Scavenger’s Roost

“The Salvager’s Haven” / “Last Stop Before the Edge” / “Where Maps End”

“What you can carry, you can keep. What you can’t, we’ll sell for you. What you find might kill you, but that’s your problem.”
—Keeper Vorna’s Rules

Scavenger’s Roost - Last Stop Before the Edge

Quick Reference

Overview

Scavenger’s Roost is the last outpost of civilization before the true edge of the known Aetherium—a small, rough trading post where salvagers, explorers, and fortune-seekers prepare for expeditions into the unmapped Periphery. It exists for one purpose: to profit from humanity’s desperate search for pre-Shattering treasures in the ruins that drift at the edge of reality.

The Roost is not a settlement in any traditional sense. It’s a waystation, a supply depot, a last chance to turn back. Keeper Vorna runs a simple operation: buy salvaged artifacts at fair prices, sell supplies at inflated ones, provide basic shelter, and ask absolutely no questions about where anyone’s been or what they’re running from. This policy has made the Roost both prosperous and dangerous.

The population is constantly shifting. Permanent residents number perhaps 30—Vorna’s staff, a few retired salvagers, and those who’ve given up on expeditions but can’t bring themselves to return to civilization. The rest are transients: treasure hunters hoping for one big score, scholars searching for lost knowledge, Guild agents seeking pre-Shattering technology, and desperate souls with nothing left to lose.

Most expeditions into the deep Periphery never return. The Memorial Wall bears hundreds of names—carved by those who knew them, mourned by those who didn’t. But for every ten who vanish, one comes back with something incredible: a working pre-Shattering device, a cache of ancient texts, a map to something even greater. And that one success keeps the others coming.

Life at the Roost is defined by three things: hope (the next expedition might be the one), danger (the Periphery kills most who enter), and freedom (no laws, no rules, no judgment). It’s a place for people who don’t fit anywhere else, who want more than survival, who are willing to risk everything for a chance at something extraordinary.

Geography and Structure

The Island

Geological Features: - Small rocky island (150m diameter, irregular shape) - Flat central area (artificially leveled) - Steep edges dropping to void - Minimal vegetation (a few hardy shrubs) - No natural resources (everything imported)

Position: - At edge of mapped Aetherium - 500km from nearest major settlement (Skyport Eos) - 50km from Periphery’s true edge (where Aether fades to darkness) - Coordinates: Known only to those who’ve been there - Difficult to find (intentionally)

Climate: - Cold (8-10°C average) - Aether pressure unstable (causes headaches) - Occasional Aether-storms (warning system in place) - No rain (water shipped in or collected from condensation) - Perpetual twilight (edge of Bright Reaches)

The View: - Looking outward: Aether fades to gray, then black - Distant islands barely visible (ruins, mostly) - Sense of vast emptiness - Staring too long causes unease - Beautiful and terrifying simultaneously

The Outpost Layout

The Trading Post (Central building): - Two-story wooden structure - Ground floor: Shop, artifact appraisal, supplies - Upper floor: Vorna’s quarters, office, secure storage - Always open (someone on duty 24/7) - Most important building

The Bunkhouse: - Long, low building - Hammocks for 60 (first-come, first-served) - Shared facilities (basic, functional) - No privacy (curtains between hammocks) - Cheap (2 coins per night) - Always full

The Departure Dock: - Wooden platform extending from island edge - Mooring for 10 small airships - Maintenance area - Supply loading zone - Last place many people stand before vanishing

The Warehouse: - Secure storage for valuable salvage - Vorna controls access - Reinforced (as much as possible) - Guarded (two shifts) - Contains incredible and terrifying things

The Common Hall: - Open building with tables, benches - Where people eat, drink, talk - Stories shared here - Deals made here - Fights start here

The Memorial Wall: - Stone wall at island’s edge - Names carved into it - Hundreds of names - Growing constantly - Sobering reminder

The Shrine (Small): - Dedicated to Constellation of the Voyager - Simple altar - Offerings left by departing explorers - Maintained by whoever feels moved to - Prayers for safe return (rarely answered)

Key Locations

The Trading Post

Description: Two-story wooden building, weathered but sturdy, always busy

Ground Floor - The Shop: - Supplies for expeditions: - Food (preserved, expensive) - Water (precious) - Rope, tools, weapons - Maps (partial, incomplete, expensive) - Aether-suits (rare, very expensive) - Medical supplies (basic) - Artifact appraisal desk - Bulletin board (expedition notices, warnings, wanted posters) - Always crowded

Vorna’s Pricing: - Supplies: 2x normal prices (“Remoteness tax”) - Artifact purchases: Fair (she’s honest) - Maps: Variable (depends on quality and desperation) - Information: Sometimes free, sometimes expensive - Lodging: Cheap (wants people to stay)

Upper Floor - Vorna’s Domain: - Office (where deals are made) - Secure storage (most valuable artifacts) - Living quarters (Vorna rarely leaves) - View of entire Roost - Private (invitation only)

Atmosphere: Busy, commercial, surprisingly honest. Vorna runs tight operation.

