#elderbrain

Writing what I can of the schedule.

This is based mostly on that one bit from the illithiad saying that the elderbrains are lying to illithid just so they can eat them because I love that so much 💕 This is also regarding my Ulitharid OC Diadem

Ok ok ok, took a shower and thunked about squids, not specifically about Diadem and Menanok's relationship but relating to Diadem's fate. though I now know how it ends

So anyways, as I've said many times before, my Elderbrains are sentient cancers that act similar to halo graveminds and reproduce via ceremorphing Ulitharids. Ulitharids, as well as all mindflayers, believe that the elderbrain is simply a second life stage and is a continuation of the ulitharid who spawns it, however, the newborn elderbrain is recycling the Ulitharid's flesh to make its new body and is an entirely different entity.

I have decided that the Elderbrain starts as a teeny tiny seed that hitches a ride inside of a tadpole by being eaten, the Elderbrain is occasionally releasing these seeds into its pool involuntarily to be picked up by them, a colony with no elderbrain will produce no Ulitharids.

The infected tadpole, if able to survive the full 10 years in the brine, will then be implanted into a thrall and the seed will then root itself to the thyroid gland of the newborn illithid when its organs reform. It will then cause the newborn's thyroid to up the growth hormones causing it to sprout the extra tentacles and grow larger and stronger than the rest of its peers. The advantages of an ulitharid over common illithid is entirely to protect the elderbrain young that the ulitharid is carrying and knows nothing about.

The seed remains dormant but adsorbs the knowledge and experiences that the ulitharid gains through its life, and when that seed has gained enough it will flip a switch in the Ulitharid's mind and make it feel as though it needs to leave its colony, on average this is usually within 250 years of the ulitharid's birth.

Once a new colony is established, the Ulitharid will leave its home and make its way to its new territory. Being outside of an Elderbrain's range will cause the seed to come out of dormancy and at its soonest convenience will then put the Ulitharid through a second ceremorphosis exactly as its original host went through. The ulitharid's insides will liquefy and reform as brain matter in the form of the elderbrain's newborn body, killing the ulitharid in the process.

Usually, the Elderbrain will take on the name and parade as the personality of the Ulitharid that birthed it for a few generations, just so the illithid in its colony stay unaware of what happened, though it's not really needed the majority of the time.

If the ulitharid somehow learns of this seed it has the ability to halt it in a few ways:

The first and most drastic is to become an alhoon. Becoming an undead makes the body worthless to a seed and will kill it rather quickly, this comes with the regular benefits and disadvantages of lichdom.

The second and easiest, the removal of the seed. through surgery, if the illithid knows where it even is, the tiny seed can be removed. The loss of the extra hormones the seed produced will cause the extra tentacles to weaken, eventually atrophy, and then fall off, the Ulitharid will lose somewhat of its stature, and its power will lessen considerably to that of a common illithid. If surgery is not an option, cloning is available if a necromancer is found or the Ulitharid is willing to learn, the new body will always be that of a normal illithid.

Some colonies that are against elderbrains, usually originally founded by Ulitharid freed from their seed, will kill any Ulitharid on sight to protect themselves from any possible elderbrains taking control of their city and thus, them.

I just wanted to draw the Mind Flayer but ended up drawing my evil-looking-city-saving-chaotic-neutral Drow Necromancer.

My other dark urge character, Lilith. Trying to resist the urge for the love she shares with Astarion.

By @chrlprz. “The Elder Brian tries out a new look."