A once loyal githyanki fighter, Gum was once loyal to their lich queen Vlaakith, fighting his way for the chance to become Kith'rak amonghts the peers of his clutch. Strong, fast, lacking in hesitation- very few from his hatching year came close to being an even match. The only member of his creche that compared was his rival, another fighter by the name of G'lyth.
Desperate to prove his worth and honor, Gum (going by his hatching name and not this alias at this point) dedicates all his focus and training towards competing with G’lyth. The two fought ruthlessly, G’lyth scarring Gum across his face and neck in their youth, competing against one another to become the top ranking fighter of their year before graduating to the astral plane.
This course of action takes a dramatic turn for the worst when G’lyth is killed prematurely- a dishonorable death that could have easily been prevented. Creche jhe’stil (superiors) prevented the interference. Little did they know that this ripple in Gum’s life would be a defining moment for him.
This is a turning point for Gum, feeling at a complete loss with the death of his motivator. Having realized that the honor of taking G’yth’s life was stolen from him, Gum cannot comprehend how Vlaakith’s followers- his own jhe’stil- would allow for this to happen. After a period of mourning, Gum starts to develop suspicions about his creche, he begins to question his teachings, his faith in Vlaakith evaporating.
Spending more time pilfering through the spoils of raids, Gum begins collecting books the scouts and others bring in from outside. Not being permitted to leave creche grounds without graduating, Gum starts a secret makeshift-contraband library of anything he’s certain would be burned upon being found: magic tomes, books on other religions, journals from many long past.It is through this that he begins to shift away from being a fighter, something that does not go unnoticed.
It is during this time that Gum discovers Mystra. He finds comfort in the weave- able to understand and see its logic- and replaces his misguided faith in Vlaakith with a new devotion to the goddess of magic herself. Through a combination of medical journals and her guidance, Gum self-trained in secret to heal and protect others- making a personal vow to survive where G’yth had failed.
Needing to keep up appearances- lest his creche mark him hshar’lak (traitor)- Gum continues on by day training to be a fighter and to kill the ghaik in Vlaakith’s name, by night he does what he can to show Mystra his devotion. A little misguided, as a githyanki would be when it comes to organized prayer- Gum does what he can to show his faith where jhe’stil cannot see, giving him a thin veil of safety up until graduation. He’s compliant and capable, meaning they cannot do much as he moves on to the astral plane.
Emboldened by this false sense of freedom, as his creche was very strict and controlling, Gum begins to get a little sloppy in his new surroundings. He’s naive to the world outside of his creche due to his upbringing- still unsure what teachings had merit and which were false. He has little time to test some of these teachings, as he becomes a little too public about switching to the roll of a cleric while still adjacently under supervision of some of his jhe’stil, and it is determined that he needs to be brought to compliance or to death.
Brought back to his creche, Gum is to take the place of the recently deceased ghustil. Having shown a public aptitude for healing, it’s a cover for what is truly taking place, and Gum is fitted to the role quickly. The jhe’stil spend little time teaching him how to run the zaithisk- the very real threat that if he is not compliant that he will be the next to take it’s seat and become “pure”. Through this new role Gum realizes just how high along the chain that this corruption runs- all stemming from their loyalty to Vlaakith.
Gum spends years in this roll performing all the unsightly tasks that come along with being ghustil for a small creche: disposing bodies in pools of acid to protect their eggs, issuing false promises of purification to those infected only to pull the switch to fry their brain unusable to destroy the parasites within, among others. It’s lonely, it’s isolating, it’s a death sentence.
The only tranquility his creche offers are the natural springs outside- their humid and warm environment perfect for growing all sorts of moss and herbs. It is here, one day while picking ingredients for an anti-toxin, that Gum is kidnaped by the mindflayer ship…
Gum is my he/they githyanki Life cleric of Mystra. Below you'll be able to find some links to more about him- fun facts, art, writing, ect. If it isn't clear, I really adore Gum and have had so much fun dedicating this page to him. I hope you have fun too as you look around!
Thank you again for visiting my page! I have put so much love into this character over the last few months and made so many great friends through BG3- this is truly a work of love and passion and it's so nice to have a fun place to share my character! If you ever would like to talk tavs or roleplay- please reach out to me via my home page either at twitter or tumblr!