Neogi

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 is, the more colorful its hide becomes. A neogi with a bare pelt has no status.
The neogi are hated throughout the Known Spheres, and their spiderships are often attacked without giving them the chance for provocation. The reason is that neogi are ruthless slayers and plunderers to the last being, and think nothing of eating their ene­mies, servants, or fallen comrades. In all the variety of the uni­verse, one truth remains: the Neogi are a hateful, xenophobic race that has no friends.
The neogi can communicate in their own language and in com­mon as well—this is the language that they use to command their umber hulks and other slaves. Many speak 1-4 other languages to help facilitate their slaves taking orders correctly. A slave that does not understand its orders is good for nothing except the next meal.

Combat

With the universe against them, the neogi have a number of defenses. The first, and most obvious, is their enslavement of umber hulks (see Monstrous Compendium 1 for umber hulk stats). Each neogi has a personal umber hulk slave that he rates over all other slaves, who is a combination bodyguard, manservant, and useful set of hands. A neogi without an umber hulk does not survive long, and the profusion of umber hulks on many worlds is ascribed in part to their spreading at the hands of the neogi.
Second, the bite of the neogi is a slowing poison. Those bitten and failing their saving throw vs. poison will be affected as by a slow spell. This lasts for 1-8 rounds, and multiple bites will extend this period by an additional 1-8 rounds per bite.
Third, 1 in 10 neogi has some magical ability, equal to human spell use of levels 1-8. This ability is used by the neogi to gain an advantage in combat against opponents.

Habitat/Society

The neogi are apparently a spaceborne race: No viable colonies of them have been found on any planet larger than a small asteroid. Their lives revolve around their ships and their slaves. The neogi have hairy, ugly bodies that they dye with colorful pigments. These cause them to look at times like exploded rain­bows. The colors signify rank, achievement, and power within the neogi organization. The most colorful neogis are usually (but not always) captains and/or overmasters of neogi ships.
The neogi also 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 neogi are a slaving race with an inborn sense of property: everything is either owned or owner, slave or neogi. Even neogis are slaves to other neogis, but these slave-neogis may have their own slaves and eventually establish themselves as full masters in their own right.
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 their 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 personal lordservant, though any neogi can command another umber hulk (the effect of this command is akin to those of the charm monster spell).
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 relative 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.
The neogi worldview of "own or be owned" has resulted in a paranoid outlook that borders on xenophobia, and their re­lentless attacks on any ships result in their being hated throughout the crystal spheres. Neogi ships are attacked on sight when pos­sible, and evaded otherwise. Even the ar­cane, who will deal with the most scum-ridden space nations in the universe, will only deal with the neogi through inter­mediaries. The only "normal" race with ex­tensive ties is the mind flayers, who make a fat profit on the neogi slave trade.
The neogi have no nation per se, though ships of the race will cooperate under certain circumstances. This cooperation is hindered by the fact that in any neogi gathering, there can only be 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 the cargo pits of the ship. The contending neogi, each with his personal umber hulk slave, battle for domi­nation. The losers are eaten. In a similar fash­ion, if the overmaster of a ship dies, those neogi interested will fight to determine who is the new overmaster.
The most common ship is the neogi deathspider, a huge hulking craft powered by a major helm. The ship contains blessed few neogi for something of that size. In space the deathspiders will attack smaller ships using their grappling rams, and the umber hulk servants will scramble across, ripping holes in the opponent's ship and car­rying off slaves and the bodies of any they slay.
A new ship making its appearance is the mindspider, and indicates a new approach to ownership, in that a fleet's overmaster does not have to be physically on board any of the deathspiders he controls, but instead works from a central command post. The mindspi­der has only appeared in the last 50 years, but is becoming more common in neogi space. The mindspider operates from minor helms and lifejammers supposedly acquired from the arcane. The arcane themselves are at a loss to explain this new development.

