Jirana

Jirana
Fan art of Jirana (cropped from a larger image), by Lap Pun Cheung.
Type	Non-Player Character
Character Information
Name	Jirana
Also known as	The Shore Shrew
Creature type	Humanoid
Race	Galapa
Age	Close to 400 years old (in 843 PD) Between 121 and 129 (by the measurement of the Shattered Teeth)
Place	Slival, Shattered Teeth
Connections	Toriz (home and companion) Keyleth
Profession	Therapist
Status
Status	Alive (in 843 PD)
Appearances
First seen	"Mist and Whimsy" (3x71)
Stream	Campaign Three (1 episode)

Jirana the Shore Shrew is a wise woman from the Shattered Teeth, and a caretaker of the island of Slival.

Description

Keyleth described Jirana as an old but sweet galapa. Jirana herself is very calm and kind, and describes her way of helping people as "motherly".

Jirana has a large brown shell decorated with ribbons, hanging curios, and charms. Her skin is dark gray and very wrinkled. She has a wide smile, a snout that curls down past her lower lip, and gentle pale blue eyes. When Bells Hells met her, she was wearing a slightly-too-small patchwork sundress that has been repaired multiple times and was held together partially with rope.

Biography

Fan art of Jirana at home in Toriz, by Lap Pun Cheung.

Jirana told Bells Hells that she had lived in the Shattered Teeth her entire life, but no longer had family there. In her very long lifetime, she had suffered losses and witnessed both tragedy and joy. She believed the perspective her experiences had brought her enabled her to help others deal with loss and tragedy, eventually developing a reputation for being a good listener.

People used to call Jirana the "Shore Shrew", and apparently she ended up embracing the term. At some point during her life she met the giant toad Toriz, and they started living together, acting as protectors and guardians of Slival, with the old woman living inside the great amphibian.

At some point after 812 PD, grieving the loss of the love of her life, Keyleth visited Slival as part of her research on the gods and the limits of their power. She met there Jirana, who, as an expert in mourning and loss, helped the archdruid deal with her pain. The old galapa helped many people in a similar way (having a more gentle approach than the Great Tree of Atrophy and its revelations in the same archipelago), allowing them to stay with her and Toriz for as long as they need (some stay for years). She sometimes received gifts as a thanks, which joined her collection of stuff recovered from shipwrecks.

In 843 PD the Voice of the Tempest still remembered Jirana kindly while talking to Bells Hells, although she recognized that she hadn't spoken with her in years, wondering if she was still alive (for she was already an old woman when they first met). When they were sent to Slival they discovered that the galapa was very much alive, and after she and Toriz saved them from Bari Mondolo, they offered them shelter. Jirana talked to them about the Shattered Teeth and Evontra'vir, and answered their questions, trusting them after knowing they had been sent by Keyleth. Before the party continued with their mission, the old woman gave them several items that would be useful for their adventure, and she offered Fresh Cut Grass wisdom and the possibility of a future conversation if they ever needed it.

Character information

Notable items

• Ring of Mending
• Map of the Shattered Teeth (formerly, given to Chetney Pock O'Pea)
• Several potions and concoctions
  • Reef moss balms, for healing injuries
  • Vials of cleansing flame, which cure certain maladies but burn the user
  • Slickshimmer oil, which makes someone more difficult to grab, and helps them deflecting weapons
  • Potions of stamina (probably placebos)
• A Taste of Tal'Dorei tankard (a gift from Imogen Temult)
• Salt and pepper shakers from the Twilight Mirror Museum (a gift from Fearne Calloway)

Appearances and mentions

• Campaign Three
  • "For The Tempest" (3x68), mentioned only (first mentioned)
  • "Nice" (3x69), mentioned only
  • "Embattled in Bassuras" (3x70), mentioned only
  • "Mist and Whimsy" (3x71) (first appearance)
  • "Phantasmal Parley" (3x72), mentioned only
  • "Roots Between Worlds" (3x74), mentioned only
  • "An Ancient Flame" (3x75), mentioned only

Quotations

• (to Ashton) "Everything can be mended, given time."

Trivia

• Her name seems to come from the Pali jīraṇa, meaning "decay" or "getting old", which seems to describe the age of the character.
• Matthew Mercer described her as his favourite "Miyazaki NPC".
• She said that she didn't have family in the Shattered Teeth anymore, and that she had lived and lost a lot during her life. It is possible that her relatives have moved away, but she might have survived them all.

References

Art: