The Most Holy Priory of Zahlenberg

The Most Holy Priory of Zahlenberg can refer to either to the monastery located in the city of Zahlenberg, or to the order of monks who reside within it. They are related to but distinct from The Church of the Number God, with the main point of difference being their focus on research of what they call the Sacred Sciences.

Location
The Priory is currently located in a domed city orbiting around the planet. The city formerly was where the inland sea on the eastern side of Num now is. The sea is a semi-naturally occurring feature, having formed in the crater left by The Ascension. Although there is no official name for this sea, the local peoples have various names for it including the Sea of Zahlenberg, the Sea of Fire, and the Holy Sea. Although they officially claim no territory other than the city, the local bands of unnumbereds regard the land from the edge of the sea to the horizon (approximately three miles) to be theirs.

Structure
Traditionally, the order has be comprised solely of members from the former 2800s domain, otherwise known as the 2-8s. However, it has recently been decided that members from outside the range should be admitted. Although collectively referred to as Brothers, the order has admitted both men and woman since the earliest recorded days of the order.

The Priory is co-led by The Abbot, who is the spiritual head of the order, and The Librarian, who is the secular leader of the order and director of research. Under them are the Council of Eight, compromised of the heads of the various research departments and other members who have proven themselves to be experts in their respective fields.

Antiquity
Although no founding date of the order is known, their existence can be traced back at least 500 years. Around that time, three wise men settled in the area that would later become Zahlenberg to live a life of contemplation. Their homeland is unknown, though it is known that they were not native to the area because oral traditions refer to the as having come from "across the sea".

Over time, they attracted more members and soon became a popular pilgrimage site for people to receive blessings and gain the brother's advice. One notable recorded example of this from about 380 years ago when the king of Anarithmus sought and successfully used the brothers council to avoid a war with a rival kingdom.

As a result of the frequent travelers coming to the area, the city of Zahlenberg grew up around the area of the brother's home.

Legend of the 2-8s
Due to their prominence and abrupt departure, many of the bands of unnumbereds in the eastern reaches of Num have legends about the Priory. The following is taken from the oral tradition of one group living close to the southern edge of the sea.

"This sea wasn't always here. Long ago this whole area was filled with green fields and lush hills. Just about at our usual fishing spot stood the Most Holy Priory of Zahlenberg.

Now these were no ordinary monks. In addition to being great and holy men, these brothers, known as the 2-8, were wise in all things. The believed that through observation and study of the world around them, the would grow closer to Z.

Over time towns and cities sprung up around the Priory to protect and support the brothers. Pilgrimages were made from all corners of Num to seek the brother's council, and many miracles were performed in Z's name. From increasing crop yeilds, to healings, to simple blessings, to even averting wars, nothing seemed impossible for the 2-8.

But as in life, nothing comes for free. Whether it be through BEANS, or the sweat of their backs, or through other means, each paid the price for the blessings they received. The brothers were always fair though, and what they asked for was commensurate with what they gave.

Then one glorious day, Z turned his eye upon the Priory. In recognition of their piety and great works He caused the entire area to lift from the ground, and in a great ball of flame they ascended to the heavens.

And there they are to this day, continuing their work. When you see a dark patch floating in the night sky, or a shadow crawl across the moon, that is them in their domed city, watching over us all."

The Ascension
Based on the emergance of the legend of the 2-8s, anthropologists believe that the Ascension of Zahlenberg occurred approximately 300 years ago. This timeline is further confirmed by the astronomical historian, Julian of Cal'Clix. In one entry he refers to "a new star rising to the heavens over the northern horizon". Although the notebook in which the entry is found is undated, all known works of his date from between 280 and 310 years ago.

Very little is known of the Priory's history and activities after the Ascension.

Modern History
On 2/6/20 the Priory revealed it's presence to modern society. That same day, they entered into a working relationship with The Scientists. This was based on a theory presented by #2801/1, the current Librarian, on a way to possibly trap the Negative Wizard.

On 2/8/20 an experiment was successfully performed in order to confirm the possibility of that theory.

On 2/10/20 it was decided that the Priory should begin to admit members outside of the 2800s range. This decision was made in response to the low number of brothers and the increased threats to Num. The first class of acolytes not of the 2-8 was admitted on 2/22/20

The Priory is currently in the process of obtaining formal recognition by the Council of Num

Beliefs
In most regards, the Priory holds to the tennants of The Church of the Number God. However their are a few aspects in which they are unique.

The Spiritual Sciences

 * Through study of His creation we learn more about the Lord. And through study of the Lord we learn more about His creation.

One of the more identifying characteristics of the order is their focus on research over preaching. They view religion and science not as opposing, but rather complementary fields of study. Furthermore, they believe that discoveries made in one area can help advance their knowledge of the other. Their willingness to explore the intersection of faith and reason has often led them down more preternatural lines of research than many scientists are willing to go.

Fair Trade

 * All discoveries have a cost. The knowledge gained should be shared with anyone willing to share in the sacrifice.

The brothers are well known for helping anyone who asks for their aid. However, they always ask for something in return for that help. While the debt could be paid monetarily, it is often done so as a barter. For example, they may ask for a person to work at the Priory for a length of time in exchange for a healing. Or they may ask for a percentage of a person's harvest in exchange for an advancement to increase their crop yeilds.

One notable trade involved the king of Anarithmus. In exchange for helping him to prevent a war, he gave the Priory ten men for the city guard and his oath that he would come to their aid should they ever be attacked. This increased feeling of safety helped propel Zahlenberg from a small city to a sprawling metropolis.

Unitarian Agnosticism
The Priory takes no official stance on the question of if Z, Q, R, etc are seperate entities or if they are all aspects of U, who they call the Omniset. They believe that the answer to this question is both unknown and unknowable. Instead, they usually will refer to them as forces, such as the Q Force or the R Force.

Antiquity
Records indicate that the brothers made advancements in many fields including engineering, medicine, agriculture, and military technology. It was believed that they achieved these feats by harnessing and utilizing the Z-Energy that radiates from BEANS.

Modern Day
It is speculated that around the time of the Ascension the abrothers development a method by which they could crack open a BEAN and directly access the power inside. This accelerated their progress exponentially.

The source of the brother's BEANS post-Ascension is currently unknown. However, brothers who have left the order have revealed a few things about them. Namely that no BEANS taken from Zahlenberg will ever be accepted in a trade, and that they have a relatively low power level (usually ranging from 300z-500z)

Only one experiment from the modern era has been made public. On 2/8/20 #2810/1 was able to, through the intercession of [redacted], create a number of beans with a value of [redacted]. While it proved the truth of his theory, they were ultimately not used in the fight against the Negative Wizard

Relics
Many ancient cultures and most of the modern day bands of unnumbereds have a superstition that says that when a particularly unusual event occured, you will find a brother nearby under the guise of "searching for relics". These rumors are unsubstantiated and the Priory refused to comment on their veracity.