Githyanki Nature (GAP)

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The githyanki mind has become a twisted, alien thing when compared to its human origins. Their culture's filled with — perhaps based on — contradictions. They value isolation and conquest, inner strength and material possessions, obedience and freedom.
As a race, they're undeniably evil. They hate virtually anything not githyanki and delight in the conquest, enslavement, torture, and destruction of all not of their race. Yet among their own kind, the githyanki are peaceful, polite, and respectful. No githyanki would ever attack another willingly, for all of their aggression and hatred (which is considerable) is focused outward.
==Military Mindset==
Though obviously all githyanki are individuals, a body can make a few generalizations about them as a culture. They're first and foremost a warrior culture, with both males and females training to be either fighters or wizards (or in some cases, both). Weapons and armor are the most valued possessions and're always ornate and well-cared for.
Skill in combat, whether it be physical or magical in nature, determines a body's rank in githyanki society (see below). Interestingly, unlike many warrior cultures, rank is not based on actual achievements or victories in battle, but on pure skill, which is tested and classified by those above the individual in question (ultimately, for the most powerful, by the queen herself).
In order to foster efficiency and greater capabilities in combat, githyanki learn to operate well together. They do all of their training, living, and fighting with the same group of individuals. Each individual's rights're well-respected by every other individual as well as by the society as a whole, so these close personal ties are easily established. They enable githyanki to communicate complex ideas among themselves in very short periods of time. A githyanki commander can relay the dark of a situation as well as his plans to those under him with just a few simple words and gestures.
==Rights of Individuality==
The githyanki consider personal freedoms and individuality highly important. Their history of enslavement, though long since past, shapes even their current actions and attitudes. Most githyanki would choose death over surrender if defeat meant captivity or slavery. For themselves, they make slaves of their enemies only for short periods of intense humiliation. Slaves're always ritually sacrificed to the queen, eventually.
Individuality's expressed through dress, art, and even combat techniques. This is where much of the inherent contradictions of githyanki nature lie. While they profess to be more interested in the inner being (hence their fascination with psionics), githyanki focus much of their time and energy on outward appearances. Flamboyance in combative style is common among githwarriors, as it is in spellcasting among the warlocks. Githyanki use large, sweeping gestures and sword strikes with intricate flourishes and practiced movements.
Likewise, githyanki dress and manufactured items - in particular weapons and armor — are gaudy, elaborate affairs. Baroque ornamentation and design (sometimes with a sinister style) covers their possessions, giving githyanki an ostentatious image. 'Course, these items're well-cared for and are always pristine in appearance. Warriors spend a great deal of their off-hours mending, polishing, sharpening, and generally maintaining the condition of the weapons and armor.
Not surprisingly, githyanki art's an important facet of their society. In addition to the ornate decoration of their weapons and dress, they create elaborate sculptures and paintings, often with what humans would call a surrealistic nature. The githyanki artists claim that long-term exposure to the astral energies have given them the power to see things most mortals cannot, and their art is actually realistic depictions of what they see. Even drama, poetry, and song are created by the githyanki, although these are so strange (often actually containing psionic elements or references to astral intricacies) that most nongithyanki are literally unable to comprehend them. Most githyanki artists, poets, or other creators don't pursue the arts full-time, and instead are warriors or warlocks who dabble in their spare time.
Though subject to the rulership of the queen and their other superiors, githyanki retain a great deal of personal freedom. This is true in part because of the isolation of most githyanki communities, even from each other. The queen's usually unable to direct specific activities of communities.
Further, no githyanki in a position of power would violate an individual's rights of privacy, speech, movement, or expression without very good reason. It’s simply in their nature to preserve and respect such rights. For the most part, a githyank can flap his bone-box or come and go as he pleases
==Order Enforced Upon the Chaotic==
'Course, a githyanki loses his rights of individuality by either committing a crime or failing in an important task. In fact, such a failure is usually considered to be the greatest crime of all, for it is a crime against the queen herself. Such an outlook gives warriors even more reasons to fight to the death — defeat in an important battle usually means the dead-book for githwarriors anyway.
No official code of githyanki laws exists. Most githyanki are too individualistic for that. Instead, the queen and, in turn, each community's leader (sometimes called the supreme leader), issue orders that must be followed. Respect for the high-ups and the threat of death ensures that these commands are virtually always obeyed. Githyanki so chaotic in nature that they cannot abide such rigidity either leave their race or find themselves well-lanned in the githyanki version of the leafless tree.
==Insular Behavior==
Githyanki disdain for all things nongithyanki makes them unwilling to learn the languages, skills, or spells of other races. Likewise, while they will take trophies from fallen foes, they're unlikely to use the spoils, unless it's a magical item so powerful that its use cannot be resisted. Even then, they rationalize the act by saying that such an elegant and strong weapon was probably originally a githyanki item, or the knowledge to create it originated with their people.