Templeblacker

Templeblackers, variously known as windowblackers, temple blackmen, or rattlers, are the men in charge of maintaining the various temples and shrines of the Astarum Faith. Their primary role is to maintain the "seal" of a temple, which is to say that they are responsible for ensuring that the interior of a temple can be plunged in pitch-black darkness when all the lights are extinguished and all the windows and doors are closed. This is an essential part of Vastaya worship, and is what allows the people to commune with the stars during temple services.
Although templeblackers perform a valuable community service as part of their role, this is often underappreciated by the Vastaya at large. The work of a templeblacker requires, at the very least, a cursory understanding of chemistry, an intimate knowledge of the way that light interacts with a variety of substances and geometries, some amount of skill in carpentry and masonry, and the agility to reach even the most remote corners of a temple without being injured. The public perception, however, is that templeblacking is a largely menial task that requires little skill or specialist knowledge and that only those who have no options and fewer prospects would ever voluntarily subject themselves to the humiliation.
Another reason that the public may look at the profession of templeblacking with disdain is that the work is known to be hazardous to the health of the worker. Templeblackers use large amounts of soot and ash in a variety of substances that are relevant to the work they do. While this is less the case in larger cities where there might be people specialized to gather this soot themselves, most templeblackers in smaller communities must also collect the soot they need for their work.
While precautions are taken in the process of obtaining and processing soot and other fine-grained materials, templeblackers often do not have the means to purchase proper protective equipment. Invariably, over a lifetime of exposure, they develop respiratory diseases not unlike black lung. This is especially evident in older templeblackers who can only breathe with considerable effort—hence the derogatory term of "rattler".

Type

Engineering