Githyanki Martial Tradition – Part 1. Mentality

“Never kill a worthy foe casually, young ones. Plunge your blade hilt-deep in his chest while shouting your defiance to his face, lock eyes with him, and watch the vitality rapidly drain away until there is but the faintest flicker of life left. Then you twist.”

- Rev’keth, varsh overseer

It cannot be understated how central combat and warfare is to githyanki culture and mindset. The way it defines the way they think, the way they act, and the way their society is structured is nearly all-encompassing. Though many of them may find themselves devoted to aspects of life with little martial focus or stationed well removed from the front lines of planar skirmishes, all giths with a traditional imperial upbringing are soldiers in spirit through and through.

Strict imperial training usually starts as soon as the resident varsh caretaker deems the young capable of holding a sword properly. All juveniles are taught the traditional sword fighting style of vertoth*, but those that go on to become elite soldiers often have the opportunity to add more specialized techniques to their repertoire and learn to master additional arms.

Githyanki warriors engage nearly exclusively in close combat, putting a great deal of importance on facing the opposition head on. In stark contrast to the Great Enemy – mind flayers – that operates through veil, deception, and intermediates, giths feel need for confrontation to be resolved face-to-face, in person, and with no pretense.

That is not to say they charge in and lock their positions during combat – an assaulting warband will typically shift around the battlefield, taking up advantageous footholds when there is significant tactical gain. Engagement with ranged weapons from far off is frowned on as a less honorable approach, however, but practiced as a necessary evil when the situation calls for it.

This attitude also provides part of the reason why shields play little role in githyanki martial traditions. Giths are aggressive creatures and the vast majority prefer offensive tactics that prevent the use of a shield.

It is likely one of their greatest strategic weaknesses, since this disposition historically has downplayed the use of phalanx formation in military campaigns on prime material worlds. On the Astral, however, tactics of locked shields are harder to pull off due to the greater mobility and ability to engage a target from all around - noteworthy exceptions include the "shield-sphere" formation employed by kith'rak Vrekuth during the Liberation of Fortress Nor'mujin.

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“The supreme commander was like a mighty psychic storm given focus. Brutal, raging, and uncompromising. When she cleaved through the hordes it was a beautiful orchestra of death and destruction.”

- Thael’a’lith, sarth of the Pure Alloy

True veterans attain a deeply philosophical relation to fencing, one that is reflected in githyanki culture on many levels. Combat becomes an immensely aesthetic and emotional art form, and giths will typically judge their peers heavily on how they express themselves in battle during their first operations together. When it comes to leaving impressions on a ranking brother in arms, lack of skill and experience can often be compensated somewhat by a passionate and personally appealing fighting style.

A seasoned gith warrior in the heat of battle displays an exercise of focused fury. All the hatreds that are so central to their history, all the anger that he or she has been taught from imperial lore, all these emotions are tempered by a lifetime of extreme disciple and channeled from their mind and heart, through their sword arm, and delivered at the point of their blade.

*Vertoth and other githyanki fighting styles will be explored in Githyanki Martial Tradition - Part 3