Wages and Professions

In any of Alkara's realms, a variety of people and professions are necessary to support the powers that be. Some professions aren't as common -- and some specialties can only be found in cities and large towns. You may not find, for instance, a weaponsmith in a village, or many innkeepers in Abydos. If you want to buy something or hire someone, you'll have to know where to look.

The wages listed are how much a person in a given occupation earns in a sennight. Divide by five for a daily wage, or multiply by 7 for a monthly sum, or by 52 for a yearly. If room and board is also part of a person's compensation, there is a superscript "+" next to the wage. A superscript "e" next to the wage indicates that person may receive part of their compensation as goods. (For example, in Semender, where a farmer pays crops to the local government in return for compensation, they may be allowed to keep a larger portion of the crops alongside their monetary compensation.)

Military

The following wages are those of Semender's army, but they can be used as a guideline for equivalent ranks in other militaries.

Active Military

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Lord/Lady General	unpaid; eq. 67 c+	Lieutenant Governor	unpaid; eq. 62 c+	Prince Marshal	unpaid; eq. 57 c+
Marshal	unpaid; eq. 52 c+	Colonel	47 c+	Captain	42 c+
Lieutenant	37 c+	Siege Engineer	35 c	Cartographer	22 c+
Bannerman	18 c+	Drummer/Trumpeter	15 c+	Squire	7 c+
Heavy Cavalryman	32 c+	Medium Cavalryman	28 c+	Light Cavalryman	24 c+
Heavy Infantryman	16 c+	Medium Infantryman	14 c+	Light Infantryman	12 c+
Archers/Slingers	10 c+	Mounted Archers	13 c+

Peacetime Military

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Caillmaster	29 c	Geirrmaster	27 c	Lanstmaster	30 c
Messermaster	28 c	Archery Master	26 c	Riding Master	25 c
Watchmen	15 c	Town Guard	18-20 c	Constable	24 c
Jailer responsible for the security of a jail	17 c	Bailiff makes arrests and carries out executions	20 c	Catchpole finds and brings in debtors	18 c
Marshal's Retainer	32 c	Governor's Retainer	35 c	Capitol Retainer	38 c
First-year Conscript	2+	Second-year Conscript	5+

Civic

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Diplomat	25-35 c	Herald	25 c	Summoner	22 c
Treasurer	35	Clerk	17 c	Minter	30 c
Magistrate	34 c	Barrister	28 c	Solicitor	21-23 c
Cartographer	17 c	Messenger	15 c

Academics

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Headmaster/Headmistress manages either a seminary, college, or university	30/32/36 c	Professor an instructor in a university; likely also a scholar	27 c	University Scholar either an advanced or graduated student that has dedicated themselves to the study of a certain field and is patronized by the university	15 c+
Tutor a private instructor that specializes in a certain subjectps	25 c	Instructor also known as a schoolmaster or schoolmistsress; instructs pupils in a seminary or college	22-23 c	Librarian	20 c
Illuminator	30 c	Clerk	17 c	Fencing Instructor	25 c

Craftsmen

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Shipwright	35 c	Wainwright	30 c	Wheelwright	18 c
Mason builds houses	22 c	Carpenter builds houses	20 c	Wood-Joiner makes furniture	16 c
Sawyer saws wood into boards	13 c	Basket-weaver	14 c	Hurdle-maker	13 c
Stonecarver carves architectural details from stone	20 c	Woodcarver carves wood	16-20 c	Horncarver	17 c
Lapidary	27 c	Tight Cooper	17 c	Slack Cooper	14
Glazier	25	Glassblower	18	Lensgrinder	22 c
Potter	16 c	Tile-burner	12 c	Plasterer	11 c
Blacksmith	21 c	Whitesmith	24 c	Brownsmith	22 c
Aursmith	28 c	Sterlingsmith	26 c	Tinkersmith	19-21 c
Armorer	27 c	Weaponsmith	24 c	Farrier	18-20 c
Bowyer	18 c	Fletcher	16 c	Chandler	13 c
Carders	11-12 c	Spinsters	10 c	Roper makes rope and nets	10 c
Weaver	23	Dyer	12 c	Tanner	13-16 c
Tailor	19-21 c	Hatter	21 c	Cobbler	18 c
Apothecary	20 c	Cook	17 c	Baker	17 c
Cheesemonger	15	Vinter	26 c	Brewer	13 c
Reedmaker	17 c	Luthier	20 c	Besom-maker	12 c
Pattern-maker	23 c	Broderer	16 c

