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[martinuzz]

I have already done what the OP describes. All my starting 7 had 4 points in a (different) scholarly topic skill, and are my library's scholars. Only 1 of them has written anything, 2 books so far. But then they've only been at the scholar job for two years.

[FoiledFencer]

For sieges it would be most realistic to just wait them out with drawbridges and such.

What about temple decoration, though? Wouldn't you need skilled craftsdwarves for those?

Yep. That's why you could separate worker monks from scholar monks, I guess...

Don't scholars sometimes perform other activated labors?

At any rate, I guess it's not too far fetched to have some monks doing their bit in purely work-related ways. Not everyone can be a scribe or a scholar - it's perfectly fine to contribute by tending the herb-garden or jazzing up the temple.

[Luizx_]

I have already done what the OP describes. All my starting 7 had 4 points in a (different) scholarly topic skill, and are my library's scholars. Only 1 of them has written anything, 2 books so far. But then they've only been at the scholar job for two years.

Things start slow. After a while your scholars will write books like crazy, this happened with me. I have like 9 or 11 books at my first monastery.

[Gigaz]

To make it a bit more of a challenge, the scholars should live and work in an ivory tower. Ivory is not technically a building material, but I think a marble tower and ivory decorated furniture will do. Bonus points if the scholars never have to leave the tower because everything is provided.

[Luizx_]

To make it a bit more of a challenge, the scholars should live and work in an ivory tower. Ivory is not technically a building material, but I think a marble tower and ivory decorated furniture will do. Bonus points if the scholars never have to leave the tower because everything is provided.

I was thinking about that, the bad thing is food transport will be annoying to deal. Plus the workers will want to read the books stored into the tower. I guess this will work if you allow the entry of non-scholars.

[Baffler]

Maybe you could have the more intelligent/dilligent among your dwarves live in a really nice stone monastery on the surface, and have everyone else live in wooden houses in a regular ol' village nearby. The town's church could be in the monastery, but the average citizen isn't allowed anywhere else inside and the monks all have assigned places in the dining area and living quarters inside. Double points if they're all one gender, but as long as they've got segregated living areas that's fine. Craftsmen and farmers from the village could supply them with what they need, and in return the otherwise unprotected villagers can hide inside the monastery when trouble comes a' knocking.

[Kuschelflummi]

Don't forget, you will need lots of bees in your monastery.
To quote friar Tuck: "I keep the bees and the bees keep me"
 

[greycat]

Double points if they're all one gender, but as long as they've got segregated living areas that's fine.

You're assuming a Christian style monastery.  With dwaves not being Christian, there's no special significance to vows of chastity, etc.

I keep thinking more about the avouts in Neal Stephenson's Anathem as a model for dwarven Library-Fortresses, though probably not with the same time capsule mentality.  The characters in that setting are not segregated by sex, and they are free to have relationships.

[Tryble]

You can go with stereotypical shaolin monks and have the warrior monk dwarves all fight barehanded in robes. 

Go full wuxia, and mod the names of weapons/shields to lotus fist martial arts/arm defense/etc so you can have things like a dwarf wielding pseudo-martial arts and using 'iron arms defense' to block with.

Make sure at least one dwarf has the job of paving the road outside the fort to perfection, to simulate those cool rock gardens, and so on in that fashion. 

Yep. That's why you could separate worker monks from scholar monks, I guess...

Alternatively, make everyone a warrior monk.  After all, martial arts are viewed as a form of meditation in some cultures.

[Naryar]

I am kinda making a monastery as well. There will be no tavern, no idlers as far as I can (hard to do), lots of libraries and religious scriptures.

As for dwarven monks, I see them ala European style warrior monk, but more focused on craftsdwarfship than military. Although I've been thinking of giving my military dwarves no weapons and just engage goblins in pankration. Well, *armored* pankration.

[Isngrim]

Ptw

[SQman]

I don't really have any opinoin on the nature of dwarven monasteries. I just wanted to point out that one of the books is called "Mating And The Coming Troubles". Best title so far.