Nautiloid
Nautiloids were bizarre flying ships employed by mind flayers to travel directly between worlds and through the Astral Plane.
Description
Typical nautiloids looked like enormous nautilus shells fitted with an exterior deck and rubbery tentacles protruding from the forward section. They were extremely silent and almost impossible to detect in the dark. The coiled shell in the aft section of a nautiloid protected the mind flayer crew from the Sun and provided a comfortable, closed space. The shells were harvested from enormous snails indigenous to an unknown world. The tentacles were used to examine the surfaces of planets in search of specimens or prey. Nautiloids typically had a crew of ten to fifteen mind flayers and a complement of slaves (typically humanoids) to operate risky positions on deck. Thirty-five individuals were the maximum complement a nautiloid could hold without compromising its air supply. Series helms powered most nautiloids, but some were also equipped with pool helms. The latter configuration of the vessel was more dangerous to encounter, as it freed two to five crewmembers from having to helm the vessel and allowed them to participate in combat. Some nautiloids were equipped with "transponders," which allowed them to shift from one plane of existence to another.History
Mind flayers acquired nautiloid series helms through trade with the Arcane. It was assumed that the Arcane merchants also helped the illithids develop the technology for unknown purposes. In the mid-14th century, nautiloids were employed in various functions, such as pirate ships, trade vessels, and spy missions. It was common for the mind flayers inhabiting Glyth to place a seemingly abandoned nautiloid on a spaceport as bait to attract enemies and runaway slaves. By the late 14th century, nautiloids had become extremely rare. A few mind flayer colonies still had access to a nautiloid. Still, they kept their existence hidden and only used their ships to evacuate the elder brain in case of an emergency or rarely during an offensive maneuver, owing to their constant fear of being detected by gith hunting parties. At this time, the illithids had lost the secrets of constructing new nautiloids and did not dare risk losing the few they had left.Rumors & Legends
There were reports of aggressive mind flayer colonies that used larger nautiloids, known as dreadnoughts, as their mobile lairs.