Overall, the illithids were cold and calculating creatures [32] rarely matched in cruelty and wholly evil. [4] [14] They were known to inflict pain on captives purely for amusement and force others to participate in various gladiatorial games. [6] If an illithid ever treated a member of another race as an equal, it was in all likelihood feigning friendship for its own purposes. They might behave respectfully (though never deferentially) when it suited them, but each had the instinctive knowledge that the other party would serve better as a thrall at best or meal at worst, [22] [25] and chances were that by the time an alliance was formed they had already decided how and when to betray the new partner. [16] Mind flayer eyes were extremely sensitive to bright light, and they considered it painful, a characteristic that some githyanki scholars attributed to the fact that their alien anatomy focused light in a strange way. [10] In fact, their eyes were more sensitive to infravision than to visible light, [20] so that the entirety of their visual acuity was through darkvision, [18] [note 1] and they could see two additional colors in the spectrum beyond the color red. [55] However, their visual acuity decreased as ambient light increased, as their white sclera became increasingly opaque. In total darkness or under starlight, a mind flayer could see clearly as far out as 480 feet (150 meters), but under direct sunlight that infravisual range decreased to just 15 feet (4.6 meters). [20] [23] Mind flayer vision was also more sensitive to the recognition of geometric patterns than that of other humanoids. [56] Mind flayers had utterly alien thought processes and enigmatic objectives. [14] They saw themselves as masterminds that twisted others into serving their own sinister and far-reaching schemes. [1] [16] While some individuals could show extreme variance in mindset, the majority shared many common beliefs and precepts. [21] Bruce R. Cordell (April 1998). The Illithiad. Edited by Keith Francis Strohm. ( TSR, Inc.), p. 40. ISBN 0-7869-1206-5.

The mind flayer god of secrets was a veritable treasure trove of lore and knowledge, some of it of multiversal importance and other pieces seemingly innocuous bits of trivia and personal information. [9] The Philosoflayer had a desire for omniscience so great as to be a risk to his own life. [11] Powers [ ] With the Mind Flayer at his side, Vecna’s powers greatly expanded. The Mind Flayer’s body could split into smaller pieces while sharing a collective consciousness. These smaller pieces could possess other creatures and beings, tying them to the same core consciousness; through the Mind Flayer, Vecna could connect various lifeforms to a shared hive mind, with Vecna's will at the top of the chain. Through the hive mind, a diverse range of beings fell under Vecna's control, including "Demogorgons", Will Byers and the tunnel-organism in 1984, the "Flayed" of 1985, and "Demobats", as well as the roots and vines strewn across the surface of the Upside Down. Like his superior Ilsensine, the vain Philosoflayer believed the illithids to be the natural rulers of all planes and worlds and born dominators of all other races, those lesser breeds fit only to be their food and slaves. [6] [10] However, the sagacious deity also considered that there were valuable things to be learned from other minds before consumption, the act of devouring brains a delight made all the sweeter if looked forward to and indulged in later on. [6]While the entity was called the Shadow Monster throughout Season 2's production, the Duffers decided they had to give it a more formal name. Looking through the Dungeons & Dragons manual, they decided to name the Shadow Monster after the "Mind Flayer", due to their similarities. [9] Trivia [ ]

