Skiffer
Much like cowboys of the terran old west, skiffers have been mythologized by the denizens of Regulus as rough and tough loners with an unspoken code of honorable behavior. The skiffer is a fisherman/hunter who pilots the ultralight, often ramshackle, pontoon boats that ply the tumultuous and toxic waters of the coasts and lakes. The few remaining sea creatures harvested from the regulan seas are difficult and dangerous prey that require skill and fortitude to catch and process. Even the Stygian Whale, once hunted to near extinction by industrial fisheries that existed in millennia past, requires a monumental effort to be brought in without advanced and expensive ships and technology.
A skiffer can spend up to two months at a time embarked on an expedition to bring in a massive adult Stygian Whale but once caught and processed it can provide for a skiffer and their family for up to six months in food and trade goods. The few remaining Stygian Whales that inhabit the oceans of Regulus are elusive and clever creatures and few ever master the techniques required to regularly capture them. More commonly skiffers are found following patches of living water that exist among the alkaline, polluted waterways and harvesting the small shrimp like crustaceans, known as Krunpi, that can be caught there. Although too small to be eaten individually, these Krunpi are processed into a food paste that makes up almost twice the volume of food compared to that harvested annually from the Stygian Whales.
The skiffer is often portrayed in regulan films and literature as a world weary traveler often roped into saving the small villages he sails into to trade from raiders or skaven or some other villains. The other common trope is the skiffer as a noble frontiersman, taming the wilderness, defending his family, and acting as the nexus for small settlements to survive. Like other mythologizations of the past there is some grain of truth to these archetypes but the majority of skiffers in reality are as diverse as any other group.
A skiffer can spend up to two months at a time embarked on an expedition to bring in a massive adult Stygian Whale but once caught and processed it can provide for a skiffer and their family for up to six months in food and trade goods. The few remaining Stygian Whales that inhabit the oceans of Regulus are elusive and clever creatures and few ever master the techniques required to regularly capture them. More commonly skiffers are found following patches of living water that exist among the alkaline, polluted waterways and harvesting the small shrimp like crustaceans, known as Krunpi, that can be caught there. Although too small to be eaten individually, these Krunpi are processed into a food paste that makes up almost twice the volume of food compared to that harvested annually from the Stygian Whales.
The skiffer is often portrayed in regulan films and literature as a world weary traveler often roped into saving the small villages he sails into to trade from raiders or skaven or some other villains. The other common trope is the skiffer as a noble frontiersman, taming the wilderness, defending his family, and acting as the nexus for small settlements to survive. Like other mythologizations of the past there is some grain of truth to these archetypes but the majority of skiffers in reality are as diverse as any other group.
Career
Qualifications
Survival skills, knowledge of regulan sea life, ability to operate harpoons and nets, knowledge of weather patterns
Career Progression
Most skiffers start as apprentices and it can often take years to master the basic skills required. Very few skiffers are able to operate large fleets although small, generally temporary, groups are often formed for mutual benefit. The most talented skiffers can sometimes attract dozens of apprentices allowing them to act as significant economic forces in their area.
Payment & Reimbursement
To the average skiffer, the greatest reward for being in a dangerous and lonely job field in the promise of steady meals and great enough access to food to support a large family. The time and ability to process and transport large quantities of material from sea is often prohibitive to many skiffers in achieving greater financial success but those who are able to solve those problems often become some of the wealthiest individuals in the ash wastes.
Type
Agricultural / Fishing / Forestry
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