Nekker

Take heed, gents, there's nekkers under this bridge. If you all cross at once, without slowing or stopping, there's nothing to fear. But if your cart throws an axle and you get stuck out there... Well, close your eyes and pray to the gods.— Kurt Hammerbach, city guardsman in Vengerberg

Vicious Ambusher. Imagine a drowner that burrows tunnels, climbs trees, is more vicious than usual, and when ambushing its prey, it does so with many of its kin. Now you have a good idea of what a nekker is. These primitive fey creatures are the bane of the wilderness and found in numbers across the world, preferably near roads. The inhabitants of forest villages fear them, and animals give their nests a wide berth. Nekkers typically live in cave networks with maze of tunnels giving access to the surface, where they can easily retreat if things turn sour. Some particularly bold nests will extend their tunnel to inside a settlement, harassing the inhabitants day and night.

Tribal Society. Nekkers are social creatures, gathering in something akin to tribes, for they can only repel the attacks of stronger assailants with sheer numbers. They use war paints to establish social status, and will occasionally fashion tribal icons out of bones, wood and razorvine, which they seem particularly found of. When nekkers venture out as a war or hunting party, they are led by thornhearts, their prophets and leaders. Thornhearts give orders, turning a wild band into an organized unit, thus they should be eliminated first. As malicious as they are, nekkers are cowardly creatures by nature and will not hesitate to flee if too many of them are slaughtered or an opponent seems too dangerous. This obviously changes when a thornheart is leading the tribe, exalting them.

Innocence Lost. Legends say that the nekkers were once gentle and playful fey, living quietly in the realm of Arcadia. A powerful Archfey, known only as the Lady of Thorns, twisted their entire race and turn them into the vicious and pesky beings they are today. The Lady used the nekker to find and trick children with the spark of magic to wander into the Feywild, never to be seen again. Some say the Lady was a crone or hag, keeping herself alive by feeding on the children, other legends pretend that she was a dryad queen. Nobody knows who the Lady really was and what happened to her. None have heard of her in centuries, still, the nekkers remain, doing her biding.

Overwhelming Swarm. A lone nekker is harmless. Five are dangerous. Ten can kill even a veteran monster slayer. Individual nekkers are weak, easy marks compared to other monsters; Nekkers do not tend to fight as individuals. One must be ready to repel many foes at once. If you see one, expect anywhere from 2-10 more. They burrow from beneath the ground or fall from trees and swarm upon their prey. Though primitive, the tactic is surprisingly effective. Nekkers overwhelm their targets through sheer numbers, surrounding them, then pummeling and clawing victims to death. Even veteran adventurers can fall prey to this. When facing large groups of nekkers, it is best to take advantage of tactics that can harm several opponents at once, such as spells and explosives that can help thin out the swarm with ease. As with other agile creatures, running from nekkers is not the best idea, for the monsters will catch up to their prey and swiftly kill it with multiple hits of their claws