Scavver Power Groups

Below are the major Power Groups among the Scavver Caravans. By no means are these the only Caravans that exist among the Scavvers. 

Indeed, Player Characters are welcome to submit their own Caravans to Game Staff for approval. 

However, the ones below are the biggest and/or most influential of the factions within the Scavvers. Furthermore, all of the listed Caravans are part of the Free Tribes -- not all Scavver Caravans have joined the Free Tribes. 

The Dirtdozer Caravan: A Caravan known for its slow, tank-like wagons, skilled engineering, and its scrap-armored sentinels.

The Fomori Caravan: A Caravan that deals in dangerous goods and illicit activities, rumored to be thieves and smugglers.

The Owl Caravan: A spiritual Caravan of mystics, channelers, and astrologers that peddle knowledge and lores. 

The Rainbird Caravan: A Caravan of Healers, Loreseekers, and Arcanists skilled in mixing technology and magic. 

The Ratkings Caravan: The biggest and oldest of the Scavver Caravans, the Ratkings claim to be the speakers for their fellow Caravans. 

The Tommy Caravan: A Caravan known for trade, prosperity, and networking, sometimes with a penchant for pranks. 

The Dirtdozer Caravan

Dozers, Plodders

“Slow and steady and always ready”

Basic: A Caravan known for its slow, tank-like wagons, skilled engineering, and its scrap-armored sentinels.

Symbol: A tortoise with rivets in its shell.

Overview: For the communities of Mid-Atla, columns of grey steam and the slow grind of treads upon road signal the coming of the Dirtdozer Caravan, much to their delight. Before they discovered Magnatech in Mid-Atla, Dozer wagons and carts were pulled by mutated oxen or powered by steaming engines. They have since shared their discovery with the other Caravans and even the settlements they visit. 

This generosity has ingratiated them to many settlements, though it is not the only example of their charity.  Many credit the lack of cars on the roads of Mid-Atla to the Dirtdozers picking them apart for scrap and using them for their tech. The Dozers themselves don’t like to claim credit, but their armor plated wagons speak for themselves. On the other hand, they also like to fix roadways and maintain bridges. Their repairs appear patchwork but are durable against time and elements, at least until they come around again. 

Dozer Grackles and even their Pickers are almost as armored as their wagons. They like to carry scrap metal on their person, or hang such items around their neck. Most of them wear Scrap Kits and know how to use them. They are the most tech heavy of the Scavvers, preferring it over the volatility and corruptive effects of magic use. 

Leadership: The current Pilot for the Dozers is a Metabionic named Beetle Bartleby or “Old Beetleby” to his Caravan. Though his Picking days are behind him, he is an excellent blacksmith and engineer -- which is to his preference anyway. 

Bartleby is gruff and would rather work than talk, but he is popular with his Caravan.for his past deeds and his heroism in the Ember War. During the Battle of the Broken Bell, he led the Dozers in the defense of the supply lines. The resulting skirmish critically wounded the Pilot and he survived only through Metabionic implantation.

The Fomori Caravan

Mori, Goblins

“Danger and opportunity are spokes of the same wheel” 

Basic: A Caravan that deals in dangerous goods and illicit activities, rumored to be thieves and smugglers.

Symbol: A two headed turkey vulture. 

Overview: The Fomori are a recent development, persisting only in the last 3 decades or so. Many claim that they are brigands and raiders that have “gone straight” and settled down. Indeed, an onlooker can’t help but agree when looking. at the members of this ramshackle Caravan and its scarred, hardened members. 

Their Pickers go into dangerous areas such as the hearts of cities or the depths of military bases to find rare tech or radioactive material. Similarly, they chase down or put out bounties for creatures that they know to be profitable. These parts and reagents are sold to wealthier individuals with an added cost for the danger in their retrieval. 

The Fomori are much more likely to recruit than normal, owing to their more hazardous doings. Their tendencies differ from the other Scavvers in that they are more militant and more ready to defend themselves from attack. It is also said that the Fomori are overfond of “dirty tactics” -- ambushes, poisoning water supplies, traps, and similar measures to make quick work of an enemy. 

This has led them to receiving more disdain than other Scavver Caravans. Many of them are scarred, disfigured, and/or bearing unsightly Stigmata. Some folk believe that the Fomori actively recruit such individuals for their fearsomeness and to boost their reputation -- the more scars, the better. 

Because of their reputation and their successes, they deal primarily with the Cartel and occasionally the Priesthood of the Hellhounds. This results in high payouts rather than the smaller but more reliable profits had by most other Scavvers. If looking for a hazardous reagent, one can count on the Fomori to have it or to know where to get it. 

