Monastic Life

The Monastery now takes a much more important role in the life of the entire community. Monks can raise their own food and provide their own church services and clothes. They cook communal meals, sing in choirs, farm, and attend chapel together. But most importantly, they copy and study manuscripts to learn about the wisdom of past ages and to share new knowledge. This knowledge is used to upgrade workplaces throughout your settlement.

Monastic Cell

These are individual living quarters for Monks. They enable you to create small monasteries without having to build large halls.

Monastic Food

Monks can only eat certain foods approved by their order (Milk, Bread, Poultry, Eggs, Fish, Vegetables, Mushrooms, and Apples). They will visit normal markets if needed, but are better served by a Kitchen and Dining Hall within the Monastery. The Kitchen makes use of recipes to combine ingredients, and will be able to feed more monks than would be possible if the monks bought their own food. Kitchens and Dining Halls also increase productivity, since monks do not need to leave the monastery to buy food. The Dining Hall employs a Steward to serve the meals.

Kitchen recipes (a single recipe of 3 ingredients produces 4 monastic meals)

• Milk, honey and bread
• Milk, honey and apples
• Milk, eggs and bread
• Mushrooms, poultry and herbs
• Mushrooms, rabbit and herbs
• Vegetables, fish and herbs

The monastery comes with its own farms, or food can be brought in from outside.

• Dairy Barn: produces Milk, Vellum (the skins of young animals), and Dung
• Sheep Barn: produces Wool, Vellum and Dung
• Rabbit Mounds: produces Rabbit and Dung (make sure to leave space around the mound for Monks to gather grass to feed the rabbits)
• Dung Heap: produces Compost from Dung
• Vegetable Plot: produces Vegetables from Compost and Water
• Mushroom Hut: gathers Mushrooms from the forest (make sure there are trees nearby)
• Fish Pond: produces Fish

Monastic Worship

Monks must worship in their own Chapel, which is a room in the Monastery. Assign a Lector to read the Monks their daily spiritual lessons. You can have as many Chapels as needed for the population.

Monastic Clothes

Monks have special robes specified by their religious order. They are made only from Wool (which can be produced either by the Monastic Sheep Farm, or the villager Sheep Farm). A Clothier room inside the Monastery is required to produce these special clothes.

Manuscripts, Scholars and Upgrades

Within the Monastery you can assign Scholars to study Manuscripts. Manuscripts are made from Vellum (from the sheep and dairy barns). The Scribes also need Candles to be able to see while they are making the Manuscripts. Assign a Scriptorium room in the Monastery and assign Scribes to start producing Manuscripts.

By studying manuscripts, Monks discover new knowledge which can be used to upgrade workplaces throughout your settlement. There are three possible groups of scholars studying Plants, Alchemy, and Mathematics. Each field of study provides Knowledge Points which are required to build upgrades. For example, by assigning Scholars to study Plants, you will gain Knowledge Points used to upgrade Wheat Farms, Vegetable Farms, etc. These upgrades are found in each individual workplace, and either increase production through better methods or technology, or provide additional space and workers to increase production.

Study of Plants allows upgrades to:

• Wheat farm
• Vegetable Farm
• Hop Farm
• Orchard
• Flax Farm

Study of Alchemy allows upgrades to:

• Bakery
• Brewery
• Blacksmith
• Cheesemaker
• Candlemaker
• Common Wares

Study of Mathematics allows upgrades to

• Weaver
• Tailor
• Cooperage
• Windmill
• Joiner's Workshop (Furniture)

Monastic Choir

The Choir is an optional room within the Monastery staffed by six Cantors. Having a choir keeps the Monks happy and boosts production of the Monastery's Manuscripts, Meals, Clothes, and Knowledge Points by 10%.

Security

If you are using the Security mod, you can protect the monastery by using normal villagers or Monks. Assigning a Guard function to a Monastery room will turn that room into a secure location like a Constable's Keep. Four guards will be employed there. Place patrol arrows at the Monastery workplaces and the guards will protect those areas. The security overlay will also work when you are in Edit mode of the Monastery.

Decorations

• A wall, gate and wall pillars for Monastic walled gardens or enclosures
• A Celtic Cross
• A Celtic Round Tower (serves as a bell tower)

Limitations

• The Study of Animals is planned for a future mod and not included in Monastic Life.
• I was unsuccessful in making custom warehouses and granaries using Monks as workers, so these buildings will need to be staffed by normal villagers.
• The new buildings come only with the Brown roof, due to a limitation in overriding textures for the Monastery.

Credits

RaisinMuffin - his Fantasy Decorations are incorporated into this mod for many of the Upgrade parts. Thank you!