A Typical Astral Fortress (GAP)

Though no two githyanki fortresses are exactly the same, the following is provided as an example of how a typical, small installation would appear. Note that the term fortress is both accurate and misleading. While this is a defensible structure, all githyanki holdings are "fortresses." The term should not be taken to imply a military fortification any more than any other githyanki citadel.

This fortress can be used as is, or it can be taken as a sample of what one might look like as the DM designs his own. Refer to the map when reading the following text. Despite the fact that it was designed and built to be in a weightless environment, the citadel does not differ too much from one found on another plane, except that each building and tower has a different orientation. Many doors are located in the center of the wall rather than at the floor, and sometimes all surfaces (walls, ceiling, and floor) are utilized for furnishings and whatnot. Even though it is a place without gravity, things stay where a body puts them, so a table or shelfs contents, for example, stay put until someone moves them.

The entire fortress is ornately decorated. Statuary is commonplace. Bas reliefs can be found on every wall. While most are abstract, some depict githyanki passions: freedom, magic, psionics, their hatred for illithids and githzerai, etc.

This fortress is too small to warrant any full-time g"lathk to produce food. Instead, when someone requires food (only when trips to another plane are made), it is brought in from a larger community nearby. Some food can be found in the storage. Similar fortresses that do not have access to a larger support facility have a small g"lathk "garden" in an underground chamber under Building 3.

## Outer Areas

DEFENSE TOWER. On the map provided, four defense towers are positioned about the island, each with a different orientation. Each is manned in times of conflict with at least one warlock or gish to cast spells. Five to ten githwarriors use crossbows or triple crossbows to cut down advancing foes. Of course, the number and placement of defense towers varies from fortress to fortress because of terrain, area covered, and so on.

HOUND KENNEL. Githyanki fortresses of this size keep approximately ten spectral hounds to use as guardians and hunting companions.

SHIP MOORING. A fortress this size usually has only one or two astral ships stationed here, though there is room for four or five to dock.

## Building One

1. COMMON ROOM. Social activities (including dancing and theater performances) are conducted in this large room, as are required assemblies and other meetings.

2. INDIVIDUAL QUARTERS. All githyanki have their own individual (albeit small) quarters, though sometimes close friends or lovers live together (remember, githyanki have no family units). Githwarriors (about 40), warlocks (about 8), gish (2-3), mlar (2-4), and hr'a'cknir (1-2) dwell here. Higher ranking (in other words, higher level) githyanki have better quarters and possessions, with gish and hr'a'cknir being even more favored.

There are usually more quarters than inhabitants so that visiting githyanki have a place to stay.

## Building Two

3. SARTH QUARTERS. Four warriors of this rank dwell in quarters that are somewhat larger than other githyanki quarters. Note that while sarth have nominal authority over other githyanki, most would avoid exerting this privilege over gish or higher-level warlocks (who cannot become sarth no matter what level they are).

4. KITH'RAK QUARTERS. These are the fortress subcommanders. Two are

   ly stationed here, answering only to the leader (and possibly the knight).

5. KNIGHT'S QUARTERS. A typical fortress of this size has but a single knight who watches over the activities of the people and enforces the will of the lich-queen. Usually, the knight's quarters are second only to the leader's in lavishness and comfort.

6. LEADER'S QUARTERS. With command over every githyanki in the fortress, the leader has the finest of everything the citadel can provide.

## Building Three

7. EGG CHAMBER. The varsh caretakers of the eggs dwell here alongside their charges, although in a citadel this small, there are probably only one or two caretakers. This chamber holds 10-40 eggs in various stages of incubation.

8. STORAGE ROOMS. This is where all the supplies required by the citadel are stored. These rooms take up most of the building.

9. WORKSHOPS. Three to five rooms in this building are dedicated to creating and repairing equipment, weapons, and other items. The fortress's mlar spend most of their time here, with hr'a'cknir occasionally helping.

10. CREMATORIUM. This is a fiery furnace where the githyanki burn their dead. A short ceremony is conducted beforehand, dedicating the spirit to the lich-queen (though githyanki do not go to her as petitioners — she's not a real power).

11. PRISON. Though it could hold up to 20 prisoners, a typical githyanki prison will usually contain only 2 to 8 captives. These will usually be human or demihuman. Githzerai and illithids are rarely suffered to live, even as prisoners. When needed, the captives found here will be used as slaves.

The prison also contains facilities for extracting information (by means of torture)

## Larger Fortresses

Obviously, much larger githyanki fortresses exist that more closely resemble terrestrial cities than the smaller example above does. Only large githyanki citadels have actual marketplaces, astral shipyards, theaters (and similar structures dedicated to the arts), g"lathk farms, libraries and research facilities, training centers (although most training takes place off the Astral), or other facilities common to urban areas.

These large cities are usually built upon godisles, since they offer more space than the floating earth chunks like the one in the example. Some small fortresses aren't actually built on anything, but instead are free-floating structures all their own.