The Ciphers make their headquarters in the Guildhall Ward at the Great Gymnasium, the best place in the Cage to train and soothe body and mind. The huge compound, built of gold- and rose-veined black marble, contains pools and an exercise field, baths and steam rooms, massage tables and lounges, a large portico for instructional seminars, and centers for music and art. Most folks know the Great Gymnasium as a place of calm - Ciphers want it that way. Since a basher can achieve unity of thought and action only in a peaceful environment, faction members keep dangerous distractions out of the Great Gymnasium. So, check those weapons at the front gate, berk! Same thing with magic - the Order allows no use of arcane abilities on the premises. (The Ciphers do provide mock weapons for combat training and, for wizard faction members, special chambers that contain magical effects safely. - Ed.) This way, folks can come here and forget the noise, pressure, and many other stresses of life. It's no surprise the Great Gymnasium becomes a perfect neutral meeting ground, where disagreeing parties can find a Cipher skilled in mediation and naturally able to balance opposing forces.
Once through the gate, bashers can walk along the grand, well-kept exercise field amid the sounds of calisthenics and other activity. A breeze often wafts through the yard to cool off those at work. Visitors pass several inviting, ivory-tiled pools (hot, warm, and cold water) and faction members selling refreshments on the way to the Portico of Learning at the field's far end. The Ciphers use this open area for seminars, sometimes mistakenly called "classes" by berks in other factions. Here, a master offers inspirational words to new Ciphers, outlines reflex-training techniques, and listens to new ideas. The master does not so much teach as show the other faction members how to learn on their own. Self-teaching remains the key to self-enlightenment, see?
After a few words from a master, faction members make their way to one of the practice rooms off the courtyard. Everybody 'cept addle-coves and Clueless know that the Ciphers devote most of the facility to physical activity. Bashers train with mock weapons, practice hand-to-hand battles, and sometimes just exercise for the sake of exercise. Other facilities, like the baths, steam rooms, and massage tables, allow folks to relax after physical activity. But combat ain't the only way to train a body's reflexes. The Great Gymnasium also provides spaces for activities like painting, sculpting, and playing musical instruments. The Transcendent Order considers these and other artistic pursuits good methods for clearing the mind and training the body to operate on reflex alone. (In fact, the faction's quite proud of the mural the Xaositects recently painted on their outer wall. - Ed.)
The Great Gymnasium doesn't include some features of other faction headquarters, like dormitories for members or an office for the Factol. Ciphers all keep their own kips elsewhere, and Rhys doesn't want an office - she prefers to operate on the hoof. Course, the place does hold a few rather unexpected rooms as well. Take the Chamber of Shared Meditation, for instance. This quiet area surprises many bashers who visit the Gymnasium. Ciphers acknowledge that some folks need a place for quiet contemplation, and this long, narrow room can handle quite a few people. The chamber holds a few tables at one end and features plush carpet and onyx chandeliers to offer a serene feeling of luxury. The facto I sometimes uses the chamber for meetings she mediates, especially gatherings between representatives of different factions. The room's atmosphere encourages calm and reason, and the guards there make sure everything remains peaceful and quiet.
Encompassing the building's entire third floor is the Cadence of the Planes Chamber - essentially a sensory Eschaton deprivation room, permitted only to faction members. The Ciphers carefully regulate temperature and air flow in this empty chamber. They make use of magic here to keep the room in constant darkness and silence and to maintain its levitation field. Ciphers wanting to use the room (one at a time) first strip completely, then step off a balcony into the levitation field to float. After a prescribed time, the basher's fished out with a rope.
Doesn't sound too active, does it? Thing is, time in his chamber helps a Cipher get in touch with the Cadence of the Planes, the mystical rhythm a basher can only feel, not hear. The transcendental pulse moves through a hasher's spirit, mind, and body, echoing the heartbeats of folks on all the planes. This chamber removes distractions, making it easier for a body to feel the Cadence of the Planes. It's important to the Ciphers. One can't unite body and mind without knowing how one fits into the multiverse.
The Gymnasium’s only open to the public when the Ciphers say it is, usually for a couple of hours either side of peak, but admission times change faster than a Xaosman changes his mind. Weapons are forbidden, as are magical items and snacks. Food is available from various areas within the compound for 3 cp a piece.