The Illithium is a race of other dimensional beings who use what has become known as mental magics. Their arrival had an adverse effect on the continent of Ehbon as after a few years, their very presence unlocked the hidden potential to utilize mental magics in the races of the continent which resulted in a period of time wiped clean from the memory of the population by the eldest and most powerful of the Illithium so their new neighbors would not seek to destroy them, but this is a tale for another time. Let us start with the most basic of the Illithium’s powers that of telepathy. This most basic of mental magics is utilized by a few other races native to Watorial. Their ability to communicate with other races through telepathy stems from the fact that their own language, known as the Thrum, cannot be utilized by any other race, similar to that of the Mantodea’s language of clicks and chirps. Even though they can communicate with willing creatures within a sixty-foot radius, they cannot penetrate through solid objects such as stone or wooden walls unless they have the ability to link the minds of others to their own. So they must be aware of their comrades or be within line of sight of them or any willing subject, thus in combat situations, they can communicate with their allies as long as they are within the radius of their ability and are not blocked by solid walls or objects more than a foot thick.
We go to their peculiar eating habits, that of live sentient brain matter. Though considered a monstrous feeding habit to most other “civilized” races, their unique biology requires them to eat the brain matter of sentient creatures to keep their own minds from deteriorating. In their own dimension, they did not need to feed on brain matter unless they wanted to gain knowledge of something they did not already know due to their realm’s unique radiations and energies they fed upon. But once they stepped through that fateful portal into Ehbon they found they slowly would lose their ability to reason and their minds would wither away. The elders among them sought and found the solution and proposed a deal with King Antares D’urth of Stonewurth, to deliver those condemned to die to their city for carrying out the sentence of death. This allowed the Illithium to feed without hunting and provided the realm a service, but in secret, so the general population would not be revolted and seek their expulsion or death. Though they can eat the brain matter of animals it only sustains them for a few hours to a day depending on their use of mental magics.
The species as a whole are highly civilized and proper, enjoying the arts and accumulation of knowledge of all sorts. They find the ancient species of the Rhep’tus especially intriguing as they are one of the oldest and most highly advanced species in the world of Watorial and their use and creation of the technology Crystal Tehk in the construction of the great crystal cities in the south lands of Indifrica are fascinating to the Illithium. This love of art and knowledge extends so far as that even an Illithium who is an adversary can stop and enjoy a civilized conversation if their opponent has a knowledgeable understanding of a subject and engages in a polite debate. One thing that truly fascinates and confounds the race is that of music, for they cannot create or make music themselves. This lack of creative ability explains why there are no known bards among their race and feeds a true appreciation of all music on Watorial.