Indeed, this Caravan has been “run out” of several communities for scaring the locals or dealing in the grotesque. However, townsfolk and other Caravaneers still seek them out so they camp far from a town (but not too far) before spreading the word of their presence. Then, the buyers come in flocks. 

Leadership: Cannon O’Bannon is the current Pilot of the Fomori and is never too far away from the Magna-powered weapon that is his namesake. O’Bannon is a visibly scarred old Seraph that oversaw the formation of this Caravan and its rise in influence over the past few decades. 

Like many Pilots, his interests lie in the protection of his people and his own profit (which he reasons, is their profit). He prides himself and his Caravan in their capacity to do what other folk are unwilling to do or too cowardly to even attempt. But he is no fool -- two of the Caravan’s wagons are
“containment carts” that are suited to holding hazardous materials or dangerous people. He even brags that one of them held a Harbinger for a time, though he speaks little of the exact details of that event. 

The Owl Caravan

Strixes, Moonwatchers

“Like our Nightseer, we are ever watchful”

Basic: A spiritual Caravan of mystics, channelers, and astrologers that peddle knowledge and lores. 

Symbol: An Owl in flight, sometimes with clouds above them.

Overview: The Owls trace their lineage to a small nomadic tribe that were saved from danger by an owl-like entity they call the “Night Seer”. Warned of monstrous predators on their tails, this tribe fled immediately and their exodus was hidden by their spiritual ally. In addition to worshipping and communing with this nocturnal spirit, their Animancers wear owl masks on their sleeves and their banners feature a wizened owl in flight. They value stealth, wisdom, and cunning over brutality and war. To wit, they are a small Caravan compared to their peers, but no less respected for their seniority and their foresight.

During the War over Embers, they assisted the Archfactions with intelligence gathered through their scouts and their Diviners. While their losses were comparatively few, their Pilot and her family fell to an ambush by the Smiling Shadow. This caused them to withdraw from the War in its final years. 

Ever steeped in spirituality and shamanism, the Owls have a reputation for knowing the right things and being in the right place. Their people are recognized for their owl iconography and the goggles that mimic their spiritual savior. Many of these Scavvers are Psions and Chimera  and those of them that are Channelers are often skilled Diviners and Veilers. Those without magical talents are not bereft of ability either, their scouts and hunters are as silent as their namesake and just as perceptive.  The Owls have never been particularly technological. They eschewed even the use of a typical Hearthwagon. Only recently did the Rainbirds gift them a Shamanic Hearthwagon, whose magical maintenance is easier for the Owls.

The Owls also have a maddening reputation of speaking in circles rather than speaking plainly. The philosophers among them will often answer a question with a question, sometimes seeming wise and other times seeming foolish.

Leadership: Chula One-Eyed is the current Pilot of the Owl Caravan and a survivor of the Smiling Shadow’s ambush. Though she is of relative youth, the Winged Chimera has grown into her role with swiftness. Some of her people say that she is still haunted by that ambush and the death of her mentor during the Ember War. However, this is not apparent to most folk, and most outsiders except when the Harbingers are mentioned. She is keen for any information regarding them, though she knows almost all there is to know -- Chula is said to possess secrets that she should not be aware of. 

As Pilot, she has never deviated from the course of her Caravan. They still ply the usual routes as best as they can. However, it is known that she has sent some of her Covey out on information gathering missions at some personal cost to her own coffers. 

The Rainbird Caravan

Rainbirds, Riverbirds

“Look to the birds in the sky, they will tell you when it will rain”

Basic: A Caravan of Healers, Loreseekers, and Arcanists skilled in mixing technology and magic. 

Symbol: A small bird beneath a leaf

Overview: Known for their semi-amphibious wagons, the Rainbird Caravan are especially sought out by townsfolk due to their expertise with herbs, spirits, and elixirs. Thus, those suffering from Disease or Curses know to ask the Rainbirds for a cure. While they have been known to help others for a price, they are secretive and elusive. 

The Rainbird’s expertise with arcana and technology is a thing of wonder. Their hearthwagon is relatively silent due to the modifications they have made upon it, radiating an Infusion field instead of a Magna-field to similar effect. When their Obfuscation magics fail them, they defend their Caravans with Runic or Eldritchcraft weaponry as much as they do so with spellcraft. 

Such is the mystery of this Caravan that settlements claim that it appears and disappears with the winds. The blame is better laid on their Obfuscation magics and their ability to travel over water. Still, most communities consider a visit from the Rainbirds a blessing and are willing to pay their fees for healing or other wares. 