Ecology

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 poisons 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 20-foot height and a similar girth. Its legs and arms become 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. A Great Old Master will inflict ldl2 hit points of damage per round to any creature fed to 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 3-6 survive. These are considered slaves of the entire ship, 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 2-8 neogi to de­fend itself. These are taken from the future brood, and if slain, will not be replaced. Blunt weapons will not pierce the skin and therefore will not bring the young forth. Edged or piercing weapons, or magical spells that pierce or burn, will produce this defensive reaction.
The remains of the Great Old Master are consumed by the surviving young. Most neogi consider this fate to be the equivalent of a human dying of old age.

Society

Religion

Powers of the neogi are referred to as "deity" and not "god" or "goddess" as there is no distinction between male or female amongst the sexless neogi. Deities are viewed as servants by the insolent neogi, who continually demand favor and good fortune.
Neogi never pray, and rarely offer sacrifice, since they see themselves as more important. Pronouncing the name of a neogi deity incorrectly is an invitation to be killed slowly and painfully. Humans, who tend to find neogi pronunciation difficult, are advised not to attempt saying deities' names.
The neogi pantheon includes: • Ka’jik’zxi, the dead god of creation. • Kil'lix, a chaotic evil lesser god of death, murder, and poison. • Kr'tx, a chaotic evil lesser god of war, brutality, and strength. • P'kk, a lawful evil lesser god of fear and tyranny. • Thrig'ki, a neutral evil lesser god of "love" (actually more like envy and jealousy in human terms). • T'zen'kil, a neutral evil lesser god of torture, pain, and suffering.

History

The neogi homeworld is referred to in their legends as Ka'jk'z. In the neogi creation myth, Ka'jk'z was the place where the brain of the neogi creator deity, Ka'jk'zxl, landed after he was killed by the lesser neogi gods. The neogi were apparently born from the brain of the deity. They simply abandoned their world after being informed by their gods of their destiny to conquer all the crystal spheres.
Dragon #350 tells a different story, citing rumors that the neogi homeworld was the first to be destroyed by the clockwork horrors after the world of the Lost Ones.
Lords of Madness cites similar rumors, claiming that "some sages" believe the neogi homeworld no longer exists.

Neogi Ships

• Deathspider • Mindspider • Nightspider • Leech • Urchin

Description

Neogi were small eight-legged creatures, the adults no bigger than a small child. They had a head with reflective eyes that sat upon a long eel-like neck.[9] With their hairy flattened abdomen, they were sometimes described as akin to a cross between a wolf spider and an eel.[5] Despite the similarities, neogi were warm-blooded creatures.[7] Neogi frequently dyed their fur and tattooed their bodies, either as decoration or as symbols of family and rank.[7][10]

Personality

Neogi personality was utterly alien. Their innate ability to control other individuals led them to believe that mind control was entirely normal and appropriate. They did not comprehend the basic aspects of social relationships of other humanoids and operated on the assumption that individuals were always the property of others. For example, neogi crewmembers considered themselves the property of their captain, but could own their own slaves.[1][5] Despite their reputation as a trader race, the neogi only engaged in trade if they could not get away with taking what they wanted.[7] Because trading was just another facet of the neogi predatory practices, they were extremely clever and devious when conducting their affairs.[7] When not working for their masters, they were free to pursue any profitable activities they saw fit. Even when doing business, neogi were extremely dangerous due to the possibility that they could enslave their patrons. For that reason, everyone except the most desperate individuals avoided trading with neogi. However, the neogi's ability to travel to extremely hostile environments and to conduct business with races that would be aggressive and inimical to any other creature did allow them access to a variety of rare and precious commodities, so they were still sought after by greedy humanoids in search for profit.[7] They were also known for setting up shops near mind flayer and drow settlements.[1] They were intensely cautious, choosing not to fight unless there was a significant prize of gold or other valuables.[9]

Combat

Neogi were aware that they were not extremely powerful in physical combat. For that reason, they often sent their slaves to weaken their opponents before they themselves moved in.[3] They produced a natural poison that could be delivered through their weapons or through their bite. They were also capable of mentally enslaving other creatures, rendering them docile and susceptible to commands for up to 24 hours, as long as the neogi remained within one mile (1.6 km) of its victim.[3][1] They were reported to sometimes fight using a psychic ability to cause pain and discomfort, but it seemed to be limited to their line of sight.[9]

