Girsh
The Girsh are an antagonistic faction in Caves of Qud. The player starts off with a lower reputation with the Girsh (at -800) than any other faction, and the Girsh are in turn hated by many other factions.
The Girsh appear prominently in the history of the Gyre, a series of seven plagues that affected Qud towards the end of the sultanate.
Water Ritual Liquid
|
|
|---|---|
Initial Player
Reputation |
-800 |
Relationships
|
Others: Hate-100 Reputation |
Interested
in Learning |
deathlands locations |
Interested
in Sharing |
deathlands locations |
Old?Whether this faction existed during the
sultanate, which determines if they: |
no |
ID?Use this ID to Wish for faction reputation
Example: factionrep:Girsh:100 |
Girsh |
Creatures in the Girsh Faction
girshling cresh (burrowing) (Level 1)
girshling cresh (conjoined) (Level 1)
girshling cresh (cryptic) (Level 1)
girshling cresh (plasmatic) (Level 1)
girshling cresh (polarized) (Level 1)
girshling cresh (rank) (Level 1)
burrowing girshling (Level 9)
conjoined girshling (Level 9)
cryptic girshling (Level 9)
defanged girshling (Level 9)
girshling (Level 9)
plasmatic girshling (Level 9)
polarized girshling (Level 9)
rank girshling (Level 9)
agolmaggot (Level 12)
girshworm (Level 14)
agolfly (Level 15)
agolzvuv (Level 22)
Girsh Agolgot (Level 50)
Girsh Bethsaida (Level 50)
Girsh Qas (Level 50)
Girsh Qon (Level 50)
Girsh Rermadon (Level 50)
Girsh Shug'ruith the Burrower (Level 50)
Items that affect Girsh Reputation
| Item | Reputation |
|---|---|
 girshling fangs |
100 girsh reputation |
 incandescent fangs |
100 girsh reputation |
 rank fangs |
100 girsh reputation |
 zigzag fangs |
100 girsh reputation |
Lore
Before the end of the sultanate, a swarm of girshlings is said to have attacked crops, as one of the seven plagues of the Gyre. This is referenced in the history of Resheph:
In 3 BR, the Gyre widened, and the first triad of plagues afflicted the land. The water was poisoned with salt, girshlings ravaged the fruit and wheat, and tongues rotted away in the mouths of kith and kin. Resheph walked below the chrome arches and healed the sick. |
The Girsh Nephilim (which do not appear in-game, but are presumably affiliated with the Girsh) appeared as the seventh and final plague of the Gyre:
In 1 BR, the Gyre widened, and the final plague afflicted the land. The Girsh Nephilim rose from their cradles on the Moon Stair and slouched toward Qud to eat its young. Resheph rose to meet them in battle and cast them back. |
Elder Irudad references both of these plagues after completing the quest What's Eating the Watervine?:
The Gyre was a series of seven plagues that spread through and out of Qud a thousand years ago. One of these plagues was a scourge of girshlings, and they heralded the coming of the seventh plague, the Girsh Nephilim. These were terrible demons who ate the young of kith and kin. Resheph slew them, but now that girshlings are back, we don't know what to make of the Nephilim. |
He also claims that Resheph was responsible for defeating the Girsh elsewhere in his dialogue.
In 
Frivolous Lives, Vol. I, it is said that the descendants of Abram I believe that he was in fact responsible for driving back the Girsh, although the author casts doubt upon this belief; the description of Abram I's feats (which also include dissolving his kingdom, something most lore attributes to Resheph instead) imply that the legends may have conflated the two.
The Glow-Wights are said to worship the Girsh Nephilim, and will frequently appear in the same place as the Girsh.