Nightsoil Gatherer

You will be looked down on, but don't let it discourage you. It doesn't matter how much money someone has, they all leave the same waste behind. Tastes may change, clothes my go out of style, but we will never have to worry about losing our work. 
They may look down on us but remember, if it wasn't for us, they would be swimming in their own filth. As long as there are people, there will be night soil and a need for those of us who are willing deal with it.

— Midur Baroakh, owner of Nightsoil Haulers in Dragonpoint

It is the thing no one wants to think about but everyone produces. Where people gather they will produce waste and there will be need for those willing to deal with it. Called Nightsoil Gatherers, they can be found all over Bennoria. As needed as they are they are always considered the lowest of the low. Many get their start as a gatherer because they are unfit or unwilling to do anything else. They scrape by, going from house to house emptying chamber pots into their wheelbarrows, cleaning out latrines, and shoveling roads clean. They then take the night soil out to the local farmers and sell it as fertilizer. If the area has a local tanner they will also gather urine to sell for the tanning process. 

In larger cities those who have setup nightsoil businesses have found themselves gaining quite a bit of wealth. They have also had to come up with creative ways of dealing with their product. Often they will buy a large piece of land outside the city where they bring the nightsoil and process it. Most will be dried out to make it easier transport to the distant farms. Some will be mixed with straw or sawdust and dried into bricks or logs to be used as a fuel source akin to charcoal. They are always trying to find new ways to make a profit off their product and the more creative they are the more successful they are.

Most people think that it's an easy and lazy job, but being a gatherer is a physically taxing job. They must lift and carry heavy pots and barrels, do lots of shoveling and push a heavily laden wheelbarrow around. While some might think you need a lack of a sense of smell, those in the profession often become acclimated to the stench and after they have been doing it for a time it no longer bothers them. It is still an unexpectedly dangerous job. Strained muscles are the least of their worries. Disease can run rampant though their profession if they are not careful. It is a dirty job so most know the importance of staying clean. Those who do not take the necessary precautions will often end up sickly and short lived. 

by Лариса Мозговая

Alternative Names

Dung Haulers

Type

Sanitation

Demand

High Demand

Legality

Legal job with little oversight unless there is a guild in the area.

by Michael Kausche