Gyk'raal Wvrnili

With each new plane he visited, and each mission he undertook with Interplanar Rescuers, Gyk grew more powerful. Each was an opportunity to study the mysteries of interplanar travel, and the myriad ways in which raw chaos magic manifests in each corner of the multiverse. By tapping into the chaos in each locale, he was better able to focus and control his magic, triangulating the flows of wild magic across the planar vertices. Little did he know, Gyk was reverse engineering the Weave in his own way.

Gyk also continued to hone his innate psionic abilities, enhanced by his magic. He became well practiced at communicating telepathically, and learning to cast spells with his mind alone.

A Mysterious Dragon Guardian 

In a moment of desperation during a battle to save his mentor Erdom on the plane of Mechanus, Gyk’raal accidentally discovered the Psychic Lance spell. He punched a figurative hole through the brain of his would-be killer, a zelekhut named Sabbaz. In that moment he also inadvertently unleashed a wild magic surge, reversing gravity in the vicinity.

Unbenounced to Gyk, this event caught the attention of a powerful being back on Toril: Raulothim the Silent Shadow. The Elder Dragon was widely credited as having perfected the Raulothim's Psychic Lance spell. The truth is, the only reason he shared the spell at all was because he planned to use it as a way of spying on powerful spellcasters. Due to his vast psionic power, he could see for an instant through the eyes of the spellcaster whenever the spell was used, even across vast distances. In this case, Gyk's wild magic surge cut through the interplanar fabric and established a sustained Gaze of Two Minds link between him and Raulothim. The link seemed to even work across planes, and the source of this power was unknown even to the dragon. In fact, Celestian had matched the two together, part of his grand design. From then on Raulothim was able to observe Gyk from afar and eventually used the Dream spell to visit him in his dreams. He was initially curious how Gyk had stumbled onto the Psychic Lance spell on his own, what was behind their link, and how he was able to channel wild magic similar to dragons. He then became fascinated with Gyk's interplanar studies and his travels with Erdom's company. Raulothim had grown increasingly concerned over the years about the threats that interplanar invasions could pose to Toril, and more importantly, to him. 

Raulothim observed as Gyk and his allies traveled to Saragross on a mission to retrieve valuable lost cargo. When the party retrieved the Unknown, Raulothim grew curious as a prolific magic item collector. Partly, he wanted the item for himself, and he knew much about gem magic given his gem dragon lineage. During the final battle with Franco, aka Draga Saltbiter, Raulothim came to the aid of Gyk, channeling a spectral avatar of himself through Gyk's wild magic pathways. The avatar helped turn the tide, going toe to toe with the Wearshark, saving the party from certain death and aiding their escape from the dread domain. 

Raulothim continued to observe, warning Gyk in a dream about the threat the Omega Diamond could pose in the wrong hands. He encouraged Gyk to keep tabs on it even after delivering it to the Merchants League representative who had hired them for the mission. Raulothim hoped to assess the threat from afar, and potentially intervene when necessary. While invisible, Gyk and Poofy infiltrated a clandestine meeting and observed the exchange of goods that took place in WoW C1.S0.00- Whispers of Waterdeep Campaign Kickoff. During ensuing battle Raulothim was dismayed to see the Omega Diamond and Gyk suddenly banished to an unknown plane by a Mindflayer, losing his ability to track them. The threat of the Mindflayers was one of Raulothim's worst fears, and he redoubled his efforts to aid Gyk and allies. Raulothim kept tabs on Poofy 52 for the next several weeks as Poofy and Erdom searched for clues about Gyk's disappearance. 

After Gyk was rescued from Mindflayer control, Raulothim came to his aid yet again when the party followed the trail of the Omega Diamond into the Far Realm.  With the Gith Capacitor nearing full charge, and the Ulitharids holding the party at bay, Raulothim again appeared as a spectral avatar. He took Gyk on his back and dove down into the heart of the maelstrom pulsing below, within spell range of the diamond. Gyk threw a Fireball, erupting in a massive explosion and shattering the Capacitor just in time.

