Author's Note: Battle scenes are going to be the death of me. Starting with this chapter, this fic will be heavily revised from the original version that I had posted a few years back, but has since been removed. While there will be some word-for-word dialogue from the game included in some instances, I'm going to do my best to make custom dialogue that follows the same narrative. On that note, I personally see Ashaka sounding similar to Dr. Liara T'Soni from the Mass Effect series, particularly how she sounded in Mass Effect 2 and nothing will change that for me. Also, Ashaka's gone through some revision in regards to her physical description, which received a massive overhaul from how bland it was in this story's original incarnation.
Overall, the story rating will remain as teen, so readers can find it more easily. I may or may not post certain explicit content later on with the mature rating and respective warnings as a separate entry to the main story, we'll see how I feel once I get that far in the narrative. Apologies for posting two chapters right off, but chapters one and two go hand-in-handed, so I wanted to post them together.
As always, Baldur's Gate III is © to Larian Studios, the setting for the Forgotten Realms campaign is © to Ed Greenwood and Dungeons & Dragons et al are © to Wizards of the Coast. However, Ashaka, other characters and certain plot points are of my own creation. If you don't recognize something from the game proper, than it's probably mine.
Special thanks goes out to my beta reader, CatSnievans, you're the best!
Summary: After being spirited away from her home in Kara-Tur, a githzerai monk finds herself lost upon the Sword Coast of Faerûn. In order to find a cure for the illithid larva within her mind, she must learn to trust those who share her plight. Eventual Lae'zel/PC romance. F/F.
Warnings: Headcanon, violence, language, OCs, spoilers for the game.
Chapter II:
A Harrowing Escape
Ashaka was unsure how much time had passed since the mind flayer had left the room, and the other woman had remained silent aside from her own attempts to free herself from the pod that held her. The monk hadn't made any attempt to speak to her, either, the shock of seeing her best friend practically murdered right before her eyes having overrode all sense of logic and leaving her unable to think coherently.
She was shaken from her stupor when the vessel rocked violently, the githzerai taking a moment to pull herself together, only to feel a wave of panic wash over her when fire suddenly swept into the chamber, though there was too little to actually catch anything alight... yet. Another slow, deep breath was taken, and the monk forced herself to focus on calming down until she felt her rapidly racing heart returning to its normal pace.
Sha... I'm not leaving him behind, Ashaka told herself silently as she studied what she could see of her pod before she pressed her right shoulder against one of the bars and pushed with all her might. She gave a small hiss of triumph when she felt it beginning to give way, wondering if the ship had been damaged enough to render the pods unstable. The nautiloid rocked violently a second time, then, and Ashaka yelped in surprise when the bars suddenly gave way, causing her to pitch forward and collapse onto the floor.
She winced, taking a moment to lightly shake her head in order to reorient herself before she tried to push herself up, and she grimaced when she realized that her legs were currently numb. After making sure that her hood was still in place, the githzerai kept herself low as she pulled herself towards her best friend's corpse; frustrated that her legs were choosing that precise moment to awaken and she grimaced at the horrible pins and needles feeling that seized the appendages as feeling gradually returned to them.
Don't try to stand yet, she cautioned herself silently, if that githyanki takes notice of me, she'll kill me when she escapes and I'm not in any shape to fight back at the moment.
Ashaka drew a shaky breath when she reached Sha'kar and, silently, she pulled his body to her, not caring that his blood and bits of gray matter were beginning to stain the front of her overcoat. There was now a large hole in the ship's hull on the far side of the room, and the monk dared to chance a glance upwards to see snow-blasted rock zipping by at speeds she couldn't fathom.
Grimacing, Ashaka tightened her hold on Sha'kar's body before she pulled them both backwards, doing what she could to put as much distance between them and the breach as she could, and she froze when she saw a red dragon perch just outside of the break in the hull, her pulse racing in her ears as she remained stone still.
She saw the githyanki struggling to free herself from her pod even as the dragon set fire to the pool in the middle of the room, the flames reacting to the viscous liquid that the larvae were kept in. Ashaka shrieked as she felt herself thrown against the wall behind her, and she clung to her friend's body for dear life as they both slumped to the floor in a heap, Ashaka's back pressed against the wall right next to the pod that once held her captive, with Sha'kar's body sprawled across her legs.
The githzerai groaned softly before she forced herself to take a breath, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment as she attempted to focus on regaining her bearings, too dazed to even think about making an attempt to push her fellow student's body off of her. In spite of their current predicament, the young woman was thankful that she was somehow still alive and that neither of them had been set ablaze.
Yet. I need to get us out of here before we roast alive.
The glint of metal caught her attention, however, and Ashaka saw the githyanki slide from her pod to fall to the floor before forcing herself to stand after a long moment, and the monk watched the githwarrior take a few shaky steps towards the hole in the hull's wall before her legs gave out and sent her collapsing to her knees.
Ashaka stayed put, not wanting to draw attention to herself when, after a few long minutes, the githyanki was once again able to stand. The githzerai lowered her head and closed her eyes, doing her best to look as if the impact of hitting the wall had knocked her out cold. She heard the githwarrior's footsteps draw closer, before she felt her right leg being prodded a few times by a foot, and Ashaka forced herself to continue her ruse even when she heard a harsh voice murmur "pathetic" before the githyanki's footfalls gradually faded as the woman left the room.
Ashaka waited for a few minutes before deeming it safe to stir, and she carefully pushed Sha'kar's body off of her before she slowly rose to her feet, keeping a hand braced against the wall as she wobbled shakily for a few seconds. Only when she felt her legs were stable enough to hold her did the young woman step over her fellow gith's corpse before slowly making her way to the breach, and her eyes widened at the visage that stretched beyond the hull of the nautiloid:
The surface was comprised of barren, ashen gray rock, pits of lava glowing in various shades of reds and oranges as they sent thick smoke billowing into the dismal skies above. Masses of devils and demons constantly threw themselves at one another in a never-ending battle, and Ashaka realized that she was witnessing a snippet of the Blood War.
Avernus. Oh, ancestors... we're in the first layer of the Nine Hells...
She shivered and backed away a couple of steps, not wanting to see any more before she returned to where she'd left her friend's body and, with a grunt, hoisted him over her left shoulder.
I need to get back home. Sensei Murad needs to know what became of his best student... and that Sha'kar's death is entirely my own fault.
