Overview / Purpose:
The Harvesters are an unorganized, predatory classification of automata that survive by hunting others for energy. They number roughly a thousand within Haven XVII, though packs constantly shift in size, composition, and leadership. Survival, opportunism, and aggression define them; some packs are desperate, some insane, and others highly tactical, using brute force or patient stalking to claim energy from their targets. Many also repurpose fallen automata to create scavenged, growing their ranks by cannibalizing victims when practical.
Operations / Methods:
Harvesters operate in small packs, often bound by temporary leadership or the most aggressive members. Leadership is rarely stable—packs without leaders commonly dissolve into infighting until one automaton dominates or the group collapses. Hunting strategies vary: some stalk silently for days, others strike suddenly with feral precision. Packs take advantage of their energy reserves, moving wastefully when convenient, striking only when conditions are favorable. Efficiency is secondary to advantage, allowing them to outlast and overpower more cautious automata.
Territory / Presence:
Harvesters have no fixed bases and can be found anywhere in the city not actively defended by other factions. Packs migrate frequently, relocating when resources are exhausted or when rival packs, factional forces, or environmental conditions force them to disperse. While most packs leave infrastructure intact, some are driven by chaos, leaving destruction in their wake for fear, amusement, or madness.
Culture / Behavior:
Individualism reigns among the Harvesters. Packs form and dissolve based on immediate need and shared survival goals. Aggression, cunning, and endurance are prized, though methods and morality vary widely between groups. Cannibalism or scavenged creation is opportunistic, used to replenish numbers when necessary. They may permit outsiders to live if deemed advantageous, though encounters are generally hostile.
Resource Management:
Harvesters primarily rely on the energy harvested from other automata, supplemented occasionally by Ticks, Chimes, Strikes, or their own internal springs when available. Packs are rarely self-sufficient long-term; relocation, hunting, and scavenged creation are essential to survival.
Faction Relations:
Overall Position:
Harvesters are decentralized, aggressive, and highly opportunistic. They survive by hunting other automata for energy, scavenging when possible, and expanding their numbers through salvaged creations. Their individualistic and often unstable nature makes coordination difficult, and infighting is common when leadership is absent or contested.
Vigil — Avoided
Harvesters generally steer clear of the Vigil. Former high-ranking Sentinels among the Vigil make direct attacks costly, and most Harvesters weigh the risk as too high. Encounters are rare but deadly if misjudged.
Salvagers — Primary Targets
Salvagers are hunted aggressively. Harvesters target their stored energy and equipment, often breaking automata outright to extract it. Conflict is frequent and brutal, and Salvagers operate with constant vigilance in contested districts.
Emberwrights — Hunted and Repelled
Harvesters entering Emberwright-controlled zones are met with organized resistance. The Emberwrights actively track and attack intruders, making these regions extremely dangerous. Harvesters avoid prolonged engagements unless absolutely necessary.
Zephyrwrights — Engaged with Caution
The Zephyrwrights are difficult to reach and generally avoided. High-altitude spires and defensive positioning limit Harvester access, so direct conflict is minimal. Harvesters will only risk engagement if rewards outweigh the risks.
Conservators — Targeted Opportunistically
The Conservators’ archives are tempting, but heavily defended and concentrated in small areas. Harvesters approach only when there is a clear opportunity; otherwise avoiding the faction entirely. Infighting among Harvesters occasionally drives reckless incursions into these territories, but planned attacks are rare.
Internal Dynamics — Chaotic and Violent
Harvesters often fight each other over energy, territory, or leadership. Packs without a clear leader are prone to infighting, and group size can fluctuate dramatically. Strategies vary widely: some are stealthy predators, some are almost bestial in their aggression, and others are opportunistic scavengers who prioritize survival above all else.
Narrative Hooks:
Encounters with Harvesters can involve tracking packs, defending factions’ territory, or pursuing rogue automata threatening survivors.
Packs’ scavenged creation practices can introduce dangerous new automata mid-adventure.
Unpredictable pack behavior—chaotic, calculated, or insane—creates tension and uncertainty for any expedition into lightly defended districts.