The Bunkhouse

Description: Long wooden building, cramped, functional

Interior: - 60 hammocks in rows - Curtains between (minimal privacy) - Shared washing facilities (cold water) - Communal storage (lock your valuables) - Smells like sweat, hope, and fear

The Residents: - Transients (most): Staying 1-3 days before expeditions - Permanent (few): Retired salvagers, those waiting for something - Mix of: Treasure hunters, scholars, Guild agents, criminals, dreamers

Rules (Posted): 1. Pay up front (2 coins/night) 2. No fighting inside (take it outside) 3. No stealing (Vorna will ban you) 4. Quiet after midnight (ha!) 5. Clean up after yourself (rarely followed)

Atmosphere: Crowded, noisy, exciting. Stories told late into night. Friendships formed quickly (might be last ones). Romances brief and intense.

The Common Hall

Description: Open-sided building, tables and benches, fire pit in center

Function: - Eating (bring your own food or buy from vendors) - Drinking (ale available, quality questionable) - Socializing (everyone gathers here) - Deal-making (partnerships formed) - Story-telling (entertainment and warning)

The Stories: - Salvagers share tales of expeditions - Mix of truth, exaggeration, and lies - Warnings about dangerous ruins - Rumors of incredible finds - Legends of the Nexus Spire

Typical Evening: - Sunset: People gather - Early evening: Eating, quiet conversation - Mid-evening: Stories begin, ale flows - Late evening: Loud, boisterous, sometimes fights - Midnight: Quiets down (those with early departures sleep) - Dawn: Empty (everyone at Departure Dock)

Atmosphere: Rowdy, friendly, dangerous. Make friends fast. Watch your back.

The Memorial Wall

Description: Stone wall at island’s eastern edge, facing the Periphery

The Names: - Carved into stone - Hundreds (maybe thousands) - Some with dates, most without - Some with epitaphs (“Sought glory, found void”) - Growing constantly

The Tradition: - When someone doesn’t return (3 days overdue) - Their companions (if any survived) carve their name - Or Vorna does it (if no one else will) - Brief moment of silence - Life continues

Notable Entries: - “Darius Goldseeker - Found fortune, lost life - 234 S.” - “The Luminar Twelve - Sought knowledge - 189 S.” - “Kara and Mira - Together in life, together in void - 267 S.” - “Unknown Explorer - Name forgotten, courage remembered”

Visitor Experience: - Stand at wall, read names - Realize how many have died - Question if expedition is worth it - Go anyway (usually)

Atmosphere: Sobering, sad, defiant. “They tried. So will we.”

The Departure Dock

Description: Wooden platform extending from island, mooring for airships

Morning Ritual: - Dawn: Explorers gather - Final checks: Supplies, equipment, airships - Goodbyes: Brief (might be last) - Prayers: To Voyager (or whoever they believe in) - Departure: Into gray Aether - Watchers: Those staying behind, watching them vanish

The Moment: - Airship lifts off - Heads toward Periphery - Fades into distance - Gone - Will they return?

Return Ritual (Rare): - Shout goes up: “Ship incoming!” - Everyone rushes to dock - Airship appears from gray - Count survivors (usually fewer than left) - Unload salvage (if any) - Questions (what did you find? what did you see?) - Celebration or mourning (often both)

Atmosphere: Tense, hopeful, sad. Every departure might be last. Every return is miracle.

Population and Daily Life

The Permanent Residents

Keeper Vorna (50s): - Runs Trading Post - Born here (mother founded Roost) - Knows Periphery better than anyone - Fair dealer, tough negotiator - Respected by all

“Lucky” Mar (40s): - Salvager (survived 20 expeditions) - Offers guide services (expensive) - Missing left hand (Periphery took it) - Still goes out (can’t stop)

Old Harvin (60s): - Retired salvager - Maintains Memorial Wall - Tells stories (some true) - Warns newcomers (they rarely listen)

The Twins (Kara and Mira, 30s): - Run Common Hall - Cook, serve ale, keep peace - Identical (confusing) - Know everyone’s business

Others: - Dockmaster (maintains platform) - Guards (2, for warehouse) - Medic (treats returning explorers) - Various retired salvagers (20+)

The Transients

Treasure Hunters: - Seeking pre-Shattering artifacts - Motivated by greed - Usually die - Occasionally strike it rich

Scholars: - Seeking knowledge - Motivated by curiosity - Usually die - Occasionally find something incredible