After the battle was won, Raulothim shared in Gyk's horror as he suddenly realized he had a Mindflayer tadpole implanted in his brain. His respect for Gyk deepened as he immediately called on his allies to kill him and destroy the tadpole. There was a chance he could be resurrected by Spanky, but he had never done it before. With a swift axe blow, Raulothim felt Gyks body die, but his connection was not immediately severed. As he felt Gyk's soul began to depart for the The Ethereal Domain, Raulothim summoned all of his power to maintain his fading connection in the hopes that it could help preserve Gyk's chances of resurrection.

Then, with a blinding light, Raulothim found himself back inside of Gyk’Raals mind. However, their connection was now even more powerful. Raulothim felt all of Gyk's senses vividly, and even his immense wellspring of wild magic pulsing with his heartbeat. In that moment, Raulothim resolved to fully embrace Gyk’raal and offer to take him on as his first-ever pupil. He knew Gyk had incredible potential, and had shown himself to be honorable and trustworthy.

Childhood

Gyk'raal 's brood was hatched in Cre'che Kl'iir (aka Stardock), an asteroid in the Tears of Celune which trail the moon Selune through the night sky. There, Githyanki children are raised and undergo brutal training while they age before entering adult society in the Astral Sea capital city of Tu'Narath or other outposts. As many as half die in training before reaching adulthood. Gyk was one of the smaller children, and generally viewed as unsuited to be a warrior. He however, exhibited high proficiency with magic and psionics. He was able to hold his own thanks to his use of telekinesis and finding ways to take advantage of his opponent’s weaknesses. He was taken aside and trained instead as a Mlar (artisan and scholar caste) under guidance of X'Alamar, the outpost's head Var'Ith'n (construction magic). Gyk set out to specialize as a Hr'a'cknir, a class of mages who study planar energy, with greatest interest in Y'rn, planar transportation. 

X'Alamar was a kindly ancient gith who had been around since the great schism with the githzerai. After eons helping build Tu'Narath, had decided to live out a mortal lifespan helping mold the next generation of githyanki. Stardock's commander Urlon had also recruited him as a member of the Sha'sa Khou, a secret splinter organization intent on ending the schism with the githzerai and reuniting their peoples. As part of his work on Cre'che Kl'iir, they sought to seed new sleeper members from the youth. Over the years, Gyk'raal  heard tales from X'Alamar of their long lost cousins, and instilled in him the same desire for reunification. 

As you may imagine, life living in a hollowed out asteroid did not come with many pleasures. Aside from the occasional clandestine mission with trainees down to Toril, or while out repairing exterior doors, Gyk’rraal was confined to the rough grey walls of the colony. He savored the brief moments he did get outside, often staring in wonder out at the stars and the magnificent blue orb below. He often daydreamed about all the wonders that must be out there.

As a final rite of passage, young gith are tasked with hunting down and raiding a mindflayer stronghold, returning with proof of their kill as tribute to Queen Vlaakith. Only then can they join adult society in Tu"Narth or sanctioned outposts. Cre'che Kl'iir is well situated for this task as the Underdark is the location for most known remaining Mindflayer colonies. A portal exists between the asteroid and the 7th layer of Undermountain, beneath Waterdeep. The colony was responsible for quite a few successful raids over the years. While not a frontline warrior, Gyk was excited for his role in the mission.

At the end of their training period, during a clandestine summit of the Sha'sa Khou that included Githzerai, Stardock was attacked by one of the last remaining Mindflayer nautiloid motherships (see events of Stardock Under Siege). This was a coordinated attack thanks to help from the mad mage Halastar and a traitor in their own ranks, disgusted by Urlons affinity for the Githzerai and other lesser races. The fall of Stardock would have threatened all life on Toril and throughout the multiverse. Gyk'raal  and the young gith played a critical part in the battle, fighting alongside githzerai and other outsiders, and the colony eventually prevailed despite heavy losses.  Gyk was aboard a skiff that attacked the mothership, and he made crucial use of his powers to block the psionic powers of the mindflayers they encountered.