Ashaka glanced about, spotting what she assumed was the door that led out of the infestation chamber, the floor marked by a series of thin lights that flashed in a pattern, and the fleshy membrane of the door opened at her approach. The fire had made the room an inferno, and Ashaka knew that her clothes were probably drenched in her own sweat thanks to the fact that she was still clad within her overcoat.
Sighing, she moved to carefully set Sha'kar's body down before she shrugged off the coat and removed her gloves, letting them all fall to a heap at her immediate left. Ashaka then removed her boots, setting them near the rest of her winter clothing. She was reluctant to leave her scarf so, instead, she opted for tying it round her slender waist like a belt before she fussed with her undershirt and raised its hood over her head. That done, she rifled through her overcoat's inner pockets, her eyes narrowing in triumph when she felt her fingers brush against metal. Grasping what she had sought, Ashaka pulled something small out of her overcoat's inner left pocket, pausing to look it over before she snapped it open with a single flick of her wrist.
It was a war fan, the vanes and side coverings comprised of adamantite. While the concealing cloth normally depicted a tree branch laden with pinkish-white plum blossoms in various stages of blooming against a light gray backdrop of clouds and snowflakes; currently the cloth displayed a wilting wild rose, petals as crimson as blood set against an inky black sky.
"You always seem to know how I'm feeling," Ashaka murmured softly to the weapon before she snapped it closed and carefully tucked it into her now makeshift belt. The monk paused, bracing herself for a moment before she lifted her best friend's body over her shoulder for a second time.
She saw a few small corpses strewn about as she made her way through the massive hall, knowing that they were imps from the prominently red skin and the single set of bat-like wings that grew from their backs. If some of the devils knew that the nautiloid was trespassing within Avernus then, sooner or later, more would arrive to kill all who had survived the earlier attack while the vessel had been plane-hopping to escape the githyanki assault.
That red dragon is probably ridden by a kith'rak, she realized as she reflected on what had occurred, why else would it attack a ghaik gh'ath? They could have been after that woman, but why? Most githyanki outside of the Sha'sal Khou care little for their own. Unless she stole something of value? No, don't be foolish, Asha.
To get her mind off of the subject, Ashaka preoccupied herself with studying her current surroundings, noting that the structure of the nautiloid's interior appeared to be made of a flesh-like material that was a deep reddish-purple in hue, while a few areas were bathed within a harsh crimson light. What looked like sharp, angular tables and chairs were placed around the area and, on one such table sat a brain within a container of bubbling liquid, of which was bathed within the same dark red light.
The sight of the container made Ashaka shudder in revulsion, and the githzerai decided that she would avoid all contact with anything in this section of the craft if she could help it.
"We are here..." came a voice that sounded within her mind, and the monk halted in her tracks to look about for a moment.
"Um..."
"Help us... We are trapped... Trapped!"
The voice held no clear gender, though the tone was rather childlike, however, there was a slightly distorted dissonance that sounded off to her. Frowning, Ashaka turned to see a platform on the left hand side of the area, of which was currently upon her level of the hallway, with the same crimson light emanating from what must have been some sort of mechanism to operate it.
"We are here... Help us!"
In spite of her earlier decision, Ashaka felt an odd sense of curiosity as she approached the platform and, when she got there, she paused to carefully set Sha'kar's body down. The young woman took a moment to look over the crimson-lit controls before she reached out and pressed the largest one, and she jerked in surprise when the platform suddenly lurched before it began to rise to the upper level.
When the platform halted and clicked into place, the githzerai immediately wished she'd kept to her earlier choice of refusing to touch anything, for what greeted her was nothing short of bone-chilling:
The entire area was bathed within that dark red light, and there were more of the brain-holding containers, most of which were situated at the back of the balcony-like area. Worse yet was the fact that there was a body sprawled out in one of those sharp, unnerving chairs, though this one had been tilted back a fair way and unclothed from the waist up.
In spite of common sense screaming at her to grab her fellow student's body and bolt, Ashaka found herself slowly approaching the strange cadaver, and while the pointed ears and slim build at first made her fear that the poor sod had been a gith in life, Ashaka soon realized that several details were off: the skin was too fair, the pointed ears too short, and the nose too large. Instead, what she was looking at was the corpse of a male elf whose mouth was frozen open in a silent scream as dead eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling above.
When she moved to inspect the corpse from the side, however, she was barely able to bite back a startled cry when the cadaver suddenly twitched, causing her to jerk back in reflex. Grimacing, she forced herself to continue her inspection, and she felt a shiver crawl down her spine when she noticed that the top of the elf's head had been removed with what had to have been surgical precision, leaving the top of his brain completely exposed.
"Tsk'va... This is too much," Ashaka whispered, her voice trembling in her rising fear, and she was about to turn and leave when that damned voice spoke into her mind once again.
"Please! Before they return!"
Sighing, the young woman once again turned to face the cadaver, and she felt herself sneer when she noticed that the brain within the cranial cavity was moving - as if it had a life of its own.
"I know you," she hissed in disgust as hatred overrode her fear, "an intellect devourer: an aberration created by the ghaik as a revrykal - a servant."
"Free us, please! We will not harm you if you free us..."
"No."
"Wait... WAIT!"
Ashaka shut her mind to the psionic voice pleading with her to free it, and she moved to slide her slender fingers into the cavity in order to gain a good grip upon the trapped aberration. She took a breath and focused, squeezing the devourer as hard as she could until she heard a near deafening screech alongside a sickening squelch as parts of the thing practically exploded from the force being applied to it, soaking her hands in cranial liquids and gray matter as what remained of the devourer grew still.
Grimacing in utter disgust, the githzerai shook her hands to rid them of most of the gray matter that stuck to her skin before she paused to wipe her hands the best she could on the corpse's right pant leg.
"Poor sod didn't deserve such a fate," she muttered to herself with a slight shake of her head as she turned away from the unnerving scene and moved back to the platform, the structure returning to the lower level after she'd pressed the large round panel. With a soft sigh, Ashaka retrieved Sha'kar's body before she stepped off the platform - and stopped.
The wide hallway opened up into a huge doorway, and she could see the hellish atmosphere of Avernus flying by as the nautiloid continued through it. Why the imbecile at the helm hadn't done another plane shift was beyond her, but that was the least of her worries for the time being.
Sighing, Ashaka closed her eyes for a long moment as she made one of the most painful choices of her life.
