Monks
Monks
Monks have the ability to do many things, as long you have completed the relevant research, which is accessed via Education, Arts, Theology, then Ordination in the research tree.
Monks can help a player to win or lose stewardship of a parish by influencing election votes; this may be done by either increasing or decreasing the number of votes available to a player in a parish in which s/he holds a village. This is a basic skill, and requires no additional research. One monk will create one vote.
Monks are also able to cure disease in a capital; the number of disease points removed is dependant upon the number of monks despatched, as well as the level of your research into Baptism.
TIP: Removing disease points also generates honour for the player sending the monks.
Monks' other abilities are: Blessing, Inquisition, Interdict, Absolution, and Excommunication. For more information, please see below.
Monks also cost Faith Points and gold - the amount of which is dependant upon the number of monks you are able to create for each village.
TIP: Monks are one-use only - they do not return after completing their mission.
TIP: Unlike troops, monks cannot be recalled, so ensure you use them wisely.
Faith Points
Along with gold, monks require a number of Faith Points before they can be despatched. Faith Points are gained by researching Theology, and by constructing religious buildings in your village and parish capital.
Religous Research
Religious research tree
Religious research is located within the Education section of the research table.
Arts
Theology (Level 3) Ordination (Level 5) (Allows the creation of monks) Pilgrimage (Level 1) (Increases the speed of monks)
Theology (Level 3) Baptism (Level 7) (Gives access to Restoration) Allows Monks to remove plague from a parish capital.
Marriage (Level 8) (Gives access to Blessing) Allows Monks to increase parish popularity.
Confirmation (Level 9) (Gives access to Inquisition) Allows Monks to decrease parish popularity.
Eucharist (Level 10) (Gives access to Interdict) Allows Monks to prevent attacks on villages by putting them under interdict. Interdicted villages are unable to attack other villages without breaking their interdict and thus, losing their protection.
Confession (Level 12) (Gives access to Absolution) Allows Monks to reduce the time of excommunicated villages.
Extreme Unction (Level 13) (Gives access to Excommunication) Allows Monks to remove church powers and therefore stop the excommunicated player from using monks.
Religious Buildings
Religious buildings
The following types of religious buildings are available:
Small Shrines Cost no gold to build and each gives one (1) Faith Point per day.
Large Shrines Cost no gold to build and each gives four (4) Faith Points per day.
Small Church Costs gold to build and gives eight (8) Faith Points and three (3) Honour Points per day.
Medium Church Costs gold to build and gives 15 Faith Points and eight (8) Honour Points per day.
Large Church Costs gold to build and gives 100 Faith Points and 26 Honour Points per day.
Why isn’t my monk moving any faster after research?
Research only affects monks which have not yet been despatched; therefore if a monk is already moving across the map when the research is completed, it will not be affected.