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jordanz
Senior Scribe
556 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Apr 2016 : 18:42:12
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If so how does it compare to the Illithid hive mind? Can psionic beings of other races join it? On a tangential note, what is the relation ship between the two races? Do they war, collaborate or something in between?
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1155 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2016 : 19:23:44
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| Aboleths don't have a hive mind, they have genetic memory. They eat their parent to gain all of their memories and all of the memories of their ancestors who were eaten. |
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Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
Edited by - hashimashadoo on 22 Apr 2016 19:24:03 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
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jordanz
Senior Scribe
556 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2016 : 22:59:36
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quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
Aboleths don't have a hive mind, they have genetic memory. They eat their parent to gain all of their memories and all of the memories of their ancestors who were eaten.
So can they pool their collective psionic might? |
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Korginard
Learned Scribe
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2016 : 23:09:12
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I don't know about FR cannon, but the 3rd Edition book Lords of Madness had a lot of good info on both Aboleths and Illithids.
According to the book they do collaborate, in fact Aboleths will work with Illithids more readily than any other underdark race.
For one, the two races share similar mindsets. They are both cold, logical, and emotionless. Likewise the Illithid idea that all races are either Slaves or food is something the Aboleths can relate to. There is also the fact that Aboleths actually have something akin to fear of the Illithids. They don't remember the origins of the species, and this freaks them out a bit. The Aboleths have a genetic memory stretching back to (And perhaps before) the creation of the universe. The Illithids seem to have just appeared out of nowhere.
This is due to the fact that Illithids are actually from a distant future where their empire spans the known universe. A group of them escaped (Will escape?) a great cataclysm by opening a temporal rift and traveling to the past. Thus illithids just popped up at some point in the past and the Aboleths find that unsettling.
For their part, the Illithids are willing to work with the Aboleth, but as stated above, to an Illithid you are either slave or food. My guess is that they regard Aboleths as potential slaves for another day.
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Wrigley
Senior Scribe
Czech Republic
605 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2016 : 23:36:07
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There is a book called Lords of Madness that details aberations like aboleths, ilithids, ...
There is stated that they do not share any direct contact except their enslaved creatures. Their knowledge is transfered to their progeny geneticaly so no need to eat their parents (altrough it sounds interesting).
Therefore any ability to pool their power could be based on psionic skills of individuals (like ritual/circle magic) similar to other psionic characters. They just had much more time (milenias) to learn it.
Funny imagining that aboleth buffet "Want a bite? It tastes like at least 2000 years old..." |
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jordanz
Senior Scribe
556 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2016 : 23:43:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Korginard
I don't know about FR cannon, but the 3rd Edition book Lords of Madness had a lot of good info on both Aboleths and Illithids.
According to the book they do collaborate, in fact Aboleths will work with Illithids more readily than any other underdark race.
For one, the two races share similar mindsets. They are both cold, logical, and emotionless. Likewise the Illithid idea that all races are either Slaves or food is something the Aboleths can relate to. There is also the fact that Aboleths actually have something akin to fear of the Illithids. They don't remember the origins of the species, and this freaks them out a bit. The Aboleths have a genetic memory stretching back to (And perhaps before) the creation of the universe. The Illithids seem to have just appeared out of nowhere.
This is due to the fact that Illithids are actually from a distant future where their empire spans the known universe. A group of them escaped (Will escape?) a great cataclysm by opening a temporal rift and traveling to the past. Thus illithids just popped up at some point in the past and the Aboleths find that unsettling.
For their part, the Illithids are willing to work with the Aboleth, but as stated above, to an Illithid you are either slave or food. My guess is that they regard Aboleths as potential slaves for another day.
Interesting, I wonder how the Illithid rationalize putting the Aboleths in the slave box? Arent Aboleths the more powerful race? Or are the Illithids more organized? |
Edited by - jordanz on 22 Apr 2016 23:44:35 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1588 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2016 : 01:04:26
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| Ilithids arguable have the saner deities. Ilsensine and the late Maanzecorian don't quite evoke the same horror that the Blood Queen does. |
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Korginard
Learned Scribe
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2016 : 15:10:25
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The Illithid Mindset doesn't allow them to see another race as anything BUT food or slave. Having given this some thought, its more likely that Illithids may look on Aboleths as highly desired yet almost unatainable food. I would imagine that feeding upon a creature with a vast genetic memory would be highly desirable, almost the ultimate delicacy. They are however forced to acknowledge that these are dangerous "food" and extremely difficult to obtain. So in effect by cooperating with aboleths, it's more like being willing to play with their food :)
The Aboleth Gods are indeed scary and are often compared to the Great old ones of Lovecratian Mythos.
One thing to remember about abominations like Illithids and Aboleths is how alien they are. We're not supposed to understand what motivates them, because thier thought processes are unlike anything we know. Especially in the case of Aboleths, truly understanding them would probably involve some loss of sanity due to the horror involved. Makes me wonder what an encounter with an Aboleth in Ravenloft would be like..
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36968 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2016 : 16:29:03
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| One of the Liriel books had an aboleth that was working for the illithid that was running the Kraken Society. The aboleth would eat someone to get their knowledge, and then the illithid would try to pull the knowledge from the aboleth's mind -- not always successfully. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2016 : 18:08:13
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According to the 2E Illithiad, illithids are largely disinterested in species which can't be used as host bodies by illithids. Only creatures with certain human/humanoid physical characteristics are susceptible to implantation by larval illithid tadpoles. Only creatures with certain human/humanoid mental capacities are susceptible to illithid telepathic attacks. An illithid might be able to use telepathic attacks/manipulation against a wider range of creatures, it might be able to use it's tentacle-face to suck brain nourishment out of a wider range of creatures ... but to an illithid these sorts of choices would only be used for survival in times of defense or desperation. Illithids will even "rectify" any abberant or anomalous members of their population who have not fully and properly integrated within their species norm. They may have a hive mind but they are not mindless insects.
I think of illithids as being something like the Borg. They would have little to gain and much to lose from warfare/collaboration with another equally alien entity like Aboleths (or Species 8472), so they would likely avoid much contact with the other species until/unless the other species appears to have something they want very badly. Something valuable enough to justify the risks and costs. Aboleths might be worried about illithids, but illithids have other concerns more pressing than a bunch of freaky psionic fishies. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Do aboleths have a hive mind?