Society

The neogi traveled through the Sea of Night using large spider-shaped spelljammer ships known as deathspiders[12] and, less commonly, lighter ships known as mindspiders.[13] All neogi ships shared a similar spider-like appearance.[1] Some neogi ships were capable of crossing to different planes.[1] Plane-traveling neogi were sometimes referred to by other members of the race as "tso" and typically preyed on githyanki and djinn vessels.[14] The neogi spelljamming enterprise was a rare exception in the sense they did not acquire their spelljamming helms from the Arcane. Instead, they either built their own helms (or acquired them from different sources) or powered their ships by different means, which were largely unknown.[15] For example, some neogi had access to starry compasses, magical devices similar to crowns of the stars that, when properly installed, could allow a normal seafaring craft from Toril to lift out of the water and rise into the Sea of Night.[16][9] Neogi were usually accompanied by umber hulks, which they employed as slaves to do their physical labor, such as construction of their ships, and combat.[4] Usually every neogi had at least one umber hulk slave. Enslaved creatures of other species were held in a much lower standing than the umber hulks and were treated as little more than food.[5] It was also common to see neogi accompanied by gray renders.[17]

Language

The complicated language of the neogi was called K'azz'jak'n.[6] It was full of sibilants.[10] Reproduction Neogi did not have a biological sex or gender.[10] They had a unique asexual reproductive cycle. When an individual reached the end of its lifespan and began showing signs of mental decay, other adult neogi injected a type of poisonous secretion that transformed the old individual into a swollen 20 feet (six meter) tall creature known as a great old master (yrthni ma'adi in the neogi language[18]) that lost all previous intelligence and autonomy and existed only to eat. The other neogi hunted exclusively to feed the great old master and to lay eggs on it. After a two-month period, the eggs hatched and between 20 and 40 newborn neogi fed on the great old master and on each other until the strongest few survived.[5][3][1]

Magic

Neogi that were capable of using magic did so through pacts with elder evils such as Acamar, Caiphon, Gibbeth, and Hadar. The neogi encountered those creatures during their space voyages and accepted them as mentors by forging warlock pacts.[1] Spellcasters among the neogi had developed new and modified spells that were more suitable for their needs. Some had the objective of slowing and terrifying their opponents, such as venom bite and arachnophobia, while the identify race spell was employed to locate strong potential slaves when visiting a new world. In a combat situation, the lethal hatchling spell injected a victim with a neogi egg that could hatch and devour its host from the inside out.[19] Some neogi also developed special magic items, such as the protective charm of distraction, or the more utilitarian bands of the serpent and bands of the arachnid, which the wearer to transform into their namesakes, among other properties.[19] An obscure necromantic ritual allowed the neogi to create undead hulks, undead versions of umber hulks put together by joining pieces of several different umber hulk bodies.[19]

Religion

The neogi had an unusual view of their deities: they did not offer prayers and rarely sacrifices, but demanded favors and boons from them regularly, seeing the deities as servants of the neogi race. The neogi powers were sexless just like the neogi themselves.[6] Speaking the name of one of their deities incorrectly was seen as a sacrilege worthy of a slow and painful death by the neogi. Given the difficulties of the neogi language for other races, it was advisable to refrain from the attempt of pronouncing the deities' names.[6] The neogi pantheon included:[6] • Ka'jk'zxl, the dead god of creation. • Kil'lix, a chaotic evil lesser god of death, murder, and poison. • Kr'tx, a chaotic evil lesser god of war, brutality, and strength. • P'kk, a lawful evil lesser god of fear and tyranny. • Thrig'ki, a neutral evil lesser god of "love" (actually more like envy and jealousy in human terms). • T'zen'kil, a neutral evil lesser god of torture, pain, and suffering.

