Taijarn has become very insular since their civil war, mainly because of the ban on technology invented since the 82nd cycle, which to those unfamiliar with the Taijarni calendar, is a very long time ago. They have not been, as some allege, plunged back into the stone age; but clockwork has seen a dramatic resurgence and spacecraft are out of the question. The reason usually given for the great leap backwards is to curb the destructive potential of any further war, though I have heard it said that the government have stockpiles of modern weapons and are merely trying to keep the populace firmly outgunned.

However this is merely a conspiracy theory, and all of this is neither here nor there. I should be telling you about the scavengers. The scavengers make a living by running raids on the desolated wastelands created by the war to collect scrap and any remaining useable technology, legal or illegal, from the rubble, to sell. These raids are dangerous; aside from government officials checking for illegal goods at the city gates, one must also contend with the savage creatures of the Wastes, and the occasional foolhardy bandit. The scavengers of Taijarn live by their luck as much as by their wits and craft many types of good luck charms, though whether any of them work is disputed. All I know is that the woman who made this wore one herself and as far as I know, has not yet been caught out.