Ratcatcher

Ratcatchers are both important members of society and one of the most disgusting. Surprisingly they have an aspect to them that most others don't realise.

Career

Qualifications

Ratcatchers are generally those with little qualifications. Those they do gave is usually expert survivalists dealing with horrible conditions in sewers or on farms trudging through muck & rubbish. Also, they usually have excellent animal handling skills dealing with the rats themselves, and animals such as cats & dog breeds such as Terriers.

Career Progression

The Ratcatchers usually follow other groups, especially their guild structure. They regularly start as apprentices, then journeymen, and eventually masters. They have to prove themselves as being able to clear out anything from a section of a town or city, from a number of farms to a nobleman's palatial estate to be able to progress

Training with poisons, traps and service animals is involved and the more skill they have with these are better, especially when nothing else is harmed. Also, they have to prove that little to no harm comes to livestock, crops and general property of their clients.

Payment & Reimbursement

Payment is generally expected and regularly made ranging from a copper piece per rat caught to gold per set of rats. Damage is took into account and no other problems arise.

They can be paid by some in food, drink, equipment, specialty bred animals and such-like as & where possible. Many lower class peoples generally pay this way, and usually agreed upon beforehand.

Other Benefits

The average Ratcatcher ends up as immune to many diseases though can act as carriers in odd cases. They also have a number of contacts through a region, and can tell where there was pests before. They usually have a good knowledge of what animals are seen as pests and what is not, along with techniques of keeping away or getting rid of them.

When working they usually have access to any matter of unseen and rarely used chambers & passageways. This can be of use to the right person, or in more instances, the wrong person. Bribery is quite common, and sometimes used to get information ranging from dirty details of the local nobility the odd instance, to passages leading in & out of a city.

Perception

Purpose

The catching of rats and similar pests in and around regions where they may damage property, foodstuffs, or spread disease. The rats are usually killed on sight or disposed off far away from the source they were killed.

Prevention is another job of them where they look to shore up defences of property or a settlement to stop pests building up or getting in again.

Social Status

Ratcatchers are generally viewed as one of the lowest of the low professions. With what they deal with they are seen as dirty and diseased, as well as stinking. They are usually drawn from those with little prospects outside the military, or lower decks of ships.

Demographics

Found throughout the world, there is usually a number of Ratcatchers found spread out in a region. They are rarely found in large groups unless they are organising a large scale job. Small groups will work together to exchange information and potential jobs, as well as dividing up regions to work in. Many come from areas where there is also little in the way of job prospects, but know how to hunt small animals.

History

Wherever there is a potential for rats, and other potential pests, has required people to find ways of controlling them. This has led to sections of the populace in many such regions turning to dealing with the problem.

Most regions, especially in the farming and permanent settlement communities, have had a long history of employing such trained individuals. Over time, many of these specialists have made treaties and the like as to deal with pests. They also would have passed down their knowledge to others who have took up the profession too.

Combined, most regions now have a long history of this and sometimes the Ratcatchers will specialise in catching other pests as well as rats. Some will hunt down anything ranging from creatures like mutant worms to huge monstrosities, to even creatures like Kobolds and similar species who may take up residence below the streets of cities.

Operations

Tools

Many ratcatchers will use sacks, wooden crates, nets and different sizes of pots & barrels. Knives, short swords, spears, and different crossbows are also regularly used, both to kill the pests, and as a form of defence. At the same time, they will use lockpicks & torches to gain access to places with ease, and to light their way. They will have oil, and firestone or equivalent handy to light torches and to burn out pests.

A mortar & pestle as well as jars of specific compounds used for poisons are also common items. They may also regularly carry rope & string to help with their job.

A number of ratcatchers make use notebooks & charcoal to keep notes as to their hunts, along with animals to help with their hunts. Terrier style dogs are regularly trained from an early age to go where the ratcatchers can't, and a few will use minx, ferrets, or even cats to carry this out. The latter is barely used mainly due to the problem of training cats.

Materials

The average ratcatcher uses a number of poisons, either coating weapons or other sharp implements, or even food to poison pests. There has been the rare case where smoke or gas being made from poison components and the resulting smoke or gas being forced into the area where the pests are found. Barely used in settled areas these can easily be dangerous to the user and those they are trying to help.

Workplace

Almost anywhere there is food and drink, then pests are found and then the ratcatcher is found. Homes of all kinds, royal estates, churches and the like, farms and almost everywhere has at least some type of ratcatcher.

Provided Services

The removal of rats, and other pests, from a region or place permanently, or at least keeping them in check.

Dangers & Hazards

Rats, and pests of all kind, can fight back causing nasty wounds to outright death, along with disease. Also, many areas that they have to work in has dangerous environments, filled with sewage, sharp objects, crumbling ruins, or even trapped to name but a few hazards. Sometimes they may stumble upon hidden cults, or mad men thrown out of general society. This is partly why they are constantly armed.

Type

Hunting

Legality

Generally legal and a part of their job means they may have a higher clearance than most. This is partly in line with them needing to enter areas usually restricted to high ranking individuals or guards & soldiers.

Because of this, they are usually monitored and one of the first people to be rounded up if damaging information comes out about a high ranking individual or an enemy army or down to a thief / assassin breaks in to somewhere they shouldn't be.