ILLITHID4

Illithids primarily communicate through telepathy. Drawing and implanting
thoughts within the minds of others is as easy as breathing to them, and
they can understand each and every language. This is because illithids, when
conversing, do not listen to the words, but to thoughts and mind patterns
which form these words. In turn, their own telepathic words are thought
patterns which they implant into the target's brain, which translates them
into an intelligible tongue. The one exception to this is the secret languages
of the undead and the vampires; the Continuum shields their minds, preventing
the illithid from simply plucking the thoughts out of their skulls.
 
The illithid do possess a spoken language of their own, although it is rarely
if ever used outside of the confines of the Hive. The language is extremely
archaic and formal, primarily used only for certain ceremonies with the Elder
Brain. It is speculated that this language was developed in the most distant
of ages, before the illithid gained their current telepathic powers. Due to
the unique illithid oral physiology, it is nearly impossible for a person of
any other species to reproduce this language.
 
Relationships with Other Races:
There is nothing more arrogant than the illithid. Not the elves, who view all
other races as inferior. Not the drow, who view the elves as foolish and other
races as natural inferiors. Not even the dhampiri, who view elf, drow, and
other living things alike as nothing more than food. The illithid have
witnessed the rise and falls of countless gods and civilizations, and thus
view all other races as no more than specks of dust in the wind; ephemeral,
all too easily destroyed, and all too easily replaced. The only true use they
have for members of other races is slavery. The members of each and every
other race, in turn, fear and loathe the illithid as abominations and
aberrations. The duergar, in particular, harbor an unabiding grudge against
them.
 
This is not to say that the illithid cannot work with other races; they often
make alliances of convenience, especially with the drow, who are one of the
few races that can stomach dealing with them. But an illithid knows, with
every fiber of his existence and a racial memory that stretches back multiple
Cataclysms, that their race is superior to all other races, and perhaps to the
gods themselves. They know themselves to be the pinnacle of evolution and
intelligence. It is this unshakeable certainty of their utter superiority that
makes the illithid such an 'evil' race and which makes them feel no remorse
for the misery of others whatsoever. As far as the illithid are concerned,
they have evolved beyond petty ideas regarding morality, and operate solely
on the basis of the logic of self interest and that is very much a cold, hard,
cruel, and utterly unforgiving logic.
 
The only 'race' which even slightly disturbs the illithid is that of the
undead. The high degree of resistance to illithid psionic powers which the
Continuum affords the undead is a matter of some concern to the illithid. In
addition, the Continuum bears some startling parallels to the web of Hive-
minds which the illithid themselves are linked in, and is a source of intense
curiosity and speculation amongst the illithid. This curiosity can take the
form of either antagonism or cooperation.
 
Illithid can be: Necromancer, Psionicist
Commands for Illithid: CONE, LEECH