Page 160 - D&D Bestiary

existence. A silver sword is equivalent to a greatsword, Githzerai fortress-monasteries stand resolute against
and takes on the properties of a +3 greatsword in the the chaos that surrounds them, virtually impervious
hands of its creator. to the turmoil of their surroundings, because the
In the eyes of the githyanki, each silver sword is a githzerai will it. Each monastery is overseen by monks
priceless relic and a work of art. Githyanki knights that impose a strict schedule of chants, meals, martial
will hunt down and destroy any non-githyanki that arts training, and devotions according to their own
dares to carry or wield a silver sword, reclaiming it for philosophy. Behind their psionically fortified walls, the
their people. githzerai embrace thought, learning, psionic power,
Red Dragon Riders. In the uprising against the order, and discipline above all other things. ., ',
illithids, Gith sought allies. Her adviser Vlaakith The social hierarchy of the githzerai is based on merit,
appealed to Tiamat, the goddess of evil dragonkind, and and those githzerai who are the wisest teachers and
Gith ventured into the Nine Hells to meet with her. Only the most skilled at physical and mental combat become
Tiamat now knows what passed between them, but Gith leaders. The githzerai revere great heroes and teachers
returned to the Astral Plane with the Dragon Queen's of the past, emulating those figures' virtues in their
red dragon consort Ephelomon, who proclaimed that his everyday lives.
kind would forever act as allies to the githyanki. Not all Disciples ofZerthimon. Githzerai revere Zerthimon,
red dragons honor the alliance kindled so long ago, but the founder of their race. Although Gith won their
most at least don't consider the githyanki their enemies. people's freedom, Zerthimon saw her as unfit to lead.
Outposts in the Mortal Realm. Since creatures He believed that her warmongering would soon make
that dwell on the Astral Plane don't age, the githyanki her a tyrant no better than the mind flayers.
establish creches in remote areas of the Material Plane Skilled githzerai monks that best exemplify the
to raise their young. Doubling as military academies, teachings and principles of Zerthimon are called zerths.
these creches train young githyanki to harness their These powerful and disciplined monks can shift their
psychic and combat abilities. When a githyanki grows bodies from one plane to another using only the power
to adulthood and slays a mind flayer as part of a sacred of their minds.
rite of passage, it is permitted to rejoin its people on the Beyond Limbo. Though githzerai rarely deal with
Astral Plane. the realms beyond Limbo, advanced monks of other
races sometimes seek out a githzerai monastery and
GITHZERAI attempt to gain admittance as students. More rarely, a
githzerai master establishes a hidden monastery on the
Focused philosophers and austere ascetics, the
Material Plane to train young githzerai or to spread the
githzerai pursue lives of rigid order. Lean and muscular,
philosophy and teachings of Zerthimon.
they wear unadorned clothing free of ornamentation,
keeping their own counsel and trusting few creatures As disciplined as they are, the githzerai have never
outside of their own kind. Having turned their backs forgotten their long imprisonment by the mind flayers.
As a special devotion, they organize a rrakkma- an
on their warlike githyanki kin, the githzerai maintain a
strict monastic lifestyle, dwelling on islands of order in illithid hunting party-to other planes, not returning
the vast sea of chaos that is the plane of Limbo. to their monasteries until they slay at least as many
Psionic Adepts. The progenitors of the githzerai illithids as there are hunters in the party.
adapted to- and were transformed by- the psychic
environment imposed on them by their illithid
overlords. Under the teachings of Zerthimon, who
called on his people to abandon the warlike ambitions
of Gith, the githzerai focused their mental energy
on creating physical and psychic barriers to protect
them from attack, psychic or otherwise. Fighting is NO n•E GI~><1.ERAI
personal to a githzerai, which uses its mind to daze •'T><E GI~><VANKI A REO BV
ouNO~V scAR
and incapacitate opponents, leaving them vulnerable to wERE SO PROF ~0 ~HE MIND
~AVEMEN~
physical punishment. THEIR ENS GOT THEY WERE
F~AVERS ~HA ~ ~HEV FOR lNG woN ~HEIR
li
Order amid Chaos. The githzerai willingly dwell in UNI~EO AV
ONE RACE, . AGA I NS~ EACH
the heart of utter chaos in Limbo- a twisting, mercurial HEV WAGE WAR
FREEDOM,~ NE cAN FU~~V
plane prone to manipulation and subjugation by o~><ER \VI~>< A HA~REO NO
githzerai minds strong enough to master it. Limbo is REHEND ." y ~OW
COMP -f.IRIS~U~ ~HE E~ '
a maelstrom of primal matter and energy, its terrain a F p~ANAR ~ORE
storm of rock and earth swept up in torrents of murky MAS~ER 0
liquid, buffeted by strong winds, blasted by fire, and
chilled by crushing walls of ice.
The forces of Limbo react to sentience, however.
Using the power of their minds, the githzerai tame the
plane's chaotic elements, causing them to settle into
fixed and survivable forms and creating oases and
sanctuaries within the maelstrom.

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