Mindflayers
Mind flayers, also known as Illithids, were sadistic aberrations feared by sentient creatures on many worlds across the multiverse due to their powerful psionic abilities. From their twisted lairs deep in the Underdark, these alien entities sought to expand their dominion over all other lifeforms, controlling their minds to use them as obedient thralls. They consumed their victims' very personalities by extracting and devouring their brains while they were still alive.
They were not blessed with Magic as citizens of Akeroth were but instead were experts in Artifice and Biology, many went on to be scholars in their own right but many fell to the call of power given by the Paragons of Power.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Illithids were all sexless, without male or female biological sex, and once or twice in their life, they would lay a clutch of eggs from which tadpoles hatched. The tadpoles were kept in the elder brain tank, fed brains by caretakers, and engaged in cannibalism for around ten years. The elder brain is also fed exclusively tadpoles. Tadpoles that survived to maturity were put through the ceremony of ceremorphosis, where each was implanted into a humanoid victim and devoured its brain, taking its place and merging with the body to transform it into a new illithid. Only some humanoid species were suitable hosts for illithid tadpoles.
The multiplication of mind flayer colonies happened when a tadpole, quite rarely, through ceremorphosis, created a more powerful form known as an ulitharid (meaning "noble devourer" in Undercommon), which was biologically bigger, stronger, and more powerful and cunning than regular mind flayers. They possessed six face tentacles instead of the regular four.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
In spite of their lack of strong physical & magical abilities, mind flayers were feared by all beings because of their great mental prowess. In addition to the small array of mind-affecting spells that every Illithids had at its disposal to take control of its prey, they also frequently employed a powerful mind blast to affect a multitude of foes. The mind flayer's mind blast was a 60‑foot (18‑meter) cone that stunned anyone caught within it.
Their abundant psionic powers allowed them to levitate at will, as well as to detect the thoughts of nearby creatures and to dominate or charm any kind of creature in their vicinity. Additionally, there were reports of mind flayers capable of controlling others by power of suggestion. They were also capable of teleporting themselves to other planes of existence by plane shifting.
Some Illithids dedicated themselves to studying and honing their innate abilities. Known as Illithids Psions, they were capable of even more remarkable feats of psionic power, including telekinetic abilities akin to mage hand and telekinesis; further mental control abilities such as charm person, command, sanctuary, fear, crown of madness, phantasmal force, and confusion; and even divination abilities such as guidance, true strike, see invisibility, clairvoyance, and scrying.
Civilization and Culture
History
History from allied Mind Flayers has provided a clear indication of where the Illithid came from. Although indicated to be born from Mhorra, this is not the case. Their existence predates the creation of the City of Azmarin itself.
The Mindflayers were an experiment by the gods to create a race of creatures that could expand beyond the confines of Akeroth, originating from Humans they were stripped of their magical power and given the ability to use Psionic powers. The Gods tasked them to fight in any war that threatened the very existence of the Gods, the final war that the Illithid battled in was known as 'The War of Nightmares' but they have been around since the Dawn of the First Era.
The Illithid were a race that bent a knee to any God that needed them but one day a child grew up and broke free of their 'programming' gaining Free Will. Kal Ig'nis was a Mind Flayer Warrior who did not accept the Doctrine of the Gods and chose to betray them. He lived his life as a man of Akeroth, even having a child and living free of torment. This all changed when another war found its way to his doorstep and laid waste to his entire village.
Seeing the Illithid as a threat Sifor sealed them away in the Vortex, a land of darkness and shadows to torment them for all eternity. Their fates were sealed until the past was changed and the Feytree was brought to the land of Akeroth, with it Kal saw a chance to bring his people back to fight by his side and so he used the magic that laid dormant from the tree to begin the return of Illithid to the lands of Akeroth.
The Illithid are connected to Mhorra as all who witnessed his greatness bent their knee to him and in turn he offered them power. 4 were chosen to sire his powers within Akeroth and they became known as the Aspects of Nightmares. A great battle ensued as they aimed to claim the lands of Caburh under Mhorra's name but this battle grew to a close when the blade of light sealed Mhorra in a deep slumber and trapped the 4 aspects in their own plane of darkness.
This was the last known appearance of the Mindflayers but the Vortex approaches, ready to release Illithid to every corner of Akeroth.
Scientific Name
Mens Possessor
Origin/Ancestry
Celestial
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