Scavver Society
The Scavvers are not a unified people, connected only by some shared culture amongst each of the Caravans. Yet, despite the distances between these groups, their experiences and their meetings have created no small amount of similarities among them.
The Caravan
Rostering approximately 50-300 individuals, this is the center of the Scavver social structure, second only to one’s family. To belong to a Scavver Caravan is to always have a home and a people. A Caravan does not always get along with each other but they are close-knit, a second family for a Scavver.
Whether pulled by beasts or powered by Magna-tech, a Caravan’s trundlers and hearthwagons are as distinctive to outsiders as they are to each specific Caravan. The latter is a Caravan’s heart, a source of heat and energy that must be maintained and upkept. This heat keeps the community alive in the cold, wards off the worst of a Magnastorm’s effects, and can even lend to their defense.
These Caravans move across the breadth of Mid-Atla and nearby regions, following roads and trundling across them. The knots of old world traffic have been stripped clean wherever they are found and when the roads were all that remained, they moved from town to town. As traders, they sold what was scarce and bought what was plentiful. Individuals join a Caravan here and “Castoffs” are left behind.
Similarly, a group of families may decide to leave a Caravan -- this may be because the Caravan has grown too large, for political reasons, or for any other reason. In any and all cases, this is how new Caravans are created. These take aspects of their previous community’s culture but add in their own take. Thus, related Caravans may have strained or friendly relations with each other depending on the nature of the break and any happenings since then. For example, many Caravans trace their lineage to the incredibly large Ratking Caravan. In a similar way, several Caravans are “siblings” to each other and share the same faith in a Whisper.
Social Strata
Pilot: Leader of the Caravan, chosen by a majority vote.
Cove/Covey (pl Coveys): The main body of the Caravan - crafters, fighters, and successful pickers.
Coveykith: These are the members of other Caravans in good standing.
Fringer: The less fortunate members of the Caravan - laborers, porters, and unsuccessful pickers.
Poke (aka Plodder): These are non-Scavvers, treated politely but with caution.
Castoffs: Former members of a Caravan, left at the next town.
At the top of Scavver society is the Pilot, leader of the community and the commander of the Wagon Watchers (aka Grackles). This office is an elected one by Coveys and Fringers. It is removed by death, retirement, or, in the case of unpopular Pilots, mutiny. With the exception of a Caravan’s scouts, a Pilot’s vehicle leads the way.
The Coveys are right beneath the Pilot in Caravan influence and power. These are those who craft, those who can fight, and those made wealthy enough from Delving to maintain their own wagon. Some Coveys families are above others by means of wealth, as evidenced by the upgrades and number of their wagons. Since every Craft requires Components or materials, society relies on its people to go out and gather them or trade for them. There’s always a wheel that needs mending or a new upgrade to the hearth wagon.
Riding drag at the ends of Scavver society are the Fringers. These have smaller wagons or have only tents. These are characterized by a perceived lack of craft, talent, or supporting family. Many work as laborers, porters, or, if they are desperate enough, Delvers. There is classist prejudice toward Fringers from other Scavvers, though with enough wealth and a wagon, they are able to ascend to becoming a Covey. At night, Fringers live farthest from the Hearthwagon with only the Grackle posts between them and the wilderness.
Spoken only in covered whispers and with shaken heads are the Castoffs. These are unfortunate souls who cannot keep up with the Caravan and no Wagon to ride. The Caravan finds a place for Castoffs to stay at the next town with enough wealth for a meagre living. Becoming a Castoff can also be a punishment for a crime or for disobeying the Caravan Pilot.
Upbringing
Every Scavver journeys with the Caravan, on foot or on wheels. From birth, each child is taught this truth and their first steps by their nuclear family -- their first home. These ties of blood often bring assistance and obligation to the fledgeling Scavver. An appreciation for tech and a fear of scarcity marks much of early this education as well as the bundle of chores that are required of a nomadic existence. Until they are more able, they carry tools during repairs, baskets during gathering trips, and similar tasks.
Beyond the family’s education is that of the Caravan. Most youths receive the rest of their instruction from the community. The techkeeper teaches them lores and tools. The scouts teach them the outside and its dangers. The Wagon Watchers teach them battle and if they violate the Pilot’s law, fledgelings are also taught pain.
Those who have talent may be picked up by a Cove member and trained further in a particular craft. Those who don’t become porters, or better yet, they become pickers. “Castoffs” are those who have no use to the Caravan and no family to speak for them. These are left behind at the next town with enough wealth for a meagre existence.
