Kahin Class

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Kahins (KAH-hins) are idol-priests, believing that divinity is found in all things, and that through worship of certain items of power, they may come to understand the ebb and flow of mystical power and divinity in the universe. Their beliefs apparently predate the worship of the known gods of Zakhara, though their records are primarily verbal as opposed to written, kept for generations by other Kahins and sympathetic Rawuns.

Kahins claim to draw their strength from the basic energy of the land itself, though they do respect gods of the earth, agriculture, and the desert. Some outlanders from the North mistakenly call them druids, because both groups have similar attitudes and abilities. Like druids, Kahins believe that all forces are in balance - but from the Kahins' viewpoint, they are continually moving against one another. The Kahin symbol is six arrows arranged in an arc, all pointed downward.

Kahins have a skill for working with animals. Many Kahins feel uncomfortable in large cities or towns, and prefer to live in the wild, far away from other people. Kahins are a part of nature few Zakharans can comprehend or accept. Zakharans consider Kahins strange and wondrous, but more than a little dangerous.

Role: Kahins are more devoted to the land, which is everlasting, than to people, who like matches are struck once and then extinguished. "The land" includes all expanses of nature, from desert to sea, arid waste to verdant valley. In fact, to destroy the desert would be as great a crime to Kahins as torching a field. For this reason Kahins are often considered obstructions to the growth of cities and consequently to the power of the merchant classes.

Kahins are wanderers and teachers, instructing men and women to live within their boundaries rather than expanding to excessive lengths. They have the most amiable relationship with others who live in peace with the environment, such as desert riders, mystics, and corsairs. Kahins are more uneasy with those who are severed from the land and who are by nature city-dwellers - for example, Merchants and the organized clergy. Kahins cause concern among civilized Zakharans because of their strange abilities and strange views. Zakharans feel that animals are valuable, and do not mistreat them out of malice, but still see them as inferior to ins. The Kahin's insistence that animals have value and rights do not fit in the Zakharan world-view.

Equipment: Kahins do not need much in the way of equipment. This is perceived as a threat by Zakharans. Warriors can have their swords taken from them, and mages need their grimoires, but a Kahin is always armed and dangerous.

Requirements: All races and both genders are eligible. The unisex title is Kahin (KAH-hin). The optional feminine title is Kahina (KAH-hin-ah).

Rules: Kahin function identically to druids. See the PH p 33. The only difference is that the divine focus is not holly or mistletoe, but a plant, small rock or other object found at some site holy to the kahin. Finding a new such object takes a day or two in familiar areas, up to a week in unknown territory.