I hadn´t even considered that, Mind Flayers rarely come up in our tabletop campaigns. We´ve seen them, but not in a sense that we got into into the science of their reproduction.

Regardless. It´s mostly just about the timeline and his motivations. The Emperor´s Alter Ego did his crowning achievement well over a thousand years ago. How the hell is he suddenly around as a Flayer, discussing his past-few-years-or-so as his important personal history in a way to win you over? He doesn't think it'd be better to lead with who he *actually* is?



Because the history he shows you is really recent, I mean, at least when Stelmane was an adult, and secret doors in pubs don't last for a thousand years before getting walled over. The Rock's Wyrm wasn;t even decomposed when we found him, he'd been dead for not that long, either.
I mean, if he truly is Balduran, he'd have motivations to save the city - one of the 'reasons' to be doing what you're doing, for say Wyll, it;s the only one. But he doesn't give two shits about that.
He wants his freedom, as he's a seasoned adventurer/sailor.... But he also loves being a Mindflayer and can't wait to tell you how awesome that is, and also he joins the Absolute faster than you can kiss a duck once you decide Freedom is a good thing. At the same time, he willy nilly mind controls his 'friends' and Orpheus and promises to do the same thing to you, but then forgets about that entirely. Well. The dream in which that happens, we should all forget.

He's just all over the place. He's the seductive Daisy from before, he's Balduran, he's your loyal guardian, he's an evil mind controlling Illithid, he's advertisement for Illithig Powers, he's the Absolute's henchman.
And switches between those roles every time you converse with him, completely disregarding what was said before. That goes for this instance, too. It never comes up again that he's actually Balduran [Praise Helm]

Now, just the Emperor's journey alone is terrible, but now you're messing up an otherwise legendary character, too; and now I have to wrap my head around what Balduran's been up to these past thousand years. All the while the Emperor is with you the *entire* game, from your first dreams in camp, to the very final battle; whereas Gortash - who would actually be interesting to learn about - has two scenes. Orin has a few more with her shenanigans, but has nothing other than 'evil murderer that changes shape'

I would have been completely fine if the Astral Prism just had Orpheus in it, and the Emperor wasn't there. No dreams, no talking to him. We carry the thing, Oprheus helps us, we find that out in the same spot, but ultimately we can free him, and hope he will still protect us.

Fear my wrath, for it is great indeed.