Vlaakith

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Greyhawk Character
Vlaakith CLVII
Vlaakith00.jpg
Vlaakith CLVII, as depicted on the cover of Dungeon #100 (2003). Art by Wayne Reynolds.
Title(s): Reverend Queen, or Lich-Queen
Homeland: Tu'narath
Class(es): Wizard 25
Gender: Female
Race: Githyanki
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Died: 593 CY

Vlaakith is the name of the first ruler of the githyanki race after the disappearance of Gith, the rebel leader that united them against the illithids. Vlaakith CLVII, also known as the Lich-Queen (or, by her followers, as the Revered Queen), was the ruler of the githyanki until 593 CY.

Appearance[edit]

Vlaakith CLVII resembled an aged, blackened corpse of a githyanki, with glowing green eyes. She wore fine purple robes embroidered with gold thread, covered in a black cloak embroidered with a silver star. She wore a headdress of gold and rubies, and carried a golden scepter topped with rubies and the head of a dragon.

History[edit]

Vlaakith I was an advisor to Gith and helped seal the pact between red dragons and the githyanki. All subsequent queens of the githyanki have been named after her. Vlaakith CLVI, the immediate predecessor of the most recent lich-queen, ruled for over six centuries, becoming a lich at some point during her reign, before being destroyed by Xinfyrit, first of the devourers. The last queen of the githyanki, Vlaakith CLVII, died after ascending the throne without giving birth to an heir, but (like her predecessor) returned as a lich. Vlaakith CLVII ruled the githyanki for well over a thousand years, making her the longest-reigning monarch the githyanki ever had. Her home, the Castle Susurrus, was in the githyanki capital city, Tu'narath, which is built on the god-isle of a deceased power known only as "The One in the Void."

Publishing history[edit]

While the concept of a githyanki lich-queen dates to their original description, Vlaakith was first mentioned by name in A Guide to the Astral Plane (1996) by Monte Cook, which gave her full game stats for the first time.

Incursion[edit]

The "Incursion" crossover storyline running through July 2003's Dragon #309, Dungeon #100, and Polyhedron #159 focused on the githyanki heavily. Dungeon #100 included Vlaakith the Lich-Queen. She was presented as a direct adversary who could be defeated and slain by adventurers. The adventure also revealed that she had been siphoning off the power of a dead god (now resembling rock) on which the city, Tu'narath, was built. She accomplished this, rules-wise, by killing githyanki that had risen above character level 16. This in turn gave her enough experience points to cast thousands of wish spells and come a fraction closer to getting the dead god's power and becoming a deity. The adventure takes place just as Vlaakith is about to ascend to godhood and describes the consequences if the players allow her to succeed.

Scales of War[edit]

During the Scales of War Adventure Path in Dungeon #156- #175, Vlaakith CLVII had been assassinated (with the help of PCs, in the "Incursion" storyline Dungeon #100), and many of her former underlings sought to claim the throne for themselves. Ultimately, the most successful incumbent was a githyanki warlord named Zetch'r'r, who had been in a critical position: after all, he had provided aide to the assassins (the PCs) who brought down the Lich-Queen in the first place![1] A member of the Sha’sal Khou, a secret society dedicated to forging peace between the githyanki and githzerai, Zetch'r'r found himself stymied because of his beliefs. Desperate to cement his ill-gotten power, he reluctantly sought the aide of Tiamat to reforge the pact between the Red Dragons and Githyanki. Amid the ruins of Vlaakith’s old palace, Tiamat’s dark priests crowned Zetch’r’r emperor.[1]

During the power struggle, the soul of Gith was inadvertently released from the Nine Hells. Gith masqueraded as Vlakith CLVIII (158th) and eventually destroyed the Scepter of Ephelomon ending the pact and control of the red dragons. Her first order of business after securing the city was to extend a hand of peace to their githzerai cousins. Those githzerai who accepted the proffered peace eventually made the journey from the Elemental Chaos to find new lives amid their age-old enemies. A reunited people, they surrendered their old identities of githyanki or githzerai and embraced a new culture as the gith.[2]
Because the adventure refers to "only ... those githyanki under Vlaakith’s (Gith's) command", it is presumed that not all githyanki (and/or githzerai) will follow this group of "Seperatists" and does not impact the races overall. This group eventually became known as Sah'sal Khou. The outcome of such events is left to speculation at the conclusion of the adventure path.[2]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]
  1. a b "Tyranny of Souls". Dungeon #168 (Jul 2009)
  2. a b "Tyranny of Souls". Dungeon #168 (Jul 2009), p.51
Bibliography[edit]
  • Cook, Monte. A Guide to the Astral Plane. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
  • Perkins, Christopher. "The Lich-Queen's Beloved." Dungeon #100. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.
  • Schwalb, Robert J.. "A Tyranny of Souls". Dungeon #168. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, Jul 2009.
  • Stephens, Owen K.C. "The Ecology of the Devourer." Dragon #355. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
  • Turnbull, Don, ed. Fiend Folio. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1981.
  • Wyatt, James. "Incursion: A World Under Siege." Dragon #309. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Index is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, and his work as continued and updated by Eric Johnson, Richard DiIoia, Jason "PupickDad" Jacobson, a French fan group, and numerous other fans over the years. The wiki page for the EGI has a list of sources, full product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

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