[[shirren_heritages|Shirren Heritages]] | [[shirren_feats|Shirren Feats]]

====== Shirren (Pantheon Rising Variant) ======
{{infobox>
name = Shirren
image = [[pantheonrising:system:shirren.jpg]]
hp  = 10
size = Medium
speed = 25
attribute boosts = Constitution, Wisdom, Free
attribute flaw = Charisma
}}
**//[[https://2e.aonprd.com/Traits.aspx?ID=721|Uncommon]] [[https://2e.aonprd.com/Traits.aspx?ID=628|Humanoid]] [[https://2e.aonsrd.com/ancestries/13-shirren|Shirren]]//**

The insectile shirren were once bound to a vast hive consciousness — a living network that devoured worlds and erased selfhood in the name of control. But somewhere in that chorus of a billion voices, a spark of individuality took hold. Whether born from defiance, divine chance, or forbidden science, your people broke away.

Some whisper that the first shirren were engineered as conduits, living relays meant to serve a collective intelligence that sought to stretch its will across the stars. Others believe the hive mind shattered under its own hunger, and that your kind are the fragments that refused to return to silence. Whatever the truth, your people carry the memory of connection — and the terror of losing it.

Now you walk Golarion’s dust and metal, your mind open yet fiercely your own. The guilds of Alkenstar call you spies. Shieldmarshals call you infiltrators. Outlaws call you kin — for you embody the one truth they all believe: freedom must be fought for, even within the mind.

If you want a character who enjoys working as part of a team while still valuing independence, you should play a shirren.

===== You Might… =====
  * Build deep and powerful bonds with your comrades.
  * Enjoy your freedom and delight in the opportunity to make your own decisions.
  * Dislike violence and prefer seeking peaceful compromises that benefit everyone.

===== Others Probably… =====
  * Count on you to mediate disputes and act as a voice of reason.
  * Believe you overvalue and overthink simple choices.
  * Are disconcerted by your insectile physiology and telepathy.

===== Physical Description =====
Shirrens are arthropods with antennae, compound eyes, and chitinous exoskeletons. Shirrens walk upright and have three sets of limbs with three-clawed hands. The lower, weaker pairs of limbs are generally kept concealed and only used for ceremonial and reproductive reasons. Shirrens vary in appearance based on the colony they descended from, and some have vestigial wings, segmented thoraxes, or stingers.

Shirrens have three sexes with roles in reproduction: male, female, and host. Female and male shirrens provide eggs and sperm, respectively, and hosts incubate the fertilized eggs. In some shirren communities, a single host incubates for many partners, while three-party unions are common in others. Shirren young spend their first 2 years in a wormlike larval form. A parent might carry their larval child in a protective container to let them safely experience the world until they reach the pupal stage. Pupae undergo a second metamorphosis around eight years old before settling into their mature form a few years later.

===== Society =====
Shirrens value individual choice and rights, having escaped from the Swarm thanks to an adaptation to their physiology that causes pleasure when they make choices for themselves. Shirren culture is built around this love of choice, encouraging shirrens to adapt themselves to a wide variety of beliefs, philosophies, and professions. Shirrens are highly communal and tend to feel lonely unless they're part of a group. Once a shirren chooses a community for themself, they often settle into a specialized role. When times are tough, they pitch in for teamwork and prioritize what's best for the group over what only benefits them as individuals, as long as they retain their autonomy.

===== Beliefs =====
Shirrens define themselves by their choices and bristle against all forms of oppression. They enjoy cultural exchange, and while most eagerly adopt the deities and practices of other communities, others hold passionately atheistic worldviews that reject divine worship in favor of centering secular mortal experiences. Many shirren communities pay homage to Hylax, a benevolent deity believed to be the progenitor of their species. Hylax's faith is, in turn, shaped by her shirren followers, who believe her to be the pinnacle of unity without conformity.

**Popular Edicts** make your own choices, try to solve problems peacefully, work for the greater good of the group \\
**Popular Anathema** inflict thoughtless destruction, take away another's right to make choices

===== Sample Names =====
Cesca, Chk Chk, Halicon, Izenzi, Jchk, J'scib, Keskodai, Kinnik, Korskal, Philt, Schect, Thast, T'sen, Xylit, Zenka, Zigvigix

===== Shirren Mechanics =====
**Hit Points** 10 \\
**Size** Medium \\
**Speed** 25 feet \\
**Attribute Boosts** Constitution, Wisdom, Free \\
**Attribute Flaw** Charisma \\
**Languages** Common, Shirren, One regional language of your choice, Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from the list of common languages and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent on your home world).

**Limited Telepathy** You can communicate mentally with creatures within 30 feet. You can communicate only with creatures that share a language with you. This doesn't give you any access to their thoughts, and it communicates no more information than normal speech would.

{{tag>pr ancestries shirren sf starfinder}}