The Dark Spire of Hate

[immicillis]

The expectant result was anguish, infinite pain.

In fact nothing of the sort happened.

The hypothetical formula had failed.

A certain clairity took a firm hold of Immicillis. Life had
fundamentally changed, but Immicillis itself had not. Never
having felt a strong tie to the greater mind, Immicillis' new
singular condition was quiet, was less nebulous but finite and
controllable.

Fighting for control, memory of the Greater mind began to
flood back.

Immicillis was a singularity.

Immicillis had been cut off from the Greater mind of the race
known as Illithids. The constant contact of similar minds,
with similar wills and goals was now non-existant. The hum of
the Elder Brain was gone, its voice lost.

The expectant result was anguish, infinite pain.

In fact, Immicillis felt what must be unbridled hate, pride,
and surging sense of power in his singleness. There was a
knowing in Immicillis. Immicillis was diffent from the whole.
Different enough to illicit a response of banishment from the
collective mind.

Immicillis was one.

To be one was to be alone.

To be alone forced hate to boil up in one.

Hate was a weapon to be used against lesser beings, creatures
that were mere tools or a means to a end. Outside the
influence of the Elder Brain all creatures were contemptable
- even Illithids. And who had the strength to survive
banishment, who had the capacity vanquish the vast quiet
loneliness.

Immicillis.

Immicillis had found singularity within the group mind of
the Illithid race long before banishment.

A strength feared by the Elder Brain, that must be eliminated.

Forty two years ago, One was born to the pool of progenitors.
Along with one hundred and twelve siblings. All who were born
sentinent and powerfully endowed with mental capacity in
comparison with other races of Faerun. In the course of forty
years Immicillis had conquered, devoured and through treachery
and guile removed all its siblings from the progenitors pool.
Consuming their thoughts and experiences along the way.

A rich tapesetry of learning was at the Ones calling soon
after removing the first of its siblings.

And thats when the One noticed the push, the insistant push of
a outside force. Limiting. Defining. Setting boundries inside
one's self and inside the others of the progenitors pool. The
force was undefineable, was but a whisper on the mind. All but
un-noticed by the other denizens of the birthing pool. But
its tenious touch was a klaxon in the mind of Immicillis. One
followed its spider webs of thought back and back searching
for its origins. Along the way One learned that the Greater
Mind was controlled, was pushed and guided by this fleeting
thread of thought. It became more clear over the years as
Immicillis clinically removed each of its siblings. And with
each one began to seeth hate at the threads of thoughts that
pushed upon it. Hate for being all but invisible to the others
of it's kind while guiding and nuturing them. Hate for making
Immicillis feel different - and alone. One's hate surged down
the spider's strands of thought, chasing them to thier hidden
beginnings.

Until Immicillis could draw information from the hub of the
whispering thought like a vampire draws blood. Like a strange
addiction Immicillis drew informative thought to itself. And
learned the long history of the Illithid race. Knew the lives
of the races that were the Slaves of Ixarkon. Knew the fell
ways of the creature races of the Underdark. And above all,
knew the controlling influence of the Dark Spire - of the
Elder Brain upon all the race of Illithid.

Immicillis emerged from the Progenitors pools its lone
survivor - with a full knowing and understanding of its long
lived race. Like the stinking surface races and the inferior
Drow and Duergar of the Under-races - Immicillis knew it was
a slave to the Dark Spire.

Immicillis felt hate for itself. Hate for the surface races,
the other slaves of the world that were too inferior to fathom
the depth of thier own slavery. It hated its own kind that
could not feel the threads of control upoun thier minds.

Stepping forth naked from the pool, Immicillis' cyan mottled
skin pulsed as its twin hearts beat cold blue hate through its
veins. Flesh grew taunt and chilled further as One traced the
thoughts on the wind, like smelling the air for the first
time.

"It is centuries away from being ready to join the Dark
Spire."

"It will pollute the Greater Mind!"

"It knows of our endeavors, we are hated by it above the
slaves of the pens and the races of the surface world."

"In the past others of it's ilk saw the 'Greater Power'. This
one does not."

"It see's only its own power."

"Its a singularity."

"It breeding program is impeccable, its power the top of three
centuries of breeding. It will be brought into the Greater
Mind."

"There can be no Singularity."

Immicillis closed its large inky eyes and concentrated on the
fleeting words that crossed the edges of its pure concience
thought. Pulsating, its tentacles changed hues and textures as
it sent its own thought down the now glowing lines of thought.

"I."

"I am."

"It cant not be, it is pushing its way into the Elder Mind."

"I am..."

"Mindblank the Singularity..."

"I am here."

One was sent reeling back along the lines of thought severed
momentarily from the powerful group mind. Like all his race
Immicillis measured the result. Dizziness, small amounts of
pain and naseua. It was not unexpected.

A harder push into the group mind would certainly warrant
anguish and infinite pain in return. The latent minds of its
siblings told it that to do so was not relevant. Had no gain.
No learning. Hypothetically the return yielded anguish and
infinite pain.

But the Hate in Immicillis over powered any mere
pragmatic thought, as it sent its entire stored core of mental
power back down the muted lines of thought - blasting the
threads with black hatred.

"It damages the Greater Mind!"

"Severe the Tie."

"I am HERE!"

"Banish it."

The hypothetical formula had failed.

A certain clairity took a firm hold of Immicillis. Life had
fundamentally changed, but Immicillis itself had not. Never
having felt a strong peronal tie to the greater mind,
Immicillis' new singular condition was quiet, was less
nebulous but finite and controllable.

Immicillis was a singularity.

Immicillis had been cut off from the Greater mind of the race
known as Illithids. The constant contact of similar minds,
with similar wills and goals was now non-existant. The hum of
the Elder Brain was gone, its voice lost.

The expectant result was anguish, infinite pain.

Immicillis recalled forty two years of leeching thought from
the Elder Brain. A vast storehouse of centuries of experience
and learning. Immicillis hated it all. Despised his kind. Was
overpowered by it, and sent into banishment.

Turning to the towering jet black spire looming above Ixarkon,
Immicillis sent a wave of projected thought.

"In a few centuries I will return to pollute the Greater Mind
with thoughts of singularity and hate. I go to hone my skills
upon the lesser races of Faerun, and refine the power of hate
to a spire rending weapon."

Immicillis stood for a moment, before screwing up its face in
concentration - levitating above the ground. Clinicially
noting that its words fell upon a silent, deaf city. As a
contingent of fleshy Golems pounded down the main fare of the
city, Immicillis turned to south, gliding silently and alone
toward the city of the small Duergar - Gloomhaven.

With a collective sigh the cacophony of the Greater Mind of
Ixarkon - some 50,000 collective Illithids projected a single
thought, never to be heard, by Immicillis, "It is insane."