Kirin the Heretic

Defense

Offense

Statistics

Description

Male elf rogue 4

Played by James L. Sutter

Orphaned at a young age by a border dispute between Kyonin elves and crusaders traveling up the River Road, the elf named Kirin was pulled from the ruins of his village by his attackers and forcibly apprenticed to Mendevian demon-hunters near the Worldwound. For several decades, the boy served in sullen slavery under a series of harsh taskmasters, before finally taking his carefully planned vengeance and fleeing the nation, leaving the corpses of his captors in his wake.

Now fully grown, Kirin is a rarity on Golarion for his religious beliefs—or rather, his lack of them. A staunch atheist, Kirin blames religion and its adherents for the death of his family, rejecting the idea of divine beings entirely. Instead, he posits that clerics and other so-called divine casters are merely sorcerers without the self-confidence to take responsibility for their powers. While he never passes up a chance to preach his heresy or mock those who pay homage to the gods, Kirin also understands that religion is too ingrained in society to be dug out with words alone. This knowledge has led him to his singular mission in life: to pass the Test of the Starstone—and then destroy it.

To achieve that goal, however, Kirin understands that he’ll need plenty of adventuring experience. Though he is something of a loner, content to hide in a corner and scribble rants in his journal, his recent acquaintance with several of Sandpoint’s dubious “heroes” has brought him just that. While Kirin laughs publicly at the concept of true friendship in a world so twisted and broken, in truth he harbors a secret sense of loyalty and honor which often sees him on the front lines defending the same companions he loves to mock. If asked why he’d so frequently risk life and limb in their defense, Kirin’s only answer would be that, if Ostog is a simpleton, Styrian a know-it-all prat, and Velmarius even more carnally obsessed than the average short-lived human, at least they’re never boring.

Kirin is a tall, wiry elf whose only affectation is a bandana worn constantly over his nose and mouth (perhaps to ward off the smell of his surroundings). As befits a tramp who frequently makes his bed in ditches and garbage heaps, Kirin’s clothes and bits of salvaged gear are often filthy, but the wellworn swords that balance both sides of his belt keep most folks from commenting. Early mishaps with poisoned traps—the result of earning his roguish skills the hard way, through trial and error—have left him jittery and scarred. His wild eyes constantly watch the sky, and the appearance of any bird tends to startle him, for reasons he chooses not to explain. Of late, his companions have also noticed his disturbing tendency to talk to himself, as if addressing someone only he could hear.

Boon: Kirin’s constant and caustic mockery of religion gives allies within earshot a +1 bonus to all saves against divine spells.

Source: NPC Guide, p. 56