Illithid
Beneath the waves of the Sea of Storms is a great rock carved to resemble an octopus. It is the Hall of Knowledge, and it is the birthplace of most Illithids in the World of Aquaria.
An illithid is a being that evolved from cephalopods in the Great Deep. Although their ancestors spent most of their time in the sea, they spent much more time holding their breath and exploring land than their cousins who call the sea home to this day. This led to them developing arms and legs for easier navigation, and, eventually, an amphibious quality that allows them to almost seamlessly move through the worlds of land and sea. The majority of their population spends most of their time underwater, and their diet reflects that even more so than the rest of the world; illithids of Aquaria have a much less disturbing notion of nourishment than their Dungeons and Dragons counterparts, and instead have mostly retained their diet from their tentacled ancestors, consisting of seafood such as fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. They can eat their vegetables, but most would rather not if they can avoid it. While cephalopods are often cannibalistic, cannibalism is not part of the average illithid's daily life, although it is customary for them to consume their dead as part of the mourning process.
Curiosity is embedded deeply in the DNA of an illithid. Curiosity brought their ancestors from the depths and onto land, and it continues to course through their veins. The average illithid wants to know everything there is to know about the world in order to satisfy this curiosity. For most, this process involves many hours of studying as soon as they are able to read. Others, however, don’t find satisfaction in books, and need to go find answers in other ways, usually by exploring the world and learning through experience.
Going in tandem with their curious nature, illithids are typically quite social and enjoy meeting new people. However, their desire for truth and facts means they don’t always take the stories of others at face-value. If someone has a particularly unbelievable story, they may demand proof, sometimes going so far as to drag the storyteller back to the scene of the incident in order to replicate results. Life can be dangerous for a squid who leaves the safety of the Hall. Illithids do not take kindly to the spreading of lies and false information, and presenting blatant falsehoods as fact to the illithid is often seen as a massive insult.
Although most illithids are receptive to meeting new people, that can quickly change if they are met in the Hall of Knowledge. The Hall is home, the Hall is sanctuary, and it is also the home of knowledge gathered from all corners of the world over the course of hundreds - and, in some cases, thousands - of years. Letting outsiders in makes the entire Hall vulnerable, and so the illithids are wary of non-tentacled guests. There is a small entry fee to get into the Hall: simply share a bit of knowledge you have with a counsel of elders, which can consist of anywhere between four and eight members. If they are impressed, you are allowed to come in.
Illithid culture is very family-oriented. Unlike surface dwellers, however, families are not built around a couple and their offspring; instead, the entire Hall is one big family. In the depths of the Hall are the breeding tanks, with one series of maturation tanks for each variant of illithid. The eggs are deposited and then fertilized in the egg tanks. All the mature illithids (as well as some children if they feel inclined) will watch over the eggs as they develop, and a few lucky adults will be selected to enter the tanks once the babies have developed enough in order to talk to them and feed them. In a sense, every adult who takes on a caretaking role is like a parent. It is very rare that an illithid knows exactly who their biological parents are, and in the society they have built, it is simply not a priority.
Illithids are born intersex, and are capable of producing everything necessary for creating new life. However, when it comes to the creation of life, it is necessary for participants to pick one component to contribute, otherwise the Hall would be full of clones. Because of this, gender is not part of illithid society. There are neither men nor women, only illithid. The pronoun they most typically use is “ceph,” although “they” is sometimes used as well. However, this doesn’t mean they totally cast gender identity out the window. Sometimes, when an illithid leaves the Hall on a journey, they return with a gender and a new pronoun. Some will even pick a life component they prefer and stay with it, causing the other component to grow weaker all the time. Some may not understand this new change, but it is important to respect it.
Basic Information
Growth Rate & Stages
The stages of the illithid life cycle go as follows:
Egg. Illithids hatch from eggs much like their animal counterparts.
Hatchling/Tadpole.
When an illithid first hatches, they are called a hatchling, though some will also call them tadpoles. This form is almost indistinguishable from their animal counterparts, and resemble shrunken versions of adult cephalopods.
Bobber/Floater.
After a time, newly hatched illithids will start to grow rudimentary limbs. These manifest as tiny nubs growing from the base of the hatchling's head. These new appendages are useless at first, but as the baby becomes more familiar with them, they will be used more often. The unofficial, more affectionate nicknames for this stage are "bobbling" or "floatling."
Paddler.
Eventually, the new appendages become the baby's primary method of moving throughout the tank, and the tentacles are no longer preferred. By now, the babies have distinguished fingers and toes, which are webbed in order to facilitate swimming. The most common method of swimming is the doggy paddle. The unofficial, more affectionate nickname for this stage is "paddling."
Wader.
When the juvenile illithid reaches the size of a human toddler, the webbing between their fingers and toes recede until they only extend to the midway point of the knuckles. At this point, they are ready to practice walking. All the juveniles move to a large tank with varying depths so that they can practice walking and breathing air. The unofficial, more affectionate nickname for this stage is "wadling."
Walker.
