The Asteroid Belt between the orbits of Marva and Wanaxar is the remnant of an ancient, inhabited world shattered in some cataclysm. The nature of calamity is unknown, though an encounter with contraterrene matter is a possibility.
The mineral wealth of the asteroid belt has drawn prospectors from all over the System and the fragmentary remains of the progenitor planet's civilization have drawn scientists and researchers. Despite these visitors, the Belt remains a relatively lawless frontier. Zerene, the largest of the worldlets in the Belt, is famed as the raucous port of pirates and smugglers.
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| Art by Jordu Schell |
A particularly rapacious group of outlaws are the mysterious Gith. A species of folk seemingly native to the Belt, these marauders are fearsome in appearance: skeletally thin, with parchment yellow skin, and emaciated, corpse-like faces. The Gith. seemingly materialize from nowhere, gutting ships and taking no prisoners, then vanish--sometimes while still in the scopes of pursuers.
There are rumors of a related group of beings, the so-called adepts of asteroids, who tend to remain hidden. They are less aggressive, but not much more friendly to outsiders.
It has been suggested that the Gith races are the descendants of the people of the lost progenitor world, but the iconography of large-craniumed, tentacle-mouthed beings found in the ruins on some asteroids is puzzling, if that's true.
2 comments:
Unpopular opinion I hold to - the best gith subtype are the flamboyant pirate variety from Spelljammer. Dragon-riding dimensional raiders and contrarian monks are all very well and good, but nothing tops a good eyepatch, a cutlass and a stylish sash. Plus with all the nautiloids flying around the pirates are the ones getting the most opportunity to work on the whole "get revenge on the ilithids" thing. When's the last time you saw either the yanks or zeros stick their noses into the Underdark where the other mind flayers are found, hmmm?
Of course, the weirdest subtype are those devolved freaks in the Dark Sun setting. Those folks are just creepy.
The death of whatever planet became the Belt is a pretty good fit for the Gith's origin story.
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