#githmap

[tunarath]

Kith’rak Ilu

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Ilu

OC PRONOUS: She/Her & He/Him

AUTHOR: @tunarath

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

Greetings, ra’stil. Is there something you need?

2. Identify yourself:

I am Kith’rak Ilu, knight of the planes, and one of Vlaakith’s most loyal… Ha! Almost fooled myself with that one.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

Hmph.

4. I need to know how you fight:

I prefer to fight with my silver sword, but any two-handed weapon will do, if for some reason my sword is missing in action. I am also deadly proficient in psionics.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

If you must.

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

I place no trust in the divine. When you have lived as long as I have, and have experienced the things that I have, the gods seem less competent with each passing moment. They will ignore your cries for help, and turn on you in an instant. Remember that.

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

I assist the younger dragons in their training. It’s hard work, and not very rewarding, but what it lacks in personal fulfillment, it makes up for in excitement. I also translate various texts I gather from the material planes into tir’su when I’m feeling particularly bored.

8. What is your life goal?

To live in an age where I can retire to a small corner of the Astral and spend the rest of eternity unbothered by nosy subordinates. But for now, I will continue to fight for as long as I am needed.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

I treat my allies with respect, so long as they understand who they are speaking to. I am not here to be anyone’s enemy. 

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

I suppose I do, even if he can be quite the irritating thorn in my side. Ki’lath and I have known each other for countless millennia, though our… intimate relationship is rather recent. Still, there is no one I trust more.

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

Ever since my beloved was murdered, I cannot bring myself to bond with another dragon. Quelsyndras was my sun, my stars, and everything in between. We met outside of Tiamat’s pact aeons ago, atop a snowy mountain. I heard of her legend, and sought her out for her aid in a battle that would have cost the lives of my entire squadron if I failed to persuade her. By some miracle, she stuck around after that, and even granted me the privilege of riding her when I became a knight… Ah, I will not bore you with my drivel any longer.

12. What is a perfect day to you?

Sitting and enjoying the company of those who are close to me. Perhaps a bit of friendly sparring as well, though sparring circles are not as appealing to me as they once were.

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

With a lot of sweets and a long, uninterrupted nap.

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

Lose? I do not lose.

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

Hm… I imagine I will be remembered for my ludicrous endeavors, such as throwing a ghaik head at Vlaakith when I sought acceptance into the Astral. I still wonder why I was allowed to keep my own head after that.

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

@vikintor

[zetchrr]

[☺ Ka'zalii - Knight of the Silver Void☺]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Ka'zalii

OC PRONOUS: He/Him

AUTHOR: @ardentkurashk

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

Do you have something for me, ra'stil?

2. Identify yourself:

Ka'zalii. I serve the Sha'sal Khou as kith'rak, though it was not always so.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

Xal'i'n is far from here, in the depths of wildspace. It orbits a long dead planet that my kin made much use of. Searing storms of glass and sand and ethereal creatures are good for removing the weak. [He pauses, lost in uncomfortable memories for a moment.] I left long ago.

4. I need to know how you fight:

I trained with many weapons as a yank, though I find the blade most useful. I am a sorcerer first and foremost however and my innate talents manifested wilder than most. My magic can be.. unpredictable. [He lowers his voice.] Useful in battle more often than not, but don't stand too close.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

Yes, I enjoy our conversation.

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

Tas'ki, I assume you mean Vlaakith? Kain'cha. I bear no love for the lich queen. Neither should you, if you have wits about you. She is no god.

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

I enjoy collecting gems of all kinds and selecting the most striking for my armour. [He points to the series of gems set into his chestplate as he speaks.]

I also like to cook, it's oddly relaxing. There are dozens of ways to cook neogi for instance and I intend to know them all.

8. What is your life goal?

To unite our people under one sky of course, what else? The removal of the tyrant queen is but the first step. And perhaps, we might all enjoy a life of freedom afterwards.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

Allies. Or, that istik word, friends. I had never put much thought into alliances before I became stranded on an istik world. Since then, forging bonds has become extremely important to me. We are nothing without our strongest kin.

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

G'lyck. Very personal, ra'stil. I will answer. I do have a mate and she is very dear to me. She is as beautiful and formidable as the astral sea itself. She is my silver.

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

As tempting as it is to mention the tyrant again.. I must learn to be less zealous around kin who are already allies. So, I will say.. you would not find me anywhere near a humid climate. That is more of a nightmare than any ghaik could conjure.

12. What is a perfect day to you?

A glorious battle perhaps? No? We fight almost constantly, I have learned to look forward to days where I can just.. be. Our people do not set aside enough time for talking.

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

With my mate. Some pilfered drink and well cooked food also does wonders for morale.

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

I learn from them. We persist, as all githyanki must, but we will not achieve victory if we don't study our mistakes.

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

Ideally? As a catalyst for change, for resistance. Though it is just as likely I will be remembered as a dissident, or not remembered at all. It is no matter, it will not stop me from remaining faithful to my ideals.

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES] The reference I finally put together for him.

whew I finally did the post, sorry for taking ages, @vikintor

[astralprisms]

[☺ XA'ROK - THE ASTRAL ENVOY ☺]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Xa'rok

AUTHOR: Rook (or @astraltadpoled on twt)

2. [DIALOGUE]

Greeting message:

I hope the journey was kind to you. How are you faring?

Identify yourself:

I am Xa'rok, Astral Envoy, and founder of the Society of the Three Skies. Free Skies? I'm still workshopping the title. Which do you like better?

Tell me about your creche:

I left it long ago. It's something of a sore subject - for them, not me, you understand. They were more open-minded than most, but even their tolerance had a limit. I think the northern winds addled their brains. If you've never been to the spine of the world, well. I can't say I recommend it.

I need to know how you fight:

With blade and bow. But trying to predict my movements will only get you tripping over your own thoughts. Telling you more would give you an edge. Every hatchling knows that. But since you asked... <casts Dissonant Whispers>

I have more tricks up my sleeve, but I reserve those for actual enemies, not potential friends. Hard to make friends with a corpse. Unless you're a necromancer, I suppose.

Can I ask a personal question?

I have nothing to hide.

What is your relationship to divinity?

