| Category | Empires | ||||
| Location | Astral Sea, Bal-Kriav, others | ||||
| Government | Theocracy | ||||
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| Deity | Pivix | ||||
| Enemies | B'lailleth, Roongutil, Suellk | ||||
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| Established | 29 Warper 1721 HE |
The Har'kish, a Githyanki people once residing in B'lailleth's military district on Ráglauth, fled the coming of Lady Hunger. Rebels on the run, nomadic denizens of the Astral Sea, on 29 Warper 1721 HE, the hero Ta'keen and his Har'kish settled in a vast debris field of some forgotten war. In 1701 HE, commanding a formidable sea and astral navy, the Har'kish fled the approaching calamity.
In 899, one of Har'kish's Astral Skiffs uncovered a bastion lost since the Creation War ( 1486 DE - 8777 DE ) . A larger githyanki force followed up this expedition, claiming a site they named after the legendary figure Gith, dubbing their aerial platform the Eye of Gith.
In the year 1003, the empire relocated its administrative center to the city of Rib'git. This strategic decision to situate the capital on an instrument of war was compelled by the populace's diminishing confidence in a governing body that had strayed too far from the githyanki warrior ethos.
In 1312, the Har'kish Civil War ( 1292 - 1312 ) concluded. This conflict resulted in a schism, dividing the githyanki into two distinct sects: those committed to upholding the theocratic tradition, and those determined to pursue a path of political and religious freedom. The latter group became known as the Separatists. These Separatists, with militant factions dominating the decision-making, would go on to place their faith in the war god Ares. Consequently, most of these Separatists fled the Astral Sea and found refuge on the world Bal-Kriav, where they occupied an ancient Zeymah'kein bastion named Vith Niigol.
In 1318, a traitor disclosed the position of the separatists. They were expelled from Vith Niigol, retreating southward to seek refuge within the Paradomea Empire. Over the ensuing decade, they became esteemed citizens of their newfound empire. Their formidable military expertise led them to become one of Paradomea's elite contingents, the Githlarâk.
In the Black Tide War ( 1465 - 1486 ) , Har'kish operated covertly on both sides. Their involvement was evident with the Eye of Gith, which they utilized for aerial strikes in exchange for payment. The Black Tide was the first to enlist the services of Har'kish's aerial platform and its dreaded Hand of Gith. Once Har'kish's forces rained energy bombs down upon the civilian population of the Lands of Purity, they became an adversary of the Farinteen Alliance. What the Alliance failed to realize, or chose to overlook, was that they were receiving shipments of holy grenades. The procurement process was intentionally convoluted, obscuring the fact that the sellers of these undead-slaying grenades, now known as Pos-Grenades, were none other than Har'kish. These grenades were manufactured in Tritium-Psyche, mere miles from the barrel of the Hand of Gith.
In 1476, Har'kish assaulted the cities of Vraga Moltus and Voruner. They were miles above the settlements when they unleashed their Voices of Gith upon the streets and structures, tragically slaying mostly civilians. Through blasts of positive energy, the casualties were catastrophic, each city losing close to ten blocks. Years after the Black Tide War, a captured githyanki spy revealed the specifics of the transaction between Har'kish's clandestine division and the Black Tide, stating 150,000 gold was the accepted price for each block. By the conclusion of the Black Tide War, the Har'kish Empire had accrued over twenty million gold from their "bombardment services."
The attack on Voruner prompted its government to secretly employ the services of the Sanguine Whispers. In Operation Precision Strike, they dispatched a team to the Eye of Gith, disabling the Hand of Gith for six months. By the final month of 1476, the repaired Hand of Gith was repositioned to target Outpost Prime, the headquarters of the Sanguine Whisper. Har'kish then led a large-scale air and ground assault, deploying an entire army, including six red dragons and the renowned Slag, to capture the site.
Har'kish maintains numerous land-based outposts dispersed across Bal-Kriav; Vith Niigol is one such example. As a predominantly nomadic empire spanning multiple worlds, Har'kish leverages the Eye of Gith to visit their strongholds, forging alliances when advantageous and exacting tribute when they possess the upper hand.