The Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper is a denizen from the Astral Plane, a psionic being imprisoned many years ago by a Githyanki Prince called Vlaakith. It was imprisoned for its ability to manipulate the Astral fabric and create a number of small demi-planes within it. The Gatekeeper is an intelligent being that may communicate via telepathy with other psionics, though it can hear and has been trained to associate the opening of an Astral Gate to a demi-plane that it has created with an associated noise. It has some offensive capability but considerably more defensive, its powers including the ability to radiate simple emotions in an area around it. This aura can make those in the area aggressive, more determined, happy, sad or peaceful but it is a subtle effect and only done as a defensive measure. Some years ago the Gatekeeper was stolen from the Prince by the Alchemist Vetzlar who saw its potential as a place to store rare and unusual things. Vetzlar concealed himself from divination so the Prince could not discover the name of the thief and bound the Gatekeeper to a box that keeps it concealed. The Prince with great patience has set one of his followers the task of watching for the Gatekeepers presence and has discovered that it resides on Orin Rakatha where it has made a contract with the Shadowsfall to help it retrieve the creature if detected. The Gatekeeper can come across as having a child like personality, but does not want to return to Prince Vlaakith.

Create Astral demi-plane

Through the manipulation of the Astral fabric the Gatekeeper can create an area that conforms to the wishes of someone who is linked to it. These areas in the astral fabric can bend the normal rules of existence i.e. most magic could be suppressed in an area, and can be reached by the Gatekeeper opening an Astral portal that will remain open for a few hours. This ability is taxing and can only be done a few times per day.

Each portal is keyed to a sound (e.g. a tune played on the music box) that is made it in the presence of the Gatekeeper. This will trigger the opening of an Astral Portal a few hundred meters away that though is invisible; the tune player will be mentally directed to.

The Astral Plane

The Astral Plane is, for the most part, a dreary and empty expanse of nothingness, broken up upon by sporadic landmasses, the petrified corpses of dead beasts, the gargantuan worm-like "astral vortexes", and colour-based portals to various planes. It connects all other planes, and is noted as being mutable, meaning that powerful Sorcerers and Psionics can manipulate the Astral fabric to create demi-plans and pockets dimensions ranging from a room sized pocket to larger village sized realms.

The Githyanki

They have pale yellow or silver skin and sunken eyes, often wearing white robes and blue tabards. They are natural psionics and can manipulate some of the evil sphere. The strongest amongst them carry silver swords which grant them powers to damage or cut the silver cord that attaches a non-astral native to their own plane with various effects.

Their race is the most prominent denizens of the Astral Plane (or the Astral Sea as they call it), the same place that the mind flayers come from who are their sworn enemies. They are a race of Reavers that sail sleek astral ships, slaughter astral travellers, and raid planes touched by the Astral Realm.

Prince Vlaakith is the ruler of the city of Tu'narath which floats through the Astral Realm on a huge chunk of rock.

The current Githyanki watcher was Oso'Zhen Ranirth, Silver Sword Bearer, who uses Astral Constructs and has a contract with the Shadowsfall.