Mercers

Note: Does not include craftsmen that sell their own wares.

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Hetheleder sells heather as fuel	12 c	Collier sells coal as fuel	14 c	Woodseller sells wood as fuel	13 c
Drover drives livestock to market	15-16 c	Greengrocer	22 c	Costermonger	26 c
Butcher	24 c	Fishmonger	18 c	Poulter	20 c
Oynter	15 c	Eggler	11 c	Spicer	30 c
Peddler	10 c	Plumer	14 c	Stationer	16-18 c
Old-clothes Dealer	11 c	Draper sells fabric	19 c

Laborers

This section does not merely refer to people who do hard physical labor, but generally covers all who sell their services rather than goods and produce.

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Physician	25-35 c	Surgeon	23-27 c	Midwife	20 c
Bookkeeper	17-19 c	Moneychanger	20 c	Moneylender	22-25 c
Scribe transcribes and reads letters for clients who cannot read and write	14 c	Ostler	14-17 c+	Coachman	20 c+
Innkeeper	20-30 c	Taverner owns and operates an eatery	17-27 c	Cook	15 c
Lavendar owns and operates a public bath-house	19-20 c	Barber	17 c	Bath Attendant	15-16 c
Tapster/Barkeep	14 c	Serving Maid/Serving Boy	12 c	Scullion	8 c
Quarrier	15-16 c	Miner	14 c	Woodcutter/Logger	11-13 c+
Tiller/Sower/Harvester	10 c	Miller	15 c	Papermiller	17 c
Thatcher	12	Shingler	13 c	Laundress/Washerwoman	14 c
Bargeman	14 c	Ferryman	12 c	Street-sweep	9 c
Drayman	12 c	Dung-carter	10 c	Chimney-sweep	11 c
Runner	8 c	Saltboiler	10 c	Delver	10 c

Entertainers & Artists

Obviously, many entertainers do not exactly have a wage. Traveling entertainers are paid by passers-by, and the amount can fluctuate wildly; then, of course, they have to move on when one settlement is losing interest and endure days or even a couple weeks in the wilderness with no income at all. When a celebration of some kind is being held, they may be hired for the day, for three days, or even for the week. Thus, traveling entertainers live out of tents and travel in caravans, although not infrequently inns will offer them room and board in exchange for their performance.

The situation of other entertainers offers a measure of stability. Some, like mummers which perform at a theatre, are paid a regular wage. Some minstrels are contracted to entertain tavern guests. The even more fortunate are subsidized by patrons.

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Playwright	7-20 c (ind) 30 c (pat)	Poet	9 c (ind) 17 c (pat)	Scrivener	8 c (ind) 15 c (pat)
Jester	7-12 c (trav) 11-13 c (reg)	Barker	11 c (reg)	Bear-ward	9-16 c (trav)
Mummer	9-11 c (reg)	Storyteller	4-13 c (trav)	Singer	4-13 c (trav) 14-16 c (reg)
Trumpeter	3-11 c (trav) 12-14 c (reg)	Hornist	3-11 (trav) 12-14 c (reg)	Piper	3-11 (trav) 12-14 c (reg)
Harper	3-11 c (trav) 12-14 c (reg)	Lutist	3-11 c (trav) 12-14 c (reg)	Fiddler	3-11 c (trav) 12-14 c (reg)
Drummer	2-9 c (trav) 12-14 c (reg)	Sculptor	30-40 c (ind) 50-60 c (pat)	Painter	20-50 c (ind) 40-50 c (pat)
Juggler	2-10 c (trav)	Knife-thrower	4-13 c (trav)	Tightrope-walker	4-13 c (trav)
Contortionist	5-14 c (trav)	Fire-breather	5-15 c (trav)	Puppeteer	2-10 c (trav)
Aerialist	20 c (trav)	Acrobat	20 c (trav)	Dancer	5-14 c (trav) 16-18 c (reg)
Illusionist	7-12 c (trav) 13-15 c (reg)

