Ratcatcher

During the time of the Great Upheaval which preceded the prophecy of Skyfall, it was the lowly Ratcatcher that earned much renown. The entire unwitting population of Maughtykus was forcibly relocated to the hollow world of Ruathawaul to save them from Skyfall. Even though the Alvar worldcrafters were highly skilled, there was not sufficient time to make sure every scrap of the asteroid belt that Ruathawaul was rebuilt from was free from vermin. Knowledge ended with the crust or shell of Ruathawaul being a spheroid labyrinth. Originally it had forests, oceans, and grand cities on the outside. The inside was a dense jungle with an immense crystal taking the place of a sun. It was at this time the horrible discovery of “those that gnaw at the roots of the world” was made. Common rats were always the harbinger of their bigger bipedal counterparts. They had many names, Ratkin, The Ravenous, Biters, and others. If the population of rats was kept in check, the Ratkin never appeared. Conversely, people with ill intent would raise great cages of rats which would draw incursions of Ratkin. It was the Ratcatchers that first explored the labyrinth of Ruathawaul and found the breeding places rats hid in. It was the Ratcatchers’ Guild that gave birth to what would become a network of Adventurer’s Agencies. Originally just support staff guided by a Master Catcher, it wasn’t long before separate scouts acted on behalf of the Guild to explore and map parts of the labyrinth. It was soon found there were other pests than just rats to deal with. With the booming need for people with more skills than just sniffing out colonies of rats, and junior catchers dissatisfied with their superior’s leadership, they founded their own guilds. Offering more services than just pest control, these upstart agents quickly supplanted their elders. This earned them much animosity some of which still exists. While the Adventurer’s Guilds do persist, there are many detractors. Most of which are legacy families of the original Ratcatchers that fought the Ratkin incursions. While ratcatching is no longer quite the noble profession it was during the Great Upheaval, it still fills a much-needed role in civilized areas. Unfortunately, too many maligned individuals have used the guise of being a Ratcatcher and perpetrated nefarious deeds. Because of this, the Ratcatcher’s Guild has been reborn. They issue marques of membership which must be worn while on official jobs.

Type

Sanitation