What do they deliver?

The neogi slave trade is a network that operates primarily in the northern and eastern areas of the land supplying slaves to those willing to pay the price. This is their primary trade, and their convoys are an impressive sight. Processions of men and women in chains, or held captive and screaming for release in caravans equipped with steel bars. They also supply weaponry (hardly exemplary though), poisons, venoms and other dangerously potent substances. Among these, potions of various sorts to be sold to interested customers, but the selection is not very broad and limited to those magical solutions used to inflict suffering and pain of one form or another. Their trade in opiates, hallucinogenic drugs and various other intoxicants and chemicals is renown.

How do they acquire resources?

The Neogi have a vast subterranean lair somewhere, believed to be under the Arachnid Forest (The Forest of Spiders), over the river from Solaron. This is where the leaders of the trade reside, as well as the various Neogi mages that continuously brew their foul concoctions and lethal poisons. Anything sold by the Neogi is either stolen, evil, cursed, of questionable quality, far too expensive, possessing potential as a tool for corruption or a device that any thief would die to get his hands on. In the case of their major trade, slaves, we're talking about the first category. People venturing to close to Neogi settlements or simply dumb enough to be caught by the venomous creatures, will end up being sold as a slave to some new master. Not before their possessions are taken and also sold, and the individual spends some time 'learning respect'. If the stock of slaves is running low, the Neogi will occasionally, and have, raid whole villages in search of stock. They usually first send in their Umber Hulk companions to 'smash up' any resistance, then follow in to pick and choose any remaining merchandise that is either still alive or in a condition to be sold. When venturing out to deal with the outside world, the whole trade is completely mobile, comprised of a series of caravans that hold the merchandise being sold and the slippery merchants overseeing the sale. After either completing their usual route, or running out of stock, the convoy will return to the subterrain until their next appearance with fresh supplies.

How are they organized?

The network is run by a group of seven overseers that determine what is going to be sold to who and when. Three convoys go out every three months or so (not guaranteed) and the seven leaders will periodically swap so that groups of two go out with each convoy while one stays behind in case noone comes back (in which case he will start the trade again from scratch). The identity of the seven overseers is not certain, because they like to remain enigmatic, simply because rivals and lower class neogi will kill them and take over the operations of the deceased member. Meaning that the identity of the seven in charge will not remain fixed for more than ten years at the very extreme.

As each convoy progresses, separate caravans are run by separate neogi merchants, or partnerships, who all take orders (they would call it advice or "..tiresome opinion on how I should run MY business!") from the two accompanying overseers. Customers will move from caravan to caravan dealing with the individual neogi to be found inside, and the particular wares it/they has/have to offer. Most caravans are made up of an average of fourteen caravans.

Do they have an advantage?

The neogi have several advantages, or benefits, that allow them to continue their business without fear of being shut down or attacked:

1). They work either at dusk, in the afternoon, at evening or at night. Therefore they can work whilst most good-natured folk are tucked up in bed catching their beauty sleep. During the day they will either return to their subterranean world or rely on advantage 2 to protect them.

2). Umber Hulks - fairly self explanatory. Each mature neogi receives an umber hulk slave, which will serve it faithfully as bodyguard, manservant and a useful pair of hands. The overseers themselves own around three hulks each. These hulks are trained at birth to serve their little masters, and the relationship is rather symbiotic.

3). The torture and enslavement that the neogi are renowned for is sufficient reputation to keep most wanna-be's away. In the same vein, their brutality and immoral nature means that they are simply not nice creatures to deal with (other than the exchange of goods and services for money, in which they are still harsh and exacting).

4). Most convoys have neogi mages and priests on board that will protect the convoy and supply religious and magical services to the other trading neogi.

5). A small number of Mind Flayers often accompany the neogi convoys, usually handling negotiations with their own race, but also serving as translators and additional voices of guidance within the convoys. These deadly creatures also offer protection, but are probably more likely to back away upon attack of the trade rather than sacrifice themselves. They have no desire to see the trade fall under though.

6). No one seems to know where the hell the neogi come from or where they go after they've finished trading.

7). Many big and nasty people would be very upset if the trade where ever to disappear. The Neogi Slave Trade supplies alot of bad organizations and individuals with slaves, poisons and general merchandise.