Leadership: Hummingbird is an Empath Psion and the Pilot of the Rainbirds, though they are not an Arcanist themselves. They earned their position through a reputation for leadership and cunning, outmaneuvering even the Channelers of their Caravan for popularity. 

With Hummingbird at the reins, the Rainbirds have become more vocal and involved in the happenings of the World Beyond the Fall. They volunteered their Caravan to the Free Tribes and against the Harbingers, though the losses from the latter were minimal. The Rainbirds even deal with the Temple and the Illustrados on infrequent occasions, adapting new techniques to their already prodigious expertise. This has prompted some critique from the more conservative folk in the Caravan, though the trading benefits have quelled these for the moment. 

The Ratkings Caravan

Kings, Ratlings

“With enough hard work and elbow grease, anyone can be their own King”

Basic: The biggest and oldest of the Scavver Caravans, the Ratkings claim to be the speakers for their fellow Caravans. 

Symbol: A tin crown, sometimes painted gold and with faux gems. Each Ratking wears a crown, though few can match the ostentatious crown of the Caravan Pilot. 

Overview: The Ratkings claim to be an old Caravan, their existence dating even back to the Long Fall. That said, the stories of their families are more than a little muddled -- they began as a fusion of several different Scavver families that worked together to become one Caravan. In addition to being willing to recruit almost anyone, the Ratkings’ true origins remain shrouded in mystery.

However, what cannot be denied is their influence upon the rest of Mid-Atla and the other Scavver Caravans. Many other Scavvers are offshoots of the Ratkings, in some way or form. In fact, the Kings’  Caravan Pilots help finance these newcomers as long as they lend their assistance to the Ratkins. Nothing is more important to the Ratkings than loyalty, which is why they are willing to keep incompetent or even dangerous individuals in the name of unity. 

The Ratkings are like most other Caravans except in scope -- their roster numbers at almost a thousand individuals. Their logistical and command chains are more complex and authoritarian than the other Caravans. To that end, they have the largest military force among the Scavvers. However, it is believed that their Grackles are poorly equipped and trained, only a little healthier and stronger than the Fringers they harass. 

The Ratkings travel only several times a year. Instead, they set up mini-villages outside a ruin or junkyard and stay there for months, sometimes up to a year before moving on. While thusly encamped, they bolster their defenses, set up their supply lines, plant temporary food gardens, then send their Pickers to work. As scrap and similar valuables are salvaged, they are appraised of value within the encampment and then sent out by smaller groups to nearby towns for trade. 

Leadership: The Jack of Japes is the current Pilot for the Ratkings and claims to be a speaker for the Scavver Caravans. His arrogance has some truth in it, all Caravans owe some trade or favor to the Ratkings -- Jack of Japes is tightfisted in most matters but has bouts of “generosity” where he expects debts and loans to be paid back. 

The Tommy Caravan

Webwalkers, Goldies

“It is never foolish to look for a friend”

Basic: A Caravan known for trade, prosperity, and networking, sometimes with a penchant for pranks. 

Symbol: A spider within a full golden ring or an eclipsed sun

Overview: The Tommys are an old Caravan, having been around for the past six decades. Led by and named after Tomtom the Spider, they came from west of the Mississippi Swell. It is unknown how they crossed that vast and dangerous river, and it is one topic of many that they will never give a straight answer about. The Tommys are known to often have what you need in a pinch. They are well liked by locals because their goods are in decent repair or from distant regions. For the Tommys, their reputation matters a lot more than profit, though the two are intertwined.

The Tommys excelled at Picking through the World that Was for salvage and for loot, easily making customers with the Grailguard and nearby communities. Such was their popularity that they have strong relationships with many Midwestern towns and villages, drawing people from them and retiring among them when they tired of travel. On the other hand, their relations with the Grailguard are far less amiable because of the Tommys’ love of pranks. 

Even before the War over Embers, the Tommys worked with the Grailguard in their campaign against the Hivelings. They were no stranger to the horrors of the brain-stealing insectoid and assisted the Clankers with their bridge across the Swell and their supply lines during their war. They contributed again to the Grailguard during the evacuation of Grailhome and the surrounding holdings. Naturally, they accepted more than accolades for their help, but the Tommys were more than content to stay out of the limelight. 

Leadership: Moody Mazka runs the Tommys as their Pilot. By most accounts, she is a calm individual, a perceptive buyer, and a great negotiator. Her name comes from her infrequent changes in coloration every year, as she molts her Chimeric scales for a new set. Few other  Chimera have this same “problem” but Moody likes to take it in stride -- indeed, no one truly knows her age and she retains the spryness of youth.