**Population:** 3,000,000,000 Mysterious and relatively new to the Cluster, the illithids quickly established themselves as a power to be reckoned with during their war with the [[Antilan Empire|Sun Mages]]. Though they took something of a beating toward the end, they put up a good fight and would have won had the [[Mercanes]] not interfered. The history of the mind flayers is cloaked in shadow and fog. No one is sure where the first illithids came from, and no member of the race is very straightforward where this information is concerned. All that is known is that one day the [[Antilan Empire|Antilans]] met up with a foe that could fight back. Though unsavory to look at, and definitely not to be trusted, the mind flayers are given a certain amount of respect. They are, after all, the only race not to lose a protracted war with the [[Antilan Empire|Antilans]] and they do have a significant fighting force still at hand. These two factors have caused the illithids to be tolerated by other races, and to be treated with a certain amount of civility. Though definitely not social creatures, illithids have managed to develop good trade relations with the other races of the [[Astromundi Cluster]] through the use of human allies. This has helped ease the friction with other races, as the they now have human go-betweens (the [[Varan]]) that they use when dealing with non-illithids. Magically, the mind flayers are very powerful, though not quite as potent sorcerers as the [[Antilan Empire|Sun Mages]]. Their sorcerers learn spells quickly, but they cannot rise in levels as high as their human counterparts. Making up for this is the advanced technology of the mind flayers and their potent psionic power. No other race in Clusterspace has as many, or as powerful, psionicists. The illithids have generally kept to themselves. They have conquered a few settlements, but none in the past few cycles. Most other races see them as necessary evils, an undesirable force that serves to keep the [[Antilan Empire|Sun Mages]] from beginning another flurry of conquest. Throughout the Cluster, illithids meet with grudging respect and tolerance, but little real trust. It is impossible to say what the mind flayers are planning. Though not as conquest oriented as the [[Antilan Empire|Sun Mages]], they undoubtedly have an agenda of their own. Only time will tell, and the other races of the Cluster may not like what it has to say. ## Individuals Not all illithids conform to the stereotypical cold, alien, brain eater. A very few even dare to disagree with their relatives and act nearly human. These "traitors" (as other illithids view them) often retire to the darkest reaches of wildspace, where they take up the dangerous trade routes along the Fringe. Such illithids are very rare, however, and most conform to the views and attitudes of their nation. ### People - [[Ishathrandra]] - [[Rock of Bral]] Ambassador **Rank**: 1 ## Images ![[illithid_folk.png]]