S - Zopheros

Zopheros, a titanic cosmic entity the size and rough shape of Jupiter with horrifying power, drifts through the cosmos, a living nightmare devouring worlds and excretes the Returned, its vast expanse an unsettling sight in the cold depths of space. Its presence is a harbinger of extinction, a cosmic entity embodying the primal, corrupt urge to consume all life. This living behemoth pulsates with a grotesque vitality, driven by an insatiable hunger for planets teeming with life. Its surface writhes and shifts, a constant undulating mass of organic matter, slick with viscous fluids that glisten with a sickly, iridescent sheen. The air around it is thick with the pungent stench of decay and the sharp, metallic tang of blood, mingling in a sensory assault that churns the stomach. At the core of Zopheros lies The Hate, a manifestation of its darkest impulses and most corrupt desires. 
As one of the oldest living entities in the universe, Zopheros is a being beyond comprehension, a metamorphosed embodiment of a planetary mass. To observers of weak mind, Zopheros appears in a form their mind can process, often resembling a deity or a celestial figure from their own culture. This adaptability masks its true, eldritch nature, a horror that defies understanding. Zopheros's mere existence signals doom, as it sustains itself by devouring planets rich with potential life, snuffing out entire civilizations in its relentless pursuit of sustenance. The consumption of planets fuels Zopheros's immense power, allowing it to harness a force known as the Mana. This energy manifests in a myriad of abilities: universal cosmic awareness, telepathy, telekinesis, energy projection, and size alteration. Zopheros can transmute matter, teleport objects across vast distances, and even create interdimensional portals. It possesses the terrifying capability to create life, resurrect the dead, and manipulate souls, memories, and emotions. With a mere thought, it can recreate entire dead worlds in intricate detail or obliterate multiple solar systems in a cataclysmic display of power.
The surface of Zopheros, far from a lifeless crust, is a thriving ecosystem sustained by the cosmic giant itself. The temperature remains stable, while sustenance flows through its organic veins—nutrient-rich fluids that provide food, water, and air to its minions. The Hate, a central consciousness within Zopheros, orchestrates the creation and control of its minions. These minions, primarily mind flayers, act as the extensions of Zopheros's will. Mind flayers, with their squid-like heads and tentacled maws, embody the planet's relentless drive for consumption and control. They maintain a psychic network, their powerful minds connected in a communal consciousness that spreads throughout Zopheros. Their insatiable hunger for brains and their ability to dominate the minds of others make them the perfect servitors for Zopheros's dark purpose.Textiles and structures emerge organically from its flesh, creating an eerie, living landscape. 
To facilitate its endless quest for sustenance, in addition to the Mind Flayers, Zopheros spawns Returned from the remnants of consumed worlds. These Returned, birthed from the cosmic waste of Zopheros's digestion, are imbued with a fraction of the Mana, their very souls replaced by this potent energy. Their bodies transform to harness and wield this power, enabling them to perform incredible feats such as energy projection and manipulation. When these heralds of Zopheros venture out into the universe, their arrival is often met with reverence or dread, as they are perceived as Gods by lesser beings. These Gods, forged from the twisted remnants of consumed worlds, possess amalgamated appearances that defy natural order. Their forms are a patchwork of the diverse life forms that once thrived on the devoured planets, resulting in grotesque yet awe-inspiring figures with multiple limbs, eyes of different species, and bodies that shift and morph with a fluid, otherworldly grace. These Returned wield vast powers, a reflection of the Mana that birthed them, enabling them to perform miracles or wreak havoc with equal ease. They can reshape matter, bend time and space, and project devastating energy blasts. Their influence over life and death, coupled with their ability to manipulate the minds and souls of beings, cements their status as deities in the eyes of those they encounter. Whether they choose to act with benevolence or malevolence is as unpredictable as their appearance, as each Returned's nature is a chaotic blend of the myriad lives that contributed to their creation. Thus, they traverse the cosmos, beings of both worship and fear, harbingers of the cosmic entity Zopheros. Yet, this power comes at a cost, as Zopheros can revoke it at will, leaving its heralds as mere husks. 
=== The Creation and Role of Portals ===
In the cosmos, the words “gods” and “Returned” are used interchangeably to describe the entities birthed from Zopheros. These beings, imbued with the Mana, are worshipped and feared in equal measure. Their ability to manipulate matter, energy, and life itself elevates them to divine status in the eyes of those who encounter them. The Returned's unpredictable nature, coupled with their vast powers, ensures that they are both revered and dreaded, spreading the influence of Zopheros across the universe. When the eldritch abominations morph into gods, the energy they receive from Zopheros changes, causing portals to appear. These portals vary in duration, sometimes lasting only a week, while others can persist for centuries. These portals explain how different species have migrated to various planets, spreading the influence and terror of Zopheros across the cosmos. The portals serve as conduits for Zopheros’s influence, allowing its Returned to traverse vast distances and establish their presence on new worlds.
=== Mind Flayers: The Agents of Zopheros ===
The mind flayers, or illithids, serve as Zopheros’s primary agents, tasked with seeking out new life for the cosmic entity to consume. They travel in living ships created by Zopheros, organic vessels capable of decomposition once they reach their destination. These ships can also multiply, with younger ones restricted to atmospheric travel while adults navigate the depths of space. The mind flayers’ grotesque appearance, with their mauve to greenish-violet skin, tentacled mouths, and pale, pupil-less eyes, strikes fear into all who encounter them. Their psionic abilities allow them to dominate the minds of others, creating a network of thralls to serve Zopheros’s will. Despite their lack of physical prowess, their mental powers and the communal hive mind orchestrated by an elder brain make them formidable opponents. Zopheros is often called "The Elder Brain" and is a central entity within mind flayer colonies, exerting telepathic control over all mind flayers within a radius of five-thousand miles. It stores the collective knowledge and memories of the colony, issuing commands and maintaining the hive mind. This centralized control allows the mind flayers to operate with a level of coordination and efficiency unmatched by other species. The elder brain's pools, filled with briny fluids, houses the brains of deceased mind flayers, preserving their knowledge and experiences. This hive mind structure makes mind flayer colonies formidable adversaries, capable of executing complex plans and adapting rapidly to threats.
=== The Gith and Their Rebellion ===
The gith, a race once enslaved by the mind flayers, have a complicated history intertwined with Zopheros. Tall and emaciated, with pale yellow skin and angular skulls, the gith are divided into two main factions: the githyanki and the githzerai. Their rebellion against the mind flayers was led by the legendary figure Gith, resulting in the near-collapse of the illithid empire. However, internal conflict between Gith and another leader, Zerthimon, led to a schism, with the githyanki embracing conquest and the githzerai seeking spiritual enlightenment. The gith managed to steal the technology of the living ships from their former masters, using these vessels to further their own agendas in the multiverse. Their ongoing struggle against the mind flayers and their own internal divisions prevent them from achieving a decisive victory, but their resilience and psionic abilities make them a constant thorn in the side of Zopheros’s minions.