OK, back to the topic:
Why does the tadpole stay snuggled in my companions brain when they die.
I hovered over their lifeless body just waiting to squish the little devil...but...nothing.
Because your tadpoles have been modified, unlike Edowyn and the others' - the Mysterious Guest & Omeluum tell you so. Or because Tav&team are 'chosen ones' - and we'll discover further along the story that we're all 'special'.
I hope it's the first choice instead of the second.
There isn't any indication that our tadpoles have been medled with to be any more 'special' than the ones the absolute cultist's have. Omeluum tells you it's been meddled with, but he's only saying so within the context of a 'normal' tadpole, not compared to the ones the cultists have.
It's implied that the other cultists have similar symptoms-the dream stranger, the powers, etc. The difference is that our characters are *aware* they have been tadpoled. companions will even comment that they don't think the process was 'finished' and that if the ship hadn't crashed, we would have ended up like Minthara, Gut, etc if it had reached Moonrise.
Yeah. I'm not so sure about that. I mean, you COULD be right that they aren't different from the other cultists, but several things imply that they are, in fact, superior to others.
1. When you die, your tadpoles - the entire party - don't exit the body. Every other true soul tadpole does... or at least did... I'm not sure about Nere's and I haven't played it enough recently to know if they still do. Either way, the fact that the party's tadpoles don't exit the body and try to flee says to me that they are somehow quite different.
2. The MCs tadpole in particular seems to be the Elder Brain tadpole. Why do I say that? If I use the tadpole powers, I trigger the dream for everyone. I use the powers. Everyone receives the tadpole powers like turning into an intellect devourer, reflecting things, etc. Seems like maybe ours is just a wee bit different.
3. The MCs tadpole can actually manipulate and control other true souls, like Ragzlin. You can literally use your connection to mess with him and trick him and even control him. Means the MCs tadpole is maybe just a smidge superior. Don't you think?
4. Minthara tells you that the Absolute thinks you're special. Gut also says you're special.
Now, it COULD be that you're special because the process wasn't finished, but the big one for me is that YOU cause your companions to dream and gain new powers after YOU use YOUR illithid mental connections to mess with other people's minds.
No. I think that you are not under the Absolute's control because the process wasn't finished, but I think you in particular are very special. Your tadpole is quite different from everyone else's. And frankly, I think your origin companions are too... especially since you CAN have them go into a dialogue and use their tadpole mental connection too. Yeah. I'm thinking you're all Elder Brain tadpoles, and you, the player, being the designated leader, have taken on the Alpha Elder Brain role.
Here's another thing to think about. Each and every one of the origin characters is special. Minthara is not. Gut isn't either. Ragzlin's just a hobgoblin warlord. Nere is a drow sorcerer. None of the other true souls are really "special".
But Astarion is a vampire spawn who is really alive and messed with by infernals.
Shadowheart is (my best guess) a resurrected Dark Justiciar from Grymforge, or something similar, who is on a special mission to acquire some githyanki d20 that everyone wants.
Lae'zel is a wannabe Kithrak who obviously did something she doesn't want to talk about, and she's desperately trying to redeem herself in the eyes of her goddess. There's obviously WAY more to her than simply being a gith warrior.
Wyll's got some sort of devil mistress pact thing going on, and he's also obviously got way more secrets he's covering up under his "I'm such a great hero" persona.
And Gale... Don't even get me started. Lover of Mystra? What, is he Elminster reborn? He knows about Netherese magic, which is not common. Yeah. He pretends to be all good, but he's willing to side with a devil if he has to in order to escape the tadpole fate, and he's willing to help you kill all the tieflings and druids in the grove even if afterwards he feels all sorts of remorse.
Mmmhmmm. These aren't normal people. Yeah. I think there's plenty of reason to believe they are ALL, including the MC, quite special and have been infused with special tadpoles.