Following the machine’s deactivation, and the gate’s closure, the psychic link to the Upside Down was cut off once again, causing the flesh monster to collapse and become inanimate. The creature’s corpse fell into the hands of either the American or Russian government, or alternatively, burned up in the ‘mall-fire’ that apparently broke out following the battle’s conclusion. The US military arrived to assess the aftermath and stormed the Soviet base; Dr. Owens reached the room containing the Key, and surveyed the smoldering remains of the shut gate. Stray memories were acquired from a mind flayer's prey, which they shared with the other members of their colony. As a result of their parasitic nature, traces of the victim's individuality were also retained by a mind flayer. While this did nothing to hamper their intelligence, it did influence their sense of culture and aesthetic preferences, ranging from their desired modes of architecture to their senses of style and decoration. Two communities might focus on or neglect entire areas of design based on their diet. [2] Though always deferential to Ilsensine, [6] the Great Brain was also Maanzecorian's rival, hence the Rotting Oracle to spy upon it, [12] and he didn't always share all he knew with his superior. [6] Aside from her, his only ally was the drow goddess of vengeance Kiaransalee. [13]Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. ( TSR, Inc.), p. 176. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5. He also had a base for his spies and proxies near the Caverns of Thought in the Outlands known as the Rotting Oracle. The structure was half-sunk in an oily mire, and housed the end of a one-way portal from Gehenna between two of its pillars. [9] [12] Activities [ ] These 4 'stranger things' pumpkin carvings will mix up your halloween Pin on vinyl Stranger things: demogorgon (pumpkin stencil Pumpkin stranger things carving patterns stencil stoneykins The sustenance of mind flayers were the brains of other creatures, mainly those of humanoids. Only brain tissue provided the required combination of the three essential components needed to sustain the mind flayer physiology: hormones, enzymes, and psychic energy. [1] Mind flayers also ate other foods [18] (in addition to requiring water), [58] most of which contained the critical enzymes and hormones they needed, with internal organs being good sources and high on the illithid menu. [18]

Illithids were capable of speaking Undercommon and Deep Speech but preferred telepathic communication. [1] [4] They also had a form of written language called Qualith, which consisted of patterns of four lines imbued with psionic energy, capable of conveying not only text but also the author's thoughts. Without the use of magic, it could only be read by other illithids. [1] [2] Like other races, the illithids claimed to have deities of their own. [8] [22] These revered beings were not deities per se, yet nonetheless divine entities capable of granting divine powers to their followers, even non-illithid ones. [2] [49] However, like the promise of an afterlife, this did not hold as much allure for the mind flayers as it did to other races. Channeling the power of another being, even one as supreme as a deity, did not seem to interest the illithids as much as developing their personal psionics. [8]

Season Three

On October 29, 1984, Vecna began acting through the Mind Flayer in his first attempt to conquer the world and exterminate humanity.

Meanwhile, the kids have been learning more about the Mind Flayer’s plans and discovering that more and more people from the town have been “flayed” — aka taken over and are now essentially mindless zombie puppets. That night, Will and his friends went to play at the Palace Arcade. While his friends argued with the arcade's employee, Will became distracted by another vision. He walked out of the Upside Down version of the arcade. To his horror, he witnessed a blood-red storm raging in the sky above, before hearing an unearthly howl. However, Will's friend Mike Wheeler snapped Will out of the vision.

Pop Culture Pumpkin Carving Stencils that Scream 2019 [Printables

While certain essential biochemicals and hormones could only be found in brain matter, illithids ate brains more so for the psychic quotient of sentient gray matter than the physical nutrients. [59] Their all-encompassing neurology granted them a unique digestive system, one that was, in a sense, cognitive and self-aware, allowing them to extract more than nourishment from their food. [18] Dart continues to grow and eventually becomes a dog-like Upside Down creature, and just one of many that begin to terrorize our heroes. Will’s condition worsens and he becomes little more than a puppet for the Mind Flayer. Eventually they figure out that they can communicate with the real Will via Morse Code and he instructs them to CLOSE GATE (all of which feels a tiny bit like retreading Season 1 plot points, but whatever). In the television show, Vecna–before he was Vecna–was Henry, a young child who moved to Hawkins with his family, the Creels, in the '60s. He exhibited powers from a young age and generally terrorized his family, eventually killing them. Dr. Brenner found Henry and began working with him on his powers (he's the first child Dr. Brenner found, so he's tattooed with the number 1). When Dr. Brenner realized Henry was too powerful to contain, he injected him with a chip to neutralize his powers and keep him subdued. A smaller sect of mind flayers revered another entity called Maanzecorian. It embodied a complete comprehension of knowledge and the simultaneous access to memory, thought, and aptitude. [2] It was also viewed by the illithids as a keeper of secrets. Its essence was killed by Tenebrous, the undead shadow of the demon lord Orcus sometime in the mid-14 th century DR, [52] though this fact was unknown to most at the time. [53] However, in the late 15 th century DR, mind flayer colonies dedicated to Maanzecorian were again common. [2]