Voss

Kith'rak Voss is a ruthless Githyanki knight in the service of his queen, Vlaakith. He rides a red dragon named Qudenos.

Background

Voss is a Kith'rak in githyanki society, a fearsome warrior captain who reports directly to the lich queen Vlaakith CLVII. Per Lae'zel and lore found in-game, Voss has been the right-hand knight of Vlaakith and her predecessors, dating back to Vlaakith I, who succeeded the first githyanki leader Gith thousands of years in the past. Qudenos the Red Dragon is his mount and closest comrade.

Voss is direct and brutal, expecting the deference due to Vlaakith's personal silver sword. Other gith characters, including Lae'zel, hold him in esteem and may even be cowed by his presence. He will still talk with — and potentially even be friendly to — non-gith, but githyanki party members or party member appearing as a githyanki using  Disguise Self will have special interactions with Voss that reflect their place in gith society.

Encounters

Act One - Mountain Pass

For the transcript of Voss's Act 1 appearance, see Voss/Transcript.

During Act One, the party can first encounter Voss if they venture close enough to the Mountain Pass area to the northwest of Waukeen's Rest. A group of githyanki will have just slain a Flaming Fist patrol, and Voss lands astride Qudenos to give orders to these githyanki.

If Kith'rak Voss or his githyanki underlings are approached by the party, he will interrogate the player character about the object of his mission, the Mysterious Artefact, which he believes is a powerful weapon that can be used against the Mind Flayers.

The interrogation is a gauntlet of ability checks.

The player character must first try to convince Voss not to kill them on the spot:

• [SLEIGHT OF HAND] Silently hold his stare and discreetly prepare to attack. (DC 15)
• [INSIGHT] You would've done so already if you didn't want something from me first. (DC 10)
• [INTIMIDATION] I just want passage - if I have to go through you, so be it. (DC 15)
• [BERSERKER] [INTIMIDATION] ROAR. (DC 18)
• [BARBARIAN] [INTIMIDATION] You'd sprain your wrist trying. (DC 18)
• [PERSUASION] I don't know you. I pose no threat. (DC 15)
• [DROW] Can't you muster a real threat, like flaying or blinding?
• [RANGER] [FIGHTER] Try it - let's see who walks away alive.

...followed by a DC 10 Arcana check to perceive his casting of  Detect Thoughts, then a DC 10 Wisdom check to resist it, followed by a third check to end the interrogation peacefully:

• [PERSUASION] I could help if you let me live - search for this weapon, perhaps. (DC 15)
• [INTIMIDATION] Why are you hesitating, then? Try it, I dare you. (DC 15)
• [PERSUASION] You ought to just *leave*. You've no right to decide my fate. (DC 15)
• [OATH OF DEVOTION] [PERSUASION] Did you not feel the devotion when inside my head? I could be an invaluable ally. (DC 15)
• [OATH OF THE ANCIENTS] [PERSUASION] You must've seen my knowledge of these ancient lands. I could be of use to you (DC 15)
• [OATH OF VENGEANCE] [PERSUASION] You saw how ruthlessly I pursue my goals. I can help you. (DC 15)
• [OATHBREAKER] [PERSUASION] My fate is my own. You will not take it from me. (DC 15)
• [BERSERKER] [INTIMIDATION] ROAR. (DC 15 )
• [BARBARIAN] [INTIMIDATION] Give it a try. I'm hungry for a little fun. (DC 15 )
• [DETECT THOUGHTS] [WISDOM] Read his thoughts.
  • Don't be too hasty. I could prove very useful.

Failing these checks or opting for violence will initiate combat with the gith soldiers.

If Lae'zel is allowed to speak for the party, there will be additional options:

• Mouth a silent command to Lae'zel: 'truth'.
  • Lae'zel will reveal her infection and Voss will order his githyanki to attack before departing.
• [PERSUASION] Mouth a silent command to Lae'zel: 'play along'. (DC 10)
  • Lae'zel will then make a Deception check, and success will result in Lae'zel lying to Voss and avoid a fight.
• Produce the artifact. You're looking for this, I take it?
  • Combat results with the patrol after Voss leaves.
• [GITHYANKI] Your death is at hand, traitor!
  • Only available to githyanki player characters; initiates combat.

Regardless of how the interrogation ends, Voss will depart on Qudenos once the dialogue has finished. He does not participate in combat, and will teleport away with Qudenos at the first opportunity if preemptively engaged.

Lae'zel

Lae'zel will leave and approach Voss on her own during this encounter. If the player character follows her, the event proceeds as above. If the party leaves and takes a Long Rest, though, Lae'zel will die, Voss will be gone, and the other githyanki under his command will be hostile.

Campsite Visit

Once Discover the Artefact's Secrets is complete, Kith'rak Voss will make a surprise visit when fast travelling or having a Long Rest outside of the Creche. He will speak directly to Lae'zel, trying to reason with her about the truth of Vlaakith's tyranny after her own recent betrayal. Further, he will claim to be opposing Vlaakith's reign, and that the occupant within the Artefact is the key to her being overthrown. A critical choice must be made:

• If choosing to listen to him and reasoning with Lae'zel, he will urge the party to meet him again in Baldur's Gate at Sharess' Caress.
• Alternatively, it's possible to urge Lae'zel to attack him, leading to an optional boss fight. This will have considerable consequences, yet earn the party Voss' Silver Sword. The Letter to Voss on his body will direct the party to Sharess' Caress, continuing The Githyanki Warrior questline.

