#nibiloor.

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NIBILOOR PORTRAIT: COMPLETED !!!

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for @sunoath.

Toril blushed above, the evening sky a seamless blend of warm pink and cool purple. The purple encroached from above, a steady wave primed to engulf, as the pink ebbed further and further towards the horizon. There was natural light, but only just. The world dimmed to muted shades of orange, the last gift thrust out by the descending sun.

Their ragtag troupe happened upon their camp later than they would’ve liked. It seemed logical to send two whom could peer amidst the swathes of the approaching darkness into the twilit forest to collect firewood—what else would darkvision be good for, if not this? There wasn’t much thought behind it when that finger pointed at both Nibiloor and Aurelien.

‘ We’ve yet to chat in-depth, ’  Nibiloor quipped, the words not scathing, simply matter-of-fact, as they pierced to the centre of the elf’s skull—heard by no one else, no matter how near or far. The illithid floated just above the rocks, the gnarled roots, the fallen leaves of the forest floor, toes barely skimming the ticklish verdant blades that bloomed intermittent green betwixt the shades of brown. Robes fluttered by unseen forces, trailing along behind her.  ‘ Aurelien, wasn’t it? ’ 

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@hlfcorpse sent in.

‘ such harsh truths so early in the morning cannot be good for the digestion. ’ for nibiloor

The mind flayer—tall and lanky when the volume of his robes failed to mushroom girth, give the illusion of meat where there was none—stood, garbed in casual, form-fitting clothes. There was something so familiar, yet so alien about his attire; muddled to the point of confusion and intrigue.

Eyes reminiscent of a campfire, warm and beckoning, peered over at Banu. A dash of amusement cut through his words, however telepathic they were, and for the keen of eye and whetted of mind, that amusement reached even his visage.

‘ If they are indeed truths to begin with. Empty falsehoods inspire hunger, not satiation. ’

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@silksworn sent in.

insight check for nibiloor, please!

While recruitment itself has been smooth, the tracks ahead proved ridden with bumps and arches of deep dips and high humps—anything to make settling difficult and friendships tenuous. Disconcert and distrust wove themselves thickly throughout their troupe’s composition, their whispers lacing the air with their poison.

Nibiloor understood why. The rage against his kin was justified, especially amongst this ragtag concoction of individuals—one of his brethren unleashed a tadpole unto eye or ear or naris, and now it sat about the innards of their skull, squirming and wriggling, begging for that final hurdle: ceremorphosis. Magical stasis served to keep that hurdle from its rapid approach, but it was never quite out of sight. Lingering, ominously, on the twilit horizon.

“Iraestra,” came the name, blooming midst the middle of her ears, veiled away from the rest. Nibiloor approached, the flats of his feet finding mixed emotions with the dirt, the rubble of their camp. So used to levitating about, it was almost repulsive to feel texture unlike their illithid city streets unto skin. He’d since stuffed those emotions away.

“You’ve got an intriguing collection of individuals, here. While my presence certainly elucidates the diversity, many disagree with your decision to allow me aboard. The emotion pulsating within their illithids—the tadpoles—is hard to avert one’s attention from.”

             [ 19. ]

“I think,” though his tone was light and playful, an undertone of curiosity painted the belly of his words, “there’s more here than you’re letting up on.”

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i should note with nibiloor that despite his separation from his elder brain and colony, including their hivemind, he still resonates with vestiges of the elder brain's imprinting on him. unlike omeluum, who was born with sorcerous powers that bore natural defences against the psionic control that their elder brain exerted upon them and their colony, nibiloor was very much a slave to his. like many illithids, they hold only smears of individuality here and there, as that individuality is specifically bred so new ideas, concepts, knowledge will be bestowed unto the elder brain during the illithid's death. there'd be no new information for the elder brain if all illithids were the same!

the main reason nibiloor managed to escape and sever himself away was because of the elder brain's rage of its secrets being unveiled, and it focusing its energy on literally every other illithid in proximity, thus creating a degree of separation that only escalated and enabled him to break free.

nibiloor finds himself fascinated with omeluum in the myconid colony, because he feels less alone and thus forges some semblance of friendship. but, a bit different from omeluum, he still harbours urges, dragged licks of desires that were once imprinted on him by his elder brain. urges of consumption, urges of battle and action to further his peoples' motives.

it's incredibly hard to ignore, especially as there was such a sudden, vast void in his concept of individuality and self.

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while majority of illithids are genderless beings, and as a society do not hold up pre-ceremorphosis genders as any form of deterrent or obstacles to escalating up the proverbial ladder, nibiloor themself has found that since their separation from the elder brain that they have found a fascination with the concept of gender and specifically genderfluidity.

because of this, nibiloor will switch between pronouns for himself. from most used to least used, she'll refer to herself as:

he/him

she/her

they/them

nibiloor will typically juggle between them, and encourages others to do the same. since the separation, and reconnecting with vestige parts of himself prior to ceremorphosis, he recognises that despite being ultimately alien, sometimes he'll feel more masculine, more gender neutral or gender removed, and sometimes he'll feel more feminine.

the sky's the limit, as far as they're concerned!