The Hashewami are an order of monks based on Isewalus on the planet Clarus. Their speciality is conflict resolution through combination of non-lethal force, good manners, fluency in Latin and Greek, physical toughness, and an ability to travel with the minimum of equipment. They refer to themselves as an order of adjudicators. The order was founded over a thousand years ago. Their philosophy is summarised in the Book of Hashawami, to which each Head Adjudicator adds one and only one aphorism. The natives of Isewalus are dark-skinned: anything from dark brown to jet black. Almost all Hashawami monks are dark-skinned natives of Isewalus, but one in ten are immigrants from other plantes, granted passage to Clarus by the Gods. These immigrants can be of any race.
The order accepts initiates no younger than sixteen years of age, whom the order considers to be adult. A monk remains a initiate until they pass certain tests, which can occur as early as the age of eighteen, whereupon they attain the title acolyte. When the conjunctions of Isewalus align, the acolyte can choose to embark upon an inter-planetary journey to Olympian. Once they leave Clarus, they attain the title journeymen. On their journey to Olympia they are expected to advance resolve conflict and advance their skills. Once they reach Olympia, they take up residence in the Hashawami Temple and attain the title arbiter. Using the Olympian temple as their base, they spend a year serving the Olympian Council on the Open Worlds. The monks are assigned missions for which their expertise in non-lethal combat, their facility with languages, their kindness, and their interest in human motivation are seen as the best means to resolve conflict or provide protection for Olympia's representatives. In assigning these missions, the Olympian Council respects the beliefs and customs of the monks, for the monks reserve the right to decline any service they deem unfitting, and to abandon any mission they deem unfitting. The end of a monk's service on Olympia will be marked by the arrival of a convenient route home to Isewalus. The CSOA6, otherwise known as the Monk's Conjunction, occurs near the Hashawami temple on Olympia, and is a typical route home. Upon their departure form Olympia, the monk attains the title adjudicator. Most adjudicators proceed to leave the order and raise families, but some remain in the order and attain to the higher ranks of the order.
Hashawami monks do not wear armor. It is against their code to do so. The monk seeks to appear peaceful and confident. The monk aspires to be quick and tireless. They endure hardship to increase their toughness. They meditate to develop their precience. They run to increase their stamina and speed. They are proficient with fist-and-foot and with full-length staff. They are trained in the use of a sling and in throwing all mannter of blunt objects. They do not use blades, arrows, or poison, for these are against their code. The monk should avoid bloodshed and killing whenever possible, for the blood and death undermine the efforts of an adjudicator far more than broken bones and concussion. Among the equipment of a journeyman are: staff, sling, stones, trousers, shirt, hat, sandals, bedroll, blanket, tarpaulin, notebook, pencil, eraser, and the Book of Hashawami.
Hashawami monks bear no tatoo or other marking to indicated that they are of the order. They carry no necklace nor any other talisman to indicate their membership in the order. It is not their way to use their membership of the order to resolve conflict, or avoid consequences. The monks do, however, shave their heads so long as they serve the order. They tend to wear shirt and trousers whenever the climate allows, this being the tradition in Isewalus. The shirt and trousers can be of any color. The natives of Isewalus enjoy bright colors, so bright colors are common choices for the monks on their travels.
Among the eighty-six aphorisms in the book today, here are some examples.
Do not injure when you can subdue. Do not wound when you can injure. Do not kill when you can flee.
When arbitration requires combat, be quick to accept this fact. Do not attempt to avoid or delay what is inevitable. Let the combat take place at a time and place that favors you, but do not forget that the object of combat is peace.
Each sentient being tells a story, and in that story they are redeemed. To resolve a conflict, we must force the antagoists to adopt new story, one in which each of them is redeemed.
Speak softly, but carry a big stick.
Let the acolyte go to the new city, Let her enter in, rather than pass by, For how else can she find ways to serve? How else can she make the world glad?
Seek freedom, and become captive of your own desires. Seek discipline, and find your liberty.
Do not create conflict, for our mission is peace. But if conflict exists, seek to resolve it. There are conflicts that can be resolved only by combat, but this combat must not plant the seeds of future conflict. Combat that leads to lasting peace is the aspiration of the Hashawami.
Do good, but let it be known what you have done.
Record names, deeds, and places, for notes bring memories to life, and details can be consequential.
Do not rely upon the reputation of the order to resolve conflict. Do not brandish the reputation of the order to achieve advantage. Do not hide behind the authority of the order to avoid the consequences of your actions. Not unless you really have to, that is, in which case: try it.
Isewalus is an island in the Scarabic Ocean, four thousand kilometers west of Idonius. It lies on the equator, a thousand kilometers across, but of such an irregular shape, so that its land area is no more than a two hundred thousand square kilometers. This land area is divided into a dozen principalities and republics. Temples of the Hashawami monks are to be found all across the island, but their chief temple is set on one hundred square kilometers of land owned by them in the highlands at the center of the island. The Hashawami estate is at an altitude of two thousand meters, where the climate is cooler and drier than in the jungles of the lowlands. The Hashawami territory is part of the state of Aynek, a republic ruled by a democratically-elected government.
The center of the Hashawami territory is at latitude 0.1°N and longitude 17.9°W. The following conjunctions occur on Isewalus. Note that 1° of latitude or longitude on the Claran equator is roughly 100 km distance. We use "Cdy" for "Claran Days". We give the date of a recent occurance of each conjunction as well as its location.
CRCS2: Comitor-Clarus Two, Period 467 Cdy, 06-JUL-2474, 0.1°N, 17.9°W.Here is the route embarked upon by Journeymen of 2479:
Route from CS 0 -18 to CS 0 -18 58 km 148 Cdy CS 0.0 -18.0 CSDS3 -0.5 -18.1 991 km 226 Cdy DS 38.8 65.7 DSIS4 39.1 53.2 991 km 227 Cdy IS 55.7 -140.6 ISKC1 55.7 -140.6 4706 km 393 Cdy KC -35.2 171.7 KCPG3 24.7 151.2 4734 km 484 Cdy PG 44.6 124.0 OAPG2 44.9 123.9 4734 km 856 Cdy OA 39.1 52.8 CSOA6 39.1 52.8 4883 km 862 Cdy CS 1.3 -17.9 END 0.0 -18.0 Depart: Gregorian 2479:Nov:24:13:21:36 Fri Arrive: Gregorian 2481:Nov:09:12:00:00 Sun Conjunctions: CSDS3 DSIS4 ISKC1 KCPG3 OAPG2 CSOA6
They have a back-up route in case they miss the first Draxius conjunction:
Route from CS 0 -18 to CS 0 -18 58 km 148 Cdy CS 0.0 -18.0 CSDS3 -0.5 -18.1 991 km 312 Cdy DS 38.8 65.7 CRDS2 39.1 53.2 1047 km 374 Cdy CR -46.4 -100.0 CRDS1 -47.0 -100.0 1047 km 374 Cdy DS 11.2 0.1 DSVR1 11.2 0.1 1139 km 524 Cdy VR 44.2 -136.0 VRKC1 45.0 -135.6 2690 km 596 Cdy KC 38.5 177.7 KCPG3 24.7 151.2 2719 km 808 Cdy PG 44.6 124.0 OAPG2 44.9 123.9 2719 km 856 Cdy OA 39.1 52.8 CSOA6 39.1 52.8 2868 km 862 Cdy CS 1.3 -17.9 END 0.0 -18.0 Depart: Gregorian 2479:Nov:24:13:21:36 Fri Arrive: Gregorian 2481:Nov:09:12:00:00 Sun Conjunctions: CSDS3 CRDS2 CRDS1 DSVR1 VRKC1 KCPG3 OAPG2 CSOA6
The disadvantage of the second route is that it allows only six days on Olympia. The monks would most likely have to stay for another year or so, before gating to one of the Draxius, Rebok, or Ranadan conjunctions.
We divide the known adventures of the monks of Hashawami by the planets upon which those adventures occur.
Aventures on the Planet Draxius