Higure Monastery

170 years ago in the kingdom of Shin, an elderly priestess of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) had a vision. In the vision, the priestess (named Yukira) led a band of worshipers westward, following Amaterasu's path across the day-lit sky. She preached about her vision, and soon gathered a large band of pilgrims around her. They journeyed west along the Silk Road, trailing the sun. Yukira died en-route in the middle of a desert, her body laid to rest under a cairn of smooth stones.   Some of her followers lost heart at this, and turned back towards Shin. However, most of the pilgrims kept their faith, and continued towards the setting sun. They eventually reached the end of the Silk Road where it met the Inner Sea in the sultanate of Ishmeer. There, they hired boats, and set sail to the west, soon entering the strait around Cape Storm.   The western leg of the strait was blocked by storms for several weeks, leaving the pilgrims to wait in the recently-founded city of Westport. While there, the silver moon created a partial eclipse of the sun. The current leaders of the pilgrims felt that the storms and the eclipse were a sign that their journey had reached its goal. They resolved to found a Shin temple complex where they were currently located, in the Principality of Westland.   They selected a narrow valley that jutted into the mountain range which formed the western border of Westland. The temple/monastery was built on a small peak about halfway up the ridge at the head of the valley, with a small village at the base of the slope, where the plain of the valley ended.