After retreating back to the far side of the hallway, Ashaka moved to carefully set Sha'kar's body down, her chest feeling as if it was caught in a vice as she reached out to lightly brush his hair out of his face before she gently closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice breaking, but she forced herself to continue in a trembling whisper, "I'm so sorry, Sha. Know that this is entirely my damn fault. If only I'd listened to you, we'd still be..." Her throat seized up, and she swallowed hard, feeling hot tears beginning to run down her face. "We'd still be... home... and you'd still be alive... Know that I'm not asking for forgiveness, but please... don't hate me for what I have to do..."
The young woman fell silent, her shoulders shaking with a quiet sob as she reached out to set a trembling hand on one of her fellow gith's shoulders, a sigh of self-hatred leaving her before she reached out to undo the topmost buttons of his overcoat, pushing the material away to reveal a pendant of green jade carved into the likeness of a foo lion posed sitting with its tufted tail wrapped around its forelegs, of which was strung upon a fine silver chain.
Ashaka felt her stomach twist as she sought out the clasp, unfastened it and moved to slip the pendant around her own neck before once again fastening the clasp and tucking the jade underneath the front of her shirt.
"Know that, by my ancestors, I'll keep this safe for you, I promise... and know that I'll find a way back home and I'll tell everyone what happened... Farewell, my dearest friend, I'll never forget you..."
Slowly, the githzerai forced herself to rise back to her feet, and she gave her best friend's body one final glance before she turned and slowly began to walk back towards the giant doorway that would lead to the outside of the nautiloid's hull.
Stop crying, Ashaka scolded herself silently as she raised a hand to wipe at her eyes, tears are a weakness and to show such vulnerability is to invite an early death.
At the edge of the doorway, she stopped, hesitating before she reached up to place a hand over the pendant she now felt underneath her shirt - close to her heart. Keeping hold of the trinket, she took a slow, deep breath to steel herself before she slowly let go and allowed her hand to fall back to her side.
As soon as she stepped out into the stifling heat, the roar of a red dragon came to her ears, and Ashaka quickly ducked as she saw the large creature swoop by, it and the kith'rak astride its back both being harried by a small flock of imps. In that same instance, a humanoid form flipped over her, landing in a partial crouch right in front of her. Fiery topaz eyes glared deeply into Ashaka's own as the githwarrior who'd been infested alongside her back in the chamber raised a longsword in a short flourish, the blade pointed towards Ashaka in a gesture that spoke of challenge: fight or die.
"Abomination," the fighter snarled, "this is your end!"
"Very well," the monk snapped back as she felt what was left of her patience evaporate, "bring it."
Stop, her conscience screamed at her even as she sank into a combat stance, gith do not kill gith! Don't you remember anything you've learned during your studies back in Tabot?!
Ashaka ignored her logical mind's mental warning, however, and she was about to attack when a sudden flare of pain shot through her skull, the intensity of it causing her to double over as she clamped her free hand against the side of her head, a cry of pain leaving her.
Images flashed through her mind, then: a glimpse of a red dragon's wing, the ring of metal accompanying the brief image of a silver sword, and the final image of her currently hooded visage as seen through the other woman's eyes within that very moment.
What is going on?!
"My head... What is this- ngh!"
Lae'zel grit her teeth against the sudden flare of pain that shot through her mind, of which was accompanied by flashes of images: a city that resembled a rather foreboding looking fortress floating through a chaotic, ever-changing sky and a monastery hidden within snow-covered mountains; the icy wind howling in her ears yet, she did not feel the biting cold.
The final image, however, lingered the longest, showing a place that was comprised of what appeared to be rocks of varying sizes that had been meticulously placed upon white sand that had strange patterns traced into it, and a particularly large boulder sat what looked to be roughly ten or so feet away. This place held an air of tranquility that turned her stomach, so Lae'zel attempted to focus on her surroundings, only to be distracted by a glimpse of a slender golden-yellow hand being raised in front of her face for a fleeting moment before she felt herself push off from where she had been standing. Everything flew by her in a rush as she sailed through the air with an unfamiliar speed and grace. At the arc of her jump, as if on reflex, her body shifted to adjust before she kicked out in front of her with her left leg. This pose was held only for a second before she once again felt her body's positioning adjusting to land lightly upon the boulder she'd been studying seconds prior in a maneuver that had been well practiced by the one to whom this memory belonged.
The vivid image faded and the hooded figure returned to her vision, a hand raised to one side of its head in a gesture mirroring her own.
"Tsk'va," she breathed, forcing herself to rise to her full height in spite of the lingering pain within her skull before she moved to sheath her longsword, "you are no thrall- Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together, we might survive."
Silently, the figure rose to their full height, after which they raised their hands to grasp the sides of their hood. They paused for a moment, considering, before slowly pulling the garment down to reveal another gith, of whom was also female, with jet black hair pulled back into a tight bun, though two thick locks of deep red looped underneath her ears, of which lacked the serrated edges upon the back. They were pierced with a set of simple, silver hoops twice at the lobes and twice more, one set near the upper middle and the final set closer to the top where the ears began to taper into a long, sharp point. Her pale golden-yellow skin held a brownish undertone, a light smattering of black spots framing the outer edges of her face above her thin eyebrows and stopping halfway down her cheekbones. Her nose, as typical of all gith, was narrow and upturned, situated above a pair of thin lips, though a single, short scar vertically marred the flesh of her right cheek. Lastly, black markings framed narrow pale gray eyes, the subtle shifting of them telling Lae'zel this other woman was also studying her as well, though the other gith was remaining silent for the moment.
This other gith's slight form was clad within clothing that was mostly a dark midnight blue in coloration, comprised of a hooded sleeveless shirt mostly hidden by what appeared to be sleeveless jet black vestments made primarily of leather and accented by jade green trimming that seamlessly blended into an embossed pattern resembling the stylized branches of a tree, of which were accented by light pink images resembling some sort of flower blossom. Said pattern was found beginning at the woman's collarbone and spreading up to her shoulders, though with the other gith currently facing her, Lae'zel couldn't tell if the floral pattern continued on the back or not.
While sleeveless and form fitting around the woman's torso, below the jade green sash tied around her waist, these vestments flowed down to where they stopped just above the other gith's ankles, separated into two semi-narrow strips of cloth that, at the thigh area, were kept close together by a series of three cords comprised of woven thread, jade green in color like the majority of the accents. At the bottom, right above the jade green trimming, this cloth was accented by embroidered images that resembled light pink flower petals. The cloth in the back was much wider and appeared to be split at the bottom, though how far up, again, Lae'zel was unable to tell from this view point.