I feel like I'm being censured again. If you're talking about Vlaakith, I think she could do better. She didn't like my notes, though. Zerthimon had the better philosohy to be sure, but I don't put my faith in any god. Veneration tends to amplify our mistakes. I prefer to leave the gods to their realms, and focus on our own.

What do you usually do in your free time?

Play music, when I get to. I could play you something now, if you like.

What is your life goal?

A tall order. Well, I guess I can't get exiled again. I want to reunite our people, and - perhaps most damningly - I want them to leave the ghaik alone. Coexistence is possible, but it is only the first step. Think of what they could teach us - and us them - if given the chance to meet in the middle.

[A long pause] ...I didn't say it was an obtainable goal.

How is your relationship to your allies?

Good, I hope. At least, that's what they tell me. We try to meet up once or twice a year, if our schedules allow it. And they know, should they have need of me, my sword and skills are at their call. They need only ask.

Do you have someone special in your life?

I have a partner, if that's what you're asking. Whether we're just business partners or otherwise is between us, though. Have to leave my colleagues guessing. If they knew the real truth, they'd be scandalized. Though maybe not here. Maybe.

Say something you would never do, and why:

Vlaakith gha'g shkath zai (laughs) she didn't like that, either. I've never been one to kneel to authority.

What is a perfect day to you?

Somewhere out there among the stars, traveling with D'jaxia, sometimes alone, sometimes with company, lost in a concert of noise and light. Preferably on a good day, when negotiations are going well. Did you know that the stars sing? You have to be silent to hear it, but when you do... there's nothing quite like it.

How do you celebrate a victory?

How does anyone? A party of course! Preferably with those you love in attendance, good food, and singing. Can you sing? It isn't my forte, but that makes it all the better, I think. It helps to humble your friends every now and again by reminding them you could be worse and that you're abstaining, for their sake.

But have a drink, enjoy the music! At my old creche there were sparring matches to determine the pecking order but I've left that particular celebratory custom up north where it belongs. There's a training dummy if you need to let off steam, though.

How do you deal with defeat and losses?

I like to be alone for that. It's hard to ruminate on failure when you have supportive friends and allies whispering reassurances into your brain on how best to succeed next time. Sometimes you have to sit with the loss to internalize it. It doesn't sink in otherwise.

How do you think you will be remembered after death?

As a positive force for change, if nothing else. A visionary at best. An addled-brained lost cause at the very worst. I can deal with being h'sharlak. But to discount my work entirely... to wonder why it's even being attempted in the first place... I want to change their minds. Maybe even yours. Even if my voice is just one lost in the chorus, if I've achieved anything - gotten just one person to pause and reconsider, I feel like I've done my duty.

I hope they'll entertain the work, after all is said and done, and maybe someone somewhere down the line can pick up where I left off in less dire straits. Maybe they can even contact my spirit, somehow, in some way, to let me know how it's gone. I think the githzerai have done something like that. Maybe Skaro knows...

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

Xa'rok has a theme song here (by @aceforspinaltap on twt)

Xa'rok going illithid powers mode (by @/oxalees)

Xa'rok and the Emperor (by @/pickled0ctopus)

Xa'rok, D'jaxia, and the Emperor & illithid!Xa'rok, D'jaxia, and the Emperor by @/greseadraws

Xa'rok and their githzerai partner, Skaro (I may include him so long as I can figure him out enough to answer the questions) - (in the partner question Xa'rok refers to the Emperor in a candid sense, though the form the Emperor takes as their dream guardian is the face of Skaro, so no matter which way you slice Xa'rok's romantic entanglements, they're pissing off Vlaakith loyalist githyanki by tangoing with both ghaik and 'zerai, both factions they hope to unite for cultural advancement and free trade of information and resources, if nothing else.)

Xa'rok willingly took the astral tadpole and became half-illithid. Their in-game ending involves also becoming full illithid, but for this project they exist in their AU state as a half-illithid, half-gith.

They are non-binary and use they/them pronouns.

@vikintor

[warmhealerr]

[Ra’sha]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Ra’sha

OC PRONOUNS: She/her

AUTHOR: Warmhealerr

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

What do you want from me? Make it quick.

2. Identify yourself:

Ra'sha.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

I would have already told you about my Creche if I wanted to discuss it.

You won't let it go will you? Fine. It was the once great M'laak'gi. Forget about it, puny istiki took it back. It has been wiped from Githyanki records entirely since. (She looks away, slurring under her breath. You manage to make out “is’tarki“ from her mumbling).

4. I need to know how you fight:

Some k'chakhi still say to be unable to choose between martial prowess and magic is proof of weakness. Strangling them with a shocking grasp has always proved to be a great way of settling the debate, shuts them right up. Roasted tongues are a gish’s favorite meal. Sometimes I crush their skulls with my flail instead, when I'm in the mood.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

You are gorgeous and entertaining enough. Get on with it.

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

You mean this insidious ruler who answers to Vlaakith? Pfah. Unworthy of the title. She has failed our people far too many times.

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

I do things like standing in place bored to death. My superior insists I must stay here for the time being. “It's not safe out there”, chk, as though I care. I miss sewer duty.

8. What is your life goal?

I will take back M'laak'gi. And then? I'm taking down Vlaakith myself.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

I hardly trust the Sha'sal Khou, it is far too big for its own good, far too kind to istiki too, but they are all I have if I want to see the Queen's fall without having my eyeballs stuffed in my slit open gushing throat.

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

Do you?

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

I've been told I should learn to control my rage, redirect it at ghaik. Chk. These pathetic abominations have nothing to do with our current suffering. I've killed some, they are hardly shadows of a past they delusionally still chase. You should watch their tentacles curl on themselves as you slowly sever their heads. Even Beholders have more grace. My anger will not be sated until all of Vlaakith's kain’cha pawns' blood has been spilled all over my face. There is no point in pretending. My rage will guide me to triumph, just like it led Gith all those years ago, and another empire will fall.

12. What is a perfect day to you?

Ch’r’ai murder goes as planned, my favorite.

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

I have never experienced a true victory. When I do, if ever? I hope to fuck so many women I pass out in a pool of our own blood.

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

Chk, why would you need to know that?

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

Ra'sha, slayer of Death itself.

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

@vikintor

[leadflowers]

[ RYNESSA - Githmap Application ]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Rynessa

OC PRONOUS: She/Her

AUTHOR: @leadflowers

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

Greetings, kin.

