Ilsensine, The Great Brain (il-sen-sine)
Ilsensine is the god of the mind flayers and the patron of all who enslave others’ thoughts. It appears as a massive, disembodied brain with an emerald glow and countless tentacles stretching off into the darkness.
Portfolio: Mental dominion, magic
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Domains: Evil, Law, Knowledge, Magic, Mind
Favored Weapon: Tentacle or Unarmed Strike
Symbol: Brain with two tentacles protruding from it
Worshipers: Illithids
Home Plane: Outlands
Divine Domains
Evil, Law, Knowledge, Magic, Mind
Holy Books & Codes
Ilsensine’s clerics often handle a mind flayer community’s thrall-slaves, and they are also useful for dealing with the undead. Followers of Ilsensine act as medics for mind flayer hunting parties, sneak onto the surface world to acquire unusual slaves, and match wits against powerful githyanki and githzerai psions. Ilsensine’s followers pray to her telepathically, holding their tentacles utterly still as a means of showing respect.
Temples to Ilsensine are generally small, nondescript shrines in an out-of-the-way corner of a mind flayer community. Because most mind flayers would rather join with the community’s elder brain than serve Ilsensine in the afterlife, religion isn’t central to mind flayer culture. When a particularly tasty brain is consumed, it’s customary to pray to Ilsensine and use leftover brain ichor to trace Ilsensine’s symbol (a brain with two tentacles) on a nearby surface.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Brain with two tentacles protruding from it
Tenets of Faith
Ilsensine promises power and dominion to all who follow it, so sometimes creatures other than mind flayers (especially evil psions) will form cults dedicated to the deity. Ilsensine’s clerics are rare enough that each novitiate learns in a one-on-one apprenticeship with a senior cleric. A would-be cleric is often treated as little better than a thrall until he proves himself, learning to cast divine spells by imitating his master.
Divine Goals & Aspirations
Ilsensine is the god of the mind flayers and the patron of all who enslave others’ thoughts. Ilsensine demands that mind flayers enslave and consume the “cattle” (other races) that surround them. Its clerics provide a measure of healing to mind flayer communities, and they are often slavemasters, controlling both the living (with psionics) and the undead (with spells and negative energy channeling). Ilsensine’s favored weapon is the tentacle (or an unarmed strike for followers who aren’t mind flayers).
Ilsensine generally sends a thought slayer as its herald. Its planar allies are succubus demons, cerebriliths, and marilith demons.
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