BoG'r OOC.

True, Du'minh used some, but I think only 2 ....

Before we proceed, I need to write a little about the astral skiffs and how they work in BoG'r.  Each is contriled via a control skull.  This is a psionic item crafted from an illithid skull and crystaline circuitry.  A control skull is suficient to propell an astral ship on the Astral plane or the wildspace 'phlogistin' (which I consider another plane, possibly even a border area of the ethereal, which is much 'larger' and diverse in my cosmology).  In order to deal with gravity on prime worlds, a spine of earthly wind is installed.  The spine is a psi/arcane item which imprisons an air elemental.  The control skull allows the pilot to control the elemental, who will obey the last order given. 

So much for the basics, every PC knows the info above, but not every PC may have been trained on the particulars or ever piloted one before.

Na'rai probably has not.  As a teleporter she is more useful as a shock troop than as a pilot.

Kirath may have, but he spent most of the Incursion in the underdark, so maybe not.

Of the Git'ribani PCs, Ya'shenn is the most likely to have piloted a skiff before.  1. She's a clairvoyant (see below) 2. She can coordinate attacks and send messages.  Piloting a skiff is sort of like riding a motorcycle, it might take an hour to learn how to do it, but to do it well takes some practice.  

Ar'dru, probably not, since he flys himself anyway.

Du'minh, maybe, but probably not.

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Grasping the control skull results in a surge of psionic power.  Harmonicly tuned to githyanki, the energy is damaging to graith, though it does not prevent control.  When the skull is grasped, the pilot is aware of his ship, including the elemental in the spine.  The skull grants a limited clairvoyance around the ship.  The pilot can look in any direction, at ten times normal ranges, as if using a spy-glass.  The skull also amplifies any existing inate abilities of a githyanki pilot.  Telepaths, especially, have their abilities amplified.  They are able to send messages to any ship in the fleet they know well (for free).  This usually includes all major flagships and the ships of a pilot's squadron.  Psions are usually chosen to pilot an astral ship, since most are at least somewhat telepathic.  Clairvoyants are assigned to scout ships.

The basic formation of ships is the strikeforce.  It consists of three ca  pital ships (planar raiders), nine brigs, and about sixty astral skiffs.  Loaded for war, a strikeforce carries about 1,000 githwarriors.

Dire Lemon, if you are going to lurk, try to refrain from criticizing the game, the players, or the characters.

So, we are assuming that Ya'shenn is the only one who has (?) piloted a skiff before.  Zim, choose, but choose well.  The plot will soon be going in such a way where it will matter what each PC did during the Incursion.  Of course, if a PC hasn't talked about their past with another PC, on or off 'camera', others wouldn't know.  Therefore the following is just to get my mind staight for future plot turns

Ar'dru and Du'minh both took part in the Incursion, as special forces considering their abilities.

Ii'jyka'vaar actually missed the Incursion ... mysterious right?

Ya'shenn was mostly in a support role at a varsh'isk.  She may have also piloted skiffs as a scout or combat medic.

 Kirath was in the underdark of this very world.

Na'rai was an Incursion warrior, as were her Band of Jade cohorts. 

In addition to Abir-Toril (of which any number of maps can be googled) there were, via BoG'r lore, nine full Incursions, and two dozen smaller 'raids' (though they still were good sized operations).  I will detail a few other worlds the PCs might have served on, where major Incursions took place, and how they played out ... 

The following are my Nine Incursion worlds.  Some are more fleshed out than others, some are WotC.  Some had (or still have) regalia of Gith or something else that makes them important.

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Abir-Toril.  Moonsea Region conquored.  The Vast and Southern Sembia taken.  Dragon Coast and Pirate Isles conquored.  Raids and forward bases established in Tethyr, The Nelanther, and Northern Amn.  Githyanki unsuccessful in Cormyr & Western Heartlands.

Oerth.  Highfolk Conquored.  Veluna conquored, Furyondy subdued.  War with Iuz.  Expansion into the southern Duchies and the Pomarj.  War with Iuz turns ugly.  Oerth abandoned just before Vlaakith's fall.

