Neil (Fallout: New Vegas)

Neil is a first-generation super mutant residing near Black Mountain in the Mojave Wasteland .
==Background==
Travelling to Black Mountain when it was originally under the leadership of Marcus, Neil was one of the only first-gen super mutants in Black Mountain before Tabitha's arrival brought an influx of nightkin.The Courier: "How did Tabitha end up in control?"Neil: "For years, Black Mountain was a peaceful community. Its leader, Marcus, broadcast an invitation to Mutants throughout the wasteland. That's how I found Black Mountain. So did others, most of them second generation Mutants. Marcus welcomed everyone - that was his mistake. The community ended up being mostly second gen - not very bright, but easy to influence. Fine, until the Nightkin came along, led by Tabitha... In a week she had most of the second-gens thinking she was some kind of prophet - and that she should be broadcasting her 'truth,' not Marcus. Marcus saw what was coming and decided to leave before things got out of hand. He smashed the radio and left to found Jacobstown."(Neil's dialogue) After the collapse of the original Black Mountain community and the emigration of Marcus and his few first-gen followers to the new mutant settlement at Jacobstown, at a later point, Neil was sent back to Black Mountain by Marcus to spy on Tabitha and her self-proclaimed State of Utobitha, though he hints at other reasons for not remaining in Jacobstown but refuses to offer any details.The Courier: "What is Jacobstown?"Neil: "The opposite of Black Mountain! A stable community of Mutants, mostly, led by a mentally stable leader. Humans are welcome there, so long as they behave themselves. Look northwest of Red Rock Canyon if you want to find it."The Courier: "Why are you here, instead of Jacobstown?"Neil: "Marcus sent me here a couple of months ago to check on Black Mountain. I suppose you could say I came here as a spy. But with no signs of Tabitha's weakening, and none of the second-gens ready to revolt or to come to Jacobstown, there wasn't much I could do. Down here, on the other hand, I've saved a dozen Mutants from heading up the mountain. It's not much, but it's something. I have my own reasons to stay away from Jacobstown for a while - reasons we won't be discussing - so I've stayed here."(Neil's dialogue) Because he is a first-generation super mutant, he is significantly more intelligent, calm and polite than most of the other hulking brutes wandering the wastes, but even he has his limits, like being compared to his more reckless brethren just because he is a mutant.The Courier: "You seem friendly, for a mutant."Neil: " Many of us are just as intelligent as basic humans - and the rest don't really have any choice in the matter, do they?"The Courier: "Sorry about that. No offense intended."Neil: "And none taken... since you apologized."The Courier: "Spare me the 'poor mutants' rap, all right?"Neil: "Of course. Sorry I bothered you. Enjoy your travels."(Neil's dialogue)
Due to his role as a spy for Marcus, Neil did not foster any respect for Tabitha nor her claim to rule and considers her to be a mutinous, crazed fanatic who gained her cult of personality through the same race supremacy rhetoric he's seen before. He's even willing to aid in her assassination if it means the mutants at Black Mountain can have a life safe from both human interference and the brainwashing of stronger personalities.The Courier: ""Neil: "[SUCCEEDED] Help would improve the odds. Help might just make the difference... All right, if you're good enough at what you do to meet me in the village up near the peak, we can talk further. I'll have a plan by the time I see you - if I see you. Good luck. It's going to be a lot harder for you to get up there than it will be for me."The Courier: "Let's do it."Neil: "Here's the plan. The gate to Tabitha's compound is guarded by several Nightkin, all of them using devices that make them invisible. I'm going to draw them away from the gate by telling them I spotted an intruder in the village. Then you slip in."The Courier: "That's your plan? I *am* an intruder in the village!"Neil: "Yes, so try to stay out of sight, because they'll be coming this way."(Neil's dialogue) Unfortunately, his attempts to sow dissent among Utobitha's inhabitants have not gone well, as none of the second-generation mutants could be motivated to overthrow Tabitha. Neil was forced to take up post in his roadside shack and try to warn other mutants away from Black Mountain and send them to Jacobstown instead.
