So he may have some memories of his human life, and bases his personality on those memories, but the original human is dead and gone, subsumed by the parasite that killed him and retains his memories.
So the only difference is that he is a more or less copy of a person rather than the same person.
Also the record keeper god of death straight up says that mind flayers don’t have souls, which objectively exist in the setting
That was only stated in this game. Illithids do have their own souls though they rarily shows since they don't worship any normal gods, for most of them the afterlife is to join the elder brain which itself can be a being of godly power.
Illithids do not have an afterlife though. When they die their brains are eaten by the elder brain, not uploaded into the Matrix. And in BG3 internal canon, the relevant one for the Emperor, Jergal straight up says they don't have souls and there's no greater authority on that particular matter. The Emperor is only an illithid that happens to have some of his host's memories intact.
Illithids do not have an afterlife though. When they die their brains are eaten by the elder brain, not uploaded into the Matrix.
It isn't even actually death just the next stage of their life. Also "soul losing everything and joining the greater whole" is one of major themes for afterlife so either way. Illithids who died without it can later appear as for example postulants which proved they do in fact have souls, though those are more likely the illithid souls and not the original people's souls.
And in BG3 internal canon
Yes, it do conflicts with the other lore, especially that the only "proof" for it are the words of deity that isn't known to be very relible, and it observably conflicts with what we see in game, namely people turning into lillithids and retaining their persons. It more sounds like game handwave this issue.
Though you are probably right in the sense that this game thrown a boatload of new lore about illithids and since nobody really curate canon for D&D it will probably be like that, conflict or not.
So the only difference is that he is a more or less copy of a person rather than the same person.
That was only stated in this game. Illithids do have their own souls though they rarily shows since they don't worship any normal gods, for most of them the afterlife is to join the elder brain which itself can be a being of godly power.
Illithids do not have an afterlife though. When they die their brains are eaten by the elder brain, not uploaded into the Matrix. And in BG3 internal canon, the relevant one for the Emperor, Jergal straight up says they don't have souls and there's no greater authority on that particular matter. The Emperor is only an illithid that happens to have some of his host's memories intact.
It isn't even actually death just the next stage of their life. Also "soul losing everything and joining the greater whole" is one of major themes for afterlife so either way. Illithids who died without it can later appear as for example postulants which proved they do in fact have souls, though those are more likely the illithid souls and not the original people's souls.
Yes, it do conflicts with the other lore, especially that the only "proof" for it are the words of deity that isn't known to be very relible, and it observably conflicts with what we see in game, namely people turning into lillithids and retaining their persons. It more sounds like game handwave this issue.
Though you are probably right in the sense that this game thrown a boatload of new lore about illithids and since nobody really curate canon for D&D it will probably be like that, conflict or not.