Moving her attention from these vestments, Lae'zel noticed that the woman was clad within a pair of loose-fitting breeches that were midnight blue in color like her undershirt, with the calf area of her legs protected by a pair of jet black leather leg guards that, like the vestments, were accented with jade green. Lastly, a pair of leather, jet black bracers covered the gith's thin forearms, these, too, accented with jade green and, near the elbows, the barest hint of midnight blue cloth could be seen beneath, ensuring that said bracers fit comfortably.
At first, Lae'zel was elated, however, this feeling was immediately replaced by a fierce hatred when, in that moment, the githyanki wished she could've retracted her previous statement. Having put two and two together, Lae'zel realized that this woman was clad within clothing befitting of a warrior-monk, further proving that she was not a fellow githyanki.
Chk! Is this supposed to be a test?!
"Zerai," Lae'zel hissed, contempt within her voice as she met those icy gray eyes in a heated glare, "I should cut you down where you stand, however, there are more pressing matters. I'll deal with you in time."
"The ghaik," the githzerai replied, her soft voice holding a cold wariness that made Lae'zel sneer in disgust. "Know that I am well aware. Then, you propose a truce?"
"Yes, unfortunately," the githyanki ground out, her already thin patience beginning to wane. "But remember this: once we deal with the ghaik and find a way to purify ourselves of these blasted parasites, I will kill you and I will present your head to the Undying Queen as tribute."
"Is that so?" the monk shot back, pale gray eyes narrowing slightly. "Know that I will not lie down and die at your behest. You want my head as tribute? You'll have to fight me but, as you said, there are more dire matters to deal with at the moment and we are wasting precious time with this pointless back-and-forth. So, know that for now, I accept your truce."
"Trust me, hshar'lak, I eagerly await that very moment," Lae'zel snapped, her topaz eyes locking with the githzerai's gray ones for a long moment in a hard stare, before the githwarrior turned and pointed. "Now, the way to the helm of this gh'ath is there, on the far side."
"Know that I trust you as far as I can throw you," came the terse reply, "onward we go, then."
"The sentiment is mutual, believe me," the fighter growled under her breath as she started down the path, not caring if the githzerai were to follow or not.
Ashaka remained silent as the githwarrior turned and began to stride away, only to suddenly stop a few mere steps ahead. Frowning, the monk followed, only to stop at the other woman's right when a trio of imps came into view, the little fiends hungrily feasting on the body of a dead humanoid, the corpse's features far too mangled for Ashaka to decipher what the poor sod might have been in life. As both gith watched, one of the imps slowly raised its head, glowing red eyes narrowing as it caught sight of the two humanoids and gave vent to a low hiss.
"These devilkin bar our way to the helm," the githwarrior informed as she drew her longsword and prepared to charge. "Htak'a!"
Wordlessly, Ashaka pulled her war fan from where she'd had it tucked in her makeshift belt, the currently dark cloth snapping open with a single flick of her wrist.
"Chk! And what is that?!" the githyanki sneered, and Ashaka barely kept herself from sighing at the fighter's disgusted tone. "Do you seriously believe cloth will be able to deal with these fiends?!"
As much as the comments annoyed her, Ashaka chose to remain silent as she took aim at one of the imps before letting her weapon fly towards the devilkin. Rather than say anything in defense of her choice of weaponry, the githzerai would instead do what she could to show this githyanki that looks were indeed deceptive.
She allowed herself to smirk a bit when the hidden blades sliced deeply into the first imp's flesh, causing the creature to shriek in pain. Not missing a beat, the monk darted forward, giving a quick gesture with her left hand as she concentrated on psychically pulling her war fan back to her. She paused for a second to gather power into her legs, catching her weapon right before she leapt into the air and, at the height of her jump, she flipped forward. Without hesitation, Ashaka kicked downward with her left leg in a dive kick, her heel striking the wounded imp with enough force to kill it.
From behind her as she landed, Ashaka heard the sound of metal biting into flesh, swiftly followed by a gurgling cry from the second imp which told her that the githyanki had dispatched the fiend.
With a sharp flick of her wrist, Ashaka dislodged most of the imp's blood from the fan before the fluid could dry, the faint sounds of it hitting the ground to her right. The young woman settled into a horse stance, her war fan held tightly against her back as she kept her right arm held outstretched in front of her, with her hand curled into a partial fist with her index and middle fingers kept straight.
The githzerai cursed in surprise when the last remaining imp threw a small ball of fire at her, and she quickly crossed her arms in front of her in order to keep her face protected. Grimacing, Ashaka quickly uncrossed her arms, the sharp movement causing the flames from the Firebolt spell to dissipate before they could cause any significant damage to her, though the spell did leave her vestments a little singed in places.
"You'll pay dearly for that," Ashaka hissed, rising to her full height before she quickly closed the distance between herself and the little devilkin, sliding to a halt before she slashed upward with her war fan in a diagonal movement. At the height of the strike, Ashaka snapped the fan closed and, after repositioning the weapon in her grip, brought it down to where the side of the adamantite covering struck the fiend's skull, the blow enough to send the imp crashing to the ground where it gave a final shudder and grew still.
"So, that pretty 'weapon' of yours can kill after all. You have a rather... intriguing... fighting style," the githwarrior commented as she strode forward to join Ashaka, who had to fight to outwardly mask her surprise at the fighter's compliment.
"In the hands of one whom has trained to master it, yes," Ashaka replied quickly, occupying herself with slipping the still closed fan back into her belt before she moved to stretch. "Know that I have a long way to go before I can consider myself as such."
"I see," the githyanki replied, her tone oddly thoughtful before she narrowed her eyes, and her voice returned to its harsh norm, "as for the compliment, do not get used to hearing such from me."
Ashaka merely shrugged as the two women fell silent and turned their attention back to the path that lay before them. Just beyond where they slew the imps was a fleshy wall covered in some sort of web-like structure, both gith once again coming to a halt before they exchanged a momentary glance.
Knowing that the githyanki would force her to go first, Ashaka stepped closer to the structure before she reached out to grasp it, a grimace of disgust twisting her features at the sinewy feel of it. She moved to place a foot into one of the holes, testing her weight before she hoisted herself up, her other foot finding purchase before the monk began to climb. When she was halfway up the structure, she heard a grunt from below her, the web-like structure pulling taut in a way that told her the fighter had begun to make her own ascent.
