Shalquar

Stronghold

Adar in Sarlona

Only 22 miles from the nearest Riedran settlement in the foothills of the Ahnadiv Mountains, Shalquar is the sister citadel of Malshashar and also on the front lines of the ongoing conflict with Riedra. It serves as a base for Adar's defenders and a gate to Adar's interior. Shalquar is carved between and under two mountains, and inhospitable peaks surround it.

Both a hallowed hall for meditation and the first line of defense in a centuries-old siege, Shalquar Monastery is one of the eight fortifications that protect all known paths into the valleys of Adar. Maintained by kalashtar and human ascetics and defended by some of the finest martial artists on Sarlona, Shalquar Monastery maintains a vigilant defense against the mundane armies of the Inspired and the agents of the Dreaming Dark.

Lands: Shalquar Monastery is located in the mountains of Adar in southeastern Sarlona. The area surrounding it is impassable, with jagged peaks jutting up to 14,000 feet and frequent storms triggering deadly landslides. The exact location of Shalquar is a closely guarded secret, but the nearest Riedran settlement is 22 miles away in the foothills—an otherwise unremarkable village named Hillcorn (population 842) that lingers in the mountains’ shadow.

The Inspired are certainly aware of Shalquar’s general existence (unlike some of the other Adar fortifications, which operate under a veil of absolute secrecy), but the monastery’s exact location is carefully hidden from their view by the efforts of kalashtar psions. A large contingent of Riedran troops has been stationed in and around Hillcorn, from which the Inspired regularly send scouting parties to seek the secret route up through the mountains. These assignments are highly undesirable, because failure to locate the monastery means punishment, while success means a swift death at the hands of the monastery’s defenders.

Getting There: Nestled between two foreboding mountains, the monastery interrupts the only traversable path for miles, serving as gate and garrison to the interior of Adar. The location of the pass is not marked on any map or widely known among local villagers. Making a DC 30 Gather Information check in Hillcorn will uncover the name of someone who knows the location of the pass (Hieron the Dusty, NG human ranger 3). Alternatively, travelers can attempt to find it on their own by scouring the area. A DC 30 Survival check can be made each day that a character spends searching the foothills; success indicates that the pass has been found at a point 1d4+1 miles away from the monastery.

The pass starts out as a normal ridge, but gradually changes into a sharp ditch in the side of the mountain. It is 10 feet wide and rises steeply enough that horses cannot traverse it. On either side of the path, rock walls rise from 5 to 15 feet. Leaving the pass is far more treacherous than staying in it, since only a skilled mountaineer can hope to scale the mountain slopes on either side (Climb DC 25). One mile distant from the monastery entrance, the path narrows to 5 feet

Locating Shalquar from the air is virtually impossible. The monastery is totally obscured from normal view by the rugged terrain around and above it. Also, the lightning storms that surround the mountain peaks of Adar are treacherous for flying creatures and airships. Teleporting to Shalquar (or indeed, to Adar at all) is impossible while the Shroud is active (see the sidebar).

Appearance: From the outside, Shalquar Monastery looks like an ancient but unadorned stone building partly carved from the mountain itself.

The humble appearance of the fortress belies its intent, though; every inch of the monastery has been adapted for maximum tactical advantage against the numerically superior Riedran army and their Inspired overlords. While the monks of Shalquar would prefer to hide their home from the world, they know that the forces of the Inspired periodically stumble upon the pass. When this happens, the kalashtar and their human allies strike with deadly efficiency, leaving no survivors to tell of the monastery’s location.

Demographics: Shalquar Monastery is a center of learning and meditation that rivals a large town, with at least thirty-five hundred residents at any given time. The monastery’s racial mix is 72% kalashtar, 18% human.

Power Groups

Even in a place so beset by enemies as Adar, internal struggles for power still exist.

Ay'Kuar, Master of the Monastery: All the defenders of Shalquar Monastery honor the leadership of the Master, always a monk of great strength who has proven his wisdom in matters both philosophical and martial. While the first leaders of the monastery were human, the Master has long since been chosen almost exclusively from among the kalashtar who devote themselves to Shalquar’s defense. The Master’s primary task is to enact specific plans to shield the monastery from discovery or, failing that, defend it from attack.

The current Master is a male kalashtar named Ay’Kuar (LN male kalashtar monk 5/soulknife 6). He strongly supports an aggressive defense of the region; his most famous (and controversial) strategy has been the sanctioning of surgical strikes against Riedran scout patrols exploring locations far from the actual pass. He theorizes that this will prevent the Inspired from deducing Shalquar’s location based on where patrols vanish, but his critics lament the loss of human lives that pose little threat.

Council of Lineages: While Ay’Kuar is in control of monastery defenses, he is not its true leader. A council of the thirty-four lineages currently represented within Shalquar’s population (of the sixty-seven lineages originally established by the quori who fled Dal Quor for Eberron) is the guiding force for the kalashtar of Shalquar. The Council of Lineages establishes policies and makes decisions that affect the shape of the war against the Inspired’s Riedran armies and the spies of the Dreaming Dark.

The Dreaming Dark: While it has no foothold within the monastery itself, the Dreaming Dark always has agents prowling the mountains. The psions of Shalquar spend a great deal of time attempting to find these spies through remote viewing, with mixed results. Should any be detected, a team of kalashtar soulknives, psychic warriors, and monks is dispatched to eliminate them as quickly as possible. While many kalashtar might be willing to deal mercifully with the often inconsequential Riedran humans, they give no quarter to the Dreaming Dark’s agents when they are found.

