Kierkan Rufo

Kierkan Rufo is a fictional character from the Forgotten Realms series The Cleric Quintet, written by R.A. Salvatore.

Biography

Kierkan Rufo was originally a cleric at the Edificant Library, and the rival of Cadderly Bonaduce. Jealous of the attention his fellow devotee of Deneir received, Rufo was easily manipulated by the evil priest of Talona, Barjin, who hypnotized him in his efforts to unleash the chaos curse. So affected by the curse, Rufo was overtaken by his hatred for Cadderly and his lust for Danica Maupoissant. Despite becoming violent, he was subdued and freed from the effects of the curse.

Later on, Rufo became repentant, seeking to redeem himself for his actions. He accompanied Cadderly, Danica, and the elf prince Elbereth to Shilmista, which had come under assault from Barjin's allies, among them Aballister Bonaduce. Once again, Rufo found himself manipulated, forced to obey the wizard Dorigen and her imp ally Druzil. A coward to the end, Rufo returned home before the conflict ended. Accompanying Headmaster Avery to Carradoon, he was once again used as a pawn by Castle Trinity. Inadvertently, his actions resulted in Avery's death, and he received a holy brand from Cadderly.

Exiled and alone, Rufo met up with Druzil once again, returning to the Edificant Library to retrieve the chaos curse. Consumed by greed, Rufo consumed the elixir, transforming himself into a vampire. He proceeded to seize control of the library, making many of the other priests into lesser vampires or zombies-with the exception of Brother Chaunticleer. So prepared, he was lying in wait when Danica returned to the library. Rufo attempted to take her as his queen, but was denied by her use of suspended animation.

Cadderly's return led to a confrontation between the old rivals, a battle of Rufo's evil magic against the clerical powers Cadderly possessed. So great was Rufo's power, he denied Deneir in Cadderly's face. However, with the combination of Cadderly's power and the light of the sun, Rufo was destroyed, followed shortly thereafter by the desecrated Library.