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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 6197120" data-attributes="member: 6750502">The Astral Plane <img src="http://i.imgur.com/EmQrAK0.jpg?1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />    A cloudy sea between all other Planes, astral travel is the most common form of extraplanar travel.  In addition to being utilized for all forms of teleportation magic, the Astral Plane’s “timeless” quality of inhabitants and materials is ripe for exploitation.  Spellcasters fearful of death or seeking to preserve decaying artifacts build floating citadels to store their lives and treasures for all eternity (or until some hostile force claims them).The Githyanki    A mighty civilization that broke free of Illithid dominance, the Githyanki are some of the most inhabitants in the entire Multiverse.  Adolescent members of their species join a unit of soldiers to raid an Illithid stronghold as a sign of undertaking adult responsibilities and a rite of passage.  Almost every Githyanki knows how to wield a sword, and many of them are capable of casting an assortment of low-level arcane spells, utilize psionics, and possess fanatic devotion to their nation.    Tu’narath, the nation with a capital city of the same name, is a multi-planar empire stretching across the Great Wheel and beyond.  They prefer the Prime Material Planes for colonization, due to the variety of terrain and relative lack of divine interference.  Interactions with other nations usually end with violence or suppression of the natives; it’s been rare that the Githyanki had to retreat from a superior military force.  A precursor to invasion is the sight fleets of airborne ships materializing above the horizon.  Known as Astral Skiffs, these vehicles are lightweight and designed for quick skirmishes instead of prolonged siege warfare.    Despite their warlike reputation, the sheer power and scope of the Githyanki empire means that a lot of nations make deals with them to avoid all-out war.  As such, their capital city sees a large influx of visitors and tradesmen.  The Githyanki of Tu’narath are more tolerant of visitors as a result, but there are some important things for adventurers to keep in mind: one, it’s a military dictatorship.  Anybody with authority or is high-ranking has the martial and magical power to back up their title (no dainty nobles here).  Second, they’re extremely anti-religious, and Clerics are forbidden from converting others to their religion or casting spells upon others upon pain of death.So why would somebody venture into Githyanki territory?  Well for starters, a lot of powerful figures are wary of Tu’narath’s increasing might and prominence.  Troop movements, military secrets, and invasion plans are in high demand among planar governments.  The Illithid and Genies in particular have a vested interest in hiring adventurers for this work.  Secondly, the Githyanki are some of the most talented crafters of magic arms and armor.  The truly sublime pieces combine arcane spells and psionic power for effects unseen anywhere else on the Great Wheel.  Predictably, the secrets of these items’ creation are trade secrets and known only to the artisans of imperial state arsenals.  What you can’t make, steal!Dead Gods    The Astral Plane is full of giant petrified bodies, the largest as big as continents.  A large amount of them are vaguely humanoid in shape, but the forms of animals, aberrations, and stranger things have been spotted and documented as well.  Most people assume that these bodies are dead deities, but nobody’s really sure about this.  Other popular theories posit that the petrified creatures are the sculptures of a long-forgotten civilization or the fossils of extinct creatures.    What is known for certain is that all the bodies give off lingering traces of divine magic, and that strange quakes emanate from deep below the surface.  Many colonists, adventurers, and natives alike mine and excavate them in search of magic power, treasure, or living space.  Most of these attempts end in failure, as the omnipresent magic energies seem to have a mind of their own and replicate dangerous spells and monsters to safeguard the terrain.The Tomb of CoridusThe Illithid-Gith War was a long and brutal fight for freedom, spanning across the Great Wheel.  Many Githyanki endured the onslaught on the Astral Plane.  The Mind Flayers became ever more desperate in their struggle for dominance, resorting to powers and entities even they did not understand.One being in particular is prominent in Githyanki legends: the Tomb of Coridus.  Coridus was said to be a cruel and bloodthirsty god from beyond space and time.  His power was so great, his deeds so terrible, that pantheons from across the Multiverse banded together to seal him inside the shell of a legendary beast.  After travelling to strange realms beyond the known confines of the Multiverse, the Illithids found what they believed to be Coridus’ Tomb.  They summoned it to the Astral Plane in the middle of a battlefield.  The last thing the Githyanki and Illithid soldiers saw was a titanic black shell, decorated with spines and black as night, floating across the Astral Sea.  There were no survivors.Today, the shell aimlessly floats through the Plane.  The object is home to strange and alien forms of life, sometimes spontaneously created from deep within the shell.  Those who lair upon it for too long become obsessed and seek to free whatever fell being resides within the layers.  The trapped souls of Githyanki and Illithid cry out for freedom, promising great boons and rewards to any adventurers brave enough to overcome the perils inside this living Tomb.Shorkoza’s Fleet    It’s very rare for the Githyanki to rebel against the Lich-Queen and survive, but it does occur.  The Pirate-King Shorkoza is the most legendary and hated outlaw within the Tu’narath Empire.  He assaults the Empire’s fringes, attacking military vessels and extraplanar merchant caravans alike for their riches.  With 2,000 astral skiffs and 100,000 able-bodied raiders, Shorkoza’s a prominent political power in the Astral Plane all his own.  Githyanki criminals and slaves fleeing the Empire are incorporated or press-ganged into his fleet; they only need to denounce their oath to the Lich-Queen and swear a new oath to Shorkoza.  The promise of wealth and glory also attracts many adventurers into service, particularly of the bloodthirsty and evil variety.    Shorkoza’s Fleet is large enough to function as a metropolis, although about 1/3rd of his ships are off and away plundering distant lands and planes.  There’s a thriving black market on the ship, and unscrupulous merchants and employers alike regularly visit the Fleet to buy rare treasures or pay for protection or services.  Despite being a haven for pirates, Shorkoza keeps the peace with an iron-fisted rule.  Floggings are common for acts of disobedience, and rude visitors are often stranded in inhospitable planes or thrown into the mouth of Grumpy, the Fleet’s pet astral dreadnought.Adventures on the Astral Plane:•    A monastic order of Clerics claims that they have the power to resurrect dead gods.  They’re located on one of the bodies of the Astral Sea, and every significant planar faction has their eyes on them.  Many want to stop them, fearing the return of a dangerous deity.  The anti-theist Athar seek to eliminate them, believing that anything which can empower the Gods to be bad for the Multiverse.  And the Archdevil Asmodeus wants to learn their secrets for themselves, hoping that he can resurrect and enslave the reborn Gods for his own purposes!•    Vraakith offers a great reward to whoever can bring her the head of Shorkoza.  Those who succeed at this task will be allowed into the Imperial Palace of Tu’narath to meet the Lich-Queen herself and receive great magical power.  In addition to the material benefits, PCs can use this as an opportunity for spy work, to infiltrate the palace and rob its vault, or even assassinate Vraakith.  Regardless of their motivation, the adventurers will need to not only kill Shorkoza, but find a way to slip past or fight off thousands of battle-hardened Githyanki pirates and their warships.</blockquote>

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