Demonstone's effect

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nick012000's picture
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Demonstone's effect

While it wasn't entirely faithful to the behavior of Ygorl (I'm just going to assume he was pissed off for being magically imprisoned for a century, and faked his 'death' at the end so the heroes would leave him alone), the game Demonstone will have to be considered for this part of the Planescape setting.

Why? Because by the end of the game, the heroes wind up with the Silver Sword weilded by Gith herself. With the fragmentation of the Githyanki race following Vlaakith's death, this would become even more important. The faction that gets their hands on the Sword would get a big advantage (and not just because it's a powerful artifact). On the other hand, they have to pull it out of the grasp of a group of 3 level 19+ characters (probably level 20 or low epic levels, but at least level 19 because the sorceror knows two level 9 spells in the game), who will be ready and waiting for the githyanki to come. The fact that the characters have been granted a realm to govern (and will likely therefore have minions aiding them) would mean that it could be used as an adventure hook for lower-level PCs.

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Demonstone's effect

Come on, this a topic worth at least some discussion. We're talking about the Silver Sword weilded by Gith herself, here.

Howarth Davin ag-Talaron's picture
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Demonstone

Okay, fill me in.. What is Demonstone? This sounds interesting, but somehow I've never heard of it.

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Demonstone's effect

Demonstone is an XBOX game where the main antagonists are a githynaki princess and a slaadi lord.

More info here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Realms:_Demon_Stone

I played it as part of my githyanki research, but it really didn't "grab" me.

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Demonstone's effect

Well, we can assume that the Githyanki general's speech to the elves (found as an unlockable after beating a particular level) in which she mentions Vlaakith was as a result of the fact that she hadn't regained contact with the rest of the Githyanki race at that point, and that she immediately went to an old fortress in the Underdark implies that she was planning on building her own little faction. She was the grand-daughter of Vlaakith, so that would likely have an effect on the Githyanki who followed her. Also, she got killed by a Red Dragon- it looks like their deal with Tiamat seems to be waning.

Also, for those who feel like going all Klingon, there's a significant amount of spoken Githyanki with English translation in the game.

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Demonstone's effect

i can't find a transcript of Cireka's Vow online. Is she supposed to be the granddaughter of Vlaakith I, or Vlaakith CLVII? Because "The Lich Queen's Beloved" clearly states that Vlaakith CLVII has no heirs and can sire no heirs in her lich state.

I would love to get my hands on some githyanki speech clips from Demonstone. I have created a NWN voice set for githyanki, but I am ashamed to admit that I actually DID use Klingon sound clips. It's all I could find that sounded even close, and they're easy to get.

Here's a visual of the gith princess from the game for anyone interested:
http://noul.blog.jeuxvideo.com/images/mn/1135002730.jpg

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The Githyanki Princess is okay, but what the hell were they thinking with Ygorl?

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Demonstone's effect

She's actually referred to throughout the game as a Githyanki General (more specificaly, General of the Guard of the First City, Tu'narath). She only mentions her royal ancestry in passing. And her wording is "[grand]daughter of Vlakith[sic], who watches over us all", so she's the granddaughter of Vlaakith CLVII.

I'll see what I can do as to the sound clips of her speech in general. The transcript of Cireka's Vow is as follows:

Quote:
I am Cireka, High Clanswoman of the Kith clan, General of the Guard of the First City, Tu'narath, Lord of the Qual'kith, Conqueror of the Lingering Lands, and daughter of Na'kulith, daughter of Vlakith[sic], she who watches over us all.

The path of the righteous is often paved with the blood of lesser species such as yourselves. But your minds cannot hold the glory the Githyanki have seen. The glory of perfection.

Your lands will be conquered, your cities occupied. And in their place there will be order, and there will peace. The ends justify the means, and for this goal, there is no method beyond our consideration.

I am better than you. I am stronger. I am wiser. My mind can hold such visions that would crush your pitiful skulls.

I am your enemy because you cannot see what I can see. If you had an inkling of that vision, your race would surrender immediately.

Some of your kind will no doubt serve in this glorious order. It will be an honor for you to serve us in our grand expansion, though none of you will be wise enough to cherish the role you must play.

When Faerun is conquered, and I have your species is delivered as slaves, it will be my great honor to sacrifice myself to Vlakith[sic], enriching her, and all my people.

Arrogant, much?

This took a while to transcribe because you can't pause the video. Just play and stop it.