Once the juveniles have shown proficiency in walking in the water, they are ready to take their first steps on land. This is a big day in the Hall, and is marked with a celebration. Walkers are often shaky without the extra support of the water, and usually will spend a few more weeks or months in the wading tank with daily land sessions until they are more comfortable. The decision to leave the wading tank is almost always the juvenile's decision, and this graduation day is once again marked with a celebratory feast. The unofficial, more affectionate nickname for this stage is "toddler."
After the walker stage, illithids mature in a manner very similar to humans. There are no more major transformations that humans are unfamiliar with, and the young ones will grow from toddlers to children to teenagers to adults, and eventually into elders.
Civilization and Culture
Gender Ideals
Illithids are born intersex and are capable of both "male" and "female" contributions to life. As a result, gender is a very foreign concept to their society, and many find it confusing and limiting. The most commonly used pronoun is "ceph," although "they" is often used as well. However, because it is bad luck to shun new experiences, illithids who return to the Hall with "genders" and radical new pronouns like "he" or "she" must be accepted.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Illithids speak a wide variety of languages, even those who never leave the Hall. Their first languages are Deep Speech and Undercommon, the languages spoken by subterranean species, and Aquan, the language of undersea species. Common is another common language, although it is often outdated due to how rare voyages out of the Hall are. They also enjoy learning Primordial.
Common Etiquette Rules
Illithids tend to speak quietly and not make a lot of noise as to not disturb another's studies. Loud noises frighten them and can be distractions, so it is considered very rude to make loud noises with no underlying reason. Because knowledge is power and beneficial for the survival of the species, it is only considered common courtesy to report new discoveries to the rest of the Hall. Keeping secrets, especially secrets pertaining to knowledge, is frowned upon.
Common Dress Code
Illithids typically wear long robes that hide their bodies, save for their hands and heads.
In the depths of the Hall of Knowledge is a series of tanks for rearing young. There are four sets of five tanks, eventually leading into one big main tank. There's one set for each illithid variant, as cross-populating is not practice out of fear of what might happen to the offspring. There is a tank for eggs, a tank for hatchlings and bobbers, and then a tank for paddlers. The big tank in the center of this network is for the waders, and here, all the offspring come together so they can begin to bond with one another.
Coming off of both the hatchling tank and paddler tank, however, is a specialized tank meant for offspring who do not develop the way they should. Those who end up in this tank are studied and given extra care so that they have the best chance of thriving.
There is also one more tank per set, and this is the medical tank for sick juveniles. Though it is rarely used in modern times, its upkeep is still a high priority, just in case.
There are four varieties of Illithid, all of whom call the Hall of Knowledge home.
Octopus Illithids, or Octothids resemble octopuses, with bulbous heads and eight tentacles on their faces. They have beaks on their lips which they use for cracking the shells of crustaceans and mollusks. They possess their ancestors’ ink pouches and can deploy a cloud of ink once a day. However, this ability often goes misused, as they instead opt to use the ink for writing. They come in a wide variety of “default” colors and patterns, though they have retained a bit of their ancestors’ camouflage abilities, meaning they can shift their colors, patterns, and even texture on a whim. Their most common color is purple, though truth be told, no one is sure if this is genetic or if it is a fashion trend.
Squid Illithids, or Illisquids resemble squids, with elongated heads. They have two facial tentacles with eight small facial arms. These facial tentacles are quite long, often matching their arms in length, and in a way, it is like an illisquid has four arms. They usually use their facial tentacles more often than their actual arms, reserving their hands for finer tasks that require more precision. Like octothids, they have beaks on their lips to help them eat shelled prey, have ink pouches they can use once a day, and can change their color and patterns. Their massive eyes give them better eyesight, and have excellent darkvision.
Cuttlefish Illithids, or Cuttlethids resemble cuttlefish with bulbous heads, short tentacles, and a frilly cranial fin. Like illisquids, cuttlethids have eight facial arms and two facial tentacles, though their tentacles have less tactical use. They possess all of the same abilities as their octothid and illisquid relatives, with beaks, ink, and amazing camouflage abilities. Of the illithids, they are the most aggressive, and typically know the most about weapons, warfare, and things of that nature. The guards at the entrance of the Hall are usually cuttlethids.
Nautilus Illithids, or Nautilids resemble nautilus with over 90 facial tentacles and a tough shell on their back half. Like their relatives, they have tough beaks on their lips for crushing shells. However, that is where similarities seem to end; nautilids have very poor eyesight and lack the color-changing abilities of their peers. Because of these limitations, it is very rare for a nautilid to stray from their community. However, it is important to note that some nautilids have been able to make their way in the world outside their home.
Illithids sometimes neglect their tentacles in the late stages of juvenile development, and so it is very common for them to need to relearn how to use their tentacles for activities other than eating after coming onto land (especially in the rare instance the child prefers to eat with their hands). However, their tentacles are never stagnant, and very often show the illithid's mood. If an illithid's tentacles hang loosely from their face, they are at ease. If the tentacles wriggle about, it is a sign of excitement. If the tentacles are stiff, the illithid is agitated, and the higher the tentacles are held, the more annoyed the illithid is.
One of the most prominent illithids with a gender is the popular singer, Calla Marie.
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