The Queen is no more! How this has come to pass is not as important as what the repercussions of this will be for the People. I have led you into a thousand battles and more. I have spilled the blood of those who would oppose the Queen, and those who would harm the People. I have worn the blood of fallen warriors, and carried their tokens back to this fastness in honor. Behold! The sword of Gin'Sha, cloven at the hilt, and worn upon my my right side these many ages in rememberance of her brave sacrifice in battle with the Sons of Zerthimon. Today I will lay it aside so that the Mlar may forge it anew. Behold! The Seeing Gem of N'soff-Rrafaan! I have carried it even longer, ever since he went before the Queen for his final honor. I cast it now from me, but urge that one of you take it ere my words are done. For I know at last what this gift signified.N'soff-Rrafaan saw these futures for the People; to exist or to be destroyed. Such has always been our fate, and we forged our existance with blades, spells, and minds. Yet he saw the hidden wound in this choice. He saw that blood may spill where none mark it. He saw that a warrior's blade may cut even its own wielder.The Queen is no more! Yet our enemies remain. All among the People know that the Sons of Zerthimon deserve naught but death for their betrayal. It matters not, for what one deserves is nothing next to what one takes or has taken away. The Sons of Zerthimon remain. The True Enemy remains as well, scheming, hungering, torturing, enthralling all that they may of the lesser races. The very existance of the Illithids is a blight upon space and time. They remain, in part because of Zerthimon's betrayal, but it matters not. That they remain is all.Today I relinquish the sword-shards of Gin'Sha, not because I lack hate, not because I forget betrayal, but because to hate anything more than an Illithid is to betray Gith's memory and Gith's People. And so I declare, I will not slay a Son of Zerthimon while an Illithid remains. Any warrior who hears my words and would oppose them may follow another, but even if I am no longer to lead a single warrior in the battles to come, I will be bound to my oath. Thus spoke Ali-Gorthifsha-N'kahl, Supreme Leader of Ironrock Castle, before challenging all her Knights who would uphold the Queen's Code to single combat. I did not see the final results, but none of them, formidable as they were, could have conquered her blade. I bring this report because her oath of treason has ensnared most of the warriors of the Band of Iron, and even many of the Gish under her have sworn similarly.-Gish M'kklin to the Outer Circle of the Order of Vlaakith.
*****
The Band - Supreme Leader Ali-Gorthifsha-N'kahl is a veteran of an untold number of battles against the Githzerai, the Illithids, and many Prime nations. In fact, she had been summoned to appear before the Queen just before Vlaakith's CLVII's death. Her reluctance and delay nearly cost her her life at the hands of the Knights of Ironrock, but as the situation turned out, that delay saved her. She has long been a skilled leader and forceful personality amoung the Githyanki, greatly respected by her followers for her abilities and a long list of victories. Since swearing an oath not to battle the Githzerai, at least untill all Illthids have been destroyed, her influence has actually grown. In addition to a sizable band of seasoned Githyanki warriors in Ironrock Castle, she has managed to illicit support from the Psi-Warriors of the Bronze Tower, the Gish training center of
Krrachaan, and the Sorcerers of the Sharp Librum. She has even managed to woo away a small number of warriors from other bands, though few Githyanki will vocalize support of the Band of Iron for fear of the Knights. As of yet, the Knights of Vlaakith have not moved against her. Indeed, some reports have suggested that a few of the Knights of Ironrock follow her still, though surely this cannot be true, for what Knight would let such treason stand unchallenged? The Band of Iron refuses to recognise Vlaakith CLVIII, though they are not vocal about it, especially in the presence of a Knight. Perhaps it is only a matter of time before the Order of Vlaakith declares the entire warband traitors to the People.Due in part to the many past victories of the Band of Iron, Ironrock is well stocked with arms of war. The Band's sphere of influence has long included the Mlar of the God-island known as the Iron Corpse. The blades of the Band of Iron are therefore both keen and plentiful, though Ali was certain to send the silver swords of those Knights who challenged her back to the Order.
