Hiravias

"Maybe eating souls is like fucking - I just meet the right person, instinct will take over, and I'll feel ashamed yet smug the following morning."

Hiravias is a male Orlan druid found in Pillars of Eternity. He is one of the possible companions in the game. Hiravias can be found and recruited in Stormwall Gorge, near the eastern end.

Background
Hiravias is an autumn colored Orlan. He is missing one eye that he covers with a patch that displays the symbol of Wael and his ear has been mangled. He is 32 years old, which is middle-aged for an Orlan. He was born in Eir Glanfath, around the Thein Bog, to the Fisher Crane tribe.

His youth was spent traveling with the Circle of Hawk and Ivy, in keeping with their role as migrant stewards of the land and protectors of Engwithan ruins. His arms still bear the scars of the migration trail. As he was raised among nomads, he has never owned a bookshelf or chest of drawers, consumed by perpetual wanderlust.

Becoming a Druid
Although he dreamed of becoming a hunter, Hiravias was usually skipped over when it came to hunting expeditions. He was a runt and failed to earn the respect of his peers growing up. When the anamfath came to visit the Fisher Cranes, he was left out of the grand chase and told to be the cup bearer to the old wise one while the rest of the tribe hunted. As can be expected, Hiravias latched on to the anamfath's attention and the two ended up talking until the hunters returned. Impressed with the young one's wit - or perhaps his bravado and cocksure attitude - the anamfath gave him an iron medallion fashioned in the likeness of a hound's head. It was an icon of Galawain, patron of the druids. Per the anamfath's instructions, Hiravias was trained in the ways of druids. He still carries the iron locket with him, rusted as it is, to remember his roots, even though is allegiance switched to Wael. The shift occurred in the final stages of his druidic training, as he struggled with spiritshifting. In the style of seekers of old, he went to the forest alone, to ask Galawain for guidance.

Rejection
The god of the hunt gave him guidance, in the shape of a vibrantly-colored stelgaer that pounced upon him from the underbrush. Although one-fifteenth of its size, Hiravias fought back. Just before the stelgaer delivered the killing blow, however, Hiravias spiritshifted for the first time. He turned into a mirror of his attacker, sprouting razor-sharp talons and growing fifteen times. By the end, the beast was dead, ripped apart by Hiravias' newfound form. His celebration was short-lived, however, as upon his return to the village he demonstrated his newly acquired form... And was promptly cast out. The riow of his druidic circle believed the autumn stelgaer, as his form was known, was a soul-destroying abomination. As the first form a spiritshifter assumes is considered special, Hiravias couldn't complete his studies.

It all puzzled him to no end. Did the Seeker God punish him for seeking? If so, why not turn him into a stoat, true to his nature? Is he truly a soul destroyer or is that a myth? Should he eat a person whole to verify that? The questions that plagued him prompted his turn to Wael in the first year of his exile, to find answers that Galawain could not - or would not - provide. The symbol stitched on the eye patch was a form of initiation into the Brotherhood.

In search of answers, he took to traveling the Dyrwood to continue his studies and training. New trees to document, new animals to sketch, new sights, and of course, the possibility of journeying to Eir Glanfath to meet wiser druids who could answer the questions that plague him.

Companion

 * Hiravias is found at Stormwall Gorge and will try to present you with a feces tube from the deer he just hunted down to break the ice.
 * He can provide good sustained damage with Spiritshift and Druid spells, as well as provide some support.
 * The Collector's Edition Guide describes him as "observant, scholarly, energetic, moody, naturalist, overcompensator-par-excellence".

Quests

 * To obtain his quest, speak with him and select "Tell me about yourself." -> "Druids are known for changing into animals - what sort of creatures can you become?".
 * True to Form: In wanting to learn more about his form and why he was mauled, he turned away from Galawain and toward Wael. Ultimately, the question is whether he is stronger as a complete person or as a seeker of mysteries that embraces the unknown. To receive Hiravias' companion quest, True to Form ask him about his spiritshift form after adding him to the party. You will not be able to progress it until Act 3, when Twin Elms becomes available. Hiravias will want to speak to the druids at Twin Elms to see if they know more of his Autumn Stelgaer spiritshift form. After speaking with Tamrwn or Naca in Twin Elms, read the four stone tablets in the Blood Sands cavern. Then travel to Burial Island to face off with a druid that shares Galawain’s blessing.

Endings
Hiravias has two endings tied directly to his quest True to Form. Unlike other companions, he isn't given a failure slide if you don't complete his quest (you'll receive no slides for him). He can either be guided to embrace Wael or turn back to Galawain.

Some of his pre-quest dialog will also weigh in on his choice:
 * "What's the story behind the symbol of Wael on your eye patch?" → +1 Wael
 * "What's your relationship with Galawain?" → +1 Galawain

Telling him "I want to hear more about Galawain and Wael" will provide an additional choice to increase his views with each.
 * Wael
 * "Has Wael ever actually spoken directly to you? Or sent you a sign?" → +1 Wael
 * "Does praying to Wael help make sense of the Stelgaer attack?" → +1 Wael
 * "You still seek wisdom, you're just asking a different god because the first didn't answer." → +1 Galawain
 * "Sounds like you should thank Galawain for showing you the wisdom of Wael." → +1 Galawain
 * Galawain:
 * "In fairness to Galawain - you did learn to spiritshift after the attack - are you not thankful for that?" → +1 Galawain
 * "Do you think there's any possibility that Galawain is trying to help you, albeit in strange ways?" → +1 Galawain
 * "A lesser man would accept the indignities of the gods and ask for seconds. Good on you for walking away from Galawain." → +1 Wael
 * "If a god gave me a task and then crippled me for following instruction, I'd be as angry as you are." → +1 Wael

Other interactions

 * Sagani has an unique interaction with Hiravias upon meeting him, her stomach growling at the sight of him consuming the flesh of the animal raw (boreal dwarfs also have the habit of consuming raw meat.) Itumaak, also hungry, pants enthusiastically at the sight of the kill.

Behind the scenes

 * Hiravias was written by Matt MacLean.
 * Hiravias has a unique Spiritshift form not available to players.
 * Before PoE 1.03, Hiravias had the following Attributes: Mig: 14 Con: 15 Dex: 14 Per: 13 Int: 11 Res: 10.
 * He was trained by the Celebrants of Hawk and Ivy of the Fisher Crane tribe.