Falsely labelled gargoyles by some, kir-lanans are actually creatures who arrived on Faerûn during the Time of Troubles (1358 DR). They have made it their mission to destroy the gods of Toril by first executing all who believe in them. In a world in which religion plays a central part in the lives of so many people, this is a no small task. It essentially calls for the murder of just about every person on the face of the planet.
Kir-lanans are only vaguely similar to true gargoyles. They have a humanoid form and large, bat-like wings. They stand about 6 feet tall and weigh around 220 pounds. Their finely scaled hides are all dark in colour, normally ranging from midnight blue through deep purple to black. Some rare individuals come in deep crimson, emerald, dun or grey colours instead. They all have mouths full of sharp, pointed teeth, and they have small, blunt horns just above their temples. They eschew traditional clothing, instead binding their torsos with cloth wrappings interwoven with strips of metal, ivory or stone.
Kir-lanan have no established life expectancy or age categories, as the oldest members of the race are only about 15 years of age. They are fully grown within one year of birth, and as yet show no signs of deterioration from aging. How long their lifespans are likely to be, none can say.
History: Even the most learned souls of Faerûn have few clues as to the true nature of kir-lanans. All they know for sure is that the creatures are bent upon killing off priests and other divine servants — or “godslaves”, as the kir-lanans call them — as quickly as possible. The kir-lanans are the source of a great deal of rumour in Faerûn these days. Anywhere there squats a stone gargoyle, people whisper that it’s actually one of these evil beasts watching silently over a town, waiting for its brethren to arrive so they can strike. These creatures are reputed to have all sorts of powers, including a complete immunity to magic (not true) and the ability to drain the strength from their foes (true at least in part).
There are several credible theories as to where the kir-lanans come from. The most popular is that the creatures hail from another world or plane composed entirely of negative energy, but in truth the kir-lanans sprang whole from the ineffable energies unleashed by the death of three gods: Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul. This trio of ill-fated deities were slain during the Time of Troubles, and their passing manifested itself in a number of various destructive acts. Some of that energy didn’t simply dissipate as the dead deities passed from Toril. Instead, it coalesced in some deep, secret chamber into a seething ball of furious chaos. The first of the kir-lanans erupted from this dangerous sphere, fully formed and aware of its terrible origins. Several hundred kir-lanans came into being in this way. However, due to the manner of their creation, they were forsaken by the gods, and they knew it. They were doomed to never be able to gain the favour of the divine and pass into the afterlife. Instead, their deaths would literally be the end of them.
Angered by this painful fact, the soulless kir-lanans decided that if the gods were to condemn them outright, then they would do the same to the gods. Unable to directly match the power of the gods, the creatures decided to instead attack the deities in the only way they could: through those who worshipped the gods of Toril. In the years since their arrival in Faerûn, the kir-lanans have made good on their plans to wreak terror in the hearts of those who have promised their souls to the gods. They originally started with raids on clerics and adepts and their houses of worship, but in recent years they have extended their horrific campaign to include all worshippers in those temples, churches or chapels. The threat the kir-lanans pose to the people of Faerûn grows every day.
Outlook: Kir-lanans don’t care much for life — their own or that of anyone else. They exist solely to cause misery for the gods and those who call upon these feckless and fickle deities.
Kir-lanans are born in secluded rookeries and raised by all the adult kir-lanans who call the place home. They come into the world only three months after conception, and they are fully grown within a matter of only one year. During this painfully short childhood, these new kir-lanans are indoctrinated in the hatred that their elders hold for the gods. By the time these new adults are ready to stretch their wings, they bear as much hatred toward the deities who have damned them as any other kir-lanan.
Some rare kir-lanans do not spend their days slaughtering the followers of the gods. Instead, they observe the actions of the people of Faerûn from a distance, hoping to learn their strengths and weaknesses. They then bring this newfound knowledge back to their people so that the kir-lanans can figure out a better way to murder people more efficiently.
Characters: Kir-lanans favour the fighter class, as this — along with their innate abilities — gives them the chance to do the most damage to the largest number of hapless believers at any given time. Spells run out, but claws keep killing forever. They most often multiclass as fighter/sorcerers or fighter/necromancers. They can manipulate arcane energies just fine, and their nature lends itself to handling negative energies.