***
The Strategies - Contrary to what some reports may say, very few of the Band of Iron actually swore not to kill Githzerai. The majority of them would kill a Zerth in a pinch, but seeing as how the focus of the band has been elsewhere, it would be a chance meeting and probably amount to self-defence anyway. Strike-parties against known and rumored Illithid enclaves have increased somewhat, but Ali's real focus has been the acquisition of artifacts that might prove useful against the True Enemy. The Sharp Librum have been seen in far-flung corners of the Silver Void and the Prime worlds, researching leads. They have not been hindered by other Bands, partially due to their reputation as powerful warlocks, and perhaps partially due to a silent approval from other leaders of Ali's actions. Even so, many Bands remain wary, and none have openly donated any artifacts to Ali's cause. It would be wise for the Knights to keep as close a watch on the Sharp Librum as possible, and any Supreme Leader worth the title knows this.It is rumored that certain leaders of the Sharp Librum have been following the path and the history of the Chaos Spire. Do they seek a way to regain control of the lost artifact at its core? Warlock Takkra'nod, a Sorcerer of great repute, has disappeared from the Silver Void completely. He was known to be one of the foremost experts on the Chaos Spire, and one of only a handful Githyanki to claim to have entered it and returned. ***The Emissaries - The former Master Psi-Warrior of Ironrock, Gim-Raan, brought dishonor upon the People when he refused to go before the Queen, and instead fled into the outer planes. True to tradition, one assassin has been trained out of every clutch from Ironrock thereafter to find and slay the traitor. Gim-Raan the Hunted is known to have been traveling the Outlands for many cycles, and is rumored to now reside in the gate-town of Curst. When he was of the People, he and Ali were close comrades-in-arms, and so it is by no means inconcievable that she has managed to contact him. The aid that a powerful emissary, who has undoubtably met challenges outside those normally encountered by a Githyanki, and met them alone, could give, is an unknown and therefore troubling factor.Another outcast, whose actions may have actually influenced Supreme Leader Ali, is the Psi-Warrior Tellas-Naia. For those unfamiliar with the story, Tellas-Naia was a promising student of the mind from the Bronze Tower. She was a great Illithid hunter in her time, but it is said her goals became too focused. In her war on the Illithid, she used any method at her disposal, even to the point of forging an alliance with one of the Sons of Zerthimon! It is said that she and the Zerth Gazz traveled together across many planes, bringing the fight to the Illithids and foiling a great many of their plots in the most dark and devious of ways. They eventually became lovers, and for this outrage were hunted by the Githyanki and Githzerai alike. They eventually fled into the darkness of Pandemonium, and though rumors have surfaced from time to time of their work on other Planes, no Githyanki assassin has managed to sucessfully track the pair. It is therefore inconcievable that any 'Zerai assassin could do what the best of the People could not, and so they must live still.
***
Recent Reports - Supreme Leader Ali-Gorthifsha-N'Kahl has disappeared! Spies loyal to the Queen's Knights marked a strong warparty which included Ali and much of her inner circle in the City of Doors. Reports indicate that they were there to acquire an artifact from an Arcanaloth merchant known as A'kin. The bodies of the entire patrol then showed up a short time later at the Mortuary, reports indicating that most were violently torn asunder. Rumors of a large band of Slaadi eviscerated by the Lady of Pain in the same area could not be confirmed, but if true, raise many questions. What could make so many Slaadi cooperate together? What was the artifact Ali's party acquired, and what would the Slaadi want with it? An important footnote is that the Supreme Leader's corpse was seemingly absent, as was that of one of her
Kith'rak by the name of
Gy-Nath. Moreover, several tokens from the fallen officers were missing, which may indicate that someone had the time to perform the
Kiin'chast , the ritual of rememberance, over the fallen. Ali has not been seen since, and if her
Kith'rak still lives, he has not returned to the People.Subsequent reports, whose source must remain secret, have given a name to the artifact in question. It was known as "The Warp Sphere", although what this implies as to its likely functions remains a matter of conjecture.
