Kiri
Born in round 2257, Kiri was initially fostered in Scallia before her foster parents died in a plague. Then she was forcibly relocated to Drayden as a child and grew up there as an “only” in the slums surrounding the city of Daine.
She was discovered by priestess Charis and rescued from a fight, receiving training in and around the Temple as an ‘acolyte’.
A fiery and tempestuous young woman she quickly learns to assert and defend herself, earning a fearsome reputation for violence, anger and a short temper. She is driven by the need to prove herself, evidenced early by competitive chariot racing, hiding a deep insecurity about her apparent lack of birth to a named family, despite having the benefits of a position in society.
She wears her hair long on the left side and shaved over the ear on the right, as do most of the women of Drayden (for the sake of archery).
She has few scruples, detests cowardice and has no time for the infirm, disabled or sick. Belligerent to many, but cold and calculating underneath, she is no one’s fool.
She is taller than average and also stronger, keeping herself in formidable physical fitness, having mastered many forms of combat. She is prone to embarking on vendettas, and never forgets an insult, becoming single minded and obsessed with what she perceives as priorities.
She is possessed of ‘the gift’ in remarkable abundance. She believes she is superior to most if not all of her contemporaries. It is not sufficient that she wins; others must lose.
Kiri graduates as a priestess on the death of Charis and swears her loyalty to priestess Nerina.
Kiri discovers that Zoella is her sister, but the two are estranged by events and come to hate each other. She develops a relationship with Meru after initially torturing him, they ultimately become lovers.
Kiri and Zoella eventually reconcile and join together to defy the priestesses of Drayden. She is killed in the Battle of Viresia in 2308 at the age of 21, defending Zoella and Meru from Priestess Nerina.
Kiri was buried in an ornate metal coffin which survived the destruction of Viresia in an earthquake that took place in 2442. It was one of few artefacts recovered by archeologists from the time period of the fifth flare.
Her skeleton and personal effects were put on display in a museum during round 2936, some 628 years after her death.