Collector

By far the most difficult, dangerous, and dirty profession to arise out of White Tree were Collectors. For new arrivals seeking support and help, Collection represented the only opportunity to earn some money or obtain materials for survival in firstly The City of Heaven and later, the Ring Cities. Collection took various forms, with a complex internal ranking system that was at once informal but also strictly adhered to. The Ring Cities themselves were formed out of massive landfill heaps that grew up around The White Tree as the City of the White Tree expanded and The City of Heaven became overcrowded. Those who could not reach or afford the "luxury" of the final leg of the long march to the White Tree and the dubious security of either the City of Heaven or the City Beneath, the Ring Cities were a place to source the basics for survival. In brief, Collectors sought out any materials that could be salvaged from the landfill of the Ring Cities, which might then either be used to build homes and other structures, or sold on to obtain money. The Ring Cities' informal economy meant that people could use anything they found to barter and exchange for anything else, as well as for any other purpose. Collection was, however, difficult, requiring a great deal of physical skill as well as knowledge of the shifts in demand from the Ring Cities themselves, or the City of the White Tree itself. Various attempts were made by The Council of the White Tree to eliminate Collection and Collectors, but due to the distance between the Ring Cities and the difficulty of governing settlements without official status, roads, or ordinances, Collection persisted as an occupation for the most desperate in society. The Council itself benefitted from Collectors, who were largely responsible for sourcing the rare minerals used in permitted kata technologies in the interim period between the Last War and The Rending War.

Alternative Names

Dump Rats

Type

Raw Materials Gathering

Famous in the Field