Physical Description
Githyanki are humanoid creatures from outside the normal reality of Cimmeria and Earth. They are tall and thin, often standing more than six feet tall, but rarely weighing more than 200 pounds. They have yellow skin with brown patterned markings that are distinct for each individual. Their skin is tight against their skeletal structure giving githyanki a withered, shrunken appearance. Their eyes and hair can be red, yellow, and gray, or a mix of these colors. They have sharp ears like an elf and no nose, although they still possess nasal passages. Githyanki do not have facial hair.
Githyanki have many advantages granted to them from their time in the Astral Plane. They move with rapid grace due to training in all kinds of gravity. Their strange eyes can see in the dark. Their skin is resistant to magic, repelling the spells of lesser magicians. Stronger githyanki also master innate magic of their own. They are telekinetic, able to move things with their mind. They can also teleport short distances. The most powerful githyanki are even able to step between the dimensional planes.
Culture
Githyanki culture before they lived in the Astral Plane is a distant memory. Over time their technology and bodies adapted to life in the featureless wastes between dimensions. Githyanki wield specially made silver swords with an edge that cuts through the body, mind, and spirit. The silver swords are perfectly constructed for cutting the silver cords of dreamwalkers in the Astral Plane. Severing a soul from the body in this way is instantly lethal. For transportation githyanki have airships that can move through any atmosphere. There are numerous other small psionic devices that githyanki developed over their millennia in the Astral Plane. These devices make their daily lives easier. Other psionic pieces are used in warfare, mainly to locally replicate the conditions of the Astral Plane that githyanki are accustomed to and that their enemies find disorienting.
With their cultural roots long gone, githyanki are always looking forward to the next new thing. Fads catch on quickly and burn rapidly through githyanki society. They are a people of consumption first and foremost. When a new song is written every githyanki will have heard it by the end of the week and be tired of it by the end of the next. While githyanki still create a few artistic and performance pieces of their own, their culture has largely stagnated. With a stable immortal population and no external events within the Astral Plane, githyanki must look outside their own communities for cultural stimulation.
To fulfill their cultural needs, githyanki turned to piracy. They raid entire worlds for songs, plays, stories, paintings, sculptures, and cuisine. Githyanki weaponry and magic proved devastating against hundreds of worlds they found while sailing through the Astral Plane. When they find a new world the githyanki brutally occupy the civilized areas and take every novel art piece captive. The art is enjoyed, but not savored. Rapid consumption burns through the githyanki psyche as they seek to experience everything a world has to offer as quickly as possible. This swallowing of a native world’s entire oeuvre is a harrowing process that leaves many dead in its wake. Those that have heard of githyanki often fear them.
Githyanki society is hierarchical and at the top is the Lich-queen. She has ruled since the race moved from their home world to the Astral Plane. Vast eons of experience are contained within the Lich-queen and she is akin to a god for the githyanki. Those that have lived long enough or amassed enough power are called to go through a ritual where they “ascend to the Lich-queen.” It is a closely guarded secret that she consumes the souls of those that “ascend.” These souls remove the threat of any potential rivals to the Lich-queen’s position while also providing fuel for her near divine powers. She also drives githyanki invasions of other worlds so that she may consume the greatest among every world’s population.
History
The origin of the githyanki race is lost to time. They existed within a mortal realm at one point, but moved to the Astral Plane. Were they escaping a threat? Or had they consumed all resources in their home plane and moved on to find greener pastures? Whatever their reason the githyanki abandoned their home dimension and took up permanent residence in the Astral Plane between dimensions.
Residing in the Astral Plane left the githyanki without sources of food or inspirations for artistic endeavors. To fulfill those needs, the githyanki began visiting other planes. Their main residence remained a mobile fortress city in the Astral Plane, but they sent out scouting parties to other planes. A promising plane received a full scale invasion. After an initial invasion destroys organized resistance, the githyanki occupy the plane and drain it of resources. Once the plane has been milked for all they can get, the Lich-queen orders a return to the Astral Plane. The githyanki have repeated this cycle countless times. Scout, invade, occupy, consume, and depart.
The githyanki altered their strategy slightly for the invasion of Cimmeria. The wealth of magic in the region sparked great interest in the Lich-queen, but also caution for the githyanki soldiers could not easily overwhelm the local residents. The Lich-queen orchestrated an alliance with the blue dragons. Their sovereigns had been imprisoned by the Heroes of the Dragon War. By breaking the Blue Dragon Orb, the Lich-queen won a debt from Bavastatner. She collected the debt in the form of an alliance. The blue dragons would assist the githyanki invasion of Cimmeria.
With blue dragon mounts the githyanki rained down across Cimmeria. All the most powerful heroes of the day were slain or captured and fed to the Lich-queen. Most of Cimmeria was conquered within a few days. The two holdouts were Crafterton and Nomingburg, led by the Dragon War Hero, Tracy, and the Gish Trio of Galandir, Tereman, and Blendegad. Tracy kept her halfling people safe and led a resistance movement against the githyanki. Meanwhile the githyanki looted their conquest for all of its riches.
Tracy and the Gish Trio sought to drive a wedge between the Lich-queen and Bavastatner. They learned that Bavastatner had sworn on the River Styx to uphold the alliance. As a divine being he was bound to this oath but there was a way to undo such an oath. If his soul was freed from the Styx, then he would no longer be bound by an oath on it. Tracy devised a plan and executed it. Bavastatner learned how to free his soul. He did so, becoming more powerful in the process. His escape set off the Draco-Gith War. Bavastatner led his blue dragon family against the githyanki. The war between the two powers allowed people across Cimmeria to rise up in rebellion.