Should Tabitha be ousted from Black Mountain, Neil will continue to stay nearby to redirect other mutants who may have heard Tabitha's signal instead towards Jacobstown.The Courier: "What will you do now?"Neil: "I still have a job to do here. Some Mutants may have heard Tabitha's broadcasts and are headed here even as we speak. I'll remain and direct any who show up toward Jacobstown, where they'll be much better off."(Neil's dialogue) He is also a great source of basic information on super mutants and nightkin, if any travelers will listen to him, but has little patience getting into the finer details.The Courier: "Why are some Super Mutants smarter than others?"Neil: "Not all Super Mutants were created equal. Or at the same time, or for the same purpose. The first generation tends to be smarter, stronger, and... more civilized, I suppose you could say, than the ones made later, save the Nightkin."The Courier: "You say that super mutants were *made*?"Neil: "Yes... And it's not something I care to discuss with one of your kind. If you have some insatiable curiosity about the matter, talk to Marcus in Jacobstown. He's more patient with such questions than I am."(Neil's dialogue)The Courier: "Tell me about the Nightkin."Neil: "The Nightkin are vicious in combat, and that's if you see them coming. Most don't. They were created to be soldiers, and given devices to camouflage them in battle. Unfortunately, the devices drove most of them mad over time. They spend most of their time at the top of the mountain, but patrol the roads after dark as well. You'd do well to avoid the mountain at night."(Neil's dialogue)
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interaction overview===
===Quests===
* Crazy, Crazy, Crazy: Neil tasks the Courier with overthrowing Tabitha from her rule. He can be persuaded (with 50 Speech) to aid the Courier by leading away the nightkin guarding Tabitha's broadcast station.
===Other interactions===
Neil will warn the Courier about the danger ahead, Black Mountain.
==Inventory==
==Notes==
* If Neil is not in his shack, he may be standing by two rocks outside of the crater with two dead Brotherhood of Steel paladins, to warn the Courier about going onto the mountain.
* Once Tabitha is gone from the mountain, Neil will stay at his shack in order to redirect other super mutants who may have heard Tabitha's broadcast.
** If the Courier was able to convince Neil for assistance, he will instead stay at the higher area of the mountain by the toppled satellite dish.
* Neil will not fight any of the hostile super mutants nor nightkin, even if he sees combat in front of him.
* In pre-release footage for Fallout: New Vegas, Neil had the appearance of a Vault 87 super mutant."Fallout: New Vegas Preview" on IGN's YouTube channel
** Also in this footage, he has an R91 assault rifle holstered on his back.
* If the Courier manages to convince Tabitha that a revolt is occurring in Black Mountain, Neil will not offer to distract the nightkin guards near the summit.
* Neil was originally supposed to use a custom nail board, which the Courier cannot use. It can be found in the game files named BMWeapNailBoard.
==Appearances==
Neil appears only .
==Bugs==
* When waiting to help you at the top of Black Mountain, Neil will give the response "whatever you do, be quick about it" no matter what you tell him. This is caused by the conditions for the "Let's go" response being unavailable if any of the nightkin guards are dead, rather than if all of them are dead.
* If you accept Neil's help but enter Black Mountain from the locked gate on the southwest side (by Tabitha's room) instead of going through the checkpoints, Neil will run around randomly when you approach him and cannot be spoken to. Waiting causes his map marker to move near the domes, but he is nowhere to be found.
* If you visit Black Mountain for the first time, Neil will wander off and can sometimes be found dead or under a rock when you visit later.
* Often, when he is talking, his mouth movements are out of sync or aren't moving at all.
* After meeting Neil near the crater of Black Mountain (had you passed the Speech check), he will either vanish, be glitched and get stuck, or get hung up on a rock behind him as he tries to run ahead.
==References==
Non-game
Category:Black Mountain characters
Category:Fallout: New Vegas super mutant characters
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