Guild Agents: - Seeking specific technology - Motivated by orders - Better equipped than most - Still usually die

The Desperate: - Fleeing something (law, debt, past) - Motivated by need to disappear - Periphery is good place to vanish - Usually die (but that might be the point)

The Dreamers: - Seeking Nexus Spire, legendary ruins, impossible treasures - Motivated by hope - Always die - But they die trying

Daily Life

Morning: - Dawn: Departures (if any) - Breakfast: Quick, functional - Trading Post opens: Buying, selling, planning

Midday: - Maintenance: Airships, equipment, buildings - Deals: Partnerships formed, expeditions planned - Waiting: For returning explorers (usually in vain)

Afternoon: - More of same - Boredom (for those staying) - Tension (for those leaving tomorrow) - Preparation (checking equipment obsessively)

Evening: - Common Hall fills - Stories told - Ale consumed - Friendships formed - Romances begun

Night: - Bunkhouse crowded - Quiet conversations - Some sleep - Some stare at ceiling, wondering if they’ll return - Some pray

Notable Residents

Keeper Vorna

Role: Trading Post master, unofficial authority

Age: 52
Appearance: Weathered, gray hair in braid, sharp eyes, missing right ear
Background: Born at Roost (mother founded it), been here entire life

Personality: - Shrewd, fair, tough - Knows everyone’s secrets (doesn’t share them) - Respects courage, despises foolishness - Maternal toward regulars - Cold toward idiots

The Rules: - “What you can carry, you can keep.” - “What you can’t, I’ll sell for you.” (Takes 20% commission) - “No questions asked.” (Means it) - “Pay your debts.” (Or else) - “Respect the Memorial.” (Non-negotiable)

The Map: - Vorna has partial map to Nexus Spire ruins - Compiled from decades of explorer reports - Incomplete (many gaps) - Invaluable - She’ll sell sections (for right price)

Relationships: - Respected by all - Feared by some - Trusted by regulars - Mother figure to many

Secret: Knows more about Periphery than she admits. Saw something out there years ago. Won’t discuss it.

Quest Hook: Vorna will sell map section for 500 coins. Or for favor. Which is more expensive?

“Lucky” Mar

Role: Veteran salvager, guide for hire

Age: 43
Appearance: Scarred, missing left hand, always smiling
Background: Survived 20 Periphery expeditions (record)

Personality: - Optimistic (against all evidence) - Reckless (that’s why he’s survived—too crazy to die) - Generous (helps newcomers) - Haunted (nightmares every night)

The Twenty Expeditions: - First 10: Successful (found artifacts, returned safely) - Expedition 11: Lost hand (Rot-Beast attack) - Expeditions 12-19: Increasingly dangerous (lost companions) - Expedition 20: Solo (came back changed, won’t discuss)

Guide Services: - Offers to guide expeditions - Price: 100 coins + equal share of salvage - Worth it (survival rate with Mar: 30% vs. 10% without) - But he’s planning expedition 21 - Will he return from that one?

The Prosthetic: - Replaced hand with hook - Functional (can still work) - Symbol (Periphery takes its price)

Philosophy: “The Periphery will kill you. Might as well die trying for something great.”

Quest Hook: Mar needs companions for expedition 21. He’s going deep. Very deep. Is party interested?

Scholar Evian

Role: Archivist, researcher, expedition leader

Age: 35
Appearance: Bookish, nervous, determined
Background: Archivist faction, studying pre-Shattering sites

Personality: - Brilliant, anxious, obsessive - Knows more about pre-Shattering than anyone - Terrible at practical survival - Needs protection

The Research: - Studying Periphery ruins - Believes pattern exists (ruins aren’t random) - Theory: Periphery ruins are pieces of Nexus Spire - If true: Spire can be located - If true: Everything changes

The Expedition: - Evian hiring protection - Pay: 200 coins each + share of findings - Destination: Specific ruins (3 days into Periphery) - Purpose: Verify theory - Danger: Extreme

Equipment: - Best maps available - Pre-Shattering detection devices - Extensive supplies - No combat skills whatsoever

Quest Hook: Evian needs skilled fighters. Will party protect them? Research might be worth it.

Secrets and Mysteries

The Nexus Spire Map

Secret: Vorna has partial map to Nexus Spire location

Source: Compiled from decades of explorer reports, her mother’s notes, her own expeditions

Completeness: 60% (enough to narrow search, not enough to guarantee finding it)

Value: Incalculable (Spire is where Apogee Working happened, might contain answers)

Price: Vorna will sell for 500 coins (per section) or significant favors

Danger: Map leads to most dangerous part of Periphery. Many have tried. None returned.

Ironhold’s Interest: Guild-Master Elara Song secretly funding expeditions to find Spire. Vorna knows. Charges accordingly.

The Changed Explorer

Incident: Someone returned from beyond Periphery edge (where Aether fades to absolute darkness)

Identity: Darius Voidwalker (former regular at Roost)

Expedition: Went beyond edge 6 months ago, solo, expected never to return

Return: Came back 3 months later, changed

Changes: - Eyes: Now silver-white (like Void-Kin but more intense) - Speech: Halting, as if translating from another language - Behavior: Distant, distracted, seeing things others don’t - Knowledge: Knows things he shouldn’t

What He Won’t Say: - What’s beyond the edge - What he saw - What changed him - Why he came back

What He Does Say: - “It’s not empty out there.” - “The darkness isn’t dark. It’s full.” - “They’re waiting.” - “Don’t go there.”

Current Status: Lives at Roost, refuses to leave, warns everyone, no one listens

Quest Hook: What did Darius see? Can party convince him to tell? Should they?

The Signal from the Edge

Phenomenon: Periodic pulses detected from beyond Periphery edge

Characteristics: - Regular pattern (every 27 hours) - Aetheric in nature - Source: Beyond edge (impossible to triangulate exactly) - Strength increasing (getting closer? getting stronger?)

Vorna’s Observation: “Been detecting it for 10 years. Getting stronger. Whatever it is, it’s coming.”

Theories: 1. Nexus Spire (still functioning) 2. Pre-Shattering beacon 3. Something else (terrifying option)

Ironhold’s Response: “Monitor it. Report changes. Do not investigate.” (Of course people investigate anyway)

Quest Hooks

1. The Expedition: Join Mar’s 21st expedition (deep Periphery, dangerous, potentially legendary)

2. The Scholar’s Mission: Protect Evian during research expedition (3 days out, verify theory)

3. The Map Purchase: Buy map section from Vorna (500 coins or favor), use it to find Nexus Spire

4. The Rescue Mission: Expedition overdue (5 days), search party forming, Vorna paying 200 coins

5. The Changed Explorer: Investigate what Darius saw beyond edge (he won’t tell, but maybe evidence exists)

6. The Signal Investigation: Locate source of pulses (beyond edge, extremely dangerous)

7. The Supply Run: Deliver critical supplies to Roost (ship destroyed, Vorna desperate, pays well)

8. The Artifact Retrieval: Specific pre-Shattering device needed (Vorna knows where, needs team)

9. The Memorial Names: Family hiring party to confirm relative’s death (retrieve personal item from ruins)

10. The Darkness: Periphery edge expanding (Aether darkening), investigate why

Related Topics

• The Periphery - The frontier
• The Archivists - Scholars like Evian
• Pre-Shattering Technology - What salvagers seek
• The Nexus Spire - Ultimate goal
• Keeper Vorna - Trading Post master
• “Lucky” Mar - Veteran salvager

In-World Documents

Posted at Trading Post

VORNA’S RULES

1. What you can carry, you can keep.
2. What you can’t, I’ll sell for you. (20% commission)
3. No questions asked.
4. Pay your debts.
5. Respect the Memorial.

Break these rules, you’re banned.
Break them badly, you’re dead.

—Keeper Vorna

From the Memorial Wall

TO THOSE WHO VENTURED

You sought something greater.
You risked everything.
You didn’t return.

But you’re not forgotten.

Your names are here.
Your courage remembered.
Your dreams honored.

May the Voyager guide you,
Wherever you are.

“Lucky” Mar’s Advice (Told to newcomers)

“Listen up. The Periphery will kill you. That’s not maybe. That’s fact.

But if you’re smart, if you’re lucky, if you’re careful, you might survive long enough to find something worth dying for.

My advice: - Bring more supplies than you think you need. - Trust your instincts. - When something feels wrong, it is. Leave. - Don’t go alone. - Don’t go beyond the edge. - If you see something impossible, don’t stare. Move.

And if you make it back, buy me a drink. I’ll tell you about my twenty expeditions.

Well, nineteen. I don’t talk about the twentieth.”

Darius Voidwalker’s Warning (Repeated to everyone)

“Don’t go beyond the edge.

It’s not empty out there.
The darkness isn’t dark.
It’s full.

They’re waiting.

Don’t go there.

Please.”

“Scavenger’s Roost exists at the edge of everything—the edge of the map, the edge of safety, the edge of sanity. It’s where desperate people go to risk everything for a chance at something extraordinary. Most die. Some return with treasures. A few return changed. And the Roost keeps operating, keeps sending people into the void, keeps carving names into the Memorial Wall. Because as long as there are mysteries in the Periphery, there will be people willing to die trying to solve them. And as long as there are people willing to die, there will be a Roost to send them off.”
—From Outposts of the Aetherium by Historian Elias Stormchaser