What intriges me, is that the Absolute "worships" True Souls as leaders or saints. But the True Souls that have escaped from the Nautiloid must be killed by Absolute's orders.
Which implies that there is something about the True Souls (and thus the tadpolls) from that Nautiloid that does not fit in the Absolute's model to the extent that they must be destroyed.
Sp is there the True Soul conspiracy from the Absolute on the one hand and a rogue or rebel conspiracy on the other ?
THIS. I think that the Absolute is some form of the Dead Three / maaaaybe Shar after they allied with a faction of the Illithids. My money is on the faction that wants to snuff out the sun. The new tadpoles are a threat to their supremacy, because whatever it is that makes the former ones subservient to the Absolute is not fully working on yours, and it's conferring some interesting light (as in the element) powers to the most light-challenged members of the party, Astarion and Shadowheart. Astarion (whose name sounds very close to "Star", by the way) loves to sunbathe now, but those powers do not extend to water. Shadowheart, a cleric of darkness, has moonlight-shaded sparks coming out of her hands.
I saw an old playthrough where abusing the tadpole's powers meant that you would be completely subservient to a drow that you encounter after the boat ride. However, now I wonder if it is abusing the powers AND getting the Mark of the Absolute what does it.
