Gold Dragon Monastery & Village Map Pack!

Sprite by Katsudon Art.

I'm super excited to share with you the Gold Dragon Monastery & Village, a tribute to the traditional monk monasteries located high in the mountains, as well as my love of kung-fu theater and that entire realm.

I grew up watching movies like Seven Deadly Venoms, Kid with the Golden Arm, 36 Chambers, Iron Monkey, Drunken Master 2, etc... I've always loved the depiction of monks training far away from society, completely devoted to honing their body, mind and soul and to harness their chi to accomplish superhuman feats.

Based off a map layout and idea by fellow Patron, Mythic Fan, I decided to create a remote and detailed location that could bring all of these ideas together. Set upon a massive stone pillar high in the mountains, a stone bridge is the only known entry to the monastery, which is surrounded at all times by dense clouds that obscure what is sure to be a fall to your certain death, should you venture too close to the edge.

The map is split into [2] parts -- the small initial village and the monastery itself.

To download the Map Pack, please click on your Tier link below and the download URL will be listed there in map release order.

Tier 1 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-1-dungeon-81146477

Tier 2 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-2-world-map-81312503

Tier 3 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-3-master-87793681

Tier 4 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tier-4-master-87797001

Here's a concept image for the Monastery, which will soon be replaced by a large illustration depicting an assault upon the Monastery by shadow ninja, servants of the Shadow Dragon:

And here is a preview of the map itself:

The Village on the west side is accessible only through a winding stone steps that ascends hundreds of stairs up the mountainside. It should be a difficult place to reach; a journey only taken when the knowledge, artifacts or resources located there are of the utmost importance to one's quest or campaign.

The village is comprised of [3] main buildings:

Simple Inn - This quaint and simple Inn serves as a way stop for travelers and pilgrims that make the climb to visit the monastery. Not all are admitted, so this provides a location where they can rest and relax, as they wait to gain audience. It can also be a great place to bump into some new and interesting characters.

Bath House - This bath house provides basic services for folks at the Inn and the local blacksmith that lives there.

Blacksmith - In the northern home, a blacksmith lives in his home with an adjoining stables. The innkeeper manages a small farm, while the blacksmith also tends to a few horses, cows, goats and chickens, which provide some steady supplies of food for the monastery in addition to what they grow themselves or import.

The Monastery has many different chambers:

Bridge - A sturdy stone bridge with two red gates is the only physical way to cross over to the massive column of stone upon which the monastery rests.

Garden - Beautifully manicured gardens sprawl to the north and south of the main stone path, which is flanked on either side by statues of gold dragon dog creatures of some type. The gardens have a variety of trees, shrubs, ponds, bamboo and other plants. Some of the gardens are meant for spiritual reflection, while others could be used for training scenarios, such as balancing upon the shoots of bamboo or running across the pond.

Main Entry - A large golden roof covers the front of the monastery, which has two large wooden doors and opens to a carpeted room with doors leading north, south and east.

Training Yard - The main yard of the Monastery is paved with a dull golden brick and painted on each side with a giant image of a dragon. In the corners of the yard are stations where monks can engage in training for toughening their skin, practicing ranged attacks, improving accuracy with spears and thrown weapons and learning to shatter rock with their hands. The expansive yard also affords plenty of space for drills.

Monk Sleeping Quarters - There are [2] buildings dedicated to the monk's sleeping quarters, providing 28 beds that could support between 28 and 84 monks, if they share beds between rotating sleeping shifts. This allows you to have as few or as many NPC's present to defend the temple, as desired.

Infirmary - Anyone who has trained in the martial arts knows there's lots of injuries that need to heal, including deep bruises, sprains and broken bones. This infirmary features a few beds and tools for simple medicinal care.

Kitchen - This large kitchen prepares meals for the monks using eggs, milk, wheat, rice, herbs and other ingredients grown in the village or monastery.

Teaching Chamber - In the center of the Training Yard stands a large building that features four scrolls and pallets upon the floor for students to sit and listen to those teach them the fundamental concepts of their order. These lessons are frequently spiritual and academic and focus less on fighting and martial arts.

Gold Dragon Shrine - At the far eastern end of the monastery is the main shrine, featuring a massive golden dragon's head holding a scroll in its mouth. Several wooden stools are arranged upon lush carpets so that monks can attend the lessons of the senior monks, as they delve into their secrets.

To help support plots/narratives that you may have planned, I've included an asset with this release that allows you to demonstrate the scroll being extended, so players can see it.

Training Circle - In the southeastern section of the Monastery is a large stone circle with three black circles drawn upon the ground and a large pillar of stone with three glowing circles. These represent the three precepts of the Monastery that follow the code of the Golden Dragons - Strength, Justice & Wisdom.

Teacher's Beds - In a long hallway south of the Shrine are individual beds appointed to the Masters of the Monastery that do the bulk of the teaching.

Master's Chambers - The Master of the Monks has a private room for contemplation, solitude and stowing some cool, secret monk stuff.

Hallway Resources - The various hallways of the Monastery each have various resources that can be used for particular social engagements, resources or lessons, such as storage for the kitchen and a large vat of sake, a hall for having tea and meals, a hallway where monks practice calligraphy and copy ancient texts, and a hallway where monks can play music to the beat of the training monks striking the sand bowls in the yard.

Interior Garden & Fountain - Nestled within the southern yard is an interior garden for the Monastery, where there is a large fountain that seems ever full of crystal clear water, as well as plants that serve as herbs, food and medicinal resources.

Guard Tower - Located to the southwest of the Monastery, across a bridge to a separate column of stone, this tower holds archers and a large bell used to signal enemies approaching up the steps of the mountain, the only real non-aerial approach point to the location.

Lastly, as usual, we have a great Sprite from Katsudon Art of one of the Golden Dragon Monks channeling their chi power!

I hope you guys like this location as much as I've grown to love it, and can tell some great stories in your campaigns or perhaps use it as the background location for any of your Monk PC players! (I'm sure the rest of the party would enjoy the 1000-Step climb.)

PS - I also want to give a shout out to DnDungeon and many of their wonderful Eastern style assets for making this map possible! =)