Ashaka wasted no time in pulling herself onto the ledge when she'd reached the top, and she moved back a few steps in order to grant the githwarrior room to pull herself up once she'd reached the top. While the fighter was busy pulling herself onto the ledge, Ashaka took the opportunity to scan the outer path that now lay behind them, and her eyes widened when she took notice of a large shadow being cast upon the fleshy ground.
It was far smaller than the red dragon that was probably still careening about, and the githzerai chanced a swift glance towards the sky, feeling her spine tingle when she caught sight of a tall fiend winging its way over their side of the nautiloid. Remembering what she'd read during her studies back home, Ashaka realized that this particular devil was a cambion from what could be seen of its reddish-orange skin, the pair of sharply upward curving horns and single pair of large bat-like wings.
Thinking quickly, the monk turned, lunged and managed to catch the taller gith off-guard, (that made evident by the woman's surprised shout), before Ashaka pushed her into the shadows beyond the ledge.
"Shh!" she cautioned, raising a finger in front of her lips for emphasis, and she felt her heart lurch when the fighter's response was to roughly grab her by the shoulders before the githzerai felt herself being slammed against the nearby wall, an olive green hand then moving to pin her by the throat as the other woman leaned in close to glare into her eyes. When Ashaka met that white-hot gaze, she realized that there was merely a couple of inches of difference between their heights.
Ashaka also took the moment to get a better look at the githyanki's face, noting the dark markings that framed the woman's topaz eyes, accompanied by a pair of black tattoos that swept across her cheekbones and obscured some of the dark spots found there, all of which stood out in stark contrast from the other gith's olive green skin. More spots framed the outer edges of her face, mainly above her dark eyebrows and across her cheekbones. Adorned in a few places by metallic beads, the githwarrior's hair was a dark shade of brownish-red with half of it swept up into a topknot, and it fell slightly past her shoulders with eight small braids located just behind her serrated ears, four on each side. One detail Ashaka nearly missed, however, was the thin scar that ran down the entire length of the githyanki's face, starting from her forehead and ending a few centimeters past her lower lip.
"Touch me again and, ghaik be damned, the truce is off," the fighter snarled before she slowly removed her hand, though it immediately joined its counterpart in keeping Ashaka pinned against the wall by her shoulders. "Explain your actions! Quickly!"
"Do you have a death wish?" Ashaka inquired, fighting to keep her voice calm even though she knew that her pulse was racing, "know that I spotted a cambion flying near the gh'ath and, had I not acted accordingly, we would both be either dead or once again captive and I'm quite certain you carry no desire for either outcome. If you don't believe me, chance a look outside."
"I'll humor you, but only this once," came the growled response before the githyanki slowly released Ashaka, topaz eyes continuing to burn through her before, warily, the fighter moved to slowly peer outside, though she made certain to keep herself as close to the wall as possible. The githzerai followed suit, though she kept herself pinned against the opposite wall as she, too, chanced another look outside.
The cambion she'd seen was making its way back a second time, and she heard the githyanki voice a begrudging "Huh" before both women disappeared back into the shadows, of which turned out to be a short corridor, confirmed by the presence of the same round door that had led out of the infestation chamber, though this door was currently closed.
"You were right... this time."
"It's probably commanding all those imps," Ashaka surmised before realization dawned upon her, "tsk'va. If the devils are after control of the gh'ath as we are, then we need to move. Now."
Rather than spit out a rebuttal, the githyanki nodded once in agreement before both women turned to head towards the back of the corridor, the round membrane spiraling open to allow them to pass before once again closing behind them.
The corridor led into a large, circular room, dark red lighting illuminating the surrounding structures with an eerie glow from where said light struck from where it shone in the area below. At seeing this, Ashaka realized that this room was actually suspended upon a large circular platform connected to the walkway she and the githyanki were currently walking down.
"Ghaik machinery," the githwarrior murmured as the pair stopped a foot or so away from the console located at the center of the room. "I can make no sense of it."
"Neither can I," Ashaka admitted after she glanced over the controls, the writing alien and unreadable to her. The repeated dull thud of something blunt striking against a smooth surface soon caught the monk's attention, and she quickened her pace when she caught sight of a lone pod near the back of the platform, on the left-hand side.
"What are you doing?!" the fighter demanded, though the sound of her footfalls told Ashaka that the githyanki was following her.
"You!" came a frantic cry, and Ashaka saw that the pod housed what appeared to be an elven woman trapped within. "Get me out of this damn thing!"
While the pod was the same as the ones that had previously held both herself and the fighter captive at the beginning of this entire ordeal, something was different about this particular pod.
"Don't waste time on istik," the fighter warned, "we must go."
Brow furrowing, Ashaka noticed that most of the pod - and the woman trapped within - were surrounded by some sort of magical barrier. Unfortunately, she was unable to make out a way to open the container from the outside, and she jerked in surprise when an annoyed growl sounded from close to her left.
"This ship is crashing!" the taller gith snapped, her rising anger evident in her tone of voice. "Do you intend to die for a stranger?!"
"Let me look around for another way to free you," the monk assured, trying to keep her voice calm as she ignored the githyanki's protests.
"Try the contraption next to the pod," the trapped elf suggested, "they did something to it when they sealed me in. Hurry please!"
A nod was given before Ashaka approached the small console sat next to the pod and, after a moment of searching, she noticed that a small part of the scripting was missing, as if someone had removed a piece in order to prevent this mechanism from being used further.
"I'll be back," Ashaka assured before she turned and headed for the door just ahead. It opened into a larger room, this time with a singular pod situated at the end of the long walkway. The githzerai chose to ignore this one, however, when the human woman inside gave no indication of possibly still being alive.
After searching this larger room, Ashaka found a rune on the body of a human thrall, and she got the feeling that this was the missing piece to that console located back in the previous room. Moving at a quick pace, the githzerai ran back down the walkway, where she rejoined the githyanki and the trapped elf.
"I pray you've found a way to open the blasted pod," the githwarrior snapped, glaring daggers at the monk. "Or, I'll leave you to die with this istik and continue on to the helm by myself."
"There's not much air left in here!" the elven woman cried desperately, "get me out!"
Wasting no time, Ashaka approached the console, even as she heard the fighter swear under her breath in the native tongue they shared. Removing the rune from where she'd stashed it in one of her pockets, the monk scanned the contraption before she once again located the socket she'd seen earlier and, after taking a moment to steel herself, she moved to insert the rune, which fit seamlessly to the rest of the console, the scripting now appearing complete.