2. Identify yourself:

My name is Rynessa, of Creche A’iel.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

A’iel is nestled inside an old tower that once belonged to a wizard of this realm, high up in the mountains. He thought his power would be enough to ensure his safety in his seclusion. *she flashes a predatory smile* He was wrong.

4. I need to know how you fight:

I can fight with blade and spell, though I prefer the latter. This is not the magic one finds in dusty scrolls and crumbling tomes; raw psionic energy flows through me, enabling me to shape the world around me and crush my enemies with my mind.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

*Her eyes narrow slightly, but she nods* If you wish.

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

*She frowns* This is a…peculiar question. I serve and honour our Queen Vlaakith, as is my duty.

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

I rest. I train. I work on my research. And, I read. This plane, for all its faults, does have some fascinating literature. *a smirk crosses her lips* Some of it is positively obscene!

8. What is your life goal?

I was apprenticed to a famed scholar who studied strange, distant planes and nameless artifacts never before touched by mortal hands. His knowledge of the multiverse is vast, his power prodigious. One day, I will surpass him.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

They watch my back, I watch theirs. Furthermore, their company is not…unpleasant.

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

I...Once there was someone, yes. *she suddenly looks away, and says no more*

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

I would never sell my honour. This is something only cowards do.

12. What is a perfect day to you?

When nobody interrupts my experiments and all goes according to plan, then I can end the day with a good book. *she scowls, suggesting this is not a common occurrence*

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

With a feast, preferably one that includes some of that ‘strawberry treacle tart’ which I found in the last village we raided.

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

By rallying my forces and preparing my revenge. As long as I’m alive, all is not lost.

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

*She stands a little straighter* As a famed planewalker and ghaik-slayer, whose deeds are recorded in stone.

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

@vikintor *waves* Following your invitation from FB 😇

[des-no9]

Des! DES!!! Shaking you most rabidly especially as I just got to see Vanquish on the Githmap! This is a question I've had in mind for a while but didn't want to ask you since I KNOW it can be super hard task to describe and I wasn't sure you had thought about it much : What do you imagine Githyanki dances across history and artistic movements to be like? What limbs do you think they focus on? Is it quick rounds but impressive performance or endurance based? What kind of individual and collective formations would there be? Who dances with who if relevant? What peoples on Earth do you draw inspiration from in your head?

I know I know many questions all at once, apologies, but exploring fictional dances makes me very excited oops.

Omg okay NO I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED this has for some reason been on my mind a lot. It stemmed from thinking about Vanquish asking Voss about githyanki dance culture and asking him to show her some. And Voss being so old, he's known what they've had from the beginning, those lost now, some that only live on in him maybe, and he's learned so many through his lifetime.

Anyway.

Okay. I'll kind of start from the beginning with thoughts in their slavery under the ghaik at maybe the possibility of dance, movement and community there.

Githyanki, and dance

note: this is very long!!!! enjoy x

Githyanki, then

I think a lot about what possibility of their community they could have had, what it could have been during then beneath the ghaik. I like to HC that it was probably quite different depending on what colony you were in, what purpose you served, how big it was etc. A larger colony probably had a little more freedom in 'community'. A smaller community is much easier to govern stricter from above. Tighter leashes.

But still, colonies where the githyanki (I'll use that term for them even if they weren't that during that period) were used for bodyguards and bred to fight, yes the ghaik would command them to do as such, but training them to understand fighting separate from commands, to stop bodies atrophying and for their bodies to understand the movements for innate reactions, the githyanki would have trained together.

Potentially from this in any down time they had, or even during their training, they could have developed some sort of dance from their fighting techniques. A way for them to detach from what they know they have to do, to something more pleasurable. For them, and them alone.

Now I'm just speculating at the amount of control the ghaik had over them in their slavery and thralldom. I'm sure there were many varying degrees of control in many situations. Many a small constant to know you are leashed. And then full control for shorter periods when necessary.

And I know there are people that understand when under abuse or slavery after so long, and being giving freedoms, sometimes you cannot, or won't leave.

Anyway, from this period what I'm trying to visualise is that maybe they constructred dance, a dance, various dances, from their training during fighting.

Something that could be easily hidden. Something that was only theirs. Something that could be practiced on 'downtime' and easily covered up as sparring, but when alone and the wrong eyes looked away, the right eyes looking on, it was art and beauty and love and laughter.

With dances like this, I think a lot clearly about the motions and movement of capoeira.

Githyanki, free

Looking at the other side, the other colonies that maybe unlike the martial ones, or the larger ones (I HC Voss was from a martial one, but a smaller, strict, and quite horrific one. #1 blorbo must suffer) and I think sometimes about the fact that maybe a lot of newly annointed githyanki weren't used to touch.

Touch in a gentle way, affectionate way. A mutual way. A wanted way. Maybe many had never touched another body other than their own, or an enemies. Maybe they'd never seen their reflection but in the mud stained blood stained puddle they'd been ordered in their head to run over can't stop can't stop-

I like thinking a lot about in the early days of githyanki for maybe a large section of them was discovering their own bodies. The bodies of their kin. What it really felt like to touch someone and laugh and feel something other than rage and fear and pain. Joy and life and love.

Those from the larger martial colonies who had dance, maybe started to offer a way to help them explore this through their dance. And so from this, new githyanki dance(s) evolved.

Exploration. Intimacy. Curiosity. Joy. Intensity.

I see a lot of these dances maybe initially being led by the more knowledgable partner. Letting the more inexperienced and curious one feel the other's body through the moves of dance. Slow, often. Lots of continual body contact. Barely any clothing. Lots of movement of limbs to understand their movement in dance and outside of 'normal' functions. See what your body can do! Let me show you! I visualise a lot of the movements and motion here with ballet. Especially modern ballet. Ballet dancing movement for githyanki just fits for me.

I think there would be so much reconnection for the githyanki at this period of time with their bodies. I have HCs that there could/would be some physicaly variation in the githyanki at this period too, depending on which colony they came from. So dances like these would be wonderful for different looking githyanki physically to explore one another's bodies and differences and connect, that even if we look different, you bled to kill, I to breed, we are kin.

