Gith

Taking their name from an ancient fallen hero, the Gith are a people seperated by an ancient divide. Hailing from another world that has been long destroyed and forgotten by the Outsiders. After generations enslaved by a race of beings subservient to the Outsiders known as the Illithids, a hero among their kind named Gith lead them to overthrow their masters and claim their freedom. Now they are divided - the Githyanki making their home in the corpse of the Guardian of a Well of Souls from a world that apparently fell to the Outsiders, and the Githzerai live on the world itself, a roiling chaos of magical energies from the broken and corrupted Well of Souls.

ENDLESS WARS

The Githyanki and Githzerai are embroiled in two wars that might predate even the Empyreals arriving on Threa - one against the Illithids - their former slavers - and their masters the Outsiders, and another against each other. The Githyanki were motivated by revenge and convinced they deserved to take whatever they wanted from the worlds they travelled. The Githzerai believed that the path to an enlightened civilization lay in seclusion, not conflict. If the two races were ever to team up against the Illithids, a combined force of Gith could conceivably tip the balance in their favor.

BORN TO SERVE

To the Githyanki, life is service. "To slay in her name is our greatest service. To die in her name is our last act of reverence." is a common quote among the Githyanki Knights - an elite Githyanki fighting force. They follow queen Vlaakith unflinchingly and unquestioning.
To the Githzerai, service takes another form. Their first leader, Zerithimon, died in battle, but his sacrifice freed the githzerai from Gith's dark designs. They believe that Zerithimon will return someday and usher them into a new age of freedom. Until then, priest-like figures called "Zerths" try to emulate his teachings and spread his word.

GITH IN THE WORLD

Both factions of Gith end up on Threa from time to time - though for different reasons. As the Githyanki city of Tu'narath rests in Qual'Doren, the Githyanki do not age while there. As such, when new Githyanki are born, they are taken to other worlds to grow into adulthood. Typically, Githyanki will simply take a fortress for themselves, train their young for a couple of decades, then return to Qual'Doren. Githyanki are also known to stage raids against other worlds for supplies when they are needed - especially precious Nethergems.
Githzerai, on the other hand, often send envoys to other worlds to spread the word of Zerithimon. They may also retrieve supplies for Limbo, but not usually through force. Often, these zerths operate in secret, not revealing their true nature to those who follow them until they've been deemed reliable.

GITH NAMES

Githyanki Male: Elirdain, Gaath, Ja'adoc, Kar'i'nas, Lykus, Quith, Ris'a'an, Tropos, Vilran, Xamodas
Githyanki Female: Aaryl, B'noor, Fenelzi'ir, Jen'lig, Pah'zel, Quorstyl, Sirruth, Vaira, Yessune, Zar'ryth
Githzerai Male: Dak, Duurth, Ferzth, Greth, Hurm, Kalla, Muurg, Nurm, Shrakk, Xorm
Githzerai Female: Adaka, Adeya, Alla, Ezhelya, Immilzin, Izera, Janara, Loraya, Uweya, Vithka

GITH TRAITS

Your character shares the following traits with other gith.
Ability Score Increase. Increase an Ability Score by 1 and another by 2.
Age. Gith reach adulthood in their late teens and live for about a century.
Size. Gith are taller and leaner than humans, with most a slender 6 feet in height.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Gith.
Subrace. There are two kinds of gith, githyanki and githzerai. Choose one of these subraces.

Githyanki

The brutal githyanki are trained from birth as warriors.
Decadent Mastery. You learn one language of your choice, and you are proficient with one skill or tool of your choice. In the timeless city of Tu'narath, githyanki have bountiful time to master odd bits of knowledge.
Martial Prodigy. You are proficient with light and medium armor and with shortswords, longswords, and greatswords.
Githyanki Magic. You know the mage hand cantrip.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the jump spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the misty step spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
You may select Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma as your casting stat for these spells.

Githzerai

In their fortresses within Limbo, the githzerai hone their minds to a razor's edge.
Mental Discipline. You have advantage on saving throws against the charmed and frightened conditions. Under the tutelage of monastic masters, githzerai learn to govern their own minds.
Githzerai Magic. You know the mage hand cantrip.
When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the shield spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the mirror image spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
You may select Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Githyank by Wizards of the Coast

Under the illithids, we and the Githyanki fought and died across a thousand worlds for implacable masters. Under Vlaakith, our kin fight and die across a thousand words for an implacable master. And they call that liberation?

— Adaka Fell Hand, githzerai monk

Lifespan

85 years

Average Height

6'

Average Weight

130 lbs