BtB Codex - Flayer Drones (Patreon)

Bit late to the upload with this, which is silly cus it was finished on time, oh well. This codex entry is about the lowest of the btbverse mind flayer castes, the Flayer Drones.

Flayer Drones are the only artificial members of Flayer society, grown in batches to supplement the dwindling populations of Flayer Cells following the species' entrapment in their alternate dimension and subsequent deprivation from a steady stock of other races to convert. Fortunately for the flayers, the higher castes can essentially live forever, giving them a long enough time to keep getting their hands on other beings to convert into stronger flayers for their ranks. Most of their tasks are just "automated" by the drones now. They tend to all menial aspects of a Cell's day-to-day, from guard work to construction, and even tending to the Ambrosia Minds the Cells all rely on for life.

While true sentience isn't something most of them have to worry about, they're grown in such quantities that aberrant variances crop up every so often. These variances are usually more manageable, but it's been known for some Drones to attain some form of sentience, breaking free of the hivemind and striking out on their own. While Flayer leadership would tell you the problem is dealt with and the offending stock has been recycled (if they didn't strap you down and convert you first), that would be a lie, as many of the sentient drones escape into the wilds of the Dusklight Domain to forge something of a life of their own. Escape is easy when you come to life smarter than all the guards that would hold you.