"It's a strange but true fact that the scavenger ecosystem that Abeyance fosters is one that is deeply intertwined with fashion. Eye-catching and expensive attire has become synonymous with skill, and can often land a scavenger private contracts or special deals."
- Interview from Wanderer's Reign Magazine

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Abeyance is an entire dimension laden with poorly explored regions, abandoned structures, eldritch alien constructs, exotic materials, and long lost treasures. A ecosystem of scavengers, side-markets, and explorers was always going to blossom in this environment, and it has, with a gusto. The Second Era is the age of wanderlust, a playground for the bold and adventurous, the curious and the opportunistic. Abeyance is a gold mine for those who know where, when, and how to reach its many, many hidden or forgotten corners.

Naturally, the Trifecta Government and Grayline had to find a solution to regulate scavenging and freelancing, and what they came up with was the now iconic, if not dully named, Contract and Licenses System. The concept is simple: Instead of a scavenger running off and ripping a recently failed colony apart for all its re-sellable tech and loose equipment and tossing it right onto the open market, they can take a contract from the company or faction that owned the colony, and in exchange for promising to sell what they find back to them for market price, they will also get other benefits and rewards. These "Credits" can range anywhere from In-Company allowance for their products, to brand new equipment. No scavenger is going to free-solo a failed Monstrum Industrial Plant in Magalon-Impeli Q65-07 when they can snatch up a Monstrum retrieval contract instead and get a free Boa .64 anti-armor pistol when they get back.

This same system, however, has created a very unique culture among Abeyic scavengers. Once, in the early decades, Scavengers looked a lot more like you might expect: Torn, hand me down gear, rough and tumble essentials, old but trusty tech with dents and bullet holes. Now, however, Scavengers had a tendency to look more akin to clothes models or corporate influencers. Bright colors, fresh clothes, neo analog tech, top of the line military hardware , all of it often stamped with the proud logos of 4 to 10 corporations or supporting factions. These days, the better a Scavenger looks, they power and skill they exude. After all, if you are toting all the newest clothes and gear, that means you've successfully completed a lot of contracts, which means you know what you're doing, which means better contracts, which means even better gear, and they cycle continues.

The best scavengers may even be offered a permanent position with a singular faction, a promotion referred to in-house as "Careering". Careers, though admittedly the cream of the crop in most regards, are often looked down on and lightly ostracized by other Scavengers for "giving up their freedom" in exchange for money and gear. While perhaps a little hypocritical, there is a reason the average Scavenger tends to be a loner personality, someone who takes their personal freedom and interests very seriously. They are a paradoxical breed, both selfish in their desires yet often selfless in the fact of danger. Scavengers often save lives by being in the right place at the right time and jumping in to help without concern for their own safety... then demand some form of repayment afterwards. Despite their place in the ecosystem as effectively sanctioned thieves and collectors, they tend to show a great deal of respect for Abeyance and understand its very alien nature far better than most.

In many ways, the modern Scavenger is the icon of the Great Effort, the poster children for the late Second Era. They are the heart and soul of our new reality, the brave and ambitious men and women who live and breathe in both worlds.

If you would like to know more about Scavengers, Freelancers, and all the other interesting people who make Abeyance their home and occupation, consider visiting out website at Con.WanderersReign.Tri, or by subscribing to our monthly magazine!

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I've been wanting to do something akin to an in-universe magazine for a while now, and i finally got around to it!~ ^^ Big fan of how they came out, and it was fun to draw a Gobbo again, hehe~

As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated!