Clord Abbey

is a on an island near, recently granted to the  as an  and. Most patients are s. The local s who work Clord’s fields and otherwise support the church grow ever more afraid and many have fled the island.

Overview
Clord is located on, a small island off the south shore of the wide. The island is a plateau about eighty feet high in the north, sloping gradually southward to sea level. Steep, chalky cliffs define the coast for most of the island’s girth. The island has a shallow, peaty topsoil with numerous limestone outcroppings. There are few trees except those planted by islanders, but natural patches of broom and heather thrive.

Most of the population live in Clord, which is located near the center of the island. , a small fishing hamlet on the south coast of the island, has three households, all free fishermen, who pay a total of 72 in license fees and 180 rent. The fishermen provide a ferry service to Moque, just under one distant.

Originally, the manor was a holding of Sir Allyn Wederine, Baron of Moque. Clord had been managed for the baron by a younger brother, Sir Haltewn Wederine, who drowned in 715 when a ferry to the island foundered in a storm. The baron was pondering which of several relatives to appoint as the new bailiff when he was told by his household physician - also his chamberlain - that he had contracted leprosy. The baron, just 35 at the time, soon became eager to support treatment for lepers, and agreed with his wife's suggestion to gift Clord to the Peonian church. The baron hastened to sign a deed to transfer the manor to the Church, stipulating that the lands must be used to support a hospice for sufferers of leprosy and other incurable diseases.

Abbey development
Anak Island was well suited as a site for a hospital, being isolated from the mainland yet large enough to support a monastery. The Sulaplyn (bishop) of Melderyn wanted to set up a hospice/abbey to stress the virtues of the Peonian ideal - a self-sufficient abbey dedicated to the treatment of the sick.

The Sulaplyn also wanted to found a monastery that would rival Heredyn, a leper hospital five leagues upstream, opposite Thay. The bishop felt Heredyn had become too rich and powerful. He chose Jaremeld, a Lerovana (Master of Healing) from Heredyn to be Pelnala (high priest) of Clord. Jaremeld had been campaigning for a return to asceticism, a doctrine which the bishop felt was more suited to the faith. The Pelnala of Heredyn was glad to see Jaremeld go, but not to hear that the Sulaplyn planned to transfer more Heredyn monks to Clord once it had been established; he has been busy seeking ways and allies to frustrate the bishop's plan.

Once the church had legal control over Clord, the Sulaplyn hastened to send an encyclical letter to all the monasteries in Melderyn and beyond. The encyclical requested each monastery to select one ebasethe (priest) and one esolani (acolyte) to found a new abbey and hospice at Clord. Six monks led by the newly appointed Pelnala arrived in the spring of 717 and were joined by the existing ebasethe of Clord. This small corps of monks moved into the manor complex and started planning the construction of the monastery. Four sons of local serfs petitioned the Pelnala to join the Church as esolani. The monks were later joined by an ebasethe from Kaldor, another from Shorkyne, and a fifth local esolani.

Jaremeld decided that the monastery should be built northeast of the village on demesne land. Work started immediately on the hospice, barn, and workshop, all of which were built in the first year. Orchard and herb gardens were planted in 718, and construction work on the temple began that year under the direction of a master mason. Before construction halted for the winter, about a third of the temple had been built and foundations for the chapter house, dormitory, kitchen, and bath house had been completed.

The hospice currently has fourteen patients, all lepers. Although the lepers are restricted to abbey grounds, most islanders are terrified of contracting the disease. Almost half the serfs have petitioned to leave the island. Jaremeld is sympathetic, and has promised to free all serfs within five years. Freeholders can leave now, if they wish; none have.

Economics and agrarian life
The fief has a total of 1320 acres. Though the island has more land available, most of it is rocky crags and sphagnum bogs unsuitable for cultivation or even grazing. Of 1126 cleared acres, the tenants hold 607 and the monks hold 519 as demesne.

The crops grown on the fief have to be hardy, being exposed to high winds, salt spray, and heavy rainfall. Rye and oats predominate, and some barley is grown. Cabbages and spinach are the principal vegetables, though in more sheltered spots beans and peas can be cultivated. Fruit trees are successful if protected from the wind, and a few villagers have hazel trees. Sloes and elders also grow in isolated groves.

Pigs and goats are kept by villagers, both of which thrive if kept away from the deep bogs. The monastery inherited the demesne prize: a herd of hardy, longhaired, Orbaalese cattle.

Local map key
Clord is situated near the center of the island, in a shallow swale surrounded by gentle hills.

The old manorhouse. Most structures are sixty to seventy years old and in need of repair. The great hall is now a refectory, dormitory, and chapter house. When the monastery is complete, the plan is to renovate the manorhouse as a guesthouse.

The Great Wood stretches off-map to the east and southeast. It covers nearly ninety acres and most of it was planted around 670 by the grandfather of the current Baron of Moque.

The village common. Permanent pasture formerly grazed only by the lord's livestock. Jaremeld has now made it available to all tenants, under the guidance and control of the herder [4].

The Lordship Pond is about three-quarters of an acre in size and was created by damming two streams. It also doubles as the millpond, ensuring the watermill has a steady flow of power.

The old chapel is still in use while the monastery complex is under construction. The area within the stone wall is the village graveyard. See CLORD6.

Meadowland reserved to grow hay to support livestock over the winter.

The new monastery complex. Most buildings are just foundations or half-built walls. The hospice in the southwest comer is finished, as is the workshop in the Herb Garden. For more information, see CLORD5.

A new orchard planted by the monks. The oldest trees near the road are beginning to bear some fruit, but it will be 5-10 years before the orchard is fully productive.

The village residents
The key numbers below correspond to the numbers on the GM Map and the Village Census Form.

The Monastery
The temple and monastery are under construction. The most important building, the hospice, located off-map to the southwest, was hurriedly constructed in 718 around a wood frame with wattle and daub infill. There are plans to replace this structure with something more permanent when the rest of the monastery is complete.

The monks are their own servants and artisans, and are mostly building the monastery with their own labor. Although largely self sufficient, gifts and donations are always received with gratitude.

To aid the monks with construction, Rathwyr of Balen, an experienced, elderly mason and churchwright, was send by the Baron of Moque in 718. Rathwyr considers this project his final defining work. He is building a much grander temple than anyone really expected or feels is justified.

Jaremeld is uncomfortable with the lavish structure rising before his eyes, but Rathwyr's work is good and he dares not risk offending the mason nor their generous patron who is bearing the entire expense. The baron is equally uncomfortable with the rising cost, but he has so far accepted it. He sometimes wonders, however, about his physician's diagnosis. After five years, the terrible, clisfiguring lesions associated with leprosy have yet to appear on his face and body.

The monks of Clord
Jaremeld, five ebasethe, and nine esolani currently reside in Clord. Jaremeld expects these numbers to double over the next five years.

The Pelnala (High Priest)
Pelnala Jaremeld is a capable healer who was formerly the Lerovana of Heredyn. He is renowned as a specialist in treating lepers and believes pain is the best cure for all afflictions. He is secretly sadistic.

The Ebasethe (Priests)
is the most senior ebasethe. His training occurred at Nephel, which he joined late in life. Before being called to the service of Peoni, he worked as a mason. He thinks Rathwyr's temple is excessive for a hospice, but has said nothing.

, the Solana (Master of Esolani) works closely with the Lerovana to ensure the esolani have proper training in the arts of caring for the sick. He was an oblate at Sarius Monastery before coming to Clord.

is an elderly ebasethe from Bromeleon in Kaldor. He has a wealth of experience tending herb gardens and orchards. He is also a masterful apiarist and produces exceptional honey and waxes.

was born in Shorkyne. He is a mysterious and introverted cleric who spoke no Hamic when he first arrived. Lyan claims that he saw a vision of Maermel one night and was drawn to follow the "bull star" until he arrived at the island. That tale hides a much darker history. He is a serial killer who has murdered six times, lastly two young shepherd boys in Shorkyne. Lyan has not murdered anyone since he came to Clord one year ago. Recently, however, Lyan has taken to long vigils in the chapel fighting the demons that possess him.

came to the island in 709 and is still the priest to whom most villagers come with problems and confessions. He leads the public services in the village chapel, but at 64, is visibly aging and slowing down.

The Esolani (Acolytes)
is 54 and is the oldest of the esolani, but the newest member of the monastery. He was a wandering mendicant, who now desires a settled life. He is a specialist in treating the afflictions of animals and works closely with Gaben in the herb garden.

,, and are all experienced caregivers from other abbeys.

,, , , and are sons of local tenants. The brightest, Genida, is likely to become ebasethe soon, and Jaremeld predicts a long career in the church for him.

Parael and Velen assist Gaben and Yabeld in the garden. The others assist Jaremeld in the hospice.

The Old Chapel (Rathwyr's Residence)
The chapel, built in 678, is getting more use than most village chapels. The villagers still attend, some daily, some only on holy days, but the chapel is being shared with the monks who attend mass six times each day.

To the west of the chapel is an enclosed graveyard. The priest's house is just south of the chapel. It currently houses Rathwyr the mason. See: CLORD5.

Manor data

Village census

GM map

Player map

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