Those who would be githzerai

Another area I was thinking about in regard to this was those who started to fall in with Zerthimon. Those who followed his teachings, and eventually became the githzerai. I even think here about Orpheus and his honour guard because in essence they fight as monks. (and then I HC Orpheus as Zerth and Gith's son and a whole thing anyway lmao).

Originally, those in the martial colonies I think would have really loved the capoeira style of dance and developed that even further within their fighting and dancing style. Some may say when watching a graceful monk fight it is between dance and violence. When watching some of the more power punch heavy ones fight though, that's pure strength that you can feel rattle your teeth.

I don't think as much about githzerai as I do githyanki (a failing on my part I know lmao) but I think maybe one of their styles of dance is quite similar to the Indian classical dance of Kathak. I just like thinking about it a lot as a form of storytelling and maybe this is a way the githzerai enjoy telling stories in a place where there is more of a family presence and also the passage of time, unlike the Astral Sea. Also there is a lot of upper body and arm movement in Kathak and monks and githzerai = punchy lads.

I also think a lot about githzerai having a lot dances that you can do solo, in contrast to the githyanki who have a lot more dances you do with someone, or even more than one person. That physical connection with someone else feels to me like a source of such integral just, being for githyanki. Whereas githzerai maybe it's a little more different.

Githyanki, now

I think the initial dance of exploration of body has survived in the githyanki to now, in that it has evolved in different ways throughout the years. This intense intimacy of a cotninual body contact dance. Not once letting go of each other as we dance together. Our bodies as one, experience teaching inexperience. Let me bleed into you and give you what I know.

Maybe as the githyanki grew more detached from community, family, love - as Vlaakith I took power and the further Vlaakiths cemented their power and ideologies to now as we see the githyanki of today, the dances changed. Grew rougher. Maybe with more violence.

I think maybe even some took something sacred like this and took it into their raiding culture and turned it brutal.

For example, capturing an istik you are unfamiliar with, and exploring their new body without consent with this dance in-front of all your githyanki friends at the raid. What is the istik going to do? But it feels very raiding culture githyanki thing to do. Especially if you do not know or understand the origins of the dance in a way that someone like Voss would understand it. Maybe the origins of it is lost, hidden, forbidden, warped. For something like that is SO long in terms of history. Far over a thousand years. Just think about something over a thousand years in our history. Accuracy? Forget it.

Other types of dances for githyanki that exist now I think would be: For solo, I think they'd do something like fancy sword dancing? I remember seeing a video of a guy doing this insanely beautiful sensual dance with his sword and I thought.......githyanki lol. Like the githyanki fighters treat their silver swords like an extension of their own bodies. I really think they'd have a dance that would show that. All grace and fluidity and lots of skin showing for the danger.

Also if they're a gish maybe they would fire dance, or use magic in some way. I just think githyanki love to show off lol. And skirt with danger a lot. Also fire is associated a lot with their dragons. They're comfortable with it.

Foreplay. Now, I think a lot about githyanki sex (clearly from 2 secs on my blog). And a lot of the young, wild raiders are in and out (lmao) or rough and wild and don't give a fuck. Trophy istiks. Take and you're mine. Blood and fuck. Maybe some older ones too. Especially with modern githyanki with the way they have all been twisted and turned into a cultish society by Vlaakith(s) and their creche system and the void of family and nurturing community and the inability to spell love.

But, the githyanki aren't a monolith. They are spread wide and far and pockets of creches in different planes and some grow at different paces and anomolies in ages (Voss lol) and different hearts and heads and then Orpheus is back and a rebellion has been slow brewing as long as Orpheus has been in chains and and--

what I'm trying to say is that there are probably so many different styles and dances that vary by creche and region and even Tu'narath style for X dance compared to Githmir style or Creche T'lak style and I could go on.

And then there are githyanki that love foreplay. That agonising, but beautiful build up to when there is nothing in these planes but my skin your skin the taste of your blood and mine.

Dance is foreplay.

I thnk a variation of the 'explore and understand your body' has DEFINITELY survived and turned into this. And maybe the leader/more dominant urges their partner to dance and touch and move where on their body they like to be touched, want to be touched, never breaking contact, but not touching their partner with hands until sex. Just body to body, hands free. Maybe brushing together as they move. But no hands to body. Just body, to body. Show me how you move. Let your body move in ways you didn't know. See corners of mine you didn't.

The above is what I was thinking about a lot with Voss and Vanquish and what Voss teaches her. This and the original dance he learned as a newly annointed githyanki. Voss was one of the ones who needed to learn his, and others bodies, and this dance means a lot to him, and he's kept the original close and deep in his heart and sharing the original with Vanquish is a Real Moment for him. Exposing and probably another way to say "I'm letting you in, istik no more".

Side note, githyanki with partners who aren't githyanki I think also like using the body exploring dance a lot as a bonding experience. But I HC githyanki just innately have much less hangups about their bodies than istik do, so it might take a little bit of build up or stepping stones to get the full githyanki dance experience. But when they do.... :3

Okay I think I have rambled A LOT about githyanki dancing and I think that covers some of the ideas I had LOL. I hoped you and anyone else who read this enjoyed. It was an absolute delight to write. As it always is to write any githyanki HC and worldbuilding.

-Des x

[piipaw]

[☺Gum- Unrenoun Cleric of Mystra☺]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Gum

OC PRONOUS: He/Him, They/Them

AUTHOR: @piipaw

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

Hmm? Did you need something?

2. Identify yourself:

Who, me? You can call me Gum. I’m a cleric of Mystra, but it’s best if you don’t discuss it too loudly. Let’s keep that between us.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

[He looks distant, as if lost in thought] … Did you say something? 

4. I need to know how you fight::

I was once skilled with a sword, but I prefer a mace and shield when my spells can’t support my allies. Healing wounds and supporting suits me better, though I’m not sure the others appreciate when my support comes in the form of the undead.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

Depends on how personal, but proceed.

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

[He looks around uneasy] … I am devoted to my Goddess, Mystra. It is through her guidance I have found my true self, my freedom, even at a price. Oh, wait, did you mean Vlaakith? [a deep hurt crosses his face, a hand rising to the scar on his throat] I have no loyalties to someone who has taken so much from my8self and my kin. 

