Kirin

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Home: Kirin Archipelago

Worship: Primarily Cadence

> "We Kirin are a quiet people. Simple, really. The creatures outside of our islands often say that we are emotionless and shrewd, seeing the world only as possible bits to be added to our pockets. But I disagree. We Kirin are proud, artistic people, intelligent and wise to the facts of the world that nobody else sees. Some call us callous and rude, but we simply don't mince words. Oh, but darling, don't let me dissuade you from visiting the Archipelago! The scenery is beautiful, and the people are just as colorful." -Morganite
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Kirin are a species of creature that are based on the Qilin, a Chinese mythological creature which is a Chinese unicorn. They made a couple canon appearances in MLP G4, and here I have revamped them to fit the world and give them a more unique spin from the canon.

## **Character Creation:**

Kirin take two forms- the Horned Kirin, and the Winged Kirin. Horned Kirin of course being more like the Qilin, but then the Winged kirin are more Longma-like.

Kirin may come in any color. The color of their a kirin/nirik’s flame typically is a more saturated form of their eye color.

Factors affected by genetics: Horn shape for horned kirins, tail length, amount of scales (NOTE: Winged kirin tend to have more scales than Horned kirin) and the fluffy mane on the neck. The neck fluff is considered a recessive trait.

### Horned Kirin ---

The Horned Kirin are the ones you would see in the show, with large horns on their head capable of casting spells. They are often more dainty and less in tune with flames than their Winged brethren.

### Winged Kirin ---

Winged Kirin are different from their horned cousins, as they have a large pair of scaled, dragon-like wings. And while I may describe them as Horned and Winged, Winged Kirin do have horns. They are simply small, and antler-like as opposed to the large and ornate horn that Horned Kirin bare. NOTE: Winged Kirin are more rare as the trait for Winged-ness is recessive. Winged Kirin do not have access to unicorn magic, but because of this they have an increased affinity for their flame and are considered more physically hardy and strong.

### Naming Scheme:

Kirin have no official naming scheme, but they do tend to have long, one-word names, often named after natural things, like gemstones, plants, and natural phenomena (Morganite, Valerian, Mimosa, Cyclone, etc).

### The Nirik:

A Nirik is often pitch black, with a wild flame of a mane and tail that matches a highly saturated form of the kirin’s eyes, along with two other colors.

## Kirin Society

Kirin live on an archipelago in the world of Equestria, and are known for being artisans, craftsman, and shrewd merchants.

They live under a fairly strict admiration for Cadence, goddess of emotions, which the Kirin have taken to a.... slight extreme. Not quite the same level as what the canon Kirin were doing with the stream of silence, but young kirin are taught from a very young age that emotions are dangerous and should just be avoided in general. This is born from what the unicorns would call a "misguided reverence for Cadence."

But that is an outsider's perspective.

In reality the situation is a lot more nuanced and complicated. Kirin understand that emotions are a natural part of the living experience, to be able to feel is divine, but there is a time and place for it, and that is in private where nobody could see you. Because of this, many kirin are viewed by the rest of the world as being cold and emotionless, with blank expressions that only barely hint at the creature's true feelings.

The Kirin are run by a Meritocracy- The most skilled and educated kirin are given rights to make decisions for the country, including law making and foreign relations. Its a job that Kirin strive for, if they want it. But the majority of Kirin that one will meet are artisans and merchants- They produce a lot of the world's luxury goods for export. Textiles, jewelry, metalwork, art, sculpture. Most Kirin are seen as shrewd, emotionless merchants.

## Kirin History

It is said that the kirin archipelago was once one giant island, ruled by a king with 100 wives and husbands. He was a good and just king, ruling the island with the help of his many spouses with kindness and compassion that rivaled even that of the Goddess Cadence.

But one day, the king snapped. His emotion so volatile, so unchecked and unending, that his Nirik was so large and powerful it SHATTERED the island into the Archipelago of today. The Nirik killed the spouses in its rampage, sending the king inside of it into even more of an emotional turmoil than before, wreaking havoc upon the common folk of the archipelago.

It was said that a group of kirin rose up against the Nirik, spearheaded by a female Horned Kirin named Mimosa. These kirin, prominent merchants from the only remaining city in the archipelago that still stood, rallied the people of the archipelago under the banner of Mimosa, and together the remaining kirin came together and using cleverness and Mimosa's surprisingly strong magical power, they were able to kill the Nirik. Unfortunately, it also proved a fatal blow to the king. But as he laid dying, he commended the merchants and Mimosa, showing his kind spirit for another moment as he turned to Mimosa and told her that she should rule over the kirin now. She was clearly gifted with leadership by Cadence. With his last breath, he apologized for what his Nirik had done.

The city where the merchants and Mimosa came from, became the new capital of the Archipelago, with Mimosa gathering the best and brightest among those who fought, setting up the structure of how the Archipelago would be run from then on. When things finally seemed to settle, and the archipelago began to recover, its said that Mimosa simply disappeared in the night, leaving nothing behind. The kirin who had known her wept for the loss of a great leader, mare, and friend.