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cellphishthekaiju · 2 months

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Crackpot Headcanon: Vlaakith's 'Grand Design' for Lae'zel (and the Githyanki)

Back again on my raving bullshit for Baldur's Gate 3 (D&D and Forgotten Realms by relation), this time we're looking at the Lich Queen Tyrant, Vlaakith CLVII... cause I have lunatic thoughts of this bitch that fuel the fanfiction I write.

As with all my lunatic fandom ravings, spoilers abound for Baldur's Gate 3, associated materials, and course, take this all with COPIOUS amounts of salt. I get most, if not all, of my 'canon' info from the Forgotten Realms wiki and try to doublecheck the sources but I don't always have the time or means to.

So what is known of Vlaakith is actually very little. The one in Baldur's Gate 3 is, presumably, the 157th githyanki to hold this title and has reigned for a thousand years (mostly as a lich). She has no known heirs and aspires to ascend to godhood (primarily through spam-casting Wish). D&D Lore is very sparse on the githyanki and even more so when it comes to nuances with the githyanki. They have existed since the days of AD&D (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons) but we didn't have much about them, canonically, for a long time.

So, lunatics like myself, let the brain worms fill in the blanks.

We know that Gith, for which the people get their namesake, was the figurehead and Leader of the rebellion that led to the toppling and near extinction of the Illithid Empire unknown millenia before. At her side, I believe both Vlaakith and Zerthimon assisted her (as advisors in different capacities... and to some unknown extent, her only 'confirmed' blood relative, her son Orpheus). As to their exact roles, it is unknown how Vlaakith advised Gith in the matters of her rebellion but given she is referred to as the first of a long series of Lich-Queens that rule the githyanki, her capacity likely involved her skill and knowledge in the arcane/Weave.

After the rebellion, it is believed Gith and Zerthimon fell to infighting, as Gith presumably was so consumed with righteous fury, she single-mindedly wanted to continue hunting down the remaining illithids while Zerthimon, seeing they had won, wished to carve a new life for the 'gith' now that they were free.

In my deranged mind, I suspect/believe that the Proclamation of Two Skies (how the gith refer to their civil war that led to the creation of the -yanki and the -zerai) was stoked and brought to fruition by Vlaakith I. She was always manipulative and concerned, primarily, with her own ambitions. Having witnessed how Gith roused and united the gith, how they called her 'mother' may have stoked jealousy in Vlaakith and so she conspired to take that power and reverence for herself, especially under the suspicion I have that Gith and Zerthimon were lovers/mates (I wrote a theory pointing at Orpheus may be their son).

Vlaakith conspired to turn Gith and Zerthimon upon each other but her plan had an unintended consequence; the division of the gith people into the Githyanki and the Githzerai (and with time, further fracturing in the form of Pirates of Gith, Sha'sal Khou and the Githvyrik (dunno how canon this is anymore because only occurs in one novel)). However, Vlaakith saw an opportunity in this fracture; Gith to be the sacrificial lamb on the altar of her ambitions.

It's believed Vlaakith I's first attempt at bargaining with Baator (The Nine Hells) was seeking a pact with Dispater. However, Vlaakith's attempt(s) failed for one reason or another... likely because Dispater is far more paranoid than Vlaakith is and saw no merit in a deal with such a conniving creature.

Having failed in bargaining with the Lord of Dis, Second Layer of Baator, Vlaakith found herself bargaining with Tiamat. It is, still, unknown the terms of their pact (or how she even got to bargaining with the Chromatic Dragon Queen to begin with) but the bargain was successful and Gith ended up being part of the price.

After the githyanki retreated into the Astral Plane, since the civil war left them weakened (and the githzerai went to Limbo), Vlaakith convinces Gith to travel to Avernus (First Layer of Baator), likely with promises that fed into Gith's violent ego and giving no indication that Gith was not going to make it back. With the bargain paid, Tiamat imprisoned Gith among her hoard (presumably) while Vlaakith returned to the githyanki on the back of Ephelomon, Tiamat's Chromatic Red consort. Together, the two convinced the githyanki that Gith had martyred herself in the bargain and commanded that Vlaakith guide and rule their people in her absence.

This is where the canon gets messy, as there appears to be a discrepancy in the order of events. In the 5e Monster Manual, it suggests Vlaakith sealed the bargain with Tiamat before the Proclamation of Two Skies happened. Texts like Mordenkaine's Tome of Foes suggests the bargain with Tiamat was struck after the split. I'm more inclined to agree it happened after, since the Githzerai and other non-yanki Gith do not benefit from the terms of the pact (mainly the access to Red Dragons)

So, what's this all got to do with the current Vlaakith?

Vlaakith CVII is more than I (want to) believe Larian has told/shown us.

Like her namesake, Vlaakith CVII is a lich that has, supposedly been in power for, roughly, a thousand years by the time the events of Baldur's Gate 3 happen. She upholds the teachings, protocols, and ambitions of her originator and predecessors yet has no known heirs (blood relative or otherwise).

My crazy idea is that Vlaakith CVII is actually Vlaakith I... and all other holders of the 'title' before her have just been Vlaakith. Vlaakith is too vain and ambitious to let something like death get in her way and likely sought every means possible to buy herself the time she needed to achieve her ultimate ambition; Godhood.

Vlaakith's insanity is well in line with the 'canon' behavior of liches, especially 'long-lived' ones. Now, she is just a creature driven by the all-consuming desire to ascend and achieve the ultimate power by any means necessary.

Ascending to divinity/godhood in D&D is... not very clear. The primary factor is faith, as a god needs followers to thrive and derive power from. By controlling the githyanki in all aspects of life, establishing castes like the Inquisitors to hunt down and silence dissenters, sealing Prince Orpheus within the Astral Prism (and infernal chains), using Gith's name and 'sacrifice' as a catylst to keep the people's devotion on herself... but this is a slow process so Vlaakith also encouraged and regulates the militaristic structure of githyanki society to produce powerful warriors that she can, later, consume and sacrifice in her spam-casting of the Wish spell and whatever other means she uses those poor souls for (aside from the husks she keeps)

So, how and why does Lae'zel factor into all of this?

Literally, this is all because of one dialogue line Vlaakith gives in Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3: Promising to make Lae'zel Baht Vlaakith, the Commander of Dragons; her Chosen (despite having no true divine power). She offers Lae'zel's greatest ambition; to be Kith'rak, to ascend beyond even the standards of her people and serve at Vlaakith's feet.

Weird thing to say to someone you can just Thanos-snap from existence, which Vlaakith does if your party refuses to comply with her at Creche Y'llek. (Seriously, this woman will waste a Wish on you just to remove the entire party from existence for 'waving hello' at her)

Vlaakith has determined Lae'zel as her 'heir' and needs her to return so that she may possess/control her (either through the use of spells like Domination or something more sinister, like excising her soul and possessing her body; no clue if liches can do this). I believe some githyanki that held the title of 'Vlaakith' were simply thralls to Vlaakith I, enhancing her duplicity to make it seem like the title passes on between individuals (despite having NO information on how this is determined within githyanki society).

The only other 'brain worm' I have about why Vlaakith attempts to bargain with Lae'zel one more time about killing Orpheus instead of, I dunno, simply Wish-murder the party, is there is something important about Lae'zel that not even the githyanki herself is aware of. Not to the degree of a psionic null zone but perhaps something Vlaakith has been nurturing through controlled breeding to accelerate her consumption of power... or as an offering to Tiamat.

Hells, if you talk to Withers in the Epilogue about the fate of a Vlaakith aligned Lae'zel... he says she's just gone. Her soul no longer exists.

A fate worse than death and Lae'zel went to it, oblivious.

Yep, there it is... more cracked brainworm thoughts for Baldur's Gate 3.

I'm also not a fan of Vlaakith but hey, I feel like there needs to be way more depth and analyzing some of this stuff my brain just does on its own.. and it fuels my fan-fic writing (which you should totally check out)

I hope folks are enjoying my insane ramblings.

#baldur's gate 3 #fan theory #crazy fan theory #the brainrot is terminal #vlaakith I #theorycrafting #baldurs gate 3 #lae'zel

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criffyzou · 1 month

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I don't know if there are githyanki/zerai in Spyre, I don't know anything about american football and I know even less about bloodrush.

Which is why my first idea for a Fantasy High OC was obviously "githyanki on the Owlbears".

Inspiration is a mix of blood bowl imagery like the spiky ball, and the fucked up zombie team in Fantasy High freshman year.

The lack of helmet and wrong kind of mouthguard are aesthetic choices and I stand by it.

#dimension 20 #fantasy high #bloodrush #hero forge #nabu plays

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veilkeeper · 5 months

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Slack-Skinned Head: HmmMM... fine bones... sharp jaw... some variety of elf? Pretty enough for a flesh-prison - if not the noble githzerai features I was born with. Narrator: *The monk-like githzerai, sibling race to your own githyanki. The only beings your people hate more are the illithids themselves.* Slack-Skinned Head: I'd guess you're no willing guest of the ghaik either. Perhaps we might aid one another. Roz: [GITHYANKI] How did you end up in that vault? Aren't you zerai ultimate warriors? Slack-Skinned Head: Warriors of the mind, cousin. A discipline unknown to your kind - and the very reason we were attacked.

you've gotta be kidding me. some variety of elf, huh, cousin????? even here, roz somehow runs into someone who's going to rib them for being a githyanki. they are not above throwing hands with a brain in a jar, monk, so watch yourself.

#i like how halsin looks appropriately annoyed even though theres no way-#-he has any context for why roz is spitting venom at this brain #how do they get so many boyfriends when they're so quick to have beef with a brain in a jar #i'll never know.#githyanki #waking mind #roz pt #bg3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 dialogue #mind flayer colony

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sorcerous-caress · 6 months

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Well, for starters my githzerai monk( named him Khal'ian) Was originally a githyanki youngling that was taken from a creche that was destroyed via a mindflayer attack. He was shortly founded by githzerai and taken to a monastery in Limbo.

He was seen as an experiment, think of The Society of Brilliance with the gith egg but with an already formed youngling.

