Who they are
Neeko lives in the jungle around Ixtal.
Their story belongs to Ixtal. Elemental mages hiding behind a wall of shifting jungle.
Their story, step by step
- Step 1
The Oovi-Kat
Neeko was born into the Oovi-Kat, an ancient vastaya tribe on a remote island east of Valoran. They kept primordial magic and could sense one another's souls, so deception was impossible among them.
- Step 2
The disaster
A catastrophe struck the tribe, and its elders gave their lives so the survivors could escape. Neeko turned into a bird and fled as her homeland faded into the border between realms. She drifted on debris for days, hearing only faint echoes from the spirit realm.
- Step 3
Harelport
She reached the port of Harelport and met humans for the first time. When she greeted a sailor, Krete, in the Oovi-Kat way by copying his appearance, he was frightened and offended. His strong emotions overwhelmed her and she ran.
- Step 4
Nidalee
She went to Ixtal's jungle and became a pakaa, a jungle cat, to join a pack. Its leader turned out to be a woman named Nidalee, who accepted her. They grew very close, though Neeko's romantic feelings were mostly not returned. Dreams of dead trees from her ancestors warned her about her people, and when Nidalee would not leave the jungle, Neeko set out to rebuild the Oovi-Kat as a new tribe.
- Step 5
Wandering and rescue
Neeko traveled, inviting vastaya, yordles, humans and others into her vision. At a Noxian outpost in Kalduga she shapeshifted into soldiers until the guards turned on each other and left. Piltovan poachers later captured her, but a scientist named Anura and her pet frog Froop helped her escape, and she and Nidalee drove the poachers from the jungle.
Turning points
- Fleeing the Oovi-Kat's destruction
- Meeting Nidalee in Ixtal
- Choosing to rebuild her tribe as something new
- Returning to defeat the poachers with Nidalee
Where their story stands now
Neeko is still traveling and still works toward her new tribe. Her feelings for Nidalee remain, and the two are close while following separate paths. The full fate of the Oovi-Kat is still unknown.
Who they are tied to
Where this fits in the story
- Ixtal · step 1
A wall of jungle
A magical barrier keeps outsiders away by changing weather and moving terrain. Few people have seen Ixtal from inside.
- Ixtal · step 2
The Axiomata and the arcologies
Different arcologies specialize in different elements: one in fire, rock and magnetism, another in water, ice and steam.
- Ixtal · step 3
Leaving the empire
Ixtal was once part of the Shuriman Empire and withdrew after witnessing catastrophic wars, including a clash between the Ascended Ne'Zuk's Monolith fortress and the Void.
- Ixtal · step 4
Back in the world
After millennia of isolation, Qiyana's actions exposed Ixtal to Piltover. The Ixtali still see other nations as upstarts and pretenders.