Githzerai

"Better the heartfelt devotion of a free soul than the grudging obedience of a slave."

- Common githzerai saying

The githzerai were a humanoid race that dwelt primarily on the plane of Limbo.

Description
Githzerai were naturally possessed of psionics and some magic resistance.

Combat
They tended to train in martial combat and many fought as monks.

Society
Githzerai society was very monastic and introspective. Many githzerai trained as Monks, while others chose to lose their natural magic resistance and became Wizards. Some multi-talented githzerai became zerths, blending magic, combat, and psionics into their fighting. The zerths also held special significance as religious leaders in githzerai society. Like their cousins and enemies, the githyanki, githzerai often formed hunting bands for the purpose of seeking out and destroying the hated illithids.

The githzerai dwelled mostly in the chaos of Limbo, using their natural psionic abilities and mental focus to form the swirling chaos of the plane into great fortresses and monasteries.

There were a number of githzerai settlements located in the Elemental Chaos.

Language
The githzerai spoke their own dialect of the Gith language, which used a unique form of writing called tir'su. It was an alphabetical set of runes in which words were formed in circles instead of linearly, with the letters of a given word being linked in a ring counter-clockwise from the bottom. Sentences were formed by a series of these rings.

History
The Githzerai and the Githyanki were once one race referred to as the People. They were thralls, slaves to the Illithids, and were completely subservient for many years. Zerthimon, one of the People and now a God-like figure to the Githzerai, was the first of The People to gain true self-awareness and resistance to the mental shackles of the illithids. He made others aware of their predicament and showed them how to resist the illithids as well. The process was kept underground for a great time until enough of the People were turned that a full-scale uprising against the illithids was staged. The People were victorious, destroying the last vestiges of the illithid empire (some say the most powerful empire to ever exist in the multiverse) upon the Blasted Plains.

It was in the light of this victory that Gith, a warrior-queen and leader of the rebellion, declared that the People would not rest until they had discovered and destroyed all remaining illithids in the multiverse; then, the People would be free to conquer all of the planes of existence and bring war to all other races. Many of the people's hearts shared this goal. Zerthimon argued that the People already knew freedom and should begin to mend the damage done to their race. He too expressed a goal that was in the hearts of many of the People. Still, Gith insisted that hers was the only path and that they would be "under the same sky" in the matter.

Zerthimon then told Gith that there "cannot be two skies." This became known as the Pronouncement of Two Skies, a declaration of war that splintered the People into the races of githyanki and githzerai. Battle was waged on the Blasted Plains, and the githyanki retreated to the Astral Sea while the Githzerai withdrew to the Elemental Chaos. The two races have remained enemies ever since.

In the late 15 century DR, a small group of githzerai led by Yrlakka, a member of the Sha'sal Khou, dwelt in the 15 level of Undermountain.

Notable githzerai

 * Grimmbold

Appearances

 * Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage