Layan Monkhood

The Layan Monkhood is an isolationist group of manni adults who practice Layism. Layists isolate themselves to their monastery in the northern hemisphere of Viz, on the coast of the Xeic Ocean. The monastery is referred to as The Shelter by layists, and was constructed during the First Layan Interval before the monkhood was founded. Being the only large population centre on Viz, the monkhood uses its monastery to influence all of Viz and its inhabitants.

The Layan Monkhood formed from the collapsed Layan Community, which was the first established settlement on Viz. Influence from the New Serran Leadership caused the Layan Community to collapse, and the monkhood took its place.

Layism demands minimal contact between those within the monkhood and those outside, so details of activities within the monkhood primarily come from defectors. When attempting to document the monkhood, scholars find difficulty separating truth from fiction; propaganda for and against the monkhood means that falsehoods are abundant.

Founding
Following the failed Serran Revolutions of MS-008-EF, many manni rebels fled to Viz, which was at the time only known to support primitive life. On Viz, they established a colony with approximately 400 members (the exact value is not known). Construction began during MS-008-F3. The new colonists aimed to establish their own society based on their political ideology. The colony was named the Layan Community after the ancient manni deity Lay (sometimes referred to colloquially as the Community). To support the colony, significant work was made constructing The Shelter to support the newly-formed Layan Community. Still standing to this day, The Shelter is a stone brick fortification carved out of a olochite cliff wall on the east coast of the Xeic Ocean. It expands deep into the rock within the cliff.

First Layan Interval
The Layan Community prospered until approximately MS-063. The Community remained mostly isolationist - no formal communication channels were set up with outside states. However, individuals were free to join and leave the community as they wished. The de facto justification for this policy was ensuring the integrity of the Layan Community by minimising the influence of outside powers. The authoritarian New Serran Leadership, set up on Serra after the failed revolutions of MS-008-EF viewed the Layan Community as a risk; the Community continued to follow the ideology of the serran rebels, so its relative success reflected poorly on the NSL. Rebels that remained on Serra after the MS-008-EF revolutions used the Layan Community as a case study against the NSL. Births and deaths were recorded during this time, however they were not made available to external parties, and are thought to have been lost during the collapse of the Layan Community. It is not known exactly how large the Community was at its peak, but recent research estimates that there were between 6700 and 10 000 individuals. The population is known to have been diverse based on the current-day demographic distribution of individuals who reside on Viz today and those who claim to have been part of the Layan Community. The diversity of the past population is attributed to The Community's open-border policy which allowed any individual to join the Community provided that they passed the standardised psychological tests, which aimed to prevent espionage from foreign actors such as the New Serran Leadership.

Successful programmes for healthcare, education, and manufacturing were established by the Layan Community. Private land ownership was not permissible, with land allocated based on individual and community needs. A large majority of the population that made up the Layan Community lived within The Shelter, however some individuals lived out

While the Community was thriving, it often found itself the target of outside forces, most notably the NSL. Attempts to undermine the Layan Community were initially violent, including orbital bombardment and ground skirmishes. However, direct violent action against the colony was less feasible as the colony became more established; labelling them as domestic rebels was no longer a reasonable justification for violence for the NSL and its allies. During the latter part of the First Layan Interval more subtle methods were used to undermine the Layan Community, including propaganda, travel blockades, atmospheric tampering, and kidnapping. These methods were described by documents leaked from the NSL command centre by Serran rebels. It is still debated whether these methods widened existing social conflicts in the Layan Community or created such issues on their own accord.

The destabilised Layan Community collapsed during MS-063-0C, giving rise to the Layan Monkhood. Tensions had been building for The previously democratic society was replaced with a fraternal leadership of select monks, which ostensibly would manage the situation on Viz better than the previous leadership. A large proportion of the Layan Community fled from The Shelter during the collapse, and established small communities (generally with fewer than 80 members) in the wilderness. The Layan Monkhood adapted many spiritual and religious practices from the population of the Layan Community and used them to exert power over the population that remained in and around The Shelter.

Second Layan Interval
The Layan Monkhood rapidly established itself after the collapse of the Layan Community.

Layan Monkhood establishes its influence of Viz. Hunts begin for those who fled during the disbanding of the community.

Continues until this day.

Modern Layism
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