#Vlaakith CLVII

[ayrennaranaaldmeri]

Live fast, die young, anger the lich queen enough for her to waste a Wish spell on you.

[scarila]

Regent of the six arms of Tu'narath & Prince of the Comet

[skatik]

Sketchy Vlaakith

/speech bubble is a meme phrase about an artifact from one russian game "gulman" which is quite legendary that this game is so bad that it makes it good

[bitchesgate3]

Needing to retreat to her skin sphere to relax.

Sensory-Processing Sensitive Queen. 💖

[depressedandasian]

This game is so good, when I got to this scene I was stunned:

[taliawinters]

Tav: I just think a real god could kill whoever she wants.

[bg3smash-or-pass]

[gothyanki]

thinking about her (Vlaakith II)

Who was sheeeee??

I’ve never been that wild about the existence of a “Vlaakith line” in DND canon. I just think it would go so much harder if current Vlaakith = OG Vlaakith warped beyond recognition by Aeons of Awful, and if they’re going to stick her on a near-timeless plane AND make her an immortal lich anyway… why not? Voss is still kicking around! But the line does exist in lore, so I am Thinking about it.

…I like the idea of Vlaakith I as the prototypical parthenogenetic gith more and more. I assume current githyanki parthenogenesis is magically mediated (which would explain why it doesn’t work like parthenogenesis in the real world), but maybe Vlaakith II’s conception wasn’t. Maybe she was an actual clone of her birth mother, and maybe every Vlaakith since her has been as well. It would definitely fit with that need to hold on to power.

[wanderingnork]

Githyanki History Timeline

After MUCH research, I present: a timeline of the history of the gith! Starting from their earliest known appearances in history, spanning multiple planes, and ending at "the present day." Sources below the cut.

The subterranean empire of Zarum is founded on the Material Plane world of Oerth. The gith inhabitants, likely originally human, are highly religious, live deeply ritualistic lives, and claim complete control over many other peoples.

A patron deity of the gith dies and is buried somewhere under the material plane world of Pharagos. Presumably this, and possibly other deaths, are why the gods didn't intervene in what came next.

The illithids invade from a parallel, destroying the empire and enslaving the gith. The gith are forcibly dispersed across many planes of existence. Some are taken to the planet of Penumbra, where they'll remain and miss out on the rebellion, remaining in the long term as the "forerunners."

The great rebellion: Gith leads her people to shatter the entire illithid empire across every plane and leave it in ruins.

The githyanki relocate from the Material Plane to the Astral Sea.

The city of Tu'narath is founded on the body of a dead god and the gith begin forging their famous silver swords.

If Baldur's Gate 3 is treated as canon, somewhere in here Gith's son Orpheus is born.

Zerthimon objects to Gith's attempts to continue a war now that the gith are free. A civil war of the gith ensues and they split into the githyanki (children of Gith) and githzerai (those who spurn Gith). In some sources this is called "The Pronouncement of Two Skies." The githzerai depart for the plane of Limbo. A small splinter faction, the githvyrik, break off from both sides.

Gith and Vlaakith travel to the Hells to negotiate for aid from the archdevil Dispater. He denies them, but the dragon goddess Tiamat accepts a deal for the souls of githyanki rulers in return for the service of red dragons. Gith remains in the Hells as the first sacrifice. Vlaakith returns to the Astral Sea as regent in Gith's name, carrying the Scepter of Ephelomon as symbol of the pact.

If Baldur's Gate 3 is treated as canon, Orpheus tries to overthrow Vlaakith and is imprisoned, thought dead by the general public.

The extended regency of the line of Vlaakith begins and will last for 156 descendants. Vlaakith promises the githyanki the Material Plane as a "garden" for harvesting. At some point, Zerthimon disappears and it's unclear exactly where he went. Suggestions range from enlightened transcendence to death to lichdom.

The faction of the gul'othran, githyanki who seek total conquest and death of all aberrations rather than mere raiding and plunder, appears.

At some point after this, a significantly-sized githyanki ship breaks through into the planar-locked world of Athas. It's stranded there and all aboard are mutated permanently by psionic energies of that world, with no way to get back. The ship is considered lost.

The forge of Kamyn-Dhun, where the best silver swords were forged, is lost by sinking into the ocean. The githyanki remaining there undergo magical adjustments to allow them to survive underwater in their now-sunken city.

Approximately 1,000 years prior to the present day, Vlaakith CLVII (157) undergoes a transformation to become a lich. She will reign unchallenged until the present day, when either the events of The Lich-Queen's Beloved will take place or the events of Baldur's Gate 3 will take place, depending on the setting.

Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios, 2023 Chainmail Miniatures Game: Blood and Darkness - Set 2 Guidebook Dark Sun Campaign Setting, 2nd Edition Dark Sun Creature Catalog, 4th Edition Dawn of Night (Erevis Cale Trilogy, Book II, 2009) Dragon Magazine #294 - Underground Scenarios Dragon Magazine #298 - Vault of the Drow and Wizards' Workshop: Chainmail Dungeon #100 - The Lich-Queen's Beloved Dungeon #116 - The Death of Lashimire Dungeon #125 - Seeker of the Silver Forge Dungeon #168 - A Tyranny of Souls The Illithiad 3, Masters of Eternal Night The Illithiad 4, Dawn of the Overmind Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, 5th Edition The Plane Above, 4th Edition The Plane Below, 4th Edition Planescape: Torment, Black Isle Studios, 1999 Polyhedron #159 - Chapter 5: The Invasion of Pharagos

[cellphishthekaiju]

Crackpot Headcanon: Vlaakith's 'Grand Design' for Lae'zel (and the Githyanki)

Back again on my raving bullshit for Baldur's Gate 3 (D&D and Forgotten Realms by relation), this time we're looking at the Lich Queen Tyrant, Vlaakith CLVII... cause I have lunatic thoughts of this bitch that fuel the fanfiction I write.

As with all my lunatic fandom ravings, spoilers abound for Baldur's Gate 3, associated materials, and course, take this all with COPIOUS amounts of salt. I get most, if not all, of my 'canon' info from the Forgotten Realms wiki and try to doublecheck the sources but I don't always have the time or means to.

So what is known of Vlaakith is actually very little. The one in Baldur's Gate 3 is, presumably, the 157th githyanki to hold this title and has reigned for a thousand years (mostly as a lich). She has no known heirs and aspires to ascend to godhood (primarily through spam-casting Wish). D&D Lore is very sparse on the githyanki and even more so when it comes to nuances with the githyanki. They have existed since the days of AD&D (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons) but we didn't have much about them, canonically, for a long time.

So, lunatics like myself, let the brain worms fill in the blanks.

We know that Gith, for which the people get their namesake, was the figurehead and Leader of the rebellion that led to the toppling and near extinction of the Illithid Empire unknown millenia before. At her side, I believe both Vlaakith and Zerthimon assisted her (as advisors in different capacities... and to some unknown extent, her only 'confirmed' blood relative, her son Orpheus). As to their exact roles, it is unknown how Vlaakith advised Gith in the matters of her rebellion but given she is referred to as the first of a long series of Lich-Queens that rule the githyanki, her capacity likely involved her skill and knowledge in the arcane/Weave.

After the rebellion, it is believed Gith and Zerthimon fell to infighting, as Gith presumably was so consumed with righteous fury, she single-mindedly wanted to continue hunting down the remaining illithids while Zerthimon, seeing they had won, wished to carve a new life for the 'gith' now that they were free.

In my deranged mind, I suspect/believe that the Proclamation of Two Skies (how the gith refer to their civil war that led to the creation of the -yanki and the -zerai) was stoked and brought to fruition by Vlaakith I. She was always manipulative and concerned, primarily, with her own ambitions. Having witnessed how Gith roused and united the gith, how they called her 'mother' may have stoked jealousy in Vlaakith and so she conspired to take that power and reverence for herself, especially under the suspicion I have that Gith and Zerthimon were lovers/mates (I wrote a theory pointing at Orpheus may be their son).

Vlaakith conspired to turn Gith and Zerthimon upon each other but her plan had an unintended consequence; the division of the gith people into the Githyanki and the Githzerai (and with time, further fracturing in the form of Pirates of Gith, Sha'sal Khou and the Githvyrik (dunno how canon this is anymore because only occurs in one novel)). However, Vlaakith saw an opportunity in this fracture; Gith to be the sacrificial lamb on the altar of her ambitions.

It's believed Vlaakith I's first attempt at bargaining with Baator (The Nine Hells) was seeking a pact with Dispater. However, Vlaakith's attempt(s) failed for one reason or another... likely because Dispater is far more paranoid than Vlaakith is and saw no merit in a deal with such a conniving creature.

Having failed in bargaining with the Lord of Dis, Second Layer of Baator, Vlaakith found herself bargaining with Tiamat. It is, still, unknown the terms of their pact (or how she even got to bargaining with the Chromatic Dragon Queen to begin with) but the bargain was successful and Gith ended up being part of the price.

After the githyanki retreated into the Astral Plane, since the civil war left them weakened (and the githzerai went to Limbo), Vlaakith convinces Gith to travel to Avernus (First Layer of Baator), likely with promises that fed into Gith's violent ego and giving no indication that Gith was not going to make it back. With the bargain paid, Tiamat imprisoned Gith among her hoard (presumably) while Vlaakith returned to the githyanki on the back of Ephelomon, Tiamat's Chromatic Red consort. Together, the two convinced the githyanki that Gith had martyred herself in the bargain and commanded that Vlaakith guide and rule their people in her absence.