Tracy and the Gish Trio struck the final blow against the Lich-queen by banishing her from Earth. Her minions could come to the plane, but she would never be able to. The Lich-queen devoured Tracy in the process, but the damage was done. Unable to enjoy the world for herself, the Lich-queen ordered an evacuation of Cimmeria. She would have to undo her banishment before returning to finish what they’d started. The Lich-queen now has a goal with the githyanki’s wandering. She seeks a method to unbind her soul and reclaim the one conquest that was taken from her.
Subraces
There are two subraces of githyanki, those that are loyal to the Lich-queen and those that are not. Loyal githyanki are the overwhelming majority and referred to as githyanki. Dissidents are known as githzerai.
Githyanki: Githyanki serve the Lich-queen and live in the Astral Plane. They raid other dimensions for food, water, and entertainment. All githyanki serve the marauding army in one way or another. Githyanki are immortal, gathering more and more experience and skills over the millennia of their lives. When they reach the pinnacle of talent and ability they ascend to the Lich-queen.
Githzerai: Githzerai have split off from the githyanki. The reasons for leaving are varied. Some grow tired of the githyanki’s consumptive practices. Others develop a conscience and wish to live without stealing and pillaging from other worlds. Some few glimpse the terrible truth of ascending to the Lich-queen, where she devours the souls of the most proficient among the race. No matter the reason, the githzerai are githyanki that have fled the collective strength of the race to live separately.
Githzerai are a self-reflective people as many of them left the githyanki center for moral reasons. The githyanki always looked outwards for resources and stimulation, thus the githzerai look inwards. Meditation is a central part of githzerai life. They meditate on the essence of reality, their place in the universe, and how to best act in the future. This meditative culture magnifies the psionic powers of githzerai monks, making them some of the most powerful psions in the universe.
Githzerai do not live on the Astral Plane for fear of being discovered by their githyanki brethren. Instead they flee to the elemental planes or the various Material Planes across creation. Those in the elemental planes become mentally adapted to the harsh conditions of those environments. Rather than being physically resistant to fire, ice, and the other planar dangers, githzerai impose their own will upon the world around them. The elements are shaped into a hospitable environment around the githzerai. This is accomplished through application of their meditative psionic power.
Githzerai are a rare sight in Cimmeria. The region resisted githyanki control, so it may seem like a safe harbor for those escaping the Lich-queen’s dominion. Conversely, because Cimmeria resisted githyanki control it is a focused area for future probes and invasions. The githyanki hate to lose and they may return one day to complete their conquest. Githzerai in Cimmeria are deep in hiding should the githyanki discover them. Additionally, they have an escape route to another plane ready at all times.
Location
Githyanki live in the Astral Plane outside of Cimmeria’s typical reality. Scouting parties of githyanki still visit Cimmeria, hoping to undo the banishment of the Lich-queen. Other groups of githyanki that have split off from their mono-culture hope to make a new home for their race in Cimmeria where the Lich-queen can’t reach them. The main githyanki army searches for those resistance groups to eliminate and/or reintegrate them into the broader collective. Either way, there are no large groups of githyanki in Cimmeria or across the rest of Earth.
Relations with Other Races
Githyanki have poor relationships with all other races. To a githyanki, another species is a means for entertainment and nothing else. They rarely interact with other races outside of demanding something. Those githyanki that form more equitable bonds are likely to leave githyanki society and become githzerai.
The one exception to githyanki disdain for other races is blue dragons. The Lich-queen’s pact with Bavastatner gave the githyanki several blue dragon hatchlings. While the alliance with Bavastatner broke down and became the Draco-Gith War, the hatchlings remained with the githyanki in the Astral Plane. The little dragons have grown over time and been welcomed into githyanki society. Githyanki’s search for consumption matches the dragon’s hunger for treasure. The githyanki ride blue dragons into battle as they conquer more dimensions. In exchange, the githyanki provide their mounts with plenty of treasure for their hoards. As time has passed, the blue dragons are now old enough to have hatchlings of their own. It won’t be long before there is a dragon mount for every githyanki warrior.
Common Deities
Githyanki pay fealty to their Lich-queen, but do not worship her. Their home within the Astral Plane puts the githyanki outside the realm of most gods. They have no routine of worship, but they do have their own rituals for their people as they come of age or make new accomplishments. The greatest achievement is to ascend to the Lich-queen after centuries of combat and conflict.
The githzerai are not as restrictive in their religious practice as the githyanki. Githzerai typically worship gods of peace. In Cimmeria, that led them to the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons, order, and the passage of time. Many githzerai maintain the githyanki indifference towards religion. Even outside of religion, they still have rituals of self-discipline and meditation. These practices help githzerai to deny the constant consumptive attitude of their mother race.
Place in Adventuring
Githyanki have largely left Cimmeria. They are still a chilling threat to other planes of existence. Their psionic magic, centuries of training, and advanced technology make them a terrifying force to engage with. While they are not physically intimidating, all these factors make githyanki a challenge that only experienced adventurers can take on. Adventurers that travel the planes and move through the Astral Plane are sure to run into githyanki and must be prepared for their ruthless combat prowess.
Githyanki can become adventurers as well. The most common githyanki adventurer is a githzerai that split off from githyanki society on their own. Others take up adventuring as a form of cultural exploration and scouting independent of the Lich-queen’s military organization. Githyanki specialization in psionic magic makes them natural psions and psychic warriors. Traditional githyanki fighting styles weave magic casting and swordplay together, making them favor adventurer classes that combine more than one talent set. Githzerai also have a good temperament to become monks as their meditative practices are similar to the training of many unarmed martial arts traditions. No matter their skill set, githyanki adventurers are often focused on new experiences more than gold or good deeds.
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