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

Read, I practically live in a library now, it’s a contrast from the humble books I plucked from the stores my creche’s raiders would bring back. It’s… comforting to be able to store them in the open, rather than hide them under the floor panels of my bunk.

8. What is your life goal?

I know my kin fight to unite us under one sky, some may even call me hshar'lak for not taking up arms in the rebellion, but I am better suited on the ground- far from the backs of dragons. So long as I live I can continue to prevent any untimely deaths, continue to provide life to the living, I can die at peace knowing I did all I could.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

Unlikely. I never had many companions at my creche, even when I was looked upon in favor. I never saw myself to find allies and family among istikis, yet here I am with more friends than I have fingers to count. 

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

[His neutral face breaks into a soft smile]. I do,and after living so long with only the goal of survival as a reason to move forwards, he has reminded me what living can truly feel like. I am talking too much, but perhaps it cannot be helped as no one else has ever shown me love so pure.

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

I would rather die than return to my creche. The reasons for that are not of your concern. 

12. What is a perfect day to you?

A perfect day once would be any day bathed in the blood of my enemies. Now? Any day where I can relax with a nice soak, perhaps with slices of apple and cheese if I’m feeling extra luxurious.

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

Victories are best spent with good company. Be it a large affair with wine flowing, or a magical night under the stars. Perhaps after our next win I shall help prepare a feast?

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

Loss… [He pauses, touching the scar across his neck] I am too familiar with loss. When we lose things, things are often gained in ways we could not imagine. It is best to keep going forwards without forgetting what got us to our destinations along the way.

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

Who’s to say anyone will remember me after my time? I am but a star in the sky, and countless more shine hotter and burn brighter than myself. That is not to say I would not miss my friends if they were to pass before my time, and I hope they would not feel too much sadness should the roles be reversed.

3. [GRAPHICS]

(i was really fighting my program making these i really hope it saved transparent)

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

I really adore my Tav sorry for a mini pic gallery ;w;

I sadly haven't finished coding the page on my website for Gum, but I'll include a little blurb on his backstory here!

After experiencing the preventable death of his rival, G'lyth, Gum had his faith in Vlaakith shattered. Turning to Mystra's guidance after discovering some contraband tomes brought in on a raid, Gum practiced magic and medicine in secrecy, though many had suspicions of his wavering faith- none could find such proof of his treachery to their queen. He soon secured the position of ghustil of his creche to ensure his safety- knowing it was temporary. After being abducted from his home and enduring a long journey, Gum had found a group of unlikely allies to stand by when things seemed hopeless. Along the way he discovered much about himself, his connection to the divine, and decided to settle down far from his creche. While he hates the cold climate, he will accept any chance to enjoy his new found freedom.

Thank you again, @vikintor. I don't believe we have ever spoke, but seeing you combine two of my favorite interest (Doom and the Gith), I really wanted to take a chance and submit something as well. Thank you for giving me the opportunity C:

[astralprisms]

[☺ Skaro - The Shield of Shra'kt'alor☺]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Skaro

OC PRONOUS: He/Him

AUTHOR: Rook

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

Do you have need of me?

2. Identify yourself:

I am Skaro of Shra'kt'lor, though I haven't called that place home in a long time.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

No creche, a monastery in the midst of Chaos. One of many. There isn't much to say. There we were trained, and there I learned to harness my psionic energy to better defend my mind and body, though I left to pursue a different path once that training was complete.

4. I need to know how you fight::

You may be expecting a monk, but the blade says otherwise. A fighter, then. But don't get too comfortable -- how many wizards do you know that can also swing a sword? I am a Zerth. I may prefer a blade to fists, but there is more to my fighting than meets the eye.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

Not at the moment. I'm here on business.

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

Skaro started life as Xa'rok's Dream Guardian, so you'll often see him in the Guardian's armor, but I got too attached to him, so he gets to exist on his own now, too.

In the AU in which he exists alongside Xa'rok as himself and not just the visage of a prisoner the Emperor once met, Skaro was born in Shra'kt'lor and became both a philosophical student of Zerthimon's and a practitioner of arcane-focused fighting, earning himself the honorary and hereditary title of Zerth. He has been around for quite some time -- age undefined but his physical body is somewhere in his 50s -- and in that time grown tired of the us against them mentality that keeps the gith people splintered instead of whole. He left Shra'kt'lor to follow this desire for unification, interplanar-traveled often, and found himself invited to and then a part of the sha'sal khou. He has been working with the organization for years and after meeting Xa'rok in his travels, brought them along into the fold. In this universe, he and Xa'rok are partnered and they continue Xa'rok's work alongside their work for the Sha'sal Khou, as some of their interests align.

@vikintor

[warmhealerr]

[Gaalil]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Gaalil

OC PRONOUNS: He/him

AUTHOR: Warmhealerr

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

Good to see you on your own two feet.

2. Identify yourself:

Gaalil of Creche Dul'tak. (The smirk growing on his face betrays a lie). 

3. Tell me about your Creche:

Ignorance is thriving I see. Dul’tak is located on- Alright, enough messing around. Unfortunately for you I was not born Githyanki, I have no Creche to call my pride, but we may still be allies.

4. I need to know how you fight::

I am far from a warrior, but I do know a thing or two about altercations. Artillery is where my strength truly lies, you see.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

Am I not a charming fellow! What would you like to know?

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

Zerths will tell you many hard truths about Gith, about Vlaakith. None of them truly sink in until you are on the field yourself. 

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

I talk to people like you. (He chuckles at his own joke. His expression drops when he finally notices the only laugh bouncing off the walls is his own). You want a real answer huh? I used to trade with istiki back on Tu’narath when I wasn't on cev’ren "maintenance" duty. Spy activities, you see, but the people saw me as an eccentric, skilled Mlar who happened to enjoy the Merchant District far too much. Unfortunately this hobby of mine is off the table in our current position. You would not believe the things I've heard, the things I've seen, the things I've held. Istiki are a curious bunch. They have more to them than deep pockets. I hope to travel again soon. 