This is where the canon gets messy, as there appears to be a discrepancy in the order of events. In the 5e Monster Manual, it suggests Vlaakith sealed the bargain with Tiamat before the Proclamation of Two Skies happened. Texts like Mordenkaine's Tome of Foes suggests the bargain with Tiamat was struck after the split. I'm more inclined to agree it happened after, since the Githzerai and other non-yanki Gith do not benefit from the terms of the pact (mainly the access to Red Dragons)

So, what's this all got to do with the current Vlaakith?

Vlaakith CVII is more than I (want to) believe Larian has told/shown us.

Like her namesake, Vlaakith CVII is a lich that has, supposedly been in power for, roughly, a thousand years by the time the events of Baldur's Gate 3 happen. She upholds the teachings, protocols, and ambitions of her originator and predecessors yet has no known heirs (blood relative or otherwise).

My crazy idea is that Vlaakith CVII is actually Vlaakith I... and all other holders of the 'title' before her have just been Vlaakith. Vlaakith is too vain and ambitious to let something like death get in her way and likely sought every means possible to buy herself the time she needed to achieve her ultimate ambition; Godhood.

Vlaakith's insanity is well in line with the 'canon' behavior of liches, especially 'long-lived' ones. Now, she is just a creature driven by the all-consuming desire to ascend and achieve the ultimate power by any means necessary.

Ascending to divinity/godhood in D&D is... not very clear. The primary factor is faith, as a god needs followers to thrive and derive power from. By controlling the githyanki in all aspects of life, establishing castes like the Inquisitors to hunt down and silence dissenters, sealing Prince Orpheus within the Astral Prism (and infernal chains), using Gith's name and 'sacrifice' as a catylst to keep the people's devotion on herself... but this is a slow process so Vlaakith also encouraged and regulates the militaristic structure of githyanki society to produce powerful warriors that she can, later, consume and sacrifice in her spam-casting of the Wish spell and whatever other means she uses those poor souls for (aside from the husks she keeps)

So, how and why does Lae'zel factor into all of this?

Literally, this is all because of one dialogue line Vlaakith gives in Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3: Promising to make Lae'zel Baht Vlaakith, the Commander of Dragons; her Chosen (despite having no true divine power). She offers Lae'zel's greatest ambition; to be Kith'rak, to ascend beyond even the standards of her people and serve at Vlaakith's feet.

Weird thing to say to someone you can just Thanos-snap from existence, which Vlaakith does if your party refuses to comply with her at Creche Y'llek. (Seriously, this woman will waste a Wish on you just to remove the entire party from existence for 'waving hello' at her)

Vlaakith has determined Lae'zel as her 'heir' and needs her to return so that she may possess/control her (either through the use of spells like Domination or something more sinister, like excising her soul and possessing her body; no clue if liches can do this). I believe some githyanki that held the title of 'Vlaakith' were simply thralls to Vlaakith I, enhancing her duplicity to make it seem like the title passes on between individuals (despite having NO information on how this is determined within githyanki society).

The only other 'brain worm' I have about why Vlaakith attempts to bargain with Lae'zel one more time about killing Orpheus instead of, I dunno, simply Wish-murder the party, is there is something important about Lae'zel that not even the githyanki herself is aware of. Not to the degree of a psionic null zone but perhaps something Vlaakith has been nurturing through controlled breeding to accelerate her consumption of power... or as an offering to Tiamat.

Hells, if you talk to Withers in the Epilogue about the fate of a Vlaakith aligned Lae'zel... he says she's just gone. Her soul no longer exists.

A fate worse than death and Lae'zel went to it, oblivious.

Yep, there it is... more cracked brainworm thoughts for Baldur's Gate 3.

I'm also not a fan of Vlaakith but hey, I feel like there needs to be way more depth and analyzing some of this stuff my brain just does on its own.. and it fuels my fan-fic writing (which you should totally check out)

I hope folks are enjoying my insane ramblings.

[rogue-lavellan-trin]

Imagine being a simple farmer in the outskirts of Baldurs Gate (c. 1492 DR), heading home after an evening at the pub, and witnessing the 30ft projection of the Lich-Queen Vlaakith CLVII of the Githyanki, yelling threats over your neighbor's property.