Society: Life as a kir-lanan is relentlessly harsh. They exist only to kill, to breed, and to learn how to become better at killing. Both male and females are treated equally in kir-lanan society. This is a meritocracy. The strongest rule, no matter who they are.
Most kir-lanans wander about the world in wings of two to five creatures. These wings rarely have a stable roster, with kir-lanans joining and leaving as the mood suits them. The leaders of these wings are chosen by combat, and those who are not the leaders constantly jockey to be in the right position to challenge the leader the moment she leaves herself vulnerable. Wings of kir-lanans mount their operations out of breeding grounds known as rookeries. At certain times of the year — based on a schedule of which only the kir-lanans are aware — individual members of a wing leave their fellows and travel back to their rookeries to breed.
Other than the members of these wings, there are two others positions in kir-lanan culture: the valrak and the kivar. Both of these vocations stand outside the traditional structure of the wing, allowing the valraks and kivars to avoid the normal rivalry for leadership that causes so many of the wings to waste time and energy on internal struggles. The attention of the kir-lanans would be better spent on taking the battle to the believers, and it’s the duty of the valraks and kivars to help direct this.
The word “valrak” means “eye” in the guttural kir-lanan tongue. These creatures travel around Faerûn individually, watching the native peoples and learning everything they can about them and their rich and complex history. By doing this, the valraks free up the others to cause as much destruction as they can, while the valraks scout out new victims and locations. “Kivar”, on the other hand, means “voice”. The kivars are a combination of morale officers and strategic planners for the kir-lanans. Although they spend most of their time in the field, exhorting the wings to attempt greater and more terrible acts of destruction, when back at the rookery the kivars gather to absorb and discuss the information gathered by the valraks. They use this to guide the kir-lanan campaign against the gods. Kivars also are the ones who negotiate temporary alliances with other groups of people who are less devout in their worship of the gods. Of course, once these allies have served their purposes, they are to be murdered as well, but the kivars are willing to let them serve their purpose for a time.
New kir-lanans are born in these rookeries and raised by the kivars. Once they are one year or so in age, they are released into the wild and sent to join up with a new wing or to reinforce an old one. No one knows what happens to kir-lanans as they get older. The eldest ones are only 15 years old, and many of those who were part of the race’s creation have been killed off by either their intended victims or in leadership challenges.
Language: Kir-lanans speak their own harsh language (Kir-lanan) and Common. When speaking with each other, they stick to Kir-lanan, but they use thickly accented Common to converse with everyone else. Some valraks actually pick up several other languages (it’s hard to learn a great deal about a people whose language you don’t understand).
Kir-lanans don’t normally talk a great deal. They prefer action to words.
All kir-lanans are literate, except for barbarians.
Magic: Kir-lanans have no special racial spells of their own. As spellcasters, kir-lanans can only manipulate arcane — never divine — magic. They prefer spells that destroy and corrupt the soul, particularly necromantic spells. As creatures of negative energy, they have an affinity for death magic.
Religion: Kir-lanans have no deities, although some kivars advocate striking a temporary alliance with worshippers of Shar. They appreciate this god’s desire to wage war on the other gods, so they feel that they could work together for as long as their interests coincide. Once the other gods are gone, though, Shar is sure to be the next target on the kir-lanans’ list.
Kir-lanans hate all the gods and the people who worship them. They have some tolerance for those who simply pay lip service to the gods, but in the end the kir-lanans want to murder these people too. People who renounce the gods entirely might be able to work with the kir-lanans without fear of betrayal, but by doing so they put their souls in mortal peril.
Relations: Kir-lanans want to kill everyone. They don’t particularly target one race over another. However, the more pious a person is, the more likely it is that he may feel the kir-lanans’ wrath. Piety is measured by a character’s observations of religious rites and zeal in his deity’s service, not his alignment. The valraks take this into account when they report their observations and suggest possible victims for kir-lanan wing raids. In cases in which the valraks report a particularly important target, the kivars can sometimes coordinate a multi-wing attack, bringing dozens of kir-lanans to bear on the problem at once.
Regions: None
Source: Races of Faerûn (Page 137)