Alhoon

Alhoons were magic-using outcasts from mind flayer societies who had defied the ruling elder brains to achieve a limited form of lichdom. Only the most powerful mind flayer mages could achieve true lichdom and were known as illithiliches; however, many in the Realms did not make this distinction.

"An undead mind flayer. Horrible creatures with heads that look like an octopus. Between their psionic powers and wizard spells they're deadly opponents."

- Jarial the Sorcerer

Description
Alhoons looked liked they had in life except that their skin possessed none of the wet, smooth, slimy texture of living illithids, instead, appearing dry, wrinkled, and cracked as a result of the powerful magic resistance that had prevented a perfect conversion to lichdom. They had to work hard to keep their skin hydrated&mdash;such as by taking frequent baths or by consuming liquids&mdash;or else it would begin to dessicate.

Combat
Many Alhoons had been wizards or sorcerers in life, and thus combined these abilities with with their innate skill at psionics and the formidable resilience of a lich to become truly dangerous beings. In close quarters, they used their tentacles to targets the heads&mdash;and brains&mdash;of their foes. As undead creatures, they were highly resilient, and further were quite resistent to most anti-undead magics, such as turing. However, most did not enjoy the full range of powers possessed by a true lich.

Society
To become an alhoon in the first place required that a mind flayer be a deviant among its kind for purusing arcane magic, and so they already tended to be cruel and ambitious even by illithid standards. Their powerful combination of arcane magic and psionics led them to become a threat to the established order of the Underdark and beyond as of the mid-to-late 14 century DR. They spurned the elder brains who ruled illithid societies, and had no qualms about mentally enslaving illithids, a taboo in mind flayer society. They were ignored, feared, and hated by mortal illithids for their rejection of the illithid circle of life, culminating with the physical and psychic merging with an elder brain.

Alhoons on the surface would generally seekout isolated wizard towers to slay the occupants and claim them as their own, while alhoons in the Underdark were known to band together into closely knit and interdependent communities in order to counter the threats of their enemies, including drow, duergar, aboleths, cloakers, beholders, true liches, and living illithids. While more than capable of forming alliances with other creatures, alhoons were incapable of viewing the living as more than livestock.

History
In the, the Netherese sorcerer-king Ioulaum disappeared from Netheril as the phaerimms' lifedrain spells were causing his life-sustaining magic, Ioulaum's longevity, to fail. Ioulaum embraced lichdom and established a lair in the depths of the Northdark, and the first illithiliches (who referred to themselves as as the Alhoon) were believed to have been his students recruited from the nearby mind flayer city of Ellyn'taal. Ioulaum’s intentions for recruiting mind flayer students became clear when he created an undead elder brain from the minds of his illithid students and then merged his own sentience into it. Most of his illithilich apprentices were destroyed in the ritual, and Ioulaum's last human apprentice, Tabra, mistook this violence as a battle in which the mind flayer students had betrayed their master and murdered him. To avenge her master, she cast the now perfected Ioulaum's longevity on herself and slaughtered the last few of remaining mind flayers of Ellyn’taal. However, a few of the illithiliches escaped and spread the secret of illithilich creation to mind flayer communities throughout the Realms Below.

By the mid-to-late 14 century DR, the alhoon were becoming a force with which to be reckoned across the Underdark as they gained control of communities of mind flayers, beholders, and Vhaeraunite drow. Rumors abounded in cities like Menzoberranzan that their spies were everywhere, and preemtive measures were taken should the alhoon begin mental intrusions into the drow power structures.

In, the alhoon who dwelt within the ruined Myth Drannor and its Dwarven Dungeons were driven out by members of the Cult of the Dragon and their red dragon dracolich ally, Pelendralaar. . In the same year, alhoons were known to have taken up residence in the abandoned drow city of Telnarquel.

Notable Alhoons

 * Hwarlg, the illithilich who found his way into the Crypt of Rothilion in Myth Drannor's Polyandrium but ended up trapped inside by the tomb's arcane defenses in 1369 DR.
 * Ralayan, an alhoon who served as right hand to Priamon Rakesk of the Twisted Rune.
 * The Beast Lord, an alhoon who dwelled within the ruins of Dekanter and perfromed horrific arcane experiments to create Dekanter goblins.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Undermountain: Stardock • Pool of Radiance: Attack on Myth Drannor
 * Novels:
 * The Nether Scroll • Dissolution
 * Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor • Silverfall
 * Video Games:
 * Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures:
 * Stardock Under Siege
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures:
 * Stardock Under Siege