Pharagos.  Githyanki spread out, searching for the Gave of the God and Gith's Tomb.  Many raids, but githyanki forces stay mobile, as there were no established varsh'isk on this world.

Saev.  Powerful illithid allied with aboleth (and Tsochar, unknown to most githyanki) preying on rich prime world.  The few free nations very welcoming of githyanki.

Mavei.  Typical prime world, with a large continent whose dominant empire is controled by illithid at the top.  Giants and elves, marginalized to the west, welcome githyanki.  Three human kingdoms to the south do not, though they remain illithid-free.  Githyanki conquor kingdom of Rao, the southern land on large islands separate from the mainland.  Githyanki supported by graith in the wild lands of the north-west.  Great Republic of Nod-Nedom, the great inland empire, includes forests & mountains in the west and far east, but is mostly desert in the middle.  Githyanki conquor mineral-rich western lands of the Great Republic.

Ia-Na.  Ocean-dominated world with four smaller-sized continents and many islands.  Primary githyanki bases established in the Isles of The Firedragons in the north, between the continents of Vo` (several kingdoms, some with navies, some dwarven) and Normandle (mostly wild with fierce goblin and human raiders along the coasts and rivers.  To the south are the tropical continents of Affae and Dag.  Affae is home to yuan-ti (non-naval) and orcs in war canoes, while Dag is wilderness.  Also in the south are marine empires of Korpru (in decline) Kuo-toa (in decline but still far more powerful than on most primes), and Ix-i-can't-spell-it, so they are just called Ix by the natives.  Inbetween the northern and southern continents are Archepeliago to the east, a shallow sea with thousands of islands, and The Wide Deeps to the West (south of Vo`), a great ocean ruled by Kraken and other sea monsters.  In the temperate seas between Vo`, Normandle, Archepeliago, and The Wide Deeps are Sea of Sharks and the Windy Sea, both populated and controled by a mighty Sahuagin Empire.

Torresh.  Rocky world with many mountains.  Dwarves very common.  Extensive underdark.

Antipol.  A world whose orbit and spin match, so that one desert side is always sunny, and another is always dark.  Extensive underdark, and dark-side surface septs, dominated by illithid.

The Ethergaunt Empire.  Bitter and dangerous fighting in deep regions of the Ethereal, unknown to most githyanki.

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The players may choose one of the above, or make up their own 'major raid' world to have served on

Dragon 309.  Incursion was a campaign seed.  The suggestions for incorporating it into Oerth were pretty much as I described them.  Take out the most powerful human nation, Furyondy (right?) by first attacking Highfolk, Dyvers, Veluna, etc.  Lure the army out then gate massive forces into the capital (which by the way would've been hit by a void-bomb rip when Vlaakith went down).  Once the humans were subdued, the githyanki would try to do something similar to Iuz, Greyhawk, etc.  These places are just names to me, really.  The Duchies to the south were suggested as relitively soft targets, and I read an article on the Pomarj once.  I also know the basics, like who Iuz is, but you'll run with it better than I. 

So, Du'minh was on Oerth.  Ya'shenn was on Saev (I never made a map for this one, just the concept).  Kirath was on Toril.  That leaves Ar'dru and Na'rai.  I believe in Ii'jyka'vaar's background we said she wasn't in the Incursion, or perhaps was in the early stages but dropped out when she went to aquire her blade.

And a few more, since Dunamin reminded me of something.

The operating cieling of a flying astral ship is limited by the temperature and avilability of oxygen in prime world skies.  As a rule, they'll stay a few thousand feet from the ground.  Some have experimented with heating, but thin air is a problem that can be circumvented only in a limited fashion by magic and psionics.  They are very good in bad weather, though lack of visibility can be a problem.  They can withstand gale-force winds, but it is not a pleasent experience for the passengers, the pilot, or the ship itself.

The elemental making a ship fly needn't sleep, and will keep the same course and heading of it's last order, so can fly overland in 24 hour intervals if need be.  This gives the githyanki incredible range and speed, and their enemies were greatly surprised at the Incursion's onset.