The Reaver Guilds
The Keepers of Forgotten Steel
The Reaver Guilds are a nomadic, semi-autonomous faction that thrives in the wake of war, scouring battlefields for the remnants of shattered war machines. They see themselves not as mere scavengers, but as the inheritors of the old ways—artisans of reclamation, bound by a code as rigid as the steel they restore. Whether salvaging components from ruined battlefields or outright hijacking mechs from the weak, The Reaver Guilds have built an empire of steel upon the bones of the fallen.
First Claim, First Keep: Whoever lays claim to a wreck first has the right to strip it, but others may barter or challenge through a duel of machines.
The Weight of Debt: A deal made is a deal honored. To break a contract is to invite exile—or worse, reclamation.
No Scrap Wasted: Every part has a purpose. Every bolt, every plate, every circuit is to be used or traded. Waste is a crime.
The Law of the Salvager’s Mark: A mech bearing a Guild’s sigil cannot be taken without just challenge. Those who steal from the Guilds are stripped of all they own.
Only the Worthy May Pilot: Those who cannot repair their own mech do not deserve to pilot one. Strength comes from understanding your machine.
Violations of these laws are met with brutal consequences—exile, mech seizure, or execution by way of The Scrapper’s Trial, where the guilty must duel with a failing, barely functional mech.
Purpose & Role
The Guilds serve as battlefield looters, harvesting everything from ruined mech chassis to vital cybernetic cores, meticulously stripping anything of value before vanishing into the industrial wastelands. They operate under the philosophy that no war machine should ever be truly lost—only repurposed. Many factions begrudgingly tolerate them, trading for their refurbished mechs, while others see them as parasites feeding off war. Beyond scavenging, the Guilds often act as pirates and privateers, ambushing supply convoys, hijacking shipments of mech components, or even seizing entire production lines. When paid the right price, they also sell their services as mercenaries, deploying swarms of patched-up but deadly machines against their enemies.The Guild Code: The Iron Ledger
Despite their opportunistic nature, The Reaver Guilds follow a strict set of laws and trade principles collectively known as the Iron Ledger. These laws govern everything from salvage rights to internal disputes, ensuring stability among the otherwise ruthless factions within the Guilds.Key Tenets of the Iron Ledger:
First Claim, First Keep: Whoever lays claim to a wreck first has the right to strip it, but others may barter or challenge through a duel of machines.
The Weight of Debt: A deal made is a deal honored. To break a contract is to invite exile—or worse, reclamation.
No Scrap Wasted: Every part has a purpose. Every bolt, every plate, every circuit is to be used or traded. Waste is a crime.
The Law of the Salvager’s Mark: A mech bearing a Guild’s sigil cannot be taken without just challenge. Those who steal from the Guilds are stripped of all they own.
Only the Worthy May Pilot: Those who cannot repair their own mech do not deserve to pilot one. Strength comes from understanding your machine.
Violations of these laws are met with brutal consequences—exile, mech seizure, or execution by way of The Scrapper’s Trial, where the guilty must duel with a failing, barely functional mech.
Hierarchy & Structure
The Guilds are not a single unified entity but a loose confederation of caravans, each ruled by a Guildmaster, chosen for their cunning, battle prowess, and ability to bring in the most salvage. Beneath them are Scraplords, who oversee salvage operations, and Mechwrights, the revered engineers responsible for overseeing the restoring the dead machines to life. At the bottom of the hierarchy are the Steelborn, new initiates who must prove their worth by repairing a wrecked mech with their own hands before they are allowed to pilot one. Those who fail are doomed to serve as scavengers or traders, never knowing the thrill of the ride.Technology & Arsenal
The Reaver Guilds field a diverse array of reclaimed mechs, from hulking war-beasts bristling with scavenged weapons to sleek, mismatched machines pieced together from a dozen different models. Their mechs are unpredictable—sometimes held together by sheer ingenuity, but always deadly. Many of their war machines sport jury-rigged weaponry, hybrid energy cores, and improvised armor plating, making them more difficult to maintain but highly adaptable in combat. They also use shock trooper units, equipped with exo-rigs and cutting torches for close-quarters boarding actions.Enemies & Allies
While many factions despise The Reaver Guilds for their parasitic nature, some begrudgingly rely on them. Warlords seeking spare parts, mercenary bands in need of cheap mechs, and rogue states unable to build their own war machines often turn to the Guilds for assistance. However, major industrial powers loathe the Reavers, seeing them as lawless thieves disrupting the mech economy. Many empires have sent fleets and hunter squads to eradicate them, but the Guilds always return, because war never truly ends, and where there is war, there is salvage.
“War feeds us. Peace starves us. But peace never lasts.”
Type
Guild, Thieves
Capital
Alternative Names
The Scavengers, Scavs, Vultures
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
• “A machine is only as dead as you let it be.” • “The battlefield is a vault, and we hold the keys.” • “If you can’t fix it, you don’t deserve to pilot it.” • “War feeds us. Peace starves us. But peace never lasts.” • “We do not steal. We reclaim.”
The Reaver Guilds are not just scavengers—they are the vultures of war, the keepers of forgotten steel, and the inevitable consequence of endless conflict.
Hated Heretics
The Caliphate despises Reavers for desecrating holy machines, disrespecting hierarchy, and violating the sanctity of death by looting fallen mechs. Public executions of captured Reavers are broadcast with religious commentary.
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