History

The neogi were said to come from a distant world that their legends called Ka'jk'z.[6] In a very distant past, they abandoned their original home world and conquered an entire other planet inhabited by umber hulks, which they assimilated as slaves to construct their spelljamming fleet and spread across the Prime Material plane.[1] They have wandered through space for so long that some sages speculated that their homeworld did not exist anymore.[7] It was also speculated by some sages that the neogi were responsible for the creation of gray renders.[17] In the mid-14th century DR, the neogi held a base on Journey's Legg, an asteroid in the Tears of Selûne. Most neogi attacks within Realmspace started from that location.[20] Neogi were very rare in Krynnspace,[21] as the result of a confrontation with the Speljammer sometime before the 13th century DR that almost wiped out the neogi fleet.[22] By the late 15th century DR, neogi spelljammers were still in use, being constructed and maintained by some neogi groups.[1] Notable Neogi • Brassons, a former neogi slave trader who later became a follower of Torm. He owned the Ocean's Wake bar on Dragon Rock in the Tears of Selûne and was a good source of information.[23] • Prissith Nerro, master of the Void Reaper, one of many neogi in pursuit of the Cloak of the First Pilot.[10] Trivia A flag with a black field and a red neogi skull as the device was the universal symbol used by wildspace pirates.[24]
NEOGI The neogi were a race of spider-like creatures. They were ruthless, xenophobic slavers and plunderers, hated in all known crystal spheres. "The enemy of my enemy is my enemy." — Neogi proverb Description Neogi were small eight-legged creatures, the adults no bigger than a small child. They had a head with reflective eyes that sat upon a long eel-like neck. With their hairy flattened abdomen, they were sometimes described as akin to a cross between a wolf spider and an eel. Despite the similarities, neogi were warm-blooded creatures. Neogi frequently dyed their fur and tattooed their bodies, either as decoration or as symbols of family and rank. Personality Neogi personality was utterly alien. Their innate ability to control other individuals led them to believe that mind control was entirely normal and appropriate. They did not comprehend the basic aspects of social relationships of other humanoids and operated on the assumption that individuals were always the property of others. For example, neogi crewmembers considered themselves the property of their captain, but could own their own slaves. Despite their reputation as a trader race, the neogi only engaged in trade if they could not get away with taking what they wanted. Because trading was just another facet of the neogi predatory practices, they were extremely clever and devious when conducting their affairs. When not working for their masters, they were free to pursue any profitable activities they saw fit. Even when doing business, neogi were extremely dangerous due to the possibility that they could enslave their patrons. For that reason, everyone except the most desperate individuals avoided trading with neogi. However, the neogi's ability to travel to extremely hostile environments and to conduct business with races that would be aggressive and inimical to any other creature did allow them access to a variety of rare and precious commodities, so they were still sought after by greedy humanoids in search for profit. They were also known for setting up shops near mind flayer and drow settlements. They were intensely cautious, choosing not to fight unless there was a significant prize of gold or other valuables. Combat Neogi were aware that they were not extremely powerful in physical combat. For that reason, they often sent their slaves to weaken their opponents before they themselves moved in. They produced a natural poison that could be delivered through their weapons or through their bite. They were also capable of mentally enslaving other creatures, rendering them docile and susceptible to commands for up to 24 hours, as long as the neogi remained within one mile (1.6 km) of its victim. They were reported to sometimes fight using a psychic ability to cause pain and discomfort, but it seemed to be limited to their line of sight. Society "Damn eel-spiders want to enslave us all!" — Volo's notes in Volo's Guide to Monsters. The neogi traveled through the Sea of Night using large spider-shaped spelljammer ships known as deathspiders and, less commonly, lighter ships known as mindspiders. All neogi ships shared a similar spider-like appearance. Some neogi ships were capable of crossing to different planes. Plane-traveling neogi were sometimes referred to by other members of the race as "tso" and typically preyed on githyanki and djinn vessels. The neogi spelljamming enterprise was a rare exception in the sense they did not acquire their