Nekharu
Medium-sized Outsider (Native)
Hit Dice: 4d8+16 (32 hit points)
Initiative: +2.
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares).
Armour Class: 16 (+2 Dexterity, +2 natural, +2 studded leather), touch 12, flat-footed 14.
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+6.
Attack: Scimitar +6 melee (1d6+3/18-20) or claw +6 melee (1d6+2).
Full Attack: Scimitar +6 melee (1d6+3/18-20) or 2 claws +6 melee (1d6+2) and bite +4 melee (1d6+2).
Space/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet.
Special Attacks: Cackling cacophony, poison use, spell-like abilities.
Special Qualities: Outsider traits, darkvision 60 feet, death throes.
Saves: Fortitude +8, Reflex +6, Will +6.
Abilities: Strength 14, Dexterity 14, Constitution 19, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 14, Charisma 8.
Skills: Appraise +11, Bluff +6, Concentration +11, Craft [alchemy] +11, Intimidate +6, Knowledge [arcana] +11, Knowledge [the Planes] +11, Knowledge [religion] +11, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +11, Survival +9.
Feats: Ability Focus [cackling cacophony], Multiattack.
Environment: Warm deserts.
Organization: Solitary, pair, trio or coven (4-5).
Challenge Rating: 5.
Treasure: Standard.
Alignment: Usually neutral evil.
Advancement: By character class.
Level Adjustment: –
The nekharu are the misbegotten children of the goddess Nekhebet, a vile and evil race who consider themselves the true rulers of the ancient desert kingdom of Nekhara, usurped from them by the upstart race of men.
In their black hearts burns a spiteful malice which has horribly twisted the entirety of their being, both body and soul. Mottled flesh, the colour of rotten meat clings tightly to their malformed skulls and their heads stretch forth on wizened necks from between hunched shoulders. They robe their scrawny bodies in tattered garments of ashen grey and sooty black and their robes reek of an unclean stench. The nekharu have no time for beauty – they are entirely absorbed in their hatred. The survivors of the brain-burning fevers and bone-eating infections bear the horrible scars of their survival. Swollen boils and oozing sores are fire on their diseased skin. Below it, atrophied muscles twitch incessantly, appearing as if worms are burrowing through their flesh. Skeletal hands with fingers like talons dangle limply at the ends of their long arms. Their hands are like those of a stranger, clawed hands intended to clench a throat and throttle it to death.
Coming from a jagged beak, the voice of a nekharu is a croaking squawk, laden with scorn and contempt. They exult in the pain and misery of others, even those of their own race and their laugh is a gleeful malicious cackling. To the nekharu, nothing is above their contempt. At every opportunity, whether by word or by deed, they seek to defile all things held as sacred.
The nekharu are arrogant and tyrannical with those weaker than themselves. They make impossible demands of their slaves, and are nefarious for torturing those slow to obey. In the presence of greater strength, they are no longer imperious. Instead, they cower and grovel, squawking fervent promises of unending devotion and servitude. Yet in their treacherous souls they harbour an all-consuming hatred of whomever has mastered them. With devious intrigues and villainous plots, they forever connive to bring about their master's ruin and usurp his position. For their own gain, if they are certain of success, the nekharu will betray any pledge or oath. They know no remorse and have no conscience. They know nothing of loyalty and duty, honor and virtue. No deed is too wicked for the nekharu. In truth, the more wicked the deed, the more it is relished.
Nekharu speak their own language, and their tongue is fraught with profane obscenities and blasphemous maledictions. Scholarly creatures, they speak numerous other tongues, favouring Infernal, Abyssal, Celestial and Draconic, since the majority of magical texts tend to be written in these languages.
Combat
The nekharu are cowardly and never partake of a fair fight. However, they take great delight in slaughtering helpless victims or outnumbered opponents. To make the odds more favourable, the nekharu will employ all manner of cunning, duplicitous ruses before a battle. Nothing is too vile for them to consider. They set cunning ambushes, poison their enemies' water supply, use vile sorcery to dishearten and weaken their enemies, and commit even more nefarious treacheries than these.
The time after a battle gives the nekharu the greatest pleasure. Dagger in hand, the warriors skulk through the corpses of the slaughtered. They slice open the dead, tearing from gaping chests vital organs, which they sell to their malevolent spellcasters for their black magic rites. When the living are found, the nekharu gather around the fallen warrior as a flock of vultures, cackling insanely. Those fallen warriors, who seem as though they will recover, are taken prisoner and serve the nekharu as slaves for the rest of their miserable days. Those beyond recovery are tortured and tormented until finally they die.
Cackling Cacophany (Su): When they are winning a battle, nekharu begin to cackle and scream with shrill delight; a demented cacophony which causes even strong men to lose their courage and flee in panic. All creatures within 60 feet of a cackling nekharu must succeed on a DC 12 Will save or become panicked for 2d4 rounds. This is a sonic, mind-affecting fear effect. Whether or not the save is successful, an affected creature is immune to the same nekharu's cackling cacophany for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Poison Use: Nekharu are never at risk when applying poisons to weapons. The blades of their weapons are often coated with a venomous ichor from a foul jungle plant, which causes even the slightest scratch to fester, killing the victim after days of agonizing pain.
Spell-like Abilities: Three times a day, a nekharu can cast animate dead, burning hands (DC 16) and ray of enfeeblement.
Caster Level 6th. The save is Intelligence-based.
Death Throes (Ex): When a nekharu is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it vaporises and disintegrates; exploding into a shower of heated, black sand. Any creature, except an nekharu, within 10 feet must make a successful Reflex save to avoid becoming blinded for 1d3 rounds. All equipment carried by the nekharu is destroyed, and cannot be recovered. This save is Dexterity-based.
Society
The society of the nekharu is one of domination and submission, masters and slaves. It has no laws. The mighty impose their will on the weak, and take whatever they desire. There is only one way to rise through the ranks of the nekharu - murder one's current master, claim his place and hold it against all adversaries... and to the suspicious nekharu, all living souls are potential adversaries.
Nekharu have no friends and few allies. Each nekharu is so consumed by his lust for power that only the most foolish trusts him. The average nekharu is so twisted by spite and covetousness that he or she would never trust another. They forever seek to garner some kind of advantage over their fellows, hoping to gain power over them.
In the presence of their betters, the nekharu are fawning, always feeding their pride, allaying their doubts and attempting to gain their trust. But when the moment is ripe, the nekharu will not hesitate to treacherously turn on them. It may not happen for decades, but it will happen eventually.
