Githyanki

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In the Dawn Era, a Lith-Crillion named Githyon served as a close advisor and student of the Covenant archangel Ptah. Githyon's study of Psychic Energy led to the concept of Energy Exchange. On 5 Saunas 2219 DE, in a secret lab on Ghífthauk, using earth archons as subjects, Githyon created the first Githyanki. This was done by exchanging the archon's Earth Energy with Life Energy. Now how they came to look like they do is still a mystery. Some say this was the work of Ptah, a talented sculptor, molding the earth archon's malleable form as its earth energy was replaced with life energy.

In the Creation War (1486 DE - 8777 DE) they served alongside the Nawirrûs Covenant, battling the primordials. In the follow-on conflict, the Demon Spawn War (8972 GE - 9493 GE), they served under the Quara'tun Covenant, battling the demon invasions and other disruptive elements considered harmful to the Mortal Systems. After said wars, the Githyanki were left to start their own civilization in the Asteraoth System. On the world Ghífthauk, their biggest rival were the Githzerai; another race created by Githyon. They were constantly at war over their world's limited resources. Their last great war went on for nearly a hundred years, wrecking their economies and greatly weakening their armies. The Suellk Empire, hailing from Ráglauth, invaded Ghífthauk at a most opportune time, their prey still reeling from a century-long war. The two peoples were enslaved, dined upon, and then harvested like cattle, forced to endure fourteen centuries of servitude.

In the Incarsabec Rebellion (1531 HE - 1544 HE), the Githyanki and Githzerai, putting aside their hatreds, rose up as one in the Suellk capital city. This rebellion fanned out across Ghífthauk and to the planet's moons. During the conflict, tens of thousands of githyanki and githzerai managed to escape their masters through the Suellk's Silver Mirrors. These mirrors took them to the Astral Sea where they slowly rebuilt their civilization.

Many of the githyanki found on the world Bal-Kriav come from the Har'kish Empire. Those that leave the empire are usually branded separatists. The largest number of githyanki to break with this empire happened in the Har'kish Civil War (1292 - 1312). The civil war was a desire for more political and religious freedom. Many of those that left the Astral Sea came to Bal-Kriav. After a time, some went to Paradomea. The Council of Nine proclaimed that these separatists were free to join their empire as citizens and they would protect them. Being a militaristic people, many githyanki joined Paradomea's armed forces. The best soldiers joined an elite guard called the Githlarâk.

The githyanki of Har'kish and other githyanki empires are typically ruled by lich empresses, a Vla'akith. They rule for as long as they are stronger and more cunning then the rest. Most githyanki societies under these Vla'akith have strong, if draconic laws, and their free people are required to spend at last five years in the armed forces.