Beholder needs an ambition

[Monstrrr]

So my players are going to be fighting a beholder. He isn't the big bad of the campaign, but the big bad did need a beholder eye stalk for a ritual he's making.

So, this beholder is a new beholder, and he's only recently arrived to the location he had decided to make his lair. He was drawn there by an Artifact of great power... one that the PCs will need.

But aside from him appropriating this long-buried temple and the Artifact within, i don't really have an ambition for him. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[MornShine]

Ambition for... what? Motivation to sieze the artifact, life goals, what exactly?

What if the Beholder views the artifact like a long-lost friend, despite its lack of sapience?

[Monstrrr]

Ambition for... what? Motivation to sieze the artifact, life goals, what exactly?

What if the Beholder views the artifact like a long-lost friend, despite its lack of sapience?

Ambition for what he's doing, what are his goals, why is he here?

[Tawmis]

Party arrives at a nearby town.
Hears about people being found murdered, blasted by magic.
Many of whom have a fear struck feature on their faces frozen in sheer terror that's unnerving.

Have party do some investigating.

Get clues that these "murdered" individuals all have a shady past...

All connected to one guy...

Who has gone into hiding.

People suspect it's that guy.

Party hired to track him down.

Find him.

Turns out he's the leader of a thieves guild.

The murdered people are a part of his guild.

He says some powerful wizard has shown up and began killing members of his guild.

The wizard is actually the Beholder.

The Beholder has heard the relic he's after is somewhere here and thinks the guild had it.

They don't (or maybe do) - and the party needs to get it before the "wizard" after this guy says where it is.

Party and beholder in a foot race - both happen to reach the relic at the same time.

Epic battle ensues.

Beholder egotistically mentions his plans during battle.

[Caranda]

Maybe she just wants to have legs! And now spends her days floating around her cavern filled with treasure while singing:

I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I've got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more
I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see 'em dancin'
Walking around on those, what do you call 'em?
Oh, feet

[Willie the Duck]

Long buried temple: perhaps the beholder was an aspirant to a long dead god. Or really hated them and wants to remake their temple in their own image as a great big middle finger. Or wants to impersonate said god to attract a loyal following. Or the gods followers had (or were alleged to have) other artifacts of which the beholder is interested (now just to find them).

[Kurt Kurageous]

Beholders are aliens. Their motives are...alien. Xanathar is the exception. He cares about material things. Why? Alien motives.

I would assume a newly arrived beholder follows bog-standard beholder habits and disintegrates an underground lair that looks amazingly like the one that is in VGtM. Because that is a place in which it can live/survive and contemplate it's unique and beautiful amazingness.

[Cygnia]

Beholder is running a social experiment on whatever sentient species is living nearby ala Stanford (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKuu2BVfMhM). The PCs will be an interesting variable to the beholder's research...