The Unforgotten Monks of the Lead Coins (Part 2)

 

Salt and Bo Jing asked some questions in Banua and found an old, grizzled man who claimed that indeed, the monks of the lead coins did still live AND he knew where to find them.

Although they had some questions about their guide’s sanity, Salt and Bo Jing agreed that they should follow their curiosity.  Bo-Jing asked Ryu and three of his most trusted warriors to accompany him. Nekhil volunteered to join the party as Salt’s bodyguard. Their mysterious friend Bangqiu told them he’d follow them from the shadows and lend assistance if they got into danger.

The trip to the monastery was arduous, but uneventful.  They moved beyond the grasslands where the Naran horde grazed their animals into the barren lands and then the mountains beyond.  They caught sight of the monastery perched high on a cliff above and as they reached the steep cascade of broken steps leading up to it, a pair of monks appeared to meet them.  They gave warm greetings to the guide, who introduced Salt and Bo-Jing.  The monks expressed their gratitude at having visitors to interrupt their solitude. One of the monks started to lead the party up the steps while the other lingered to speak to the guide.

On the way up the steps, Bo-Jing quizzed the monk about his beliefs and soon became suspicious. Unlike the monks described by Gaansukh, who pulled profound lessons from prosaic events, this man showed little interest or ability in discussing the tenets of his faith.  Rather than explain the remarkable carvings in the stone steps, the monk stated they were “mysteries” whose meaning could only be explained to those who were “ready.”

The party passed through the gates of the monastery. Their horses were taken to the stables and they were welcomed to the guest house.  Though it was late in the day, their guide would not stay with them, and hadn’t even followed them up the stairs, but instead already started his return to the settled lands.  The monks told the party to make themselves at home in the guest house and to feel free to explore the monastery—except for the temple.  That was closed to the uninitiated.