Scavengers

Scavengers, tomb raiders, grave robbers, treasure hunters; all these names and more are used to describe people who seek out and acquire objects that used to belong to people who died, whether that be stealing from dead bodies or breaking into tombs and claiming objects, and is a practice that has existed for as long as man can remember. It is one of the most divisive practices in Arikanda, with attitudes across cultures ranging from tolerance to vilification.

Career

Qualifications

No real education is required for looting the dead. However, particularly skilled scavengers do find learning about the kinds of items they will be stealing useful in both negotiating an appropriate price and concocting a fraudulent story as to how they acquired such an item.

Career Progression

In most of Arikanda, scavenging tends to be a pathway towards other types of criminal activities, such as more specialised forms of thievery or being recruited into a criminal syndicate. In the Avadian Sovereignty, particularly skilled scavengers can operate their own shops specialising in the acquisition of 'artefacts' and can gain patronage from wealthy collectors.

Payment & Reimbursement

The payment depends on the types of items recovered, but skilled scavengers who acquire particularly valuable items can make a fortune, especially in the Avadian Sovereignty where the need for secrecy is nonexistent.

Perception

Social Status

Most Arikandan societies deplore people who engage in scavenging; it is considered dishonourable at best, and a violation of the dead and their dignity at worst. It is expected that the dead are left alone and treated with respect and dignity, and this includes their belongings. Stealing from the dead is considered a serious crime in most Helikan League cities, and usually incurs a lengthy prison term. It is not considered serious enough to merit execution but is grave enough that a fine or restitution would not be deemed sufficient.

In the Kalriv Empire this becomes even more pronounced; those who would defile the dead and dare to disrespect them by stealing their belongings are considered the lowest type of human scum, not fit to be Kalriv and only worthy to be slaves or killed outright. A Kalriv scavenger will find no friends in the Empire, and even slaves hold the idea in contempt. Anybody of any caste caught pilfering the dead are immediately stripped of their citizenship and sold into slavery. If the items in question are taken from a soldier, it is considered even worse, and execution is the only possible outcome.

In the Avadian Sovereignty, attitudes towards the belongings of the dead are very liberal; while the people who owned the items are dead and cannot use the items, they could still be valuable to people who find them and to other people they may be sold to. There is no punishment for tomb raiding or looting the dead in Avadian society, and any items not claimed by a dead person's family or friends are legally fair game. Trade in these items is considered legitimate business and in fact is considered a useful way to get started as a merchant. However, it is expected of any traders in these items that they charge a cheaper rate as if they were second hand goods. This is an unwritten rule but is strongly enforced by the mercantile unions in most Avadian cities.

Demographics

Generally most scavengers are people near the lower end of the social ladder in most of these societies who have limited other ways to make ends meet. In the Avadian Sovereignty, scavengers are often of the mercantile class, sometimes looking to get an edge in starting their own business venture.

Alternative Names

Looters, tomb raiders, grave robbers

Type

Illicit