[MW Batch Bonus] Brainielle - CR 18-20 Huge Dragon/Aberration

Namielle + Mind Flayer + Greatsword

“As if electrical burns weren’t already enough of a headache.” —

L’Arsène Upin, Frequently Auto-Electrocuted

Mind flayers eagerly make thralls out any creature on which they can get their slimy, grubby tentacles. From bulettes to ettins and even formidable eye tyrants, none are safe from being transformed into aberrant puppets and inducted into the hivemind. Some extraordinary individuals, however, are able to resist the implanted parasite that triggers this transformation and retain control of their bodies and minds. When this happens to Humanoids, it tends to result in bands of misfit adventurers who save coastal cities from the cultist armies of evil deities. When it happens to dragons, it results in brainielles.

Aberration Hunters. The creation of a brainielle is one of the worst mistakes a mind flayer can make. Dragons, already notably irascible creatures, are understandably quite upset when an alien parasite is forcefully implanted in their brains. In this matter, chromatic and metallic dragons see eye to eye, and their response is very much alike: making use of their new psionic abilities to slaughter their captors and raze their laboratories. The few mind flayers who manage to flee only postpone their demise, as they are swiftly executed by their own kind for plunging the colony into war. After all, a brainielle’s wrath can’t be sated by the one outburst alone—before long, a very angry dragon newly dedicated to hunting Aberrations is sure to show up on their doorstep.

Cavernous Reefs. Naturally, siphoning psionic power from a revolting brain-worm comes with its drawbacks, chief of which is the persistent migraine that haunts every second of a brainielle’s existence. This relentless, throbbing pain is impervious to remedies both magical and mundane, with one exception: exposure to soft, pulsating lights. For this reason, brainielles make their lairs in caverns teeming with bioluminescent flora, cultivating beds of radiant fungi and glowing moss with almost obsessive devotion. The result is a breathtaking sight: caves awash in shifting hues and mesmerising patterns, like undersea reefs blooming in the deep dark. Many laud them as one of the natural wonders of the Low… though few dare to transgress upon a brainielle’s territory to appreciate them firsthand.

Descent Into Madness. A dragon’s body undergoes dramatic metamorphosis upon its transformation into a brainielle, but its personality remains largely untouched… at least for a while. While these psionic wyrms can be civil or even amiable towards other creatures in the early stages of their new existence, the inexorable influence of their parasite and the constant torment of their migraines eventually take their toll. With enough time, even the most benevolent of metallic dragons can grow withdrawn, short-tempered, or worse—ambitious. As the alien influence whispers in their minds, some brainielles begin to entertain troubling ideas: perhaps the next mind flayer colony they come across needn’t be destroyed… perhaps it might be useful… perhaps it might even be theirs.

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