Operations
Tools
Typically, scrappers make use of a few common tools, protective equipment and vehicles to aid with their expeditions into The Scraps. Tools such as energy scanners are often used to detect any sort of energy signature that may lead to a useful item such as an energy cell or other piece or energy-emitting technology. Other types of scanners may also be used when searching for something more specific such as a specific type of material, or for alerting the user of nearby or oncoming dangers such as dust storms or quakes. These scanners may either be handheld, or built into the HUD of some kind of helmet or goggles.
Many scrappers will also make use of more specialised protective equipment such as armour and helmets in order to protect themselves against some of the various dangers of The Scraps including dust storms and scrap avalanches, as well as carry simple weapons as protection in case they need it.
Scrappers will also often have a personal vehicle in the form of motorcycle. These motorcycles will generally have an attached sidecar that is used for carrying the materials that they find whilst out scavenging, as well as being used to carry any extra tools or equipment they may need on their expeditions.
Skills
As well as being good scavengers, many scrappers are also fairly knowledgable about various different kinds of technology and machinery, which allows them to fairly effectively perform maintenance on their own equipment and also design and build their own technological creations to help them with their job. Scrappers are also often in good physical condition and able to defend themselves should the need arise (which it often does in the streets of the Dwelling). Because of their physical capabilities, scrappers may also occasionally double as bodyguards for their Collector employers.
Dangers
Whilst there are no immediate dangers associated with the responsibility of a scrapper, there are risks and other factors that make it a somewhat undesirable job and that can, in some cases, result in serious injury or death. These risks are associated primarily with the dangers of
The Scraps and
The Shroud, as well as their relationship to the criminal underground of the Dwelling.
Environmental Hazards
The unstable and uneven terrain of The Scraps is just one of the many factors that make is a somewhat risky and dangerous landscape to traverse. It's not uncommon for the piles of scrap to lose their stability and collapse, raining down chunks of metal and other objects. If a scrapper is not careful, they can find themselves in positions where they become caught underneath a falling pile of scrap, either dying instantly or simply becoming unable to move and dying of starvation. If a scrapper's mask becomes damaged during one of these scrap avalanches or otherwise, there is also the possibility of sickness and even death due to exposure to and inhalation of the toxic air of the Realm.
Aside from the dangers associated with the terrain of The Scraps, there are also other environmental hazards such as dust storms, which can be incredibly dangerous to anyone who gets caught in the middle of one without proper protection.
One of the other dangerous associated with travelling out into The Scraps is its proximity to The Shroud. Amongst other things, The Shroud is known to potentially cause severe harm to any human who gets too close to it. There have been many reports of scrappers losing limbs, going mad and even completely disappearing through The Shroud never to be seen again. The Shroud is also often blamed for being the cause of unexplainable seemingly natural occurrences and other phenomena that can be hazardous to life.
Many scrappers have also reported other various dangers including creatures such as
Scrap Dragons,
Marauders, and other wildlife that are said to only be myths and fairy tales.
Hazardous Relationships
Although not technically a criminal organisation,
Collectors are often heavily involved and do dealings with the many criminal organisations that run the different districts of the Dwelling. As such, scrappers can occasionally get caught in the crossfire when negotiations and trades go poorly between collectors and members of these other organisations. There are known instances whereby scrappers have also been taken hostage by criminal organisations such as
The Syndicate when a member of the Collector's Guild has failed to hold up their end of a bargain.
Ranks & Career Progression
Despite the various dangerous associated with the profession, scrappers typically don't have much in the way of career progression. There are some informal ranks and titles amongst scrappers however (such as new scrappers being called
Rusts), based upon the longevity of the individual scrapper's career as well as their success rate of scavenging expeditions, and it's also not uncommon for more seasoned scrappers to receive a commission from their collector employer on top of the initial finder's fee once an item of interest has been sold or traded off.
There have been occasions where an experienced and well-seasoned scrapper has gone on to become a member of the Collector's Guild and begun employing new scrappers of their own, however this is a rare occurrence as due to the dangers associated with the profession, the career of a scrapper is often fairly short-lived.
Payment & Reimbursement
Due to the nature of their work, the amount of money that scrappers make is dependant on the value of the scrap that they manage to retrieve on an expedition. This results in wildly inconsistent payment rates and it's not uncommon for a scrapper to go on one or more expeditions in a row without retrieving anything of value. However, when something of high value is procured, the scrapper will receive a finder's fee from their employer, and once the item is sold or traded off, the scrapper may also receive a commission from their employer.
Occasionally, a scrapper may wish to sell off or trade an item themselves. Although this can mean that the scrapper can make much more money than they may otherwise, it is a far more risky way of working as there is no guarantee that they will be able to move the item, and it requires much more work. It's also not uncommon for a scrapper to find something that is of personal use to them on expeditions and end up keeping it for themselves.
Public Perception
Due to their association with the Collector's Guild, scrappers aren't often seen as very popular amongst the general public of The Divided City. To many, the profession is also often seen as a joke, and not a real profession that makes a valuable contribution to society at all. However, amongst merchants and other technology and material-oriented professionals such as mechanics, they are often well-liked, with their services being hired out privately on occasion by these kinds of professionals.
Despite this public perception, the role of a scrapper is actually fairly important with regards to the acquisition and maintenance of technology amongst Dweller society. By retrieving discarded
High Riser technology from The Scraps and trading it for bits, they are partly responsible for being able to maintain and repair existing technology with new parts, as well as bring into circulation new technology that might not have been disseminated directly by the High Risers.
Demographics
Due to the dangers and unpredictability of income, people who become scrappers are often those who struggle to find work elsewhere or simply need more money in order to just survive. There are those however who view the profession as thrilling and exciting, therefore it can also appeal to people with a strong sense of and lust for adventure.
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