Jsk FFXIV Monk:Lore

Chakra

 * Description: Chakras are the valves that regulate the flow of the body’s aether. By mastering chakras and gaining control over this flow, a trained monk can accomplish extraordinary physical feats. Ordinarily locked into a closed state, chakras can be opened by entering into deadly combat on ancient battlefields, where the release of rarefied aether resonates with and expands one’s innate seats of power.
 * Discovery: Through their meditations did these monks discover within themselves foci of power - chakras - and with this knowledge devised a martial art that channelled the life energies of the practitioner into destructive force. Such is their power of concentration that they are able to master the aether within their bodies and channel it in a manner that grants them immense destructive power. The monkhood insists on calling this internal essence “spiritual energy” or “life force” - but trust me when I say it is nothing other than aether.
 * Echoes of War: Do not be frightened. Here was a battle. Long ago. Much energy remains. It has found you. It flows through you. Your chakra has been opened. This was the light that shone from you. The energy within us moves the fist. The chakra is the seat of that energy. It is a sacred place. It can be opened, and the life force within controlled. Chakra exists in all that lives - in all beings. Yet not all beings can open them. Much training is needed. And great discipline. With these, the life force can be commanded. There are those who require no training. Their inner strength is such that it forces the chakra open. I have heard of this happening. But never have I seen it - until now. We stand on an ancient battleground. A great war was waged here. The spirit of the fight lingers. The aether reaches for the chakra. It aids in its opening. For this reason do we monks seek such lands to train.
 * Echoes of War II: The aether churning around these ancient battle sites comes to naturally settle in the surrounding life─both plant and animal, though more so in the latter. It accumulates within them. Felling these beasts then releases that aether, causing a surge that resonates with the aether within you, causing it to expand─the so-called opening of the chakra. By this, the very power of life itself within you grows.
 * Fourteen Chakra: In the beginning, members of the Fist of Rhalgr strove to open all fourteen chakra─seven of light and seven of shadow. Those who had opened all seven of their native chakra were permitted to duel those who had achieved the same in the opposing aspect. For generations, such duels were held in great secrecy. But that ended with the massacre at the Temple of the Fist, when the sect of light was extinguished. And though the sect of shadow survived by virtue of its obscurity, its disciples lost the means to open light-aspected chakra.
 * Light and Shadow, Lunar and Solar: So, in the past, the two sects both belonged to the Fist of Rhalgr, and their disciples trained beside one another as comrades. Though the techniques they employed were identical, the manner in which they harnessed energy was opposed in nature. It was this difference which gave rise to two aspects of chakra. There is a tradition wherein monks from the two schools would meet each other in single combat. This clashing of light and shadow quickened the aether within, causing a chakra of the opposing aspect to open within them. And the implications of this? There are not seven, but fourteen chakra all told.
 * Seven Chakras: If a monk’s training were seen as a mountain, then the opening of the seventh chakra would be its peak - the very pinnacle of martial achievement. Each of the body’s seats of power, however, is said to have aspects of both light and shadow. Thus to truly master the techniques of the monk, one must unlock not seven, but fourteen distinct chakras.

Techniques

 * Final Heaven: By focusing an intensely concentrated knot of aether within a single fist, a monk can then strike an opponent with a blow that erupts into a detonation of catastrophic proportions. This technique cannot be performed until the practitioner is prepared to reach beyond mortal limits into the divine.
 * Mantra: After first intoning a phrase to centre the spirit, the practitioner then releases a burst of harmonious energies in every direction. Those caught in this gentle explosion of aether find their physical forms more readily receptive to restoration magicks.
 * Shoulder Tackle: A technique used to close distance to an opponent, the practitioner rushes forward and slam an aether-shielded shoulder into the target with concussive force. This move is favoured by devotees of Rhalgr for its swift and brutal nature.

