Illithids

Appearance

Initially appearing as a tall humanoid, Illithids range from 6 to 9 ft tall, are typically very lanky, with skin tones ranging from light blue to a dark purple. Their heads are bulbous at the back - like an octopus - with their mouths consisting of a set of tentacles surrounding a maw of teeth - also like an octopus.  

Psionics

The strength of the Illithids comes not from their physical power, but instead from their psionic abilities. Illithids are extremely powerful psychics, able to infiltrate the minds of their enemies and influence their thoughts, cause hallucinations, or even control them as one would a puppet.  

Societal Hierarchy

Illithid society is divided into three distinct, strict levels, based on the psionic power of the individual.   At the top of illithid society rests the elder brain - a collection of illithid brains whose bodies had long since rotted, forged together by the weight of the psionic power of the collective. The elder brain exerts an extreme weight over the members of the colony, issuing orders to individual illithids based on the decisions made by its collective brain.   Below the elder brain is the illithids. The illithids act as both supervisors within the colony, as well as agents for the elder brain. In this   At the bottom of illithid society are the thralls. Completely dominated by the psionic abilities of the illithids, thralls are mindless drones, completing the menial labour tasks required to keep the colony healthy, from farming food for the other thralls, to construction, to procreation. Thralls can vary significantly between colonies, as they are made up of the local non-illithid population.  

Spawning

Illithids aren't born as other races are, but they're instead created. Scattered throughout Illithid society are creatures known as "mind devourers", which appear to be quadrupedal brains. Mind devourers hunger for the brains of other creatures, and will attack and eat any non-illithid sentience nearby. However, through careful control by the elder brain and the Illithids colony at large, this rage can be contained, and aind devourer can be coaxed to - after it has consumed the brain of its host - replace the brain and take control of the body. As time passes, the mind devourer develops more and more consciousness while the body slowly takes the form of a typical Illithid. Within a year, the body will have transformed a full Illithid.  

Origin

The origins of the illithids is a closely kept secret. According to their stories, kept by the elder brains, the illithids once lived in The Far Realms as unknowing, non-conscious beasts. Over time and from exposure to the energy of the realm, psionic energy coellesced within the creatures, granting them sentience and their psychic abilities. Harnessing lesser being from the Far Realms as steeds, and making use of the Scars of the Godswar as roadways, the illithids travelled across The Great Wheel. The illithids made colonies throughout the multiverse where they could, forming their own elder brains and subjugating the local population.   Although many attempts were made, the illithids had difficultly passing through The Great Barrier.  

Illithids in Wyrring

The only known settlement of Illithids in Wyrring is the city of Ch'Chitl, however, there have been reports of individual illithids appearing in other cities.