Harrem is a high, austere continent of cold mountain ranges hang above the clouds. Monasteries cling to cliff faces and narrow ridges, linked by long pilgrim paths. Life in these monisteries centres on discipline, clarity, and self-mastery, with communities shaped more by meditation and ritual than by commerce or politics. *“The external world is emptiness; the internal is a self that is not. Suffering arises only from the desperate attempt to fill these two hollow vessels.”* *-- [[Elder Shun Nishara]] of [[the Ninth Monastery]]* ![[Image - Location - Harrem.png]] # Time Line ## The High Era For millennia, Harrem is defined by its altitude. Monasteries cling to cliff faces and sky-bridges cross impossible chasms. As Harrem’s monastic orders refine their teachings, the continent becomes a destination for pilgrims seeking silence, visions, or absolution. Harrem remains largely isolated, its people wary of the politics of the lowlands and devoted to inner clarity rather than conquest or trade. ## The Xi-Lan Invasion Beginning on [[80-05-01]], armies from [[Xi-Lan]] ascend the mountain passes. The invasion is slow, brutal, and logistically nightmarish, not a traditional war, but a generational struggle between disciplined lowland soldiers and untrained monks, who are not ready for war, but who know every cliff, cave, and cloud-shadow. After one hundred cycles of conflict, the invasion ends on [[180-04-30]]. Harrem is never conquered in spirit, but [[Xi-Lan]]’s presence reshapes it. It is through this era that the path of Harrem monks now includes martial art training. ## The Contemporary Era Following the withdrawal of [[Xi-Lan]] forces, Harrem enters a long period of introspection. The mountains remain sacred, but now hold scars: abandoned watchtowers, meditation caves once used as redoubts, and chants woven from both victory and loss. ## Major Events - [[80-05-01]] invasion by [[Xi-Lan]] begins. - [[180-04-30]] invasion by [[Xi-Lan]] ends.