The Old Kingdom: The Tsavorite Vault of the Moneyed Monks of Kahch

Transit

Hodum is a small prefecture on the edge of the Western Swath of the Old Kingdom. There are only three villages of any notable size, and transit is rare and difficult to arrange.

Your best bet is to find and charter a guide or private bus from Vlorkatch, the closest lowland city. This might cost you anywhere from a court to five sovereigns, and the journey will not be a luxurious one. At casual speeds, the trip will probably take you a day and a half, and most chartered busses don’t include beds.

If you are particularly lucky, you might find a balloon-ferry that is offering a tourist package trip to Hodum, or is even in the employ of the Moneyed Monks themselves. This is the best way to get to Hodum and the Tsavorite Vault. There likely won’t be a set price, and you will have to bargain with the pilot. Don’t shy away from bartering, as the Moneyed Monks expect travelers and visitors to value their coin. They will also accept almost any currency, though don’t be surprised if they have an encyclopedic knowledge of current exchange-rates.

The Place

The Tsavorite Vault is an architectural marvel, and home to one of the most interesting spiritual sects of the world.

Scholars still debate how the monastery was built; its massive size suggests an extensive endeavor, while the surrounding mountains have little sign of the cultivation required to support such a project. It sits on a high plateau in the Hodum mountains, and there are no roads to make access easier. Even now, many travelers and monk hopefuls have to climb the shear cliffs of the Hodum mountains to reach the doors of the Tsavorite Vault.

The Moneyed Monks are a religious sect of mendicants who adhere to the Path of the Coin. The Tsavorite Vault is the prime holy location for the faith, and is populated by a small band of attendant monks, while their siblings wander the world and ply their faith. There are two major sects of this religion; those of the Bent Back, and the path of Heavy Hands. Both sects claim to be the original faith that was broken away from by their heretical siblings, and each lays claim to the title Moneyed Monks. Both sects have authenticated ancient texts and historical artifacts that support their claims, which leads most scholars to believe that neither sect has the whole truth of it.

In spite of their differences — most of which are too subtle or esoteric to list here — both sects hold the Tsavorite Vault as the origin of their faith, and profess true devotion to their divine sage, Kahch the Moneychanger.

Kahch the Moneychanger

The great Kahch is a folk-lore hero turned divinity who traveled the many lands of the Old Kingdom as a sort of wandering laborer. Many tales are told of their wisdom and stoic shouldering of any burden asked of them. The variety of tales is impressive, ranging from Kahch being little more than a wandering trickster/vagabond, all the way to semi-divine sage.

One thing is constant in all tales of Kahch the Moneychanger; They toil and labor for everyone they come across, and in return are given coins and tokens of debt. Each one is then carefully polished and placed in the large sack Kahch carries on their back. In spite of this wealth, Kahch buys no food nor clothing. They sleep under the stars and hunt for food and water as they need. They ask nothing of anyone, and so are never in debt.

There are multiple religions and monestaries devoted to worshiping or respecting Kahch as a divine being, and so Kahch has many names; The Moneychanger, The Gatherer, Hototh the Taker-of-Burden, The Taxmin, and many more. Few devote themselves wholy to Kahch, however, instead giving them the status of saint, demigod, or moderately powerful spirit. It is only the Moneyed Monks who worship Kahch alone as god and divine sage, and follow the Path of the Coin.

The Path of Coin

At its most basic, the Path of the Coin urges its adherants to go out into the world to collect as much currency as possible and then return it to the Tsavorite Vault. While there are many different interpretations, many monks believe the Path of the Coin is one of providing service to others. Coins are, at their most basic, symbols of gratitude. When one receives coin, it is because one has provided for another. The Path of the Coin urges its adherents to give service to others as often as possible, and such service as inspires feelings of gratitude and debt.

While this might seem self-serving, this celebration of miserliness is given symbolic import through the stories of Kahch. The Moneyed Monks observe how Kahch never spends coins received. This, they say, is an admonition to never cash in your debts. The code of Kahch is to always behave in a manner which serves others (i.e. earns coin) and yet never demand of others. The more coin one has, the more service one has provided the Myriad Worlds, and the less they have taken.

Another common interpretation, though less common in recent years, is that Coin, in all its forms, is a harsh and cruel punishment. In this interpretation, Kahch’s miserliness is not a lesson of charitable service, but of shouldering a burden. To require payment for service is a means of discouraging free service among the populace, and so the Path of Coin urges its followers to remove coin from circulation; to horde rather than spend. This interpretation used to result in many Moneyed Monks becoming thieves, but this practice is now forbidden by the Tsavorite Vault.

