SCARECROWS

Scarecrow is a slang term for a human that has bonded with an alien exo-suit. The exo-suit provides the rider incredible strength, reach and protection.

No one knows who made the suits, they probably weren't human. Reason being that the tech is beyond anyone on TAPU, they look damn creepy and there really isn't room for a normal sized human to operate it.

To 'bond' with the exo-suit, one has to amputate both legs at the knee and both arms at the elbow. Once you climb in there's no way of climbing out. The strange alien tech fuses with your nervous system, it becomes your body essentially. The effect is great physical ability but also a slight nagging derangement of the psyche. The rider often goes mad. 

The orbs peppered all over the suit seem to be the same kind of orbs farmed from the SOLAVINE, small orbs of solar energy that can be used to power machinery.

Scarecrows aren't exactly shunned from RESPITE, but they are treated with caution (and a little disgust). The sane riders can be very helpful on adventures and in the defense of the town but the insane ones... well, who know's what they'll do next.