I presume Cireka's mother is long since dead, and being trapped in a non-dimensional prison at the time, Cireka didn't really count as a heir at the time it was written anyway. I also assume that Vlaakith is a name assumed upon ascending to the throne, like what the popes do. If that's true, then Vlaakith I could well have been Gith. She went to Tiamat Gith, and returned Vlaakith.

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Demonstone's effect

Gith being the original Vlaakith doesn't make a terrible amount of sense. First off, I could have sworn Vlaakith I was a general or something under Gith's command, and I remember reading somewhere that Vlaakith went with Gith to Baator, and it was Vlaakith that came back and told of the Red Dragon pact, and that Gith died (?).

Even if I am mistaken about any of that, the Gith = Vlaakith I really screws up the "Someday, Gith will return from wherever it is she went" prophecy.

All in all, I think we have to remember that this was a computer game, and a FR game at that. If we can discard parts of PS:T, we can certainly ignore Demonstone, as far as cannon is concerned.

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Demonstone's effect

Thanks for the info Nick. Interesting!

I can clear up one thing -- Gith != Vlaakith.

From the Guide to the Astral Plane:

Quote:
Soon after the githyanki had established themselves in the virtually lifeless Astral, a wizard4ess named Vlaakith began advising Gith on matters of state. She advised the ruler that the Githyanki were in need of allies, and Gith reluctantly agreed. After a failed attempt to gain the slaadi, Limbo's native race, as allies against the githzerai, Vlaakith advised Gith to descend into Baator to meet with the legendary Tiamat.

What actually occurred at that meeting is one of the best-kept secrets in all the planes. Simply put, no one knows but Gith, Tiamat, and apparently one of Tiamat's consorts, a red great worm named Ephelomon. What is known is that Ephelomon came to the Astral and instructed Vlaakith that Gith had named the wizardess as the githyanki leader's successor, and that she was to carry on her legacy of conquest, for Gith would not be returning. The great worm also announded that an eternal pact between red dragons and the githyanki was now in place.


So Vlaakith and Gith were the two most well-known historical githyanki figures at the time just after the githyanki first migrated the Astral plane. As they would have been very visible and well-known, I don't see any room for the two to be fused into one individual. Gith left, and Vlaakith stayed behind. If both had left and only Vlaakith returned, there might be some wiggle room, but that's not how it went down.

I don't see how one can fit Demonstone into a discussion of Vlaakith's demise based on the plot elements laid out in the video game. The assertion that Cireka is Vlaakith CLVII's granddaughter directly contradicts the setup for "The Lich-Queen's Beloved". "The Lich-Queen's Beloved" states that Vlaakith does not have an heir, and cannot bear an heir because she is a lich. Note it doesn't say that an heir is missing -- it says there is no heir.

PAuse for a moment to consider how Vlaakith treats powerful githyanki to preserve her throne. Now expand that to address any biological potential rivals for the throne. They would all be quickly consumed, utterly. Every last one of them would be hunted down.

I don't think there's room here for a granddaughter, whether trapped in a dimensionless time bubble or not. And if her granddaughter possessed the artifact Gith's Sword, I'm pretty sure Vlaakith wouldn't have neglected to follow up on that one. It's far too tenuous.

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Demonstone's effect

Well, it's possible that Cireka had done something that had disqualified her from legitimately assuming the throne, thereby no longer making her an heir. It's probably notable that she is continiously referred to as a General, rather than a Princess. It's also notable that she went to a fortress in the Underdark to build up her armies, rather than going to Tu'narath to claim the throne (should she have been eligible). That is, her own actions show that she knew she was ineligible to claim the throne of the Githyanki people, so she had to build up her military power for the purpose of their political factions we've set up.

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Demonstone's effect

Even if you disregard her role as the granddaughter of the Lich-Queen, she still wouldn't have survived. If she were only some powerful githyanki general who possessed the mythical sword of Gith, the Lich-Queen would certainly have sucked her dry in a minute.

The fact that she was also a rival to the throne due to being a blood relative of Vlaakith I makes that even worse. Being somehow disqualified on a technicality does not negate the fact that she still has the blood of Vlaakith flowing in her veins. That one fact guarantees that she would have been absorbed by Vlaakith long ago. You don't go through a thousand years of sucking out the souls of all your rivals only to let one like this slip by. It's just not plausible.

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Demonstone's effect

Maybe she simply was more useful as a tool than as being absorbed, and made it plenty clear she was no rival to Vlaakith through her actions. That, or she hadn't hit 16th level yet. Maybe the ritual Vlaakith used required that the target have a minimum amount of power before it becomes useful, and she hadn't hit that power level yet?

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Demonstone's effect

No, the module says that Vlaakith has no heir. Cireka is an heir by blood relation. An heir is a potential candiate for legitimate succession, generally due to being directly related to the previous monarch. In a matriarchy such as the githyanki have, a female blood relation is exactly such a potential candidate, and would be so for her entire life.

The Crown of Corruption, which is what Vlaakith uses to absorb rivals, simply has an energy drain power. Vlaakith chooses to use it on individuals of a certain level because she has a specific goal in mind -- the gathering of enough experience to gain wish spells, which assist her in progressing towards godhood. She can use the crown on individuals of any level if they pose a threat to her reign.

A blood relative capable of justifying a coup based on their non-lichness as well as a blood relation to the original Vlaakith could not possibly pose a larger threat to a villan such as Vlaakith. Well, actually she could -- add in the original Sword of Gith and you've got a guarantee of termination. Her chances for survival are exactly zero.

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Demonstone's effect

Exactly: an heir is someone who can legitimately succeed. There can be ways with which her succession is no longer legitimate. For example, in the English royal family, all of the descendents of one particular King are not legitimate successors to the throne (through him, at least) because he basically said so after he abidicated the throne after remarrying. Additionally, all Catholics (or those married to Catholics) are out of the running.

Perhaps what Cireka did to disqualify herself was to become a knight rather than a wizard. The original Vlaakith was a wizard; the current Vlaakith was a wizard; it is not a stretch to say that to be a

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Demonstone's effect

You're discussing successions of living human kings and their easily disregarded children. I'm talking about a crazed paranoid undead nutjob who's killed off every rival for her throne for a thousand years, and the one person who could easily be said to deserve her position more than she does simply because she is a flesh and blood githyanki.

If Cerika is indeed Vlaakith's granddaughter, then she is a *potential* heir who could be legitimately placed on the throne if the Lich-Queen were removed. Doing so would continue the matriarchal reign from Vlaakith I on down with a minimum of disruption. Fabricating a scenario where she might be seen as *unsuitable* for the throne doesn't erase the fact that Cerika would be the next Vlaakith if Vlaakith wasn't undead. Cerika is a living githyanki female, and she is a living descendent of Vlaakith I. Therefore, she is always going to be to one degree or another a valid candidate for the Lich-Queen's throne. Anything else is irrelevant in the bigger picture.

There is no possible way that a paranoid megalomaniac lich would destroy thousands of githyanki rivals over a thousand years only to let the one and only legitimate descendent of Vlaakith I remain standing in the wings. We're dealing with a crazy lich that wants to continue to be the leader of the githyanki forever. She's simply not going to let the only living member of her bloodline live. A live member of that bloodline is and always will be a threat to her.

Cerika would be toast on that basis alone. However, there are two other reasons for Vlaakith to off Cerika. First, the fact that she is a powerful githyanki, and all powerful githyanki are absorbed by the Lich-Queen. And second, she apparently possesses the Sword of Gith.

There is just no conceivable way Vlaakith would allow Cerika to survive when you factor all this in. Cerika threatens Vlaakith merely by her existence. Regardless of any other mitigateing circumstances, I see absolutely no way that Vlaakith would allow her to live.

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Demonstone's effect

I happened to run across the fact that the info from Dungeon 100 is taken almost word-for-word from the Guide to the Astral Plane, which I assume is about as Planescape canon as you gets. In fact, the Guide goes one step further, and basically puts this discussion to rest.

Quote:
In fact, unlike all her predecessors, this Vlaakith is a lich, has no heirs, and in her undead state, is now unable to produce them. Should the lich-queen be detroyed, her aeons-old bloodline will die with her.

She is the last of her bloodline. She hasn't got any family, and certainly not any females. Which, of course, makes perfect sense given her behavior and personality.

The only logical way that Demonstone could impact the post-Vlaakith discussion would be the conjecture that Cerika lived and died *before* the events of "The Lich-Queen's Beloved". That's a stretch, but still plausible. Which would also mean that the only concrete result of the events in the game is that some Primes have something they have been told is Gith's Sword. That doesn't really change our story much.

And just in case Demonstone wasn't enough confusion with the whole Sword of Gith business....it looks like Neverwinter Nights 2 involves a similar artifact-sword, only that one breaks in an epic battle, and somehow a piece of it ends up imbedded in our hero's brain. Cue the githyanki, who want to reforge the legendary silver sword and are looking forward to getting this particular piece...

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