Qiansimiao
Qiansimiao
Religion
Traditions
+1 Diplomatic Relations
+10% Trade Efficiency
The Qiansimiao SecretThe lands of the Xia hold many secrets, but few are as well guarded as the secret of how the Qiansimiao monks make their famous silk. Only the masters of the school are allowed entry into the deeper recesses of the temple, and they have used every trick in their arsenal to keep out everyone else. Traps, locks, labyrinths and entire decoy complexes will face anyone who sneaks past their gaze. Rumors fly on what the secret behind the production of the Qiansimiao silk could be, and rumors abound naming everything from sorcery, alchemy chi, spirits and mythical plants and creatures. This wild speculation only further serves to enhance the legend of the legendary silk and the monks who guard it.
+10% Foreign Spy Detection
+0.5 Yearly Prestige
The Properties of Qiansimiao SilkThe secrecy of the monks of Qiansimiao is well founded, for the silk they produce is unlike any fabric weft in the great looms of Sir or sold in the markets of Tianlou or Dhenijansar. Through their hidden techniques, Qiansimiao fabric distorts light - its appearance constantly shifts depending on the colors around it. When combined with other magical materials, this silk can be used to make everything from the famous Yantrakari shade cloaks, mind-bending pieces of art, and of course, the most exclusive fashion in Haless.
+10% Production Efficiency
The Way of SilkThe action of reeling silk from a cocoon onto a spool is a complicated one which requires constant rotations within rotations, twisting and untwisting, neither too fast nor too slow. The monks of the Way of Silk believe this to be the perfect way to train their focus and concentration. But it is said that the greatest master of this technique isn’t a chi-cultivating grandmaster, but rather the humble silkworm larva, who knows this gift in a way mortals never can. Thus humility is the base of the way of silk - to practice relentlessly, to accept that one will never achieve perfection, but to find in the technique of the silkworm the center of the self.
+50% Army Drill Gain Modifier
The Deal with JaherWhen Jaher defeated the Xia, he held the power to forever undo Qiansimiao’s secrets. Facing the potential end of everything they had worked for, the masters of Qiansimiao came to a decision. They would meet with Jaher, and bargain with him for their secrets. In the end the secrets of their silk production would be kept in exchange for the monks of the Way of Silk serving Jaher as auxiliaries in battle, and the Phoenix Empire gaining extra lucrative prices for their silk. Thus Qiansimiao became one of the first temples to surrender to the Phoenix Emperor.
+10% Improve Relations
+50% Possible Condottieri
Merchant ConnectionsThe monks of Xianjie are normally an insular lot, with little interest for what the outside world has to offer. The monks of the Way of Silk, however, have long known how to utilize the opportunities which their great secret grants them. Many wealthy merchants across Haless have struck lucrative deals with the Silk Pulling Temple, paying great sums for the privilege of being the ones to sell their prized silk in their region. Such deals keep the silk temple far wealthier than their fellows and allow them to tap trade markets far beyond Xianjie.
+1 Merchants
The Luxurious XiakenUnlike other temples, who abhor luxuries and commodities, the monks of Qiansimiao are not above using the wealth they’ve gathered. Their meals include fine exquisite dishes flavored with spices from faraway lands, their clothing include expensive textiles and exotic furs, and their art and architecture showcase a level of wealth and splendor that is completely foreign to the rest of Xianjie. While other monks may scoff and call them decadent and corrupt, travelers and migrants from the outside far prefer traveling to Qiansimiao over the other temples in the region.
-10% Development Cost
To the GraveWhen the hobgoblins marched upon Qiansimiao, the masters of the Way of Silk decided that their secret must be kept from their enemy no matter what. No sooner had the first siege weapon been stationed outside the monastery, when a great pillar of smoke rose up from its very center. The production of Qiansimiao silk was forever lost that day, as was all the wealth and splendor that the monks had amassed over the centuries. But legend says that some onlookers witnessed something ascending from the flames, shining like pearls and iridescent like rainbows, which flew off into the forests, never to be seen again.
+1 Attrition for Enemies
Ambition
-10% Morale Damage Received
History
TBD
Strategy
TBD