Entrance into Adult Society

In a dual ceremony at the gith capital of Tu'Narath, Queen Vlaakith oversaw the honoring of Commander Urlon and the survivors from the Battle for Stardock, as well as the official acceptance of the young gith to society. Despite their assistance in the battle, the Githzerai were still regarded with suspicion and hostility by queen Vlaakith and not welcome in the Astral Sea, let alone Tu'Narath. It came to Vlaakith’s attention that Commander Urlon had been cooperating with Githzerai. Instead of having him killed, or worse, he was honorably discharged and reassigned from his command post on Stardock. In an attempt to remove his influence from her society, Vlaakith ordered him to command a new ship to join the ranks of the Far Travelers. These Githyanki privateers live outside mainstream society, returning only infrequently to offer tribute to Vlaakith. Their mission is to search out the furthest reaches of the Astral sea for any further evidence of Mindflayer activity, and pillage any non-Githyanki vessels. In reality, this was a form of exile for Urlon.

In his first few days on Tu'Narath Gyk was brought into the Hr'a'cknir caste as an entry level clerk for Y'rn researchers. He began assisting in astrological study and the study of portal magic. However, he quickly grew bored working with books and scrolls, often gazing out in wonder at the Astral sea. Having lived all his life stranded on an asteroid, and now the corpse of a dead god, he felt a yearning to travel and see the majesty of the multiverse.

Gyk learned of Urlon’s new assignment and inquired about joining his crew. His request was denied. Githyanki society was very regimented and he was expected to continue his training and servitude as a Hr’a’cknir. The senior scholars were pleased with their place in society, had already lived a thousand lifetimes, and didn’t have any patience for Gyk’s dreams of travel. 

Hours before the departure of Urlon’s ship, Gyk was able to stow away in a small cupboard on the refurbished astral skiff. Gyk eventually made himself known, and his presence was met with skepticism from the 11 crew members. They were all hardened warriors who had seen many battles, and some demanded to take Gyk back. Captain Urlon quieted the crew telling them that Gyk would be marooned at their earliest opportunity, if he didn’t prove his worth. Secretly, he gave Gyk his blessing to stay, having known him from a young boy on Stardock. Gyk immediately set about helping as a deckhand as well as with navigation, and earned respect from the crew in due time, thanks in-part to his charismatic nature and sense of humor. 

Gyk proceeded to travel far and wide with Urlon’s crew and their adventures during this period will surely be documented at some point.

A Chance Encounter

Once Urlon felt he could fully trust his crew, he led a mission to the elemental chaos in an attempt to visit the Githzerai and allies of Sha’sa Khou who reside in Limbo. While very experienced in navigating the astral sea, navigating the elemental chaos is quite different. The plane is made of an ever swirling elemental soup, taking various states of matter. Those experienced with psionic powers can enforce their will to temporarily shape the chaos, and make travel possible. Urlon and Gyk were able to do so, and they proceeded to travel for some time before being ambushed by Slaadi, fearsome creatures native to the plane. The skiff was overwhelmed by nearly twenty of the creatures, and during the ensuing battle Gyk was knocked from the skiff. Gyk was able to utilize his psionic powers to shape the chaos in an attempt to hide, but then he inadvertently stepped through a natural conduit portal.

Gyk'raal  fell through a rift in the cosmos for what felt like an eternity, catching glimpses of all manner of planes and realms, all manner of wonders and horrors. He eventually was deposited floating in what seemed like the inky blackness of space, complete with distant twinkling stars. He then heard a soft and calm voice begin to speak. “You have traveled far, my child”. The stars seemed to pulse with each syllable. A startled Gyk strained to see where the voice originated, but saw nothing. “Hello?” he timidly uttered. 

