Necrodiver

Necrodivers are people who work in the hazardous industry of Necrodiving. Almost all Necrodivers work from the staging area in @New Singapore, run by the Necrodivers Union, which most Necrodivers are connected to. While Necrodiving itself is a very profitable industry, only a small percentage of Necrodivers actually continue Necrodiving as a career and fewer still make it to old age with large profits.

History

PGK's Excavations of Singapore

The first Necrodivers were employees and contractors hired by PGK to excavate @old world Singapore. This multi-year project marked the beginning of Necrodiving and was meant to reclaim technology and artifacts that existed in the old world. These first Necrodivers were not specialized to the role, however, and many mistakes were made. Most were scientists, security guards, and office clerks who were appointed to the project. The dangers of the old world kept residents of @The Acropolis from leaving its borders and they could not predict what would await them.

While PGK has kept the true numbers hidden, the loss of life of these early Necrodivers was seen as substantial, but acceptable, considering the profit that was gained from the excavations. And profit it was as it soon transformed The Acropolis from an interesting project and last gasp of a dying humanity to the large city of New Singapore, fueled by old world technology.

For the survivors of the excavations, PGK was not kind and those who asked for reparations or even complained were quickly ushered out of the company.

A Viable Industry

When the idea of Necrodiving became a viable idea for many organizations separate from PGK, the former PGK employees had a chance to use their experiences to help grow the burgeoning industry. A majority of these former employees balked at the idea of diving into the unknown again, no matter how much they were offered, but the few that did return formed the first of this new generation of true Necrodivers.

Surveying into old commerical zones in the near vicinity of @New Singapore led Necrodivers to the first major targets of Necrodiving: The buried megastructures of @old world Japan, now known as @Jumoku no shima. Learning from lessons of excavating Singapore, Necrodivers were able to expand the abilities of Drill Rigs to provide the safety and maneuverability that they had not been afforded under PGK.

To support Necrodiving and to offset the costs that came with renting land from the PGK, the Necrodivers Union was established by some of the more successful Necrodivers, which eased the process of becoming a Necrodiver, connecting new Necrodivers with various resources and possible target sites. The Necrodiver's Handbook was the fruit of this endevor to not only help the survival rate for new Necrodivers, but also as a useful reference for established crews.

Employment

Recruitment

There are no specific qualifications needed to become a Necrodiver, but membership and registration with the NDU is generally considered important as a mediation agency. Experience in almost any field is important in joining a more established crew as specialized positions are very important to long term excavations. The NDU takes care in stating these skills when registering a new member so when they are connected with crews, the captain can more easily decided if a role can suit them.

Some crews prefer to directly hire their crews or a new crew may join with all fresh members. While the Necrodivers Union marks this as a large risk, they leave it to the member's discretion.

Training

General Training

Most training for Necrodivers is informal and on the job, often with assistance of The Necrodiver's Handbook. The rare large scale Necrodiver crews and private companies based around Necrodiving may have trial periods for their members and train them before ever doing a single dive.

No matter how training takes place, a Necrodiver's first dive is the truest test. The least suitable have quit upon feeling the carry-all leaving the staging area and many can't handle days without sunlight and quit soon after. Therefore it is considered important that Necrodivers must overall, first acclimatizes themselves to the harsh conditions of the Necrodive if they are ever going to make it in the industry.

Pit Diving

Pit Divers or Pit Whelps (Often used derogatorily) often receive little to no training and are usually contracted for a single or multiple excavations. Their name comes from the Completely Vertical Excavation method, the oldest method of Necrodiving that involves a rig that only operates completely vertically and acts basically as an elevator for workers who dive the floor they are taken to completely unprotected by a drill. While some smaller or new crews do use this method, Pit Divers specifically refer to Necrodivers that are hired by private companies that focus on this type of extraction.

Pit Diving is the most dangerous type of Necrodiving in an already dangerous industry and companies who focus on Pit Diving choose quantity over quality, sending many low paid Necrodivers to excavate areas over using mobile Drill Rigs. Still, they offer contracted wages and have a lower bar for entry than Necrodiving as a whole, so many desperate people, often from the @Refugee District.

