Shiere [Lesser Eladrin]

A shiere looks like an unusually tall high elf, lanky and long-limbed, with a long, narrow face and slender hands. Despite that thin frame it is a match in strength for the mightiest mortal fighter. Every shiere is very pale, with silver or pale golden hair and keen eyes that may be violet, green or blue.

Shieres are more firmly locked into elf shape than other eladrins. Their only alternate form is a harmless mote of faerie-light like a coure's, and they can shift just once per hour, so they rarely bother.

A shiere's natural AC is 4, but it usually wears crystal-and-glass armor equal to field plate +4 and carries a long, narrow shield +1; the armor is generally wrecked if its wearer dies. Shieres like knightly arms: the long sword, horseman's flail, lance, horseman's mace and battle axe. Every one it carries is enchanted to +3 or more and may also have the defender, sharpness or quickness property, and as a trained warrior it strikes twice per round with its chosen weapon.

A shiere's gaze fills evil beings who meet it with fear. It has the spellcasting of a 5th-level priest as well, and each round it may freely use one of these: detect evil, wall of ice, color spray, spectral force, detect invisibility, continual light, ice storm, alter self, or a 10d4+10 cone of cold. Daily, it may heal one other creature.

Because changing back is so slow, a shiere becomes a mote of light only in dire need, such as fleeing badly hurt to warn its companions, or slipping somewhere its full size would give it away.

Shieres always ride when they hunt, patrol or go to war. Their mounts are heavy war-horses with 4+4 Hit Dice, Armor Class 7 and THAC0 17, attacking for 1d8, 1d8 and 1d3. Each has Fearless morale and at least 5 hp for every Hit Die, moves at 24, and can take to the air whenever the sun is down.

Shieres are the sword arm of the plane of passion, a radiant host of knights who hunt down evil trespassers and keep darkness away from the eladrin queen and her people. After nightfall they gather in shining companies and gallop across the wilds of the plane's first layer, chasing off anything that means harm.

No eladrins are more common at tulani courts, and none rank higher among the common eladrins. A shiere of rare wisdom or experience may be named hunt leader or captain by its tulani master, but once the fighting ends every company returns to equal standing. Shieres prize honor and courage in themselves and admire it in others, and they can be icy toward anyone who falls short of their own lofty standards.