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View Full Version : So there's this Mind Flayer Adventurer dude...



dyslexicfaser
2009-03-09, 11:22 PM
I remember reading some dnd article about this extremely famous adventurer who discovered some herb that let someone keep his mind through the ceromorph thing (what illithids do to make more illithids). Thinking things through, he immediately decided to allow himself to be captured by the illithids, subjected to the process, and hope the herb works as advertised. It worked, and he became a mind flayer with his old memories and mind still intact.

He's been living among them ever since, undermining them from within.

Anyone remember this guy's name? I can't find it.

bosssmiley
2009-03-10, 10:17 AM
The nearest equivalent to that I can think of is Ioulaum (the founder figure of FR's ancient magocratic Empire of Netheril), who - after various misadventures - ended up in the form of an Elder Brain. He's discussed in "Lost Empires of Faerun".

As for the whole herbs to retain memories thing. Last time I looked ("Illithiad" and "Lords of Madness") the flayer tadpole is a brain-eating parasite that ends up wearing the host as a suit. Can't really see how you'd survive that thanks to some magical oregano. :smallconfused:

Khanderas
2009-03-10, 10:25 AM
Not to mention subverting the agenda of a psionic race from inside is always pretty tough.
Then add Elder brains, Xenophobia, you being expected to have thralls for meatshields / food, the high intelligence of other illithids and the whole race being slightly paranoid or megalomaniac depending on how strong that illithid community is.

(edit: listed the thralls part, since subverting the agendas of illithids is problebly to promote Good and Freedom. But to not get caught, you must enslave intelligent creatures for food and protection. Hard to stay true to Justice and Goodness with that)

Edit 2:
Most beings captured by an illithid conclave would be meat shields and food.
How did that character you read about ensure to avoid that fate. Once charmed there is no going back really.
To infest somone immidiatly upon capture without a proper brainscan (and bodily medical examination) seems also alittle out of character for the brainmunchers.

chiasaur11
2009-03-10, 02:10 PM
I'm pretty sure that guy exists, though. Mindflayers have legends about him, even.

Samb
2009-03-10, 04:00 PM
his name is storm Wakeman. Known to the illithid as the nemesis. The potion he made increased the chance that he would retain his idenity and memories after the cerebormorphsis. There is always a chance that a cerebomorphsis will yeild a nemesis which have habits of the former victim.
The nemesis also don't need to eat brains and sustain themselves on psionics. Once they eat one brain they are considered illithid through and through.

arguskos
2009-03-10, 04:08 PM
his name is storm Wakeman. Known to the illithid as the nemesis. The potion he made increased the chance that he would retain his idenity and memories after the cerebormorphsis. There is always a chance that a cerebomorphsis will yeild a nemesis which have habits of the former victim.
The nemesis also don't need to eat brains and sustain themselves on psionics. Once they eat one brain they are considered illithid through and through.
Source on this info? Just curious, since I want to obtain it and read up on him myself. :smallwink:

Samb
2009-03-10, 04:31 PM
I think it was in the module "dawn of the overmind" an AD&D adventure. I am looking for it on PDF myself it's pretty rare

RTGoodman
2009-03-10, 04:37 PM
Well, some quick googling of "Storm Wakeman" reveals that, from the WotC forums:


Strom Wakeman [was] author of the Illithiad. In the 2e companion adventures for that tome, it was revealed that Wakeman had been turned into an illithid but had used a mixture of herbs and drugs to retain his own mind through ceremorphosis. He fed not on brains, but on ambient psychic energy [he had a psionic power that allowed him to go without eating]. Supposedly if he ever actually ate a brain, the illithid consciousness he was keeping suppressed would come to the fore, eliminating Wakeman.

Note that it's actually STROM Wakeman, not STORM.

Heliomance
2009-03-10, 04:37 PM
I've heard of him also. The guy exists.

chiasaur11
2009-03-10, 04:40 PM
Well, some quick googling of "Storm Wakeman" reveals that, from the WotC forums:



Note that it's actually STROM Wakeman, not STORM.

Which is a tad less metal a name.

RTGoodman
2009-03-10, 04:45 PM
Which is a tad less metal a name.

However, it DOES qualify him to be both a long-time senator from South Carolina AND a famous progressive-rock keyboardist. :smalltongue:

EDIT: Also, from some random Russian website (http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/45103):


The Adversary

In the 2nd Edition AD&D adventure "Dawn of the Overmind", author Bruce Cordell revealed the nature of the Adversary. This being was an illithid created from the host body of a man named Strom Wakeman, a character referenced in some of Cordell's other 2nd Edition works, most notably as the "author" of "The Illithiad" supplement.

Wakeman, an enterprising trader and scholar of Underdark exotica, allowed himself to be captured by the illithids on one of his expeditions. Through the use of a non-magical mixture of various herbs that Wakeman named laethen, he was able to preserve his consciousness through ceremorphosis, and learned to use his psionic powers to keep from having to consume brains. Thus he worked against the illithid plots from within. The legend of the Adversary was born from his frequent sabotage, though the actual acts were never connected to him. The players' characters in the adventure become his agents in stopping the illithids' plans, as his own movements rely upon secrecy from his "fellow" illithids.

For another person to imitate Wakeman's deed would require at least one dose of laethen (the making of which Wakeman kept secret) and to be put under ceremorphosis within a week of consumption. The drug only has a 40% chance of success, and the new illithid must also never consume a brain, for the act destroys the host's personality and replaces it with the illithid personality.

Samb
2009-03-10, 04:50 PM
Ah sorry about that yeah it's strom wakeman my bad. Anyone played this module? What became of Strom?