Pit Diving is not endorsed by the Necrodivers Union and does not use the staging area in @New Singapore.

Culture

The danger of Necrodiving has created a robust and varied culture among the Necrodivers, fostering a dark humor that permeates its people as a way of combating the gloomy nature of diving. Necrodivers are both respected by outsiders as people willing to one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, but also reviled and sometimes seen as looters, picking apart relics of the past for profit without a care of the cultural value of their finds. This has created an almost insular society where Necrodivers will often trust each other, but the barrier for trusting outsiders is high.

Personal Relationships

Camaraderie

While the barrier for trust of outsiders is high, the low survival rate of Necrodivers creates fast and strong friendships with a high level of camaraderie between Necrodivers. This level of trust and friendship is often so tight, that if a Necrodiver who has proved themselves retires, either early or in a later stage of their life, it is seen as a celebration of sorts, rather than becoming an outsider. These relationships are generally forged during dives, but are most prevalent between dives, in Necrodiver bars where a rowdy, but oddly not violent, revelries happen.

A breach of trust is considered one of the worst possible offenses in Necrodiver society. Word travels fast among Necrodivers, and a spoiled reputation can make it quickly impossible for the offender to ever find a job in a reputable crew ever again.

Intimacy

Relationships of an intimate nature are not uncommon in Necrodiving and exist about as much as any other group. However, sexual relationships are generally considered a bad idea, pregnancies and child rearing do not work well with a Necrodivers life and in the few cases where a child has been born during an excavation, they did not live for much longer. Some crews downright ban any long term romance between members with others declaring an agreement that members refrain from any sexual activity until they retire or have their own established home, generally in @New Singapore. Though this usually does not apply to times between excavations, it's generally seen as a taboo to engage in sexual relations too soon before a Necrodive.

Traditions

Necrodiving traditions are usually done at the crew level, with many crews having certain traditions that are upheld. For example, the crew of @The Codsmouth have a tradition of having their crew take a bite out of a raw cod as a welcome to the crew. Still, there are many traditions that can become common for Necrodivers as a whole.

Body Art

Body art such as tattoos or brands are common amongst Necrodivers. They are used not only to show uniqueness of a diver, but are often to commemorate events. Common motifs are the "Skull and Drills", similar to the Necrodiver symbol used by the NDU .

Others may engrave numbers or hatch marks onto their skin to represent a specifically profitable or difficult excavation, worthy of remembering and perfect for a conversation starter between excavations. With this vein is a tattoo with the number 444. While many have interpreted this to be an "Angel Number" from @old earth beliefs, it has a double meaning for Necrodivers. It represents the twelfth dive a Necrodiver has completed, as 3 x 4 = 12, statistically a feat that many new Necrodivers do not reach and is one of the basis to be considered an Established Crew. It's other meaning is the number 4 symbolizing death in many old world Asian groups, something that a Necrodiver has cheated 12 times to get to that point.

Blood Bat

As mentioned in The Necrodiver's Handbook, Blood bats are one of the most common and dangerous fauna that has emerged from the East Asian theater of Necrodiving. Completely silent before they strike, then making a loud shriek to stun their prey before biting them with their massive lamprey like mouths, Blood Bats have been known to instantly end even the most experienced Necrodiver's life in an instance. Established crews are generally very wary of such beasts and train their divers to immediately react to the shriek. A Necrodiver's first Blood Bat kill is considered a great honor. The head is chopped off, preserved, and then brought back to be mounted, often being sent back to family and loved ones.

The Bucket Bet

One of the most grim of traditions is the "Bucket Bet". When a Necrodiver dies, their crew or comrades often puts their names into the "Bucket Bet". The deceased's name is placed on a blackboard in a Necrodiver bar and a bucket is passed around to all participants, where both a few dollars and a piece of paper guessing their death is deposited. Once the betting is complete, the bucket is emptied and the death guesses are read outloud. If any person or group of people guesses correctly, the pooled money is given to the winner or split between winners. If noone guesses correctly, the crew takes the pool. This has led to the wish of many Necrodivers that if they do kick the bucket (die), then at least they die in a confounding way that will win their crew the Bucket Bet.