Rift Divers

Fewer examples are more obvious than the Mistlands Massacre to indicate how lethal trespassing in the Rift can be. And that's if the indigenous flora and fauna don't eat you first. However, MTS19333 is a perfect example of how lucrative, revolutionary and world transforming one sample from the mysterious Twilight Shade can be. Enter the occupation known as Rift Diving.
The only entrances to the Rift are the washouts and runoff ravines in the Mistlands at the head of the Rift. However if one knows how to navigate the shifting geographic borders of the Mistlands and the unchanging theo-political borders of the Mubari, other ways of ingress can be found.
Rift Divers are those who use a combination of rappelling equipment, slow-rise lighter than air balloons, and parachutes designed for extreme-low level jumps to descend from the Rift's upper edges where entry would otherwise be impossible. The technology to make Rift Diving practical has only come about in the last two decades.
Depending on the borders of the Mistlands between three and five branched canyons are found to leave the Mistlands. The Map of Tears is useless for navigation overland and it takes military precision satellite imagery to be able to trace any of the upper canyon edges. Since its inception Rift Divers have kept careful GPS coordinates of their entry points. Because of the fractal nature of the Rift's canyons, a departure of 25 feet from a given coordinate is more than enough to put one in a separate canyon entirely. Whether one wants to return to a previous site for a duplicate specimen, or avoid revisiting a site, starting coordinates are crucial for a successful dive.
Various methods were deployed for descending into the Rift (piton secured platforms, miniature high-lift dirigibles, bungie series) however the sharp edges and overhangs within the Rift made ascension deadly. The first divers trekked to the head of the Rift for escape. Very few made it. Those who did retired obscenely wealthy.
As the Mubari pilgrimage happened once per decade, and the 1933 occurrence was very public, it was relatively simple to avoid encountering a procession of machete armed pilgrims. However as specimens from the Rift began appearing on the world's black markets, the Mubari knew steps needed to be taken. Holy guards, designated from distinguished hunters, were deployed to patrol all known access points, and hurry to any parties visible by satellite. Execution was immediate on being apprehended.
Rift Divers began using maneuverable slow ascending balloons to make their way carefully out of the Rift, allowing them to enter at one point, getting quickly out of view, and surface miles away. The continued appearance of specimens tipped off the Mubari. The guards' patrols now include aerial searches using low speed gyro-copters armed with needlers shooting ammunition poisoned with resk venom.
The risks have never been higher, but the demand for Riftspecimens has kept pace. One dive can easily fund a five generation empire.

Type

Illicit