Kirin

Notes:
 * Spawned by trading a Seal of Byakko, Seal of Genbu, Seal of Seiryu, and a Seal of Suzaku to the ??? at (F-8)
 * Killable by 18+ level 75 players
 * More than one of the same Abjuration can drop from one Kirin i.e. two Dryadic Abjuration: Body, Drop rates may vary due to this.
 * Can be silenced very rarely with full Enfeebling Magic gear, mostly on Wind Weather. ( even without Elemental Seal )
 * Can be Bound or Gravity.
 * It is advised to keep Baraera up rather than Barfira or Barstonra.
 * 5/4/08 Kirin's Astral Flow has been resisted with fully merited Shell V, and Magic Damage Reduction gear.
 * Uses the attacks:
 * Summons:
 * Byakko
 * Genbu
 * Seiryu
 * Suzaku
 * Kirin's Avatar (for Astral Flow)
 * Astral Flow
 * Additional Effect: Earth Damage
 * Auto Regen
 * Deadly Hold
 * Heat Breath
 * Tail Smash
 * Great Sandstorm
 * Great Whirlwind
 * Quake
 * Rasp
 * Sleepga
 * Stonega IV
 * Stone V
 * Riddle


 * General Strategy: Kirin is almost always a kited battle. Tanks will need to outrun his constant barrage of TP moves (he almost never does regular melee attacks) and devastating -ga spells. While he is being kited he will stop to summon a 'mini-god' version of Suzaku, Byakko, Genbu and Seiryu (in no particular order). Each mini-god is a full-strength enemy, but with considerably fewer HP than the versions fought in Ru'Aun Gardens. The mini-gods do not drop any treasure. When they are defeated Kirin can be fought alone. Melee damage is lower than against other Tu'Lia gods, and because the fight is often kited most of the damage will come from skillchains done while he stops to cast Stonega IV/Quake, Ranged attacks, Chi Blast, and magic damage such as Black Magic or Diabolos's Nether Blast. He is extremely resistant to most Enfeebling Magic with the exception of Gravity. His Astral Flow SP is the only real danger to an experienced group.


 * Alternate Strategy: A more modern method to defeating Kirin is generating so much damage he dies before he can summon any of his sub gods. This "speed-kill" technique most commonly requires many bards and melee jobs to two hour, and normally is successful within the first 3 minutes of the fight.  Often this is unattainable without MNK's melee skills and DRKs 2-houring using Kraken Clubs.  Before popping Kirin all players should drink poison potions because one Sleepga can waste precious time for any jobs 2-hour.  Kirin's low HP but high regen are what makes this possible.  If Kirin has time to summon a sub-god this is almost always a sign of failure.


 * It is also possible to TP burn Kirin without a 2-hour speed-kill. This typically involves 3 parties full of heavy melees and plenty of healing (inside and outside).  One or two tanks are optional.  Some groups rotate bards through the melee parties so that the melees have a full set of songs.  The Silence effect of Tachi: Gekko is useful for stopping Stonega IV.  Melees will die pretty frequently, so it's important to have spares.  If the group is small, it is usually a good idea to kite Kirin while a summon is out and have the melees break off and help to kill the summon before going back to Kirin.


 * TP Burn wipe: If a TP burn fails, it's very likely that multiple of it's summons are up, when the wipe occurs. It is possible to recover from this. Kirin has a large aggro range so take care when doing this. The most important thing is to keep Kirin from depopping, so it's advised to have a Bard with Hymnus in its back, which will occasionally aggro it to keep it from despawning. Kirin's guards will not link to each other and they will not aggro anyone unless someone aggros Kirin itself. So it is possible to just pull one guard, kill it and pull the next until all 4 are down. After that a second TP burn can be attempted or it can be killed the kite way.

Dialogue
??? Dialogue

Four strange insignia have been etched into the wall, each pointing to one of the cardinal directions. You sense a presence looming above you... A soft voice echoes throughout the hall. ???: "You are not yet ready for the trial that awaits you..." ???: "Return when you can show proof of your worth..."

Dialogue when appears

Kirin: "I am Kirin, master of the Shijin. The one who stands above all. You, who have risen above your mortal status to contend with the gods... It is time to reap your reward."

Dialogue when defeated

Kirin: "You have transcended your limitations, mortal. I must thank you...You have freed me from this loathsome prison."

Historical Background
The Shijin

In Eastern Asian mythological cosmology, the Shijin (also spelled Shishin; called the Ssu Ling or Si Ling in China) are 4 guardian beasts that guard the 4 cardinal directions (North, South, East, West). The 4 of them are associated with 4 of the 5 elements of Chinese philosophy (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth). There is a 5th direction occasionally added (Center) and a 5th guardian beast. Chinese philosophy includes this guardian, but Japanese usually does not. They are independent of the Chinese Zodiac Animals and they each rule a quadrant of the night sky. They evidently originated during the Warring States Period of Chinese history (400s BCE- 221 BCE) and were frequently painted on the walls of tombs to ward off evil spirits. The Shijin have frequently been used in Animé programs (Fushigi Yugi, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Digimon) as well as some other video games, most notably SaGa 1 (1989/1990, sold in the United States as Final Fantasy Legend, published by Square).

'''Guardian of the Center? ... Or Nothing?'''

Kirin (Qilin) in Chinese and Japanese cosmology is not associated with the Center direction. Though the Kirin (Qilin) is among the most prominent divine animals in their mythology, it is not traditionally associated with the Shijin/Ssu Ling. The true Guardian of the Center is Huang Long, who has some tenuous links to Ouryu.

The Kirin

In Chinese folklore, the Qilin (sometimes Qi-lin) is a mythical animal with the body of a deer, head of a deer/dragon (Chinese mythology shows it more as a dragon's head, Japanese mythology shows it more as a deer's head), an ox's tail, a horse's hooves, a body covered in a fish's scales, and a single horn on its forehead. It is usually shown with a flaming or radiant aura. It was described as an herbivore and could walk over grass without disturbing it as well as walk on water. Legend states the Qilin only appears at the birth or death of a great wise person. The Qilin lives in paradise for the rest of the time. It can live to be 1000 or more years old and is considered the embodiment of everything that is good and pure. In Japan, the Kirin was an animal-god who punished evildoers and the wicked with its horn and protected the just and good, granting them good luck. To see a Kirin was considered the most auspicious of omens, the best luck possible. In Japanese, "kirin" has become the word for "unicorn" and "giraffe". It is believed the Qilin is a distorted report of a giraffe, with it being reported by Zheng Re, noted Chinese explorer who explored eastern Africa in the early 1400s CE. The Qilin was not in the mythology until this point in time.

The Gods of Tu'Lia

Kirin is spawned using the Seal of Seiryu, Seal of Suzaku, Seal of Byakko, Seal of Genbu, in Shrine of Ru'Avitau, which is located in the cermet structure in the center of Tu'Lia, corresponding to the direction the 5th element/Shijin is associated with. Note that it took seals from all 4 Shijin (Ssu Ling) to spawn Kirin. The 5th Shijin is usually associated with the change of seasons, which would make sense in needing some item from all 4 seasons. Kirin uses mostly Earth-element attacks, which is the element the 5th direction is associated with (unlike most Manticore mobs in the game, who are Wind-based). It should be noted, Kirin still drops a Wind Crystal, just like the rest of the Manticore Family.