[cobalt-cactus]

Lae'zelmancer Week Day 6! - Blood-red AND death-black

Fandom: Baldur's Gate (Video Games)

Rating: General Audiences

Relationships: Lae'zel & Vlaakith CLVII (Dungeons & Dragons)

Characters: Lae'zel (Baldur's Gate)

Additional Tags:

Canon Compliant, Poetry, Shakespearean Sonnets, Sonnets, Ascension, POV Lae'zel (Baldur's Gate), Spoilers, llarissel's Lae'zelmancer Week (Baldur's Gate)

Summary:

A Shakepearean Sonnet telling the tale of Lae'zel's story arc in BG3.

[slipperyweaver]

My dealer: got some straight gas 🔥 😛 this strain is called “the fall of the Githyanki Empire” 😳 you’ll be zonked out of your gourd 💯

Me: yeah whatever. I don’t feel shit.

5 minutes later: dude I swear I just saw Orpheus in the astral prism

My buddy Kith’rak Voss pacing: Vlaakith CLVII is lying to us

[bitchesgate3]

One thing that always stands out to me is how certain gendered traits that you would think would be downplayed in a villainous female character actually are emphasized and used by the writer to express villainy.

I had always interpreted Vlaakith creating the duthka'gith as her trying to play god by creating the ultimate gith in her eyes - and of course - completely enthralled to her.

There was that vibe in The Lich Queen's Beloved, but the text seemed to emphasize how "since she couldn't produce children of her own" she took to creating the duthka'gith.

On the one hand - can't an evil woman become a lich without regret? What do you have to care about offspring and heirs if your goal is to remain God Queen for all eternity?

On the other hand - it becomes very clear that Vlaakith CLVII's madness is coded as the narcissistic variant of hysteria run amok.

This is a very common trope in older literature. In her madness, she corrupts life, producing hellish creations, and as a woman its seems to be interpreted as an even greater abomination for acting against her "innate nature". (Lilith anyone?) I wonder if some people have a deep fear of their caretaker's ability to grant them life and it's implication that they could (or could have) taken it away and decide to "produce death" instead.

Necromancer. Lich. Inhumane experiments. The Githyanki call themselves the "Children of Gith" and Vlaakith is certainly not Gith. Is she intended to be jealous of such veneration? To be Mother God?

Female villains would be more enjoyable if they weren't slathered in these sort of themes where you can see the gendered imposition straight through. Or - if they were going to use these themes - to at least be respectful of the humanity they imply. You expect me to be appalled but I only feel sympathy.

Imagine being the symbol of death, decay, and known to be an ender of life - and yet you still desire to create something of yourself to stare at with the utmost pride and affection as it comes to life - living and breathing because of your dedicated labor. You may have cobbled the pieces together (and don't ask where you got them...) through hellish gene splicing, but! no one said you had to have pretty children. And if they cause problems for others - well... hellish children will be hellish children and all that. And hey - maybe you want them to bring hell in your name. Let a woman live and bring her machinations to fruition.

Here. Imagine a woman turns into a hideous spider. One day you see a bunch of babies on her back. You see all the little legs going and you recoil in disgust. Your skin crawls. You feel them on you somehow. Can you imagine what would happen if these things all got loose?!

Not your concern. Let her tend to her babies in peace. 😌

[sequesteredbhaalspawn]

~ complaining 🎶 about 🎶 stuff ~

Larian (or maybe wotc forced them, idk) really did a really horrible job with Gith Lore (the races, sand the character herself). LIKE The current Vlaakith (technically VIaakith CLVII/157) isn't not the same Vlaakith who ruled the githyanki after Gith disappearance, who is Vlaakith the first. BG3 acts like they are the same person when they are not. OR they do a shit job at explain the ruling situation of the githyanki.

All queens (and they've only had queens) are githaynki renamed Vlaakith when they are titled as such. They are all also liches.

have they done things to make this more clear? haven't looked at the gith stuff in game in a while.

ALSO Gith herself was an evil war-lording genocidal slaver. So her son, who wants to get the githyanki back on track for what Gith wanted for them- would be a horrible thing. Gith wanted to rule the entire multiverse through imperialism (by taking over the Illithid empire), wanted to slave all races in realmspace that where not githyanki. And committing genocide against the mindflayers. AND genocide is literally always wrong there is no wiggle room, nuance, or gray area.

Also Orpheus was just created for bg3 and has no outside lore.

The githzerai would not want to work with agents of her son because "githzerai" literally means "those who scorn Gith" if the first Vlaakith was the problem then they would be "vlaakithzerai"

AND AND the splinter being the githyanki and the gothzerai happened BEFORE the rule of Vlaakith the First because Gith and Zerthimon fought each other in combat over their ideals of how the gith people should live, Gith wanting them to become the oppressors, and Zerthimon wanting their people to live in peace with others.

Gith is about continuing the cycle of violence and Zerthimon is about breaking the cycle of violence.

Anyways freeing Orpheus is the evil choice. The githzerai would never side with him because the issue was with Gith and not Vlaakith (the first).