Undead Githyanki

The githyanki have a long history of using, and becoming, undead. There are very practical reasons for this. The illithid's natural powers do not affect undead, as they do not have living minds. The illithid cannot consume undead brains, and decerebration has no affect on them*.

The first Vlaakith to attain Lichdom is held to be the 121st, but the githyanki had been connected to the undead long before her reign. This presents a mystery, which remains unknown even among the githyanki themselves. Was Vlaakith CXXI, the first Lich Queen, the first githyanki lich? Was there some sort of taboo against an undead ascending to the throne, or was it simply that githyanki culture had changed to such a point as to make this possible? My sources, which I must not reveal for they are intimately knowlegable about githyanki history, but would face a harsh death should they be caught dealing with a 'barbarian', inform me that Vlaakith CXXI was held to be the same as Vlaakith CXX. Evidently, when the 120th Vlaakith arose as a lich, she claimed to be her own successor. This gesture, claiming to be a different individual, but with the same rights of succession as the original living being, may have been made as a political move to satisfy critics of letting a slain ruler remain Queen. Alternately, it could have been in keeping with tradition, for my sorces inform me that just as githyanki often modify their own names over their lives, free-willed githyanki undead always take a new name upon arising.

It can be implied that various other types of free-willed undead must have been closesly associated with their living counterparts long before this, or why else would the Lich Queen pursue such a path in the first place? Githyanki necromancers are well-regarded for their skills, both in their own society and among the necromancer community at large. They are known to be highly refined and knowlegable in The Art. They also have a dire reputation for violence, which I know raises their esteem among many of my colleagues, if from afar.

I intend to compile what I will have learned from my expedition when I return from the Palace of Whispers, for I have been granted an audience with her majesty, Queen Vlaakith CLVII.

*Beheading is an effective way to destroy a vampire, so one may surmise that removal of a vampire's brain would also likely slay it. It is theorized by some necromancers that the incredibly rare vampiric illithid results from an illithid consuming such a brain. However, the illithid themselves can tell an undead from a living being at the range of their telepathy, for they cannot detect even a free-willed undead's thoughts. Further, since undead tissue is repulsive to illithid, it is doubtful that one would consume a vampire's brain, whether unkowingly or on purpose.

- From one of the final letters of Ankh-Nix, Factor of the Dustmen and planehopping lich-priest of Anubus. Ankh-Nix never retuned from the Astral, and of his fate the githyanki will only reply, "The Duster found exactly what he was looking for."

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I made up some interesting versions of free-willed githyanki undead for Incursion and Git'riban, as well as an order of necromanccers. I will flesh them out here. They may contain some spoilers for BoG'r, but that's OK. Ii'jyka'vaar has ties to the Court of Vlaakith, so would concievably know all about these NPCs.

I also, of course, welcome anyone elses creative input / ideas / criticisms / etc.

The necromancers were knows as "The Black Librum", in my Incursion campaign, there was a special forces unit of 66 necromancers led The Queen's Necromancer, a high-level officer for that world's incursion. There was also The Claws of Death, a red dragon dracolich, and The Black Blade, a githyanki death-knight, who collecively led "The Silent Guard", 120 githwarrior swordwraiths.

In the Lich Queen's intel service was Mist-of-the-Mind, a non-corporeal undead Psion-telepath who dominated and brainwashed graith commanders and spies to sow dissention in the enemy ranks.

In BoG'r, there is Ista K'ait (which litterally means "Blood Rat" ), a githyanki vampire who acts as Git'riban's unoffical exterminator of cranium-rats.

Ther is also The Queen's Knight, master of the Githyanki Embassy in the Lower Ward. He (she?) is a githyanki death-knight.

I will do more complete write-ups later.