Scourer

In many towns with a handy river, much rubbish tends to end up floating downstream - out of sight and out of mind, ath least to those doing the disposing. Morton, however, is constrained by the Treaty of Durranmouth and therefore takes a more responsible attitude to its waste (see Waste Management in Morton ). The scourers form a part of this process, though as most of their work takes place outside the town's walls they are seldom members of the Gongsters or any other guild.
They make their living by picking and sorting through the waste that is carted out of the town and dumped, usually in old clay workings used to make the bricks that have characterised most of Morton's buildings over the last centuary and a bit. A hard job, and one very much focused on the individual working alone with rake and bucket, and seldom one that people aspire to - but all of them live in hope of finding an item of carelessly discarded jewellry, in incriminating document or some other valuable that could transform their lives.

Career

Qualifications

Truely this is one career where the entry barriers are low to non-existant. That said, stamina to work all the hours of daylight, sharp eyesight to spot a glint of the valuable, a good memory for the commodities in demand and the traders who seek them are all needed if one is to make anything other than the most pitiable living in this role.

Perception

Social Status

Within Morton society, the scourers have no social status arising from their occupation. Because any that do get lucks and find fortune in the job have usualy done so by finding someone else's lost valuables and selling them most of Mortons inhabitants regard them as thieves and burglars, but with added body odour, for the stink of the tips is hard to eradicate.
It is this social position that acts as the limit on the numbers of people in the role for as Morton has grown and its waste increased so the need for and utility of the role have increased.

Demographics

Scourers typically fall into two populations - the young and the old. The former are urchins, unapprenticed youths or those "between engagements"; the latter those too decrepit for their former manual occupations but still able to wield rake and bucket. Between these two exists a much smaller group of scourers who specialise in the recycling of tradable goods - small metal items, glass and such like. Some of these become quite successful in a small way, especially if they can contract with a ward or a carter for first pickings before the rubbish is removed from town.

Alternative Names

Muck-raker, molly-cobber

Type

Sanitation