A floating figure melted out of the blackness, wearing a black hooded cloak dotted with the same glowing stars as the background of wildspace. A large clasp adorned the cloak in the center of his chest. It  was a silver circle crossed by two other arcs of silver, with seven different colored gemstones inlaid through them. Gyk recognized this as the holy symbol of Celestian, a god of travel and space worshiped by many githyanki. The man was thin and fairly small, had ebony skin, dark eyes, short grey hair, and a kind smile.

Wide eyed, Gyk tried to discern what was happening and whether this was some sort of illusion or trick. Celestian chuckled softly to himself, and said “Don’t be afraid Gyk'raal , I mean you no harm. I suppose that I laid a path for you, and all you did was follow it. Gyk'raal , I have watched your journey and I want to commend your resolve to explore and understand the secrets of the cosmos. It is the path taken by the most enlightened mortal souls, many of which come to wear this sigil.” The man tapped the clasp while continuing: “But what you’ve come to see thus far, only scratches the surface. You are just a speck in an infinite and beautiful multiverse. Your real journey begins today.”

Celestian then turned and gestured out into the blackness.  “Look around you. We are standing at the outer reaches of the material planes.” Tiny round planets appeared above his outstretched hand as he continued. “The material planes are born from the infinite elemental chaos and are destined to return to it. Each is a different manifestation of order constructed from the chaos, beautiful yet fleeting.”

The surroundings suddenly changed, and they were viewing a black hole with a swirling maelstrom of matter flowing into it.

“All will succumb to the pull of chaos and the abyss below, only to be reborn and renewed again. This natural process is accelerated by those who wish to undo order.” 

The surroundings suddenly changed, and they were standing in the astral sea. 

“You know the astral sea very well, the infinite frontier of the mind and soul. The material planes were born here and have been drifting apart since the dawn of time, resisting the pull of chaos. Order is maintained by the forces of magic, the astral, and through divine intervention in the affairs of mortals.”

The surroundings suddenly changed again, and they were back in the black void.

“The balance of all of these forces is the natural order of the cosmos. For every action there is  an equal and opposite reaction, even if it isn’t immediately apparent. 

Those that can study and harness these dueling forces have the potential to wield great power, standing in the gap between chaos and order, the domain of wild magic. Not all can comprehend, nor are willing to face the perils that come with it. Gyk'raal , you were born with an aptitude that you may not even yet fully realize. Your psionic abilities are just the surface of your potential. I will offer you the opportunity to be all you can be, and much more.”

For as long as you want it, I will grant you access to wield this wild magic. But be warned, it comes with a price.

You must commit yourself to my service, continue to explore and study the widest reaches of the cosmos. In your travels, you will dedicate yourself to aiding the lost, hurt and helpless. Your new power greatly will aid your travels, and your strength  to help those around you. 

And you must also be ready to accept the inherent danger and unpredictability of chaos. Each use of your power may result in an equal and opposite reaction that you cannot predict. But with careful training, you can channel the chaos of wild magic and bend the very fabric of  fate and reality to your will. 

This is no small offer. Are you ready to wield this power Gyk'raal ?”

Gyk'raal  was flabbergasted. He initially paused to think, but eventually agreed. Celestian approached and placed a hand over Gyk’s heart. Gyk'raal  felt a warmth and then blacked out. 

A New Power Awakens

Gyk awoke floating in the elemental chaos, some pieces of wreckage from the astral skiff visible in the distance. He found no corpses, and no sign of the Slaadi. He was terrified and alone in the vastness of chaos. He felt that the encounter with Celestian must have been a dream… but then he saw he had an amulet on a silver chain around his neck. He peered at it quizzically. It was the same symbol he had seen on Celestian, two curves of silver overlain one another, dotted with seven different colored gems. He could sense a newfound power within himself.