spelljamming helms from the Arcane. Instead, they either built their own helms (or acquired them from different sources) or powered their ships by different means, which were largely unknown. For example, some neogi had access to starry compasses, magical devices similar to crowns of the stars that, when properly installed, could allow a normal seafaring craft from Toril to lift out of the water and rise into the Sea of Night. Neogi were usually accompanied by umber hulks, which they employed as slaves to do their physical labor, such as construction of their ships, and combat. Usually every neogi had at least one umber hulk slave. Enslaved creatures of other species were held in a much lower standing than the umber hulks and were treated as little more than food. It was also common to see neogi accompanied by gray renders. Language The complicated language of the neogi was called K'azz'jak'n. It was full of sibilants. Reproduction Neogi did not have a biological sex or gender. They had a unique asexual reproductive cycle. When an individual reached the end of its lifespan and began showing signs of mental decay, other adult neogi injected a type of poisonous secretion that transformed the old individual into a swollen 20 feet (six meter) tall creature known as a great old master (yrthni ma'adi in the neogi language) that lost all previous intelligence and autonomy and existed only to eat. The other neogi hunted exclusively to feed the great old master and to lay eggs on it. After a two-month period, the eggs hatched and between 20 and 40 newborn neogi fed on the great old master and on each other until the strongest few survived. Magic Neogi that were capable of using magic did so through pacts with elder evils such as Acamar, Caiphon, Gibbeth, and Hadar. The neogi encountered those creatures during their space voyages and accepted them as mentors by forging warlock pacts. Spellcasters among the neogi had developed new and modified spells that were more suitable for their needs. Some had the objective of slowing and terrifying their opponents, such as venom bite and arachnophobia, while the identify race spell was employed to locate strong potential slaves when visiting a new world. In a combat situation, the lethal hatchling spell injected a victim with a neogi egg that could hatch and devour its host from the inside out. Some neogi also developed special magic items, such as the protective charm of distraction, or the more utilitarian bands of the serpent and bands of the arachnid, which the wearer to transform into their namesakes, among other properties. An obscure necromantic ritual allowed the neogi to create undead hulks, undead versions of umber hulks put together by joining pieces of several different umber hulk bodies. Religion The neogi had an unusual view of their deities: they did not offer prayers and rarely sacrifices, but demanded favors and boons from them regularly, seeing the deities as servants of the neogi race. The neogi powers were sexless just like the neogi themselves. Speaking the name of one of their deities incorrectly was seen as a sacrilege worthy of a slow and painful death by the neogi. Given the difficulties of the neogi language for other races, it was advisable to refrain from the attempt of pronouncing the deities' names. The neogi pantheon included: Ka'jk'zxl the dead god of creation. Kil'lix a chaotic evil lesser god of death, murder, and poison. Kr'tx a chaotic evil lesser god of war, brutality, and strength. P'kk a lawful evil lesser god of fear and tyranny. Thrig'ki a neutral evil lesser god of "love" (actually more like envy and jealousy in human terms). T'zen'kil a neutral evil lesser god of torture, pain, and suffering. History The neogi were said to come from a distant world that their legends called Ka'jk'z. In a very distant past, they abandoned their original home world and conquered an entire other planet inhabited by umber hulks, which they assimilated as slaves to construct their spelljamming fleet and spread across the Prime Material plane. They have wandered through space for so long that some sages speculated that their homeworld did not exist anymore. It was also speculated by some sages that the neogi were responsible for the creation of gray renders. In the mid-14th century DR, the neogi held a base on Journey's Legg, an asteroid in the Tears of Selûne. Most neogi attacks within Realmspace started from that location. Neogi were very rare in Krynnspace, as the result of a confrontation with the Speljammer sometime before the 13th century DR that almost wiped out the neogi fleet. By the late 15th century DR, neogi spelljammers were still in use, being constructed and maintained by some neogi groups.

Помочь проекту вы можете подписавшись на наш Патреон:
https://patreon.com/palikhov
Или прямым переводом:
Visa
Mastercard
USDT
Наш сайт: https://cyborgsandmages.com
Наш телеграм:
Наш discord: