Stronger Than You Know
”And so the Dai Bendu waited, they contemplated and meditated
and listened with their minds and hearts, as well as their senses.”–Ketu
- Intent: Establish a new sanctuary for Dai Bendu and other Forcers in Wild Space
- Image Credit: [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] | all edits done by
Sor-Jan Skywalker
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- Structure Name: Anoh Iilem (Dai Bendu: “Temple of the Forcers”)
- Classification: Temple
- Location: Eadu
- Affiliation:
- Accessibility: Because of Eadu’s harsh weather and violent thunderstorms, landing ships at the temple is nearly impossible. Instead, pilgrims and visitors make their way to Anoh Iilem on foot. Way shrines and basic lodgings are scattered along the path leading up the mountainside for travelers to rest and recover during their trek. Access to the temple itself is unrestricted. Temple guardians maintain a presence around and within Anoh Iilem, but due to the temple’s isolation, they are primarily ceremonial servants.
- Description: Anoh Iilem is a stone temple carved from the peak of a mountain on the rocky world of Eadu by the Order of Dai Bendu. It's an isolated structure, obscured by torrential rain, snow, and heavy cloud coverage. Pilgrims and travelers seeking refuge in Anoh Iilem must land on a flattened region in the valley below and hike a marked trail that circles the mountain.
A large courtyard sits in front of the main temple complex and is the first thing visitors will see as they enter Anoh Iilem. It is hewn from the mountain stone itself, revealing just how ancient Anoh Iilem is. Decorate pennants hang overhead, stretched from a central stone obelisk in the heart of the courtyard to the surrounding structures. When Eadu’s weather is calm, the courtyard has an unparalleled view of the surrounding mountains and ravines in the surrounding range. Thanks to the natural barrier provided by the mountain peak, even when Eaduan thunderstorms cover the ridge, the courtyard remains protected from the worst of the winds and rain.
Anoh Iilem’s Stone Garden is a place of meditation and reflection. It is located in the base of a hollow tower structure along the eastern edge of the temple courtyard. Inside is a recessed stone pit full of fine Eaduan sand. Large stone statues and carved boulders adorn the pit, which the Dai Bendu use as foci for their meditation rituals. Eadu's rising sun shines delicately through hewn holes in the standing stones, creating mesmerizing shadows that glisten on the silica.
Perched on the perimeter of the temple complex in a turret high above the cliffside is the training dojo. This portion of the temple is reserved for the Dai Bendu monks to practice their martial arts, but is also open for Jedi and other Forcers to spar. While the majority of Anoh Iilem’s armaments are stored in the armory within the temple, there are an assortment of non-lethal weapons and training staves in the dojo.
Anoh Iilem's inhabitants dedicate a wing of the temple to personal and communal dormitories. Younger members and visitors live in shared rooms, while older monks and the temple's grandmasters are afforded private, personalized quarters. Each dormitory is equipped with stone fireplaces to keep the residents warm, as well as restroom facilities and shower rooms. Common rooms separate each wing of rooms and are used for gathering in small groups to eat, study, meditate, and relax.
Anoh Iilem’s central chamber is known as the Hall of Masters. Its walls are bathed in warm amber light from the pyre in the center of the room. The Hall of Masters serves as both a nexus connecting the various wings of the temple, and a spacious gathering hall for Dai Bendu elders to convene. Impressive, ancient statues of great Bokken masters stand around the perimeter of the chamber. Under their watchful eye, the grandmasters of Anoh Iilem discuss important matters and make decisions.
As stewards of ancient and forgotten lore, the Order of Dai Bendu goes to great lengths to ensure their collection is preserved and safeguarded. The archives are an almost labyrinthine repository of primordial manuscripts, tablets, data pads, and holocrons. It is accessible to monks and pilgrims alike, though it is generally forbidden to remove items from the archives unless on special exceptions, and even then, only by order of the temple’s elders.
The spacious network of chambers below the main temple complex is known as the undercroft, or more colloquially, the Halls of Healing. As its name suggests, the Halls of Healing are a portion of the temple dedicated to the physical, mental, and medical needs of Anoh Iilem's monks and the temple's visitors. Bacta is a rarity for even Eadu's secular population at large, so the Dai Bendu rely on traditional Force healing techniques and holistic medicine to care for the temple's sick and injured. Frequent trade with local merchants keeps the Halls of Healing well-stocked with essential supplies.
Medium. Anoh Iilem's defenses are mostly natural, relying on Eadu's chaotic weather and rugged terrain to protect it from unwanted attention or attack. Violent thunderstorms and jagged mountain ranges make landing at the temple itself nearly impossible. Anoh Iilem can be accessed by foot via a winding path that trails along the mountainside, connecting the peak of the mountain with a natural landing spot in the valley below. The temple complex itself is protected by Dai Bendu temple guardians, practitioners of the Force who are sworn to defend Anoh Iilem and its monks from intruders and attackers.
- Natural seclusion
- Persistent inclement weather
- Dai Bendu temple guardians
With the arrival of organized crime on Kijimi, the Dai Bendu monks who had built their monastery in the heart of Kijimi City found themselves at odds with syndicates and pirates. It wasn't long before the monks were pushed away from the icebound planet, forced off-world by the likes of the Ashiga Clan and Crimson Dawn. They fled to the stars, navigating Wild Space and the Tingel Arm in search of a new world suitable for their scattered order.
After a long exile, the Order of Dai Bendu eventually happened upon the perfect planet on which to establish a new refuge: the isolated, impermeable world of Eadu. Much like the monastery on Kijimi, the monks relied on Eadu's natural defenses to keep their new home hidden from outsiders. In its early days, Anoh Iilem was a close-guarded secret. Much like the Order of Dai Bendu itself, Anoh Iilem was an obscurity known only to existing members and the small cloisters of pilgrims who made the perilous journey to the temple each year for the Dai Bendu lantern ceremony.
Over the centuries, Anoh Iilem's obscurity has fluctuated greatly. During the Galactic Civil War, the Dai Bendu once again went into hiding to protect themselves from Imperial Inquisitors and their bloodthirsty purge troopers. They once again remained hidden during the First Order's reign of tyranny in the region, when nearby Kijimi became of interest to the neo-Imperial regime.
By the year 900 ABY, the Order of Dai Bendu had once again opened its doors to the Forcers of the Tingel Arm and Wild Space. While it is no Coruscant Jedi temple, Anoh Iilem has become a cherished destination for devoted Bokken Jedi and Outer Rim Forcers who wish to make pilgrimage to the ancient site. The Dai Bendu welcome these Light Side individuals with opens arms, eager to exchange knowledge and impart old traditions.
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