As most cultures express suspicion, if not disgust at the cultivating of money and wealth, it should be noted that the Path of Coin considers cheating, tricking, or conning someone out of coin to be a great sin, and a corruption of the passing of ownership. In short, if you are cheated out of your money, that money is still officially yours, and the cheating monk will receive none of its spiritual value. This is to say, you need not fear being pressured or conned into wasting your money.

There are many other interpretations of the Path of Coin, including the belief that one day Kahch will return to spend all the coin gathered in the Moneyed Monks temples and shrines. For what? None can say, but surely the purchase will be more expensive than any other meted upon our world.

The Tsavorite Vault

The Tsavorite Vault is fairly spartan in its design, made more for practical concerns, rather than ceremonial or decorative ones. Tsavorite is a unique igneous rock to the region, full of deposits of garnets, topaz, and peridot. The most distinctive aspect of tsavorite is the prevalence of agate thundereggs throughout the rock, ranging in size from ten centimeters to a meter and a half.

The thundereggs and veins of gemstone in the vault’s walls give the whole building a sense of unearthliness. I have tried many times to put the feeling of being surrounded by lines and whorls of glittering color, connected by lines of polished rainbow. It can feel like the world is somehow splitting at the seams, revealing marvelous beauty underneath. It’s like standing in the middle of a thousand tiny storms, each filled with nature’s passion for the sublime.

The building is not built solely of Tsavorite, of course. Kaolinite is used as a support stone,

The style of architectural design has been dubbed by historians as “early Kahchan,” and is mostly made of smoothed curving walls and archways. What decorations there are exist as devotionals, and are usually little more than small carved statues lightly decorated with valuable gemstones. These devotionals are more common in the lower chambers, closer to the vault itself. The most famous devotional is the Quartz Statue of Kahch; a somewhat abstract statue designed to honor the god-saint the monks have devoted themselves to.

A small secret I have learned: throughout the Tsavorite Vault, small plant-troughs and -pots dot the walls, filled with mountain shrubs and wildflowers. Several of these troughs have ginnyweed in them; a rare edible plant that grows in cold climates. Their leaves are small and shaped like tear-drops, about as thick and tough as a piece of leather. They store sugars and water in their leaves and are perfectly edible straight from the plant; just pluck off a leaf and chew on it for a snack.

The vault doors themselves are immaculately decorated with gold and silver inlay, as well as polished stone depictions of many of the greater events in the history of the Moneychanger. While the doors rarely open during the day, if you are lucky and carefully chose your travel time, you might see Moneyed Monks on their Golden Pilgrimage.

In the olden days, the Moneyed Monks would gather their wealth over their entire lives to be buried with them when they died. For numerous reasons — such as the prevalence of tomb-robbers as well as inflation — the practice has long since fallen out of favor. Instead, every ten years the Moneyed Monks now gather their accumulated wealth; all their coffers, chests, boxes, and bags; and travel to the Tsavorite Vault to deposit their offerings in its deep chambers. Some monks believe the coins will simply stay there until the end of time, while others believe the coins will be turned over to the Great Hematite Harbinger when it arrives, to ensure their place among the Select Few.

Whether you see the Monks or not, visitors are allowed access to the Tsavorite Vault for a nominal fee, naturally, to see the collected treasure. For obvious reasons the vaults are carefully guarded, with visitors being escorted by multiple guards and only allowed to see the treasures behind thick glass.

The monks are accepting of tourists, but they mostly concern themselves with the practice of their faith. Please be aware that they are not tour guides. Also, while money does have a significant influence on the Moneyed Monks’ culture, it is an insult to offer money when none is expected. Do not indulge your discomfort and offer to tip or pay for anything unless and until you are formally asked to do so.

Accommodations

The Tsavorite Vault has a great many beds, but naturally none are available for outsiders. Instead, you will have to find lodging in one of the three nearby towns, and only two of them have any kind of reliable inns or motels.

Do’niila is the small northern town of Hodum, and it is home to the Long Rest, a small inn with only ten cozy rooms available to rent. It may be small, but it is clean and comfortable, and the innkeep offers a hearty dinner every night for a nominal fee.

Do’wan is the westernmost town of Hodum, and has two small motels to choose from. Neither has much in the way of amenities or have a large number of rooms for rent. The Sidson Motel only has five rooms, though each is reasonably sized and well furnished. The Rest of Heavenly Horizon has seven room, and while each is smaller than those of the Sidson Motel, the Rest of Heavenly Horizon does have a comfortable central room with a fireplace and couches to relax on.

The nearby city of Vlorkatch has a lot more options for the weary traveler, but consider carefully whether the day-and-a-half trip to the Tsavorite Vault is a viable alternative to renting a humble room in the nearby towns.

Things to Do

Apart from viewing the glittering architecture of the Tsavorite Vault, there is little in the way of “activities” available to tourists. All the same, the Moneyed Monks are renowned for their generosity when it comes to indulging visitors. You can wander the building freely if you wish, and spending time in the outer gardens or visiting their tubakk herds is certainly allowed.

