalized tea recipes that he had created for himself.

The story of his development of his own recipes and what was done them would foster two later divisions of thought to the art. The elder student, upon hearing of his masters recipes believed that they were meant to be lost to time, as something that went against the fundamentals of the art, that Jyack had refused to share in hopes of it dying out, and had told the younger student to warn him from committing the same error. The younger stundent, however, believed that his mesage had been one, advising each student to create a recipe that reflected her/himself so as to gain a deeper understanding of their connection with the world.

Realising his death was imminent, Jyack constructed a number of temples and systems to keep the monastic order going. The monastaries only managed to get to the frame stage before Jyack passed on. Systimatically, it was decided that the first two students of a teacher could continue teaching and learning the minutia of the order's understanding, but that they could teach the basics to others. His last words were that he had reached complete inner peace and understanding, but knew that regardless he would reincarnate but that others that reached such tranquility would not have the same fate.

After dying the argument between the elder student and younger continued, with the younger pointing out that he probably wrote down his own specific recipes along with the original recipes in order to be able to retrieve them upon reincarnation, while the elder noted that Jyack never stated he had written down his personalized recipe and that such a personalized recipe might not work with his reincarnated self. The younger replied that the sould between both selves was the eternal and hence he'd be the same in all but name, while the elder argued that reincarnation brought about a change in the soul as it grew spiritually, hence making such a recipe incompatible. With that, the younger shouted that Jyack had no room left to grow and he stormed out, leaving the cautious elder alone.

The two students began to teach their different philosophies of thought towards Jyack's words and monasticism in general, and the two split the number of temples between them. The elder's beliefs would create what became known as The Wise Tradition. Around Nepal, those trained under this school of thought are called the Steepers for their patience and wisdom just as one must wait the right amount of time for a tea to steep to get the right amount of flavour and temperature. Their temples tend to be more rock-like, with rocks being innately patient and defensive, holding back an enemy, though also stubborn. This subset order sticks firmly to the recipes translated by Jyack and every part of them, with unwavering belief in the ingrediants and instructions.

The younger's teaching developed into the The Understanding Tradition. They are colloquially known as the Concocters for their testing with teas to understand the world. Their monastaries usually have icicle and snow designs because ice is unmovingly defenseive, but holds an agression through its sharpness. Further, like water, they are flexible and changing, like how ice can melt and refreeze into a new shape, equally ice, yet so different. They learn through expirimentation with the intent to understand the components of each recipe, and be able to create one that represents themselves.

The last order is relatively new. After being repelled by Jyack in 1249, 1264, and 1275, Mongol forces remaining in Nepal and Tibet began to seek how this Hafling managed to create or discover such a powerful art form, and replicate it for themselves. in 1301 they found the original temple that Jyack found the scrolls in. By translating heiroglyphics on the walls they grasped an idea behind the monastic order. Their recipes still hold many issues, which along with being seen as the enemy is why the order is known as the Poisoned ones. Officially, they call themselves The Lost Tradition. Their recipes are more potent, but damage the user both physically and spiritually, and sometimes fail, either becoming duds or killing the user. They hold only the original temple (the other orders are clueless to its location) which remains in ruins to this day.

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