Rumors are abound of bloodthirsty Caravans who burn their Castoffs in Hearthwagons or use their souls for Necrotech, but no one has found any of these terrible Scavvers.
Stigmata in the Scavvers
Any Stigmata can be found within the ranks of the Scavver Caravans. They intermingle with many of the settlements and Caravans that they meet. The exceptions to this are the Metabionic and Eidolonic Stigmata. Very few Eidolons exist among the Scavvers because it is a recent invention. More Metabionics ride with the Caravans, though they are primarily of Scav-tech or Eldritch-tech construction.
Laws and Punishments
Caravan Law varies among the different Caravans since they may have widely different views to the world despite some shared culture. For some, the use of spellcraft is restricted to certain types of people. For others, every member but the infirm are required to go Delving at least once a year.
Common Laws: However, the universal constants apply - willful murder is outlawed, as is aggravated assault upon one’s peers. Some Caravans outlaw attacking any other humans entirely except for self-defense but most care little for the lives of Outsiders. Most Scavver Caravans don’t attack townsfolk from places they visit for fear of retaliation and to maintain good relations with them - the latter is more important than the former. A town that strikes first is a town that forfeits a Caravan’s forebearance.
Laws of Picking: Theft is a matter of great variance among the Caravans since their laws of possession may be different. Generally speaking however, the following guidelines are held by all Caravans:
Only the living can have possessions. Therefore, looting the dead is permissible.
Your family/Caravan have secondary ownership to your items when you die. A virtuous Scavver may do their best to bring recovered possessions to a dead person’s family.
You own something if you pick it up unless it belonged to someone else first - except for Components which belong to anyone that has them.
These are the three Laws of Picking among the Scavver Caravans and are respected by all of them. However, Scavvers are not stupid -- they understand that other places’ laws may be different and endeavor to stay within a settlement’s good side for the most part.
Law Enforcement
The Laws of a Caravan are created by the Pilot, ideally with the Caravan’s counsel and approval. However, the expectation is that it will be enforced by the entire Caravan. The Wagon Watchers can be especially involved in matters of crime or the Pilot’s whim, especially when a specific situation requires violence.
Punishments and Sanctions: Almost universally, the Scavver Caravans favor the following sanctions to those who violate the laws and mores of their community.
Toil: The upkeep of a Caravan requires tasks across the spectrum of tolerable and brutal. Examples of the latter include latrine work and dung collection.While most of the latter labors are performed by Fringers, a Pilot can sentence a Scavver to a week, a month or even a year of Toil. Fringers enjoy making such an individual do most of the work for them.
Flogging: Flashier than Toil but far less useful to a Caravan is Flogging. The pain suffered by this public spectacle is significant but less so than the humiliation to one’s own peers and family. This punishment is inflicted upon Fringers or upon those who directly disobey/disrespect a Caravan’s Pilot.
Castoff: For egregious offenses, a Pilot may choose to eject an individual from the Caravan. This is usually appealed by one’s family with varying results based on any donations to the Pilot, the influence of the family, and the nature of the offense. In addition, all other Caravans are made aware of a Castoff’s status and actions (though they may or may not take these into account).
Exile: This is similar to being Castoff, but far worse as it is an immediate eviction from the Caravan. If this is in the wilderness, it is practically a death sentence. An Exile or Castoff who continues to follow a Caravan is shot by Grackles.
Execution: An extreme and rare measure is the Execution -- these individuals have become too dangerous to the Caravan. They are cut down and slain by one of the Wagon Watchers or even the Pilot themselves. The leaders of a failed mutiny are usually given this punishment as they are deemed too dangerous to let live.
Territory
Scavver Caravans are nomadic and claim no territory of their own. They travel primarily through established routes, which either reclaimed roadways or cleared out paths.This usually allows them to travel to towns and settlements for commerce and resupply efforts.
However, where a Caravan goes is limited immensely by the fact that they have wagons and similar wheeled vehicles in their convoy. When traveling to the ruins of a city, Scavvers rarely bring their Caravans up close to it, instead employing teams of Pickers to go out and bring back relics and useful scrap. This is not only because such ruins are often infested with monstrosities (the same ones that fed on the humans that were trapped in/remained in the city) but also because the roads into the city are usually destroyed or severely congested.
When two or more Scavvers raid the same area, they attempt to give each other a wide berth. When a team of Bone-Pickers finds another team working on an area, they go to another as a matter of mutual respect. There are some cases, however, where such respect is not given. In these cases, the Scavvers attack each other or lure horrors into the other Caravans’ camp. This is one of the big causes for feuds between Caravans.