Githzerai
Githzerai are a Gith ethno-state located in the mountains of Eridani about as far one can get from the Githyanki their enemies.
Githzerai are like their gith counterparts decendents of genetically engineered beings. Their world was dominated by the Githyanki, their alliance of small gith states opposed their dominance. To leverage their position they moved their capital to the planet's moon, and began building defensive and offensive weapon emplacements. The Githyanki saw this escalation as provocative and war erupted and it wore on for decades. the Githyanki began deploying super soldiers who decimated their planet side population. The Githzerai began developing their own super soldiers based on the stolen work of the the Githyanki scientists. Lacking in numbers they made them infiltrators and saboteurs. Eventually their planet side population centers were whipped out. Only top leadership, a small population of scientists and generals remained. The Githzerai would rain down weapons on the surface of their former world and send Githzarai to infiltrate the population in the Githyanki areas and sow dissent and uprisings. eventually the surface became uninhabitable, and the Githyanki populations had to move underground to survive. Mixed in with the survivors were Githzerai 5th columnists who eventually staged a revolt of the natural gith against their Gith super soldiers and they were all exterminated.
From then for centuries the Gith were locked in a stalemate of orbital and clandestine warfare.
When the Star Walkers came they put an end to their war.
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
When a Gith is born to a Githzerai mother she gives one of two names and number in succession. So a Githzerai may have a name like Loraya 263 Ella, and her younger sister will be Adaka 264 Ella
Family names
Githzerai are spawned from direct ancestors and have names of that first ancestor. They are all female names of Gith.
Other names
As Githzerai grow and attain levels of competency they will be given titles and colors to indicate their mastery.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Githzerai speak gith but write their circular sentences from right to left. They have words that represent untranslatable philosophical arguments of Menyar-Ag and other ideals other beings will have no words for.
Githzerai have access to every language in use in Alterra and some dead languages. They may speak with an accent but they typically are fluent in common, elvish and dwarvish.
Culture and cultural heritage
Like the Githyanki they have a drive to destroy their enemies for the common good. They see all of the other beings on this world as disposable in that goal. If they can manipulate them into uniting against them to destroy all of the Githyanki they can then lead them toward peace.
Shared customary codes and values
Githzerai are monastic and live in a constant state of personal growth and punishing training towards a better version of themselves. As such every movement, word, action is judged for how thoughtful and perfect it is. They bow upon meeting each other, for leader they put their right fist in their left palm at their chest. If they are in the presence of a very high leader they will kneel and bow. If by some happenstance they are spoken to by Menyar-Ag they scrape the floor and kowtow.
Average technological level
The Githzerai have access to phenominal technology; cyphers, relics, and facilities but they are mostly ignorant on how to use them. Sometime Menyar-Ag will personally instruct someone how to operate it and when it is no longer needed have that person killed to keep the knowledge from falling into enemy hands. They have several "Jump Rooms", 30' foot deep pits with worm holes at the bottom that allow them to drop to any location on Alterra from about 15' up. This however is a one way trip, they will have to find another way back. More commonly are the replicators that turn rocks fed into bins into food and medicine. These machines are what keep the Githzarai fed and healthy living underground most if not all of their lives. Otherwise they craft simple and exotic martial arts weapons, and when on mission will steal any other equipment they need.
Common Dress code
In their main city they wear cloaks, robes and sandals of simple cloth. They may have a sash, belt or string of beads that represents their rank. Some of the more important leaders may have specific headgear to make sure everyone knows who they are.
Art & Architecture
Githzerai are artless and make no songs, poems, statues, paintings or other art. They may arrange stones or sticks into interesting patterns and meditate on them. They do not know how to build or make anything. Their complex, Shra'k'lor, is a cylinder 200 yards across and a mile deep into a mountain. It's vast interior was built in the first centuries using high tech tools that have long since broken. They interior is so vast there are hundreds of thousands of Githzerai inside. They have never needed to build anything.
Coming of Age Rites
Githzerai 4 month old children are wrangled into a monastery where they are introduced to their first master. The master teaches them everything from how to eat to how to use their psychic powers. He will teach them fighting and defense. They begin to spend only one day a week with their biological mothers after this. When they reach age 2 and their growth spurts happen they are taken to the Second Master who is much more demanding and stricter, the punishments more severe, the demand for focus and exercising their mental fitness is punishing. Some may die in this training as their mental powers and defenses are tested. When they reach the age of 5 they meet their Third Master. Their third master will either graduate them to full adult status or kill them. The combat training, the psychic training and the mental training is punishing. Once they graduate to adulthood around 7 they are stripped of their old children's uniform and given an adult uniform and then the choose a path to follow.
Funerary and Memorial customs
A githzerai who perishes on a mission has their name inscribed on a huge wall inside the great chambers. They will try to hide or destroy a githzerai body if not at the complex.
Common Taboos
Pleasure for the sake of pleasure is a taboo, pleasure is a distraction from focus and concentration.
Common Myths and Legends
Zerthimon's mind imprint was preserved but lost in the crash. If that can be recovered they can possibly bring him back. If only that device can be found. Dozens of attempts have been made. They have come to the conclusion it was taken by survivors thousands years ago and it is on Alterra somewhere.
Historical figures
The leader of the Githzerai nations Zerthimon was able to forge a mighty alliance despite the dominant position of the Githyanki. His passion and determination is what they wish to replicate. Some of his writings have survived the eons to be preserved and are important philosophical works about bringing oppression to an end.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Githzerai are ascetics and prefer absence and nothingness. They prefer a blank wall to one with even trim or paint. They don't like personal decoration other than what is needed to convey their rank. They are asexual so they don't have attraction to other gith or other beings.
Gender Ideals
Gethzerai identify more as female and refer to themselves as she/ her even as they mature and become more masculine and neuter. Their leadership is considered female and are confused by male creatures, even though they themselves have beards.
Relationship Ideals
Githzerai have close friends they confide in and meditate with, and grow close to, but because they teach detachment they must be able to let go of them. They are to put the survival of the Githzerai above any individual or themselves.
Major organizations
Their society is broken into levels based on their mastery of their psychic abilities and their accomplishments. Anarchs are the top level of society and communicate directly with Menyar-Ag and are in charge of their parent cell. The parent cell is made up of dozens of leaders with different classes. each of these leaders is the master of a daughter cell. The Anarch is cleared to know anything her daughter cells know or are up to. Her daughter cells should not share information with each other directly.
Equally only Menyar-Ag knows what all of his Anarchs know, and they are ignorant of each others actions, orders or missions. Each cell may have several dozen to several hundred members, they may or may not know they are part of a specific cell. They receive orders from leaders and they go execute them. They are given general orders by the leader, and then specific individual orders in secret by the leader.
Within the Githzerai society when not on a mission they are studying, training, going on maneuvers and meditating. This rigor is enforced by Zerths, philosophical judge, jury, and executioner. They use their psychic powers to interrogate and question any Githzerai to make sure they are pure in thought and their focus is true. Their job is to find potential traitors, dissidents, and those loosing faith in their purpose. They can do anything from admonish their thoughts, demand study of texts, physical and mental punishments to dissuade this behavior or thinking.
Azerths are senior Zerths who can wield powerful teleportation magic with their psychic powers, these are the on mission handlers who keep a deployed cell in line, and can detect if they have been turned, weakened or have misgivings and decide if they can return to the complex. Sometimes they will have a cell member banished or killed before they return because they could be a threat. Azerths may also be contacted by Menyar-Ag and told to investigate an Anarch and their cells to root out any impurity, misconduct or plots. As such Anarchs and Azerths do not trust each other.
Encompassed species
Related Locations
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