To see how well Zerai doctrine could be adopted by a Yanki youth.

The Short Answer to that : Yes, they adopt very well.

The Long Answer to that : Yes, but not without consequences for the youth's mental health.

Limbo is Ever-Changing Chaos, a plane that is a bubbling soup of elements and energy. This plane never stays the same for any length of time and to survive, you must be constantly forcing your will over the chaotic forces that make up this plane.

Being brought to this plane would be very jarring on its own as a youth being born and raised within the Material Plane.

To make the situation worse, is that you just bore witness to the worst enemy your people as taught you to hate, clear out your entire home. Then get taken in by the second worst enemy you've been taught to hate, after they pick through the rubble.

A Very Volatile experience that would cause a whole wave of emotions. However, by the very nature of the plane you find yourself in you can't emote the way you need, especially if you're hurting.

In Limbo sadness/pain, confusion and uncertainty can cause solid structures to evaporate or to liquify or explode into raw chaos and drown the individual.

To add even more on to the situation, you are surrounded by people, that at best see you as a odd little guinea pig and at worst a future savage slaver among them.

You adapt to Limbo, learn to enforce your will upon it to exist safely. But you grow up feeling disconnected from your emotions and sensations.

So when my githzerai monk(Khal'ian) finally found themselves on the Material Plane again, being able to safely emote again without constant willpower use.

He seeks out comfort from people he can trust to care(Jaheira) or strict enough to stop him from overwhelming himself(Minthara).

He finds the relinquishing of control very soothing.

But that's enough of my rambling, I'm going to go back to writing Minthara & Jaheira railing him in the woods 🪵. If you want more rambling let me know or I'll stick to smut.

Gith make me feel things.

-Githzerai anon

That's a lot of thought and dedication you've put into him anon, it's impressive.

Especially the emotion controlling concept, having to weild your emotions like a sword and a shield from the chaos in limbo that'd swallow you otherwise. Forcing yourself to feel certain feelings and never let them fester naturally.

Actually he even fits in a durge run very well. In bg1 the player, the bhaalspawn, also comes from a very guarded and isolated city of monks. They barely express their emotions and just close off the outside world.

Also, I remember reading something about how githzerai attempted to replicate the bonds githyanki have with red dragons, by using chaos dragons instead. That went as good as you'd expect from a chaos dragon.

But some of them have managed.

Now I'm not saying to use the red and chaos dragons bonds as symbolism for his different bonds with Minthara and Jaheira but- that is exactly what I'm saying.

Because he is both a githyanki and githzerai. It's almost too perfect to pass on.

Also, when the companions eventually go into the gith creche and he is met with an actual caretaker, how do you think his reaction would be? How would Jaheira's be.

#♡githzerai anon #♡anonstavs

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gothyanki · 5 months

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I just rediscovered the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon texts from Planescape: Torment (it has been A While) and I am SHOUTING. It's a githzerai religious text, so obviously not an unbiased source in-universe - but still very interesting wrt early gith lore and Gith-Zerthimon characterisation. Vlaakith is not mentioned, but that absence in itself gives me a lot of thoughts about where she might fit in.

Some disjointed notes, v. messy because I'm tired:

The implications and phrasing of the First Circle are disturbing in terms of where it places the blame for illithid slavery (and this is a teaching direct from Zerthimon himself, if Dak'kon is to be believed).

Early illithids didn't grasp the concept of metal weaponry because "all their weapons were made of flesh". Hmmm.

Gith and Zerthimon founded two separate rebellions using different methods - Zerth in the shadows, Gith using a more direct approach. Both were powerful leaders in their own right, but "even Zerthimon" eventually laid his sword at Gith's feet.

"In hearing her words, he wished to know war. He knew not what afflicted him, but he knew he wished to join his blade to Gith. He wished to give his hate expression and share his pain with the illithid." Oh, there's a lot going on here - the kind of leader Gith was (highly charismatic speechmaker who knew how to utilise/weaponise her followers' emotions!), Zerth's relationship to her, his mental state. He is Struggling.

Zerth had an ally named Vilquar who turned spy and helped the illithids hunt down members of the rebellion; in turn, he tricked Vilquar into thinking the uprising had been foiled, (presumably?) knowing that V would be killed once he was no longer considered useful. Which is exactly what happened! (Love this insight into Z's methods. Also, it adds some real bite to a fic line I just wrote where Gith taunts Z about his followers being less loyal than hers.)

Even though it's a biased source, it seems to be quite fair to Gith; she's described in complimentary terms as a "warrior-queen" (when/how did the gith in general adopt monarchist terminology?) and the description of the schism sounds pretty neutral/similar to how the 'yanki describe it. Definitely much kinder to her than githyanki texts are to Z and his followers! (Can we just put this one down to 'zerai philosophy, or is it an actual reflection of G and Z's feelings on each other during/after the breaking of their alliance?)

Veeeery interesting to think of the 'yanki/'zerai split not as a fracture that developed later on, but a case of two different philosophies grafted uneasily on to each other that were fraught with division from the start. Maybe not even the only two - just the core two that survived.

#gith the liberator #zerthimon #just me waffling on again

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