Ki-rin

Ki-rins were noble creatures native to the celestial planes, who either worked for good-aligned deities in direct opposition to the forces of evil or served as protectors of large areas of the mortal world. They were regarded as harbingers of good fortune, and days when a ki-rin was sighted were considered blessed.

"I was awed to tears at the mere sight of my first ki-rin, and I've met gods."

- Volo's notes in Volo's Guide to Monsters.

Description
A ki-rin was similar to a unicorn in some respects, as it was a noble equine creature with a single horn. It had a stag-like body, but it was covered in golden scales instead of fur. Its horn and hooves were pinkish in color, and it had a thick golden mane of hair. Its eyes were deep violet.

Abilities
Ki-rins could fly without wings, and they had several other powerful spell-like innate abilities, including the ability to read the minds of those around them. They were extremely resistant to magic. Ki-rins had an ability to create supremely realistic illusions with auditory, visual, and olfactory elements.

Ki-rins, like many other creatures of good from the Upper Planes, were affected by unholy water. It caused them to feel pain and burning sensation as if splashed with acid.

Apart from their powerful innate spellcasting abilities, ki-rins could create food and water for up to twenty four individuals, create permanent soft goods or wooden items, create metallic items that disintegrated within two to five days (including adamantine items that lasted for about one hour), assume gaseous form, cast wind walk, call lightning, and summon weather. A ki-rin could use each of these abilities once a day. Any air-related effects, spells, or items created were of a more powerful or sturdy variety.

Combat
Ki-rins almost always avoided combat. If forced to fight, they would try to render their opponents unconscious. They were almost impossible to surprise or ambush due to their telepathic abilities.

Society
Ki-rins spoke their own language, however they could easily communicate with all creatures via telepathy.

Homelands
Ki-rins were known to inhabit the highlands of the Moonshae Isles as well as northern forests and mountains of the Endless Waste.

These celestial creatures could sometimes be encountered on the Astral and Ethereal planes as they occasionally traversed them on their divine missions.

Relationships
Ki-rins were common allies of solars who had the ability to summon them in the times of need.

Ki-rins tended to ally mostly with Torm, as well as with Tyr and Ilmater. Goddess Aerdrie Faenya and her followers were friendly towards avian creatures, such as aarakocras, lammasu, and ki-rins.

Ki-rins themselves worshiped their own patron deity Koriel, though they had no priests nor shaman among their ranks. Koriel was considered the creator of ki-rins. The god chose to directly commune with its followers when needed instead of sending visions and signs or communing via clergy. In times of strife, Koriel rather sent his loyal ki-rins to fulfill their god's will, than deploying the avatar.

Ki-rins were often-summoned creatures. Ruavia's Steed, an enchanted elvish amulet from Evermeet allowed the wearer to summon several types of steeds, one of them being a ki-rin. The spell planar call allowed a wu jen to summon a specific planar creature that they knew by sight, ki-rins were among the creatures summonable. The spell call aerial beings granted by Aerdrie Faenya to her clerics, allowed them to summon several types of creatures, including ki-rins.

Ecology
Ki-rins were solitary creatures. The females of ki-rins were so rare that most claimed that they simply did not exist. However, female ki-rins indeed existed.

Usage
Ki-rin hair could be used to create youth elixir. One portion of the elixir required 6 ounces of the creature's hair.

An eyelash from a ki-rin, ogre mage, or a similar spell-casting creature, was a material component of the contingency spell. Hairs from ki-rin's tail could be used to boost potency of the banishment spell.

Ki-rin horns were used in magic and potion-making but they were highly perishable. The deterioration could be stopped via the preservation spell.

Ki-rin's skin could be used to create staves of power. The enchanter covered the unfinished staff with the skin and cast required spells to complete the crafting process. One bundle of ki-rin's skin was valued at 25,000 gp.

The legendary book known as the Runes of Norzahk of Kara-Tur was bound in ki-rin hide that gave it a silvery-blue sheen and silky texture. And the Lord of High Water, Crow Dz Pong, had gentle blue ki-rin fur trimming his coat, boots, and cloaks hood circa 1357 DR.

History
In 1357 DR, the rulers of the Bloodstone Pass descended into the Abyss to find and destroy the source of Vaasa's power, the Wand of Orcus. On Orcus's layer of the Abyss the heroes encountered a solar, being burnt on a stake with a hoard of demons dancing around in glee. The solar, Gabriel when rescued, summoned a ki-rin to aid the party's journey through hell.

Circa 1359 DR, a group of adventurers traveling through the Sixfold Path in Ra-Khati of the Hordelands. They encountered a ki-rin named Ba'Mit Ahn-so who was being tortured by a sadistic vampire. The celestial creature came to drive the undead out of the ruins of Solon but instead fell victim to the vampire's ambush. When rescued, ki-rin gifted the adventurers an amulet of steadfastness and shared knowledge of the undead-infested city.

Circa 1366 DR, an unknown force was standing guard over Sunbar, protecting it from aerial threats from the Hellgate Keep. It was believed that it was either a ki-rin or a faerie dragon standing guard.

During the same period of time, the shop known as a Handful of Eyes in Hill's Edge offered living monsters for purchase. Their stock varied from critters like snakes, rats, spiders for 25 gp, and rare powerful creatures like ki-rin that went for 350,000 gp or more.

Sometime before 1367 DR, King Azoun Obarskyr IV was saved from an assassin by a ki-rin in the tavern of Waymoot called the Moon and Stars. A crafty Zhentarim assassin polymorphed himself into a beholder in attempt to slay the King of Cormyr, but serendipitously was killed by a ki-rin who, in a guise of a man, was quietly playing cards at the back of the tavern at the time.

In 1373 DR, alu-fiend Aliisza witnessed creatures from many alien universes during her visit to the Plain of Infinite Portals, some of them beings she glimpsed were ki-rins.

Notable Ki-rins

 * Ba'Mit Ahn-so: a ki-rin from the Hordelands that was tortured by a vampire Circa 1359 DR.
 * Daiwon: a ki-rin protector of the Moonshae Isles who fended against the ancient red dragon Karrnsyrrl in the 15 century DR.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Throne of Bloodstone &bull; Storm Riders
 * Bloodstone Pass &bull; The Bloodstone Wars &bull; The Mines of Bloodstone
 * Novels
 * Annihilation
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards &bull; Dragonfire: Moonshae Storms
 * AD&D Trading Cards &bull; Dragonfire: Moonshae Storms