Neek

is a member of the Barathrumites and an inhabitant of.

Character
Neek is a Barathrumite who carries themself somewhat strangely. They speak in an odd, idiosyncratic way, often narrating their own actions in the first person and explaining concepts by describing them as being "sort of like" something else. They also seem to enjoy chanting in response to things they hear. They are notable for their "rectangle hair", which is apparently inspired by the "big sails" grown by "prehistoric lizards".

Neek appears to be friends with, and describes hugging them and "dragging" them to the library to read to them. says that she has instructed Neek "since they were a lil' cub", and describes them as "...a strange one! Bouncey. Full of smiles. But brilliant in their own way." She also mentions that Neek has authored at least one book, "Spiderwebs on Hoversleds", and claims it is her favorite book.

Wares
Neek will spawn with various odds and ends, some of which they will equip, and some of which they can sell to the player. They do not restock their inventory.

Combat
Neek will begin neutral to the player, but will become hostile if the player attacks them or a Barathrumite within view of them. Neek can also become hostile if the player's reputation with the Barathrumites falls low enough, or if the player is seen stealing their belongings or damaging their property.

Equipment
In addition to the items listed above, Neek will always spawn with a, slotted with a at 100% charge, which they will utilize in ranged combat. They will not list this item if the player trades with them.

Due to the nature of Neek's inventory, they can be granted a wide variety of items and thus their armor, weaponry, and other equipment can be highly random. They may or may not come equipped with random melee weapons; if not, they will simply attack in melee with their. They may also spawn with an additional missile weapon, which they may opt to swap out their laser rifle for if the new weapon's stats are superior.

Skills
Neek possesses the Bow and Rifle skill, which will additionally grant them the Draw a Bead and Steady Hands skills. The latter will increase their accuracy when using their laser rifle, or any other bows or rifles they may utilize. Additionally, they possess the Tumble skill, which will increase their DV by 1.

Mutations
Being an urshiib, Neek possesses the Quills mutation at mutation level 6 and the Triple-jointed mutation at level 3. Quills provides Neek with damage reflection, immunity to the quills of other creatures, and the "Quill Fling" activated ability, which allows Neek to fire a portion of their quills to deal damage to adjacent creatures. They will also possess, natural equipment worn on their body that can't be removed, providing them with an additional 4 AV. Triple-jointed will grant Neek an additional 3 Agility.

Self Preservation
If Neek's hitpoints fall below 55% of their maximum, they will cease combat and will begin to actively flee from threats.

Trivia

 * The "big sails" Neek mentions in their dialogue is likely in reference to neural spine sails, which are thought to have been a feature of prehistoric animals who possessed extended neural spines. These sails are thought to have served a number of functions, with a common proposition (which is also mentioned by Neek) being that they were used for thermoregulation. The "prehistoric lizard" Neek mentions may be the Dimetrodon, an extinct genus of synapsid that is commonly mistaken for a dinosaur, actually being more closely related to mammals than modern reptiles.