A low thrum came to her ears as the machine became surrounded by a red-orange glow and, though she wasn't able to read the ghaik script, Ashaka took a moment to study the strange controls and, in that moment, she realized that it seemed to be organic in nature.
Here goes nothing, she thought to herself, forcing back a grimace of disgust as she raised a hand and placed it onto the console.
"Dak'kon's Folly," she hissed out through clenched teeth when she felt the parasite within her head suddenly begin to squirm, though the uncomfortable sensation lasted only for a few seconds before the thing once again settled down. In that moment, the githzerai suddenly felt that she could will the pod open with her mind.
After a moment to recollect herself, Ashaka reached out with psionic ability that wasn't her own. She felt the biomechanical brain of the console begin to process her wordless command, the glow emminating from the contraption brightening in intensity as the console yielded and obeyed. A shiver ran across her mind, making her feel... sated. Still, it was a sensation Ashaka vehemently disliked, and she hoped to Zerthimon that she would never have to use psionics that weren't naturally hers ever again.
A hiss suddenly came from the nearby pod, and the monk turned to see the barrier fade and disappear altogether before the pod opened, the elven woman pushing herself to her feet... before her legs gave out and sent her sprawling to the floor.
"Pathetic," the githyanki spat as Ashaka approached, and she was pondering on offering a helping hand when the raven-haired elf pulled herself to her feet, though she doubled over gasping for breath.
Overexertion, Ashaka realized silently and, as the istik was taking time to recollect herself, the githzerai took a moment to study her.
She was clad within chain mail framed by dark cloth and reinforced at the torso area by light brown leather, medium brown breeches, a pair of dark black boots and a metallic circlet with a black gem embedded in the front. Straight raven black hair framed her pale features, falling to her jawline with the rest pulled back into a long ponytail that was sectioned off by what appeared to be decorations made of silver chain. The holy symbol set upon the front of the woman's armor gave Ashaka pause, but she knew not of what deity to which it belonged. Lastly, a small wooden shield was strapped to the elf's back and a mace rested at her left hip.
"I thought that damned thing was going to be my coffin," she muttered as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, blue-green eyes rising to meet Ashaka's own gray ones - before the elf suddenly doubled-over in pain. "Thank- aah!"
Ashaka grit her teeth, clamping a hand against the right side of her head as, instead of images, she felt emotions coming from the other person. While there was gratitude, it was mixed with a wariness that made Ashaka bristle with annoyance at the fact that this istik thought she was a githyanki.
"Gith?! But, why... why did you help me?"
"Why?" the monk echoed, her voice holding the same icy wariness it did when she'd first encountered the githwarrior. "Because you asked."
"I see," the elf replied, though her stance remained rigid. "And you expect what in return, exactly? Githyanki aren't given to charity."
"Must I want something?"
"That's what your kind does: they take," came the reply that made Ashaka set her jaw, but she kept herself silent until the elf finished speaking. "Still... you did help me and we both need all the help we can get, so let's try to get off this thing - together."
"Know that I helped you because I am not a githyanki, I am a githzerai," Ashaka corrected, managing to keep her tone even as she heard a snort of amusement from the fighter whom, up till that point, had been silent. "Know that there's a difference. Know that I won't spill your entrails with little to no provocation but, do not test my patience."
"Fair enough, and while we're busy correcting one another, I happen to be a half-elf, but..." the woman trailed off, blue-green eyes glancing between both gith before she gave a small shrug. "It seems that finer details would be lost on most, especially at first glance. Something you and I have in common, I suppose."
"Perhaps," Ashaka replied, glad that this half-elf understood her mistake. "Let us be off, then."
"Hold on a second," the raven-haired woman said before she turned and moved to grab something small out of the pod, giving a quick glance back towards both gith as she did so. Ashaka only managed to catch a glance, but she'd caught sight of the semi-round metallic structure and she arched a brow when she noticed that this device had runic inscription carved upon its surface in what the githzerai recognized as tir'su.
"What's that?" Ashaka inquired, curiosity getting the better of her.
"It's nothing," the half-elf replied, "trust me."
"Enough of this chatter," the githyanki snapped, "we need to get to the helm now!"
"She's right," the raven-haired woman agreed before turning her full attention back to Ashaka. "Lead on."
The trio left the room, exiting through a round door to the left of the one Ashaka had gone through earlier. The sight of a second round door gave them pause, the muffled sounds of combat sounding from just beyond.
Now I know why the idiot at the helm never did another jump, Ashaka realized, only to jerk in surprise when the fighter cleared her throat.
"We're nearing the helm," the githyanki stated, "once inside: do as I say."
"Who put you in charge?" the half-elf spat, "I'll trust my own judgement."
"Pa'vrylk!" Ashaka snapped, putting herself between the other two women as she met the githyanki's white-hot glare, "stop this! Know that, right now, we are all on the same side, gith or not!"
"Perhaps you should listen to your counterpart," the half-elf added, though Ashaka could hear the hostility within the istik's voice in spite of the verbal back up.
The fighter sneered at them, and Ashaka silently met her gaze in spite of the fact that the taller woman could easily draw her blade and cleave the smaller monk in half. After a few tense moments, the fighter gave a derisive snort before turning her attention back to the door, which had begun to open.
Tas'ki, how did I end up hatchling-sitting? the githzerai thought as she managed to hold back a sigh of annoyance, even as she heard the fighter growl out "Kainyak." under her breath as the three women made their way through the menbraneous door when it had opened fully.
What they saw on the other side made all three of them immediately stop in their tracks.
A cambion in possession of a fiery greatsword was in combat with a rather ornately dressed ghaik. As Ashaka watched with wide eyes, the devil swiped downward with the weapon, meaning to cleave the aberration in half, only for the monster to leap backwards with the aid of its natural psionics. Further in stood a second cambion - the one Ashaka happened to see earlier - glancing about, oblivious to the second mind flayer sneaking up behind him until it was too late.
At seeing this second ghaik, Ashaka clenched her teeth, recognizing it as the one who'd slain Sha'kar and infested herself and the githyanki with the larvae. The githzerai shuddered when she saw her best friend's killer dispatch the fiend in the same way it had slain Sha'kar and, in that moment, the dying cambion's image was replaced by that of her fellow student and Ashaka squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to blot out the memory.
