Scattered across the floor of the Valley of the Word are hundreds of monastic cells, each home to an Observer, a highly trained warrior monk of the Synod. They live their lives in secluded devotional space with the most minimalistic of furnishings or decorations so nothing can disturb their concentration. Specially constructed walls block all external interference, radiation, lightwaves, even the faintest sounds are eliminated, so that nothing disrupts their communion with the Voice.