8. What is your life goal?

Far too many Githzerai are blinded by a past we did not even witness. Their justification for spilling our cousins' blood is nonsensical, especially their young. When you get to experience Githyanki society, you see what you had long been warned about, the ugly, but what I wasn't warned about was the beautiful passion that animates it. Oh, most beautiful indeed. Our peoples need to reunite. We cannot erase history, but there is always time for a permanent truce, if not a gorgeous alliance. No more cousin hunting, I cannot bear to witness it anymore.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

I was once a wary man, for reasons I am sure you can figure out. (He vaguely gestures around his own body). Nowadays, I think you can tell the trust I put in people like you, even if naive. I consider myself more Githyanki than Githzerai… though I welcome istiki with open arms. We all have our flaws, wouldn't you agree? The Sha'sal Khou's network is vast, I know they have my back, and I have theirs all the same.

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

Their name is N'un'ya Biz'ness.

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

Some worry I will betray the Sha'sal Khou’s cause when Githyanki will be at their weakest. Understandable fear really, but I will not follow in my mother's footsteps. My cousins are family, my silver, my blood. 

12. What is a perfect day to you?

There is no such a thing as a perfect day, especially not on this plane. Let me think. (He caresses his goatee). I enjoy meditation. Successfully fixing our fleets never ceases to make me proud. I would also love to collect more istik curiosities to study. All three at once…Oh, I’d love that. I like when my routine is thriving. It doesn’t take much to make me happy, or not that much at least, right?

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

All I need is to hold my cousins close, and by holding my cousins I mean punch, tackle and kick them laughing while we are still delirious from adrenaline. There is no reaction more genuine.

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

Istiki have taught me a few songs. They bring a little peace to broken spirits, especially when they cannot understand the lyrics.

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

Depends on when my time comes. In my experience, I assume I'll be forgotten, a digit less among the multitudes of Vlaakith's faceless enemies. Such is fate for the descendants of those who spurned Gith. If I am lucky enough to die after Her fall, perhaps I will be remembered as a reliable and skilled man by some. I would like to hope so, at least. 

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

@vikintor

[warmhealerr]

[Ta’rath]

1. [CHARACTER INFO]

OC NAME: Ta’rath

OC PRONOUNS: They/them

AUTHOR: Warmhealerr

2. [DIALOGUE]

1. Greeting message:

(The Githyanki is looking right through you, avoiding your gaze. Common finally slips out of their mouth)…Yes?

2. Identify yourself:

My name is Ta’rath.

3. Tell me about your Creche:

My Creche?…I do not want to talk about it.

4. I need to know how you fight:

I fight with what my body naturally gives me. I was trained in an Ilmateri monastery, should you be familiar with the deity. I have been slowly picking up on more… “Githyanki” ways of fighting, but I believe control over my body and that of others by extension has been an advantage on the battlefield thus far. Our enemies are unfamiliar with my technique, and their tendency to underestimate me is yet another weapon for me to wield.

5. Can I ask a more personal question?

I have nothing to hide. (Capillaries on the inside of their elbow have burst from their insistent scratching). 

6. What is your relationship with the divinity?

Which one? Not like that matters, my answer would be the same. They care not about me, and I care not about them. I still swear on Ilmater more than I’d like. (They pause for an uncomfortably long amount of time). Wait, my apologies, were you asking about Vlaakith? Far from the divine she is. I care more about my kin than her, but if my kin needs help disposing of her…

7. What do you usually do in your free time?

(They hold out their forearms. Hidden underneath the bandages, raised scars decorate them : cuts, burns, scratches old and new cover almost every inch of skin peeking). Inflicting pain on oneself makes for great meditation and training. Do not pity me, I enjoy it most thoroughly.

8. What is your life goal?

I think I want to see our people thrive.

9. How is your relationship with your allies?

A few exceptions aside, distant. Do not take it personally.

10. Do you have someone special in your life?

There are few people I truly care about, especially people that I can still hope to see again someday, but I cannot think of one specifically that stands out among the others…(The sclera of their eyes darkens, star like glint revealing a subtle pink silhouette) Not someone that matters anymore, at least.

11. Say something you would never do, and why?

There is no room for such things in war. “To say never is to have already lost child” a great Kith'rak recently told me. Still, I hope I never have to bring harm to children, nor enslave, even istiki...Especially istiki. You can call me a bleeding heart, I am used to it. How do you say it again? “She'lak”?

12. What is a perfect day to you?

I miss bathing and swimming in nature. We can talk about this again when Vlaakith is gone and I can learn to truly enjoy the Astral Sea and what it has to offer. Perhaps I will have a deeper answer to give you by then.

13. How do you celebrate a victory?

Blueberry wine in peace and quiet is my favorite. The former is far too rare here. I thought Githyanki more lavish than that.

14. How do you deal with defeat and losses?

Just like you can drink a victory to the stars, you can drink your sorrow away all the same.

15. How do you think you will be remembered after death?

The question should be “Will it be known?”. Once upon a time I did not care about the thought, or at least I pretended I didn’t. I could have drowned the next day and maybe it wouldn’t have mattered for shit. I have lived on the Material outside of a Creche much longer than the average Githyanki does. I am far too familiar with death, the one Githyanki don’t allow themselves to know. If my time comes while they are still alive, I hope the lovely companions that have given me something to chase after, both on the Material and Astral planes, will not be left to wonder what became of me…(You have lost eye contact once more). Maybe this got far too personal. Can we talk about something else?

3. [GRAPHICS]

4. [BONUS RESOURCES]

Tenderly microwaved by my best friend.

@vikintor I've no idea how full or not the map is yet, but if they could be placed somewhere with barely any Giths if not none it'd be lovely ;_; They are still adjusting to being around Githyanki and therefore isolating a lot.

[warmhealerr]

Playing the Githmap.

I FOUND A SECRET!

Where to find it under the cut, though I'm not spoiling the actual surprise :

There is what initially appears to be a cryptic room on Ka'zalii's left.

You will find crates in the corner. Jump on the smaller one to then jump on the bigger one. Jump on the smaller crate that appeared in front of you (what matters most is passing the pillar).

A wall should now be blocking the initial entrance. To get rid of that wall you have to enter this room on your left (central corridor) and exit it.

The wall is now gone...What dark secrets lurk in the shadows?

To reset and go back to the normal map, simply jump back on the crates and pass the pillar again, all will reset.

[warmhealerr]

I found my babies 🥹 Gaalil and Ra'sha just chilling! Then I walked a little more. Ta'rath's location genuinely made me tear up. I mentioned I would prefer for them to be somewhere alone but HOLY SHIT I wasn't expecting actual scenery 😭 It is so pretty and line with them. So melancholic. I WILL have to redraw this someday.