Farmers & Fanciers

This category focuses on those who breed, care for, and train animals, as well as raise crops.

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Groom	16 c	Stablehand	10-12 c	Horse Breeder	30 c
Horse Trainer	18 c	Donkey Breeder	24 c	Donkey Trainer	14 c
Cattle Farmer	25 ce	Cowherd	12 c	Ox Trainer	16 c
Sheep Farmer	22 ce	Shepherd	11 c	Akerman plows a field with oxen, horses, or donkeys	13 c
Goat Farmer	22 ce	Goatherd	11 c	Milkmaid/Milkman	10 c
Pig Farmer	20 ce	Swineherd	11 c	Beekeeper	20 c
Goose Farmer	18 ce	Gooseherd	7 c	Chicken Farmer	17 ce
Duck Farmer	16 ce	Duckherd	5 c	Dog Breeder	35 c
Pigeoneer	15-17 c	Falconer	30 c	Dairy Farmer	18 ce
Vegetable Farmer	17-19 ce	Orchardist	21-23 ce	Vigneron	25 ce
Mushroom Cultivator	15 ce	Granger grows grain crops	16-17 ce	Drover	15 c

Domestics

Some of the occupations listed under Domestic are also found in other lists. In order to be employed in a household, these individuals are usually a cut above and have excellent reputations, thus meriting more status and better pay. However, it is perfectly acceptable for them to be given the same wages as their counterparts if they are also housed and fed by their lord.

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Steward	32 c+	Housekeeper responsible for the house, servants, pantry, and keys	25 c+	Groundskeeper responsible for the grounds and all the gardeners	22 c+
Handman personal attendant to the gentleman of the house	17 c+	Handmaid personal attendant to the lady of the house; usually specializes in hairdressing	18 c+	Nursemaid caretaker to the children and first instructor	20 c+
Footman suitable for genteel, high-visibility tasks such as answering doors, announcing guests, waiting on sons of the house or male guests, handing women into carriages, and waiting at table	15 c+	Parlormaid suitable for genteel, high-visibility tasks such as answering doors, announcing guests, waiting on daughters of the house or female guests, and waiting at table	15 c+	Wetnurse nurses and takes care of the baby	20 c+
Houseman suitable for heavy lifting and menial, low-visibility tasks, such as porting luggage and tending fires	12 c+	Housemaid suitable for menial, low-visibility tasks such as cleaning, emptying chamber pots, and tending to fires	12 c+	Governess	22 c+
Coachman	19+	Groom	15+	Stablehand	10-12 c
Gardener	12 c	Fewterer handles and releases the dogs on a hunt	10+	Kennelmaster cares for the hunting dogs and sometimes is responsible for breeding them	17-19 c
Cook	14 c+	Kitchen Helper preps ingredients, draws water, turns spits, chops firewood	10 c+	Scullion scrubs pots in the kitchen	5 c+
Page a versatile servant who tends to both menial and genteel tasks; runs errands in town, such as fetching groceries and parcels or delivering messages	13 c+

Mariners

Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage	Occupation	Wage
Captain	18-20 c+	Quartermaster buys supplies and manages crew	17 c+	Boatswain ensures the ship is in good condition	14 c+
Navigator	15 c+	Carpenter	11 c+	Cooper	9 c+
Cook	9-10 c+	Sailor	7-9 c+	Cabin Boy	5 c+