Using his natural psionic ability, he was able to hold the elemental chaos at bay enough to travel by foot and eventually located a small Githzerai settlement called Sanzerathad. Githzerai settlements are islands of stability floating in the chaos, held at bay by powerful anarchs channeling psionic power to shape the chaos. Gyk was cautiously welcomed thanks to the Celestian seal, a known symbol of far wanderers. He was allowed to nurse his injuries for a few days. Gyk was able to covertly locate allies of the Sha'sa Khou in the village who enabled him to gain entrance to the village monastery. Gyk was again cautiously welcomed and given visitors quarters. He learned that outsiders can eventually be accepted into the Sensei’s training, but only after showing their commitment through months of hard labor performing menial tasks around the monastery. Those who were accepted and dedicated themselves for years to the combination of martial arts and magical training were deemed Zerths and wielded immense psionic power. Gyk was intrigued and watched the training whenever he could. He began assisting with maintaining the buildings using his psionic powers, having experience with that line of work on Stardock. 

Due to the warning of Celestian about the dangers of wild magic he was quite afraid to even attempt to use his new powers. He waited until many weeks had passed, and traveled out into chaos away from the settlement. He attempted a spell he had read about in the library, agonazzer’s scorcher. To his amazement it worked! With a flash, a jet of flames burst out of his hand, but he also heard a small pop behind him. And then clucking? He turned to find a small startled chicken. It was ornate and poofy, wearing a red tag on one ankle with the #52 inscribed. Gyk was just as startled, but after attempting to perceive any magic or illusion, it was clear this was just a chicken. 

A Strange New Acquaintance

Gyk felt immediate remorse for what seemed to be a wild magic accident. He recalled Celestian's orders to protect the helpless, and resolved to take the chicken back to safety with him. He tried to grab it gently, but it darted away. Gyk readied his psionic powers to attempt to grab the chicken. He knelt and crooned: "I won't hurt you tiny friend. This is a dangerous place, I will take you to somewhere safe." 

To his immense surprise, a voice in his head responded "I dont trust you, where the fuck are we? How did I get here?" The chicken clucked and ruffled its feathers. Gyk was quite astonished, and immediately a bit fearful. Was this a powerful being in disguise? Did his new power grant him telepathy?

Gyk replied: "Uhh hello there.. my name is Gyk'raal … We are in the elemental chaos, a very dangerous realm. I am not native here either. I don’t know how you got here, you just appeared out of nowhere. Where were you before?" 

Chicken replied while pacing back and forth: "The only place I've ever known, THE WHITE ROOM. I was held captive there with my sisters, each in our own cage. The overlords, they decorated us with goo and color every day. We were MARVELOUS! They didn't hurt us, and it was actually pretty fun sometimes, but I am very glad to be free. I suppose I don’t have much of a choice here, so I guess I’ll follow you greenskin." 

Gyk was utterly amazed as this clearly was a sapient being. Gyk: "Ok. Just stay close, I’ll need to concentrate to let us travel safely.,"

Gyk'raal  proceeded to drop the telepathy link and concentrate on shaping the chaos. They proceeded for a few minutes and then Gyk'raal  heard the chicken in his head. "Does this guy even know where he is going?" 

Gyk had not initiated the telepathy and was shocked. A chicken could not be doing this. He was again very afraid he was dealing with an interplanar shape-shifting being. He whirled around and used all of his power to perceive any illusion taking place around the bird. Nothing. Just a very ornate and beautiful chicken. 

Gyk: “How are you speaking into my mind?”

Chicken: “Huh? I thought you were the one doing that? I didn’t say anything.” 

Gyk: “Well, I guess I heard you think something then...”

The two were equally confused, but it appeared the chicken had the power of telepathy. The chicken hopped onto Gyk’s shoulder and they continued on their way.