Way of Enlightenment

 * Arbuda: This four-armed golem was created to train monks, who competed to defeat it in the shortest time possible. Contestants were awarded ranks named for various beasts which were, in ascending order: mossling, chapuli, coeurl, griffin, and two-headed coeurl. One last rank exists to crown them all, and it is named for the Destroyer Himself.
 * Chakra Falls: ‘Chakra’ is a word used to describe the valves which regulate the flow of the body’s aether. The deluge of water which plunges incessantly into Starfall is so named for its resemblance to the coursing energy which cascades from the aura of a trained monk.
 * Circle of Answering: A training ground for monks, adherents would gather here when thunderstorms lashed the countryside with rain, wind, and lightning. Sitting in a circle and exposed to the elements, the monks would meditate on the truths proffered by the Destroyer - an experience said to have brought enlightenment to no few of Rhalgr’s disciples.
 * Pall of Clarity: Standing upon this bridge which spans the Velodyna River, one can bathe in the spray of the nearby waterfall, and experience the cleansing of both body and spirit. It is said that the monks of the Fist of Rhalgr would visit this very spot to practice their meditation techniques.
 * Pilgrimage: Ere long, the climb to pay pilgrimage to the temple came to be regarded as part of the spiritual journey for the faithful, and for this purpose a dedicated path was created: the Way of Enlightenment. Yet this was no leisurely stroll. Aside from being precariously steep, the way was outfitted with an array of traps and obstacles which tested flesh and faith both. In time, this gruelling route would be adopted as a trial for those who aspired to monkhood.
 * Void Monk: There are rumours that this voidsent earned its name when a disciple of the Fist of Rhalgr, training to open a particularly vexing chakra, threw a punch with such devastating power that not only did it open her mind, but it opened a rent between this realm and the void, allowing for the admittance of a terrifying octopus-like creature. Others claim that it is simply because of the void monk’s resemblance to the sea monk - a common cephalopod found in the Indigo Deep.
 * Witherwander: This winding path was once walked by young men and women seeking to enter the monkhood. It is said that enchanted devices would befuddle those whose concentration wavered, meaning that any unfocused souls would soon lose their way.

War Garb

 * Aether Conductive Ink: Alright, you’re using the highly aetherially conductive ink that you use for creating books and things like that. That’s what it is. Those types of tattoos actually exist. We actually see some in the game already. The Monks’ Pacifist gear, you get like a body paint on your arms, and that’s using that type of aetherially conductive ink. That’s used to guide and channel aether from around you to do those super-powerful actions and assists in those monk attacks. So this actually exists already. We actually talk about this in the second lore book, so this is definitely confirmed.
 * Form and Function: As masters of hand-to-hand combat, the Fist of Rhalgr’s monks prized freedom of movement above all else. Accordingly, the modern monk’s battle garb incorporates little armour, and what few pieces she wears are meant to boost the efficacy of her blows rather than protect her person. This is not to say that any loose-fitting garb will do, however: the monk’s costume is woven from a unique type of silk that allows her to open her chakra with greater ease. Following relatively recent tradition, monks now spin the thread themselves during their training, making use of a technique that imbues it with aetherial energies. Fabric woven with this thread is better suited for chakra manipulation, as it frees aether from ambient constraint, allowing it to flow without impediment. Also typical of the monk’s garb are long sashes and panels of loose cloth, which dance through the air as the monk moves, distracting her foe.
 * Imbued Objects: Accordin’ to the writer, the Sphairai ain’t no ordinary weapon. Apparently, they’re tools for tappin’ a monk’s “chakra”─whatever the hells that is─throwin’ open the floodgates... or summat. Buggered if I know how it works. But I do know the fists need some crystals embedded in them. Eh? Chakra’s the aether what courses through yer body, ye say? Huh... That explains the bloody crystals, then.
 * Pacifist's Vest: What this vests lacks in cloth, it makes up for in adornment. Its strings of beads and distinctive pattern, traced across the garment in earth tones, are believed to channel aether from the open chakra into one’s fists.
 * Rising Suns: These ornate weapons cover the entire fist, the radial pattern of their spikes lending the impression of a dawning sun’s lancing rays. The origin of the Rising Suns’ name, however, is not found in their design alone. Forged from a delicate balance of mythril and silver, the spikes act as conduits, conveying and radiating the energies focused in the monk’s fists. A master practitioner equipped with these weapons is capable of emitting blinding levels of aether, each blow falling with terrible, incandescent force.
 * Punishable by Death: Hear this. A set of our war garb was stolen. The Fist has tracked the bandits. We know now where three of the relics are. Your soul crystal will react to the relics. Draw near them, and they will glow. By this power, you can find them. The Fist’s honour has been trampled upon. Make the heretics you find pay for their sins.
 * Soul Crystal: This is a soul crystal. It is the mark of my order. Only those in the monkhood may carry it. It is given to novices upon completion of their training. But I have witnessed your transformation. You are ready. Take it. Many bore that crystal before you. It remembers them. Their breath and their movement. They will one day be yours. But your chakra must open further. Only then can the crystal’s memories enter you.
 * Tantra Attire: “Only elders of the Fist of Rhalgr are permitted to don this attire. Though the thread used in its creation is the same as that woven into the standard temple habit, the veteran monks looming the tantra cloth imbue each stitch with concentrated energy, resulting in a significantly higher rate of aetherial conductivity. A monk’s chakras are thus greatly expanded when swathed in such material, but without the training required to moderate the excessive outpouring of aether, an unseasoned wearer would bleed out his entire life essence in a matter of moments.
 * Temple Attire: The religious habit of the Fist of Rhalgr, made entirely on temple grounds. The cloth is loomed by monks, the thread spun from the cocoons of remarkable worms unknown to naturalists but which arise in great numbers in the temple seolc-house. Every stitch is half as wide as its wearer’s little fingernail, and it is said that the result forms a holy geometry to further open one’s chakras