Gatherer

Gatherers: From Botanists to Miners and everything in between. They are relied upon for the materials that are needed for everyday things. Yet the phrase uttered by Agaland society unto their children are "If you don't study and do well, you'll end up picking leaves in the forest or digging rocks out of the ground like them".

Career

Qualifications

Becoming a certified gatherer is no easy task, contrary to popular belief. Specialized education in your chosen field is required, often through the form of an apprenticeship to a working or retired professional. Licensure requires a demonstration of your knowledge and skills to a panel of experts.

Career Progression

Quality and quantity of ingredients can make or break your career as a gatherer. Someone who brings back mass quantities of poor materials will be as infamous as someone known to bring large quantities of high quality materials.

Payment & Reimbursement

Professional gatherers are paid according to their rating, often greatly even if their work is below average. It is far cheaper to hire unlicensed individuals, though there is the risk of unusable and poor quality materials.

Other Benefits

Recognition within their fields and guild are their own rewards, coming with a few perks. The higher the rank within the guild, the better the chance of being tapped for important jobs, expeditions, and innovations.

Perception

Purpose

Gatherers exist to, as the name implies, gather materials. From metals, minerals, gems, herbs, wood, and organs; gatherers are an important part of society that every profession relies upon.

Social Status

Depending upon the nation, perception of society changes. While the profession is available to anyone, even if self taught, it is frowned upon to pursue it in many cultures. It is viewed as too easy, the fool's work. Any idiot can dig up a rock or pick a flower, afterall. There are several cultures that value the work done though, particularly in cultures that value the materials brought in. The Fae folk and Gyrmanians, for example.

Demographics

It is estimated that approximately 30% of the population of a given nation have a gatherer's profession.

Operations

Tools

Miners are issued pickaxes, sledgehammers, chisels, brushes, shovels, and safety equipment. Botanists are issued clippers, hedge trimmers, axes, scythes, tweezers, and safety equipment. Hunters are issued a variety of weapons and protective equipment as well as the equipment needed to extract bits from animals.

Materials

Gloves, cloth masks, goggles, and a variety of antidotes and balms are issued, changing depending on the job.

Dangers & Hazards

Like all professions, there are hazards for gatherers. Wild animals pose a threat, poisonous plants and gases, mine shaft collapses, cave ins, etc all pose hazards.

Type

Raw Materials Gathering

Demand

High demand staple

Legality

Licensed professionals are within legal compliance. Unlicensed personnel however, are in violation of the law. This is to ensure quality control and safety of the materials. It only took a few unlicensed botanists bringing back poisonous plants for brewers to enact this law.