Unlike the other factions
that organize and unify under the banner of their group’s auspice, very few
Stakers really bother to refer to themselves by the term. There are no meetings,
no grand design or collected faction history. A ‘Staker’ is what other people
call these hardy, home turf individuals and their extended families. Being a
Staker just means that unlike most of the poor souls still scratching out an
existence in the wilds, you have a place to rest when the day’s work is done –
a place with walls and roof and a decent chance of still being there tomorrow.
When a Staker travels far
away from home, it is often with an eye to found a campsite or to claim a piece
of land in the wilderness. The wayward Staker will look for some place with
good community potential, a spot with access to water, resources, shelter
and/or sources of food. Some have a preference for defensibility, while others
try to blend in with the environment and hide their foundations.
Still, every new site starts
with the same simple act: either planting a wooden stake at the center point of
the intended territory, or building the cornerstone of a building with an
inscribed message. These spots are considered the heart of the new settlement
and never moved again. It serves as a historical reminder of when the founding
members of a community began the process of reclaiming the land from the
Wrecked Earth. Everything that comes after that first act of claiming is built
around that simple focal point.
Stakers create -that is what
defines them. Stakers usually have long family lines that they can trace back
to their settlement, or they will at least be likely to name the places their
ancestors lived prior. Alongside this genealogy, Stakers will know and inherit
the knowledge of a trade from their ancestry. Though not every Staker is a
skilled craftsman like a carpenter or a metalworker, Stakers nevertheless value
skill and discipline. As such, they keep many kinds within their communities,
the thread that weaves them all together being the cooperation that binds them.
Let us know what you think in the comments!
-Matt
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