|
||||||||||||||||||||||
"A mutually profitable circumstance."
—Neogi phrase
Despite their "new" status in AC, the neogi aren't truly trusted by anyone. The illithids aren't fooled by them, but the two races have long dealt with each other on peaceful terms so they aren't troubled by the neogi, so long as the settlements of their Varan slaves aren't raided. The Eladrin recall the neogi of the past, as do most other peoples of AC, and the fact that they still manage to show up with fresh slaves of unknown origin proves they haven't completely abandoned their old ways. As such the neogi aren't really trusted by anyone but their current status as merchant power and peace brokers has forced all to deal with them peacefully, so long as they don't get out of line. The neogi for their part know just what and who are viable targets and what's off limits. For instance, an Eladrin farming asteroid is definitely out of the question but a wanted pirate vessel or an isolated, non-SJ aware settlement is just fine. The neogi also return the animosity of some of their enemies, particularly raiding wild and wood elven settlements when possible as well as any hurwaet settlement they can find. Humanoids make the perfect prey and some have speculated that the neogi may even have breeding asteroids somewhere where they breed certain humanoids.
Of all the races, the "united" presentation of the neogi is probably the most aggregious. It completely contradicts everything else ever presented about neogi, including their motivations, culture, and even reproductive means. It is essential that DMs ignore this one-for-all collective idea as presented in the boxed set for neogi and recall that no matter how they manage to work together somewhat and agree to follow certain common agreements (they are LAWFUL, after all), each neogi is out for themselves and is either a slave, or THE SINGLE master. Neogi have no other place in their culture (such as partners or equals).
In the Astromundi Cluster, the neogi are not a military power. Knowing that they could not effectively compete with the Sun Mage and illithid forces, the neogi have adopted the role of neutral traders in the Cluster. They will sell anything, to anyone. Operating from various bases throughout the Cluster, and especially in the Inner Ring, the neogi have established themselves as the primary traders in Clusterspace.
This doesn’t make them pleasant folk. They are a cruel and treacherous race, given to hard bargaining and the occasional misrepresentation of goods. Still, their services are necessary as they often have access to goods available nowhere else. This includes slaves, which are legal throughout most of Clusterspace. Human slaves are the most common, but the neogi have begun to dabble in the dwarven and elven slave trade as well. This has caused some friction, but none will stand against the neogi for fear the traders will invoke their embargoes. In a sphere as dependent on trade as the Astromundi Cluster, a trade embargo can destroy a colony in weeks.
The neogi are a reasonably trustworthy group of traders. Wise adventurers keep an eye on them, however, because they will attempt to get away with just about anything. Deceit is not their main stock in trade, but neither is it unknown to them.
Individuals
Individual neogi have a tendency to become obnoxiously accommodating. They will do whatever they can to make those they encounter feel comfortable and at ease. Of course, this does serve to put people into a bargaining frame of mind …
There is no "Neogi society" each Neogi captain works as an independant.
|
Table of Contents
|
Description
The neogi appear as a cross between a wolf spider and a moray eel. The short, furry, eight-limbed body is topped by a lithe, bare, fleshy neck with a serpentine head, its mouth filled with needle-sharp teeth. The ends of its limbs are tipped with small claws. The fur of the neogi is a light tan, but dyed a variety of colors to signify power, rank, accomplishments, and warnings to other neogi. The older a neogi grows, the more colorful its hide becomes.
The neogi are ruthless slayers and plunderers, and think nothing of eating their enemies, servants, or fallen comrades. They are a hateful, xenophobic race.
Neogi can communicate in their own language and in Common. Many speak 1-4 other languages to help facilitate their slaves taking orders correctly.
Combat
The neogi have a number of defenses, the first, and most obvious being their enslavement of umber hulks. Each neogi has a personal umber hulk slave who is a combination bodyguard, manservant, and useful set of hands. Second, the bite of the neogi is poisonous. Those bitten and failing a saving throw vs. poison are affected as by a slow spell for 1d8 rounds. Multiple bites will extend this period by an additional 1d8 rounds per bite. Lastly, 1 in 10 neogi has some magical ability, equal to human spell use of levels 1-8.
Habitat/Society
The hated neogi are only found in very remote locations, deep beneath the earth, or among the farthest stars. Their lives revolve around their communities and their slaves. Neogi are a slaving race with an inborn sense of property: all is either owned or owner, slave or neogi. Even neogi are slaves to other neogi, but slave-neogi may have their own slaves. The neogi tattoo their non-neogi slaves with symbols of ownership, usually on the left shoulder in the front and back.
Captive umber hulks are trained from birth to follow their "small lords", caring for their every need. Any neogi can command another umber hulk (the effect of this command is akin to the effect of the charm monster spell).
The neogi world view of "own or be owned" has resulted in a paranoid outlook that borders on xenophobia, and their relentless attacks on other races result in their being universally hated. The only "normal" race with ties to neogi are the mind flayers, who make a profit on the neogi slave trade.
Ecology
As a neogi grows older and his mind fades, his orders become confused and his slaves become disobedient. His fellow neogi may choose to poison the older one at once. The different poisons moving through its body overload the old neogi's system, and it begins its change into a Great Old Master.
The neogi making the transformation swells to 20 feet in height and a similar girth. Its legs and arms become useless, and its intelligence fades; it now lives only to eat. Live flesh is preferred, but the dead will sustain it. A Great Old Master inflicts 1d12 points of damage per round to any creature it is fed. After 2 months of eating, the skin of the Great Old Master bursts and a new crop of mature neogi spill forth. These are unmarked and barely sentient at birth, and for the next week the brood area resounds with combat as the young neogi kill each other for food. Of the 20-40 neogi that eat their way out, only about 3-6 survive. These are considered slaves of the community, until such a time as they claim an umber hulk as their personal slave.