Monks of Adar: The human monks who share Shalquar Monastery with the kalashtar follow their own communal lifestyle, studying their path of discipline and ascetic virtue. While many discuss philosophy and morality endlessly with their kalashtar counterparts, they are not of the same religion, nor are they subject to the decisions of the Council of Lineages. Technically, the kalashtar are still guests of the Adar monks, even though they now outnumber the humans nearly fourfold. The monks only obey the Master of the monastery on issues of immediate protection, and they largely ignore the larger issues of the war against the Inspired.

September 21st, 2019 June 14th, 2022

Features

The interior of the monastery is made up of twisting narrow tunnels and small rooms. Memorizing the many routes within the fortress is one of the first steps in the path of mental discipline for those studying here. The cramped passageways have a secondary purpose, however, for should the Shroud ever fail, the kalashtar know that the Inspired will be able to scry the monastery’s location and use psionic teleport to send troops directly into it. During such an attack, the corridors would serve to break up massed troops and allow the defenders to fight smaller battles.

The small, unadorned rooms inside the monastery are where the ascetics sleep and meditate. There are no large open spaces, but the inhabitants do not seem to mind, gathering in hallways to talk or barter with one another.

Key locations within the complex are described below.

Entrance Path: The defenses of the monastery begin at the entrance. The path leading up to the entry tunnel is narrow enough that attacking troops must march single file toward the fortress. A handful of soulknives could thus hold off an army of far greater numbers by fighting the enemy one at a time. The entrance tunnel is unblocked but fiercely guarded by six warriors—two kalashtar soulknives, two kalashtar psions, and two human monks. They hide in the shadows of the entry tunnel, judging all who approach and assessing whether to reveal themselves peacefully or attack.
Inside the entry tunnel, six hidden passageways branch off on either side (Search DC 20 to locate). Travelers who miss the passageways and are allowed to continue through will emerge in the first valley of Adar proper after another 600 feet, perhaps none the wiser about the monastery’s location.
Agricultural Caves: The kalashtar of the monastery can hardly plant crops in plain view from above. While they do gather certain mountain fruits and nuts from the surrounding area, much of the food supply for the ascetics is grown in these long passageways. Nutritious fungi of all varieties can be seen growing here, but the farmers must be careful to keep the tunnels well maintained lest dangerous patches of brown mold appear on the walls.
Light Chambers: A series of crystals reflect sunlight down into these chambers, allowing the kalashtar to meditate on the Path of Light. Any kalashtar or human living in the monastery is welcome to meditate in one of these two dozen rooms; six people can sit comfortably in each.
Master’s Hall: This simple room is where Master Ay’Kuar receives visitors to the monastery. The large round room at the end of the hall is his private chamber and office.
Shroud Chamber: Perhaps the most heavily defended location in the entire monastery, this room holds the shroud resonator that is necessary to keep the kalashtar of Adar shielded from psionic scrying and teleportation. A psion sits before the massive violet crystal at all times, feeding it the psychic energy it needs to operate, while six kalashtar monks stand guard.

September 21st, 2019 June 11th, 2022

Encounters

The kalashtar patrols keep Shalquar free of hostile monsters, but it is periodically affected by infestations of brain moles and the attendant outbreaks of cascade flu (see page 190 of the Expanded Psionics Handbook). In addition, the mountains surrounding the monastery are home to many dangerous mundane animals, particularly the mountain lions that the kalashtar frequently use as additional protection against random Riedran scout patrols. If they need to drive off a squad of soldiers without revealing their presence, kalashtar telepaths will use their psionic powers to lead a hungry monster right to the intruders.

The first encounter upon arriving at Shalquar Monastery will be with the guards watching the tunnel entrance itself. Travelers who seek refuge or training must convince the sentries that they should not be killed on sight as suspected agents of the Dreaming Dark. Even should the guards’ suspicions be eased, they still do not have the authority to allow travelers to enter. For that, they must call upon a telepath from within Shalquar to use detect thoughts on the newcomers (or even mind probe if they have enough suspicion to warrant it).

If the telepath is convinced of not only the explorers’ sincerity but also their justification for seeking entrance to Shalquar, he will escort them to Master Ay’Kuar. Only the Master can make the final determination as to whether foreigners can roam freely about the monastery, or will instead be put to death.

Assuming adventurers are granted access, they can move as they wish through the corridors and rooms that make up the monastery. Only the Shroud Chamber is forbidden to visitors. Within the mountain, the monastery’s residents live much as any townsfolk, with skilled crafters honing their techniques between periods of meditation. The monastery’s kalashtar artisans are among the finest in the world despite their anonymity, and many masterwork items can be acquired in Shalquar. Because trade with the outside world is limited, barter is usually preferable to payment in coin.

September 21st, 2019

Adventure Ideas

Kalashtar PCs are sent on a pilgrimage to the Shalquar Monastery to consult with the Council of Lineages and seek direction in the war against the Dreaming Dark. When the characters arrive at Hillcorn, however, they find that the area is swarming with Riedran troops and Inspired, all searching for a highranking Inspired officer who is missing and believed captured by the rebels in Adar. The characters must avoid capture in a very unfriendly area and find a way to get access to the monastery to warn them without giving the location away to the agents of the Dreaming Dark.
The characters are staying in the monastery when they are called in front of the Council of Lineages. The council has received word from one of the other Adaran fortresses of the possible rebirth of a kalashtar lineage long presumed lost, and they would like the kalashtar PC and his or her companions to travel there and see for themselves if it is true.
A strange wasting illness has struck the Shalquar Monastery, sparing the humans but bringing many of the kalashtar near death. The Master asks the characters to journey to Mount Korrandar in the heart of Adar and seek council with the Storm Guardians.