"Foolish child," she heard the githyanki hiss before Ashaka felt something hit her on the back of the head, and she opened her eyes before looking over to see the fighter glaring at her with a raised hand, proving that she'd been the one who'd cuffed the smaller woman. "Do not show weakness now!"
Rather than bite back, the monk shook her head in order to pull herself together, and she looked back in time to see a swarm of around six or so imps descend upon the mind flayer at the behest of the remaining cambion, the little fiends clawing the aberration to shreds and sending it collapsing to the floor, from where it attempted to rise before succumbing to a combination of blood loss and the ill effects of imp venom.
Ashaka swore under her breath in her native tongue, angry that the monster's death hadn't been at her own hands, however, deep down she knew that would have only granted her a mere moment of satisfaction. A roar of anger from the remaining cambion drew her attention then, and she saw the devil hit the floor on its back where it lay, stunned for the moment from the effects of the remaining ghaik's psychic attack.
"Thrall," a guttural voice sounded within her mind, then, and the githzerai froze when she realized that the mind flayer was speaking to her before it pointed to the far end of the room, "connect the nerves of the transponder. We must escape. Now."
"Know that you had ample time to do that yourself, kainyak," Ashaka grumbled lowly to herself as she studied where it had pointed, taking note of the lectern that stood before a series of elliptical windows, a second identical device hanging from the ceiling above as a mirror to the first. Both sported a series of large tentacles, of which were waving about slowly and the monk realized what she needed to do.
"Kill them or your spines are mine!" the cambion roared as he pointed towards the three women, and the swarm of imps wasted no time in descending upon the trio, a few of them cackling gleefully at the prospect of more bloodshed. The sounds of hoofbeats accompanied them, and Ashaka caught sight of a trio of quadrupedal beasts that she didn't recognize.
"Incoming!" the half-elf warned as the trio all drew their weapons and readied themselves for combat.
For the moment, Ashaka opted to keep her war fan closed, and she remained calm as one of the fiendish beasts charged before leaping at her. Wasting no time, the githzerai reacted with a high side kick, her foot catching the creature on the left side of the face and sending it crashing to the floor in front of her. When it began to rise, Ashaka took the opportunity to strike it over the head with the flat side of her war fan, the blow enough to kill it.
Out of the corner of her vision, she saw the githyanki charge at one of the imps before she cleaved the little fiend in two with a downward swing of her longsword; and more footsteps sounded from behind Ashaka before she heard the cleric shout an incantation. Purple-blue light erupted around the imp that was advancing on the trio from the right, however, the magic appeared to do little to the devilkin as it raised the crossbow it carried and took aim. The tell-tale whistle of air alerted the monk to the ranged attack, and she managed to narrowly dodge the bolt, which sank into the floor to her left.
"Take this ship, or Zariel will have your heads!" the cambion snarled as he shrugged off another psychic blast from the helmsman. A roar sounded from outside, and Ashaka grit her teeth when she saw the silhouette of the red dragon swoop by the windows.
"Tsk'va... Hurry, before they strike!" the githwarrior snapped, though the monk could hear an edge of panic to the githyanki's tone.
All three women made a run for it, however, as they were beginning to pass the two combatants, the nautiloid suddenly rocked violently, causing Ashaka and the githyanki to falter and fall to the floor, both women landing hard on their elbows and knees.
As both gith were pulling themselves to their feet, out of the corner of her vision, Ashaka saw the mind flayer lash out at the cambion with its tentacles, the strike causing the devil to rear back before, with a snarl, he raised his blade and struck.
The ghaik crumpled from the blow, a gurgling cry leaving it as it sank to the floor in a broken heap and, under normal circumstances, this would've been cause for joy, however...
"It's your turn now," the devil growled, burning eyes gleaming malevolently as he turned his full attention on Ashaka, and the young woman had no time to react before she felt the sole of a boot connecting with her stomach, the strike sending the githzerai flying backwards before she hit the floor hard on her back and skidded to a halt. She groaned, her vision swimming, and the devil's laughter filled her ears as she realized that the cambion had quite literally kicked her aside.
"Shka'keth!" the githyanki snarled, leaping high before striking down at the cambion with her blade. "That zerai is to be my kill!"
"Bring it, gith," the fiend taunted, "lest you crumple as easily as your kin!"
"Te curo!" came the half-elf's voice before Ashaka found herself surrounded by purple-white light, and the monk closed her eyes when she felt the worst of the pain subside, though she wasn't fully healed. Still, it was enough to cause the blackness lurking at the edges of her vision to diminish enough for her to concentrate on what was happening currently; and when she reopened her eyes, her vision cleared enough to see the cleric standing over her.
"Come on," the woman said as she helped Ashaka to her feet. "Up you go."
A roar from the cambion grabbed the monk's attention, followed by a cry of pain from the githyanki as Ashaka saw her stumble back.
"Leave her," the cleric scolded, and Ashaka turned back to stare at her with narrowed eyes. "We can escape while that devil's distracted."
"No, I won't leave her to die," Ashaka snapped, appalled that this istik was perfectly willing to leave an ally behind."Gith do not kill gith, nor do we abandon our own." Even if they are not Sha'sal Khou.
"Fine. I'll go clear the way but, it's your funeral," the half-elf warned before she turned and started for the transponder, only to be intercepted by an imp, which she swiftly cut down with a strike from her mace.
The githzerai grit her teeth, managing to keep herself from losing her balance even as she felt herself swaying unsteadily on her feet. The githyanki had managed to deal some damage to the cambion, though the woman was beginning to breathe heavily. The large devil was also beginning to pant, and he was beginning to have trouble standing at his full height.
Seeing this, Ashaka took a slow, deep breath in order to calm herself and focus as she adjusted her grip on her war fan, clutching the still-closed weapon like a dagger as she closed the distance between herself and the two combatants at a full-on run. When she neared them, she stopped long enough to hop up, using the cambion's right calf as a stepping stone in order to vault herself onto the devil's back, grasping one of his wings with her free hand in order to keep her balance when he tried to shake her off.
Ashaka caught sight of the githyanki's wide-eyed expression for a brief moment before the monk raised her weapon over her head and struck downward with all her might, stabbing the closed war fan into the crown of the devil's skull, the adamantite-crafted weapon easily striking through the bone. The githzerai held tightly to her weapon as she felt the fiend spasm violently beneath her, and she crouched in order to keep from toppling off her perch as the cambion pitched forward onto his stomach - dead.