@vikintor I cannot thank you enough for your labour of love. I've been so happy running around the stronghold, meeting colorful Githyanki I know and don't, trying to uncover secrets (I've found one so far! EDIT : now two!) and stopping for long minutes taking in the scenery and all the little ideas plopped around. This is exactly how I picture a lot of Githyanki architecture yet it's also giving me so many ideas at the same time, it's just fucking insane to me. Your games in general have me ranging from interested to hooked and I WILL throw money at you when that's financially possible for me because holy Goddamn SHIT. Thank you so, so much.

[astralprisms]

tell me abt xa’rok !!

AHHHH you're so sweet!!

Some primers:

Xa'rok's responses to the githmap

Xa'rok and the Emperor (with bonus backstory overview and future musings)

Ramblings about illithid!Xa'rok and their tumultuous future

misc headcanons, wilderness survival training

Relevant character tags: tav: xa'rok, tav: skaro

THAT SAID, meet Xa'rok (they/them) a (former) githyanki bard/ranger, who also answers to the title of the Astral Envoy.

They were born in a creche deep in the icy mountains way up north near the Spine of the World. Their creche was isolated from other githyanki on the material plane, and their remote seclusion gave rise to an interesting selection of Vlaakith's 'faithful'. At Creche Zythir, curiosity was encouraged, and open-mindedness praised. Their sa'varsh favored keen minds and a thirst for knowledge in addition to power. To inquire was always rewarded. But only, as Xa'rok would learn, up to a point.

Xa'rok's own curiosity was sharpened like any other tool in a gith's arsenal, and like their kin's, put to good use. When the kith'rakis returned triumphant from raids they would dump their spoils in the middle of the main hall and let the yanks fight over the prizes, which they could only keep on loan in return for learning everything they could about what prize they claimed, later to be divulged at length and recorded. These prizes were hardwon and viciously fought for. Through several of these bloody claiming lessons, Xa'rok began to learn about their peoples' greatest enemy, the ghaik.

But what started as the thrill of praise in the claiming room soon turned to genuine curiosity for the history, the culture, and the creatures behind it. Whatever their people thought of their old masters, the illithids were prolific in their own right and their skills could be useful if given the right direction. A circular point of fascination for young Xa'rok was the intersection between their two peoples, a history paved in servitude and blood but which ultimately led to the current state of their race, psionics and all. If the gith of the now were a byproduct of illithid tampering-- what could the gith and illithids achieve if they were to work together to further one goal? What if there could be trade between them, a way to share knowledge and skills for the betterment of both species, to compromise instead of kill on sight?

Their interest narrowed and their appetite for any scrap of knowledge to these ends grew. It was easy, at first, to pass off their fascination as a war general's dedication to the enemies' habits and movements, so as to better best them one day in combat. They had to know the shape and size and interior schematics of the Nautiloids-- to better navigate their corridors should they ever find themselves aboard one, of course. To know what they could of an illthid's biology-- to better find their weak spots, not because they had so many questions about the similarities between their form and that of the ghaiks, on whether the similarities ended superficially, or if their psionic power came from the same place; if the divergence of their ability to reproduce was a byproduct of shaping the earlier forms of their kin to better fit the illithid image; if they were for all intents and purposes the forerunners of a new illithid race, a project that was terminated prematurely with the gith liberation.

Their questions and curiosity grew until they were too pointed to be explained away. They began to get ideas, ideas their superiors didn't like--and worse, ideas they spoke about to others. They were an effective speaker, someone who was easy to listen to and easier still to agree with, as they made their points clearly and with passion, backed up with facts. And the gith of their creche valued knowledge above all but their silver swords. Their fascination was tolerated as a quirk when it was sought in defense of their people, but this new line of thinking was dangerously close to collusion. There was nothing to be gained from working with the illithids but another future of servitude under cruel masters and this time there was no Gith to save them.

Xa'rok lore (abridged version)

In the end, they were exiled. They had barely hit their 20th year before being given the ultimatum. They were portaled to the middle of the tundra and left with nothing but the clothes on their back and what little they carried, to starve or freeze. Their choice of exile was a mercy from a soft-hearted mentor, for they had been trained in such scenarios many times as a yank, and death was not a guarantee. Left to the mercy of the elements instead of run through with a superiors' sword, they actually had a fighting chance.

They survived the trial, though they were told by the departing gish that should they make it back alive they would no longer be welcomed in by the creche and there were standing orders to annihilate them should they return within the bounds of their former home. Their name was stricken from the rosters of the faithful, and they were branded h'shar'lak.

It was a relief to be cut free.

For a little over ten years they traveled the Sword Coast once they made it safely out of the Spine and followed their whims and passions without the threat of their superiors breathing down their neck.

(above links do a better brief job of explaining the lore from here on out, but they contact the Society of Brilliance once they learn about it and plan to meet up with a renegade illithid in their midst who is most willing to speak to them -- they get snatched by the Nautiloid before making contact, and thus the plot of BG3 unfolds.)

As I've finished their game since writing the various above threads, they do turn full illithid, but while partial illithidom suited them admirably and they took to it with aplomb, the actual transformation and re-learning themself as a new creature as a full illithid is a painful and arduous process that far exceeds the instantaneous transformation in-game. Thanks to the influence of the Astral tadpole, which unlike the others, was not part of the Absolute's brood, and which took root far more strongly than the first or third, they retained most of their former self -- to the detriment of the illithid they were becoming. Eventually they find their feet again, and travel the Astral sea and beyond--to Limbo, to the Underdark, to the myriad dark places where the likeminded share their larger goal of collaboration--and do the thankless, impossible work of trying to unite historic enemies twice over (the illithids, the githyanki, the githzerai) under one banner for the betterment of all. They establish a sister society to the society of brilliance in the astral plane and operate largely from there -- though they pop back into the material plane every few months to visit the Emperor in Baldur's Gate and renew ties with their allies and friends in cities across Faerûn.

