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Nautiloids were bizarre flying ships employed by mind flayers to travel directly between worlds and through the Astral Plane.[2]
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.[2]
The coiled shell in the aft section of a nautiloid served to protect the mind flayer crew from the Sun, as well as to provide a comfortable closed space.[1] The shells were harvested from enormous snails indigenous to an unknown world.[5] The tentacles were used to examine the surfaces of planets in search of specimens or prey.[2]
Nautiloids typically had a crew of between 10 and 15 mind flayers, plus a complement of slaves (typically humanoids) to operate risky positions on deck. The maximum complement a nautiloid could hold without compromising its air supply was 35 individuals.[1]
The majority of nautiloids were powered by series helms, but some were also equipped with pool helms. The latter configuration of vessel was more dangerous to encounter, as it freed from two to five crewmembers from having to helm the vessel and allowed them to participate in combat.[1]
Some nautiloids were equipped with "transponders", which allowed them to shift from one plane of existence to another.[6]
History[]
Nautiloid series helms were acquired by mind flayers through trade with the Arcane. It was assumed that the Arcane merchants also helped the illithids develop the technology, for unknown purposes.[7]
In the mid-14th century DR, nautiloids were employed in a variety of functions, such as pirate ships, trade vessels, and in spy missions.[1] It was also common for the mind flayers inhabiting Glyth to place a seemingly abandoned nautiloid on a spaceport as bait to attract enemies and runaway slaves.[8]
Carrion crawlers escaping from the Id Ascendant nautiloid after crashing in Icewind Dale.
By the late 15th century DR, nautiloids had become extremely rare. A few mind flayer colonies still had access to a nautiloid, but kept their existence hidden and only used their ships for evacuation of 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.[2]
In the winter of 1489 DR,[9] the research nautiloid Id Ascendant crashed in southern Icewind Dale near the Spine of the World.[10]
A few years later, another nautiloid crashed into the banks of the River Chionthar after having traveled to Avernus in the Nine Hells. That vessel had a number of captive individuals, each of which had been implanted with an illithid tadpole.[6]
Later that year, the elder brain known as the Absolute summoned a small fleet of nautiloids, numbering at least twelve, to attack the city of Baldur's Gate.[6]
Rumors & Legends[]
There were reports of aggressive mind flayer colonies that used larger nautiloids, known as dreadnoughts, as their mobile lairs.[2][11]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Dungeon #28: "Visitors From Above" • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
- Comics
- Spelljammer (#9)
- Novels
- Finder's Bane • The Broken Sphere
- Video Games
- Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms • Baldur's Gate III
- Card Games
- AD&D Trading Cards • Magic: The Gathering (CLB)
Gallery[]
Books & Magazine Covers[]
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
Nautiloid article at the Spelljammer Wiki, a wiki for the Spelljammer campaign setting.- Nautiloid article at the Baldur's Gate 3 Community Wiki, a community wiki for Baldur's Gate 3.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Jeff Grubb (August 1989). “Lorebook of the Void”. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (TSR, Inc.), pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-88038-762-9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Mike Mearls, et al. (November 2016). Volo's Guide to Monsters. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 78–80. ISBN 978-0786966011.
- ↑ Dale "slade" Henson (March 1992). “Ship Recognition Manual”. In Jon Pickens ed. War Captain's Companion (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 1-56076-343-4.
- ↑ (1992). Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace Manual. (Strategic Simulations, Inc.), p. 43.
- ↑ Darrin Drader (2005-05-20). The Flow of Fresh Brains. Web Enhancement for Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations. Wizards of the Coast. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2018-09-08.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
- ↑ Jeff Grubb (August 1989). “Lorebook of the Void”. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (TSR, Inc.), p. 61. ISBN 0-88038-762-9.
- ↑ Dale "slade" Henson (April 1991). Realmspace. Edited by Gary L. Thomas, Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), p. 40. ISBN 1-56076-052-4.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins (September 2020). Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 132–137. ISBN 978-0786966981.
- ↑ Dale "slade" Henson (March 1992). “Ship Recognition Manual”. In Jon Pickens ed. War Captain's Companion (TSR, Inc.), p. 21. ISBN 1-56076-343-4.