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Div, Shira
The Savage Hunters of the Wilds
NE; CR 12 [PF1e]
Shira divs are obsessive bestial stalkers who embodying the deadly nature of the wilds. They resembling anthropomorphic lionesses, with a brutal and thickly furred humanoid form, and the head of a lioness with dead black eyes. They live purely to hunt and feed, using their powerful builds, keen senses, and deadly instincts to track and slay formidable foes. A shira div moves with deadly grace, its thick fur giving it a bestial, almost regal presence, and ensuring it can stalk its prey undetected. Standing at a towering ten feet tall and weighing around 1,200 pounds, this formidable figure is marked by dead black eyes that gleam with a predatory hunger.
The Ecology of the Shira
Shiras thrive in wild, untamed environments where their predatory instincts can be honed to perfection. They are solitary hunters, preferring to stalk their prey alone, though they will occasionally form temporary hunting bands with other shiras. These divs favour dense forests, mountainous regions, and other areas where the terrain can be used to their advantage in ambushing prey. Their keen senses and powerful builds make them apex predators, feared by all who enter their territory.
Despite their solitary nature, shiras are not entirely devoid of social interaction. They sometimes serve as scouts and assassins for larger div hordes, though such alliances are usually short-lived. Shiras are driven by their savage instincts and an insatiable lust for the hunt, making long-term cooperation with others difficult. When they do come together, it is often to take down a particularly formidable target or to defend against a common threat.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Shiras are incredibly powerful and cunning hunters. Their physical strength, combined with their predatory instincts, makes them deadly opponents. They never go after an easy kill, preferring to target the most powerful and challenging prey. This compulsion to hunt the strong and mighty forces them to plan their attacks carefully, using stealth and strategy rather than brute force alone.
The compulsion to hunt powerful prey can also be a shira’s downfall. They may become obsessed with a target, spending weeks or even months tracking it and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. This obsession can lead them into dangerous situations where they are outmatched or into traps laid by cunning adversaries.
Philosophical Musings
The shira div represents the deadly nature of the wild and the inherent savagery of the natural—and supernatural—worlds. It embodies the dispassion with which nature can turn against mortals, a testament to the absolute indifference of the wilderness to human suffering and achievement. The shira’s existence is a philosophical challenge to civilised beings, a reminder of how small and helpless they are when stripped of their societal constructs and thrust into the primal, unrelenting arms of nature.
Shiras delight in proving to so-called civilised beings how vulnerable they are in the face of nature’s savagery. They target the most proud and powerful mortals, savaging not just their bodies but also their spirits. By focusing on the strong and influential, shiras aim to shatter the illusion of human dominance over nature. They hunt with a methodical, almost artistic precision, ensuring that their kills are not just acts of survival but demonstrations of the brutal beauty and power of the wild. While they always feed upon the corpses of their quarry, they also delight in saving trophies that can be used to identify the victims, and then leaving these somewhere that is sure to torment any surviving friends or relatives. Through their actions, shiras remind mortals of their place in the natural order, stripping away the veneer of civilisation and exposing the raw, primal reality beneath.
Source and stats: Bestiary 3 p90 [PF1e]