Ironically, I wasn't aware there was an ending in which Lae'zel essentially does the same thing only without the illithid component. I somehow didn't think the githzerai would come up again at all, and Ambassador seems to be a popular choice of post-game occupation for most gith who aren't still singularly devoted to Vlaakith, but this has been Xa'rok's story since their inception in my brain and so it will remain. They were built upon two main character influences: Genly Ai of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, who is a human envoy on a frozen planet caught in the middle of a civil war while trying to broker political and economic ties to a larger federation that will share resources and knowledge with all parties for the betterment of all involved; and Newt Geiszler from Pacific Rim, whose fascination with the kaiju ultimately ends with him mind-melding with one. Really internalizing your passions, here. They were built to be a solo Emperor romancer, so the illithid-sympathies were a given, everything else spun out of these three concepts.

Skaro, their guardian, is a githzerai with deeper ties to the lore, but I've also turned him into a character in his own right divorced from the Emperor's reimagining of him as the guardian. I'm still working on what the AU of their life is like, where they meet as traveling companions once tadpoled and both remain gith in the end.

There is also an offshoot of Xa'rok's ending in game where they choose to give the Emperor the stones and don't turn illithid themself, and thus they part ways at the dock once the fight is over, but remain close contacts and allies.

Sometime after all is said and done, down the line, Xa'rok finds and raises a displacer beast cub who they name D'jaxia. She accompanies them on their diplomatic missions in the astral sea. In their canon ending, where they turn illithid and remain with the Emperor, the two are often apart, as the Emperor is content to remain in Baldur's Gate rebuilding his influence within the knights of the shield and Xa'rok is busy with their ambassador work elsewhere. But they return to drag the Emperor out of his work and take a break on occasion.

[astralprisms]

Seeing everyone else's answers for the githmap thing makes me think all of mine were too long and rambly ugh. Chronic never know when to shut up disease spreading to my ocs...

[warmhealerr]

Some fun facts related to the Githmap entries and the characters featured.

-Ta'rath was initially not supposed to show up for the Githmap but I said "fuck it" yesterday and decided I wanted to have fun/it would make sense in my head.

-Ta'rath changes hairstyle drastically as they enter the rebellion among Orpheus' ranks. Their locs are harder to maintain especially with their new lifestyle, but they desperately wanted a drastic change in appearance. As an artist I'm also thriving because I like that they subtly hint at their partial ceremorphosis. They can use their locs like tentacles, though they keep it subtle in public (and exclusively in fights) as to not raise suspicions beyond "Oh your hair reacts weirdly to the gravity here". They eventually go back to mohawks but I'm sure they go back to locs from time to time, they look great in them.

-When they get particularly upset, their disguise flinches and reveals not so Githyanki features, such as in this case their eyes when thinking about Joufos. They have always put up an emotional front no matter what, some illusion of control despite being an extremely anxious mess, but it is now vital for their safety if they do not want to be found to be Illithid, even if "only partially".

-Ra'sha is a cis perisex woman (by human standard), I just wanted a very specific kind of face for her and it seems nobody likes modding angular Gith women.

-If it wasn't obvious enough, Ra'sha is extremely pretentious. She thinks of herself as being an indomitable powerful warrior... Yet she was often assigned to sewer patrol duty in Tu'narath (which is considered outright degrading by Githyanki warriors if you haven't read the Tu'narath supplement) and has no title, no high responsibility role. She isn't weak, but she is far too ambitious while relying on brute force to clear her way through life. Most importantly nobody really wants to recognize her, thankfully she hasn't realized that yet, her ego blinds her for better and for worse.

-Ra'sha is fixated on lightning and thunder damage.

-Ra'sha and Ta'rath are related... Sorta. She is from the previous clutch. She does not remember them, or at least hasn't connected the dots that this Ta'rath she knows now is the same youngling she knew back in the day. Ta'rath, on the other hand, very much remembers Ra'sha and starts sweating bullets whenever she's around. They know the day she realizes they are the same Ta'rath who ran away they will be truly fucked, as they are the only remaining Gith of their clutch, and she will be far too invasive on the matter. Eventually, she would figure out how they got into that Ilmater monastery. (For some more context, long story short Ta'rath is the reason why their Crèche was found and basically annihilated).

-Gaalil is a character I specifically made for the Githmap months back when it was announced. I really wanted to write a Githzerai spy who had integrated into Githyanki society. I initially was gonna make some cosmetic mods for the sake of his sprites' accuracy but I damn gave up. Not that it matters too much, I enjoy the final in game character I ended up going with.

The original concept, if you are curious :

He was initially going to be a warrior who loved navigating Astral Ships, but I ended up making him a Mlar as time went on. He is still very in love with Astral Ships, but he is much less of a fighter (which I think is good. Githyanki society is highly militaristic, but there are other important facets, even if sometimes ridiculed by the people themselves).

-Gaalil has gone through 3 name changes throughout the months. I ended up with a list of something like 68 name possibilities and really struggled picking a favorite. I ended up settling for Gaalil because of Galileo, and it felt Githyanki enough it could be a good coverup name while still having this soft, unique charm to it. He has another name in Githzerai society I've not decided on yet, but what's for sure is he hates using it because he feels it is not him at all.

-As was hinted at, Gaalil's mother was a gith’attala, a cousin hunter. From the moment he was born, he was expected to become just like her someday, if not even more deadly. He was trained his whole life to become a spy to infiltrate and disrupt Githyanki society. The day she died, killed on the job, he felt absolutely nothing. Then he was finally ready. He ended up fulfilling his missions regularly (which was sabotaging fleets, hence the Mlar cover), but he learned to treasure Githyanki lives and would much rather not take any of said lives whatsoever.

-His Githzerai accent and dialect was trained out of him to avoid the risks that come with code switching, but that also means he speaks "funny" to other Githzerai. He often feels treated as though he's an outsider, and he'd be right. The oldest, wisest of Githzerai society usually are the ones kindest to him.

-You now know 3 of my 4 Gith characters. The 4th one I have briefly mentioned something like once on this blog. I adore them dearly, I hope to introduce her soon. I would've made her for the Githmap if only BG3 would allow me to make fat people.

I think that's about it. I welcome any questions as always.

[warmhealerr]

Gith enjoyers rejoice I have 3 character entries coming up for the Githmap, 'just gotta edit some pictures. (I know I have asks to answer to I just wanted to get this out of the way as inspiration was here for once). For now I sleep.