Picnicker
"Picnicker" is the colloquial term for explorers who attempt to scavenge in the ruins of Zul. The job's nickname is derived from a written exchange between Silas Torp and Eugen Fehr:
...I'd caution you, though, against exploring Zul. It'll be no picnic.
Wanna bet?When Silas was later asked by his customers how he was able to gather so many artifacts from Zul safely, his response was invariably "Because I'm the world's best picnicker," without elaboration. Finding the letters cleared things up for scholars, but the term had already caught on by the time they did. Exploration of Zul is now a mildly popular get-rich-quick scheme for those with no interest in professions that have a higher survival rate.
Career
Payment & Reimbursement
Some picnickers make their runs on the payroll of a patron, in which case they are compensated for their risks and the artifacts they return with. Most, however, just have to track down buyers for their extraplanar findings.
Perception
Social Status
Long-term picnickers, like Silas Torp, tend to get some level of respect for how skilled (and lucky) they've proven themselves. Regardless of how long they've been at it, though, they tend to be seen as foolish for taking such big risks for mere material gain.
Operations
Tools
Every explorer will design their own pack of supplies for dealing with the dangers of Zul, but one of the most common inclusions — a borderline requirement for successful navigation — is some large quantity of small, disposable trinkets to throw into the path ahead of oneself. These may be ball bearings, nails, small stones, berries; so forth and so on. For those who can afford it, potions are the next staple inclusion in a picnic supply pack.
Provided Services
Picnickers are the general population's best bet in the event that, for some reason, they need a guide to lead them into Zul. Most of them can be talked into taking such a job, since it has more of a guarantee of a paycheck than the typical scavenging workday does.
Dangers & Hazards
Pretty much anything can happen to explorers in Zul, and the danger rarely gives much overt warning to the unprepared. The damage to the plane is so severe that no natural law is reliable anymore, from gravity holding you down to the ground holding you up.
Legality
Picnicking is a legal grey area in most places. Scavenging laws vary from state to state, but nobody has strict jurisdiction over Zul itself. The more common barriers picnickers face are trespassing accusations from the owners of Droswal's side of a portal and consumer protection issues with the sale of their salvage.
Related Locations
