Temple of Light

Description
The Temple of Light is nestled in a small valley high in the Zhan Xao mountains. Access to it is an arduous journey and not without peril. The hike/climb up the mountain takes several days and at the base of the final slopes to the monastery there is a large staircase ascending to entrance of the temple known by the monks simply as "the way". This innocuous name belies the over 25,000 steps one must climb at the end of the journey to even arrive at the front gate of the temple. Inside the monks are dedicated to the pursuit of personal enlightenment and martial mastery. The monks believe that suffering is a natural part of life and subject themselves to almost superhuman levels of training in both martial mastery and conditioning of the body and mind. Stories around Shangti claim that the monks need not eat nor sleep for days and that they can absorb blows that would cripple normal men. They also say they can break stone with their bare hands and some of the more outlandish tales claim that they can fly or read minds. One cannot help but wonder if magic is still prevalent in the temple.