If a Great Old Master is attacked and its flesh pierced, it releases 2d4 neogi to defend itself. These are taken from the future brood, and are not replaced. Blunt weapons will not pierce the skin and therefore do not bring forth young. Edged or piercing weapons, or magical spells that pierce or burn, will produce this defensive reaction.
Reaver
These rogue neogi have rebelled and are seeking to escape the other neogi and their poisons that will transform them into Great Old Masters. Rogue neogi are little better than their fellows, and are, if anything, more desperate, due to being pursued by their former fellows, all eager to start the process of producing more neogi.
Technology
Octahedron
see Octahedron
Ships
- Deathspider, Light Cruiser
- Leech
- Mindspider
- Nightspider
Neogi Space lies beyond the periphery of the
Dragon Empire; as such no viable colonies of them
exist within the Borders of the Empire on any planet.
Although they do maintain bases and asteroid
installation hidden here and there the Neogi spend
most of their lives aboard their spacecraft.
The Neogi are a slaving race with an inborn sense
of property: everything is either owned or owner,
slave or Neogi. Even Neogi’s are slave to other
Neogi’s, but this slave-neogi’s may have their own
slaves and eventually establish themselves as full
masters in their own right.
The Neogi tattoo their slaves with symbols of
ownership, usually on the left shoulder in the front
and back. These tattoos identify the individual as
property, and should a slave survive to have more
than one master, an additional tattoo will be placed
below the first. Any tattooed creature is considered
property of the Neogi. If found wandering alone it
will be claimed, and its immediate return to the
owner demanded.
The most important slaves (from the aspect of the
Neogi) are the Umber Hulks. These creatures are
trained from birth to follow their “small lords” caring
for there every need. They provide the strength, the
combat ability, and even the raw muscle power and
dexterity that the neogi lack. Each neogi has at
least one umber hulk lord servant, though any neogi
can command another’s umber hulks.
A Neogi who loses his only umber hulk slave(s) is
considered an outcast, and must regain such slaves
or be in danger of losing all status and becoming a
full slave himself. A captain or overmaster losing
his personal slave can still call upon the slaves of
his neogi followers, choosing a replacement from
these numbers. For this reason, the neogi on a ship
are inclined to see that the captain’s umber hulk is
kept in relatively safety, since its loss would likely
lead to the loss of one of their own slaves.
All other slaves are just so much dross, fodder for
battle, extra sets of muscles for heavy tasks and,
ultimately food. Their lives are brutally short in the
hands of the neogi, but as a result, the “small lords”
are constantly seeking to replenish their stocks,
raiding planets, colonies and vessels alike without
quarter asked or given.
The Neogi view of “Own or be Owned” has resulted
in a paranoid outlook that borders on xenophobia,
and their attacks on people have not endeared them
to many, fortunately they have the good sense to
leave no witnesses or else the Dragon Empire
would likely have taken some more proactive action
against them before now. It is rumoured they have
secret deals with Mezzenbone and the Illithid Unity
alike.
Neogi are not very cooperative as a species even
amongst themselves, circumstances being hindered
by the fact that in any neogi gathering there can be
only one Overmaster, to whom all others are slaves.
Determining the overmaster for a limited objective
can be done through negotiation, but is most often
the result of a trial by combat held in vast Arenas on
Neogus, or in the holds of a ship if in space. The
contending Neogi, each with his personal umber
hulk slave battle for domination. The losers are
eaten. In similar fashion, if the overmaster of a
colony, installation or vessel dies, those neogi
interested will fight to determine who becomes the
new overmaster.
The Neogi fleet consists primarily of two vessel
types the hulking Deathspider Battleships and the
most recent design the smaller Mindspider
corvettes. The Mindspiders have only been in
service for the last 50 or so years, but becoming
ever more numerous in Neogi space.
GREAT OLD MASTERS
The neogi live according to an ugly life cycle that is characteristic of their race. As a neogi grows older and his
mind fades, his orders become confused and his slaves become disobedient. His fellow neogi may then choose
for him to become a Great Old Master. The “small lords” then poison the older one at once. The different
poison’s moving through its body overload the old neogi’s system, and begins its change into a Great Old Master.
The neogi making the transformation swells to a huge 20 feet in height and a similar girth. It’s legs and arms
become all but useless and the last of its intelligence fades: It lives now only to eat. During this time the other
neogi begin to hunt exclusively for the new Great Old Master. Slaves, captives, anything that comes across their
path and can be captured, is fed to the master. Live flesh is preferred, but dead will sustain it.
After 2 months of such activity, the skin of the Great Old Master bursts and a new crop of mature neogi spill forth.
These are unmarked and barely sentient upon their birth, and for the next week the brood area resounds with
combat as the young neogi kill each other for food. Of the 20-40 neogi that eat their way out of the master, only
about 2-5 survive. These are considered slaves of all neogi in the area, to be killed or risked in combat, until such
a time as they claim and command an umber hulk as their personal slave. At this point they are officially part of
the Neogi community.
If a Great Old Master is attacked and its flesh pierced, it will release 2d4 neogi to defend itself. These are taken
from the future brood, and if slain, will not be replaced. Blunt weapons do not pierce the flesh and therefore will
not bring the young forth.
The surviving young consume the remains of the Great Old Master. Most neogi consider this fate to be the
equivalent of a human dying of old age.
Reaver
These are rogue neogi that have rebelled and are seeking to escape the other neogi and their poisons that will
transform them into Great Old Masters. These rogue neogi are little better than their fellows, and are if anything
more desperate, due to being pursued by their former fellows, all eager to start the process of producing more
neogi.