The tubakk is closely related to the mountain goat, though larger bodied with smaller horns and a longer skull. They are friendly creatures, tolerant of strangers, and quite willing to be brushed, fed, and ridden by tourists. Their straight conical horns fall off every winter, and are available to purchase as souvenirs

If you remain at the Tsavorite Vault into the evening, you may join the Monks at mid tea; whether called mid tea, dinner, supper, muntide, or duskmeal, their largest late-day meal is shared by all monks and visitors at 4 in the afternoon. The meal is light, with only a few dishes and a thick sweet milk-based beverage called spo’nik. Lok is the common dish, while thin slices of tubakk meat are also common. You will be expected to pay to join in the meal, but only a token payment of a few coins is required.

Also be aware, the Monks are a relatively stoic lot; while they will answer questions and hold discussion as well as anyone, don’t expect this meal to be a lively one.

For myself, I find spending time at the Tsavorite Vault to be refreshing and relaxing, akin to an evening spent watching the Upside-down Storm of Durandar, or sitting beneath the Resplendent Foliage of Gnatted Hollow.

If you prefer a more lively experience among the Moneyed Monks, you should aim to arrive during one of their Festival days.

The Holy Day of the Hematite Harbinger

The largest festival is held in early spring, when the Moneyed Monks hold a ceremonial honoring of Kahch and the Hematite Harbinger — an angel-like spirit who will signal the return of Kahch and the repayment of all debts.

The celebration of this day begins at sunrise and continues until the moon is at its zenith. It is a day of bright costumes, smooth beer, and musical performances from the attendant monks.

It is part of the Moneyed Monk’s faith that no one may know the shape of the Hematite Harbinger until its coming, and so it is tradition for the monks to create unique and elaborate costumes of the Harbinger. This is to gently mock their natural need for their faith to have form and to remind them of their folly.

The songs they perform are called Rhhys, akin to hymns and chants of other religions, only using reed flutes and lap-drums instead of voices. While most are fairly sedate, some rhhys can be quite lively. Dancing is not a part of performing a rhhy, so be aware that if you indulge your natural inclination, you may get some odd looks from the monks.

The Festival of Coin

The longest festival is the Festival of Coin, held at the beginning of autumn. It lasts two weeks, though the festival celebrations occur only on the third, seventh, and ninth days. The other days are spent in meditation, contemplation, and subdued ritual.

The third day is called Riding Day, for some historical reason that I have been unable to discern. During Riding Day, the monks of the Tsavorite Vault make a wandering pilgrimage between the three towns of Hodum in the Penitent Parade. This small troupe of monks offers small services in exchange for coin, such as cleaning houses or tending to farms. The intent is to gain wealth, but the locals see it more as a day of rest and celebration as the monks take over the daily chores.

The seventh day is a feast day, where the monks hold a large public meal for any and all who make the journey to the Tsavorite Vault. The meal is generally a rich soup or stew, and it is custom to bring a drink of your own to share with at least one other person. Again, the reason for this tradition is lost to history, but the monks use this time to commune with the locals and spread the word of Kahch and the Path of Coin.

The ninth day, called Din’obera, is the liveliest day of the festival. Visiting the Tsavorite Vault on Din’obera will give you the sights of one of the largest market days in the region, with monks and locals alike selling their wares and exchanging goods and services. This is the perfect time to purchase any small souvenirs you wish to take home with you.

The Day of the Shattered Bowl

One of the old tales of Kahch is that of the Wrathful Farmer. The story has been told and re-told in various forms throughout history, and it is one of the most important parables in the history of Kahch the Moneychanger.

The details differ between different tellings, but the basics remain the same: Kahch meets a farmer who is unwilling or unable to feed the local community from his fields. He strikes a deal with Kahch, who feeds the community by working the fields, either as a trick or equitable exchange. The farmer ultimately spoils his own food rather than complete the bargain, and in his frustration, Kahch shatters his bowl on the ground. In some tellings he is forced to purchase a new one, making this tale the only one where Kahch spends his money. In other tellings he makes a new one out of clay, carves one out of wood, or is even given a new one later by a grateful spirit.

The story is told with different lessons; from dedication being more important than skill or tools, to never dealing with hateful people, to not letting anger or vindictiveness deprive you of valuable assets. No matter the tale’s lesson, the Day of the Shattered Bowl is a day of formal contemplation.

For tourists, the appeal lies in the Atamuun, a re-enactment of the story by the monks in a formalized ritual. There are seven different re-tellings, each performed by different monks and in different styles, all facinating to watch.

Afterwards, treat yourself to some shlab, a crystallized honey treat made by the monks specifically for this holiday.