Lore Question: Drow and Githyanki

[Falcon X]

So, I'm trying to improve upon the beautifully crafted "Out of the Abyss" module by weaving in sub-plots based on my characters. So, I'm diving into lore to pull what I can. The two major insertions are that I have a Githyanki character, and another that will have a run into Cranium Rats (Secret allies of Mind Flayers).

My question:
In Drow lore for the city of Erelhei-Cinlu, a major event called "The Priestess Wars" happened as a civil war between drow factions. More importantly to me, House Tormtor somehow gained the allegiance of the Githyanki, which thereby set the Mind Flayers as allies of the opposing side.
Does anybody know why the Githyanki became involved with this war?
It's possible that the writers made this happen arbitrarily for intrigue, but I'd be interested to know the reasons for this. Is there more definitive sources about this war besides the summaries found in Dragon #298's Vault of the Drow?

Further, if anyone knows other lore involving interaction between Drow and Giths, that would be helpful.

[BWR]

So, I'm trying to improve upon the beautifully crafted "Out of the Abyss" module by weaving in sub-plots based on my characters. So, I'm diving into lore to pull what I can. The two major insertions are that I have a Githyanki character, and another that will have a run into Cranium Rats (Secret allies of Mind Flayers).

My question:
In Drow lore for the city of Erelhei-Cinlu, a major event called "The Priestess Wars" happened as a civil war between drow factions. More importantly to me, House Tormtor somehow gained the allegiance of the Githyanki, which thereby set the Mind Flayers as allies of the opposing side.
Does anybody know why the Githyanki became involved with this war?
It's possible that the writers made this happen arbitrarily for intrigue, but I'd be interested to know the reasons for this. Is there more definitive sources about this war besides the summaries found in Dragon #298's Vault of the Drow?

Further, if anyone knows other lore involving interaction between Drow and Giths, that would be helpful.

I don't know anything about the adventure in question and the general rule is that both drow and the damn 'yankis are pretty universally reviled. The most likely scenario where the two races interact is a small group 'yanki on an illithid-slaying mission who happen to run into small group of drow. Such an encounter would be very tense and could devolve into violence at the slightest provocation because both races are cruel, evil, have a massive ego and feel immensely entitled. However they would likely not attack on sight unless one side thought the other to be actively hostile (like the drow being thralls of the illithids or something), and they might try to find out who is doing what and why and peacefully go their separate ways afterwards. Any official talk between the leader of a House or drow city and a 'yanki city is unlikely.

In this particular case it's unlikely they have any long-term alliance with anyone (except the red dragons). If they found out the illithids were on one side of a drow civil war they might be convinced to aid the other on the condition that if their side wins the drow help exterminate the illithids afterwards. If, as you say, the illithids joined the war as a response to the 'yanki getting involved, it could be because the 'yankis wanted aid in exterminating the illithids in the first place and the illithids got wind of this and started aiding the other side to stop this team up.

Less likely is that as part of the pact between Tiamat and Gith the 'yanki have to aid a red dragon in something, and this particular dragon wants one side of the drow civil war to win instead of the other. In this case I can see the 'yankis would be rather half-hearted and stand-offish until they find out illithids get involved.

[Darth Ultron]

The Githyanki were mercenaries. They got involved in the war as they were payed to do so.

[Inevitability]

Out of the Abyss is a 5th edition adventure. Are you sure this is the right subforum?

If you are, and you adapted the adventure to 3.5, mind sharing a pdf or something? I'd be pretty interested in seeing something like that.

[Falcon X]

The Githyanki were mercenaries. They got involved in the war as they were payed to do so.
That is very true and something I often forget. This is the most likely circumstance. However, there might also be some of the "They got involved because they knew the Illithids would get involved."


Out of the Abyss is a 5th edition adventure. Are you sure this is the right subforum?

If you are, and you adapted the adventure to 3.5, mind sharing a pdf or something? I'd be pretty interested in seeing something like that.
Nope, I'm running it 5e. However, I know that there are more loremasters hanging out in the 3e/3.5 forums, and this is primarily a lore question that would draw from the 1st and 2nd editions.

That being said, a 3.5 adaption sounds like a great idea. Out of the Abyss is such a fun and well made module. However, it would adapt easily, as the fun of it is in the flavor, not the stat blocks.
All you need is a spore servant template for monsters and access to Monster Manuals and the Fiendish Codex and you should be good to go. Albeit, you should be a DM who has a feel for challenge ratings and what to throw at your players. On the other hand, Out of the Abyss doesn't seem to care much for appropriate CRs. It's meant to be a horror story at times :)