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.

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.

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.

Particularly troublesome are the larger, stronger individuals known as warriors, a rarer breed of nekkers. Nekker warriors are a larger version of the nekker and typically distinguished by their red-painted faces. Nekker warriors support their smaller companions when they prepare an attack or ambush.