"You..." the githwarrior murmured before she shook her head, her expression once again hardening as fiery topaz eyes seared into Ashaka's own pale gray ones. "Tsk. Show off. Stop wasting time and get to the transponder!"
"Tas'ki... You're welcome," the githzerai replied dryly between breaths as she braced herself and pulled her war fan out of the cambion's skull. She frowned at the layer of cranial fluids and gray matter coating the weapon, but she would deal with it later... assuming she and the other two women survived this, anyway.
"Seriously wasting time here!" the half-elf warned from where she'd moved on ahead, and Ashaka turned to see the cleric in combat with the last remaining hellboar, the fiendish beast falling to a well-placed strike of the woman's mace before she turned her attention to two of the remaining imps as they closed the distance.
"I believe I've earned this," the githyanki stated, and Ashaka heard the sound of metal scraping across the ground, knowing that the woman had claimed the cambion's flaming sword as her own. Resisting the desire to roll her eyes, Ashaka took off at a full-on run, keeping her attention on nothing but the lectern as she swiftly moved past the cleric.
"Keep going," the raven-haired woman encouraged as she swiped at an imp with her mace, "get to the transponder!"
At hearing that, Ashaka increased her pace, keeping her attention upon the transponder as she ran full-bore for it and, once she'd neared the contraption, the githzerai slid to a halt before the thing; her heart thundering in her chest as, with trembling hands, she moved to tuck her war fan into her belt.
After doing so, instead of taking her time to calm herself, Ashaka forced herself to reach out and grasp one of the lower tentacles, before she reached up with her free hand and grasped one of the upper ones. Something urged her to pull them closer and, as she did so, tiny blue tentacles sprouted from the endings of the larger ones and laced together, like two close friends clasping hands.
A huge shadow swept over her, then, and the githzerai slowly looked up to see that the red dragon had landed on the windows before it slid its head in through one of the broken sections, its head moving as it sniffed deeply. She froze, hoping that it wouldn't see her. Unfortunately, the winged reptile met her gaze, its golden eyes narrowing before its jaws parted.
Move, Ashaka's mind screamed at her, and the young woman threw herself to the right just as a blast of flame issued forth from the dragon's maw. She tucked herself into a forward roll, ending in a kneeling position before she began to rise, only to freeze again whilst on one knee when the beast once again turned its gaze upon her. Silently, Ashaka narrowed her eyes in an unspoken challenge and the dragon curled its upper lip back in response - before it suddenly disappeared.
What had once been the dismal sky of Avernus was now a chaotic mass of whirling colors, and the githzerai found herself suddenly flying backwards when the ship shook violently. A grunt of pain left her when she felt her back hit the wall, the air driven from her lungs at the impact.
Breathe, damn it, she thought as she forced herself to take a deep breath, only to grimace when the nautiloid shook a second time and, this time, Ashaka found herself falling towards one of the windows at the helm. A scream came to her ears in that moment, leaving Ashaka unsure if it had come from herself or from one of her companions.
Stay calm! You only have one chance to get this right, she reminded herself, and when she neared the transponder, she forced herself to reach out, her eyes narrowing in triumph when she felt her right hand grasp onto the base of the device. Something, she had no idea what, prompted her to reach out with her free hand towards the two tentacles she'd connected moments earlier, and when her hand closed around the middle where they were currently connected, the chaotic mass of colors outside the ship suddenly shifted to show a starry blue-black sky dotted by thin wisps of clouds, the moon half-full.
It would have been a serene sight if Ashaka didn't feel half-dead, and she felt her grip slacken before failing altogether when the vessel shook a third time. Once again, the monk felt herself falling, and she closed her eyes when she felt herself slam into the wall, a groan of pain leaving her as she forced herself to open her eyes to notice that, somehow, she'd hit the wall at the edge of one of the windows.
Movement upon the edge of her vision caused Ashaka to look to her left, and she saw the mind flayer helmsman slumped against the wall on the other side of the window, its face unreadable as it stared back at her while keeping a hand pressed against its right side. Even in that moment, Ashaka felt nothing but searing hatred for her kind's ancient foe.
"Know that it's a damn shame that cambion didn't kill you outright after all, shka'keth," Ashaka sneered as she met the aberration's gaze, her eyes narrowing in contempt as it silently glared at her.
Something, she had no idea what, struck her then, and the force was enough to send her falling through the window and out of the nautiloid entirely. Zerthimon had forsaken her family's lineage due to a grave mistake on the part of an ancestor and, now, Ashaka would die not knowing the Vision Quest that would have set her upon her life's path.
This is my folly... Sha'kar, my dear friend, know that I'll see you again soon...
With those final thoughts, Ashaka clasped her hands, pale gray eyes closing in silent acceptance of her imminent death...
Which never came.
Confused, Ashaka opened her eyes to see that she'd stopped no more than a foot or so from the ground, and she realized that she was hanging suspended in mid-air before whatever psionic presence or magical spell wore off and dropped her to the ground in a heap. Grimacing, the monk pushed herself up into a sitting position, not caring that her vision was swimming as the young woman forced herself to her feet.
She only managed a single lurching step before her legs gave out from under her, however, and the githzerai was sent sprawling onto her stomach before the darkness waiting at the edges of her vision closed in and pulled her into unconsciousness.
Gith to Common Translations
Hshar'lak - A traitor whom is to be hunted and slain on sight. Also used by both gith factions in reference to each other.
Htak'a - A battle cry or used as the command to attack.
Istik - An outsider. General term used for non-gith.
Kainyak - A general gith insult. Analogous to 'fool' or other such terms or used for an insubordinate.
Kith'rak - Plural kith'raki. A high-ranking Githyanki title that roughly translates to 'captain' or 'knight'. Well known for riding red dragons as steeds and wield silver swords in combat.
Pa'vrylk! - Stop!
Revrykal - A servant. Possibly plural revrykali.
Shka'keth - A derogatory term roughly translating to 'asshole'.
Sha'sal Khou - A secret society of githyanki and githzerai who work together in secret towards the goal of one day reuniting their splintered people as one under the ubiquitous term 'gith'. Are viewed by most githyanki and githzerai as heretics for this belief.
Tir'su - The name of the writing system used by both gith factions comprised of runes written in a circular fashion. Githyanki write clockwise while githzerai write counterclockwise.
Tsk'va - A curse expressing disgust or surprise. Vaguely analogous to 'shit'.
Zerai - Short term used by githyanki for their githzerai cousins.