8). The number of neogi which populate the world is enormous, and the trade is guaranteed to continue for as long as the endless brood exists - which could therefore mean the trade itself is endless.

How do they plan for the future?

The neogi have only one desire - to possess...everything. They would like to consider themselves the dominant race in the land, but lack the number required to successfully wipe every other race from the planet. They also prefer darkness, and so function better in the subterranean world than on the surface, which they can only have some power over half the time (at night). For now, they'll just wheel and deal, with promise for further expansion of their business in the future. This will be achieved by establishing permanent places of worship in some towns or establishments, and expanding their range of merchandise. The second option is far more viable. However, deep in their black little hearts they still wish for ownership of the world. Their philosophy is 'own, or be owned'.

How do they establish conformity?

Only those passing judgment of the seven overseers may be allowed to join one of the convoys to the surface. Once above, any overseer may exact harsh punishment (usually killed and eaten by fellow neogi) on those within the caravan he judges as insulting or non-conformist. This allows any overseer to carefully screen those merchants accompanying the convoys, and eliminate any potential threats to his leadership. Most merchants, after initial selection, keep pretty much to themselves and their own wares throughout the journey on the surface and therefore are tied to no real doctrine of conformity or unity. Some neogi may have other motives for wanting to travel on the surface, but due to the usually negative nature of these motives, this is not strictly prohibited. As long as each neogi contributes to the total profit of the convoy, anything goes.

How do they satisfy their audiences?

Merely by supplying the goods they are so famous for throughout the lands is a means by which they satisfy their audience. A broad range of human, demi-human and occasionally rarer races of slave stock needs to be supplied to keep customers happy. Thieves can find no other established organization that deals so finely in the various lethal concoctions of their trade and pleasures, as with select evil priests, mages and warriors. As long as they come, stocked and ready to deal, their customers are satisfied.

The seven overseers, as well as the various merchants involved in the sales, expect nothing but profit and increase in possession. The propagation of the neogi is of vital importance to them.

Who are the prominent characters?

Seven overseers (Gro'toh'pet'ta, Zrav'tor'zid, Mar'triv'na'ka, Kro'pat'till, Sar'risk'na, Cree'trov'sna and T'rivill'ta) - each of these overseers has his own caravan and two will travel with each convoy making the most of business and travel arrangements. They also monitor the total profit, mass of merchandise/stock, and behaviour of accompanying neogi. Each has two or three umber hulk guards who smash any argument.

Five Mind Flayers - These nasty characters have motives of their own in associating with the neogi. It is recognized that for some time the Illithids have lived in harmony with the neogi race, sharing the vast subterranean world of the Shadowlands, but why these five would choose to assist the neogi slave trade is unknown. The benefits seem to speak for themselves though. For the illithids can move about on the surface and become part of what goes on, based within the relative anonymity of the trade. They are not in the public eye but nevertheless deal with some of the more infamous and deadly characters known to inhabit the surface world and can therefore establish contacts and alliances without fear of exposure. The business they are part of may even earn some profit for themselves. They have a great deal of supplies at hand in the form of the trade merchandise (this includes fresh sentient brains on which to feed!) and can travel with some form of protection, after all, you would have to hack through several neogi traders before you reached a mind flayer, and in this way the number of neogi acts as a perimeter or outer defense. Whatever the reason, they accompany the various convoys, and can be found dealing with more intelligent or wily customers, usually through telepathic impulse.

Basic Neogi Traders - It is an honor for a neogi to be chosen to accompany a neogi slave trade convoy. Once chosen, he stocks his own caravan with the various wares he intends to sell (usually slaves), and may invite some partners to accompany him (usually younger and less experienced neogi whom they can push around, and assign the more menial tasks to). This caravan will then be added to the complete entourage.

2-5 Neogi Mages (with each convoy) - usually these type of neogi are hired to protect the merchant caravan from assault or provide additional concoctions and magical devices to be sold. They will also aid in the capture of slaves. They usually all travel in the same caravan, although the solitary nature of some mages means that they may have their own transport.

1-3 Neogi Priests (with each convoy) - As immoral as they may be, neogi still have a religion. This neogi are hired for similar reasons as the mages above, and almost always travel in the same caravan, which acts as a sort of portable church. They are really there for morale and combative support. The gods of the neogi are ugly sons-of-bitches.