The Monks of Haspiran Mountain
I was privileged to be invited to the Monastery of the Monks of Haspiran Mountain. This grand edifice to geological time was a volcano, many millions of years ago, where the founding mother and father started an order based on the study of nature and the stars. Within the crater, there is no outside light that may taint the study of the heavens above, and the quiet solitude offered within the depths of the earth gives a perfect aura of contemplation about the ages for all who decide to join and live here. Unlike some other monasteries, these monks take no vow of silence. In fact, it is because of their admiration for my travels that I was invited here - after they had learned that I was voyaging in the area - so that I might discuss with them any observations I might have of lands far away, and cultures remote and alien to them that they might wish to clarify within their studies.
Here, we see the Monks returning from their nightly observations to the lower recesses of the labyrinth-like coils that bring them down into the place that they call home. The light shines on their tired faces from the small and stark university of knowledge, promising them a warm meal and a place to rest once more in this silent and vast land of the interior.