Act Three - Sharess' Caress

See also Help Kith'rak Voss quest.

Voss can be found in Sharess' Caress in Wyrm's Crossing, trying to make a deal with Raphael in the Devil's Den, but Voss has nothing to offer him. Raphael is in possession of the Orphic Hammer, a tool that can break the cage that holds Orpheus the githyanki prince, son of Gith.

A long time ago Orpheus knew that Vlaakith I had betrayed his mother, and he led Gith's Honour Guard in a revolt and named himself the rightful king of the githyanki, triggering the War of the Comet. At the head of the Honour Guard mounted on red dragons, Orpheus fought Vlaakith's knights in a battle in the Astral Plane, where he praised Gith and accused Vlaakith. Yet he was overcome and defeated by Kith'rak Voss on Qudenos and imprisoned within the Astral Prism, so that Vlaakith I (and now Vlaakith CLVII) could exploit the powers he inherited from his mother.

Years later Voss realised that Vlaakith does not act in the interests of githyanki, and so he has sworn to free Gith's rightful successor.

Act Three - Lower City Sewers

If the party signs the deal with Raphael, they can show it to Voss immediately. Voss gifts the party a Silver Sword of the Astral Plane, a precious cultural item of the githyanki. He then departs to prepare his forces to take on the Elder Brain.

If the party refuses the deal, Voss relocates to the Lower City Sewers near the Undercity Ruins waypoint. There, he waits for the party and will grant them the sword before leaving to gather his forces.

If the party attacks him in the Sewers, he'll call the party traitors and will teleport away on his turn, even if restrained, silenced, or incapacitated. He may still be killed if the party can slay him in a single turn.

Act Three - Upper City

Voss will confront the party as they approach High Hall. His reaction varies greatly depending on the choices that the party made inside the Astral Prism after their initial loss to the Netherbrain:

• If the party chose to free Orpheus and either Karlach or the player character became a Mind Flayer, then Voss is overjoyed at his friend's freedom. He then agrees to help them as part of the Gather Your Allies quest.

• If the party chose to free Orpheus and then allowed him to sacrifice himself to become a Mind Flayer, then Voss initially believes they betrayed him and killed Orpheus. He is shocked and horrified to learn that his Prince sacrificed himself for the cause, but will still offer to help them as part of the Gather Your Allies quest.

• If the party chose to trust the Emperor and let him or Karlach consume Orpheus, then Voss is enraged and the party must pass a DC 30 Persuasion check or DC 30 Deception check to prevent him from attacking them. If the check is successful, then Voss will both stand down and agree to help the party as part of the Gather Your Allies quest.

• If the party chose to trust the Emperor and the player character became a Mind Flayer to consume Orpheus, then an additional DC 25 Persuasion check or DC 25 Intimidation check must be passed before the DC 30 Persuasion check or DC 30 Deception check to prevent Voss from attacking and secure his aid in the Gather Your Allies quest

Combat

Attacks and abilities

 Action Surge

Immediately gain an extra action to use this turn.

 Range: Self

Recharge: Short rest

 Astral Step ()

Surrounded by silver mist, you teleport to an unoccupied space you can see.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Blur ()

Attackers have Disadvantage on Attack rolls against you.

Doesn't affect creatures that don't rely on sight or that can see through illusions.

 Range: Self

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Voss' Silver Sword

Normal weapon damage Make a melee attack with your equipped weapon.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Wrathful Smite ()   –  Voss' Silver Sword

Normal weapon damage +

1d6 (1~6) Psychic

Your weapon absorbs your wrath as you strike, possibly  Frightening your target.

WIS Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Allies

• Veteran Gish
• Veteran Raider
• Veteran Warrior
• Voss' Raider

Encounter - Rosymorn Monastery Trail camp

• Voss wields Voss' Silver Sword in this fight and killing him will prevent the party from acquiring Silver Sword of the Astral Plane unless they successfully disarmed him at the Mountain Pass.
• Voss is accompanied by Voss' Raider.

Encounter - The Upper City

• If the party completed the Help Kith'rak Voss quest or disarmed him during Act 1, then he will be wielding Voss' Silver Sword instead of Silver Sword of the Astral Plane.
• Voss is accompanied by Veteran Gish, Veteran Raider, and Veteran Warrior.

Loot

• Elixir of Heroism
• Githyanki Crossbow
• Githyanki Half Plate
• Letter to Voss
• Silver Sword of the Astral Plane or Voss' Silver Sword (depending on story/quest completion)

Related literature

• Letter from Voss

Gallery

• 

  Base model

• 

  During first meeting

• 

  During camp visit after the Crèche

• 

  Traded with in Sharess' Caress

• 

  Renders by Luna Wullaert

Notes

• A low-odds but successful  Command: Drop on Voss in Act One will yield the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane. This will however trigger some dialogue with Lae'zel that was intended for the Act 3 acquisition of the sword.
• Voss can be traded with in dialogue as early as Act One. Prior to Patch 6 he would also sell Voss' Silver Sword during Act 3.
• Despite being thousands of years old, Voss owes his somewhat youthful appearance to the unusual passage of time on the Astral Plane.

External links

• Voss on the Forgotten Realms Wiki