The two returned to the village and others looked on curiously. The chicken stayed close to Gyk. One of the guards stopped Gyk and asked him to explain the presence of this new being. Food sources were generally scarce in the elemental chaos, and a hungry look could be seen in some of the onlookers’ eyes. Gyk tried to explain it was just a chicken he had magically summoned. He let it slip that it had appeared unexpectedly. This arose great suspicion from the guards who attempted to scoop up the bird. The chicken was too fast however, darting around the courtyard, before flying up to a low rooftop, clucking loudly. 

The chicken then proceeded to puff up, ruffle its feathers, and extend the ones on its head into a protruding crest. The chicken proceeded to perform a form of a dance that was very unexpected; simultaneously beautiful and hilarious. All the while the chicken uttered a rhythmic clucking. The chickens feathers seemed to gleam in the light. The audience was enthralled. After the performance concluded, the chicken gave a graceful bow, swooped back down, and the audience cheered in amazement. Gyk'raal  cheered too, this had to be the most amazing things he had seen in his life! 

The crowd and guards seemed almost weirdly overjoyed and everyone agreed the chicken shouldn’t be harmed and that it should actually be the new village mascot. Some seed was rushed out to feed the bird as the villagers fawned over her. The chicken ate a bit and then flew up to perch on Gyk’s shoulder. Gyk was able to excuse himself to his quarters.

“Pretty good huh?” asked the chicken.

Gyk replied “That was incredible!” But then Gyk began to sense magic emanating from the bird. 

Gyk “You had us all under a spell? How are you doing this?” 

The chicken replied “I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m just a born performer. Back in the white room, the people, they always used to say 52 was their favorite.”

Gyk: “Is that your name, 52?” 

Chicken: “I’m not sure I had a name. I think they didn’t want to get too attached.”

Gyk: “What would you like to be called? Do you want me to take off that red tag?” 

Chicken: “No thanks, I’m kinda attached to the tag at this point. But as far as a name goes, they also used to fawn over me and call me ‘poofy cutie’. So let's go with Poofy.”

Gyk: “Poofy 52!? It has a great ring to it”

Poofy: “Sure why not. Whats your name green skin?

Gyk: “My name is Gyk'raal  Wvrnili. You can call me Gyk for short. Even though I look like the residents from this village, I’m not from here. I’m a traveler from another plane of reality entirely. My people are the Githyanki, these are our cousins the Githzerai, who we often are at war with. My ship was attacked and I was separated from the group. I was able to take refuge here in this village.”

Poofy: “That is a lot to follow. So I guess we are both stranded on our own in a strange place.”

Gyk: “Very much so, but you are not alone Poofy, you can stick with me and I’ll keep you safe. I’ll figure out how to get us home. This is not an easy place to survive.”

Poofy: “Like I said before, I don’t really have much of a choice. I’m a tiny bird in a very dangerous and unfamiliar place. There were a lot of hungry looking people out there. If you can keep me safe Gyk, I’ll be forever grateful. Not that I really need your help though.”

The Adventures of Gyk'raal  and Poofy (aka Gyk and the Chick)

For nearly a year Gyk and Poofy made their home at Sanzerathad. Gyk made inroads with the monks and was eventually accepted into training. During their time, Gyc also sought out information on how they might travel back to the astral or material planes. Without access to a spelljammer ship or help of a powerful sorcerer, he and Poofy were stranded in the elemental chaos. 

They learned that every few months the village received a shipment of food and supplies from the largest city Shrak’kt’lor via a militarily spelljammer ship. They were able to stow away on the next shipment. However upon arrival at the fortress capital, they were apprehended. 

They were seen before a panel of judges, where Gyk pleaded his case, and disavowed his Githyanki heritage. He made clear his mission from Celestian and wish to reunite the Gith. They were nonetheless ordered banished from the plane. They were taken to a planar gate and were forcibly sent to the material plane. They later came to know they were sent to a dumping point near Baldurs gate. However, they were quickly picked up a by a kindly Githzerai who introduced himself as a member of the Sha'sa Khou and took them to a secret outpost nearby.